Brian on the Smile album after it collapsed

[Andrew G. Doe]

Probably not - there was a session for an early version at Brother in summer 1977 (which might be the version heard in the background of a scene in the Almost Summer movie).

[adamghost]

C-Man...I've heard the isolated "Baby Blue" vocals and I'm pretty certain Brian isn't in there.

Are you sure the piano and moog performance on "Shortenin' Bread" is the same track used on L.A.?  Because I've heard an earlier version -- with prominent moog -- that Brian is definitely on.  But the L.A. track is a totally different recording, though it's the same arrangement.

It wouldn't surprise me if "Lady Lynda" featured the guys in the touring band.  It's a lovely performance, but tonally different from a lot of the rest of the album.  Of course, the rest of the album is mostly Carl and Bruce (and sometimes Dennis), so that doesn't tell us much either.

[adamghost]

Actually I'm going to amend my earlier statement...I can't say for absolute certainty that Brian isn't on the verse vocals for "Baby Blue." 

[Mr. Cohen]

Byron Preiss' book suggested Brian played synthesizer and percussion on "Marcella," though other than the opening chord I don't remember there actually being any synthesizer on that one.

There was a weird kind of synthesizer they used to get that strange electric bass sound you hear throughout the song (up until the piano and sleigh bells fade). Brian probably played that.

[Mr. Cohen]

Speaking of "Marcella", I still don't understand how it wasn't hit. Maybe if they had released it in '74? The song was very '70s sounding yet decidedly within the Beach Boys idiom. No wonder Brian stopped trying to make hits for a couple of years after that.

[c-man]

Are you sure the piano and moog performance on "Shortenin' Bread" is the same track used on L.A.?  Because I've heard an earlier version -- with prominent moog -- that Brian is definitely on.  But the L.A. track is a totally different recording, though it's the same arrangement.

Adam, I know which one you're talking about...at least I think so...the "Adult Child" version...that one predates the "L.A. Light" version, the track of which was cut in January '78 (by Brian, Dennis, Guercio, Billy Hinsche, Chuck Crane, Sterling Smith, and a horn section lead by Michael Andreas).  Other stuff was added later (such as the wailing lead guitar by Jimmy Lyon). 

[adamghost]

OK, I trust you on that.  So I'm assuming then it was just the vocals on "Shortenin' Bread" that were cut while Brian was at Brotman then?  So that would give us Brian on piano on two songs, vocals on one, with the jury still out on whether he sang on the 2nd verse of "Baby Blue" or not, and "Love Surrounds Me" still a question mark.

[c-man]

OK, I trust you on that.  So I'm assuming then it was just the vocals on "Shortenin' Bread" that were cut while Brian was at Brotman then?  So that would give us Brian on piano on two songs, vocals on one, with the jury still out on whether he sang on the 2nd verse of "Baby Blue" or not, and "Love Surrounds Me" still a question mark.

Yeah, I'd say so.  Back in a '79 interview Bruce (or maybe Carl?) said Brian sang on "Angel Come Home" and "other songs".  Those two Dennis tracks (and/or MAYBE "Lady Lynda") would be it.  FYI, Carl stated in a radio interview from the same year that some of the "Lady Lynda" final vocals were cut in Monterey. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

One thing I always found interesting was Brian's dwindling use of The Wrecking Crew after the collapse of SMiLE. Did the construction of his home studio have anything to do with that? I mean, could you invite those guys over to your house to record? Did Brian do that? Could the home studio accomodate many musicians?

Brian's production got simpler and simpler with Smiley Smile, then Wild Honey, and finally Friends. You could even include his Surf Up's stuff into that. It has been written in books that this was a conscious attempt to go with the simpler "stripped" production? Was it a conscious choice, or was it because he didn't have access to The Wrecking Crew, for whatever reason?

Brian used the "Crew" heavily on "Friends", "20/20" and "Sunflower".  In fact, so did the other Boys.  Just not Carol Kaye.  

Do you know where those respective albums were recorded? Can I assume they were no longer using Brian's home studio?

[TdHabib]

Speaking of "Marcella", I still don't understand how it wasn't hit. Maybe if they had released it in '74? The song was very '70s sounding yet decidedly within the Beach Boys idiom. No wonder Brian stopped trying to make hits for a couple of years after that.

