gfxgfx
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
logo
 
gfx gfx
gfx
680598 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 04:51:37 PM
*
gfx*HomeHelpSearchCalendarLoginRegistergfx
gfxgfx
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.       « previous next »
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: Guitar playing on later albums...Still Cruisin, Summer in Paradise  (Read 5778 times)
AnsonDrubner
Smiley Smile Newbie

Offline Offline

Posts: 2


View Profile
« on: July 10, 2009, 01:28:09 PM »

I have to admit, I really like the guitar work on a lot of later-period songs...particularly Somewhere Near Japan, Lahaina Aloha, Strange Things Happen, Still Cruisin....

Were Carl and Al playing much guitar on the later albums? The tone and playing on some of this stuff is really good. Any idea who did play on it if it wasn't either of them?

Logged
Rocker
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Online Online

Gender: Male
Posts: 10622


"Too dumb for New York City, too ugly for L.A."


View Profile WWW
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2009, 01:55:02 PM »

Well, Carl and Al didn't play on the Summer in paradise-album, so I guess it was Adrian Baker. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

BTW I absolutely love the surf-guitar on "Island fever" (US-version)
Logged

a diseased bunch of mo'fos if there ever was one… their beauty is so awesome that listening to them at their best is like being in some vast dream cathedral decorated with a thousand gleaming American pop culture icons.

- Lester Bangs on The Beach Boys


PRO SHOT BEACH BOYS CONCERTS - LIST


To sum it up, they blew it, they blew it consistently, they continue to blow it, it is tragic and this pathological problem caused The Beach Boys' greatest music to be so underrated by the general public.

- Jack Rieley
Andrew G. Doe
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 17767


The triumph of The Hickey Script !


View Profile WWW
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2009, 02:04:16 PM »

Well, Carl and Al didn't play on the Summer in paradise-album, so I guess it was Adrian Baker. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

BTW I absolutely love the surf-guitar on "Island fever" (US-version)

Um, well, at the risk of seeming a tad obvious...

According to the credits on SIP, the guitars were by Craig Fall. All of them, except for the pedal steel, by John Weston.
Logged

The four sweetest words in my vocabulary: "This poster is ignored".
Beach Boy
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Online Online

Gender: Male
Posts: 551


I've got tears in the morning


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2009, 02:11:45 PM »

Did Ed Carter play on Still Cruisin'? Heard some great playing by him on songs like Somewhere Near Japan and Still Cruisin' in concert, magnificent!
Logged

Late at night
When the whole world's sleeping
I dream of you
Close to you I feel your sweet heart beating
I dream of you
adamghost
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Online Online

Posts: 2107



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2009, 03:46:47 PM »

Craig Fall did have an interesting guitar style and I can appreciate it, but it didn't seem right in context to me.  It seemed to take the edge OFF the material, rather than add it...kind of noodly and cluttered.

I don't want to sound like I'm dissing the guy, because it's good guitar playing.  I'd be interested to hear it on some different stylistical material.  On the later BBs material it just seemed to add to the general gauzy and sterile vibe of the tracks to me.  I don't blame him -- he was asked to do his thing and he did it -- and it's at least pleasant to listen to.  I'd rather have heard Carl's clodhopper guitar playing, but that's me.  Your mileage may vary.
Logged
TdHabib
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1150



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2009, 07:06:36 PM »

Well the guitar sound on these albums is 100 times better than the nylon guitar on IMAGINATION, that's for sure...seriously, why was that ever in fashion with contemporary music?
Logged

I like the Beatles a bit more than the Boys of Beach, I think Brian's band is the tops---really amazing. And finally, I'm liberal. That's it.
the captain
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 7255


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2009, 07:29:33 PM »

To paraphrase an old jazz guitar teacher (who was referring to each of the 12 notes available on an instrument), "there's no bad tone." Nylon string guitars are wonderful and entirely appropriate ... when they aren't arranged for a stinkyass mulleted ex-wrestler cheesefest. Check out Leonard Cohen for a good use, and pretend this dumbfuck noodling never happened. (Why do I think someone is going to take issue with some or another part of this post?)
Logged

Demon-Fighting Genius; Patronizing Twaddler; Argumentative, Sanctimonious Prick; Sensationalist Dullard; and Douche who (occasionally to rarely) puts songs here.

No interest in your assorted grudges and nonsense.
TdHabib
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1150



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2009, 07:43:26 PM »

Your right Luther, I meant to say in adult contemporary music...I love a bit of classical guitar myself in classical music...and I bought the Live in London Cohen DVD a few months ago...superb
Logged

I like the Beatles a bit more than the Boys of Beach, I think Brian's band is the tops---really amazing. And finally, I'm liberal. That's it.
Wirestone
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 6043



View Profile
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2009, 10:11:35 PM »

That being said, Joe Thomas has actually been pretty successful since leaving the BW camp:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Thomas_(producer/director)

And there are many parts of Imagination I love and defend (and ample Wilson-esque arrangements if you know where to listen). But the acoustic guitar bits -- yeah, ech.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2009, 10:13:00 PM by claymcc » Logged
the captain
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 7255


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2009, 09:34:36 AM »

Well plenty of people I think suck have been successful!
Logged

Demon-Fighting Genius; Patronizing Twaddler; Argumentative, Sanctimonious Prick; Sensationalist Dullard; and Douche who (occasionally to rarely) puts songs here.

