who played violin on "Mess of Help to Stand Alone"?

[bossaroo]

can't find any session info on this one. anyone? 

i really like the violin playing, and it's the only Beach Boy track with "fiddling" that i can think of.
with the fiddle & banjo, it's almost Beach Boys bluegrass! Could that be Al on banjo?

thanks.

[carl r]

I don't know - but really good question and i'm interested as well. Would love to see a rocking live version of this with the current band

[phirnis]

That song might fit Brian's occasionally shouty vocal style quite well. I'd love to see that as well and it would surely be a great re-addition of some 70s material into the setlist.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Why, I don't know, but the name "Ricky Fataar" keeps running through my mind.

[bossaroo]

did Ricky play fiddle? isn't there a shot of him playing a pedal steel guitar?
so he was a multi-instrumentalist.  the playing on "Mess of Help" is quite unique.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ricky played the moog solo in "Leaving This Town" too. I've this odd feeling I've seen him credited with that fiddle somewhere.

[c-man]

did Ricky play fiddle? isn't there a shot of him playing a pedal steel guitar?
so he was a multi-instrumentalist.  the playing on "Mess of Help" is quite unique.

Don't know about fiddle, but Ricky played lots of pedal steel guitar with the band, both live and in the studio.  Examples:  "Marcella", "California Saga", "We Got Love", probably "Carry Me Home" and "Hold On Dear Brother".  From the sounds of things, he played steel on the studio version of "We Got Love", then played electric rhythm guitar while singing it live on the '73 tour while Blondie handled the guitar solos.  But after Blondie's departure, Ricky definitely played the steel guitar on that song live in '74.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

He was such a genius. About a decade later, he played drums on the Robert Palmer song "Between Us". Great work on that one. The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

[MBE]

Fred Vail and others have told me that Ricky could pick up almost any instrument and play it within a few hours. He was like Brian Jones that way and it is amazing.

[matt-zeus]

He was such a genius. About a decade later, he played drums on the Robert Palmer song "Between Us". Great work on that one. The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

I think they've undervalued everyone at some point!

[c-man]

Fred Vail and others have told me that Ricky could pick up almost any instrument and play it within a few hours. He was like Brian Jones that way and it is amazing.

Just not self-destructive...thankfully!

[chris.metcalfe]

On the album cover the last line of notes reads: 'Thanks to Alan's mom for renting out the bass fiddle on the first session'. Cryptic.... perhaps 'bass fiddle' means double bass, or, say, a viola.... presumably Al's mom didn't play it as well.

[matt-zeus]

On the album cover the last line of notes reads: 'Thanks to Alan's mom for renting out the bass fiddle on the first session'. Cryptic.... perhaps 'bass fiddle' means double bass, or, say, a viola.... presumably Al's mom didn't play it as well.

I think thats referring to the early days of the Beach Boys (when they were known as Carl and the Passions at some point, though whether at the same point that they rented the bass I don't know) when they rented out the instruments when Brians parents went away for their first rehearsal.

[Rocker]

One thing about Ricky, Carl said in a '75 or '76 interview that Ricky Fataar was his favorite musician.

[matt-zeus]

One thing about Ricky, Carl said in a '75 or '76 interview that Ricky Fataar was his favorite musician.

[mikee]

The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

  How so?  They made him a member of the band.  They put his songs on the albums and in the concert set list - prominently so.  He even produced - and they already had a name producer. 

If he was undervalued, I'd say it was the fans that undervalued Fataar.

 

[Dancing Bear]

The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

  How so?  They made him a member of the band.  They put his songs on the albums and in the concert set list - prominently so.  He even produced - and they already had a name producer. 

If he was undervalued, I'd say it was the fans that undervalued Fataar.

Yeah. How many times I've read the fans bashing "Hold on Dear Brother", "Here She Comes", "Leaving This Town" and "We Got Love" aka "the Flame tracks". Often lamenting that those tracks took valuable album space that could be used for a track written by a Wilson.

[Rocker]

Then I have to say that I think "Hold on dear brother" has a absolute awesome steel-guitar solo. Probably the most emotional moment on that record imo, except for "Cuddle up".

[matt-zeus]

Then I have to say that I think "Hold on dear brother" has a absolute awesome steel-guitar solo. Probably the most emotional moment on that record imo, except for "Cuddle up".

Hold on dear Brother is an amazing song, I like all the Fataar and Chaplin stuff.
Then Ricky Fataar joined the Rutles!

[MBE]

The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

  How so?  They made him a member of the band.  They put his songs on the albums and in the concert set list - prominently so.  He even produced - and they already had a name producer. 

If he was undervalued, I'd say it was the fans that undervalued Fataar.

Yeah. How many times I've read the fans bashing "Hold on Dear Brother", "Here She Comes", "Leaving This Town" and "We Got Love" aka "the Flame tracks". Often lamenting that those tracks took valuable album space that could be used for a track written by a Wilson

I think the put downs of those songs were off base (sorry Andrew). I love the Flame 1970 LP and these Beach Boys-Flame tracks are also well above average. I think most stemmed from people who missed Brian not being on a huge presence on those albums.

[mikee]

"Hold On Dear Brother" and  "Here She Comes" sound a lot like the Band to me - and I mean that in a good way.  I think that Ricky helped realize a more mature, more adult vibe to the BB's music - ironic since he was significantly younger than the legacy members of the group.
I had the good fortune to see this version of the band a couple of times.  I met Mike Meros back in May of this year and was talking with him about them a bit.  He was excited that I had gotten to see that group perform "Wild Honey" with Blondie singing.  He said that he tried in vain to get Carl to put that into their live set.   

[adamghost]

The Beach Boys undervalued Fataar...

  How so?  They made him a member of the band.  They put his songs on the albums and in the concert set list - prominently so.  He even produced - and they already had a name producer. 

If he was undervalued, I'd say it was the fans that undervalued Fataar.

Yeah. How many times I've read the fans bashing "Hold on Dear Brother", "Here She Comes", "Leaving This Town" and "We Got Love" aka "the Flame tracks". Often lamenting that those tracks took valuable album space that could be used for a track written by a Wilson

I think the put downs of those songs were off base (sorry Andrew). I love the Flame 1970 LP and these Beach Boys-Flame tracks are also well above average. I think most stemmed from people who missed Brian not being on a huge presence on those albums.

I think what's interesting is that every one of the Beach Boys albums from SUNFLOWER up to but not including KTSA (and probably 15 BIG ONES) was bashed or at the very least criticized by critics at the time as being uneven but have grown in stature as years have passed.  Certainly true of CATP, LIGHT ALBUM, SUR'FS UP and HOLLAND.  CATP most of all.  A lot has to do with the gap between peoples' expectations and what they get.

[Mr. Cohen]

Speaking of under appreciated tracks, I quite like "He Come Down". Yes, it's a song about TM, but I don't find that offensive. I might not know anything about TM, but I see nothing in it to promote such flagrant disgust. I guess it's because the Beatles renounced it, which means that we have to be physically repulsed by all songs that use TM for subject material.

[phirnis]

Speaking of under appreciated tracks, I quite like "He Come Down". Yes, it's a song about TM, but I don't find that offensive. I might not know anything about TM, but I see nothing in it to promote such flagrant disgust. I guess it's because the Beatles renounced it, which means that we have to be physically repulsed by all songs that use TM for subject material.

I really like it too, and to my ears there obviously is a lot more Brian Wilson in that song than most people might assume.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Let us not forget Ricky's greatest musical achievement.  He was a member of the 'Unfab Four' aka: The Rutles