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Author Topic: The Alan Boyd Thread  (Read 245437 times)
Charles LePage @ ComicList
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« on: December 23, 2005, 09:33:33 PM »

Please read the previous thread before asking Alan questions:

http://smileysmile.net/documents/alanboydthread.pdf
« Last Edit: December 25, 2005, 09:27:21 PM by Charles LePage » Logged

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Jason
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« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2005, 09:09:41 AM »

Alan, what's the deal with Drip Drop? Is that a Beach Boys recording or a Brian solo recording?
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« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2006, 02:21:19 PM »

Alan, just want to mention that I've just seen Endless Harmony and it's an excellent documentary, although I did scream at the television when Mike said that Heroes and Villains was the last real dynamic Brian Wilson song.  No honorable mention for Breakaway Mike?
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« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2006, 07:46:08 PM »

Alan, continuing from our last discussion,

How many tape boxes are as well notated in terms of the tracks contents as the "This Whole World" tape box was?  I imagine it would vary according to engineer, time period, etc?
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Alan Boyd
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« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2006, 11:37:51 AM »

Happy New Year!

Just got back to LA, nice to see the new board!

Let's see now....

DRIP DROP - Not exactly sure when it was recorded, but it certainly sounds like it was recorded at Brother Studio... I'd guess 1976-1977.

There are lots of tape boxes in the archive wiith good documentation - especially when it comes to material generated at Brother Studio, late 70s.  Dennis' solo material is especially well covered.

As for "Endless Harmony," that was sort of a "Beach Boys In Their Own Words" kind of project (you'll notiice there was no narrator on the film).  I thought it was interesting to see how the guys themselves perceive their own career.... Standing within the eye of the hurricane as they are, they may have a very different view of things....

Alan
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« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2006, 11:40:27 AM »


DRIP DROP - Not exactly sure when it was recorded, but it certainly sounds like it was recorded at Brother Studio... I'd guess 1976-1977.

Yeah, I've seen two possible dates. Andrew Doe claims 1974, you claim 1976-77. I tend to lean towards 1974...but that's just me.
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Alan Boyd
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« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2006, 12:27:21 PM »

Mine is just an educated guess, based on the sound of the recording and the state of Brian's voice on the mix I've heard - Andrew might have some more solid info than I do!

Alan
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Andrew G. Doe
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« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2006, 09:27:21 AM »

I said 1974 ? Hell, my memory's getting bad. When did I say that ?
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« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2006, 10:39:30 AM »

Your website, Andrew. Unreleased tracks page.
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« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2006, 11:28:55 AM »

I haven't heard it, but I'm taking it that Brian is in his 'gruff' voice and this is what leads you to the possible dates that are being attributed. Yes?
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Alan Boyd
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« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2006, 12:18:33 PM »

Very gruff.

Makes "Love Is A Woman" sound like "Don't Talk" in comparison....

 :D
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SurferGirl7
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« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2006, 12:24:37 PM »

Well reading the orginal lyrics covered from Dion, it sounds like a lot of fun  :D
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« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2006, 07:18:25 AM »

Alan,

Is there any dating associated with docs or box of the master for the H&V single?  It would be cool if an aircheck of the fabled direct-from-the-studio first airing could be found.

Thanks,

Cam
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Andrew G. Doe
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« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2006, 08:47:15 AM »

Your website, Andrew. Unreleased tracks page.

Damn. I really have to start reading the stuff I write.

OK. Well, I might be leaning towards 1975. Ish.
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« Reply #14 on: January 12, 2006, 02:28:51 AM »

hi alan, can you tell a little more about the new bb cd released in spring 2006 ? i know there are live traqcks on it. Can you lift a little bit of the curtain. from whitch period is it and are the 3 new songs new or found in the faults and never released ?

thanks for your time
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« Reply #15 on: January 19, 2006, 01:46:38 PM »

Alan, I have a question about "Friends" era tapes.  And I suppose 20/20 as well.

At that point, what was the general "track-to-vocal" track ratio?  To your knowledge, was there a lot of bouncing down going on or do most of the the master 8-tracks have all the elements of the final master?

For instance, how many tracks was the instrumental mix of "Be With Me" on Hawthorne spread across?
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Alan Boyd
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« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2006, 11:59:18 AM »

Yes.... and yes.

