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Author Topic: From 'I Can See Right Through You' to 'Go Away Boy'  (Read 13811 times)
Matt Bielewicz
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« on: January 15, 2009, 10:01:26 AM »

This was inspired by the 'Unheard BB tracks you would most like to hear' thread. I've been a lurker here for many years, but I was pondering about a track *I've* never heard just this morning, so I just had to de-lurk to post - the topic's appearance was just too timely to ignore! However, as the song in question is *not* an unheard BB track, but a Brian Wilson composition that was actually commercially released (and that I just happen not to have heard), I thought I'd better post separately.

The track in question, as you'll know from my thread title, was The Honeys' 'Go Away Boy' — a fairly early BW composition, though never released by The Beach Boys. In the version I *have* heard it's an absolutely cracking BW tune, one which many here must like, I would think, and which many others who haven't heard it would enjoy. I'm reading 'Inside the Music of Brian Wilson' by Phillip Lambert at the moment, and the book has reminded me of it. As I'm sure you all know, Brian recorded an incomplete track for this at the same time as 'He's A Doll' for The Honeys. Back then (we're talking 1963 or 64, aren't we?), it was known on session sheets as 'Go Away Boy (I Can See Right Through You)'. This incomplete track is booted on SOT 4, which I... have heard, shall we say.   Wink But I didn't hear that version first.

The track sat in the archives for 20 years, and then Marilyn and Diane and Ginger recorded a new version, titling it 'Go Away Boy', and releasing it on their 1983 album 'Ecstasy'. It's THIS version I've not heard at all, as the 1983 Honeys album is, of course, long out of print, and I only became a BW/BB fan in 1995 (I have Don Was's film to thank for that!).

'Ecstasy' is apparently awful 80s schlock, with the exception of Brian's track, or so the prevailing wisdom in fandom seems to be — which isn't always in agreement with what I think, but there you go. Having not heard it myself, I can't say (and anyway, it seems to me that if you can like Brian's 1988 solo album, which I most assuredly do, then you can't be immune to the guilty pleasures sometimes afforded by a full-on 1980s production). But however duff 'Ecstasy' might or might not be, clearly somebody liked 'Go Away Boy'. Somebody in a band called the Pearlfishers, to be precise — because said band covered it on 'Caroline Now', a Brian Wilson tribute disc from a few years ago. And THAT's where I first heard 'Go Away Boy'. I think it's the best track on the tribute, which is great in parts, and duff as a duff thing in others. 'Go Away Boy', though, I thought absolutely stellar. It's performed on that album in an excellent arrangement — something that Brian might have created for, say, Today or Summer Days.

A few years later (a couple of years ago now), I had the opportunity to... er... *listen* to SOT 4 for the first time, and I was really looking forward to hearing 'Go Away Boy', sessions for which are on that disc under the song's original title 'I Can See Right Through You'. I made the mistake of thinking that Brian had originally recorded the Today-like arrangement heard on The Pearlfishers' cover back in the 1960s, that The Honeys had then ill-advisedly given it an 80s 'rawk' makeover in 1983, and that the Pearlfishers had returned to Brian's original arrangement for the version I liked on 'Caroline Now'. But as with so much BW-related, all was not what it seemed...

The backing track on SOT 4 is completely different! Different chords, a way heavier arrangement (it's 'Spector Central', with lots of drums and toms, a bit like 'Our Car Club' - of which I've never been a fan), and the bridge is totally different. (I think the 60s original is, actually, a lot weaker than the turn of the Millennium version by The Pearlfishers). So clearly, the track was changed at some point.

What I'd like to know is... is the Honeys' version from the 80s the source of the new arrangement, chords and bridge heard on the Pearlfishers' version? Or did the Pearlfishers come up with all that by themselves? Somebody, either the Honeys or The Pearlfishers, radically improved on Brian's original from the 60s, in my opinion. But I don't know who, and until I hear the Honeys' interim version, I'll never know! I can only find one in-print Honeys collection, and that doesn't include much of the 80s stuff, and certainly not 'Go Away Boy'...

