LEI’D IN HAWAII
Produced by the Beach Boys
Recorded August to October, 1967
Project not contemporaneously completed or released
WILD HONEY
Produced by the Beach Boys
Recorded September to November, 1967
Released December 18, 1967
Capitol Records 2859
Notes on Album Plans: Lei’d in Hawaii
Brian’s List
On August 25 and 26, 1967, the Beach Boys recorded two concerts for a live album at the Honolulu International Center Arena in Hawaii. Except for a pre-show Their Hearts Were Full of Spring recorded during rehearsals on August 26, those tapes were deemed unreleasable, and in September the group reconvened in L.A. with a plan to record a faux-live album entirely in the studio. Brian mapped out a 12-song sequence in advance and used it as his “set” guide during the first session on September 11:
Hawthorne Boulevard
The Letter
You’re So Good to Me
Help Me, Rhonda
Surfer Girl
California Girls
Surfin’
Sloop John B.
Their Hearts Were Full of Spring
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Heroes and Villains
As noted, Their Hearts Were Full of Spring was already on tape. It’s probable that Surfer Girl and California Girls were meant to be swapped around. The Boys stuck to this template for a short while, but plans continually morphed once the sessions got underway: Hawthorne Boulevard wasn’t recorded, Help Me, Rhonda became Help You, Rhonda (not exactly significant), Heroes and Villains was dropped, Barbara Ann and Game of Love were added, and Fred Vail recorded an introductory speech. Of the tracks under their belts by the end, Barbara Ann, Surfin’, and Game of Love were left incomplete without vocal overdubs, and the sessions trailed off.
The Mono Mixes
The group cut one-off cover With a Little Help From My Friends and standalone single Wild Honey before returning to the live LP on September 29, when Brian and Jim Lockert mixed several songs to mono on one channel of a 4-track tape labelled “Live Album”, likely intending to overdub crowd noise onto the other tracks. They dubbed down all of the completed studio productions here (except for Heroes), nixed Fred’s intro, weirdly decided to pass With a Little Help From My Friends off as a live performance (even with its slowed-down Bruce vocal), and pulled out a couple of real live cuts from an October 22, 1966 concert at the University of Michigan. In order, the reel contains:
1. The Letter [Studio Version]
2. You’re So Good to Me [Studio Version]
3. Help You, Rhonda [Studio Version – Mix 1]
4. Help You, Rhonda [Studio Version – Mix 2]
5. California Girls [Studio Version – Mix 1]
6. California Girls [Studio Version – Mix 2]
7. God Only Knows [Studio Version 2]
8. Good Vibrations [Studio Version 3]
9. Surfer Girl [Studio Version 2]
10. Sloop John B. [Studio Version]
11. With a Little Help From My Friends [Studio Version]
12. Barbara Ann [Live in Michigan, October 22, 1966 – 2nd Show]
13. You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away [Live in Michigan, October 22, 1966 – 2nd Show]
14. Their Hearts Were Full of Spring [Live in Hawaii, August 26, 1967 – Rehearsal]
This was not an intentional sequence, but rather just the songs mixed one after the other as they appeared chronologically on the 8-track master reels, plus stray other sources tackled at the end. The Michigan songs are mono reductions with audience noise on another track. Brian wrote Game of Love onto the end of the list on the box, but it wasn’t mixed at the time as it didn’t have vocals yet. A reimagining of the unfinished album is presented on Sunshine Tomorrow using a rejigging of these mono mixes, with Fred Vail’s intro included at the start, Little Help sped up a bit, and a Game of Love stereo mix added as a bonus track.
Notes on Album Plans: Wild Honey
Brother Records 9003
An undated Brother Records document (likely typed up in late October or early November) outlines an early 12-song tracklist for the Wild Honey album. Judging its later numbered amendments, this seems to have been an intentional sequence that would’ve divided across two sides of an LP:
Wild Honey
Here Comes the Night
Let the Wind Blow
I Was Made to Love Her
The Letter
Darlin’
A Thing or Two
Aren’t You Glad
Cool, Cool Water
Game of Love
Lonely Days
Honey Get Home
Other details of note are that the catalogue number was slated to be Brother 9003 rather than Capitol 2859, and it bore the credit “Produced by BRIAN WILSON” – which isn’t strictly accurate, I Was Made to Love Her being Carl’s baby. We know that this album was never actually compiled on tape, as the last four songs here (by coincidence or design?) weren’t completed or mixed to mono. Other potential tracks With a Little Help From My Friends, Hide Go Seek, Time to Get Alone, and Can’t Wait Too Long were apparently off the table at the time of this list’s creation.
Original Assembly
The Beach Boys took a week’s recording break following the first batch of concentrated album sessions, using the calm time to rethink some tunes and write more. Continued sessions from November 9 to 15 involved knocking out How She Boogalooed It, I’d Love Just Once to See You, Surf’s Up (a new version), Country Air, and Mama Says. They also completed Aren’t You Glad, might have finished off other tracks, and worked a little on Time to Get Alone. On November 14 (narrowed down by elimination), a mono master reel was compiled in the following order:
Wild Honey
Aren’t You Glad
I Was Made to Love Her
Country Air
A Thing or Two
Darlin’
I’d Love Just Once to See You
Here Comes the Night
With a Little Help From My Friends
The Letter
Let the Wind Blow
The “Long Version” of I Was Made to Love Her was tagged onto the end of the reel, probably in case they changed their minds about which mix to use.
Final Assembly
On November 15, the group completed Boogalooed and recorded Mama Says with the express purpose of creating an album closer. They revised the master reel’s sequence to the following:
Wild Honey
Aren’t You Glad
I Was Made to Love Her
Country Air
A Thing or Two
Darlin’
I’d Love Just Once to See You
Here Comes the Night
Let the Wind Blow
How She Boogalooed It
Mama Says
Handwritten amendments were made to the Brother 9003 list, subbing in new songs and adding track numbers with side divides. “Produced by BRIAN WILSON” was also crossed out and replaced by “THE B.B.”, which isn’t actually indicative of a shift in the way this album was made. With a Little Help From My Friends, The Letter, and I Was Made to Love Her (Long Version) were removed to an outtakes compilation reel and eventually all released on the 1983 Rarities album.
August-November 1967 Masters
Personnel & Session Info
Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (Lei’d Version)
The Letter
You’re So Good to Me (Lei’d Version)
Help You, Rhonda (Lei’d Version)
Surfer Girl (Lei’d Version 1)
California Girls (Lei’d Version)
Surfin’ (Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
God Only Knows (Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
Good Vibrations (Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
Heroes and Villains (Lei’d Version)
God Only Knows (Lei’d Version 2)
Good Vibrations (Lei’d Version 2 – Outtake)
Good Vibrations (Lei’d Version 3)
Surfer Girl (Lei’d Version 2)
Sloop John B. (Lei’d Version)
Lei’d in Hawaii Introduction
Barbara Ann (Lei’d Version)
Surfin’ (Lei’d Version 2)
Game of Love
With a Little Help from My Friends
Wild Honey
Bluebirds over the Mountain
Hide Go Seek (Version 2)
Aren’t You Glad
Time to Get Alone (Version 1 – Verse)
Darlin’
Time to Get Alone (Version 2)
Here Comes the Night
I Was Made to Love Her
Lonely Days (Version 1 – Outtake)
Cool, Cool Water (Version 2 – Demo)
Cool, Cool Water (Version 2)
A Thing or Two (Verse)
A Thing or Two (Chorus)
Can’t Wait Too Long (Version 1)
Away (Demo)
Can’t Wait Too Long (Tag)
Honey Get Home
Lonely Days (Version 2)
Can’t Wait Too Long (Version 2 )
Let the Wind Blow
I Was Made to Love Her (Bridge – Version 1)
I Was Made to Love Her (Bridge – Version 2)
How She Boogalooed It (Verse)
I’d Love Just Once to See You
Surf’s Up (Version 4)
Country Air
Mama Says
How She Boogalooed It (Interlude)
Away
No Name
COLOR CODING KEY
green = basic track
blue = overdub(s)
red = erased
purple = ping-ponged tracks
faded = unused participant
TRACK LAYOUT KEY
(b/t) = basic track
(o/d) = overdub
(c) = copied or combined from previous tape generation
(p/p) = ping-ponged from other tracks
(x) = erased
Their Hearts Were Full of Spring
(Lei’d Version)
(Bobby Troup)
Music: Bobby Troup
Lyrics: Bobby Troup
Arrangement: Dick Reynolds, Ken Albers
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd), Dale Manquen (tech)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – harmony vocals
Al Jardine – harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony vocals
Mike Love – harmony vocals
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
August 26, 1967 / Honolulu International Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1990 Mono Mix – Smiley Smile / Wild Honey twofer reissue (1990, Capitol Records)
2001 Stereo Mix – Hawthorne, CA (2001, Capitol Records)
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Live Sunshine (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– harmony quartet: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike
Tracks
(take 13)
1
2
3
4 – drum mics not in use
5
6 – vocal mics not in use
7 – Brian, Al, Carl, Mike vocals (b/t)
8
The two Honolulu concerts on August 25 and 26 were a bust as far as usable material for a live album went, but one recording from the trip did go on to have longevity. During recorded pre-show rehearsals on the Saturday afternoon, the Beach Boys semi-seriously ran through several of their songs in attempts to get decent 8-track master takes in case the second concert didn’t work out. These included versions of The Letter, Hawaii, You’re So Good to Me, Help Me, Rhonda, Good Vibrations, Heroes and Villains, and Their Hearts Were Full of Spring.
Several other ideas for an a cappella number were brought up – Day by Day, It’s a Blue World, Tom Dooley, and The Lord’s Prayer – but Hearts was a familiar arrangement the quartet of Brian, Al, Carl and Mike could perform at the drop of a hat. With Dennis, family, friends, and engineers for their audience in the nearly empty arena, the four of them ran through numerous takes before arriving at a solid master, prompting the spectators to burst into applause. The group had planned to perform Their Hearts Were Full of Spring during the show itself but apparently forgot to do it in the moment.
Nobody felt satisfied with the live tapes upon review, except for this – so when plans were drawn up to re-record the whole LP in the studio, the pre-show version of Hearts was already locked-in for inclusion. On September 29, the cut was “mixed” to mono by directly copying one track onto a 4-track comp reel in preparation for audience overdubs.
The Letter
(Wayne Carson)
Music: Wayne Carson
Lyrics: Wayne Carson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead & backing vocals
Mike Love – lead & backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – sticks (erased guide)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] (erased – used in mono mix) / electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] (unused) / snare drum & floor tom (unused) / kick drum (w/sticks) (unused)
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Dennis Wilson – drums (erased – used in mono mix), bongos
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (track, vocals)
October 25, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (redone bass, drums – unused)
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Rarities (`1983, Capitol Records)
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2017 Alternate Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Brian
– refrain ‘lonely days are gone’: Al>Brian>Carl>Mike
– refrain ‘my baby, she wrote me a letter’: Mike / ‘do do do’: Al+Carl>Brian
– bridge lead: Brian>Mike / ‘do do do’ backing: Al+Carl
Tracks
(take 3)
1 – electric bass (o/d 2) (x) / electric 6-string bass (o/d 5)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – electric 12-string guitar (o/d 1)
4 – electric 12-string guitar, electric guitar (o/d 1)
5 – room, sticks (b/t) (x) / electric bass (o/d 2) (x) / snare drum, floor tom (o/d 6)
6 – Brian lead vocal (o/d 4)
7 – drums (o/d 3) (x) / kick drum (o/d 7) / bongos (o/d 3)
8 – Al, Carl, Mike BG vocals (o/d 4)
Reconvening in L.A., Brian’s beloved Baldwin theatre organ was carted into the new Studio 3 at Wally Heider Recording (on the corner of Selma Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard) to become the cornerstone of an entire live album faked in the studio. Two, three, or maybe as many as four sessions took place for the project, but only the first of them on September 11 was dated via an AFM contract. The way Brian decided to approach this initial session was unorthodox, to say the least. A sequence of 12 songs had been planned out, but instead of the band playing live, Brian ran through the entire “set” on his organ (at least for the tracks requiring organ) before adding overdubs of guitars, bass and drums. Mike stood by him singing along, Carl lent an active co-producing hand from the booth, and Bruce was in the room clapping or snapping or tapping objects to be Brian’s human click track. Hawthorne Boulevard would open the album, but it wouldn’t use the Baldwin (and then they didn’t end up recording it), so tracking started with song #2, a cover of the Box Tops’ The Letter. Onto the basic organ track, Al and Carl overdubbed 12-string and 6-string guitars respectively (recorded direct), Carl overdubbed bass, and Dennis came in later to overdub drums and bongos (Bruce’s guide sticks were wiped). Brian sang lead, and Al, Carl and Mike backed him up on another mic.
On September 29, The Letter and several other tunes were dubbed down to one channel of a 4-track comp reel, the idea presumably being to overdub audience noise. However, this song’s journey didn’t end there. After postponing the Lei’d in Hawaii album, there was a thought of using The Letter on Wild Honey – an unedited draft of the sleeve notes by Steve Korthof and Arnie Geller bizarrely identified the tune as a preview for an upcoming live LP, even though it was a studio creation. In late October at the home studio, Carl replaced the bass track with a new, more agile Fender VI line, and he also replaced the drums: new snare and floor tom thumps for one overdub, an upturned kick drum played with sticks for another; Dennis’ bongos were left intact at the end. These overdubs were not included in a new mixdown, and instead, the original Lei’d mono mix (featuring Dennis’ drumming and Carl’s original bass) was dubbed to 1/4″ tape for inclusion on the initial assembly of Wild Honey, only to be withdrawn to an outtake reel at the last minute. The Sunshine Tomorrow stereo alternate mix does include the revised bass and drums, and splices on an ending from one of the August live rehearsals.
You’re So Good to Me
(Lei’d Version)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
Mike Love – bass vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – hand claps (unused guide)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Vocal Guide
– lead: Brian
– ‘and I love it’: Brian>Al+Carl>Mike
– chorus ‘la la la’: Al>Bruce>Carl / bass: Mike
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – electric bass (o/d 2)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – Brian lead vocal 2 (o/d 5)
4 – electric 12-string guitar, electric guitar (o/d 1)
5 – room, claps (b/t)
6 – Brian lead vocal 1 (o/d 4)
7 – drums (o/d 3)
8 – Al, Bruce, Carl, Mike BG vocals (o/d 4)
Song #3 on Brian’s list, You’re So Good to Me, also started with Brian on organ and Bruce clapping. The master was a first take. Carl and Al overdubbed the guitars, Carl (who knew parts for the whole setlist) played bass, and Dennis overdubbed drums. While Brian sang lead, Al, Bruce, Carl and Mike were on the other mic. Brian also overdubbed a second lead vocal on his own, giving himself a choice of performance for the mix, but he ultimately went with his original take. This was another tune dubbed to mono on the September 29 comp.
