TSS - All things Wonderful

[bossaroo]

I think they should have gone ahead and crossfaded Wonderful with Look, considering some of the other fades they went with.

here's my WonderLook: http://www.sendspace.com/file/t18oo1

[Paulos]

The yodels, oh those wonderful yodels - the few seconds that they last for are better than some bands entire recorded output, heaven.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Since Darien and Brian linked "Wonderful" into "Child Is Father Of The Man" on BWPS, most fan mixes have done the same. So, now we basically have the "Wonderful" which just ends abruptly with a few bass notes, or a "Wonderful" that links/fades directly into "Child Is Father Of The Man".

I have a request....Let's assume (not argue) that SMiLE released in 1967 would've been stand alone tracks. And, let's assume that "Wonderful" would've been one of those tracks. Did anybody or could anybody construct a version of "Wonderful" with a fade that lasts for about 8-10 seconds and goes "Won, Won Won Wonderful" - just repeating that phrase as the song fades out? Thanks.

[EgoHanger1966]

Since Darien and Brian linked "Wonderful" into "Child Is Father Of The Man" on BWPS, most fan mixes have done the same. So, now we basically have the "Wonderful" which just ends abruptly with a few bass notes, or a "Wonderful" that links/fades directly into "Child Is Father Of The Man".

I have a request....Let's assume (not argue) that SMiLE released in 1967 would've been stand alone tracks. And, let's assume that "Wonderful" would've been one of those tracks. Did anybody or could anybody construct a version of "Wonderful" with a fade that lasts for about 8-10 seconds and goes "Won, Won Won Wonderful" - just repeating that phrase as the song fades out? Thanks.

I have heard one that is exactly as you described. Fan mix. I can't remember which one and I have been looking for a while to find it.

[Jim V.]

Since Darien and Brian linked "Wonderful" into "Child Is Father Of The Man" on BWPS, most fan mixes have done the same. So, now we basically have the "Wonderful" which just ends abruptly with a few bass notes, or a "Wonderful" that links/fades directly into "Child Is Father Of The Man".

I have a request....Let's assume (not argue) that SMiLE released in 1967 would've been stand alone tracks. And, let's assume that "Wonderful" would've been one of those tracks. Did anybody or could anybody construct a version of "Wonderful" with a fade that lasts for about 8-10 seconds and goes "Won, Won Won Wonderful" - just repeating that phrase as the song fades out? Thanks.

Maybe I'm off base, but doesn't "Wonderful" link into "Song For Children" on BWPS?

[Sheriff John Stone]

Since Darien and Brian linked "Wonderful" into "Child Is Father Of The Man" on BWPS, most fan mixes have done the same. So, now we basically have the "Wonderful" which just ends abruptly with a few bass notes, or a "Wonderful" that links/fades directly into "Child Is Father Of The Man".

I have a request....Let's assume (not argue) that SMiLE released in 1967 would've been stand alone tracks. And, let's assume that "Wonderful" would've been one of those tracks. Did anybody or could anybody construct a version of "Wonderful" with a fade that lasts for about 8-10 seconds and goes "Won, Won Won Wonderful" - just repeating that phrase as the song fades out? Thanks.

Maybe I'm off base, but doesn't "Wonderful" link into "Song For Children" on BWPS?

Yes, it does. My mistake.

But, back to the original request. Does anybody or did anybody come up with a stand-alone version of "Wonderful" with a fade?

[lance]

I believe Jon Hunts last mix did exactly that.

[punkinhead]

The yodels, oh those wonderful yodels - the few seconds that they last for are better than some bands entire recorded output, heaven.

I totally agree! I rewind that part a lot when I listen, it's SOOOO GOOD!

[Cool Cool Water]

The yodels, oh those wonderful yodels - the few seconds that they last for are better than some bands entire recorded output, heaven.

I agree also, very catchy! One of the main reasons I love the SMiLE Sessions version  .

[ned]

Dear All.

This is my first comment and I don't know all the ins and outs of the forum so I hope this doesn't seem too dumb.

Does anybody else think that 'He Gives Speeches' is a dropped instert from Wonderful (i.e. between 'bumped into her W' and 'All fall down')?

It would help both make more sense lyrically. It's what I've got on my version. Admittedly it does need a bit of speed changing, but both W and HGS seem to need that anyway. It might also help to make sense of that odd bit in the middle of Smiley's W.

Ned

[punkinhead]

Dear All.

This is my first comment and I don't know all the ins and outs of the forum so I hope this doesn't seem too dumb.

Does anybody else think that 'He Gives Speeches' is a dropped instert from Wonderful (i.e. between 'bumped into her W' and 'All fall down')?

It would help both make more sense lyrically. It's what I've got on my version. Admittedly it does need a bit of speed changing, but both W and HGS seem to need that anyway. It might also help to make sense of that odd bit in the middle of Smiley's W.

Ned

That's a great observation, I think I've heard a fan mix put that in the middle of Wonderful...or did they use the outtake of Mike vocals repeating "mama mama mama mama mama mama" and Brian humming over it? I can't remember, I'm sure I've heard both used.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Dear All.

This is my first comment and I don't know all the ins and outs of the forum so I hope this doesn't seem too dumb.

Does anybody else think that 'He Gives Speeches' is a dropped instert from Wonderful (i.e. between 'bumped into her W' and 'All fall down')?

It would help both make more sense lyrically. It's what I've got on my version. Admittedly it does need a bit of speed changing, but both W and HGS seem to need that anyway. It might also help to make sense of that odd bit in the middle of Smiley's W.