Anyone with a full stack of Honeys albums and a copy of 'Caroline, Now' able to enlighten me as to the truth by making a comparison here? The 80s Honeys version seems to have an additional writing credit alongside Brian and the Honeys - one 'Lou Natkin', apparently - so perhaps he or she was the person who did the root-canal work on the song. Or perhaps it *was* the Pearlfishers all along...

As an aside, several of the versions of songs on 'Caroline Now' improve on the originals, in my opinion (although some are much dodgier, too!). For example, and as I think someone's already said here recently, the version of 'Rainbow Eyes' on there is way better than either of Brian's versions. Or at least I think so. I still don't think anyone has quite done that song justice, actually.

I like St Etienne's 'Stevie' better than the BB's version, too (nasty vocals in the original, *nasty*!). Mind you, I think the Etienne are fairly mighty and genius-like most of the time...

Finally, to return to the original subject of this thread: Philip Lambert says that The Honeys' explanation of why the song sat on the shelf for so many years is that Brian couldn't finish it in the 60s, because it dealt about a matter so personal to him and Marilyn that he couldn't bear to immortalise it in song.

I feel a bit 'icky' asking this, but hey, I figure this *is* the Smiley Smile board for, uh, *intense* Brian Wilson fans, so someone here undoubtedly knows already...! What was the story here? The lyrics in the Pearlfishers' version don't seem particularly troubled, but maybe they're not the ones on the Honeys' eventual version, and who knows what the original lyrics to the 60s track were going to be? Or have they surfaced over the years too?

MattB (off to put himself through a 'de-icking station')
« Last Edit: January 15, 2009, 09:49:24 PM by Matt Bielewicz » Logged
Aegir
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« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2009, 10:31:43 AM »

I've only heard the 80s version, so I don't know how this differs from either the original or the cover version. It's a very piano-driven arrangement, though the electric guitar gets a lot more prominent after the solo only to retreat in the last few lines. Here are the lyrics (to the best of my knowledge):

Go away boy, you remind of another guy, I'm telling you
Stay away boy, I think it's better that you don't try, I'm begging you
You want me, it's easy to see, go away and forget about me
Go away boy, I can see right through you

Stay away boy, don't want to start something that I'll miss, I'm telling you
If you stay boy, I know I'll find you so hard to resist (don't want to miss your kiss), I'm begging you
I've been wanting you for so long (go away), but right now I have to be strong
Go away boy, I can see right through you

I die when you walking toward me
It's better that you ignore me
But you'll never know what it is I'm going through
Believe me when I tell you

[80s guitar solo]

I'd want you so much if I held you
But I can't let myself tell you
But you'll never know what it is I'm going through, believe me when I tell you

Don't make a play boy, I'm still hurting from someone like you, I'm telling you
I really loved him, he took my heart and then he said we're through (I bet you'll hurt me, too), I'm begging you
I'll make it the best I can now (go away boy), I know who I really am now
So go away boy, I can see right through you
Go away boy, I can see right through you

"I'll always remember you."
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« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2009, 08:01:45 PM »

According to Marilyn when I interviewed her in the early 80s, as they were recording the Rhino album, all she had of "GAB" was a cassette of Brian singing the first verse & chorus. Everything else dates from the early 1980s.
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« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2009, 08:34:04 PM »

I have a section of a radio show from 1983 called "20/20 Music World" (one of the many radio "magazine" shows) that had a surf themeone week. They talked to Dean and Mike. Then Jim Pewter comes on with a clip from the Honey's LP and plays Go Away Boy, saying it was written for that album. Being 24 at the time, I was like "WOW!". I knew Brian was back with Landy and was getting better. But I really thought he had written this as part of his rehab. WRONG.

Oh well, great song!

Bob
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Matt Bielewicz
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« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2009, 10:18:34 PM »

Wow, interesting responses, thanks guys!