Help You, Rhonda
(Lei’d Version)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Al Jardine – lead vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing & bass vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – finger snaps (erased guide)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Al Jardine – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2012 Stereo Mix – Made in California (2013, Capitol Records)
1967 4-Track Mono Mix –1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Al / backing: Brian>Carl>Mike
– chorus ‘help you, Rhonda’: Al+Brian>Carl>Mike / bass: Mike
– refrain ‘help you, Rhonda, yeah’: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – electric bass (o/d 2)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – Brian, Carl, Mike BG vocals + Mike extra bass vocal (o/d 5 p/p)
4 – electric guitar [dry] (o/d 1)
5 – room, snaps (b/t) (x) / Al lead vocal (o/d 4) (x) / Al lead vocal redo (o/d 5)
6 – electric guitar [wet] (o/d 1)
7 – drums (o/d 3)
8 – Brian, Carl, Mike BG vocals (o/d 4)
Song #4 was plain old Help Me, Rhonda at first, but Brian got the idea to put the song into second person when they added vocals. Brian played organ, and Bruce tapped sticks (later wiped). The master was another first take. Only one guitar was added – Carl strummed his semi-hollow Gibson into a mic capturing more of the acoustic strings than the amp, duplicated to another track with a swash of reverb. Al handled the bass on stage and also did so in studio. Al sang the lead with Brian, Carl and Mike at another mic, but Al ended up re-recording his vocal while Mike simultaneously sang a second bass part, shattering live illusions (if there ever were any) via Dr. Love double vision. Two mono mixes were created on September 29.
Surfer Girl
(Lei’d Version 1)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead & harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony & backing vocals
Al Jardine – harmony & backing vocals
Mike Love – harmony & backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – finger snaps (unused guide)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Al Jardine – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– harmony quartet: Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
– solo lead: Brian / backing: Carl>Al>Mike
Tracks
(take 4)
1 – electric bass (o/d 2)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (o/d 1)
5 – room, snaps (b/t)
6 – Brian lead vocal (o/d 4)
7 – drums (o/d 3)
8 – Al, Carl, Mike BG vocals (o/d 4)
Song #5 (or #6, because Brian may have approached them the wrong way around). This completed version of Surfer Girl was discarded for a remake at a later session, so the Boys didn’t give it a mix contemporaneously. It followed an identical formula to the previous track: Brian played organ with Bruce snapping, Carl added guitar, Al added bass, Dennis added drums, and Brian, Carl, Al and Mike overdubbed the vocals. A heart-rending “I used to take you” past-tense bridge and Brian’s pretty vocal melisma over the tag are both unique to this rendition.
California Girls
(Lei’d Version)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – hand claps (unused guide)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2012 Stereo Mix – Made in California (2013, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Mike / 1st verse harmony: Bruce>Brian / 2nd verse backing: Brian>Bruce>Carl>Al
– chorus 1st & 3rd lines: Brian>Bruce>Al>Mike / chorus 2nd line: Bruce>Al>Carl
– tag lead: Mike / response: Bruce+Al / ‘do do do do’: Brian>Carl
Tracks
(take 2)
1 – electric bass (o/d 2)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric 12-string guitar, electric guitar (o/d 1)
5 – room, claps (b/t)
6 – Mike lead vocal (o/d 4)
7 – drums (o/d 3)
8 – Brian, Bruce, Al, Carl BG vocals (o/d 5)
Song #6 (or #5). This California Girls is an interesting one for its mellowed vocal arrangement, a contemporary solution to Brian’s dissatisfaction with the chorus and fadeout of the original. It was another production of organ and claps, to guitars, to bass, to drums, to vocals. Mike overdubbed a lead on his own, and Brian, Bruce, Al and Carl overdubbed the backing vocals after; Bruce and Brian swing by for a new harmony on “make you feel alri-i–ight” that would become a live staple for a while. The tag uses a paired back version of the vocal arrangement worked out for the Honolulu concerts. Two mono mixes were created on September 29.
Surfin’
(Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – hand claps (unused guide)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Unreleased
Tracks
(take 3)
1
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4
5 – room, claps (b/t)
6
7
8
Song #7. Brian ran through Surfin’ a few times before concluding that he shouldn’t play organ on it. The group revisited it at a later session.
God Only Knows
(Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
(Brian Wilson – Tony Asher)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Tony Asher
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – vocal (off-mic), electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – finger snaps (unused guide)
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (incomplete)
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] (incomplete)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Unreleased
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – electric bass (o/d)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (o/d)
5 – room, snaps (b/t)
6
7
8
Between tunes, Brian identified that Sloop John B. (song #8) didn’t need organ, and they’d already recorded Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (song #9), so he skipped ahead to a take for song #10, God Only Knows. Brian whispered a beautiful off-mic vocal while he played (picked up faintly by the room mic), which is the only recorded instance of him singing a full “lead” to this composition of his in the 1960s. During a subsequent session, Carl and Al tried out an overdub of bass and guitar, but they decided to record a new basic track instead.
Good Vibrations
(Lei’d Version 1 – Outtake)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – vocal (off-mic), electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – hand claps (unused guide)
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (incomplete)
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] (incomplete)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Unreleased
Tracks
(take 2)
1 – electric bass (o/d)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (o/d)
5 – room, claps (b/t)
6
7
8
Song #11 on the list, Good Vibrations was another of those aborted organ renditions revisited further down the line. Carl and Al also tried practicing bass and guitar parts on top of it in preparation for a new version. Like the previous track, Brian can be heard singing Carl’s lead parts off-mic.
Heroes and Villains
(Lei’d Version)
(Brian Wilson – Van Dyke Parks)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Van Dyke Parks
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – monologue, vocals
Brian Wilson – vocals
Carl Wilson – vocals
Al Jardine – vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – hand claps (unused guide)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] / electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – floor tom & bass drum
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 11, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (track)
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– monologue: Mike
– 1st & 2nd verse scatting & ending: Al>Carl>Brian>Mike
– chorus lead: Al / counter: Carl / ‘do do do’: Brian>Mike
– 3rd verse ‘la la la’: Brian+Al>Carl+Mike / lead: Brian / backing: Al+Carl>Mike
– a cappella verse lead: Brian / backing: Carl>Al>Mike
Tracks
(take 2)
1 – electric bass (o/d 3)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – Brian, Al, Carl, Mike vocals (o/d 7)
4 – electric guitar (o/d 1) / electric 12-string guitar (o/d 2)
5 – room, claps (b/t)
6 – Mike, Brian monologue outtake (o/d 5)
7 – drums (o/d 4)
8 – Mike monologue (o/d 6)
The Lei’d in Hawaii sessions become fascinating again with this bizarre rendition of Heroes and Villains, intended to be song #12, the album closer. This was quite a different beast to tackle than the others, with Brian giving count-ins to each of the distinct sections that would have to be edited out or muted later. He skipped over the a cappella breakdown, skipped “my children were raised”, and went straight into the “so long to the city” rubato section. Clearly, something was afoot. Carl appears to have supervised the instrumental overdubs without Brian in the studio, opting to play two different guitars in different passages: a 6-string for rhythm in the verses (mic’d semi-acoustically), and a 12-string for arpeggios in the choruses. He also overdubbed the bass. For a drum part, Dennis thwacks a floor tom and a large concert bass drum with mallets.
Then, vocals, where it got weird. When Heroes slid down the charts in mid-September, the group decided to desecrate this version for cathartic fun. Brian, Al, Carl and Mike overdubbed an incredibly loose, one-take vocal pass, featuring scatting in the verses, a fairly normal run at the chorus, and random half-committed lead lines from Brian. In the fadeout, Brian decides to let everyone know about his weekend and starts singing “lately I’ve been eatin’ so much pussy.”
The infamous main feature of this version is a “lead monologue” performance from Mike, in which he rants self-deprecatingly about the group’s commercial fortunes, castigates everything from Van Dyke Parks’ lyrics to the annoying habits of each Beach Boy, brandishes the record a “nuclear disaster”, and adds a nice little bow-out on the end of the album. Of course, this probably wasn’t seriously intended for release. Brian egged on the joke, and can be heard cracking up several times in the background, but Mike seems to be exorcising some real demons from his solar plexus here. An “outtake” of the monologue on one track features Brian and Mike singing “but she’s still dancing…” in an oh-so-pretty two-part harmony for a moment before they break into laughter.
God Only Knows
(Lei’d Version 2)
(Brian Wilson – Tony Asher)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Tony Asher, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – lead vocals
Bruce Johnson – backing vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Bruce Johnson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Carl Wilson – sticks, hi-hat
Brian Wilson – bongos
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 11 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1998 Stereo Mix – Endless Harmony Soundtrack (1998, Capitol Records)
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineers: Andrew Sandoval (1998), Mark Linett (2017)
Vocal Guide
– intro: Brian
– verse lead: Carl / last verse backing: Brian>Bruce
– bridge scatting: Bruce>Carl>Brian
– tag lead: Carl / response: Bruce / counter: Brian
Tracks
(take 8)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – tambourine [outtake] (o/d 4) / room (b/t)
4 – electric guitar (b/t)
5
6 – Carl lead vocal (o/d 1)
7 – bongos, sticks, hi-hat (o/d 5)
8 – Brian intro vocal (o/d 2) / Brian, Bruce BG vocals (o/d 3)
Following the string of productions all founded on Brian’s Baldwin organ, the group opted to re-record several songs in more of a band formation before moving onto the non-organ tunes. The second undated day of basic tracking for Lei’d in Hawaii (onto the end of the first reel) began, oddly enough, without Brian Wilson. He must’ve either been late or stepping outside for a while. Carl, Al and Bruce started out recording a new version of God Only Knows on the instruments they’d usually play live, albeit without drums – Carl on bass, Al on guitar, and Bruce on organ. Carl and Bruce tended to work quite closely as a co-producing team in late ’67, if ever left to their own devices (with Al content to third wheel). Their leader did eventually surface for the overdubs.
Carl overdubbed the lead vocal, capped off a wholesome “thank you” message. Separately, Brian sang the French horn line in the intro, and he and Bruce fashioned new backing vocal parts for the last verse alongside the usual bridge and ending round. Carl and Brian overdubbed light percussion onto this, with one of them clicking drumsticks and playing a hi-hat, the other on bongos. Carl also got a couple of seconds into overdubbing a tambourine but decided against it. This revised version was mixed to mono on September 29.
Good Vibrations
(Lei’d Version 2 – Outtake)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Bruce Johnson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 11 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Unreleased
Tracks
(take 7)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (b/t)
5
6
7
8
Just like God Only Knows before it, a second reel for the project began with Carl, Al and Bruce attempting a “band” version of Good Vibrations on bass, organ and guitar, but after cutting what could’ve been a worthy master, they opted to change the approach for the next take.
Good Vibrations
(Lei’d Version 3)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – lead & backing vocals
Mike Love – lead & backing vocals
Brian Wilson – lead & backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnson – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Bruce Johnson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / tambourine
Carl Wilson – percussion (off-mic guide) / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / hi-hat, snare drum
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (x2)
Brian Wilson – bass drum, congas, bongo
Mike Love – woo-woo machine [Moog Melsinar]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 11 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Carl
– chorus lead: Mike / ‘oom bop bop’: Al>Carl>Brian / ‘good, good, good’: Brian>Al>Carl>Bruce
– 1st bridge leads: Mike, Brian / group harmony: Brian>Carl>Al+Bruce>Mike
– 2nd bridge chant: Brian+Bruce>Carl+Al / scatting: Carl>Brian / ‘ahhh’: Bruce>Al>Brian>Carl>Mike
– ending ‘na na na’: Bruce+Carl / ‘ba ba ba’: Al / ‘do do do’: Brian
Tracks
(take 8)
1 – electric bass, tambourine (o/d 1)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – electric guitar 1 (o/d 2) (x) / Moog Melsinar (o/d 8)
4 – Brian, Al, Carl, Bruce vocals (o/d 6)
5 – electric guitar 1 + 2 (o/d 3 p/p)
6 – Carl verse lead vocal (o/d 4)
7 – drums, congas, bongo (o/d 7)
8 – Mike vocal (o/d 5)
This re-revised version of Good Vibrations started in Brian’s absence went back to the organ-only procedure. Dennis briefly got in on the act for guide percussion before disappearing, Dennis-ly. A new basic track (take 8 of the session) began with Bruce playing the most abrasive stop he could locate on the Baldwin, and Carl guiding the beat off-mic. They stacked instruments from there, including some that break the live illusion quite heavily, such as a double-tracked guitar and an unorthodox percussion jumble – following God Only Knows, Carl played a snare and hi-hat while Brian (who arrived late) clunked on a large bass drum, a bongo, and some congas.
Carl overdubbed his verse lead vocal alone, Mike overdubbed his chorus and bridge lead spots alone, and another track involved Brian, Al, Carl and Bruce filling out the rest of the chorus and bridge parts. This is the only known studio recording to feature Mike’s “woo-woo machine”, a.k.a. the Melsinar, the custom theremin-like synth unit designed for the band by Bob Moog. This version was mixed to mono on September 29.
Surfer Girl
(Lei’d Version 2)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead & harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony & backing vocals
Al Jardine – harmony & backing vocals
Mike Love – harmony & backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Al Jardine – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – snare drum
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1993 Stereo Mix – Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993, Capitol Records)
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– harmony quartet: Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
– solo lead: Brian / backing: Carl>Al>Mike
Tracks
(take 21)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric 12-string guitar (b/t)
5
6 – Carl, Al, Mike BG vocals (o/d)
7 – snare drum (b/t)
8 – Brian lead vocal (o/d)
Brian got back in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the Lei’d in Hawaii recordings, finally committing to cutting the backing tracks as a full live band. The first version of Surfer Girl was already one of the more successful reimaginings of the project, but new ideas spurred Brian to try another approach. Whether this was done during session #2 or at another later date isn’t clear. Between takes, Brian made a comment about having five or six further tracks to cut before returning to vocals.
The live band basic track was played by Brian on organ, Al on 12-string guitar, Bruce on bass, and initially Carl hitting the rim of a snare drum before Dennis took over; Carl moved to the control room to observe. In late ‘67, it was surprisingly rare for the band’s drummer to be drumming with the others. New bass inversions do lovely transformative things to the song’s mood. As before, Brian sang lead while Carl, Al and Mike were on another mic. Brian gave the enigmatic (or maybe not so enigmatic) slate “mushroom avenue” before the vocal take began. This was another tune mixed to mono on the September 29 master comp.
Sloop John B.
