Thread for various insignificant questions that don't deserve their own thread!

[Stegibo]

Did Bruce Johnston ever sing lead on "Wouldn't It Be Nice" live?

[Sheriff John Stone]

So I've had this Odeon Records Version of Smile for a while, and it contains all the standard stuff, however it also has a version of Can't Wait Too Long, the first thirty seconds of which I've never heard before. It starts with a really mournful acapella part featuring a female voice and then breaks into a version of the main part of the song with clapping. Does anybody know where exactly this is from?

Yes, I'd love to know, too.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Did Bruce Johnston ever sing lead on "Wouldn't It Be Nice" live?

For some reason, I'm thinking he did, in the early 70s... but I could be in error here. I know he used to intro it by saying "the name of this song is..." (notably on the live version from Big Sur).

[Jay]

I have another "random" Beach Boys related question that really doesn't fit anywhere else. In the first few year of the 1970's Dennis could not play drums because of a bad injury to his hand. Yet he continued to tour with the group. My question is, what exactly did Dennis do onstage? I mean, besides act as "MC", to get the crowd excited and on their feet.

[the captain]

I believe Dennis sang and played auxiliary percussion and keyboard parts.

[Jay]

i forgot that he also sang lead on Help Me Rhonda on occasion.

[MBE]

From 1971-72 when Dennis wasn't playing drums he sang at various shows "Barbara", "Cuddle Up", "I've Got A Friend", "Forever". In 1973-74 he mostly sang Rhonda but did "Forever" at least once. I've heard a rumer he did a song called "Baby Baby".

[Jay]

I didn't know that Barbara was performed live.

[hypehat]

Another live Dennis one....

in the It's Ok special (and so i can assume this was the touring set up for that year), you can see a second drummer on a second kit with the rest of the musicians behind the barriers.... how was he used? at first i thought he was just a quick replacement if Dennis fell over/whatever, but then you see him playing at the same time. Was Denny's kit not mic'd up, or at least turned down, in case he made mistakes and threw off the band?

[Jon Stebbins]

Another live Dennis one....

in the It's Ok special (and so i can assume this was the touring set up for that year), you can see a second drummer on a second kit with the rest of the musicians behind the barriers.... how was he used? at first i thought he was just a quick replacement if Dennis fell over/whatever, but then you see him playing at the same time. Was Denny's kit not mic'd up, or at least turned down, in case he made mistakes and threw off the band?

That's not a second "kit"...that's a percussionist, Bobby Figueroa, the Beach Boys always used a percussionist on stage starting in '68 whether Dennis or Ricky or whoever was on drums... they had Mike Kowalski, Dennis Dragon, Bobby F or somebody on percussion...there was ALWAYS a percussionist up there. They used double kits briefly in '74/75 and again in '83. In the Its OK film Dennis' drums are not only mic'd up, they are kicking butt throughout.

[hypehat]

Ok, my mistake. Cheers Jon, i knew about the percussionists but always swore that was a second kit.

[TdHabib]

Here's a question: did Dennis routinely sing BVs at the drumset? I've seen footage and photos of him in the 70s with a wrap-around mic at the kit, but did he sing BVs/harmonies regularly. Would he ever sing lead and drum? Always curious...

[Jon Stebbins]

Here's a question: did Dennis routinely sing BVs at the drumset? I've seen footage and photos of him in the 70s with a wrap-around mic at the kit, but did he sing BVs/harmonies regularly. Would he ever sing lead and drum? Always curious...

Yes, but not a lot. Usually when he sang lead he came out front. But... around '65 to '68 he occasionally did some lead singing back there while on the drums. There were occasions where he drummed and sang Do You Wanna Dance live...and where he drummed and sang lead on the middle section of Surfer Girl. BV's... he tended to not sing them much in concert while drumming, which changed their blend since Dennis almost always sang BV's in the studio. He'd come out front in the early days for Surfer Girl, Hushabye, as he did in later days on Surfer Girl, In My room etc.. the blend ballads. The most obvious background part he sang WHILE drumming is on Its OK. If you can find footage of the band doing that song in '76/77 he's always singing his part on the tag while drumming. But more often in concert, if Dennis was going to sing, he came out front.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Here's a question: did Dennis routinely sing BVs at the drumset? I've seen footage and photos of him in the 70s with a wrap-around mic at the kit, but did he sing BVs/harmonies regularly. Would he ever sing lead and drum? Always curious...

Yes, but not a lot. Usually when he sang lead he came out front. But... around '65 to '68 he occasionally did some lead singing back there while on the drums. There were occasions where he drummed and sang Do You Wanna Dance live...and where he drummed and sang lead on the middle section of Surfer Girl. BV's... he tended to not sing them much in concert while drumming, which changed their blend since Dennis almost always sang BV's in the studio. He'd come out front in the early days for Surfer Girl, Hushabye, as he did in later days on Surfer Girl, In My room etc.. the blend ballads. The most obvious background part he sang WHILE drumming is on Its OK. If you can find footage of the band doing that song in '76/77 he's always singing his part on the tag while drumming. But more often in concert, if Dennis was going to sing, he came out front.

There's photos from 1965 of Mike being a human mic stand for Dennis while he sings "Do You Wanna Dance" while drumming the while. 