The lyrics of the 80s version posted by Aegir differ slightly from those used in the Pearlfishers' cover version, but not drastically - they're mostly the same. Specifically, the short interjections in brackets  such as 'don't want to miss your kiss', 'I bet you'll hurt me, too'  and 'go away boy' (which I assume were sung as backing vocals) are not in the Caroline Now cover. And also it looks as though the bridge in the Pearlfishers' version is shorter, perhaps because there's (mercifully) no '80s guitar solo' in the newer version. Certainly, the lyrics Aegir gives as following said solo ('I'd want you so much if I held you, But I can't let myself tell you, But you'll never know what it is I'm going through, believe me when I tell you') are not included in the later version, which skips straight to the final verse ('don't make a play, boy... etc'). Also, the Pearlfishers omit the very last line, the rather touching 'I'll always remember you'.

From what Andrew says, it sounds as though everything after the first verse and chorus was added after the sixties, certainly as far as the lyrics are concerned at least. Interesting. You can certainly sing the first verse and chorus of the 80s/00s melody over the 1960s track,  although the 60s chords don't fit with the later melody quite as interestingly. But then there's a bridge in the 60s track that doesn't seem to fit any of the later lyrics or melodies. My guess would be that the bridge in the Honeys' 1980 version was written anew (perhaps by 'Lou Natkin'?) and was then included in the Caroline Now cover by virtue of having been in the Honeys' 'Ecstasy' version.

Lastly, concerning the 'painful' nature of the lyrics: ironically, the words seem as though they might have been much more painful to Marilyn in 1983 than in 1963, given that she and Brian had broken up for good by then. Likewise the final 'I'll always remember you'. Maybe she found its final inclusion on the 1983 album cathartic, I don't know. But that doesn't explain why Brian didn't finish it twenty years earlier, when the text would have been much less full of meaning for the two of them. And, of course, perhaps I'm just reading waaaay too much into this. But then, that's why we're here, isn't it?   Wink

Ach, perhaps it's just better to leave all this speculation, and confine my observations, as Bob does above, to: Great song! Because it certainly is that.

I think I'll seek out the Honeys' version. '80s guitar solo' notwithstanding, it must be worth a listen if so much of what's in it ended up in the Pearlifishers' version. There must be a knackered copy of 'Ecstasy' on eBay somewhere...    Wink

MattB
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« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2009, 03:11:01 AM »

The bridge was written in the early 80s, as was any lyric that wasn't in the first verse. Lou Natkin, along with Mark Avnet, produced the album.
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« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2009, 03:57:11 AM »

Hi folks, this is David Scott of The Pearlfishers. Thanks for your nice comments Matt...
My introduction to 'Go Away Boy' was just hearing about the title and thinking, well, that's going to be a great song! I then heard The Honeys version you're talking about and knew the title didn't lie. However, with the greatest of respect, while I loved the song and lead vocal I wasn't so keen on the arrangement. When we got round to thinking about recording 'Caroline Now' (I produced and arranged many of the tracks with my friend Duglas Stewart, including the version of 'Rainbow Eyes" sung by Kle) I thought it would be appropriate to set the song a little closer to it's origin - you're quite right that 'Today' was a sonic reference point. As to the lyrical edits we made, I think I was just trying to keep it nice and short. For me the song more or less says what it needs to in one verse and a bridge anyway. It's funny, all this talk about what BW contributes to this song or that song - my own take on it is that if I could have a pocket Brian Wilson just to feed me with one verse of a song every day of the week I'd be a happy (and much more successful) songwriter! That said, when I interviewed Brian for the sleevenotes of 'Caroline Now'! he didn't remember too much about the song which might suggest it was a quick demo he made and forgot about. One more little thing, I played my track for Alex Chilton when he was over recording his vocal and guitar on 'I Wanna Pick You Up' and he was aghast that I hadn't changed the gender to 'Go Away Girl' - 'You know, ya got a beautiful tune there but the only place that's gonna be a hit is in a gay bar!' Cordial greetings to all on this board from The Pearlies.
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« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2009, 04:01:52 AM »