(Lei’d Version)
(Traditional, arr. Brian Wilson)
Music & Lyrics: Traditional
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – vocals
Mike Love – vocals
Al Jardine – vocals
Bruce Johnston – vocals
(instrumentation)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Brian Wilson – drums, bass drum, congas
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 4-Track Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Vocal Guide
– 1st verse lead: Brian (off-mic harmony: Bruce>Mike)
– 1st chorus harmony: Al>Brian>Mike / ‘duh dup’: Bruce
– 2nd verse lead: Mike / backing: Brian>Al then Bruce>Brian>Al
– 2nd chorus harmony: Al>Brian>Mike
– 3rd verse leads: Brian, Mike
Tracks
(take 11)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – electric 12-string guitar (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (b/t)
5
6 – Mike, Bruce vocals (o/d)
7 – drums, bass drum, congas (b/t)
8 – Brian, Al vocals (o/d)
As noted by Brian during his initial run-through, Sloop wasn’t a number that used an organ in Hawaii, so the studio track would also carry a different flavor to the others. The loose attitude to these sessions produced an unusual situation in which Brian manned a percussion rig with a snare, toms, congas, and a big concert bass drum, while Dennis remained in the booth giving feedback on his brother’s drumming, for some reason. Jim switched to a third 8-track project reel in the middle of the takes. Carl sat out of the vocals to listen from the control room while Brian, Al, Mike, and a mostly off-mic Bruce sang it. Anything goes. This was the last song from the Lei’d sessions to be mixed to mono on September 29.
Lei’d in Hawaii Introduction
(Fred Vail)
Words: Fred Vail
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Fred Vail – monolog
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Mono Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
1 – Fred (b/t)
2 – Fred outtake (b/t)
3
4
5
6
7
8
Our old pal Fred Vail returns to make this album a worthy sequel to Beach Boys Concert, echoing his introduction to the first live LP by pitching that he’s at the “empty Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California.” But the Beach Boys aren’t here, they’re in Hawaii! Fred tried his monologue a handful of ways, with Brian, Carl and Mike huddling around him in the studio. The Boys didn’t mix down it for inclusion, however a take is used to open the album approximation on Sunshine Tomorrow. Fred recalled watching Brian work on the version of God Only Knows at Wally’s, suggesting that this may have all been one session.
Barbara Ann
(Lei’d Version)
(Fred Fassert)
Music: Fred Fassert
Lyrics: Fred Fassert
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (rhythm) / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (alt. rhythm & solo)
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 5)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – electric guitar 2 (o/d)
4 – electric guitar 1 (b/t)
5
6
7 – drums (b/t)
8
These last three Lei’d in Hawaii tracks received no vocal overdubs while the live album was in play
When it came to dubbing songs onto that 4-track comp reel to add crowd noise, Brian strangely enough opted for a real live Barbara Ann recorded at the University of Michigan in October 1966, alongside a performance of You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.
After Fred’s monologuing, three further backing tracks were recorded that did not receive vocal overdubs at the time of the Lei’d in Hawaii sessions; they were likely cut on the same day as the previous songs, as Mike was in the room singing along. When Heroes and Villains bit the dust, Barbara Ann evidently took its place – which hadn’t been part of Brian’s original list, but the group did close both real Honolulu concerts with it. The gang whip up an energetic production here with Dennis at last let off the leash and Carl overdubbing a stinging surf guitar solo. The Sunshine Tomorrow 2 mix adds a fuzz effect to the rhythm guitar that is not present on tape.
Surfin’
(Lei’d Version 2)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson, Mike Love
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 4)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3
4 – electric guitar (b/t)
5
6
7 – drums (b/t)
8
Brian relented on using the Baldwin in Surfin’ (with a riff from Underwater by the Frogmen) and took the band through a new attempt, shortened significantly just as it had been during the second Hawaiian concert. Brian and Mike both sang guide vocals off-mic to help in the breaks. Take 4 seems to have been a master, but it was not overdubbed. The Sunshine Tomorrow 2 mix incorporates a fuzz effect on the guitar and tape slap on the drums which are not present on the original tape.
Game of Love
(Clint Ballard)
Music: Clint Ballard
Lyrics: Clint Ballard
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocal, bass vocal
Brian Wilson – lead vocal
Carl Wilson – co-lead vocal
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa September 12 to 22, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (track)
October 27, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse & chorus lead: Brian>Mike
– bass: Mike
– ending lead: Carl
Tracks
(take 9)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – organ (b/t)
3 – Mike bass vocal (o/d 3)
4
5
6 – Brian, Mike lead vocals (o/d 1)
7 – drums (b/t)
8 – Carl tag vocal (o/d 2)
The lads totally flew off the handle here and closed out the Lei’d in Hawaii sessions with a cover of a song they’d never even performed live, Wayne Fontana’s 1964 hit The Game of Love (although they didn’t take the “The”). When Brian’s hot on a song, his schemes can’t be confined by rules. The Wilsons cut the dirge-like basic track as a trio. On September 29, Jim Lockert and Brian noted Game of Love on the list of songs they were mixing onto the live album’s 4-track comp reel, but it wasn’t actually dubbed down at the time because it hadn’t been finished.
A month later, Brian decided to use the track on Wild Honey, and the title was added to an October 25 AFM contract (alongside The Letter) to account for its existence to the union. On October 27, during a session at Wally’s in which the group probably also worked on Cool, Cool Water, Brian and Mike overdubbed the lead vocals in two-part harmony throughout. Carl added a quick bridge vocal with some more singing over the fade (with Brian audibly enthusing about it over the talkback), and Mike added a bass vocal (so there could be no illusions of this being “live”). It’s possible that more overdubs would’ve been envisioned to fill out the bare instrumental track, but they left Game of Love there and decided against using it on the album. The Sunshine Tomorrow stereo mix repeats a verse and chorus for the fadeout and omits Carl’s singing over the end.
With a Little Help from My Friends
(John Lennon – Paul McCartney)
Music & Lyrics: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Arrangement: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Producers: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Bruce Johnston – lead vocal, harmony & backing vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony & backing vocals
Mike Love – harmony & backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / snare drum & toms / kick drum (w/sticks)
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Bruce Johnston – upright piano / hi-hat
Bruce or Al or Mike – tambourine
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
September 23, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/2″ 4-track in mono:
September 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mix transferred from 1/2″ 4-track to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Rarities (1983, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Bruce (slowed down)
– main harmony & backing: Carl>Mike+Bruce
– ‘do you need anybody…’: Carl+Bruce>Carl+Bruce
Tracks
(take 1 + pickup take 1 – sped up for lead vocal)
1 – drums (o/d 3)
2 – upright piano (o/d 1)
3 – electric 12-string guitar, electric guitar (b/t)
4 – Carl, Al BG vocals (o/d 5) (x) / kick drum, tambourine (o/d 8) / Carl, Bruce, Mike BG vocals 1 (o/d 6)
5 – Carl, Bruce, Mike BG vocals 2 (o/d 7)
6 – Bruce lead vocal (o/d 4)
7 – electric bass (o/d 2)
8 – Carl, Bruce, Mike BG vocals 1 + 2 (p/p 4 + 5)
Carl, Al, Bruce and Mike rocked up to Wally Heider’s on a whim one day to cut this cover of the Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends, a first ever Beach Boys track with Beach Boys voices not to have the supervising or performing involvement of Brian Wilson. Carl ran the show, with a little help from his friends. As they prepared to cut a basic track, the group had the original song from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band piped into the room to feel out a tempo. Both guitarists were recorded direct, with Al in the studio at a mic for his count-in and Carl in the control room. The first verse and the rest of the song were recorded in two sections to be spliced together later. Continuing to be Beatles-y, Bruce overdubbed a bright, heavily compressed upright piano, and Carl played one of the group’s new Hofner violin basses (used all throughout August-November 1967). A drummer wasn’t on hand, so those duties were split between Bruce, playing a hi-hat, and Carl, sat on a bar stool playing the snare and toms.
The tape was sped up just over a semitone for Bruce to add his lead vocal, then returned to its original key for the backing vocals and mixdown, so he sounds like he’s on Valium; the presentations on Sunshine Tomorrow sit about halfway between the natural pitch of Bruce and the natural pitch of everything else. Al initially sang in the backgrounds but dropped out, leaving Bruce, Carl and Mike the only vocalists here. For a final overdub, in the break after the first verse, Carl thumped on an upturned kick drum and one of the others shook a tambourine.
While he didn’t participate in its recording, Brian evidently dug the results enough to want to mix this song onto the Lei’d in Hawaii faux live album’s 4-track comp reel, weird pitch irregularities and all. In November, the Little Help mono mix was dubbed from 1/2″ to 1/4″ for inclusion on Wild Honey, and pulled off the master reel on the last day. Bruce considered doing a waltz-time rendition of the song for a solo record in early 1968, before Joe Cocker got there.
Wild Honey
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – verse lead vocal
Brian Wilson – bridge lead vocal, backing vocals
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Farfisa Combo Compact] (vamp) / tambourine / congas
Carl Wilson – acoustic 12-string guitar [Guild F-212 or Gibson B-45-12]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / electronic organ [Farfisa Combo Compact] (solo – x2)
Dennis Wilson – drums (erased) / drums / bongos
Paul Tanner – Electro-Theremin (x2)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
September 26, 1967 (2:00pm-6:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
September 27, 1967 (12:00pm-1:30pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (theremin)
Circa September 27 to 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, vocals, organ)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa September 27 to 29, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
January 9, 1968 / Wally Heider Recording (Stack-o-Tracks)
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey / Wind Chimes 7″ single (1967, Capitol Records)
2012 Stereo Mix – 50 Big Ones (2012, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2021 Stereo Mix – Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys (Expanded Edition) (2022, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Carl / last verse ‘sweet’ cameo: Brian
– verse ‘sweet, sweet’ backing: Brian>Bruce>Dennis>Mike
– bridge ‘oh mama, she’s…’ lead: Brian
– bridge ‘sweeter’ harmony: Brian>Bruce>Carl / bass: Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen [missing – order of tracks speculative]
1 – drums (b/t) (x) / drums, tambourine (o/d 2)
2 – grand piano (b/t)
3 – acoustic 12-string guitar (b/t)
4 – electric bass (b/t)
5 – organ (o/d 1)
6 – congas, bongos (o/d 3)
7 – Electro-Theremin 1 (o/d 4)
8 – Electro-Theremin 2 (o/d 5)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
1 – drums, tambourine + congas, bongos (c)
2 – grand piano (c)
3 – backing vocals (o/d 2) / bridge vocals (o/d 3)
4 – acoustic 12-string guitar (c)
5 – Electro-Theremin 1 + 2 (c) / organ solo 1 (o/d 4)
6 – lead vocals (o/d 1)
7 – organ (c) / organ solo 2 (o/d 5)
8 – electric bass (c)
The jar-inspired single that birthed an album. Wild Honey saw a return to recording at Brian’s ad hoc home studio at 10452 Bellagio Road, last used during the Smiley Smile sessions in July, and a return to his magnificent jangle-tuned Chickering grand piano. On the afternoon of September 26, the basic track laid down in Brian’s home studio consisted of Brian on the keys (limited into distortion), Dennis hammering his drums like a blacksmith, Carl twanging an acoustic 12-string guitar, and Bruce on rubbery Hofner bass – all thrashing their respective instruments hard to stir up a ramshackle sound. A splice to a pickup take was made at the bridge.
Brian overdubbed the ringing held organ chords on the group’s portable touring Farfisa. Dennis’ drums were apparently re-recorded out in the hallway for an extra resonant thunk while Brian hit a tambourine on the same track (mixing up his pattern mid-way through the take), then the brothers added flurries of congas and bongos (a similar texture to She’s Goin’ Bald). On September 27, Paul Tanner came by to overdub double-tracked Electro-Theremin wailing. Mike remembered penning the lyrics in another room whilst Brian completed the track.
Either on that same afternoon or very shortly after, the filled-up 8-track tape was taken to Wally Heider’s Studio 3 and given a reduction mix to another 8-track reel to free up two tracks for vocals. This was the first time Brian had bounced a production down in that way – as in, going 8 to 8, without dubbing all the instruments to mono – and it’s a technique he’d start using often to maximise control in the final mix. Wally’s became a favored site for vocal sessions because of its double 8-track capability and echo chamber. There, Carl overdubbed the raucous lead vocal (which apparently got him dancing around the room), with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the last verse from Brian, who stood by the mic to sing the word “sweet” and vanish. The four-part“sweet, sweet, the honey bee” backing vocals were performed by Brian, Bruce, Dennis and Mike. In the bridge, Brian took the brief “oh mama, she’s sweeter” lead, with Bruce and Carl harmonizing below, and Mike singing a bass response. Nothing went through the usual Beach Boys vocal doubling.
Bruce overdubbed two further Farfisa organ parts for the finishing touches: a solo in the bridge, which he ripped out in one take, and a complementary figure faded up and down in the background which builds into a tape echo feedback frenzy (similar to unused parts of Heroes and Villains). The Lei’d in Hawaii project was still in the works when the group turned this single over to Capitol on September 29, but soon after, they parked those plans and embarked on a whole R&B-themed LP in the song’s wake.