Ned

It might be apples and oranges, but there is another instance where they kind of used an insert with "Wonderful" and that would be on "Wonderful/Don't Worry, Bill" on Endless Harmony. "Don't Worry, Bill" doesn't come in at the same place, but it does make you wonder if "Wonderful" had an insert at one time...

[ned]

I seem to remember that W and HGS were recorded about the same time, but I haven't checked that.

To be honest, HGS can be a bit of a jarring insert to W as, unlike other inserts in the album, there's no room between the 'da da dee dum dum' of the harpsichord and 'HE GIVES...'

However, the end of HGS has three solitary notes played on bass guitar (for some reason left off the Sessions album), which allow enough space before 'All Fall Down..", so this sounds like quite a natural transition.

Either way, if HGS ever was an insert it was dropped early on.

[punkinhead]

< S P A M  removed by the mods >

Yeah....me too...

[jakeg1235]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_(The_Beach_Boys_song)

Anybody know where the "recording" section is from? It sounds very intriguing but I've never heard it before as fact and it sounds suspiciously like fan speculation...

[Mr. Verlander]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_(The_Beach_Boys_song)

Anybody know where the "recording" section is from? It sounds very intriguing but I've never heard it before as fact and it sounds suspiciously like fan speculation...

I don't know exactly what you're referring to, even after following that link!

[Bill M]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_(The_Beach_Boys_song)#Recording

[jakeg1235]

thanks Bill! Yeah I just noticed under the Recording section there's a lot of stuff I'd never heard officially about Brian intending to put HGS into Wonderful, and the structure of the "Rock with Me Henry". It also says quite a bit about the actual meaning and story of the song which I'd heard before of course but had never had confirmed by an official party. It looks like it's missing citations so probably just fan speculation?

[runnersdialzero]

It also says quite a bit about the actual meaning and story of the song which I'd heard before of course but had never had confirmed by an official party. It looks like it's missing citations so probably just fan speculation?

It is just fan speculation or aimless author speculation. It's really, really gross stuff and I totally fucking hate it.

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

Never realized until now how much I hate the 'Rock with me Henry' part.

I think with a bit of work, it could have really brought the whole song together, actually. Either the Pretty Baby part or He Gives Speeches would have made a great insert if they had been rerecorded to match Version 1 of Wonderful a bit better. Have He Gives Speeches come in about a minute into Wonderful just as we introduce the boy who bumped into the girl. Here's the boy. His interlude is perhaps as unwelcome in this song as he is in her. Then Wonderful proper comes in again with a minute left to go. Each segment then is about equal in length, and perhaps we have the pretty babies for the fade?

It would sound like crap if you were to do this with the versions of Wonderful and Speeches that we know have, but I think there's definitely a link between these pieces. I also think once HGS was junked, the Pretty Babies with those Hawaiian sounding bits were meant for a new insert. But I think ultimately Brian would have had some kind of wild, disconcerting insert in the song just like in Smiley. I think Wonderful, beautiful tho it is, would be better for it. As it is now, it's almost too conventional. Too short. Too...not modular like every other SMiLE song. It's still fantastic as we know it today, dont get me wrong, but I think something's missing that would have been there in 1967.

[Bicyclerider]

I'm really confused regarding what they have of "version 1" of this song in the archives.  It seems to only exist in various forms of mono mixes that add and subtract elements.  Brian's mono mix featured on the GV box set doesn't have what are commonly referred to as the "yodeling" vocals and has different backing vocals during that part that aren't present on the yodeling version.  There's also a mono mix of the backing track w/o Brian's lead, but with all of the backing vocals (including the yodeling).

The isolated backing track seems to be missing...like many SMiLE recordings the master take was snipped off of the reel.  Based on the snippet of early takes on the box set, the backing track was recorded in mono.

Where it gets confusing: the vocal only montage adds isolated stereo backing vocals (including the yodeling) to the mix that could only come from a multitrack.  Where did these come from?  Wouldn't the backing track and Brian's vocal also be on this tape?  That mono mix of the backing vocals and backing track without Brian's vocals suggests that no bouncing was done, but even if these came from a 2nd stage tape with the track/Brian's vocal in mono they could still manufacture a decent stereo mix.  Why wasn't it done for the vinyl?

The answer is simple, I would think:  Version 1 multitracks are missing.  All we have is the mono mix of the backing track with Brian's vocal and backing vocals.  Track recorded August 25 at Western, vocals by Brian Oct 6 at Western.  Brian wasnt' finished with the track and on Dec 15 he transferred the backing track, without his vocals, to an 8 track tape at Columbia.  This is where the yodeling backing vocals are from.  He no doubt used the four track from Western and mixed the instrumental track to mono so as to leave the rest of the tracks for vocals, which Brian commonly did (on Pet Sounds, for example).  This 8 track exists and in fact the isolated backing vocals are on TSS in the "Smile backing vocals montage."  But we still only have the instrumental track in mono.

why the early takes on TSS are also in mono suggests that the original four track session tape is also missing (which it must be, otherwise Mark and Alan could have created a stereo mix of the song), and these takes are from a second tape source run in the studio at the same time as the multitrack.  This also was apparently not uncommon for Brian and Chuck to do.

[}{eywood]

I want to know this too, and I wish someone would make a stereo version using the backing track and background vocals, because I sure as hell can't get it to work!

https://mega.nz/file/C8QECTqY#UegMsz0plKvIl8A2fwSmvU_irreS8eYkQf1PU3dFBAA  This is ten years old, and you may already have heard it, but the previously offered links by other members are dead