Backing Vox 'Let's go away...'

[Emily]

I'd also consider in all seriousness sharing that video "LGA" with some musician friends, preferably flautists or arrangers/composers who have written for flute, and ask them what they think that initial sound heard in the video could be. If I remove myself from it I probably wouldn't say "alto flute" as the first impression.

I think that's a good idea. I think the smooth bend is done with the breath, as you can hear someone doing in the video I posted, but I also hear a tap in there. Just toward the end of the measure.
Edit: Should have relistened just before posting. The tap seems to be toward the beginning of the first measure.
Edit again: so I think what you are considering a smooth bend, I'm considering a very light quick tap. What I'm considering a very slight bend comes after that.

[mike moseley]

I think it would be really interesting to see what some non BBs musicians think of it but also engineers as I think they are more used to the bleeds/FX etc that recordings can have.

I'd expect any musician to be highly impressed with the track, esp the fade-out, its stunning.

I'd also consider in all seriousness sharing that video "LGA" with some musician friends, preferably flautists or arrangers/composers who have written for flute, and ask them what they think that initial sound heard in the video could be. If I remove myself from it I probably wouldn't say "alto flute" as the first impression.

I think that's a good idea. I think the smooth bend is done with the breath, as you can hear someone doing in the video I posted, but I also hear a tap in there. Just toward the end of the measure.

[guitarfool2002]

Engage some trained ears that exist outside the Beach Boys fan universe, play that specific sound in the LGA video for them, and ask what it is they're hearing...or what is producing that sound. It would go a long way toward stepping outside the bubble and getting some totally fresh ears on it.

[mike moseley]

aha - at 1:51 I just noticed what could be a part of the 'voice' in the percussion - can anyone else hear what could be part of the plosive (is that the right word..?) the 'd' there..?

Or is there some string plucking..?  Or percussion + strings..?

I can't hear it on the backing track which would mean its from day 2..?

[You Kane, You Commanded, You Conquered]

This is the most fascinatingly dumb thread. I feel like I've learned both something and absolutely nothing from it at the same time.

[guitarfool2002]

This is the most fascinatingly dumb thread. I feel like I've learned both something and absolutely nothing from it at the same time.

If something leads me to revisit a track with a different perspective, perhaps try to hear something new in the familiar, or to step into another person's perspective and try to hear something a different way, I'd consider it worthwhile, to a degree.

And you got to hear perhaps more alto flute examples here in the past 24 hours than perhaps anywhere online besides a flute players' forum. 

[mike moseley]

hehe - I think its interesting but then if something interests me I can explore it to the nth degree.

I wouldn't sit talking to myself though - if other people stop posting the thread will drop off.

This is the most fascinatingly dumb thread. I feel like I've learned both something and absolutely nothing from it at the same time.

[SMiLE Brian]

This is the most fascinatingly dumb thread. I feel like I've learned both something and absolutely nothing from it at the same time.

If something leads me to revisit a track with a different perspective, perhaps try to hear something new in the familiar, or to step into another person's perspective and try to hear something a different way, I'd consider it worthwhile, to a degree.

And you got to hear perhaps more alto flute examples here in the past 24 hours than perhaps anywhere online besides a flute players' forum. 

Are you flutefool2002 on there?

[guitarfool2002]

This is the most fascinatingly dumb thread. I feel like I've learned both something and absolutely nothing from it at the same time.

If something leads me to revisit a track with a different perspective, perhaps try to hear something new in the familiar, or to step into another person's perspective and try to hear something a different way, I'd consider it worthwhile, to a degree.

And you got to hear perhaps more alto flute examples here in the past 24 hours than perhaps anywhere online besides a flute players' forum. 

Are you flutefool2002 on there?

I've been exposed! 

[SMiLE Brian]

This thread spilled the beans!

[Andrew G. Doe]

OK H I may sound pedantic to you but its not for the sake of it.

In these kinds of discussions I've seen it repeated over and over again that logs aren't 100% reliable.  Someone could be booked but dropped out of the arrangement - I'm not saying that happened here but its an obvious thing that could happen, no mystery.

I stand to be corrected, but I've always assumed the AFM contracts were drawn up after the session (or possibly during), not before. Thus, if you're on the sheet, chances are you were there.

[guitarfool2002]

COMMENT:  As I have stated many times c-man, and will again make the statement again.  AFM contracts cannot be trusted to be what they claim to represent. ~swd

Perhaps so...but in my research experience, the majority of Beach Boys-related AFM contracts that I've uncovered match up perfectly with session tapes that I've been allowed to hear. There are some quite obvious exceptions where a contract was created after-the-fact just to have something to submit, but those are the exceptions, and they're blatantly obvious. In the case of the early '80s stuff I speak of here, interesting assortments of musicians were apparently booked for studio sessions with Brian, under song titles such as "Fly", "Candlesticks", "Up Again", "Why Don't You Tell Me Why" and "Cry Like A Baby". Whether these sessions actually took place or actually resulted in anything being committed to tape, I cannot say, as the tapes apparently do not reside in the Brother vaults as one would expect them to.

COMMENT:  Let me phrase this another way . . .  You can't construct accurate history of recording sessions by looking at AFM contract sheets. 

. . . Anymore than you could figure out what Brian had for his dinner last night by looking at last week's grocery bills of the Wilson household. ~swd

[mike moseley]

So what's that at 1:51 just before the 'voice' comes in..?

Its not on the pad so could it be plucked strings..?

Its sounds a bit percussiony to me bu no percussion on day 2..?

[orange22]

I'm liking this thread! My thoughts:

The earlier "bend" sound: I'm in agreement with guitarfool that the style of the bend is reminiscent of a guitar in its smoothness, but of course it doesn't sound like a guitar. Is it possible that this is the oboe and the reverb is boosted just for this bit and not the other oboe parts? In either case, the reverb is the main thing here, it's so thick and making the instrument sound so other-worldly that it's nearly impossible to tell what it actually is.

