Cabinessence questions

[Rebel]

We know that this song may have been the straw that broke Mike’s back.
It’s also also known that Carl and Dennis provided overdubs for the song during 20/20 sessions.

Here’s some of my rambling questions:

Did Brian produce these over dubs? Or oversee it?
Did Brian provide instructions or ideas (whether ‘original vintage’ ideas or ‘new’) for the instrumental overdubs?
Did Brian provide instructions for vocal overdubs?
Were the ‘truck drivin’ man lyrics written back during Smile? Or new?
Who’s idea was it for the truck drivin man to be buried as a hidden verse?
Was the truck drivin man hidden verse a vintage idea or just included for 20/20
Was Brian present for this overdub? Did he pick Dennis for this or did he volunteer himself?
We know Dennis was proud of the truck drivin man line. Have other Boys commented on it?

“Think I’ll stop here”

Thanks.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

We know that this song may have been the straw that broke Mike’s back.
It’s also also known that Carl and Dennis provided overdubs for the song during 20/20 sessions.

Here’s some of my rambling questions:

Did Brian produce these over dubs? Or oversee it?
Did Brian provide instructions or ideas (whether ‘original vintage’ ideas or ‘new’) for the instrumental overdubs?
Did Brian provide instructions for vocal overdubs?
Were the ‘truck drivin’ man lyrics written back during Smile? Or new?
Who’s idea was it for the truck drivin man to be buried as a hidden verse?
Was the truck drivin man hidden verse a vintage idea or just included for 20/20
Was Brian present for this overdub? Did he pick Dennis for this or did he volunteer himself?
We know Dennis was proud of the truck drivin man line. Have other Boys commented on it?

“Think I’ll stop here”

Thanks.

There are some unknowable-with-the-documentation-we-currently-have things about what exactly was done to get it ready for 20/20, but it was a pretty light touch.  There were no instrumental overdubs at all, and it's possible that there were not really any vocal overdubs either.  It's unclear, but possible everything was actually there on tape in 66-67.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

And I think it's safe to say it's all coming from Brian -- even if he didn't have a lot to do with putting it together for 20/20, Carl was good at remembering what he wanted.

[Rebel]

Thanks for the reply. I’m obsessed with your videos. I watch them all… multiple times too!

Still some questions left unanswered. Though im sure some are destined to be unknown.
Im just really curious about the truck drivin man questions now. Perhaps C Man will know?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Thanks for the reply. I’m obsessed with your videos. I watch them all… multiple times too!

Still some questions left unanswered. Though im sure some are destined to be unknown.
Im just really curious about the truck drivin man questions now. Perhaps C Man will know?

Well there's really not a whole lot else to know.  Truck Drivin' Man is a good candidate for being a 68 addition, as is Carl's 20/20 Lead, but both may have been put on earlier than that.  It's possible the tape-and-date boffins have one up on me here, though, and have proved it one way or the other.

In any case, Truck Drivin' Man is from the mind of Van Dyke and Brian, and I have no doubt that even if it didn't make it on to tape until 68, nobody other than Brian and Van Dyke had anything to do with its creation.

[WillJC]

Brian supposedly steered clear of touching the Smile material directly in '68, although he was definitely in the building at Capitol for at least a few hours on a day they worked on the mixdown (recording the new Time to Get Alone track on 11/21). We're basically in the dark as far as direct comments about the process go from anyone besides Steve Desper.

In any case, the only elements that weren't evidently on tape in 1966 via rough mixes or other material are Carl and Dennis' lead vocals, and sonically the performances are more in line (in my opinion) with their voices circa 20/20, so it's probably a safe-ish assumption that those were added later. It's a more mature-sounding Carl timbre than Good Vibrations or Wind Chimes. There isn't actually direct evidence that they hadn't already been recorded, though. Tape-and-date boffins have nothing further.

IIRC there might've been some Capitol documentation dug up by Brad Elliott indicating overdubs on Nov 20 (same source that provided Our Prayer overdubs taking place on Nov 17), but I'm not completely sure about that. Some known timeline:
Nov 20, Capitol - unused mix attempts at the choruses (also mixing Cotton Fields)
Nov 21, Capitol - verses and 1st chorus mixdowns (also mixing Our Prayer and All I Want to Do, and recording the TTGA remake)
Nov 22, Capitol - 2nd chorus and tag mixdowns

[c-man]

I agree with Will that the timbre of Carl's voice (and probably Dennis' too) is more 1968-ish than 1966-ish. Beyond that, and the November 20-22, 1968 mixdown dates, we have nothing concrete.