Bluebirds over the Mountain
(Ersel Hickey)
Music: Ersel Hickey, Bruce Johnston
Lyrics: Ersel Hickey, Mike Love
Arrangement: Bruce Johnston, Van McCoy
Producers: Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, J.S. (2nd) [Western] / Steve Desper [Capitol, Bell Sound, ID Sound] / unknown [Capitol]
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocals, backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – harmony & backing vocals, tag lead vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony & backing vocals
Al Jardine – harmony & backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Larry Knechtel – electric bass [Fender Precision] / electric bass [Fender Precision] (double)
Jim Gordon – drums / drums (double)
Bruce Johnston – electric organ [Hammond B-3]
Carl Wilson – acoustic guitar / electric guitar (rhythm)
Al Jardine – acoustic guitar / electric guitar (rhythm)
Ed Carter – electric guitar (w/fuzz) (lead)
Dennis Wilson – vibraphone
Daryl Dragon – marimba
Mike Kowalski – congas
Artie Kaplan – tenor saxophone (x2)
1 unknown – baritone saxophone (x2)
2 unknowns – trumpets (x2)
4 unknowns – violins (x2)
1 unknown – viola (x2)
1 unknown – cello (x2)
Recorded to 1/2″ 4-track, 1″ 8-track and 1/4″ 2-track (4 to 8 to 8 to 2):
September 29, 1967 (10:00pm-1:00am) / Western Recorders – Studio 2 (bass & drums)
October 14, 1968 / Capitol Records (N.Y.C.) (4 to 8, track)
October 16-18, 1968 / Bell Sound Studios & Capitol Records (N.Y.C.) (track, horns & strings, 8 to 8, vocals)
October 31, 1968 / I.D. Sound Studios (8 to 2, track)
Mixed to 1/4″ stereo and mono:
October 14, 1968 / Capitol Records (N.Y.C.) (rough mono)
October 18, 1968 / Capitol Records (N.Y.C.) (mono)
October 29, 1968 / Capitol Records – Studio C (mono)
October 31, 1968 / I.D. Sound Studios (binaural)
November 14, 1968 / Capitol Records – Studio C (stereo)
Initial Release:
1968 Mono & Binaural Mixes – Bluebirds over the Mountain / Never Learn Not to Love 7″ single (1968, Capitol Records)
1968 Stereo Mix – 20/20 (1969, Capitol Records)
2018 Alternate Stereo Mix – I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions (2018, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– 1st & 2nd chorus harmony: Al+Bruce>Carl+Al
– verse lead: Mike / backing: Carl>Al>Mike
– bridge lead: Mike / harmony: Bruce
– 3rd chorus harmony: Bruce>Al+Bruce>Carl+Al
– tag lead: Bruce / harmony: Bruce>Carl>Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 23)
1 – electric bass 2 (o/d)
2 – drums 1 (b/t)
3 – electric bass 1 (b/t)
4 – drums 2 (o/d)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
1 – horns, strings 1 (o/d 5)
2 – electric bass 1 + 2 (c)
3 – acoustic guitars, marimba, vibraphone (o/d 1)
4 – drums 1 + 2 (c)
5 – horns, strings 2 (o/d 6)
6 – congas (o/d 4)
7 – electric guitar [Ed] (o/d 3)
8 – electric guitars [Carl & Al] (o/d 2)
Tracks – 3rd Gen
1 – track L (c)
2 – electric basses + drums (c)
3 – track R (c)
4 – electric guitar [Ed] (c)
5 – Al, Carl, Bruce chorus vocals 1 (o/d 2) / group verse BG vocals 1 (o/d 8) / horns (bridge duplicate) (c) / group tag BG vocals 1 (o/d 10)
6 – organ (o/d 14) / group verse BG vocals 2 (o/d 9) / Bruce tag vocal 1 (o/d 12)
7 – Bruce, Al chorus vocals (o/d 1) / Mike verse lead vocal 1 (o/d 4) / Mike, Bruce bridge lead vocals 1 (o/d 6) / group tag BG vocals 2 (o/d 11)
8 – Al, Carl, Bruce chorus vocals 2 (o/d 3) / Mike verse lead vocal 2 (o/d 5) / Mike bridge lead vocal 2 (o/d 7) / Bruce tag vocal 2 (o/d 13)
Tracks – 4th Gen
1 – mono (c)
2 – acoustic guitar, temple blocks, maracas, tambourine, cowbell (o/d)
What’s this doing here? Bluebirds began life as a prospective Bruce Johnston solo single slap bang in the middle of the Lei’d in Hawaii and Wild Honey sessions. With session men Larry Knechtel and Jim Gordon, he put down the double-tracked bass and drums for a funky rearrangement, then parked it. A year later, while on the hunt for a new group single or material for 20/20, Carl cottoned onto the track’s existence and co-produced it with Bruce into a Beach Boys record – musical revisions by Bruce, lyrical revisions by Mike. Most of the work was done at Bell Sound and Capitol Studios during a stayover in New York City, including contributions from touring fellows Ed Carter (who played the fuzzed-up lead guitar), Daryl Dragon, and Mike Kowalski. Van McCoy scored Bruce’s arrangement ideas for a horn section and a tiny, tiny string section cameo on the end. The kitchen sink got thrown into this one, all the way to a “binaural” overdub of more percussion and guitar on top of the mono mix using a 2-track tape, sent out to the labels with balancing instructions. Some territories omitted the extra overdub or mistakenly folded both channels at equal volume.
Hide Go Seek
(Version 2)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson
Producer: Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Dennis Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] (erased) / drums (erased)
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] (erased) / electric 12-string guitar / electric guitar (x3) / electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] (x4) / drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
October 2, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Circa October, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2 – electric bass (b/t) (x) / electric 6-string bass 1 (o/d 7) (x) / electric 6-string bass 3 + 4 (o/d 10 p/p)
3 – organ (o/d 1) (x) / electric guitar 2 [double] (o/d 5)
4 – drums (o/d 2) (x) / drums (o/d 6)
5 – electric 12-string guitar (o/d 3)
6 – electric guitar 3 (o/d 11 – redo up to 3rd verse) / electric guitar 1 (o/d 4) (wiped until 3rd verse)
7 – electric 6-string bass 3 (o/d 9)
8 – electric 6-string bass 1 + 2 (o/d 8 p/p)
Quite an oddity, Carl and Dennis appear to have taken it upon themselves to record a remake of a B-side that Brian wrote for the Honeys in 1963, (Oly Oxen Free Free Free) Hide Go Seek. Note that Hide Go Seek had already been reimagined as a Beach Boys song in 1964’s Don’t Back Down, but the original tune fit the R&B mould of the times and a new album may already have been in the planning. Dennis handled piano, organ and drums, and Carl handled bass and 12-string guitar. Their track followed the same structure as the Honeys’ version.
Some unknown amount of time after the initial session, Carl stacked a heap of new overdubs onto the tape, including double-tracked rhythm guitar (tried with a couple of different sounds), new drums, and a quadruple-tracked Fender VI bass line (wiping out most of the original parts). The Sunshine Tomorrow presentation is a shortened edit to one verse and bridge with some elements (I.E. the 12-string and multiple basses) not heard.
Aren’t You Glad
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocals, backing vocals
Brian Wilson – lead & response vocals, backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned with & without taped strings) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / drums / hand claps
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / hand claps
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] / hand claps
Ollie Mitchell – trumpet (x2)
Tony Terran – trumpet (x2)
Arnold Belnick – violin
Bonnie Douglas – violin
Wilbert Nuttycombe – violin
Jerome Reisler – violin
Paul Shure – violin
Norman Botnick – viola
David Burk – viola
Alexander Neiman – viola
Recorded to 1″ 8-track and 1/4″ mono (8 to 8 to 1):
October 4, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
October 4, 1967 (11:00pm-12:00am) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (strings, horns)
November 9, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono
November 9, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo ‘Single’ Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2 (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse lead: Mike
– pre-chorus lead: Brian
– chorus lead: Brian / ‘ahhh’ backing: Bruce>Carl>Brian>Mike / ‘tell me’ response: Brian / ‘me and you’: Bruce>Carl>Mike
– interval scat ‘do do do’: Brian+Carl+Bruce
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 19 + pickup take 5)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2 – electric bass (b/t)
3 – organ (o/d 2)
4 – electric guitar (o/d 1)
5 – drums (o/d 1)
6 – violins, violas (o/d 3)
7 – trumpets 1 (o/d 4)
8 – trumpets 2 (o/d 5)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(4 takes – take 1 used for 1st verse & chorus, take 4 used for 2nd verse – slowed down for vocals)
1 – grand piano (c)
2 – electric bass (c)
3 – organ + electric guitar (c)
4 – Mike, Brian verse lead vocals (o/d 3) / Brian chorus lead vocal (o/d 2)
5 – drums (c)
6 – violins, violas (c)
7 – trumpets 1 + 2 (c)
8 – Mike, Brian verse lead vocals [partial alt.] (o/d 4) / group chorus BG vocals (o/d 1)
Tracks – 3rd Gen
1 – mono (c) + scat vocals, claps (o/d)
This joyous Wilson-Love number may have been considered for the next single after Wild Honey, if not just an early effort for the next album. A basic track for Aren’t You Glad was recorded at home on October 4 (following on the Hide Go Seek reel). Originally written in Eb, Brian started out by jamming through the progression on his specially detuned Chickering grand piano, prepared with masking tape on the strings for a plucky staccato sound. Early tape echo experiments were abandoned in favor of the dry tone. Bruce took up the bass and followed along with Brian’s left hand (after Carl tried it at first) until they had the foundation for an arrangement. Dennis was briefly in the room but made excuses to leave, telling the others he’d meet them at Wally Heider’s later (he didn’t). Aren’t You Glad employed Brian’s modular process of tracking one short section – an intro, verse and chorus in this case – and stringing together a full song from tape copies. During the session, Brian expressed his liking for working that way to bemused bandmates. The chorus was recorded as a separate pickup take, wherein Brian removed the tape from his piano strings to open up their full resonance.
Before leaving the house, Brian overdubbed the punchy drums in Dennis’ absence while Carl played light, jazzy guitar accents with tailpiece bends, recorded direct. Brian also overdubbed the Baldwin organ, playing a buzzy drone in the intro and complementary stabs in the verse. The tape was then sped over to Wally Heider’s Studio 3 for a quick sweetening session, lasting under an hour. Lockert spliced the two sections together, and Brian had Diane Rovell call in a string octet who were instructed to play 20 seconds of sustaining chords in the chorus. Trumpeters Ollie Mitchell and Tony Terran overdubbed one layer of the soft unison intro riff, then double-tracked a more hard-hitting octave line in the chorus.
Capitol’s files indicate that Aren’t You Glad was next returned to on November 9, once again at Heider’s. Five reduction mixes were made onto a second 8-track reel, freeing up two tracks for vocals. From here on, the tape was slowed down from Eb to D for all vocal overdubs and mixing, instilling the production with a certain leisurely bounce. Onto the first reduction “take”, Brian sang the chorus lead vocal, summoning all of the white boy soul he could muster. Somehow, he also wound up singing the prominent answering part to himself! The soft “ahhhs” were performed by Bruce, Carl, Brian and Mike, with Brian breaking off into the “tell me, tell me you know what I mean when I say” lines, and the others harmonizing the staccato “me and you.” This chorus was mixed to mono before moving on, but afterwards, a mistimed punch-out accidentally erased Brian’s first “aren’t,” so his second “aren’t” had to be copied and digitally flown-in for the 2017 stereo mix. Onto the same reduction mix, Mike sang a beautifully breezy lead vocal in the first verse and traded off to Brian for the pre-chorus; they tried doubling some of these lines, but decided against using the other layer. The second verse was performed onto the fourth reduction mix – several other copies weren’t used.
Once various sections were mixed to mono (note the strategic muting of the piano in the intro) and spliced together, Brian sensed the track needed a little extra something: a scatted “do do do do” and hand claps were dubbed onto a copy of the edited mono master. In 2017, Alan Boyd and Mark Linett re-performed those claps for the Sunshine Tomorrow stereo mix.
Time to Get Alone
(Version 1 – Verse)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineer: Jim Lockert
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – upright piano (w/taped strings) / electric 6-string bass [Fender VI]
Recorded to 1/2″ 4-track:
Circa early October, 1967 / Valentine Recording Studios
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records) (as ‘Untitled (Redwood)’)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 35)
1 – taped piano (b/t)
2 – electric 6-string bass (o/d)
3
4
Brian’s pal Arnie Geller booked this undated session for him at Valentine Recording Studios in West Hollywood. Intended for Redwood (who became Three Dog Night), this is an embryonic verse track for Time to Get Alone, the first true full-length waltz Brian ever wrote. Tape copies and other sections were probably in the planning. After putting down a funky little taped piano and a strummed bass, Brian got cold feet about it and decided to revisit the song another day.
Darlin’
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – lead vocal, backing vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Billy Hinsche – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] (erased) / grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / tambourine / upright piano (w/taped strings) (unused)
Carl Wilson – drums (off-mic guide) / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Hal Blaine – drums
Virgil Evans – trumpet
Ollie Mitchell – trumpet
Harold Billings – trombone
Lew McCreary – trombone
Jay Migliori – baritone saxophone
Various Beach Boys – tambourine, castanets, snare drum
Ron Brown – electric bass [Fender Precision] (erased)
Ray Pohlman – electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] (unused)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8 to 8):
October 11, 1967 (5:00pm-8:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
October 12, 1967 (2:00pm-5:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (piano & bass redo)
Circa October 13 to 24, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, taped piano redo)
October 27, 1967 (2:00pm-5:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (piano, bass & percussion redo)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (lead vocal, 8 to 8)
November 3, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (BG vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
January 9, 1968 / Wally Heider Recording (Stack-o-Tracks)
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2012 Stereo Mix – 50 Big Ones (2012, Capitol Records)
2013 Stereo Mix – Made in California (2013, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Carl
– chorus ‘oh, keep dreamin’ it darlin’…’: Brian>Bruce+Carl>Al>Mike
– chorus ‘…you’re so fine’: Bruce>Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
– chorus ‘ohhh’: Brian>Bruce>Al>Carl
– bridge ‘ohhh’: Brian>Bruce>Al>Carl>Dennis+Billy
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 32)
1 – grand piano (b/t) (x) / grand piano [redo] (o/d 5)
2 – electric bass [Ron] (b/t) (x) / electric 6-string bass [Ray] (o/d 6)
3 – drums (o/d 3)
4 – bongos, tambourine (o/d 2)
5 – horns (o/d 4)
6
7 – taped piano (o/d 1)
8
Tracks – 2nd Gen
1 – grand piano [re-redo] (o/d 2)
2 – electric bass [Carl] (o/d 3)
3 – drums (c)
4 – tambourines, castanet, snare drum (o/d 4)
5 – horns (c)
6 – Carl lead vocal (o/d 5)
7 – taped piano [redo] (o/d 1)
8
Tracks – 3rd Gen
1 – grand piano (c)
2 – electric bass (c)
3 – drums (c)
4 – tambourines, castanet, snare drum (c)
5 – horns (c)
6 – Carl lead vocal (c)
7 – group chorus BG vocals (o/d 1) / group bridge BG vocals 1 (o/d 2)
8 – group bridge BG vocals 2 (o/d 3)
Danny Hutton’s habit of calling people Darlin’ inspired Brian to write the chorus of this number for Redwood, with its verse music repurposed from Thinkin’ ‘Bout You Baby, a song written by Brian and Mike for Sharon Marie several years earlier. Production began as a relaxed affair, with the basic track laid down by Brian on piano, Motown session player Ron Brown (who’d recently toured with the Beach Boys) on bass, and Carl supplying an off-mic guide drum beat. Messy sundry percussion and a taped strings piano part would ultimately be discarded. Hal Blaine made his first visit to Brian’s home studio to overdub drums, accompanied by a five-piece horn section. The next day, before or after turning attention to Time to Get Alone, Brian strangely re-recorded the main piano in a higher register and called up Ray Pohlman to replace Ron’s bass. A straight tape copy (rather than a reduction) was made at Wally’s, and according to Danny, Redwood may have overdubbed a scratch vocal track, which no longer exists on tape (if it once did). Brian attempted a new slowed-down taped piano part that didn’t quite work.