The outro doubled instrument: I'm hearing a woodwind doubled by a string instrument (viola?).

[mike moseley]

my producer buddy and one or two others thinks strings in the outro - could there be a bit of plucking..?

I'm liking this thread! My thoughts:

The earlier "bend" sound: I'm in agreement with guitarfool that the style of the bend is reminiscent of a guitar in its smoothness, but of course it doesn't sound like a guitar. Is it possible that this is the oboe and the reverb is boosted just for this bit and not the other oboe parts? In either case, the reverb is the main thing here, it's so thick and making the instrument sound so other-worldly that it's nearly impossible to tell what it actually is.

The outro doubled instrument: I'm hearing a woodwind doubled by a string instrument (viola?).

[orange22]

my producer buddy and one or two others thinks strings in the outro - could there be a bit of plucking..?

There are a few pizzicato/plucked notes before the melody comes in, but I'm hearing bowed/sustained notes on the melody.

[LostArt]

my producer buddy and one or two others thinks strings in the outro - could there be a bit of plucking..?

There are a few pizzicato/plucked notes before the melody comes in, but I'm hearing bowed/sustained notes on the melody.

That's what I'm hearing, too.

[mike moseley]

yeah but could be plucked in there too in the melody - not clearly audible but adding to presence..?  just a thought as I don't think the plucks have been mentioned till now

errr just listened again and not sure

my producer buddy and one or two others thinks strings in the outro - could there be a bit of plucking..?

There are a few pizzicato/plucked notes before the melody comes in, but I'm hearing bowed/sustained notes on the melody.

[c-man]

yeah but could be plucked in there too in the melody - not clearly audible but adding to presence..?  just a thought as I don't think the plucks have been mentioned till now

errr just listened again and not sure

my producer buddy and one or two others thinks strings in the outro - could there be a bit of plucking..?

There are a few pizzicato/plucked notes before the melody comes in, but I'm hearing bowed/sustained notes on the melody.

The strings - at least some of them - are definitely being plucked in the outro. Prior to that, when you hear strings, they are being bowed. And they have nothing to do with the mystery sound that spawned this epic thread.

[c-man]

guitarfool2000 wrote:

"Reminds me too of the famous WIBN guitar intro. What was it? How was it played? etc. There were discussions about that part being played on a detuned 12-string guitar...to which I objected because not only do I play and own electric 12-string guitars but I also know that detuning a 12-string electric guitar then playing it on either the 15th or 16th fret position versus having it standard tuned and hitting the pattern on the 14th fret...just consider detuning it would be pointless and would actually do more harm to the sound than good because the intonation on those slackened strings would be shot.

Lo and behold, it turns out the part was played by Barney Kessel on that 12-string electric mandolin as pictured in the original PS Sessions booklet, plugged direct into the board as we already knew and treated to Gold Star's heavenly echo chambers.

Why was there instead a Danelectro Bellzouki shown in the L&M studio scene? Simply because a Gibson hybrid electric mandolin like Barney played on the session was not able to be found...and after Barney's family was consulted, it was clear Barney did play that Gibson mandolin on the actual date. But why the Bellzouki? I'll save that for another time and discussion lest I be accused again of derailing threads."


Guess I missed this revelation on whatever thread it appeared - other Craig (or someone else), would you care to point me to it?

[Emily]

the top two videos on this page show flutes with notes tapped lightly enough that the tap is inaudible:
http://www.altoflute.co.uk/02-pitch/trills-and-tremolos.html

[Cristian Kiper]

This article mentions how Brian introduced the song at his latest concert: http://13thfloor.co.nz/reviews/concert-reviews/brian-wilson-civic-theatre-march-26-2016/

”Here’s a song with no voices, just instruments”, he announced preceding the instrumental, Let’s Go Away For Awhile

[c-man]

Emily - have you had a chance yet to consider the clarinet as the mystery instrument, due to the somewhat sax-like line late in the song? The parts at 1:58 and 2:06...

[c-man]

I'm sure everyone is sick to death of this thread by now...which is why no new replies have been posted for days...but I'm still hoping for replies to questions I had posed to two of the contributors:

Emily - have you had a chance to decide if you think the "mystery sound" at 1:58 and at 2:06 in the song possibly sounds more like clarinet than alto flute?

guitarfool2000 - where was it determined unequivocally that Barney Kessel played a Gibson hybrid guitar-mandolin rather than a Danelectro Bellzouki on WIBN? It that was in a separate thread, I've been unable to find it with the search function, and would very much like to see it.

Thanks in advance to both of you! 

[Scott]

C-man and Guitarfool = I remember the discussions from years ago about the intro to WIBN.  It might have been me that mentioned that guys used to detune their acoustic 12's to relieve the neck pressure.  I don't know or even think electric 12s needed to do that.  But the intro to WIBN sounds like it has very flexible strings, looser than what I would expect on an electric 12.  You can hear that in the outtakes where the left hand finger pressure easily pulls the guitar sharp.  So it could be a shorter-than-normal scale.  What is the scale of a bellzouki?  24.5 inches I believe, which is the same as a Gibson - not exactly short-scale.  Or maybe the guitar had high action.  I don't own one but I played one briefly at a vintage store and after doing so I thought it might be the guitar used.

The hybrid instrument theory was refuted by someone who noted that there doesn't seem to be a pickup on it in the picture from the PS box set.  OTOH, I don't know why Mr. Kessel would order a specially made instrument for session work that didn't have a pickup!  I've tried to find alternate pictures of him holding that mando but with no success.

I still don't know what guitar/instrument it was

Scott.