[Bicyclerider]

Truck Drivin' Man lyrics are Van Dyke (who else could write stuff like that?) and therefor would be likely 66 when the other lyrics were written, or early 67 at the latest.  They appear NOT to be lyrics originally given to Frank Holmes to illustrate because theere doesnt' seem to be any references to them in the two illustrations in the Smile booklet that reference Cabinessence/Home on the Range.  However the unused lyrics "different colored chords to your extension, don’t forget to mention this is a recording …"  are referenced in the illustrations and this may have been another "hidden" verse to go over the Iron Horse chorus or perhaps this was replaced by Truck Drivin' Man.

We have multiple mix attempts at the verses,chorus and tag from 66 and none of these have the Truck Drivin' Man vocals or the lead verse vocals, so it seems certain that these were added later.  When exactly is unclear as the posters above have pointed out.

[guitarfool2002]

If I put on my old Smile research thinking cap for this one, I remember there is either an article or an interview where Brian mentions recording the rhythmic Truck Drivin Man rap with Dennis, and I believe it was from late 66. Anyone else remember that? I'm away from my archives and can't check, but I think that is on the record at least from late 66, and if it wasn't Brian then, it may have been Carl saying that later...but my memory says Brian.

Which would suggest, if all that is accurate, that the Truck Drivin Man rap was at least attempted during the original sessions.

[sloopjohnb72]

If I put on my old Smile research thinking cap for this one, I remember there is either an article or an interview where Brian mentions recording the rhythmic Truck Drivin Man rap with Dennis, and I believe it was from late 66. Anyone else remember that? I'm away from my archives and can't check, but I think that is on the record at least from late 66, and if it wasn't Brian then, it may have been Carl saying that later...but my memory says Brian.

Which would suggest, if all that is accurate, that the Truck Drivin Man rap was at least attempted during the original sessions.

Your thinking cap may be a little loose... the 'article' you're writing about does not exist.

Either way, we know that all the lyrics were written in '66 by Van Dyke; it's the recording date that isn't clear. But yes, the precise terminal vibrato in Carl's performance and the overall timbre of his voice suggest 1968 to me. It sounds much more like I Can Hear Music and Time To Get Alone than Good Vibrations or Wind Chimes, as Will pointed out.

[guitarfool2002]

If I put on my old Smile research thinking cap for this one, I remember there is either an article or an interview where Brian mentions recording the rhythmic Truck Drivin Man rap with Dennis, and I believe it was from late 66. Anyone else remember that? I'm away from my archives and can't check, but I think that is on the record at least from late 66, and if it wasn't Brian then, it may have been Carl saying that later...but my memory says Brian.

Which would suggest, if all that is accurate, that the Truck Drivin Man rap was at least attempted during the original sessions.

Your thinking cap may be a little loose... the 'article' you're writing about does not exist.

Either way, we know that all the lyrics were written in '66 by Van Dyke; it's the recording date that isn't clear. But yes, the precise terminal vibrato in Carl's performance and the overall timbre of his voice suggest 1968 to me. It sounds much more like I Can Hear Music and Time To Get Alone than Good Vibrations or Wind Chimes, as Will pointed out.

Maybe so! Just referring to Truck Drivin Man, the Dennis quote about recording it is on page 59 of the first edition on the Preiss book, and quoted again in a later Dennis bio. I may have mixed that quote up with another, or simply imagined it, but I swore I saw a related quote about recording that vocal elsewhere, in another source or interview. If not, so be it! If anything the cap may be a little tight after 30 plus years of reading, writing, researching, and collecting this stuff. 

[guitarfool2002]

Truck Drivin' Man lyrics are Van Dyke (who else could write stuff like that?) and therefor would be likely 66 when the other lyrics were written, or early 67 at the latest.  They appear NOT to be lyrics originally given to Frank Holmes to illustrate because theere doesnt' seem to be any references to them in the two illustrations in the Smile booklet that reference Cabinessence/Home on the Range.  However the unused lyrics "different colored chords to your extension, don’t forget to mention this is a recording …"  are referenced in the illustrations and this may have been another "hidden" verse to go over the Iron Horse chorus or perhaps this was replaced by Truck Drivin' Man.