Hi folks, this is David Scott of The Pearlfishers. Thanks for your nice comments Matt...
My introduction to 'Go Away Boy' was just hearing about the title and thinking, well, that's going to be a great song! I then heard The Honeys version you're talking about and knew the title didn't lie. However, with the greatest of respect, while I loved the song and lead vocal I wasn't so keen on the arrangement. When we got round to thinking about recording 'Caroline Now' (I produced and arranged many of the tracks with my friend Duglas Stewart, including the version of 'Rainbow Eyes" sung by Kle) I thought it would be appropriate to set the song a little closer to it's origin - you're quite right that 'Today' was a sonic reference point. As to the lyrical edits we made, I think I was just trying to keep it nice and short. For me the song more or less says what it needs to in one verse and a bridge anyway. It's funny, all this talk about what BW contributes to this song or that song - my own take on it is that if I could have a pocket Brian Wilson just to feed me with one verse of a song every day of the week I'd be a happy (and much more successful) songwriter! That said, when I interviewed Brian for the sleevenotes of 'Caroline Now'! he didn't remember too much about the song which might suggest it was a quick demo he made and forgot about. One more little thing, I played my track for Alex Chilton when he was over recording his vocal and guitar on 'I Wanna Pick You Up' and he was aghast that I hadn't changed the gender to 'Go Away Girl' - 'You know, ya got a beautiful tune there but the only place that's gonna be a hit is in a gay bar!' Cordial greetings to all on this board from The Pearlies.

Hi, and welcome to the board. 'Caroline Now' is my favourite of all the BB tribute albums, there are many great tracks on it and 'Go away boy' is chief among them. The middle 8 I find particularly stunning especially when it goes back into the main bit afterwards, a lovely musical moment.
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« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2009, 02:47:37 PM »

@pearlfisherdavid
Hi David, great to have you on the board. Just got your latest album "Up With The Larks" a couple of weeks ago. Great stuff on it just like on all of the ones before; especially like the title track, London's In Love and Blue Riders...
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« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2009, 04:48:44 AM »

Hi folks, this is David Scott of The Pearlfishers. Thanks for your nice comments Matt...
My introduction to 'Go Away Boy' was just hearing about the title and thinking, well, that's going to be a great song! I then heard The Honeys version you're talking about and knew the title didn't lie. However, with the greatest of respect, while I loved the song and lead vocal I wasn't so keen on the arrangement. When we got round to thinking about recording 'Caroline Now' (I produced and arranged many of the tracks with my friend Duglas Stewart, including the version of 'Rainbow Eyes" sung by Kle) I thought it would be appropriate to set the song a little closer to it's origin - you're quite right that 'Today' was a sonic reference point. As to the lyrical edits we made, I think I was just trying to keep it nice and short. For me the song more or less says what it needs to in one verse and a bridge anyway. It's funny, all this talk about what BW contributes to this song or that song - my own take on it is that if I could have a pocket Brian Wilson just to feed me with one verse of a song every day of the week I'd be a happy (and much more successful) songwriter! That said, when I interviewed Brian for the sleevenotes of 'Caroline Now'! he didn't remember too much about the song which might suggest it was a quick demo he made and forgot about. One more little thing, I played my track for Alex Chilton when he was over recording his vocal and guitar on 'I Wanna Pick You Up' and he was aghast that I hadn't changed the gender to 'Go Away Girl' - 'You know, ya got a beautiful tune there but the only place that's gonna be a hit is in a gay bar!' Cordial greetings to all on this board from The Pearlies.

Hi David,

It just so happens that I rediscovered this CD in my collection after forgetting about it for years until "Go Away Boy" popped into my head while I was listening to some Roy Orbison and in the mood for a good wallow.

