BB 1973 - 1975

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Not a lot has been written about the Beach Boys in this period. I know they did some shows with Chicago and the Eagles. Did they do much recording? Were group factions keeping them from any new material? I heard that Dennis was in the studio more then any of them at this time. Thoughts, interesting facts, opinions, stories, intuitions, philosophies, social security numbers, etc...

[XY]

After the commercially disappointing new studio releases, they shifted all their energy from the studio to the live shows and were voted Greatest Live Act or something like that by Rolling Stone Magazine in 1973 I think.
The 1974 #1 Greatest Hits album forced them back to the studio. "It's Ok", "Good Timin'", "Child Of Winter", "Battle Hymn of the Republic", unfinished sessions, great stuff & junk.
Brian revealed around that time that the last few months, he was doing vacations around the country, has an unfinished album project with Roger McQuinn going, wants to write new material for the boys and plans to go back on tour but thinks he's too fat.
A couple of guest-apperances took place in that time frame. "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" backing vocals f.e.

[Jay]

I know that they did some aborted session work at Caribou(spelling?) Ranch in 1974. This is the time frame that I am most interested in. Brian went into the studio with them, and I think that perhaps this might have been the final Beach Boys project before Brian had his major emotional meltdown, and retreated to his bed untill Landy came into the picture in around 1976. I think that the Caribou sessions in 1974 were also the last time that Dennis's voice was still in really good shape. An outtake of "River Song" from this period shows him to still be in a very "smooth" voice.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Known sessions 1973-75 listed here:

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs73.html

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs74.html

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs75.html

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

How much of "It's Ok" was actually completed in 1974?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Basic track, no vocals.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Ahhh...figured as much.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Thanks Andrew. I think I've seen some of that in Kieth Badman's book as well. I have always wondered about Carl's moof rift sessions in 1974. Anyone ever heard it?

Also, does anyone have an idea about the BBs behavior, other then Brian around that time? I get the sense that everyone was getting along ok. Dennis and Carl didn't seem to self destruct until 1977, I believe. Were factions a problem at this time?

[MBE]

I'm not sure that River Song was from Caribou but it was the last time Dennis sounded like his old self in the tapes that have emerged from the studio. Caribou and the Brother sessions immediately folowing were the last hurrah for Brian vocally.

I think the was always a bit of a divide but 1977 was when it exploded. On the Wilson's end they felt Mike wanted too much power, in Mike and Al's view the Wilson's were messing up the shows. Neither side was wrong, but no one really tried to be constructive about the problems. That's just the bare basics really because with the huge CBS contract everybody wanted a piece of the action and no one comes out of the situation with their hands completely clean.

Frankly it's when Brian came back to the mix and everyone wanted him on their side that the real trouble started. Put on top of that Brian suddenly can't sing, and is not taking his time producing. Even if he wasn't in the studio much after Surf's Up, most of what he did until 1975 still had the old magic. The group puts aside their own aspirations, bets everything on Brian, and it becomes quickly apparent that he can't deliver. Brian feels used, everyone's ego is bruised. By 1977 it was a mess.

Now go back to 1974-75 sure Dennis showed up drunk sometimes, but he was able to perform on a level that he couldn't aspire to later. He was still healthy enough to really add something. Even in the summer and early fall of 1976 he seemed to be in pretty darn good shape.. Carl was at a peak in 1974, Mike and Al put their hearts into what they were doing. Everyone was pulling together to do a great show. Tension had to have been there but it was under control at least in public.

[Ganz Allein]

I'm not sure that River Song was from Caribou but it was the last time Dennis sounded like his old self in the tapes that have emerged from the studio. Caribou and the Brother sessions immediately folowing were the last hurrah for Brian vocally.

I think the was always a bit of a divide but 1977 was when it exploded. On the Wilson's end they felt Mike wanted too much power, in Mike and Al's view the Wilson's were messing up the shows. Neither side was wrong, but no one really tried to be constructive about the problems. That's just the bare basics really because with the huge CBS contract everybody wanted a piece of the action and no one comes out of the situation with their hands completely clean.

