Surfin' Down the Swanee River

[busy doin nothin]

Anybody else just love, love, love this track?  Brian cut some great stuff with Marilyn and Diane (of course "Sweet Mountain" and much of the 1972 Spring album, also The One You Can't Have and He's a Doll), but for me Swanee River absolutely takes the cake.  It may just be the best Brian Wilson arrangement and production ever.  The energy level is absolutely amazing.  The Pet Projects liner notes say the record was cut at Capitol but I think it's Brian's best Spector-esque Wall of Sound (which I thought was more associated with Gold Star).

The Honeys vocals have such a vibrant snap to them -- they never sounded so good, the echo is fantastic.  Brian used both unison and two-part harmony vocals (and some powerful double tracking) to give the vocals incredible punch.  Also mixing in the male vocals by Brian and some guy named Skip Taylor (acc. to the liner notes) in a kind of call and response is great and adds a lot of interest.  I like these vocals so much better than the Beach Boys' version (South Bay Surfer).

But it's the instrumental track that is absolutely mind-blowing.  I am definitely not a drumming expert, but I think Brian got his best ever drum sound from the Wrecking Crew period on this track.  The drums are just heavier and more powerful than usual on Beach Boys records from the sun 'n' fun period.  The guitar is great too.  But it's really the boogie woogie piano that blows me away -- the descending piano line going into the middle eight ("all the guys are sad and lonely"), the way the piano just rumbles through the whole record with such energy but also kind of buried in the mix so it's not overdone.  The liner notes say that at the session Brian "demonstrat[ed] to (pianist) Leon Russell the exact feel he had in mind."

Listen to South Bay Surfer after Swanee River.  The difference is amazing; SBS is so much more sedate.  The difference is akin to Help Me Ronda vs. Rhonda, or the 20/20 Cottonfields vs. the 45 version.

I'm sure the Swanee River single flopped because the lyrics seemed hokey and dumb (and nobody had heard of the Honeys).  But it should have been a hit anyway.  The liner notes say Shel Talmy was present at the session and said the song would be a "smash."  The last 25 seconds or so (from 1:45 on, when the hand claps come in) are absolute musical nirvana -- Brian adds such a sweet variation to the bass line for the outro.  Incredible.  The man was truly incredible (at the ripe age of 20).

[Rocker]

The Honeys vocals have such a vibrant snap to them -- they never sounded so good, the echo is fantastic.  Brian used both unison and two-part harmony vocals (and some powerful double tracking) to give the vocals incredible punch.  Also mixing in the male vocals by Brian and some guy named Skip Taylor (acc. to the liner notes) in a kind of call and response is great and adds a lot of interest.  I like these vocals so much better than the Beach Boys' version (South Bay Surfer).

There are not many tracks in the BB's catalogue that I would describe as worse than "South bay surfer". But I wonder how Dennis and Al got a writing credit for this.

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

[busy doin nothin]

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

Pet Projects is fantastic.  So much great stuff.  My faves, aside from the above-mentioned, are "Thinkin' Bout You Baby" -- different from Darlin', great in its own way.  "After the Game" -- sweet instrumental, great title.  "Sacramento" -- great, totally un-BW-like (except Brian can do any genre, any style).  "Summertime" -- very sultry version.  "Shyin Away" and "Fallin' in Love," natch.  "Number One" and "Story of My Life" -- equal to Spector's girl group stuff.  And of course the incredible "Guess I'm Dumb" -- is there a version with a BW lead vocal?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

Pet Projects is fantastic.  So much great stuff.  My faves, aside from the above-mentioned, are "Thinkin' Bout You Baby" -- different from Darlin', great in its own way.  "After the Game" -- sweet instrumental, great title.  "Sacramento" -- great, totally un-BW-like (except Brian can do any genre, any style).  "Summertime" -- very sultry version.  "Shyin Away" and "Fallin' in Love," natch.  "Number One" and "Story of My Life" -- equal to Spector's girl group stuff.  And of course the incredible "Guess I'm Dumb" -- is there a version with a BW lead vocal?

Nope.

[busy doin nothin]

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

Pet Projects is fantastic.  So much great stuff.  My faves, aside from the above-mentioned, are "Thinkin' Bout You Baby" -- different from Darlin', great in its own way.  "After the Game" -- sweet instrumental, great title.  "Sacramento" -- great, totally un-BW-like (except Brian can do any genre, any style).  "Summertime" -- very sultry version.  "Shyin Away" and "Fallin' in Love," natch.  "Number One" and "Story of My Life" -- equal to Spector's girl group stuff.  And of course the incredible "Guess I'm Dumb" -- is there a version with a BW lead vocal?

Nope.

Too bad -- I can't say that Glen Campbell does it full justice.  Still a great track, though.