I cannot begin to tell you how much pleasure I get listening to this BW composition that I otherwise might never have heard and to top it all the arrangement and production is absolutely perfect.  I was in love at the time I first heard your version so perhaps the song didn't mean that much to me. Somehow over the years and after having only listened to the Caroline Now! record less than half a dozen times back in '99 this song has worked it's way into my subconscious as an unmitigated classic Brian song like "Till I Die", "Wonderful" "Please Let Me Wonder" . And I believe that you deserve massive credit for preserving an almost lost song and providing fans, like those of us that are posting here regarding this song, with another reminder of Wilson's immeasurable talents to make people feel spiritual through song.
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« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2009, 03:08:26 AM »

Marty77 wrote of The Pearlfishers' arrangement of 'Go Away Boy': "...an unmitigated classic Brian song like "Till I Die", "Wonderful" "Please Let Me Wonder" . And I believe that you deserve massive credit for preserving an almost lost song and providing fans, like those of us that are posting here regarding this song, with another reminder of Wilson's immeasurable talents to make people feel spiritual through song."

Heaven knows I'm a big believer in BW's 'talents to make people feel spiritual through song', Marty77 (that's what got me hooked on Brian's music in the first place - the sheer rush of emotional feeling that you often get from listening to Brian's work from roughly 1965-68), but following this discussion, I almost wonder whether your comment is handing Mr Wilson too much credit in this case. As we've discussed here, some people, myself included, feel that 'I Can See Right Through You', Brian's original version of the track from the early 60s, doesn't have anything like as much of the impact of David Scott's arrangement of the song, which is in itself a re-arrangement (a simplification and stripping back, actually) of the much-altered version of the song that the Honeys put out in the early 80s. As far as we can tell from the available evidence, the excellent bridge heard in the Honeys' and the Pearlfishers' version is a post-Brian addition, or at least a heavy re-write of what Brian came up with for the bridge in the early '60s, and what I'd call the 'beautiful simplicity' of The Pearlfishers' version, whilst it tips a wink to Brian's 'Today'-era arrangements, is down to David Scott's sensitive rearrangement of the Honeys' version song. Brian's original, while just about recognisably the same song, was actually a disappointment to me, and for me, is one of his over-Spectorish, bombastic productions that have all the drive and onslaught of a Spector production, but without the Wilson 'heart' that restores the balance, as in songs like 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' (which a friend of mine once described brilliantly as 'Like a full-on Spector Wall of Sound - but with some subtlety and emotional intelligence'). Of course, that's just my opinion - you may think Brian's original track superior.

I'm not trying to deny who wrote the original song, and of course it's self-evident that the later Honeys and Pearlfishers versions of 'Go Away Boy' could never have come about if it weren't for Brian's 'I Can See Right Through You', but I think the co-authors of the Honeys version deserve some of the praise, and of course David Scott too for his excellent '1965-style' rearrangement, which for me sort of 'out-Wilsons' Wilson really. I guess it's down to how much importance you place on the arrangement of a song. Some say it's still the same song in the final analysis, which it is, I suppose, but an arrangement can take a good set of chords and turn them into a killer song. Within the BB's own catalogue, think of the difference between the Boys' absolutely rudimentary early 1960s recording of Sloop John B (which can be heard on the 'Garage Tapes' boot) and the Pet Sounds track we all know and love — it's the same melody and block chords behind, but the impact of the later version is stratospheres ahead of the earlier one. If you think this is an unfair comparison, putting a rough, off-the-cuff Wollensak-recorded rendition against the carefully worked out Wrecking Crew track recorded in a multitrack Hollywood studio, fair enough. But what about the difference in emotional impact between, say, Brian's late 1965 'piano demo' of a load of clever chords and what they turned into - Pet Sounds' 'Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)'. Same chords. But the finished arrangement is worlds apart from the 'demo'. Sometimes, even an improved performance of the *same* arrangement can make a difference - consider the improvement you can hear between the young Beach Boys' halting, not-wholly confident early 60s GV box set recording of 'Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring' and the group's beautiful live performance for the Hawaii concerts in 1967, which you can hear on the Smiley Smile/Wild Honey twofer or the 'Hawthorne, California' compilation.