[Ed Roach]

The most obvious background part he sang WHILE drumming is on Its OK. If you can find footage of the band doing that song in '76/77 he's always singing his part on the tag while drumming. But more often in concert, if Dennis was going to sing, he came out front.

Man, he 'got off' so much from literally taking over that song high on his kit on the close of "It's OK"!  He did sing some harmony parts 'back there' too, but found it tricky to sing & drum at the same time.  It drove him a little bats that Levon Helm, (The Band being one of the few groups he was a 'fan' of, particularly Rag Mama Rag), had such an easy time singing & playing at the same time.

[TdHabib]

Here's a question: did Dennis routinely sing BVs at the drumset? I've seen footage and photos of him in the 70s with a wrap-around mic at the kit, but did he sing BVs/harmonies regularly. Would he ever sing lead and drum? Always curious...

Yes, but not a lot. Usually when he sang lead he came out front. But... around '65 to '68 he occasionally did some lead singing back there while on the drums. There were occasions where he drummed and sang Do You Wanna Dance live...and where he drummed and sang lead on the middle section of Surfer Girl. BV's... he tended to not sing them much in concert while drumming, which changed their blend since Dennis almost always sang BV's in the studio. He'd come out front in the early days for Surfer Girl, Hushabye, as he did in later days on Surfer Girl, In My room etc.. the blend ballads. The most obvious background part he sang WHILE drumming is on Its OK. If you can find footage of the band doing that song in '76/77 he's always singing his part on the tag while drumming. But more often in concert, if Dennis was going to sing, he came out front.

Just listened to the live cut of "Hushabye" from 64 and there's a noticeable break between the beginning of the song and when the drums come in...I'm thinking Dennis jumped down to do the intro and sing and then add the drums after it was over? Same thing for the outro. On a side note, man does Brian sound fantastic on the high part on that particular recording!

The 76 footage of "It's OK" from the titular special is one of the times I remembered him singing and drumming.

Here's one I have of him from I think 1975, looking great and singing at the kit


Does anyone have the pic AGD is talking about?? I'd love to have it in my collection.

[Ed Roach]

Wow, what a great shot!  And on his favorite drums, the clear kit!
Wonder what he's singing there?  Betcha' Mr. Boyd could figure it out!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Here's a question: did Dennis routinely sing BVs at the drumset? I've seen footage and photos of him in the 70s with a wrap-around mic at the kit, but did he sing BVs/harmonies regularly. Would he ever sing lead and drum? Always curious...

Yes, but not a lot. Usually when he sang lead he came out front. But... around '65 to '68 he occasionally did some lead singing back there while on the drums. There were occasions where he drummed and sang Do You Wanna Dance live...and where he drummed and sang lead on the middle section of Surfer Girl. BV's... he tended to not sing them much in concert while drumming, which changed their blend since Dennis almost always sang BV's in the studio. He'd come out front in the early days for Surfer Girl, Hushabye, as he did in later days on Surfer Girl, In My room etc.. the blend ballads. The most obvious background part he sang WHILE drumming is on Its OK. If you can find footage of the band doing that song in '76/77 he's always singing his part on the tag while drumming. But more often in concert, if Dennis was going to sing, he came out front.

Just listened to the live cut of "Hushabye" from 64 and there's a noticeable break between the beginning of the song and when the drums come in...I'm thinking Dennis jumped down to do the intro and sing and then add the drums after it was over? Same thing for the outro. On a side note, man does Brian sound fantastic on the high part on that particular recording!

The 76 footage of "It's OK" from the titular special is one of the times I remembered him singing and drumming.

Here's one I have of him from I think 1975, looking great and singing at the kit


Does anyone have the pic AGD is talking about?? I'd love to have it in my collection.

The Badman book.

[Jay]

Dennis sang on Hushabye?  I thought it was Mike.

[Jon Stebbins]

Dennis sang on Hushabye?  I thought it was Mike.

They all sing on Hushabye...family blend.

[Jay]

Oh, I thought he meant the "solo" bit.

[Sound of Free]

Here's a good look at Dennis singing the tag to It's OK while drumming. Go to the last two minutes of the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfDFee-GgU8

[BillA]

1. When the Beach Boys hired Ed Carter (1968), Bruce still played bass on the majority of songs  - see 'Live in London" where songs that had a heavy keyboard component in the studio (WIBN, SJB, California Girls) were done with Bruce on bass and no keyboard accompaniment.  If Bruce was going to be the primary bass player why didn't they bring on a keyboardist instead of a bassist?   

2. In 1978 Brian moved to bass (notorious Australian tour).  Was Ed Carter in the band at that time and if so what did he do?

[Jon Stebbins]

In 1978 Brian moved to bass (notorious Australian tour).  Was Ed Carter in the band at that time and if so what did he do?

Brian started playing some bass on BB's tours in late '76 and throughout '77, by Australia he'd been playing bass for a year and a half already, however he started dancing  ...and playing bass on more songs on that tour. Ed Carter would play guitar (or occasionally percussion)on the songs Brian played bass on(when he was there).

[punkinhead]

Random question: Did Keith Badman release a new copy of his book that didn't contain the session musician's SSN?

Will he do a 2nd volume for say: 1978-1998?