No interest in your assorted grudges and nonsense.
Wirestone
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 6043



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2009, 09:39:25 AM »

That wasn't really the point -- I was no great fan of Thomas either (vocal production techniques excepted). It's just that he wasn't exactly a charlatan, in the way of many BW pals over the years -- he seems to be an honest-to-goodness entrepreneur.
Logged
Aegir
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 4680



View Profile WWW
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2009, 01:58:45 PM »

I actually thought Imagination was produced very well. I like it much more than SiP's production. "Cry" is wonderful.
Logged

Every time you spell Smile as SMiLE, an angel's wings are forcibly torn off its body.
Andrew G. Doe
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 17767


The triumph of The Hickey Script !


View Profile WWW
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2012, 10:27:45 AM »

Wrt Carl's and Al's involvement, I'm not sure they played any guitar in, for instance, SiP.

**KOFF**

"According to the credits on SIP, the guitars were by Craig Fall. All of them, except for the pedal steel, by John Weston."

Seriously, do people actually read the whole thread or just their own posts ?
Logged

The four sweetest words in my vocabulary: "This poster is ignored".
c-man
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 4941


View Profile WWW
« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2012, 11:43:15 AM »

Bruce once said somewhere that Craig Fall was the guitarist on "Somewhere Near Japan", so he probably did the chores on the "Still Cruisin'" title track as well.  Joseph Brasler played the guitar on "In My Car" (which was not actually a Brian solo track intended for "Sweet Insanity" with Carl's and Al's voices added later on for inclusion on "Still Cruisin", like a lot of us assumed at the time, but was actually tracked as a Beach Boys session paid for by Capitol specifically for inclusion on that album).

As for live performances of "Still Cruisin'", "Somewhere Near Japan", and "Summer In Paradise"...when I saw them in 1990, Carl played the solo on "Still Cruisin'" (note-for-note on the 12-string)...for "Somewhere Near Japan", Eddie Carter played the hot lead licks with Carl on 12-string and Billy moving over to bass.  For the performances of "Summer In Paradise" I saw in '96, their backline guitar tech Manny came out and played the lead, while in '97 it was Phil Bardowell....in '95, it was either as it was in '96, or Eddie and Billy did the same thing they did for "Japan" in '90 (I'd half to dig out my notes to confirm).
Logged
Aegir
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 4680



View Profile WWW
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2012, 03:03:04 PM »

"Wipe Out" has the Fat Boys' band playing the track, right?
Logged

Every time you spell Smile as SMiLE, an angel's wings are forcibly torn off its body.
Autotune
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1699



View Profile
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2012, 04:14:41 PM »

I started a thread on Terry Melcher's production value a few years ago. Wasn't too popular.
Still think that Melcher succeeded at delivering an identifiable and contemporary BB sound without being retro or too linked to contemporary trends.
Logged

"His lyrical ability has never been touched by anyone, except for Mike Love."

-Brian Wilson on Van Dyke Parks (2015)
Wah Wah Wah Ooooo
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 409



View Profile
« Reply #16 on: June 17, 2012, 04:24:19 PM »

I prefer Melcher's production values over say, Steve Levine...I'm glad they only did one album with him, honestly, and went in a more Melcher direction.  Having said that, being a man of contradiction, Summer In Paradise sounds horrible. It just sounds horrible in a different way than the horrible sounding production of BB85.  I find 85 pretty hard to listen to, honestly. 
Logged

"I'm in a band. We're called the Beach Boys." ~ Brian Wilson
adamghost
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Online Online

Posts: 2107



View Profile
« Reply #17 on: June 17, 2012, 04:32:09 PM »

I think one of the problem for anyone doing music in the '80s (I was around for the very tail end of it) was the degree to which everyone was trying to please "the industry" and how the things that were necessary to do that were almost universally bad.  I'm remembering Gary Usher's saying to Brian that they "couldn't compete (in the marketplace) with live drums," that they had to use a drum machine.  As nauseating as I find that statement, he was also probably correct.  So Terry Melcher probably did what he thought was the right thing to do at the time.

In the '90s, the trends shifted, and things became more about organic sounds again.  It's no coincidence that the stuff Brian started to do was much more in his vintage style.  It was "OK" and not counter-commercial to go there again.  But in the '80s...forget it.  Even guys with good pop sensibilities like Marshall Crenshaw and Crowded House (with Mitchell Froom being one of the ONLY keyboard players at the time to manage to incorporate vintage sounds and make it work on the radio at the time) had to adapt to the prevailing headwinds.
Logged
Zach95
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 893


View Profile
« Reply #18 on: June 17, 2012, 04:37:54 PM »

I think one of the problem for anyone doing music in the '80s (I was around for the very tail end of it) was the degree to which everyone was trying to please "the industry" and how the things that were necessary to do that were almost universally bad.  I'm remembering Gary Usher's saying to Brian that they "couldn't compete (in the marketplace) with live drums," that they had to use a drum machine.  As nauseating as I find that statement, he was also probably correct.  So Terry Melcher probably did what he thought was the right thing to do at the time.