[hypehat]

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

Pet Projects is fantastic.  So much great stuff.  My faves, aside from the above-mentioned, are "Thinkin' Bout You Baby" -- different from Darlin', great in its own way.  "After the Game" -- sweet instrumental, great title.  "Sacramento" -- great, totally un-BW-like (except Brian can do any genre, any style).  "Summertime" -- very sultry version.  "Shyin Away" and "Fallin' in Love," natch.  "Number One" and "Story of My Life" -- equal to Spector's girl group stuff.  And of course the incredible "Guess I'm Dumb" -- is there a version with a BW lead vocal?

Nope.

Too bad -- I can't say that Glen Campbell does it full justice.  Still a great track, though.

Campbell totally makes that track. I can see why Brian got him on it - it's really a crooner song. The only BB i can really hear on it would be Dennis, and he didn't have the range.

I've really been getting into Pet Projects lately. No love for The Laughing Gravy at all?

[busy doin nothin]

Anyway, I like "Surfin' down..." also very much. I agree that Brian did some great outside productions. "Pet projects" in fact is one of my favorite BB-related CDs

Pet Projects is fantastic.  So much great stuff.  My faves, aside from the above-mentioned, are "Thinkin' Bout You Baby" -- different from Darlin', great in its own way.  "After the Game" -- sweet instrumental, great title.  "Sacramento" -- great, totally un-BW-like (except Brian can do any genre, any style).  "Summertime" -- very sultry version.  "Shyin Away" and "Fallin' in Love," natch.  "Number One" and "Story of My Life" -- equal to Spector's girl group stuff.  And of course the incredible "Guess I'm Dumb" -- is there a version with a BW lead vocal?

Nope.

Too bad -- I can't say that Glen Campbell does it full justice.  Still a great track, though.

Campbell totally makes that track. I can see why Brian got him on it - it's really a crooner song. The only BB i can really hear on it would be Dennis, and he didn't have the range.

I've really been getting into Pet Projects lately. No love for The Laughing Gravy at all?

See what you mean about the crooner angle.  Still would love to hear Brian's take on the track -- the lyrics seem so Brian/Today period (though I imagine they were at least partially the work of Titelman).  I'm just a sucker for any Brian Wilson vocal, especially in the 60s.

I like the idea of Denny singing Guess I'm Dumb.  I think he could have done a very interesting job with it -- sort of in a Back of My Mind vein.

I must confess, the Laughing Gravy track has never done much for me.  I haven't given it much of a chance -- I love the Smiley Smile Vegetable too much.  I'll try again though.

[Mr. Cohen]

Brian Wilson just wasn't allowed to have a hit outside the BBs. I can't say I appreciate The Honeys singing too much, which is probably why the single didn't do to well. They remind of the Shaggs but with professional singing lessons. OK, maybe not quite that bad, but not very good.

[SG7]

Dang you folks are harsh! I am more of a fan of stuff like "He's a Doll" and "Pray For Surf". Shaggs level? Don't think so.

[Jason]

They're definitely not on the same level as the Shaggs. The Shaggs are better.

[lance]

Surfin' Down the Swannee River eats SBS up for breakfast, shits it out again, balls it up and throws it at passerby.

SBS is not that well-produced, in my opinion...at least in stereo, probably a bit better in mono. Those frickin' drums 

[MBE]

They're definitely not on the same level as the Shaggs. The Shaggs are better.

I like the Honeys as singers. They aren't the BEST singers I ever heard but they just have an appeal. Their work without Brian wasn't nearly as good so perhaps it comes down to how well he arranged their vocals.

[Fall Breaks]

Brian Wilson just wasn't allowed to have a hit outside the BBs.

Although not BW produced, "Surf City" springs to mind...

[Rocker]

I must confess, the Laughing Gravy track has never done much for me.  I haven't given it much of a chance -- I love the Smiley Smile Vegetable too much.  I'll try again though.

I like this version almost even better than the Beach Boys' Smiley-version. This one has a better groove. The backing track sounds cooler imo.
BTW it wasn't produced by Brian but by Dean Torrence. brian and Marylin added their voices in the early 70s. It was first released I believe in the mid-60s though. (Jan didn't sing on the 70s overdub, did he?)

"Gues I'm dumb": I think it might've worked as a Beach Boys-recording like "I know there's an answer" with Mike, Al and Brian

[shelter]

Brian Wilson just wasn't allowed to have a hit outside the BBs.

I believe that "Surfin' Down The Swanee River" was a pretty big hit in Sweden.

[Fall Breaks]

Brian Wilson just wasn't allowed to have a hit outside the BBs.

I believe that "Surfin' Down The Swanee River" was a pretty big hit in Sweden.

Yes, it was a top ten hit now that you mention it. A fine copy of the 45 (b/w "Shoot the Curl") recently went on the Swedish equivalent to Ebay for ~$40: http://www.tradera.com/Honeys-Beach-Boys-Surfin-down-Swanee-River-RARE--PS-1963-auktion_89841516

[Rich Panteluk]

Love this thread!