Darlin’ became a Beach Boys record after the Redwood deal blew up (see the next song), and only the drums and horns were retained going forward; during an afternoon otherwise spent working on A Thing or Two, Brian and Carl overdubbed a sturdier piano and bass foundation, and four of the Boys played new percussion parts. Mike penned verse lyrics just in time for Carl to give it one of his finest lead vocal performances, bolstered with tape echo by Brian at the controls. Backing vocals went on a week later, and briefly, the tune is graced by all of the Beach Boys (and Billy Hinsche). Mixdown edits use duplicates of the second chorus for the intro and fadeout.
Time to Get Alone
(Version 2)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Instrumental Arrangement: Brian Wilson, Danny Hutton
Vocal Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd), Steve Desper, Ivan Fisher
Personnel:
(voices – Beach Boys versions)
Carl Wilson – verse & bridge lead vocals, harmony & backing vocals
Brian Wilson – chorus lead vocals, harmony & backing vocals
Al Jardine – chorus lead vocals, harmony & backing vocals
Mike Love – harmony & bass vocals
Bruce Johnston – harmony & backing vocals
Marilyn Wilson – backing vocals
Diane Rovell – backing vocals
(voices – Redwood version)
Danny Hutton – lead & harmony vocals
Cory Wells – lead & harmony vocals
Chuck Negron – lead & harmony vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned w/taped high strings) [Chickering 105D] (bass) / grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / upright piano (w/taped strings) / harpsichord / vibraphone (high end) / glockenspiel / timpani / drums (extra parts)
Ron Brown – electric bass [Fender Precision]
Carl Wilson – tack upright piano / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] (unused)
Bruce Johnston – vibraphone (low end)
Danny Hutton – electric piano (w/fuzz) [Wurlitzer] / jingle bells
Gene Pello – drums
Dwight Carver – French horn (x2)
Dick Forrest – trumpet
Jay Migliori – alto flute
Arnold Belnick – violin
Harry Bluestone – violin
Bonnie Douglas – violin
William Kurasch – violin
Leonard Malarsky – violin
Paul Shure – violin
Norman Botnick – viola
Leonard Selic – viola
David Filderman – cello
Joseph Saxon – cello
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8 to 8):
October 12, 1967 (2:00pm-5:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
October 14, 1967 (6:00pm-9:30pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (strings, horns, timpani)
October 15, 1967 (8:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, drums & extra parts)
Circa October 16 to 24, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (Redwood vocals)
Circa November 14 or 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (Beach Boys alternate vocals)
October 2, 1968 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (vocals)
October 4, 1968 / I.D. Sound Studios (edit, 8 to 8, vocals & extra parts)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono and stereo:
Circa October 16 to 24, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (Redwood – mono)
January 9, 1968 / Wally Heider Recording (Stack-o-Tracks – mono)
October 8, 1968 / I.D. Sound Studios (The Beach Boys – mono)
November 15, 1968 / Capitol Records – Studio C (The Beach Boys – stereo)
Initial Release:
1968 Stereo Mix – 20/20 (1969, Capitol Records)
1967 ‘Redwood’ Mono Mix – Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965-1975 (1993, MCA Records)
2001 Alternate Stereo Mix – Hawthorne, CA (2001, Capitol Records)
2009 Stereo Mix – Summer Love Songs (2009, Capitol Records)
2017 Alternate Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide (1967 Redwood version)
– verse 1st line lead: Cory
– verse 2nd line lead: Chuck
– verse 3rd line lead: Danny
– chorus lead: Cory+Chuck / ‘get alone’ backing: Danny / ‘time, time to get alone’: Brian+Al+Carl / ‘oooh’: Brian+Al>Carl
– bridge 1st part lead: Cory / ‘deep and wide’: Brian+Bruce>Chuck>Danny>Cory
– bridge 2nd part lead: Danny / ‘ahhh’ backing: Brian>Al>Carl+Dennis>Brian>Al>Carl>Dennis (featured in 2001 mix)
– finale ‘get away’ lead: Danny / backing: Brian>Danny>Chuck>Cory
Vocal Guide (1967 Beach Boys version)
– 1st & 2nd verse lead: Carl
– chorus, bridge & 3rd verse lead: Brian
– whistling: Brian
Vocal Guide (1968 Beach Boys version)
– verse lead: Carl / backing: Al+Bruce>Carl>Mike
– chorus lead: Brian+Al (ending Brian>Al)
– chorus main ‘ba ba ba’: Al+Carl / ‘ahhh’: Al>Carl>Bruce / ‘time’ bass: Mike / ‘get alone’: Al>Carl>Bruce>Mike
– chorus extra ‘ba ba ba’: Brian+Al / ‘oooh, baby it’s time’: Marilyn+Diane+Brian
– bridge lead: Carl / ‘deep and wide’ & ‘ahhh’: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 1)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – grand piano (b/t)
3 – grand piano, tack piano (o/d 2) / violins, violas, cellos (o/d 6)
4 – fuzz electric piano [chorus] (o/d 1) / flute, trumpet, horn (o/d 7)
5 – harpsichord, organ (o/d 3) / horn (o/d 8)
6 – timpani (o/d 9)
7 – vibraphone, fuzz electric piano [bridge] (o/d 5) / drums [Brian] (o/d 4)
8 – grand piano, tack piano + harpsichord, organ (p/p 3 + 5)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
1 – electric bass + grand piano (c 1 + 2)
2 – Cory vocal (R o/d) / group chorus 1st layer BG vocals 1 (new o/d 1) / group bridge low BG vocals (o/d 2)
3 – vibraphone, fuzz electric piano [bridge] + drums [Brian] + violins, violas, cellos (c 7 + 3)
4 – Chuck vocal (R o/d) / group chorus 2nd layer BG vocals 1 (new o/d 3) / group verse BG vocals 1 (new o/d 5) / group bridge high BG vocals (o/d 3)
5 – horn + timpani (c 5 + 6) / group chorus 1st layer BG vocals 2 (new o/d 2)
6 – drums [Gene], jingle bells, taped piano (o/d 1)
7 – grand piano, tack piano, harpsichord, organ + fuzz electric piano [chorus] + flute, trumpet, horn (c 8 + 4)
8 – Danny vocal (R o/d) / group chorus 2nd layer BG vocals 2 (new o/d 4) / group verse BG vocals 2 (new o/d 6)
Tracks – 3rd Gen A (Alternate)
1 – electric bass + grand piano (c)
2 – Brian lead vocal & whistling (o/d 2)
3 – vibraphone, fuzz electric piano [bridge] + drums + violins, violas, cellos (c)
4 – Carl lead vocal (o/d 1)
5 – horn + timpani (c)
6 – drums, jingle bells, taped piano (c)
7 – grand piano, tack piano, harpsichord, organ + fuzz electric piano [chorus] + flute, trumpet, horn (c)
8 – Brian lead vocal [bridge double] (o/d 3)
Tracks – 3rd Gen B
1 – track & BG vocals L (c)
2 – glockenspiel (o/d 12) / vibraphone, fuzz electric piano + drums + violins, violas, cellos (c)
3 – track & BG vocals R (c)
4 – Carl verse & bridge lead vocal 1, Brian, Al ‘ba ba ba’ vocals (o/d 8)
5 – Carl verse lead vocal 2 (o/d 9) / girls & Brian ‘baby it’s time’ vocals (o/d 2) / ‘deep and wide’ vocals 1 (o/d 5)
6 – Carl ‘so warm’ lead vocal 1 (o/d 10) / Brian, Al chorus lead vocals [alt] (o/d 3) / Carl bridge lead vocal 2 (o/d 9)
7 – Carl ‘so warm’ lead vocal 2 (o/d 11) / Brian, Al chorus lead vocals (o/d 4) / ‘deep and wide’ vocals 2 (o/d 6)
8 – electric 12-string guitar (o/d 13) / ‘deep and wide’ vocals 3 (o/d 7) / Carl last verse lead vocal 2 (o/d 9)
The second attempt at Time to Get Alone was Brian’s real showpiece for Redwood, a production that started small and grew to enormity through the power of multitrack recording. Everything was layered onto a humble foundation of Ron Brown playing bass and Brian doubling that line with his left hand on the piano (right hand rendered into a near-inaudible plunk through heavy tape muting). Danny Hutton contributed several key ideas here, including the fuzzed-out Wurlitzer through a busted speaker and the chain of keyboard bonks (which go: detuned grand piano, tack piano, harpsichord, Baldwin organ); Carl helped Brian out on those, and Bruce makes a cameo playing one end of a vibraphone. Brian superstitiously skipped a Friday the 13th and continued on the Saturday, overdubbing strings, horns, and timpani at Wally’s – Van Dyke Parks came by to listen and took home an acetate dub with the unfinished backing track. Jim Lockert oversaw a complicated reduction bounce, and drummer Gene Pello dropped in on Sunday to complete the instrumental arrangement. Redwood’s vocals followed, with the Beach Boys supplying some “ahhhh” harmonies to the bridge.
Producing Redwood was by most accounts a difficult situation, both for Brian and the trio, and it all came to a head over creative dissatisfaction, financial disagreements, and Mike, Carl and the Boys insisting Brian’s attention be elsewhere – Redwood could finish the singles, but not a whole album. So they did neither, and Time to Get Alone became a Beach Boys song. At the tail end of the Wild Honey sessions, Brian and Carl added new lead vocals (with a lyrical rewrite), but Brian temporarily shelved it, judging the production too “plastic”.
The Time to Get Alone saga continued in 1968 with Brian mixing an instrumental version for Stack-o-Tracks and recording a rewritten backing track during the early Friends sessions. In September, thoughts were floated about giving the song to the Honeys, or to Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. The Beach Boys eventually decided to make Time to Get Alone their next single and held a Brian-less session at his house in early October; he may have contributed to the new backing vocal arrangements, but declined to sing that day. Soon after, a rejuvenated Brian chopped out the instrumental bridge and led the final additions at I.D. Sound, which included Carl’s verse/bridge lead, Brian and Al sharing the lead in the chorus, a cameo from Marilyn and Diane, “deep and wide” in all its glory, a glockenspiel, and an unused 12-string rhythm guitar. The group mixed the tune to mono for a single release but didn’t put it out, and instead a stereo mix ended up on 20/20. Mysteriously, even after final mixing, Brian recorded another remake track on the last day of the 20/20 sessions.
Here Comes the Night
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / snare drum
Carl Wilson – electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] (erased) / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / electric 12-string guitar [Epiphone Riviera E360-TD12] / tambourine
Al Jardine – electric 12-string guitar [Baldwin 712]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
Circa October 25 to 27, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (overdubs, 8 to 8, overdubs)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Brian
– chorus backing: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 1)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2 – organ (o/d 4)
3 – electric 6-string bass (b/t) (x) / electric bass (o/d 1) (x) / electric bass (o/d 6)
4 – group chorus BG vocals (o/d 5)
5 – electric 12-string guitars (o/d 3)
6 – Brian chorus lead vocal 1 (o/d 8)
7 – drums (o/d 2) (x) / snare drum (o/d 7)
8 – Brian chorus lead vocal 2 (o/d 9)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(3 copies for 3 verses)
1 – grand piano (c)
2 – tambourine (o/d 3) / organ (c)
3 – electric bass (c)
4 – group chorus BG vocals (c)
5 – electric 12-string guitars (c)
6 – Brian verse lead vocal 1 (o/d 1) / Brian chorus lead vocal 1 (c)
7 – snare drum (c)
8 – Brian verse lead vocal 2 (o/d 2) / Brian chorus lead vocal 2 (c)
The dissolution of the Redwood project kickstarted work on the new Beach Boys album into a frenzied pace. Brian and Mike got on a creative roll and wrote a sizeable batch of songs together as they whipped the project into shape, and Here Comes the Night may have been the first of them put on tape during the initial ten-day haul. Its title first appears on an October 26 AFM contract, but there’s compelling reason to believe that it was cut the previous day and acknowledged as an afterthought to be “union legal”. Brian and Carl started with a basic track of three verses and choruses, and an extra fade chorus – Brian decided to only overdub the first 1/3 of that and make tape copies to pull together a whole song. Bass and drums both underwent re-recording once or twice to get a satisfactory sound; Carl and Al teamed up for a zingy harmonized dual 12-string guitar line. At Wally’s, most likely on October 28, the traditional quartet sang the syncopated chorus backing, Brian sang lead in the chorus, and then he made three copies to overdub a lead for each verse. Because the copying had already taken place, when someone suggested a tambourine, Carl had to overdub it onto each section.
I Was Made to Love Her
(Stevie Wonder – Lula Mae Hardaway – Sylvia Moy – Henry Cosby)
Music & Lyrics: Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby
Instrumental Arrangement: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston
Vocal Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – lead vocal, backing vocals
Brian Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Carl Wilson – electric 12-string guitar [Baldwin 712] / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / tambourine / grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] (low end)
Bruce Johnston – hi-hat / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] (high end)
Dennis Wilson – snare drum & floor tom / tambourine
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
October 26, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
1967 Long Mono Mix – Rarities (1983, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Carl
– backing: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 21)
1 – electric bass (o/d 1)
2 – tambourines (o/d 2)
3 – drums (o/d 3) (x) / drums (o/d 6)
4 – organ (o/d 4)
5 – electric 12-string guitar, hi-hat (b/t)
6 – organ + electric 12-string guitar, hi-hat + electric guitar (p/p 4 + 5 + 7)
7 – electric guitar (o/d 5)
8 – grand piano (o/d 7)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
1 – electric bass (c)
2 – tambourines (c)
3 – drums (c)
4 – Carl 2nd section lead vocal (o/d 2)
5 – group BG vocals (o/d 3)
6 – organ + electric 12-string guitar, hi-hat + electric guitar (c)
7 – Carl 1st section lead vocal (o/d 1)
8 – grand piano (c)
This cover of Stevie Wonder’s recent hit was instigated by Carl, who produced the instrumental track with a little help from Bruce (especially), Al and Dennis, while Brian took the morning off. They started with Bruce timekeeping on a hi-hat, Carl playing bass (learned note-for-note from the original), and Al strumming a 12-string guitar, before Al dropped out (as he was wont to do) and Carl took over on the guiding rhythm. The bridge was attempted and parked. Everything else came after, including Dennis thwacking the main drums and Bruce and Carl playing either end of Brian’s piano. Brian flipped for what they’d cooked up and took over the vocal production: the same gang as Here Comes the Night sang backup, and Carl delivered his enthusiastically squeaky lead in two sections onto different tracks, to be mixed separately and stitched together. An a cappella bridge would’ve come in the middle, but it wasn’t used in the final edit. The intro riff was also chopped off. The Boys tried a “long version” experiment that plonks the bridge on the end instead.