We have multiple mix attempts at the verses,chorus and tag from 66 and none of these have the Truck Drivin' Man vocals or the lead verse vocals, so it seems certain that these were added later.  When exactly is unclear as the posters above have pointed out.

The issue for me is the point raised in the quote I put in bold: I think there are still too many unknowns to be certain about anything related to Dennis' "Truck Drivin Man" vocal. One factor to consider is how many acetates/dubs/test mixes from 66/67 we do not have, or which have simply been lost or wiped over in the past 6 decades, and if a possibility exists that one of them did in fact have a version of the Dennis vocal on there. We don't know or we don't have a firm recording date for the Dennis vocal, yet we're certain it was added later: But, what if they did add it in '68 and were working from a previous reference dub or acetate which contained the vocal?

My thinking is we know (or seem to agree based on what is known) Brian was not very involved in the '68 sessions as others mentioned above. We know Van Dyke was not involved at all. So consider taking a pretty obscure verse that was written two years before they revisited the track, and trying to match what the original intent would have been when it was written. Carl worked from some of the instrumentation that already existed and which was doubling or tracing the original melody to guide his new lead vocal, but consider how they would have gotten the rhythm and flow of that rhythmic Dennis line two years after the fact without something or someone to guide the performance.

Maybe Brian was there and involved in that part of it? Maybe Carl remembered how it went? Maybe Dennis remembered how it was supposed to go? Or maybe at that time in late '68 a reference mix or an acetate did exist that had an earlier attempt?

Without any information beyond what was published in Badman's book, it's hard for me to rule any possibilities out or say it seems certain something happened in late '68 versus '66/'67. And it truly is a case of being without any definite information, documentation, or recordings to suggest a date for that Dennis vocal unless something exists that hasn't been presented to nail down the date of late '68 for Dennis recording his Truck Drivin Man vocal. Badman's book citing that date isn't hard proof, and neither are the test mixes and dubs we do have of the song considering how many we do not have or which may not exist in any form after they were either wiped, lost, or simply forgotten. So why rule out a possibility if there is no concrete evidence to rule it out?

[maggie]

It's kind of a shame Brian didn't include "Cabinessence" on At My Piano, when you think about it. It might have helped clarify what parts where originally integral to the "Home on the Range" and "Iron Horse" sections vs. what got overdubbed.

The version of "Surf's Up" actually goes some of the way to illustrating what Brian's original (?) vision for the coda might have been before Bruce (apparently) arranged the "Child" vocals.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

It's kind of a shame Brian didn't include "Cabinessence" on At My Piano, when you think about it. It might have helped clarify what parts where originally integral to the "Home on the Range" and "Iron Horse" sections vs. what got overdubbed.

The version of "Surf's Up" actually goes some of the way to illustrating what Brian's original (?) vision for the coda might have been before Bruce (apparently) arranged the "Child" vocals.

Playing "Truck Drivin' Man" on the piano sounds pretty funny.  I've done it.

That said, we can say pretty definitively that 20/20 Cabinessence was at least 90% 1966 work.  Again, they definitely didn't overdub any instruments or BGs and so I think it's safe to say all that was originally integral (at least, as much as anything was integral at that time). 

[Rocky Raccoon]

I was listening to Nancy Wilson’s score for Almost Famous and noticed that two of her themes, “Cabin by the River” and “Cabin in the Air” are both heavily influenced by Cabin Essence. Really cool!

https://youtu.be/MyN5FiU3Tns

https://youtu.be/NC2jOhDlDV0

[Bicyclerider]

Truck Drivin' Man lyrics are Van Dyke (who else could write stuff like that?) and therefor would be likely 66 when the other lyrics were written, or early 67 at the latest.  They appear NOT to be lyrics originally given to Frank Holmes to illustrate because theere doesnt' seem to be any references to them in the two illustrations in the Smile booklet that reference Cabinessence/Home on the Range.  However the unused lyrics "different colored chords to your extension, don’t forget to mention this is a recording …"  are referenced in the illustrations and this may have been another "hidden" verse to go over the Iron Horse chorus or perhaps this was replaced by Truck Drivin' Man.