Anyway, back on topic - this thread has made me realise that it's time to check out David's stuff more seriously - I could hardly take it *less* seriously at the moment, as 'Go Away Boy' is the only track I know by The Pearlfishers! Anyone got any recommendations as to which album or songs to start with? Maybe... even David himself...?

MattB
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« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2009, 04:17:27 AM »

Hi Matt,

I see your point.

I was in fact moved to post here mainly to praise Dave Scott for his cover version but as usual once I start effusing I do tend to get a bit carried away. Nevertheless, I do stand by everything I said about the song itself and it's author cos' after all,  Brian Wilson did write the song it didn't he?  And now the casual and the devoted and completist fans have what can be sonsidered a beautiful, definitive (for now) version of a Brian Wilson song which in my eyes has now been elevated to "classic" status, due in large part to Dave Scott's treatment of it.

Well done Dave and well done Brian for writing tunes like this that people still care enough about 30/40 odd years later to want to go to the trouble of presenting a worthy interpretation of. Even though it could easily have been dismissed as an unfinished/unreleased/unworthy footnote in Brian's "canon". Smiley
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« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2009, 12:17:10 AM »

Hi folks, this is David Scott of The Pearlfishers. Thanks for your nice comments Matt...
My introduction to 'Go Away Boy' was just hearing about the title and thinking, well, that's going to be a great song! I then heard The Honeys version you're talking about and knew the title didn't lie. However, with the greatest of respect, while I loved the song and lead vocal I wasn't so keen on the arrangement. When we got round to thinking about recording 'Caroline Now' (I produced and arranged many of the tracks with my friend Duglas Stewart, including the version of 'Rainbow Eyes" sung by Kle) I thought it would be appropriate to set the song a little closer to it's origin - you're quite right that 'Today' was a sonic reference point. As to the lyrical edits we made, I think I was just trying to keep it nice and short. For me the song more or less says what it needs to in one verse and a bridge anyway. It's funny, all this talk about what BW contributes to this song or that song - my own take on it is that if I could have a pocket Brian Wilson just to feed me with one verse of a song every day of the week I'd be a happy (and much more successful) songwriter! That said, when I interviewed Brian for the sleevenotes of 'Caroline Now'! he didn't remember too much about the song which might suggest it was a quick demo he made and forgot about. One more little thing, I played my track for Alex Chilton when he was over recording his vocal and guitar on 'I Wanna Pick You Up' and he was aghast that I hadn't changed the gender to 'Go Away Girl' - 'You know, ya got a beautiful tune there but the only place that's gonna be a hit is in a gay bar!' Cordial greetings to all on this board from The Pearlies.

Hi, and welcome to the board. 'Caroline Now' is my favourite of all the BB tribute albums, there are many great tracks on it and 'Go away boy' is chief among them. The middle 8 I find particularly stunning especially when it goes back into the main bit afterwards, a lovely musical moment.

I want to add my praise to that here for "Caroline Now". I need to revisit it and enjoy "Go Away Boy"
by the Pearlfishers as well as the original and I'm sure I'm in for a treat. I also wanted to single out
"Anna Lee, the Healer" by Sean O'Hagan and the High Llamas, the French version of "Girl Don't Tell Me", "Stevie" by Saint Etienne and Norman Blake's cover of "Only With You" as particular faves.