If it was taken at the tempo they did it on the In Concert album it would've at least had a very good chance. It's a damn good song, just taken a bit too slow on the CATP album for my tastes.

[c-man]

One thing I always found interesting was Brian's dwindling use of The Wrecking Crew after the collapse of SMiLE. Did the construction of his home studio have anything to do with that? I mean, could you invite those guys over to your house to record? Did Brian do that? Could the home studio accomodate many musicians?

Brian's production got simpler and simpler with Smiley Smile, then Wild Honey, and finally Friends. You could even include his Surf Up's stuff into that. It has been written in books that this was a conscious attempt to go with the simpler "stripped" production? Was it a conscious choice, or was it because he didn't have access to The Wrecking Crew, for whatever reason?

Brian used the "Crew" heavily on "Friends", "20/20" and "Sunflower".  In fact, so did the other Boys.  Just not Carol Kaye.  

Do you know where those respective albums were recorded? Can I assume they were no longer using Brian's home studio?

Sometimes Brian's home studio, sometimes places like Gold Star and I.D. Sound.  But they definitely used "the Crew" for some sessions at Brian's ("This Whole World", "Tears In The Morning" for instance).

[adamghost]

I've always suspected Brian on LADY LYNDA myself.  There's some hoarse vocals buried in that track.  I'm just going by the folks that say it was the touring band...I'd buy that too.

I can't pick him out on "Angel Come Home" and those vocals are similar to the vocals on the verses of "Baby Blue" and "Love Surrounds Me," so if he's on "Angel" he could be on the other two.  I thought for  years the falsetto on "Baby Blue" was Brian, but Alan Boyd played me a vocals-only mix a few years back and it was clearly Carl.

[Andrew G. Doe]

One thing I always found interesting was Brian's dwindling use of The Wrecking Crew after the collapse of SMiLE. Did the construction of his home studio have anything to do with that? I mean, could you invite those guys over to your house to record? Did Brian do that? Could the home studio accomodate many musicians?

Brian's production got simpler and simpler with Smiley Smile, then Wild Honey, and finally Friends. You could even include his Surf Up's stuff into that. It has been written in books that this was a conscious attempt to go with the simpler "stripped" production? Was it a conscious choice, or was it because he didn't have access to The Wrecking Crew, for whatever reason?

Brian used the "Crew" heavily on "Friends", "20/20" and "Sunflower".  In fact, so did the other Boys.  Just not Carol Kaye.  

Do you know where those respective albums were recorded? Can I assume they were no longer using Brian's home studio?

Check here (and many thanks to c-man for a LOT of the session info):

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

Up to about 1964, the dates are mostly for track and vocals, thereafter the dates indicated are for an instrumental session unless otherwise indicated .

[Nicko]

I think Brian was the main creator behind every song in Friends, except for the Dennis' tracks and (maybe) the Diamond Head jam. But this time I guess he brought the basics of the songs to the studio and the rest of the group helped him finishing and producing them. Like someone said, he had stopped finishing things. At that point in time, I don't know if it was more a problem to concentrate or carry alone the load, than lacking interest in the project. But his hands are all over Friends.

Do you include Anna Lea, the Healer in that? As Mike's name is first in the credits, I've always assumed (maybe wrongly) that this might be mostly Mike's tune like Let the Wind Blow.

[Dancing Bear]

I think Brian was the main creator behind every song in Friends, except for the Dennis' tracks and (maybe) the Diamond Head jam. But this time I guess he brought the basics of the songs to the studio and the rest of the group helped him finishing and producing them. Like someone said, he had stopped finishing things. At that point in time, I don't know if it was more a problem to concentrate or carry alone the load, than lacking interest in the project. But his hands are all over Friends.

Do you include Anna Lea, the Healer in that? As Mike's name is first in the credits, I've always assumed (maybe wrongly) that this might be mostly Mike's tune like Let the Wind Blow.

Good call.

[Mr. Cohen]

Another weird story I somehow remember: "Anna Lee, the Healer" was written by Brian and Mike together in about 10-20 minutes. Mike had just gotten back from India and the two got together to try and write a song. After messing around aimlessly for a little bit, the idea for the song just popped up out of nowhere and was finished quickly. So, the credit for the song is probably pretty evenly split.