Lonely Days
(Version 1 – Outtake)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Carl Wilson – drums or electric guitar (tried in different takes)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
October 26, 1967 (1:00pm-4:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Unreleased
Tracks
1 – drums (b/t – in earlier takes)
2
3 – electric guitar (b/t – in later takes)
4
5 – electric bass (b/t)
6
7 – organ (b/t)
8
Lonely Days is a fairly mysterious Brian Wilson original, a melancholic ballad of the funky variety once slated for the Wild Honey album and never completed. After the group cut I Was Made to Love Her and Brian arrived at the studio (which amounted to walking downstairs), they gave his new tune a quick attempt. Tape rolled with Brian playing organ, Bruce on bass, and Carl drumming, but Carl found it difficult to hack the angular rhythm changes. “I gotta get used to it Brian,” he pleaded after biffing it. “Fuck, give me a chance!” Attempts were made without drums. “We can’t cut it without a fuckin’ rhythm section,” Brian concluded. It seems Carl tried switching to guitar, but recording this song was soon abandoned for the afternoon and portions of tape were re-used.
Cool, Cool Water
(Version 2 Demo)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineer: Jim Lockert
Personnel:
(basic)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / grand piano (detuned w/taped strings) [Chickering 105D]
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
October 26, 1967 (1:00pm-4:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
2011 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – The Smile Sessions (2011, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2
3 – taped grand piano (o/d)
4
5 – electric guitar [Carl] (o/d)
6
7 – electric guitar [Al] (o/d)
8
After ditching Lonely Days, Brian moved over to cutting a new arrangement of Cool, Cool Water, the Smile/Smiley refuge last given a look in June. He put down one take of an intriguing long version, containing several verses and different bridges, one of them being a reworking of the Child is Father of the Man chorus. A rough overdub of taped piano and guitars was attempted, but Brian instead decided to cut a shorter track using those instruments as its foundation. This long take was released in abridged form on The Smile Sessions.
Cool, Cool Water
(Version 2)
(Brian Wilson)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd), Steve Desper
Personnel:
(basic)
Brian Wilson – vocals
Carl Wilson – vocals
Al Jardine – vocals
Mike Love – vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned w/taped strings) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / finger snaps
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] / finger snaps / tambourine
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] / finger snaps
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Mike Love – finger snaps
Dennis Wilson – snare drum
Recorded to 1″ 8-track and 2″ 16-track (8 to 8 to 8 to 8 to 16):
October 26, 1967 (1:00pm-4:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
October 27, 1967 (8:00pm-1:00am) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, vocals)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8 copies)
Circa October 31 to November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, BG vocals)
Circa November, 1968 / Capitol Records – Studio B (8 to 8, vocals, percussion)
Circa July 1 to 7, 1970 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (8 to 16, vocals, edit)
Mixed to 1/4″ stereo:
July 8, 1970 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
1970 5th Gen Stereo Mix – Sunflower (1970, Reprise Records)
1993 2nd Gen Stereo Mix – Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993, Capitol Records)
2011 1st, 3rd & 4th Gen Stereo Mix – The Smile Sessions (2011, Capitol Records)
2017 2nd Gen Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– ‘coolin’, so cool, coolin’ me’: Mike (1967)
– ‘hand me some cool, cool water’: Carl (1967)
– ‘drip, drip, drip, drip, drink a little’: Al (1967)
– ‘coolin’, so coolin’, cool water coolin’ me’: Brian (1967)
– ending ‘water’ harmony: Brian>Al>Carl (1967)
– ‘oooh’ backing: Brian>Carl>Mike>Brian>Al+Al>Carl>Mike (1967)
– ‘da da da da da’: Carl (1968)
– ‘coolin’, coolin’, coolin’ meeee…’: Brian (1970)
– unused ‘get yourself in that cool, cool water now’: Mike (1970)
– unused ‘coolin’, so coolin’, coolin’ me’: Dennis (1970)
– unused ‘do do do do’: Al (1970)
Tracks – 1st Gen (1967)
(take 7)
1 – finger snaps (o/d 2)
2 – electric bass (o/d 1)
3 – taped grand piano (b/t)
4 – organ (o/d 3)
5 – electric guitar 1 [Carl] (b/t)
6 – Carl, Al, Brian vocals (o/d 4)
7 – electric guitar 2 [Al] (b/t)
8 – Carl vocal double (o/d 5)
Tracks – 2nd Gen (1967)
1 – taped grand piano + finger snaps (c)
2 – Mike vocal (o/d 3)
3 – electric bass (c)
4 – Carl vocal double (c)
5 – organ + electric guitar 1 + electric guitar 2 (c)
6 – Carl, Al, Brian vocals (c) + Al vocal double (o/d 1 p/p)
7 – Carl, Al, Brian vocals (c)
8 – Brian vocal double (o/d 2)
Tracks – 3rd Gen (1967)
1 – taped grand piano + finger snaps (c)
2
3 – electric bass (c)
4
5 – organ + electric guitar 1 + electric guitar 2 (c)
6 – group low ‘oooh’ vocals (o/d 1)
7 – Mike vocal + Carl, Al, Brian vocals 1 + 2 (c)
8 – group high ‘oooh’ vocals (o/d 2)
Tracks – 4th Gen (1968)
1 – taped grand piano + finger snaps + electric bass (c)
2 – Mike vocal + Carl, Al, Brian vocals 1 + 2 (c)
3 – group low ‘oooh’ vocals + group high ‘oooh’ vocals (c)
4 – organ + electric guitar 1 + electric guitar 2 (c)
5 – snare drum, tambourine (o/d 3)
6 – Carl ‘da da’ vocal 1 (o/d 1)
7 – Carl ‘da d’a vocal 2 (o/d 2)
8
Tracks – 5th Gen (1970)
1 – taped grand piano + finger snaps + electric bass (c)
2 – Mike vocal + Carl, Al, Brian vocals 1 + 2 (c)
3 – group low ‘oooh’ vocals + group high ‘oooh’ vocals (c)
4 – organ + electric guitar 1 + electric guitar 2 (c)
5 – snare drum, tambourine (c)
6 – Carl ‘da da’ vocal 1 (c)
7 – Carl ‘da da’ vocal 2 (c)
8 – Brian, Al, Dennis, Mike new vocals (o/d 1)
9 – Mike new vocal (o/d 2)
10 – Brian new vocal (o/d 3)
11-16 open
In this version of Cool, Cool Water (which became the first section of the Sunflower edit), Brian reverts to the original pattern of a verse followed a slightly shorter second verse. A sparse yet imaginative backing track of taped piano, two guitars, bass, organ, and group finger snaps becomes a bedrock for limitless melodic potential. This one went through a lot of 8 to 8 bouncing, sometimes unnecessarily; Brian, Carl and Al sang their parts as a trio, then double-tracked them individually on the next tape, and Mike went on separately. Note the tape echo feedback surge on the last big “water”. Two 8-track copies of the 2nd gen dub were made, suggesting the whole thing was planned to be looped; the droning “Fade” chant from the Smiley Smile sessions was also given an 8-track copy at this time and noted “Ending”. On the next bouncedown, vocals tracks were combined and muted in each introductory round to leave Mike solo, and the group stacked wiggly seven-part “ooooh” harmonies in two layers (with a rare Mike falsetto in the middle).
Cool Water didn’t make the cut for Wild Honey, and it was next revisited in the fall of 1968; Carl sang the missing “da da” melody line written long ago, and he and Dennis played extra percussion. It didn’t make 20/20 either, finally reaching the world on the Sunflower album in 1970 – a busy added round of four vocal parts was whittled down to just one extra part by Brian, in which he incorporates phrases from the wholly new 1970 section. Moog-generated wave effects from Steve Desper and Paul Beaver glue it all together.
A Thing or Two
(Verse)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocals, harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – lead vocals, backing & harmony vocals
Bruce Johnston – lead vocals, backing & harmony vocals
Brian Wilson – backing & harmony vocals
(instrumentation)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (rhythm) / electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (lead) / snare drum & floor tom
Brian Wilson – electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / hi-hat / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] (unused)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
October 27, 1967 (2:00pm-5:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8)
Circa October 31 to November 3, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse leads: Mike, Carl, Bruce / ‘keep on telling’: Brian>Carl>Bruce>Mike
– verse ‘ooh-hoo’ backing: Bruce>Brian+Carl, ends Bruce>Brian>Carl
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 1)
1 – drums (o/d 3)
2
3 – electric guitar 1 [rhy.] (b/t)
4 – organ (o/d 4)
5 – electric guitar 2 [lead] (o/d 1)
6
7 – electric bass (o/d 2)
8
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(3 copies for 3 verses – slowed down for vocals)
1 – drums (c)
2 – Al lead vocal (o/d 1) (x) / Mike, Carl, Bruce lead vocals 1 (o/d 3)
3 – electric guitar 1 (c)
4 – organ (c) (x) / group BG vocals (o/d 2)
5 – electric guitar 2 (c)
6 – Mike, Carl, Bruce lead vocals 2 (o/d 4) / group ‘keep on telling’ vocals 1 (o/d 5)
7 – electric bass (c)
8 – group ‘keep on telling’ vocals 2 (o/d 6)
Slinky rocker-slash-boogie-exercise A Thing or Two was a true modular production of old. Contrasting rhythms between the verse and chorus made it a no-brainer to record in two distinct sections, each employing quite a different instrumental line-up. The verse is a sparse guitar/bass/drums arrangement, notable for the lack of keyboards – Brian’s Baldwin organ part didn’t survive to the final master. Carl and Brian share drum duties here on different parts of the kit. Three 8-track copies were made, slowed down about a quarter tone for recording vocals and mixing. A note on the track sheet and fragments on tape indicate that Al originally sang the lead vocal, solo. At a later session it became a double-tracked trade-off between Mike, Carl, and one line from Bruce – in the last verse, Bruce’s spot is preceded by a group harmony. Those “ooh-hoo-hoo” backing vocals (performed onto each copy) replaced the organ. According to Brian, Dennis wrote some of the lyrics uncredited.
A Thing or Two
(Chorus)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – vocals
Carl Wilson – vocals
Mike Love – vocals
Bruce Johnston – vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / hi-hat
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (x2) / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (x2)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
October 27, 1967 (2:00pm-5:00pm) / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
Circa October 28 to November 1, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8)
Circa October 31 to November 3, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– chorus 1st ‘do it right baby’: Carl+Mike / 2nd ‘do it right baby’: Brian>Bruce / ‘ahhh-ha’: Brian
– chorus ‘wee-ooh’ backing: Brian>Bruce>Carl>Mike
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 1)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2 – electric guitar 1 [Carl] (o/d 2)
3 – electric guitar 2 [Al] (o/d 2)
4 – electric guitars 3 & 4, hi-hat (o/d 3)
5 – electric bass (o/d 1)
6
7 – organ (o/d 4)
8
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(3 copies – 1st copy used for overdubs – slowed down for vocals)
1 – grand piano (c)
2 – electric guitar 1 (c)
3 – electric guitar 2 (c)
4 – electric guitars 3 & 4, hi-hat (c)
5 – electric bass (c)
6 – group vocals 1 (o/d 1) (x) / group ‘wee-ooh’ vocals (o/d 2)
7 – organ (c)
8 – group vocals 2 (o/d 2) (x) / group ‘do it right’ & ‘ah-ha’ vocals (o/d 4)
The chorus of A Thing or Two began with Brian laying down his heaviest left-hand piano boogie. There are four guitars here: rhythm from Carl, and various stabbing accents played by both Carl and Al. No distortion, just scrappy grit. Only a hi-hat for percussion is one of those twist moves that makes Brian’s conception of rock ‘n’ roll so unique. In a similar vein to Al’s erased verse lead vocal, the track sheet implies that doubled chorus vocals from an earlier session were erased by the voices we hear on the final master.
Can’t Wait Too Long
(Version 1)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Alternate Title: Been ‘Way Too Long
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano / snare drum
Carl Wilson – thump / electric bass [Fender Precision] / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (rhythm)
Al Jardine – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (lead)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
October 28, 1967 (3:00pm-6:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix 1 (Abridged) – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix 2 (Abridged) –1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
2018 ‘Sections’ Stereo Mix (Abridged) – I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions (2018, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– chorus lead: Brian / ‘been way too long’: Al+Bruce>Carl
Tracks
(take 3)
1 – grand piano, thump percussion (b/t)
2 – lead & BG vocals 1 (o/d 3)
3 – electric bass (o/d 1)
4 – lead & BG vocals 2 (o/d 4)
5 – electric guitar 2 [rhy.] (o/d 2)
6 – snare drum (o/d 5)
7 – electric guitar 1 [lead] (o/d 1)
8
All of the 1967 tape boxes call this song Can’t Wait Too Long and all of the 1968 tape boxes and AFM/Capitol documents from both years call it Been ‘Way Too Long – feel free to choose your own title. Brian took the bass riff from the original version of Wind Chimes and used it for the chorus of an R&B tune, credited to Wilson-Love in 1980 publishing documents. He clung to that central hook’s potential but never quite figured out what to do with the verses melodically or lyrically. A bit like Here Comes the Night, Brian put down a piano track for a full song (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus), then just decided to overdub the first verse and chorus to make tape copies, ditching the bridge in the process. Brian cut this track at Heider’s Studio 3 rather than at home, and his complaints about the “terrible” piano are registered by Lockert noting it “work piano” on the track sheet, implying they would’ve eventually removed or re-recorded the part. Al got a rare lead guitar moment here on the twangy Strat; Brian dropped his sticks while hitting the snare drum and never did another take. The group only got as far as singing the chorus without making copies for verse vocals. Various custom edits are presented on archival releases, albeit missing the double-tracked chorus vocal layer.
Away
(Demo – Verse)
(Dennis Wilson – Billy Hinsche)
Music: Dennis Wilson, Billy Hinsche
Arrangement: Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson
Producers: Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Dennis Wilson – upright piano (w/taped strings)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar (w/tremolo) (incomplete)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October to November, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Unreleased
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – taped upright piano (b/t)
2
3 – electric guitar (o/d)
4
5
6
7
8
Dennis didn’t have a whole lot of involvement in the Wild Honey album, but he was continuing to write and plan original music in his own time. Away was a song co-written by Dennis and Carl’s brother-in-law Billy Hinsche, apparently intended for Dino, Desi and Billy. Dennis wrote a peaceful verse section in 4/4, Billy wrote a moody bridge in 7/4. At the head of the reel for a Can’t Wait Too Long tag session, the younger Wilsons laid down a very quick taped piano and tremolo’d guitar attempt, but only of the verse portion, as Dennis wasn’t yet comfortable with Billy’s odd time signature section and Carl suggested they could splice it. Dennis returned to the composition at Western in late November.
