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Author Topic: Brian's Keyboard Playing On Smile  (Read 3076 times)
TheWonderfulHarpsichord
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« on: September 21, 2016, 04:29:25 PM »

Being new to this message board I thought i might as well ask you guys some questions, after all you are Beach Boys experts.

I am very curious about Brian's instrumental contributions to the planned Smile album/The Smile Sessions as I am a big fan of his playing style and always love to see the mastermind of the music play right on the front lines.

So far I have been able to gather that he played piano on Surf's Up and played Harpsichord on Wonderful (correct me if i'm wrong). But is that it? I have also heard that he played organ but haven't been able to find anything to confirm this.

A lot of the songs on the album contain piano and various keyboard instruments. For example: Heroes and Villains, Do You Like Worms, Good Vibrations and Wind Chimes. But Heroes and Villains, Wind Chimes, and Good Vibrations' piano parts are played by session musicians and the tack piano part on Do You Like Worms is played by Van Dyke Parks.

I've noticed that Vega-Tables, Child Is The Father of The Man, Fire, and Look (Song For The Children) all contain prominent keyboard parts. Piano on Vega-Tables and Child Is The Father of The Man, Organ on Fire, and supposedly clavichord on Look (Song For The Children).

I haven't seen anything confirming the personnel for said songs (except the vocals). So I ask, is it possible that Brian provided the keyboard parts for said songs? Is there any confirmation on the full personnel for each song? Or was it a session musician/Van Dyke providing the parts?

I am most curious about who played the piano part on Vega-Tables, really like that hypnotic playing.



And yes I know Dennis provided a short organ part for Good Vibrations...



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Jon Stebbins
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« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2016, 06:34:20 PM »

Being new to this message board I thought i might as well ask you guys some questions, after all you are Beach Boys experts.

I am very curious about Brian's instrumental contributions to the planned Smile album/The Smile Sessions as I am a big fan of his playing style and always love to see the mastermind of the music play right on the front lines.

So far I have been able to gather that he played piano on Surf's Up and played Harpsichord on Wonderful (correct me if i'm wrong). But is that it? I have also heard that he played organ but haven't been able to find anything to confirm this.

A lot of the songs on the album contain piano and various keyboard instruments. For example: Heroes and Villains, Do You Like Worms, Good Vibrations and Wind Chimes. But Heroes and Villains, Wind Chimes, and Good Vibrations' piano parts are played by session musicians and the tack piano part on Do You Like Worms is played by Van Dyke Parks.

I've noticed that Vega-Tables, Child Is The Father of The Man, Fire, and Look (Song For The Children) all contain prominent keyboard parts. Piano on Vega-Tables and Child Is The Father of The Man, Organ on Fire, and supposedly clavichord on Look (Song For The Children).

I haven't seen anything confirming the personnel for said songs (except the vocals). So I ask, is it possible that Brian provided the keyboard parts for said songs? Is there any confirmation on the full personnel for each song? Or was it a session musician/Van Dyke providing the parts?

I am most curious about who played the piano part on Vega-Tables, really like that hypnotic playing.



And yes I know Dennis provided a short organ part for Good Vibrations...




Did you know that there is detailed sessionography created by C-Man that comes with the Smile Sessions box set? Endless and wondrous details about who played what is included.
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« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2016, 06:41:59 PM »

...only with the full box, though. Those of us who have the 2-cd set are ,alas, out of luck Sad
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Matt Bielewicz
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« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2016, 01:54:49 AM »

I have the box, but in order to provide a speedy reply off the top of my head, in the interests of courtesy and friendliness, I seem to recall that Brian plays piano on parts of H&V (the most obviously piano-driven sections, which may have been for part two of the song [sound of can of worms being creaked open and quickly slammed shut]), and the main SMiLE-era recording of Vega-Tables at least (where again, the piano is a significant part of the arrangement). I think he only played piano on the Inside Pop version (and the associated studio recording) of Surf's Up, but of course part of that studio recording ended up being used in the 'final' version, as that was all the Beach Boys had available to use in the early 1970s as backing for the second section (and the same is true of Alan Boyd and Mark Linett in 2011, for that matter). From memory, the prominent piano in the first section of the song is members of the Wrecking Crew, I think [EDITED LATER TO ADD: it's Al De Lory on that session, it seems].

I think most of the other piano and keyboard parts actually ON the album, as with Pet Sounds, were played by the session guys for the most part (with honourable exception of the organ bridge in Good Vibrations played by Dennis, as the OP has already noted). Of course, Brian would have been playing the piano a lot in the studio before the recording, to demo the parts to those guys and teach them what to play, but in terms of what was recorded and actually ended up on the album (or the sessions box, in the case of SMiLE), it's mostly the session guys, I think.

I'm off to have a look at my box now, to see whether the above, written from memory, actually stands up!
« Last Edit: September 22, 2016, 02:22:29 AM by Matt Bielewicz » Logged
Matt Bielewicz
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« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2016, 02:16:28 AM »

[...footsteps returning as Matt comes back from studying his box set]

OK, I didn't do too badly: looks like, in addition to the above, Brian played pianos on the sessions for Child Is Father Of The Man (which I'd forgotten). He was also on sundry bits and pieces of SMiLE that probably wouldn't have made the final album if it had been finished (but then again, who knows...?) such as DaDa (the original idea from December 1966, not the 'developed' arrangement recorded as I Love To Say Dada six months later), He Gives Speeches, and electric harpsichord on Cool Cool Water (but that's from June 1967, so he was probably more into Smiley Smile sessions by then, although that's another 'can of worms' situation I'm not getting into here either...!).

