[Wouldn't It Be Nice]

Things I disliked:

Wouldn't It Be Nice. Why not just use the original track if you're going to basically emulate the original anyways?

I really liked this one.  Despite the great playing and arrangements on the original Pet Sounds recording, what we have today just sounds too mushy to my ears.  Whether it's because the original master wasn't available for any of the remasters (isn't the best quality in the vaults a copy of a copy or something like that?) or because of Brian's recording technique, allowing the instruments to bleed together, I just don't get on with the lack of separation between the instruments.  Hearing something close to the original arrangement,  with higher fidelity  - and crucially, the original vocals - is a real treat for my ears.

I'd go further, and in my fantasy world, I'd like to hear all of the Pet Sounds instrumentation re-recorded, along with the original vocals.

Some of these tracks clearly work better than others, but I'm always up for hearing those beautiful harmonies in another context. 

BTW, this is my first post in 12 years 

Why not Hal David doing lyrics?

Bubba, you have mighty fine taste in Bowie albums.  Outside is by far, his MOST underrated album, ever and his most underrated of the 70's is Diamond Dogs.  The Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing track is a piece of genius. "And we jump in the river holding hands..."

When I saw the man at Glastonbury a few years back, everyone was singing along to every song and cheering, until the opening notes to the ALBUM version of Hallo Spaceboy rang out.  I went mad whilst the hundreds of people immediately adjascent to me were silent.  That song is amazing, the Pet Shop Boys remix was terrible!

Songs from Outside I love - Outside, The Heart's Filthy Lesson, Hallo Spaceboy, The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty).  I like the others and it works really well as an album taken as a whole.

Ziggy is good, but DD and Hunky Dory are better.   Don't get me started on Kooks, Like on Mars, Andy Warhol and Life on Mars!
Oh, David Bowie/Space Oddity album is good too.....
As is Alladin Sane (same pianist as Outside - you can tell!)

In 1971 he published The Underground Dictionary, a lexicon of the hippie jargon that Landy had picked up in his work at a community health centre for young people, much of it drug- and sex-related.

So, he basically wrote a version of "How to speak Hip"!

Mark,

Change of subject, I was wondering which kind of engineering job you enjoy the most - working on brand new material with Brian, with all the opportunities for top fidelity and excitement of working on new material that brings - or working on remixes of the classic material, tweaking the frankly superior compositions and performances. (NO disrespect meant to the current band here, just that the 60's/70's stuff was SO good)

The two kinds of works must be very different kinds of work and I was curious what satisfaction you got from working with them

And yes, the thing that Barney plays on the intro is definitely electric.  Mark L. has referred to is as a 12-string guitar, but it sounds so "tinny", or "ring-a-dingy", that I'd go a step further...I think it's an electric bouzouki or electric mando-guitar.

I would heave a great sigh of relief if it could be pinned down definitively what it was.  The problem is, I've never experimented with amplified mandos or bouzoukis.  So I don't know what they sound like.  I've heard Bellzoukis and those pretty much sound just like electric 12-strings.  I imagine Brian would have some idea if he were asked, Larry probably wouldn't remember.  Sounds like Mar or some girl was in the booth, but who knows if Marilyn would remember such details.  Barney is gone, Jerry is still around, perhaps he could recall if pressed for more detail.  Cripes, somebody has to know!

You'll have to maintain a 24 hr vigil on the Blueboard waiting for the main man to turn up!

Stephen,

I just logged on and saw the post about your heath.  Just want to send my regards - I hope you're feeling better and will be back to full health soon

What about Breakaway?  I remember Stephen saying about extra flourishes Dennis added after the main recording.  Would those have been allocated to extra tracks?

[HELL YEAH]

HELL YEAH 

Mark, I have a non-technical question for you.  How is Brian?   Everyone says that getting SMiLE out has helped him a lot, but how was he when recording the christmas album and since?  Has his confidence grown?  Does he take more of a lead in the studio.  Most of all, does the big guy seem happy these days?  I hope so.

Many Thanks

I'm finding this new blueboard a bit too easy to use for my liking 

I'm talking about the bit in American Family.  I thought that's what the part in the film was referring to.  Accuracy not too big when talking about that film!

From memory, I think that was Ding Dang - written with Roger McGuinn, when Brian was on speed hiding from Landy.  When Roger got up in the morning, Brian was still playing the riff from this very short song.

from the Love You album.

The lyrics to Kiss Me Baby

I do!  (and I did get the pun!)

Alan, just want to mention that I've just seen Endless Harmony and it's an excellent documentary, although I did scream at the television when Mike said that Heroes and Villains was the last real dynamic Brian Wilson song.  No honorable mention for Breakaway Mike?