The Smiley Smile Message Board

I know Dennis Wilson pulled off the track from Surf's Up, but since he resubmitted stuff for Carl and the Passions-So Tough, was it considered for that album? It would have made a good eight-track album a better nine-track album.

Don't have an answer to your question specifically, but Cuddle Up actually has a trace of Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again's melody in the "I know a man who's so in love" section.

I know a man/who's so in love
Wouldn't it be nice/to live again

Although much of the magic of the song isn't in there, I'm not sure whether this similarity would further deter him from having both tracks on there (coupled with the whole fight over tracklisting Surf's Up, maybe he was simply done with it?).

I believe I read because the song, when it was written, was thematically tied to a relationship he was in at the time, which may have been going south at the time of CATP. In other words, even though the song kicked major ass, it may have been too emotionally hard to deal with.

Just a guess, but rather than have to finish up "(WIBNT)LA", maybe Dennis elected to offer two finished tracks from the solo album he was then recording.

I think Dennis was just looking ahead and excited about his new direction.

Wasn't WIBNTLA already finished in time for Surf's Up?

I'm not convinced those two CATP tunes were actually finished prior to becoming Beach Boys songs - since the rather expensive orchestral sessions that finished them up were funded via the Beach Boys' recording budget with Warner Reprise, as opposed to any record deal Dennis had as a solo artist at the time (which was none).

Ah, my bad, then - I thought the CATP sessions for those tracks were merely for adding the BB vocals.

The track we have seems to be missing a solo in the instrumental break -- certainly that guitar part doesn't sound like it was intended to be the actual solo for a finished version.

I've never felt that the song needed a guitar solo-- the flute provides that element, in my opinion. And I feel what you and others have labelled a "placeholder"guitar solo -- the repeated three note motif--  is there as texture, and doesn't require elaboration.

I certainly agree that it works as is, but it's quite subtle and minimalist -- two things no-one has ever accused Dennis of being -- and so I think some form of instrumental solo would have gone on top. Possibly -- probably -- not a guitar, but something.

I think it has been discussed before, but did Dennis truly complete this track before abandoning it?  As mentioned, the mix seems a little subtle.  Does anyone know if he was planning on adding anything else to it (more vocals, instruments, audio of him banging a hooker, etc)?

And honestly, I couldn't picture this on CATP; even though that album could have benefitted from more songs.

All good points.  I still wish the mix we got on MIC had that minimalist guitar solo  more up front.

'quite subtle and minimalist -- two things no-one has ever accused Dennis of being' - I guess you've never listened to A Time To Live in Dreams :)