Can’t Wait Too Long
(Tag)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Alternate Title: Been ‘Way Too Long
Music: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R] / hi-hat
Carl Wilson – hand claps / electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] / snare drum
Al Jardine – tambourine
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October to November, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
1978 Mono Mix – Smiley Smile / Wild Honey (1990 CD, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records)
2018 ‘Sections’ Stereo Mix – I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions (2018, Capitol Records)
Mix engineers: Tom Murphy (1978), Mark Linett (2017, 2018)
Tracks
(take 18)
1 – claps (b/t)
2
3 – organ (b/t)
4
5 – electric 6-string bass (o/d 1)
6
7 – drums, tambourine (o/d 2)
8
Following the Dennis experiment, Brian tracked an enigmatic piece of music labelled only Can’t Wait Too Long Part Two on the box – evidently a repeating fade section to be spliced on the end of the song, but where it falls in the chronology of other Wild Honey recordings is unclear. Brian just slated it as “chorus”, and that’s essentially what it is, those same two chords slowed down and sustained at Brian’s organ with a new bubbling 6-string bass part. After much trial and error, Brian had Carl drop the bass and simply clap to keep time, then overdub bass later (using a tape slap effect). Brian, Carl and Al all got involved in a percussion overdub. This section turns up in various archival presentations.
Honey Get Home
(Brian Wilson)
Working Title: Honey Come Home
Music: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / drums
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (erased) / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (x2 – redo & double)
Bruce Johnston – electric 6-string bass [Fender VI]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October 29 to 31, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 26 + pickup take 1)
1 – electric 6-string bass (b/t)
2 – electric guitar 2 (o/d 3)
3 – grand piano (b/t)
4
5 – electric guitar (b/t) (x) / electric guitar 1 (o/d 2)
6
7 – drums (o/d 1)
8
A preliminary Wild Honey track list places Honey Get Home at the end of the album, suggesting it was once envisioned as a thematic bookend to the title track. The tape box calls this one Honey Come Home and it was never formally logged by an AFM sheet or Capitol’s files. Brian had a vocal melody and at least a handful of lyrics, which he unfortunately never recorded. Rhythmic ideas evolved at Brian’s piano over a casual jam while Carl and Bruce fell in alongside him; Al attempted to follow with a 12-string rhythm guitar part and soon dropped out (as he was wont to do). Carl ended up re-recording and doubling his guitar part on the master take with a spring reverb drip. “We need Denny – where’s Denny?” Brian asked, but nobody knew the drummer’s whereabouts, so Brian got on the kit himself (impressing a nearby Bruce). A shortened edit is included on Sunshine Tomorrow.
Lonely Days
(Version 2)
(Brian Wilson)
Working Title: Lonely, Lonely
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – verse lead vocal
Bruce Johnston – verse lead vocal, chorus lead vocal
Al Jardine – chorus lead vocal
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / drums / tambourine
Carl Wilson – electric 6-string bass [Fender VI]
Bruce Johnston – electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track (8 to 8):
Circa October 29 to 31, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
October 31, 1967 (7:00pm-11:30pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (8 to 8, vocals)
Initial Release:
2001 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – Hawthorne, CA (2001, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse leads: Carl, Bruce
– chorus lead: Al>Bruce, then Al+Bruce, then Bruce>Al (sped up)
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 7 + tag pickup take 1)
1 – electric 6-string bass (b/t)
2 – tambourine (o/d 2)
3 – grand piano (b/t)
4
5 – organ (o/d 1)
6
7 – drums (o/d 1)
8
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(4 main copies & 1 tag copy – 1st main copy used for overdubs)
1 – electric 6-string bass (c)
2 – tambourine (c)
3 – grand piano (c)
4 – Carl, Bruce verse vocals (o/d 2) / Al, Bruce chorus vocals (o/d 1)
5 – organ (c)
6
7 – drums (c)
8
The second, more committed go at Lonely Days was titled Lonely, Lonely on its tape box and cut right after Honey Get Home. With Brian on piano and Carl on bass, Bruce clapped quarter notes off-mic to keep them right. Brian’s intended structure here included two rounds of a verse/chorus/turnaround pattern and a long chorus fadeout; he did his usual trick of just overdubbing the first round of the main structure, and the tag section, intending to edit the song from looped copies. Bruce played a pretty organ line while Brian handled the drums, followed by a tambourine, both percussion parts featuring a ricocheting tape delay effect.
Several copies were made at Heider’s for semi-unrealized vocal overdubs. Al and Bruce sang the chorus together with the tape slowed a semitone, either to alter the mood or make it easier to sing; several incomplete re-takes were attempted (leaving gaps and mistakes in the vocal track), but it didn’t come up to Brian’s satisfaction, so they moved on. With the tape running back at its regular pitch, Carl and Bruce traded lead vocals in the first verse. No further work was done. Shortened mixes on Hawthorne, CA and Sunshine Tomorrow cleverly repair the chorus vocals with looped phrases but lack the fade section, which is included on Sunshine Tomorrow 2.
Can’t Wait Too Long
(Version 2)
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Alternate Title: Been ‘Way Too Long
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead vocal, backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Bruce Johnston – upright piano (w/taped strings)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330] (alt.)
Al Jardine – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Brian Wilson – percussion
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 1, 1967 (7:00pm-12:00am) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1978 Mono Mix – Smiley Smile / Wild Honey (1990 CD, Capitol Records)
1993 Stereo Mix (Abridged) – Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1993, Capitol Records)
2018 ‘Sections’ Stereo Mix (Abridged) – I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions (2018, Capitol Records)
Mix engineers: Tom Murphy (1978), Mark Linett (1993, 2018)
Vocal Guide
– chorus lead: Brian / ‘been way too long’: Brian+Bruce>Carl+Al
Tracks
(take 1)
1 – taped piano, electric guitar 1, electric bass, percussion (b/t)
2
3 – electric guitar 2 (o/d 1)
4
5 – group BG vocals (o/d 2)
6
7 – Brian lead vocal (o/d 3)
8
Brian tried Can’t Wait Too Long again a few days after its first attempt, putting down a revised arrangement with a lighter, scrappier sound – unidentified tapping percussion instead of drums, quiet tape muted piano in the chorus, guitar amplifiers turned down to a whisper. He’d lengthened the song’s chorus from three rounds of the vamp to four, and thinking in modular mode, the plan was to track only a single verse and chorus before making tape copies. The group yelled the “been away too long, baby” backing parts at the top of their lungs, and Brian overdubbed a biting lead vocal in the chorus. Once again, no copies were made to facilitate verse vocal overdubs, and this version was left unfinished.
Let the Wind Blow
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Mike Love – lead vocals
Brian Wilson – lead & unison vocals, backing vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony & unison vocals, backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – unison vocals
Al Jardine – unison vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electronic organ [Baldwin HT2R]
Bruce Johnston – electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Dennis Wilson – drums
Carl Wilson – acoustic guitar
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October 29 to November 2, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
November 2, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2001 Stereo Mix – Hawthorne, CA (2001, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– ‘oooh’ backing: – Brian>Carl
Let the wind blow – Mike
Let the grass grow – Mike
But don’t let her go – Brian
Don’t take her out of my life, don’t take her out of my life – Brian+Carl+Al+Bruce (doubled by Brian alone)
No – Brian
Let the moon glow – Mike (Let the moon glow – Carl+Brian)
On the fallen snow – Mike (Let the moon glow on the fallen snow – Carl+Brian)
But I just got to know – Brian (Let me please know – Carl+Brian)
Know she’ll be a part of my life, know she’ll be a part of my life – Brian+Carl+Al+Bruce (doubled by Brian alone)
Forever – Brian
Let the bees make honey and let the poor find money – Brian+Carl+Al+Bruce
And take away their sorrows, give ’em sunshine tomorrow – Brian+Carl+Al+Bruce
But don’t take her out of my life – Brian
Don’t take her out of my life – Brian>Carl
What would I do without her, tell me now – Brian
Let the birds sing – Mike
With the coming spring – Mike
Let the church bells ring – Brian
Let the rain fall – Brian>Carl
Let the grass grow – Carl+Al+Bruce
Let the moon glow – Brian
On the fallen snow – Carl+Al+Bruce
But don’t take her out of my life – Brian
Please keep her a part of my life – Brian+Carl+Al+Bruce
Tracks
(take 10)
1 – electric bass (b/t)
2 – grand piano (b/t)
3 – acoustic guitar (o/d 1)
4 – drums (b/t)
5 – Brian, Carl BG vocals 1 + 2 (p/p) / Brian, Carl response vocals (o/d 13)
6 – organ (o/d 2)
7 – Brian, Carl BG vocals 1 (o/d 3) (x) / Mike lead vocal 1 (o/d 5) / Brian, Carl, group lead vocals 1 (o/d 7, 9, 11)
8 – Brian, Carl BG vocals 2 (o/d 4) (x) / Mike lead vocal 2 (o/d 6) / Brian, Carl, group lead vocals 2 (o/d 8, 10, 12)
Let the Wind Blow began in the form of a “prayer” Mike recited to himself while driving to Bellagio Road for a songwriting session. Once together at the piano, Brian put the words to a waltz-time melody and added his own lyrical thoughts, the “don’t take her out of my life” pleas grounding Mike’s evocations of the natural world. Tracking at Brian’s house might have taken place earlier on the same day as the documented vocal session at Wally Heider’s. Dennis made a rare live-in-room appearance on drums, executing a lightly orchestrated part to extreme specificity from the band’s taskmaster. Carl kept murmuring about how they should have touring bassist Ron Brown overdub bass (he did not). Aside from a wind-like “oooh” harmony line, this track is all about the lead vocal performances: a gymnastic trade-off between Mike, Brian, spots of Brian and Carl in harmony, and a big unison group of Brian plus Carl plus Al plus Bruce. Give ’em sunshine tomorrow.
I Was Made to Love Her
(Bridge – Version 1)
(Stevie Wonder – Lula Mae Hardaway – Sylvia Moy – Henry Cosby)
Music & Lyrics: Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – backing vocals, hand claps
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October 31 to November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– ‘ahhh’: Brian>Bruce>Carl>Al>Mike
– ‘all through’: Brian>Carl>Dennis>Mike (outtake o/d to take 14)
– ‘wee-oo’: Al>Carl (o/d to take 15)
Tracks
(take 14 & 15)
1 – pad vocals, claps (b/t)
2
3
4
5 – extra vocals (o/d)
6
7
8
On an unknown spot in the timeline at Wally Heider’s, Brian corralled everyone into recording an impromptu a cappella version of the I Was Made to Love Her bridge, to be spliced into the middle of the track. An initial arrangement involved five Beach Boys singing an “ahhh” chord while Brian clapped, onto which they attempted to overdub “all through” and “wee-oo” accents on a couple of different takes while trying not to crack up. They immediately scrapped this and went back to the drawing board.
I Was Made to Love Her
(Bridge – Version 2)
(Stevie Wonder – Lula Mae Hardaway – Sylvia Moy – Henry Cosby)
Music & Lyrics: Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Carl Wilson – backing vocals / lead vocal
Brian Wilson – backing vocals, finger snaps
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
Circa October 31 to November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Rarities (1983, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Carl
– ‘wee-oo’: Brian>Al>Carl / ‘ahhh’: Dennis+Mike / ‘dum dum’: Bruce
Tracks
(take 9)
1
2
3 – group vocals, snaps (b/t)
4
5
6
7 – Carl lead vocal (o/d)
8
Brian quickly reconfigured his ideas into a funkier, less harmonically rigid assortment, dealing parts on the fly and snapping with escalating energy until they had it locked down. After some swapping around, Bruce oddly enough wound up singing the bass line. Carl overdubbed a lead vocal onto the master. However, when it came to mixing, Brian determined that putting this a cappella break in the middle of the song didn’t work to his liking, so the whole tune was cut together without interruption. He instead assembled a strange alternate “long version” by taking a copy of the regular mix and splicing it into the a cappella section during the fadeout. This version then splices to a solo’d drum fill in the middle of Carl’s scream, then splices back into the main track, with reverb surging on the backing vocals during a second fade. Both versions were considered, but the long version was set aside on a mono outtake compilation.
How She Boogalooed It
(Verse)
(Carl Wilson – Al Jardine – Bruce Johnston – Mike Love)
Working Title: Good Lord, How She Boogalooed It
Music & Lyrics: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, Mike Love
Arrangement: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Producers: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Carl Wilson – lead vocal (sped up)
(instrumentation)
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] / electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] (alt.) / acoustic guitar / electric 6-string bass [Fender VI] / drums / maraca
Al Jardine – electric bass [Fender Precision] (erased)
Bruce Johnston – electronic organ [Farfisa Combo Compact]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 10 and/or 13, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
November 15, 1967 (7:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks – 1st Gen
(take 26 of 32 – slowed down for vocals)
1 – electric guitar 1 (b/t)
2 – maraca (o/d 10)
3 – electric bass (b/t) (x) / drums (o/d 4)
4 – electric guitar 2 (o/d `1)
5 – acoustic guitar (o/d 2)
6 – tambourine (o/d 3) (x) / electric 6-string bass (o/d 5)
7 – Mike vocal (o/d 6) (x) / Carl 1st verse lead vocal (o/d 8)
8 – Bruce vocal (o/d 7) (x) / Carl 2nd verse lead vocal (o/d 9)
Tracks – 2nd Gen
(organ overdubbed either directly to mono or to a missing 2nd gen 8-track reel)
Alternatively known by long title Good Lord, How She Boogalooed It, the first officially released Beach Boys original without Brian Wilson’s writing hand (not counting instrumentals) was inspired by real-life hotel boogaloo activity after a show in Cleveland on October 7. Carl, Al, Bruce and Mike all chipped into the writing in some capacity, and Carl took the lead on producing. Recording dates are a little murky on this one – Capitol’s files indicate a session on November 10, the track sheet is dated November 13, and there’s an AFM contract dated November 15.
With Carl on rhythm guitar and Al on bass, the Boys started by putting down a single verse for modular copying; Al concluded that he just couldn’t hack it, as he was wont to do, so Carl re-recorded the bass and became a one man overdub band. Bruce initially gave the lead vocal a shot, and a fraction of a second of a deep Mike attempt survives on tape, but the final decision was to give singing duties to Carl too, with the tape slowed almost a semitone to help him out (the tape speed was returned to the track’s natural pitch for the mono mix, making Carl sound like a gnarly munchkin). There was a lyric-less instrumental stretch to fill in the second verse and no available space on tape, so Bruce overdubbed a Farfisa organ solo either directly onto the mono mix or onto a missing 2nd generation 8-track reel.
