Those God Only Knows 'flute trills'

[Willy Wilson]

Does anyone else agree that the arrangement and positioning of those few seconds of harmonised God Only Knows flute trills (as I call them) at 1:46 are the finest moments of music by anyone ever? Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Beatles, anyone else? I cannot imagine a more gorgeous gorgeousness in any other music I have ever heard. I think had Debussy been around to hear them he would have been inspired himself.

From where in Brian's head did this come? A true direct link to God is all I can offer.

Edit: Did Brian say to the guys: "Give me a doodly-doo... deedley ooo" having written it in his head or was it a made-up-on-the-spot thing?

[You Kane, You Commanded, You Conquered]

Totally agree, one of the best parts of the stereo mix is hearing those flutes in sharper clarity.

[Willy Wilson]

It's 20 years since the box, and listening to the stereo backing tracks and vocals-only were like big shafts of sunlight entering a great tomb off hidden wonder. I recall my wife-at-the-time coming home and finding me crying buckets thinking someone had died. No I was listening to an advance copy of the box and all the "run-run wee-ooohs" in stereo for the first time.

[SMiLE-addict]

From where in Brian's head did this come?

Dance of the Reed Flutes from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker?

[undercover-m]

Actually, yeah, that happens to be one of my favorite moments in the song.

I made a thread on another board once titled, "favorite song moments." After some searching, this is the closest equivalent thread I could find. Could start a new one; I'd be down.

[CenturyDeprived]

That is an incredibly beautiful part.

My favorite part of the song, which was a real revelation to me upon first hearing the instrumental version, happens between 2:09 and 2:15.  It's a little instrumental sound that repeats four times between those timeframes, and continues to repeat  after that. It's very buried in the mix when the vocals are heard, so it was a real pleasure to discover it was present there all along.  Does anyone know what instrument this is?

https://youtu.be/vdGmwnH7Q6o

[mike moseley]

plucked strings I reckon..?

That is an incredibly beautiful part.

My favorite part of the song, which was a real revelation to me upon first hearing the instrumental version, happens between 2:09 and 2:15.  It's a little instrumental sound that repeats four times between those timeframes, and continues to repeat  after that. It's very buried in the mix when the vocals are heard, so it was a real pleasure to discover it was present there all along.  Does anyone know what instrument this is?

https://youtu.be/vdGmwnH7Q6o

[bossaroo]

sounds like keyboards to me

[Hickory Violet Part IV]

Does anyone else agree that the arrangement and positioning of those few seconds of harmonised God Only Knows flute trills (as I call them) at 1:46 are the finest moments of music by anyone ever? Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Beatles

Better than anything the last lot on your list did, certainly, but the others? I know you were being tongue in cheek. Try Mozart's Clarinet  Concerto. Good enough place to start.

[JK]

It's definitely a keyboard, just from the lie of it, one thumb note alternating with a three-finger chord.

It sounds much like the spinet my wife has, when you pull out a stop to dampen the strings.

It might be a tack piano muted in some way----I should image c-man will know.

Here are three videos that may give it away:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMGC4gNuxLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVUBpzlELOg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTVcNsJGX0


For years (of mono) I thought the little two-flute flourish was a keyboard, maybe a celesta...   

[guitarfool2002]

It's 20 years since the box, and listening to the stereo backing tracks and vocals-only were like big shafts of sunlight entering a great tomb off hidden wonder. I recall my wife-at-the-time coming home and finding me crying buckets thinking someone had died. No I was listening to an advance copy of the box and all the "run-run wee-ooohs" in stereo for the first time.

I had a similar experience. That first listen - Stunned. Then I'd put it on the stereo for guests who had not heard it, the WIBN vocals-only track. I've seen it bring people who normally had a ton to talk about to a moment of complete silence as they listened especially after that second verse kicks in.

That's the power of this music. Right there on tape.

[guitarfool2002]

That is an incredibly beautiful part.

My favorite part of the song, which was a real revelation to me upon first hearing the instrumental version, happens between 2:09 and 2:15.  It's a little instrumental sound that repeats four times between those timeframes, and continues to repeat  after that. It's very buried in the mix when the vocals are heard, so it was a real pleasure to discover it was present there all along.  Does anyone know what instrument this is?

https://youtu.be/vdGmwnH7Q6o

That sounds like the piano with the strings taped to dampen and mute them, with a heavy delay echo applied. It's a similar studio trick that you can hear Brian doing in the studio later that year with some of the Smile sessions, including the All Day/Dada reels. I don't think that's the dampen pedal, but rather the taped-strings trick or a blanket or something similar laid across the strings.

Tape delay triggers better with muted staccato sounds (instrumental) and hard consonant syllables (vocal). It's how Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Gene Vincent, John Lennon, Elvis, Scotty Moore, etc got such a terrific "vintage" tape echo/delay effect on their classic tracks that set the standard. Add that Brian Wilson 1966/67 muted/echoed piano to that list, or my list at least.

[CenturyDeprived]

That is an incredibly beautiful part.

My favorite part of the song, which was a real revelation to me upon first hearing the instrumental version, happens between 2:09 and 2:15.  It's a little instrumental sound that repeats four times between those timeframes, and continues to repeat  after that. It's very buried in the mix when the vocals are heard, so it was a real pleasure to discover it was present there all along.  Does anyone know what instrument this is?

https://youtu.be/vdGmwnH7Q6o

That sounds like the piano with the strings taped to dampen and mute them, with a heavy delay echo applied. It's a similar studio trick that you can hear Brian doing in the studio later that year with some of the Smile sessions, including the All Day/Dada reels. I don't think that's the dampen pedal, but rather the taped-strings trick or a blanket or something similar laid across the strings.

Tape delay triggers better with muted staccato sounds (instrumental) and hard consonant syllables (vocal). It's how Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Gene Vincent, John Lennon, Elvis, Scotty Moore, etc got such a terrific "vintage" tape echo/delay effect on their classic tracks that set the standard. Add that Brian Wilson 1966/67 muted/echoed piano to that list, or my list at least.

I'm thinking you're correct on that, thanks for that info!