With the eight track masters there was often some track bouncing going on - the basic track would be spread out over several tracks, and then these would be mixed down to two or four tracks, leaving several open for vocals.  On almost all of the eight track recordings, everything is there on the multitrack masters - usually there was no further overdubbing as they mixed down 8 to 2 or 8 to 1.

"Be With Me" is a good example of this.  Here are the documented tracks from the first generation master:

Master
1 - Horn
2 - Horns OD
3 - Flutes
4 - Drums OD
5 - Drums - bass
6 - Picolo
7 - Rhodes
8 - Fife

After this, the song was dubbed dwon, the basic track mixed down to leave room for overdubs and vocals:

Leader - Dubdown 1
1 - brass
2 - brass OD
3 - flute
4 - keyboard rhythm
5 - vocal
6 - vocal
7
8 - strings

Alan
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« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2006, 12:17:53 PM »

Thanks, as always, so much.  I really appreciate the time you take to fill me in on this stuff.
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« Reply #18 on: January 26, 2006, 12:36:22 PM »

Another tape related question:

On a lot of the post Surfer Girl LP/Pre All Summer Long LP stuff, we've got the interesting stereo mixes where the track is dead center, Brian's double-tracked lead is off to one side, and the group vocals are off hard to the other side.

How did they pull this off with 3 or 4 track tape?  Track, Brian, Brian, Group, Group equals five tracks.  At first I figured they did some of it live to the final mix, but then how would they do the stereo mix with all the correct vocal doubles? 

Some examples would be Warmth of the Sun or Don't Worry Baby.
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« Reply #19 on: January 27, 2006, 05:02:36 AM »

Are you sure Brian's leads are doubled in these examples? (at the moment I'm just too lazy to check).  I always thought Bri's lead on "DWB" was single-tracked, and he sang a falsetto part with the group on the other track.  The stabs of lead guitar were recorded along with one of the vocal tracks, if I remember right.  And the first track has the band's basic track.  So three tracks total.  IF I remember right. 

Not sure about "WOTS".  Now, they may have done some pre-mixes to a "second generation" multi-track...they were definitely doing a lot of that by the time of the "Today!" album.

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« Reply #20 on: January 27, 2006, 07:24:57 AM »

Are you sure Brian's leads are doubled in these examples? (at the moment I'm just too lazy to check).  I always thought Bri's lead on "DWB" was single-tracked, and he sang a falsetto part with the group on the other track.  The stabs of lead guitar were recorded along with one of the vocal tracks, if I remember right.  And the first track has the band's basic track.  So three tracks total.  IF I remember right. 

Not sure about "WOTS".  Now, they may have done some pre-mixes to a "second generation" multi-track...they were definitely doing a lot of that by the time of the "Today!" album.

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I think Brian doubled everything vocally, starting with Surfin'USA(single) and ending with the abandoned Smile-session. I think after that he didn't double very much.
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« Reply #21 on: January 27, 2006, 12:17:07 PM »

I would say I'm 99.6547% certain Brian's double tracked on DWB.  That or somebody is singing along with him.  There're too many sloppy sibilants and not exact synchronization of initial consonants to be a single lead vocalist.
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« Reply #22 on: January 27, 2006, 05:18:06 PM »

I think "She Knows Me Too Well" is single-tracked...Brian' lead, that is..

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« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2006, 05:59:30 PM »

Yes, it is.  Certainly a bit of a rarity for that time, but you'd think necessary as well...yet there are definitely 5 discrete sources of audio on the earlier tracks like I mentioned.  I really do wonder how this was pulled off.  Is it possible that there are two different doubles of either the lead or the backing vocals?  One done live to the final mono mix, one done live to the final stereo mix?
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« Reply #24 on: January 27, 2006, 07:20:21 PM »

Unfortunately, on some of those songs - DWB, Warmth of the Sun - the original 3 track masters and basic session tapes are long gone, and it's impossible to tell just how Brian organized those.

But for the most part, the final three track masters were NOT first generation.  Brian was doing a lot of "ping-ponging," dubbing three tracks down to two, adding another part, and then mixing those three tracks to two, and so on.  That's how a 3 track master like PLEASE LET ME WONDER will end up with a doubled lead vocal on one, doubled group vocals on two, and the mono track on three.

Sometiimes, but not always, parts would be added during the final dubdown to mono.
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