In the '90s, the trends shifted, and things became more about organic sounds again.  It's no coincidence that the stuff Brian started to do was much more in his vintage style.  It was "OK" and not counter-commercial to go there again.  But in the '80s...forget it.  Even guys with good pop sensibilities like Marshall Crenshaw and Crowded House (with Mitchell Froom being one of the ONLY keyboard players at the time to manage to incorporate vintage sounds and make it work on the radio at the time) had to adapt to the prevailing headwinds.

But, were the Beach Boys that desperate to remain "current"? I mean, it had been around ten years since Endless Summer, why hadn't they reverted to the organic underground/emerging indie scene (sort of like Smiley Smile and Wild Honey following their commercial peak years) and give up trying to write hit songs for the radio? Or was there a certain faction, including Brian, who still wanted commercial hits among the band?
Logged

Ain't nothin' upside your head!
Jonathan Blum
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 659


View Profile
« Reply #19 on: June 17, 2012, 08:49:59 PM »

But, were the Beach Boys that desperate to remain "current"? I mean, it had been around ten years since Endless Summer, why hadn't they reverted to the organic underground/emerging indie scene (sort of like Smiley Smile and Wild Honey following their commercial peak years) and give up trying to write hit songs for the radio? Or was there a certain faction, including Brian, who still wanted commercial hits among the band?

They absolutely still thought they could score hits -- "Come Go With Me" and "Getcha Back" among them.  They weren't aiming to be "indie", they were a big-ass mainstream rock band playing Live Aid right after Bryan Adams!

They were aiming to take the nostalgic stuff and sell it to a big mainstream audience.  And that meant a fair degree of current-ness...

Cheers,
Jon Blum
« Last Edit: June 17, 2012, 08:51:53 PM by Jonathan Blum » Logged
Alex
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 2660



View Profile
« Reply #20 on: June 18, 2012, 12:41:35 AM »

I think one of the problem for anyone doing music in the '80s (I was around for the very tail end of it) was the degree to which everyone was trying to please "the industry" and how the things that were necessary to do that were almost universally bad.  I'm remembering Gary Usher's saying to Brian that they "couldn't compete (in the marketplace) with live drums," that they had to use a drum machine.  As nauseating as I find that statement, he was also probably correct.  So Terry Melcher probably did what he thought was the right thing to do at the time.
Then how did all those hair-metal bands get hits without using drum machines?
Logged

"I thought Brian was a perfect gentleman, apart from buttering his head and trying to put it between two slices of bread"  -Tom Petty, after eating with Brian.

https://givemesomeboots1.blogspot.com/
Loaf
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 838


View Profile
« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2012, 02:14:03 AM »

Wrt Carl's and Al's involvement, I'm not sure they played any guitar in, for instance, SiP.

**KOFF**

"According to the credits on SIP, the guitars were by Craig Fall. All of them, except for the pedal steel, by John Weston."

Seriously, do people actually read the whole thread or just their own posts ?
No, I've read your post - very interesting information, thank you for it. I just did that comment - about Al and Carl - from MY point of view, just how I heard: the guitars didn't sound to me like they were played by those 2. So I said that wasn't sure about their involvement instrumentally. That's about it.


Ha! This has to go down as one of the greatest responses to AGD in board history Smiley "yes, i read what you wrote, and what you wrote is factually correct, and if 'd bothered to read the album credits i'd have found out the same thing for myself, but i chose to ignore all that and restate my prior hypothesis."
Logged
AndrewHickey
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1999



View Profile
« Reply #22 on: June 18, 2012, 03:59:11 AM »

To paraphrase an old jazz guitar teacher (who was referring to each of the 12 notes available on an instrument), "there's no bad tone." Nylon string guitars are wonderful and entirely appropriate ... when they aren't arranged for a stinkyass mulleted ex-wrestler cheesefest. Check out Leonard Cohen for a good use, and pretend this dumbf*** noodling never happened. (Why do I think someone is going to take issue with some or another part of this post?)

Agreed -- Jake Thackray, for example, has some of the most wonderful guitar playing I've ever heard, and all his stuff's nylon-string. It's just that it's used so clumsily so often -- much like the tenor sax.
Logged

The Smiley Smile ignore function: http://andrewhickey.info/the-smiley-smile-ignore-button-sort-of/
Most recent update 03/12/15
gfx
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
gfx
Jump to:  
gfx
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Page created in 0.832 seconds with 21 queries.
Helios Multi design by Bloc
gfx
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!