Great stuff! Smiley
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« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2009, 10:12:25 AM »

Gosh, it's great reading all this stuff about 'Go Away Boy' - thanks for the lovely comments which are generous to say the least. I think there are interesting questions surrounding how much of the 'arrangement' should be considered as the 'song' particularly in regard to Brian Wilson. For my money there are few composers of the pop era where the two primary elements (song, or melody and lyric) are so closely married to the arrangement and production (instrumentation, sonic texture, rhythm etc) as in the work of Brian. Over the last 10 years or so a number of groups (including my own) have been compared to Brian Wilson - I think reviewers are identifying a similarity in approach to arrangement rather than song construction. With Brian you get a very sophisticated classical / jazz influenced approach to melody and harmony writing, stretched further by his strong signature arranging style which combines dynamics on lots of different levels ('Oxygen To The Brain' is a good example). Us young pretenders (I'm 44) can just about ape the second bit and make a decent stab at a BW style arrangement or production but find the first bit somewhat more difficult...I guess the members of the Brian Wilson band are beautifully versed in helping Brian pull both elements together in the latter years of his artistry. 'Go Away Boy' is certainly simpler base material than, say, the piano demo of 'Don't Talk...' but for me it does have that 'heartbeat' that is in the DNA of Brian Wilson's best songs - 'Love and Mercy' anyone?

Making the 'Caroline Now' record was a very interesting and somewhat salutary experience from my point of view as a songwriter - to be working with such good material - oh boy, you start thinking, what's the point? And then you carry on anyway, slouching towards Hawthorne as it were.

Matt - a good starting point for Pearlfishers music might be the latest record, 'Up With The Larks' which some people seem to like. I also like 'Across The Milky Way' a lot. If you have iTunes the UK site has an iTunes Essentials compilation.

All the best to everyone here from The Pearlies.
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« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2009, 01:44:50 PM »

The Pearlfishers did a great cover of "Let's Put our Hearts Together" on their CD single "Even On A Sunday Afternoon) (Marina4422-7) from 1997.
The tilte track of their second (?) album "The Young Picknickers" (1999), a breezy instrumental, is a great homage to "Summer means New Love".
If I remember correctly they also cut "It's Over Now" in 1993.
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Watson, did you hear this?
smile-holland
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« Reply #15 on: February 18, 2009, 02:49:38 AM »

What I'd like to know is... is the Honeys' version from the 80s the source of the new arrangement, chords and bridge heard on the Pearlfishers' version? Or did the Pearlfishers come up with all that by themselves? Somebody, either the Honeys or The Pearlfishers, radically improved on Brian's original from the 60s, in my opinion. But I don't know who, and until I hear the Honeys' interim version, I'll never know! I can only find one in-print Honeys collection, and that doesn't include much of the 80s stuff, and certainly not 'Go Away Boy'...

Anyone with a full stack of Honeys albums and a copy of 'Caroline, Now' able to enlighten me as to the truth by making a comparison here? The 80s Honeys version seems to have an additional writing credit alongside Brian and the Honeys - one 'Lou Natkin', apparently - so perhaps he or she was the person who did the root-canal work on the song. Or perhaps it *was* the Pearlfishers all along...

All this talk about GAB, made me decide to give all versions a listen again. In fact, I gave both Honeys albums (Ecstacy and It's Like Heaven) a spin yesterday. The Pearlfishers version definitely is based on the 80ies Honeys version. A faithful cover, but still I like the definite Honeys version best.
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« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2009, 01:10:53 AM »

I'm just reviving this topic because -- heavens above -- the Pearlfishers version of this song rocks my socks. Perhaps one of my favorite Brian Wilson-related songs. And yes, the 2000 arrangement is head and shoulders above Brian's original, Spector-ish take on the tune.
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« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2009, 02:53:34 AM »

Yeah, I really love this song and The Honeys version too. I quite like a lot of the Caroline Now CD and think that the version of Rainbow Eyes there works better than Brian's as it doesn't really suit his voice at all.
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Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll
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« Reply #18 on: June 02, 2019, 08:17:23 AM »

According to Marilyn when I interviewed her in the early 80s, as they were recording the Rhino album, all she had of "GAB" was a cassette of Brian singing the first verse & chorus. Everything else dates from the early 1980s.

Very old thread I know but just picked up the Honey's ecstasy album. Did this cassette with Brian singing ever get booted or released on one of the archive releases. I've only heard the instrumental.
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