I’d Love Just Once to See You
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(voices)
Brian Wilson – lead vocal, backing vocals
Carl Wilson – backing vocals
Al Jardine – backing vocals
Mike Love – backing vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – sticks
Carl Wilson – acoustic guitar (rhythm) / acoustic guitar (x3 – rhythm, arpeggios, bass) / electric bass [Hofner 500/1]
Al Jardine – acoustic guitar (arpeggios)
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 13, 1967 (7:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
Circa November 13 to 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– lead: Brian
– ‘ba ba ba’: Brian+Carl+Al>Mike
– title unison: Brian+Carl+Al+Mike
– ending scat round: Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
Tracks
(take 16)
1 – sticks, acoustic guitar 1 [rhy.] (b/t) / tag group tambourine, shaker & ad lib vocals (o/d 7)
2 – electric bass (o/d 4)
3 – acoustic guitars 3 & 4 [arpeggios] (o/d 2)
4 – sticks, acoustic guitar 1 + acoustic guitar 2 (p/p 1 + 7)
5 – acoustic guitar 5 [bass] (o/d 3)
6 – Brian lead vocal (o/d 8)
7 – acoustic guitar 2 [rhy.] (o/d 1) / tag group vocals (o/d 6)
8 – bridge & title line group vocals (o/d 5)
The closest Brian Wilson ever veered to the acoustic singer-songwriter genre was recorded entirely in one session at Wally Heider’s, being one of the final productions completed for the album. Basic tracking began with Carl and Al both strumming acoustic guitars in the “A” sections – Carl playing low, Al with a capo up high. In anticipation of his arrangement for the “B” sections that would involve tricky arpeggio patterns, Brian simply tapped drumsticks together to create a human click track while the guitars laid out. The sticks were used throughout and are the only percussion heard in the song. Al soon surrendered from playing, as he was wont to do, and Carl and Brian went at it alone.
Onto the master (consisting of only Carl’s acoustic guitar and Brian’s sticks), Carl doubled his rhythm guitar in “A” and played some stray arpeggios in “B”; this was then ping-ponged together with the basic track to clear further space. Carl and Al overdubbed the core sparkly acoustic guitar arpeggios in the “B” sections. Since they were on an acoustic roll at this point, Carl added one further overdub on the same instrument: a descending pseudo-bass in “B”, plucked with his finger and using close mic proximity to make it sound a bit like an upright bass. Brian evidently just considered Carl to be his band for the day, and also had him overdub plucky electric bass to the “A” sections.
Brian, Carl, Al and Mike stood around listening to the track and experimented with some “nik-nak-noo” backing vocal ideas, which didn’t make the cut. Instead, in the lyric-free third verse, the former three sang a “ba ba ba” part together with Mike harmonizing below; this was followed by a lovely “I’d love just once to see you in the nude” sung in unison at the song’s climax. Hopping to another track, the four of them sang airy scat vocals at the ending, and reverted to the “ba ba ba” for a fadeout frenzy that wasn’t used. (Another overdub onto this unused section involved tambourine, shaker, and Mike screaming.) The last part added was Brian’s plaintive lead vocal.
In the assembly of a mono mix, two different mix fragments were spliced together at the wrong moment, resulting in the enjoyable quirk of an additional bar-and-a-half at the start of the third verse.
Surf’s Up
(Version 4)
(Brian Wilson – Van Dyke Parks)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Van Dyke Parks
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – lead vocal, grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 14, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio
Initial Release:
2011 Stereo Mix – The Smile Sessions (2011 Capitol Records)
2012 Stereo Mix – Made in California (2013, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 4 + pickup 1 take 5 + pickup 2 take 4)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2
3 – Brian vocal (b/t)
4
5
6
7
8
On the penultimate day of the Wild Honey sessions and the last to involve recording at Brian’s house, the Beach Boys were working fast to fill up the quota of 11 or 12 tracks for an album. Brian started out the afternoon session by recording a new version of his and Van Dyke Parks’ Surf’s Up, singing live while playing piano just like he had on the Inside Pop TV special. Brian’s relationship with Surf’s Up was complicated, to say the least, but at that moment, he appeared to be thinking about putting this most treasured and vulnerable of his compositions on the new album.
The song had been reworked somewhat since its last airing, lowered half a step with added key changes and a different approach to the rhythm. Carl sat in the room with Brian while he performed. Very much in the Wild Honey way of thinking, Brian recorded the song in several pickup sections with the intent to splice together a master from the best parts of each. He attempted 4 takes of the first verse, 5 takes from the second verse (one reaching the end of the song), and 4 takes from the second movement. After about 9 minutes of this, he asked to hear a playback, and did not take it any further.
Various mixes released on The Smile Sessions, Made in California and Sunshine Tomorrow edit the highlights of different takes into a full performance per Brian’s original intent.
Country Air
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Mike Love, Brian Wilson
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producer: Brian Wilson
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
(vocals)
Brian Wilson – verse scat vocals, chorus lead vocal, chorus & tag harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – verse lead humming, chorus & tag harmony vocals
Mike Love – verse whistling, chorus & tag harmony vocals
Al Jardine – verse whistling, chorus harmony vocals
Bruce Johnston – verse scat vocals, tag harmony vocals
(instrumentation)
Brian Wilson – grand piano (detuned) [Chickering 105D] / electric bass [Hofner 500/1] / drums / Chamberlin (rooster, brass)
Carl Wilson – electric bass [Fender VI] (erased) / electric guitar [Gibson ES-330]
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 14, 1967 / Beach Boys’ Recording Studio (track)
November 14, 1967 (7:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3 (vocals)
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
November 14 or 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2012 Stereo Mix – Made in California (2013, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records)
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Vocal Guide
– verse humming lead: Carl / scat backing: Bruce>Brian / whistling: Mike+Al / ‘come on!’: Brian
– chorus lead: Brian / harmony: Brian>Al>Carl>Mike / breath: Carl
– tag harmony: Brian>Bruce>Carl>Mike
Tracks
(take 16)
1 – grand piano (b/t)
2 – Chamberlin (o/d 3)
3 – electric 6-string bass (b/t) (x) / electric bass (o/d 2)
4 – Brian chorus lead vocal, Carl breath (o/d 4)
5 – electric guitar (o/d 1)
6 – group verse vocals (o/d 9) / group chorus vocals 1 (o/d 5) (x) / group tag vocals 1 (o/d 7)
7 – drums (o/d 1)
8 – group chorus vocals 1 + 2 (o/d 6 p/p) / group tag vocals 1 + 2 (o/d 8 p/p)
After setting that version of Surf’s Up aside, Brian and Carl moved onto cutting a track for Wilson-Love original Country Air. Brian’s vocal mic was still being captured to tape when the takes got going. For the basic track, Brian pounded on his Chickering piano, and Carl at first strummed a light electric rhythm guitar before switching to 6-string bass. Remarks were made about getting this done quickly so they’d have time to eat before driving to Wally Heider’s.
Brian and Carl respectively overdubbed drums and the rhythm guitar part that’d been tried out earlier. Brian then replaced Carl’s VI bass with the more rounded Hofner (played thumb style), and added two sound samples using an instrument never before heard on a Beach Boys record: the group’s recently acquired Chamberlin, the American equivalent (and precursor) to the electro-mechanical tape-triggering Mellotron keyboard. Brian’s Chamberlin overdub consisted of sustained, rising brass notes (which start to crackle and buzz the longer they’re held), and cries from a rooster after the final chorus. Not much use of the Chamberlin was had on later Beach Boys productions, apparently because Brian couldn’t get into the low-fidelity sounds that made the instrument so distinctive and interesting to most.
Heading over to Wally’s that night for the vocals and mixing, Brian started by overdubbing his lead in the chorus (with Carl on hand to deliver a naturalistic “breath”), culminating in a huge, sky-high “sleep,” where he uncannily manages to harmonize with the farm life. Brian, Al, Carl and Mike overdubbed and double-tracked the block harmonies around his vocal in the chorus, which were combined to one track, with some distortion caused during the ping-ponging. A slightly altered lineup of Brian, Bruce, Carl and Mike overdubbed and doubled the wordless fade vocals. Finally, the group added the verse parts: Carl humming the lead melody with vigour, Brian and Bruce singing light scat vocals in the background, and Mike and Al whistling. Country Air was mixed to mono with heaps of atmospheric reverb and a massive, swampy bass sound, ideal for budget demolition jobs.
Mama Says
(Brian Wilson – Mike Love)
Music: Brian Wilson
Lyrics: Van Dyke Parks
Arrangement: Brian Wilson
Producers: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Brian Wilson – harmony vocals
Carl Wilson – harmony vocals
Al Jardine – harmony vocals
Mike Love – harmony vocals
Bruce Johnston – harmony vocals
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 15, 1967 (7:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
Vocal Guide
– sections 2-6 harmony: Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
– sections 7-8 harmony: Bruce>Brian>Carl>Al>Mike
Tracks
(part 1 take 4 + part 2 take 8 + part 3 take 6 + part 4 take 8 + part 5 take 7 + part 6 take 9 + part 7 take 16 + part 8 take 8)
1 – vocals 1 (b/t)
2
3 – vocals 2 (o/d)
4
5
6
7
8
A thanksgiving tour was to begin on November 17. Two days before that, the Beach Boys had an urgent need to wrap this album up. Luckily, Brian kept a huge surplus of unused material in his back pocket and so broke glass on the excised Vegetables chorus chant, also known as Do a Lot or Sleep a Lot, which he retitled Mama Says.
The chant became an a cappella harmony workout stringing together several rhythmic variations of the theme, recorded with the express intent that this would be the closing track on the album. Brian, Carl, Al and Mike (in descending harmony order) more or less improvised these ideas on the spot – after getting a good enough take of one section, they’d double-track it and immediately move on to another. Bruce provided feedback from the booth.
The group recorded a staccato version (part 2), a version legato that sighed out each line (part 3), a waltz version (part 4), a pickup on the “never be lazy, be lazy” (part 5), a quick “frisky” version (part 6), a straight reading like the versions from the Smile era (part 1), and then Bruce was pulled into the studio for an extra voice on the closing “boy” (part 7) and “poof” (part 8). The doubled master takes were removed from the session tape and spliced together on another, now-missing reel (probably also containing the How She Boogalooed It bridge), so Mama Says only survives via its final mono mix.
How She Boogalooed It
(Interlude)
(Carl Wilson – Al Jardine – Bruce Johnston – Mike Love)
Working Title: Good Lord, How She Boogalooed It
Music & Lyrics: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, Mike Love
Arrangement: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Producers: Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston
Engineers: Jim Lockert, Bill Halverson (2nd)
Personnel:
Carl Wilson – electric guitar [Fender Stratocaster] / maraca
The Beach Boys – hand claps
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 15, 1967 (7:00pm-10:00pm) / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Mixed to 1/4″ mono:
November 15, 1967 / Wally Heider Recording – Studio 3
Initial Release:
1967 Mono Mix – Wild Honey (1967, Capitol Records)
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow (2017, Capitol Records) [splice from mono mix]
Remix engineer: Mark Linett
Track Layout Unknown
The 8-track reel for Boogalooed‘s short instrumental interlude is missing from the archive as of writing. A simple eight bars of electric guitar, maraca, and group hand claps inserted between verses, likely recorded on the final day of the sessions.
Away
(Dennis Wilson – Billy Hinsche)
Music: Dennis Wilson, Billy Hinsche
Arrangement: Dennis Wilson, assisted by the studio musicians
Producer: Dennis Wilson
Engineer: Jim Lockert
Personnel:
Dennis Wilson – upright piano (w/taped strings)
Mike Deasy – acoustic guitar
David Cohen – electric guitar (w/tremolo)
James Burton – resonator guitar [Mosrite Dobro]
Bill Pitman – electric 6-string bass [Danelectro UB-2]
Gene Pello – drums
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 28, 1967 (8:00pm-1:00am) / Western Recorders – Studio 1 (logged as ‘Tune L’)
Initial Release:
2018 Stereo Mix – Wake the World: The Friends Sessions (2018, Capitol Records)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 62 of 68)
1 – resonator guitar (b/t)
2
3 – acoustic guitar, electric guitar (b/t)
4
5 – taped upright piano (b/t – not featured in final takes)
6
7 – electric bass, drums (b/t)
8
Post-thanksgiving tour, Dennis hopped straight into the studio to helm a mysterious session for Brother Records, his second ever professional effort with an original composition… or two original compositions. No other Beach Boys accompanied Dennis, so this was a big deal. The AFM contract for the date noted down the catch-all title Tune #L.
The session took place in Western’s large Studio 1 with familiar face Jim Lockert behind the board. A full version of Dennis and Billy’s Away was up first: still only one verse and bridge lasting about 50 seconds, probably intended for tape looping. The band (some men who’d worked with Brian, some who hadn’t) laid down a whopping 68 takes of a basic track – largely a result of Dennis having trouble communicating his ideas, being very particular about the feel, and not having the most fluent keyboard facility, especially with the 7/4 time change in the middle. After take 62 (released on Wake the World: The Friends Sessions), the last few attempts were made without Dennis playing piano. They definitely got several good versions along the way. Dino, Desi and Billy collectively wrote lyrics, which were never recorded.
No Name
(Dennis Wilson)
Music: Dennis Wilson
Arrangement: Dennis Wilson, assisted by the studio musicians
Producer: Dennis Wilson
Engineer: Jim Lockert
Personnel:
(basic)
Dennis Wilson – tack upright piano / electric piano [Wurlitzer]
David Cohen – electric guitar / electric guitar (alt.)
Gene Pello – drums / tambourine, shaker
Paul Tanner – Electro-Theremin
Recorded to 1″ 8-track:
November 28, 1967 (8:00pm-1:00am) / Western Recorders – Studio 1 (logged as ‘Tune L’)
Initial Release:
2017 Stereo Mix – 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions (2017, Capitol Records) (as ‘Tune L’)
Mix engineer: Mark Linett
Tracks
(take 30)
1 – tack piano (b/t)
2 – electric guitar 2 (o/d)
3 – electric guitar 1 (b/t)
4
5 – tambourine, maraca (o/d)
6
7 – drums (b/t)
8 – Electro-Theremin, electric piano (o/d)
The second song Dennis recorded during his late November ‘67 session was something of an afterthought, an untitled Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band esque rocker identified only as No Name, which Dennis later turned into a song called Peaches. Just two of the musicians stayed behind with Dennis to get this on tape. Dennis played tack piano, David Cohen played electric guitar, and Gene Pello played drums, with no bassist involved. After rolling through the progression for 30 takes, several instruments were simultaneously overdubbed onto the master: David Cohen played a second rhythm guitar, Gene Pello shook a tambourine and small shaker, Dennis played stray notes on a Wurlitzer electric piano, and old friend Paul Tanner was enlisted to play his Electro-Theremin for an inexplicably brief passage in the intro.
This track was released on Sunshine Tomorrow 2 under the title Tune L, derived from the AFM contract.