We have multiple mix attempts at the verses,chorus and tag from 66 and none of these have the Truck Drivin' Man vocals or the lead verse vocals, so it seems certain that these were added later.  When exactly is unclear as the posters above have pointed out.

The issue for me is the point raised in the quote I put in bold: I think there are still too many unknowns to be certain about anything related to Dennis' "Truck Drivin Man" vocal. One factor to consider is how many acetates/dubs/test mixes from 66/67 we do not have, or which have simply been lost or wiped over in the past 6 decades, and if a possibility exists that one of them did in fact have a version of the Dennis vocal on there. We don't know or we don't have a firm recording date for the Dennis vocal, yet we're certain it was added later: But, what if they did add it in '68 and were working from a previous reference dub or acetate which contained the vocal?

My thinking is we know (or seem to agree based on what is known) Brian was not very involved in the '68 sessions as others mentioned above. We know Van Dyke was not involved at all. So consider taking a pretty obscure verse that was written two years before they revisited the track, and trying to match what the original intent would have been when it was written. Carl worked from some of the instrumentation that already existed and which was doubling or tracing the original melody to guide his new lead vocal, but consider how they would have gotten the rhythm and flow of that rhythmic Dennis line two years after the fact without something or someone to guide the performance.

Maybe Brian was there and involved in that part of it? Maybe Carl remembered how it went? Maybe Dennis remembered how it was supposed to go? Or maybe at that time in late '68 a reference mix or an acetate did exist that had an earlier attempt?

Without any information beyond what was published in Badman's book, it's hard for me to rule any possibilities out or say it seems certain something happened in late '68 versus '66/'67. And it truly is a case of being without any definite information, documentation, or recordings to suggest a date for that Dennis vocal unless something exists that hasn't been presented to nail down the date of late '68 for Dennis recording his Truck Drivin Man vocal. Badman's book citing that date isn't hard proof, and neither are the test mixes and dubs we do have of the song considering how many we do not have or which may not exist in any form after they were either wiped, lost, or simply forgotten. So why rule out a possibility if there is no concrete evidence to rule it out?

You are correct we can't rule it out - you make the interesting point that unless Brian discussed the Truck Drivin' Man vocal in 1966 with Dennis, how would they even know where to put it in the song - unless that was a CARL DECISION in 1968.  Perhpas the Truck Drivin' Man lyrics were for a different musical section of the song altogether, was abandoned, and Carl, finding the lyrics, was the one who thought up putting it in the Iron Horse chorus.  I should have said the fact that no mixes of the verses or chorus or tag that we have include the Truck Drivin' Man vocals makes it LIKELY that they were added later rather than in 1966, but nothing can be definitively ruled out. 

[WillJC]

Brian was still alive - they could (and did on this, according to Desper) consult him on various intentions and ideas, outside of hands-on involvement in the studio. I think it's kinda a big stretch to throw the truck drivin' vocal coming from the brains of anyone other than Brian and Van Dyke into the ring, or that it might've been adapted from other material by Carl and Dennis working up things on their own. Carl and Dennis had sharp musical memory, and if not, they had a direct line to the best person to ask whenever they needed to.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Brian was still alive - they could (and did on this, according to Desper) consult him on various intentions and ideas, outside of hands-on involvement in the studio. I think it's kinda a big stretch to throw the truck drivin' vocal coming from the brains of anyone other than Brian and Van Dyke into the ring, or that it might've been adapted from other material by Carl and Dennis working up things on their own. Carl and Dennis had sharp musical memory, and if not, they had a direct line to the best person to ask whenever they needed to.

Yeah, let's not fall into the hoary traps that:

1. Brian was either there or he was 100% cut-off from things;
2. Carl and Dennis were clueless.

Brian's attitude toward some of the Smile stuff reminds me of how I felt about Disney characters at Disneyland as a kid -- I desperately wanted to hug them but they also scared the daylights out of me, so I'd approach and withdraw...approach and withdraw.  But if one of the characters was like, it's ok, come here, I was able to go in for my hug.