Frankly it's when Brian came back to the mix and everyone wanted him on their side that the real trouble started. Put on top of that Brian suddenly can't sing, and is not taking his time producing. Even if he wasn't in the studio much after Surf's Up, most of what he did until 1975 still had the old magic. The group puts aside their own aspirations, bets everything on Brian, and it becomes quickly apparent that he can't deliver. Brian feels used, everyone's ego is bruised. By 1977 it was a mess.

Now go back to 1974-75 sure Dennis showed up drunk sometimes, but he was able to perform on a level that he couldn't aspire to later. He was still healthy enough to really add something. Even in the summer and early fall of 1976 he seemed to be in pretty darn good shape.. Carl was at a peak in 1974, Mike and Al put their hearts into what they were doing. Everyone was pulling together to do a great show. Tension had to have been there but it was under control at least in public.

MBE, what would you guess to be the date for that "River Song" session? Is it a '74 recording? Dennis does sound much smoother there than on the POB version.

[MBE]

I always wanted to know this myself
Well it could be from when Dennis taught it to Blondie for stage purposes so at the earliest I would have to say early spring 1973. It may have been recorded right after Blondie left that Decemeber, but it certainly seems as relatively  unformed as the 1973 live versions. Listening to concert tapes through the end of 1973 he was smooth voice even when doing Forever late in the year. It was more or less just as good as the ones he did live in 1970-71.  In 1974 it's hard to say because I haven't heard him do anything but Rhonda. A June 1974 rendition seems pretty clear but an interview tape from early in the year has him speaking like he did in 1976 already. By fall of 1974 even Rhonda sounded rougher and by 1975 he sounded exactly as he did on 15 Big Ones. So my guess would be anytime from 3-73 to 9-74. By the Caribou sessions I think he would have sounded raspy already. Those who have heard more studio tapes then I may jump in here.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I miss spelled Moog rift. Anyways, does anyone know anything about Carl's Moog Rift recordings?

[Jim V.]

How much of Good Timin' was completed in '74? Also, was there a band version of California Feelin' recorded in '74?

[Jason]

Good Timin' had a completed backing track and a lead vocal from Carl recorded in '74. When the band went back to the track in '78 when collecting material for LA, they took the original 1974 track and heavily sweetened it, as well as adding backing vocals and, I think, a second lead vocal for Carl.

California Feelin' only existed as Brian's piano rendition in 1974, recorded on his Chickering piano. The next studio version was the American Spring version in 1977, when Rocky Pamplin was a member of the group. He also sang the lead vocal. The Beach Boys never did an actual studio version until the Miami sessions in 1978, which were the basis for Walter Yentikoff's famous "gentlemen, I think I've been f***ed" comment to the CBS Records staff upon hearing a compilation reel of work being done under Brian's supervision at the time. Of course, this led to Bruce's return to the group, which was called "temporary" at the time. We all know how that turned out.

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

I really like that '78 recording of California Feelin'. I'm not sure why many people don't. In my opinion, many of the unreleased songs in the late '70s were better than what ended up on the albums.

[Jay]

I always wanted to know this myself
Well it could be from when Dennis taught it to Blondie for stage purposes so at the earliest I would have to say early spring 1973. It may have been recorded right after Blondie left that Decemeber, but it certainly seems as relatively  unformed as the 1973 live versions. Listening to concert tapes through the end of 1973 he was smooth voice even when doing Forever late in the year. It was more or less just as good as the ones he did live in 1970-71.  In 1974 it's hard to say because I haven't heard him do anything but Rhonda. A June 1974 rendition seems pretty clear but an interview tape from early in the year has him speaking like he did in 1976 already. By fall of 1974 even Rhonda sounded rougher and by 1975 he sounded exactly as he did on 15 Big Ones. So my guess would be anytime from 3-73 to 9-74. By the Caribou sessions I think he would have sounded raspy already. Those who have heard more studio tapes then I may jump in here.