How about this:
What are your top three favorite songs on Pet Projects?

and

What are your top three favorite songs by Honeys and or Spring?

Any takers?

I have to go home and give another listen before I vote...

[phirnis]

What are your top three favorite songs on Pet Projects?

American Spring - Shyin' Away
The Honeys - Tonight You Belong To Me
Sharon Marie - Run-Around Lover

What are your top three favorite songs by Honeys and or Spring?

Sweet Mountain
Now That Everything's Been Said
Do Ya

[hypehat]

What are your top three favorite songs on Pet Projects?

Guess I'm Dumb
Thinkin' About You Baby (the strings, dear god, the strings!)
Run-Around Lover

What are your top three favorite songs by Honeys and or Spring?

Tonight You Belong To Me
Forever
maybe Down Home, i'm not sure

[/quote]

[Sheriff John Stone]

Favorite Honeys/Spring songs:

1. "Fallin' In Love"
2. "It's Like Heaven"
3. tie between "Sweet Mountain" and "He's A Doll"

After I make this comment I'm going into the witness protection program....I like "Guess I'm Dumb" very much. I think Glen Campbell did a fine job with the vocal. Brian's production is fine and I like The Honey's background vocals. And, yes, I wish the Beach Boys would've cut it and included it on Side 2 of Today. But....I don't think it is an especially great record; actually I don't listen to it often (I'll have to give it another good run). I think we fans have/are overrating it a little bit and I can see why it wasn't a hit. BUT I LIKE IT. I REALLY DO.

[JB Wilojarston]

Favorite Honeys/Spring songs:

1. "Fallin' In Love"
2. "It's Like Heaven"
3. tie between "Sweet Mountain" and "He's A Doll"

Everybody - Sweet Mountain - Snowflakes

[busy doin nothin]

I've sort of already answered this above, and I'm going to cheat on the rules, but FWIW, here's my $.02:

Pet Projects (aside from Honeys/Spring):

Thinking Bout You Baby (you are so right about the strings, hypehat)
Sacramento
Story of My Life

Honeys:

Swanee River (big shock!)
The One You Can't Have (my 6-year-old daughter loves it)
He's a Doll

Spring:

Sweet Mountain
Down Home
Shyin' Away
It's Like Heaven

After I make this comment I'm going into the witness protection program....I like "Guess I'm Dumb" very much. I think Glen Campbell did a fine job with the vocal. Brian's production is fine and I like The Honey's background vocals. And, yes, I wish the Beach Boys would've cut it and included it on Side 2 of Today. But....I don't think it is an especially great record; actually I don't listen to it often (I'll have to give it another good run). I think we fans have/are overrating it a little bit and I can see why it wasn't a hit. BUT I LIKE IT. I REALLY DO.

I know exactly what you mean, sheriff.  I've gone back and forth on GID myself.  Personally I think it's because of Glen's vocal -- it seems too slick and professional, not sincere the way BW (or Denny) would have delivered it.


By the way, I'm sure this isn't news to most here, but I find this video fascinating:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Yj9oHikgY

1.  It looks like Campbell is going to dislocate his own jaw at points.

2.  The video couldn't have been cheap.  Capitol must have thought they had a shot at a hit.

[lance]

Count me as one who thinks Glen Campbell sounds great on that song. I will probably be crucified...but I think he is a better lead vocalist than any Beach Boy.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Was listening to Pet Projects; have a couple of questions and comments....

Is "Pamela Jean" missing a "Wop" at the beginning?

When was "Fallin' In Love" (by Spring) recorded? That backing track does not sound like a Brian production.

Was especially enjoying "After The Game". Does anybody think/notice that Brian's music seemed more innocent before LSD and other substances? Or was it just (young) age? "Thinkin' 'Bout You Baby" is another example.

"She Rides With Me" is a catchy little tune. I always imagine Dennis singing a lead vocal on that song.

I noticed that the Spring songs are credited to American Spring. That's the first I ever saw that. I'd like to see a 2 CD comp on The Honeys/Spring - one done right.

[grillo]

Was listening to Pet Projects; have a couple of questions and comments....

Is "Pamela Jean" missing a "Wop" at the beginning?

When was "Fallin' In Love" (by Spring) recorded? That backing track does not sound like a Brian production.

Was especially enjoying "After The Game". Does anybody think/notice that Brian's music seemed more innocent before LSD and other substances? Or was it just (young) age? "Thinkin' 'Bout You Baby" is another example.

"She Rides With Me" is a catchy little tune. I always imagine Dennis singing a lead vocal on that song.

I noticed that the Spring songs are credited to American Spring. That's the first I ever saw that. I'd like to see a 2 CD comp on The Honeys/Spring - one done right.

Supposedly they used Denny's original basic track, or some mix of it, for Fallin in Love.
Yes, the first Wop is missing, pointlessly.
My faves are
Sweet Mountain
Snow Flakes
He's a Doll and/or Shyin' Away