Carl still doesn't get enough credit for his own good ears; Cabinessence was a track that Carl was intimately involved with from the actual tracking sessions on, and would have had first-hand access to the creation.  I see no reason why he couldn't have remembered the main melody and Dennis's part (which to be fair isn't that hard to remember; the rhythm follows the lyrics pretty closely, and there's not really any melody to worry about) even without Brian's help.  Add in the fact that Brian would have been there for help, and that Dennis may have remembered it too, and I think it's a very hard sell to put its origins anywhere other than Brian and Van Dyke, 1966.

[guitarfool2002]

My frustration is that at various points over the past three decades or so, I would be searching and reading various publications, interviews, etc and unless I saved or organized them all, they tend to blend together and some get mixed up or lost. I still swear I saw a mention of the Truck Drivin Man section in an interview or quote prior to the one in the Preiss book, but at this point it probably was a quote about another track or session Dennis recorded. I just don't know.

So if anyone out there remembers anything similar, a quote from Brian or an article from '67 or so mentioning Dennis recording that Truck Drivin vocal, PLEASE chime in! It will help my sanity at least.  

I mention this because I also remember someone, somewhere (beyond a fan opinion, someone actually involved in the recordings) stating that when Cabinessence was revisited in late '68, there was no guide vocal to work from, and they had to use the melodic lines in the instrumental tracks from '66 as a guide. That would suggest Brian's involvement was little or none, or else he forgot too if he was consulted, if they had to piece things together from the existing backing tracks. Again I don't recall where or when that information was published, but I definitely remember that being said somewhere, and not just a fan opinion.

Another question: On my original copy of LLVS, pages 103-104, there is a lead sheet for Cabinessence reprinted. It's labeled a "studio lead sheet" but it looks like one done after the fact for copyright filing purposes, and is written by the hand of a professional copyist. So obviously the glaring omission is "Truck Drivin Man" on that lead sheet. And it has the melody transcribed as Carl sang it on the 20/20 album.

So which came first, the chicken or the egg? Was this lead sheet from the original 1966 creation, or was it done after the song was worked up for the 20/20 album? The answer could reveal more of the timeline, yet it also asks the question why were roughly three stanzas of lyrics left off a copyright submission sheet such as this when they're clearly present on the first released version of the song? Or was this lead sheet something else, for another purpose? 

[mike s]

Here's another head shrinker:  I'm sure I've seen 'Sonny down snuff' as attempted late '66.

[sloopjohnb72]

There is not and has never been a published reference to "truck drivin man" from before 1968, so let's not use that as a source for any speculation until someone directly pulls up a quote from a contemporary article. Inferring the vocal melody from "melodic lines in the instrumental tracks" is also not a possibility because... the melody is not played on the track. I agree that it's a huge stretch to even consider that the melody and lyrics weren't written by Brian and Van Dyke in '66, and that discussion is a little pointless. The only real question here is when the leads were recorded, and how they came about - either Brian was consulted, or Carl and/or Dennis simply remembered the song that they spent several days recording just a year prior. Or both.

That lead sheet was written up after the recording, for copyright purposes.

[guitarfool2002]

There is not and has never been a published reference to "truck drivin man" from before 1968, so let's not use that as a source for any speculation until someone directly pulls up a quote from a contemporary article. Inferring the vocal melody from "melodic lines in the instrumental tracks" is also not a possibility because... the melody is not played on the track. I agree that it's a huge stretch to even consider that the melody and lyrics weren't written by Brian and Van Dyke in '66, and that discussion is a little pointless. The only real question here is when the leads were recorded, and how they came about - either Brian was consulted, or Carl and/or Dennis simply remembered the song that they spent several days recording just a year prior. Or both.

That lead sheet was written up after the recording, for copyright purposes.

I never said the melody was on the instrumental track. I said the melody is traced around by some of the instruments. I know the difference. That's why I remember a quote somewhere describing how the melody was not there to follow when they revisited the song in 68.

I made it very clear twice that I thought I remembered a contemporary quote but probably mixed it up with another quote about another song. And I asked specifically if anyone else remembered a similar quote somewhere. I am not citing it as a source unless it turns up as you suggested. I think the term speculation is a good one...and it also means not calling speculative possibilities "pointless".

It was closer to two years prior FWIW.

And yes, that looked like a copyright submission lead sheet.