As far as I can see, BW played tack piano on a section of Good Vibrations that ended up being the choruses in the final version, but that's it for his instrumental contribution to GV. I think we can forgive him that, though, as it's fair to say he was *pretty* involved in the writing, production and mixing of the track... just a bit!

This is an interesting point, though - instrumentally speaking, he wasn't actually heavily 'on' a lot of the albums that are considered his finest work. Of course, he's all over those records in plenty of other very important ways, but it shows that he was happy not to dominate the playing when he was at the height of his game.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2016, 02:21:06 AM by Matt Bielewicz » Logged
thorgil
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« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2016, 03:23:21 AM »

Just like other great composers, Brian seems to be able to play a lot of instruments without being a virtuoso in any. The list of instruiments he is credited as playing for "15 Big Ones" is impressive: organ, piano, Moog bass, ARP synthesizer, ARP String Ensemble, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, chimes, bells.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2016, 03:29:24 AM by thorgil » Logged

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« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2016, 03:43:57 AM »

Just like other great composers, Brian seems to be able to play a lot of instruments without being a virtuoso in any. The list of instruiments he is credited as playing for "15 Big Ones" is impressive: organ, piano, Moog bass, ARP synthesizer, ARP String Ensemble, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, chimes, bells.

Pretty sure guitar isn't among Brian's 15 Big Ones credits.
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thorgil
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« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2016, 04:28:54 AM »

You are right. Guitar on "Chapel of Love", though credited to Brian in the Wikipedia page, is Carl.
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« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2016, 10:14:19 AM »

You are right. Guitar on "Chapel of Love", though credited to Brian in the Wikipedia page, is Carl.

Regarding Brian's guitar prowess, there is this;)

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/5/9/1368116753429/-I-walked-away-from-that--010.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=707096a0b1d274e70d404aed2c01a875
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joe_blow
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« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2016, 11:24:11 AM »

I think this clip shows him shredding well on the axe:https://youtu.be/LNpvPmH0VJ0?t=9m20s
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TheWonderfulHarpsichord
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« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2016, 04:39:28 PM »

[...footsteps returning as Matt comes back from studying his box set]

OK, I didn't do too badly: looks like, in addition to the above, Brian played pianos on the sessions for Child Is Father Of The Man (which I'd forgotten). He was also on sundry bits and pieces of SMiLE that probably wouldn't have made the final album if it had been finished (but then again, who knows...?) such as DaDa (the original idea from December 1966, not the 'developed' arrangement recorded as I Love To Say Dada six months later), He Gives Speeches, and electric harpsichord on Cool Cool Water (but that's from June 1967, so he was probably more into Smiley Smile sessions by then, although that's another 'can of worms' situation I'm not getting into here either...!).

As far as I can see, BW played tack piano on a section of Good Vibrations that ended up being the choruses in the final version, but that's it for his instrumental contribution to GV. I think we can forgive him that, though, as it's fair to say he was *pretty* involved in the writing, production and mixing of the track... just a bit!

This is an interesting point, though - instrumentally speaking, he wasn't actually heavily 'on' a lot of the albums that are considered his finest work. Of course, he's all over those records in plenty of other very important ways, but it shows that he was happy not to dominate the playing when he was at the height of his game.

Thanks for the information. The Vega-Tables and Child Is The Father of The Man that you are referring to are the ones on the 2 disc set as well, correct?

As far as Brian's playing on Pet Sounds goes I'm pretty sure he plays Piano on the title track and Organ on That's Not Me,as far as I know, and I'm guessing that my accusation that he played harpsichord on Wonderful is correct.
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TheWonderfulHarpsichord
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« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2016, 04:56:52 PM »

Being new to this message board I thought i might as well ask you guys some questions, after all you are Beach Boys experts.

I am very curious about Brian's instrumental contributions to the planned Smile album/The Smile Sessions as I am a big fan of his playing style and always love to see the mastermind of the music play right on the front lines.

So far I have been able to gather that he played piano on Surf's Up and played Harpsichord on Wonderful (correct me if i'm wrong). But is that it? I have also heard that he played organ but haven't been able to find anything to confirm this.

A lot of the songs on the album contain piano and various keyboard instruments. For example: Heroes and Villains, Do You Like Worms, Good Vibrations and Wind Chimes. But Heroes and Villains, Wind Chimes, and Good Vibrations' piano parts are played by session musicians and the tack piano part on Do You Like Worms is played by Van Dyke Parks.

I've noticed that Vega-Tables, Child Is The Father of The Man, Fire, and Look (Song For The Children) all contain prominent keyboard parts. Piano on Vega-Tables and Child Is The Father of The Man, Organ on Fire, and supposedly clavichord on Look (Song For The Children).

I haven't seen anything confirming the personnel for said songs (except the vocals). So I ask, is it possible that Brian provided the keyboard parts for said songs? Is there any confirmation on the full personnel for each song? Or was it a session musician/Van Dyke providing the parts?

I am most curious about who played the piano part on Vega-Tables, really like that hypnotic playing.



And yes I know Dennis provided a short organ part for Good Vibrations...




Did you know that there is detailed sessionography created by C-Man that comes with the Smile Sessions box set? Endless and wondrous details about who played what is included.


Looks like I have a lot of reading to do on C-Man's works
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