I have a recording of the group from Tampa Florida in 1974, and Dennis sounds pretty hoarse. He doesn't actually sing as far as I can tell(the sound quality isn't very good), but he speaks in between songs, and his voice sounds like it did from about 1978, to the rest of his life.

[MBE]

Well that was in April but that June concert has him sounding OK on Rhonda. That's why it's so hard to figure out when he first had a real change. I have heard that if he properly rested his voice after the 1974 and 1981 injuries that he would have gotten a lot more of it back.

[Jay]

What I can't understand is, when he cut his hand so badly that he couldn't play drums, why didn't he just take some time off? Sure, the shows would have been less interesting and fun, but he could have used it as an excuse to rest his voice.

[Jay]

Well that was in April but that June concert has him sounding OK on Rhonda. That's why it's so hard to figure out when he first had a real change. I have heard that if he properly rested his voice after the 1974 and 1981 injuries that he would have gotten a lot more of it back.

I remember you and I once talked about a 1974 show where Dennis sang Rhonda and sounded very hoarse. Do you remember when that was?

[Runaways]

What I can't understand is, when he cut his hand so badly that he couldn't play drums, why didn't he just take some time off? Sure, the shows would have been less interesting and fun, but he could have used it as an excuse to rest his voice.

he probably didn't wanna stop.  but his voice wasn't gonna get any better, not the way he drank.

[MBE]

Yes it was from later in the year. I guess we would have to look back on old posts because I forget which one it was. Remember he hurt his hand way before he had any vocal problems. I think June 1971 as opposed to early 1974.

Runaways the comment about the drinking would apply certainly to the 81-83 period but actually Dennis gave up drinking for a brief time in 1975 (honest!). Smoking, cocaine, and booze, hurt him but why there were drastic changes over brief periods of time comes down to him twice being punched in the throat. What I meant by my comment was that Dennis was told to not speak or sing for a period after his throat was injured. This was both times and both times he didn't have the discipline to heed his doctors advice.

[Jay]

I didn't know that in 1981 his doctors told him to rest his voice to help heal it. I mean, being punched in the throat, the obvious thing to do is rest your voice as much as possible. What I mean is, I thought that his doctor's basically thought that by 1981, his voice was beyond repair.

[phirnis]

Runaways the comment about the drinking would apply certainly to the 81-83 period but actually Dennis gave up drinking for a brief time in 1975 (honest!).

I have read about this before and have to say this period in his life really intrigues me. Do we know how long he stayed sober?

[MBE]

I don't know exactly how long he was sober but I have a magazine that shows him with a water bottle from late 1975 that makes a point of saying he never drinks. I confirmed that he was sober at the time with Jon Stebbins a while back. He could fill in a little more then me about the details.

Ed Roach and Stephen Desper both discussed with me Dennis' disregard for the need to keep silent. In 1981 they actually did a surgery to remove polyps  so he could speak and sing again. He wouldn't stop trying to yell on stage, sing, or talk, long enough for it to do any good. Who knows how much they could have done but he probably wouldn't have had as much trouble as he did.

[Jay]

Ed Roach and Stephen Desper both discussed with me Dennis' disregard for the need to keep silent. In 1981 they actually did a surgery to remove polyps  so he could speak and sing again. He wouldn't stop trying to yell on stage, sing, or talk, long enough for it to do any good. Who knows how much they could have done but he probably wouldn't have had as much trouble as he did.

I often wonder if he was in physical pain in the last year or two of his life. Imagine how it must feel to be punched in the throat, hard enough to do damage. In the weeks and months after the initial beating, he probably healed up and felt much better than the day of the beating. But he probably still had quite a bit of pain when he tried to speak and sing. I would imagine that he had a great deal of difficulty just trying to swallow properally.