So why are three stanzas or lines of the Truck Drivin Man vocal segment missing from the lead sheet copyrighting the song?

[sloopjohnb72]

Lead sheets for Beach Boys songs are generally not very reliable. Some of those that I've seen for the Little Deuce Coupe album have completely misheard lyrics, by whoever was listening to the records and copying down what they heard. "The Border, the Southland, had seen some strange things"... what? Pretty funny stuff. When Tandyn Almer and Stanley Shapiro urged Brian to dig up some old tunes to rewrite, they were shocked at how many chords were completely wrong.

I don't really know how these things were done, and I'd love to learn more about the process that Brian and the boys had to go through, but seeing as this specific copyright was filed after the recording date, I'm guessing someone was just listening to the record and writing down what they heard. A barely audible Dennis part in the chorus was probably not detected.

[c-man]

Lead sheets for Beach Boys songs are generally not very reliable. Some of those that I've seen for the Little Deuce Coupe album have completely misheard lyrics, by whoever was listening to the records and copying down what they heard. "The Border, the Southland, had seen some strange things"... what? Pretty funny stuff. When Tandyn Almer and Stanley Shapiro urged Brian to dig up some old tunes to rewrite, they were shocked at how many chords were completely wrong.

I don't really know how these things were done, and I'd love to learn more about the process that Brian and the boys had to go through, but seeing as this specific copyright was filed after the recording date, I'm guessing someone was just listening to the record and writing down what they heard. A barely audible Dennis part in the chorus was probably not detected.

Not sure if you've seen The Beatles: Get Back, but toward the end of Episode One (on the day George quits the band, IIRC), they are visited by their publisher, the very Murry-like (in appearance, but seemingly a pretty nice guy) Dick James. The Fabs, Glyn Johns, and he get into a discussion on this very topic. Someone (Glyn, I think) says sheet music chords are very often completely wrong, to which Mr. James replies how the process works:  the records are transcribed by someone in his office (who, he says, is very very good, but could still make a mistake now and then), after which the transcriptions are sent to George Martin for review and possible vetoing.  If any mistakes make it past that point, well it's basically down to human error. Not sure if that's how the process worked with Brian's music, but most probably it did, except maybe the transcriptions never made it to Brian, or maybe he just didn't bother with them?

[sloopjohnb72]

Lead sheets for Beach Boys songs are generally not very reliable. Some of those that I've seen for the Little Deuce Coupe album have completely misheard lyrics, by whoever was listening to the records and copying down what they heard. "The Border, the Southland, had seen some strange things"... what? Pretty funny stuff. When Tandyn Almer and Stanley Shapiro urged Brian to dig up some old tunes to rewrite, they were shocked at how many chords were completely wrong.

I don't really know how these things were done, and I'd love to learn more about the process that Brian and the boys had to go through, but seeing as this specific copyright was filed after the recording date, I'm guessing someone was just listening to the record and writing down what they heard. A barely audible Dennis part in the chorus was probably not detected.

Not sure if you've seen The Beatles: Get Back, but toward the end of Episode One (on the day George quits the band, IIRC), they are visited by their publisher, the very Murry-like (in appearance, but seemingly a pretty nice guy) Dick James. The Fabs, Glyn Johns, and he get into a discussion on this very topic. Someone (Glyn, I think) says sheet music chords are very often completely wrong, to which Mr. James replies how the process works:  the records are transcribed by someone in his office (who, he says, is very very good, but could still make a mistake now and then), after which the transcriptions are sent to George Martin for review and possible vetoing.  If any mistakes make it past that point, well it's basically down to human error. Not sure if that's how the process worked with Brian's music, but most probably it did, except maybe the transcriptions never made it to Brian, or maybe he just didn't bother with them?

Yes! Absolutely fascinating stuff. The tricky thing is, some of those copyrights were done before release, or even before recording. I Get Around is a weird one, because even though it was made after the recording, the lyrics differ (presumably they're Brian's before Mike edited them), and Brian's intro is used instead of Mike's ("Well there's a million little girls just waitin around..."), so that one must've been Brian playing piano and singing to someone who transcribed it. And in some cases, there were no recordings to go off of, e.g. I'm Waiting For the Day in 1964. I wish we had a better idea of how those sessions went.