From: derekbill@allsummerlong.com   
      
   In article <1gX7d.1148$Cr6.545@trndny03>, subw75    
   wrote:   
      
   > Derek A. Bill wrote:   
   >   
   > >   
   > > If you listen to all the various original Smile segments floating   
   > > around, there really isn't that much that had to be done for the new   
   > > version. That (and the fact that the group had been playing it on the   
   > > road, basically practicing their studio parts) is why it came together   
   > > so quickly this Spring.   
   > >   
   > So there was nothing that wasn't on the original, prepared for the live   
   > show? (I only heard some bootlegs once, about 10 years ago, and I don't   
   > remember.)   
      
   One could assemble a collection of released Beach Boys masters and   
   you'd have well over half of the new SmiLE album already.  Good   
   Vibrations, Wonderful, Surf's Up/Child-Father, H&V, Cabinessense, Wind   
   Chimes,  Vegetables.   
      
   Throw in the stuff on the boxed set and the two-fer's, and you've got a   
   lot of the material that makes up the difference between the version of   
   the songs listed above and the ones on the new album.  The new lyrics   
   to Good Vibrations, the new stuff in H&V, Wonderful, Vegetables, for   
   example.   
      
   The take the entire library of track sessionwork that has come into the   
   hands of Brianistas, and you'd have probably another 40% of the   
   instrumentation.  Here we're talking about Barnyard, Mrs. O'Leary,   
   Holidays, Sunshine/Around. Really, very little of what you're hearing   
   on the new version hasn't been heard before. Like maybe 10%?  And   
   that's often transitional stuff.   
      
   The vocal arrangements were almost all done, as evidenced by the   
   previously released and never officially released material.   
      
   Most of what's new on the 2004 version is lead vocals/verses on Blue   
   Hawaii, Song for Children/Father of the Man, and the pirate's part on   
   Holidays. This is really not much. The melody to Holidays, for example,   
   pretty much follows the backing track.   
      
   There are probably 20 versions of SmiLE, fully assembled except for   
   these new verses and vocals, floating around the internet. It's like   
   musical legos.  And it's amazing how complete they are. Except that   
   none of them have the correct playing order. But of course some will   
   argue that their playing order is more accurate than Brian's.......   
      
   >   
   > > Keep in mind, many artists in other media have students to help them   
   > > flesh out their work, as do architects. (Can you imagine Frank Lloyd   
   > > Wright drafting EVERY blueprint?)   
   >   
   > Yes, but isn't there a difference between someone saying "the strings   
   > will go like this," and someone saying, "Brian wants the strings to go   
   > like this, so let me convey that to the string section"? (Yes, I realize   
   > that George Martin composed arrangements for the Beatles songs, and that   
   > doesn't make the Beatles any less great-- I'm just trying to get an idea   
   > of who composed all of the classical instrumentation.)   
   > A large chunk of Mozart's requiem was written by a student. Of course,   
   > that's because Mozart had died.   
   >   
      
   If you listen to Pet Sounds, there's a lot of similar instrumentation   
   there. The session box set even has brian telling people what to play,   
   making chages on the spot. At one point a guy makes a suggestion and   
   Brian says, "yeah, let's play it like that". Brian did a fair amount of   
   improvisation during the session.   
      
   Sid Sharp is credited with some of the string section arrangements on   
   Pet Sounds.  Listen to Sunflower, and a guy named Michel Synclavier or   
   something or other did the strings on that.  Not to undervalue the   
   contributions of the musicians, but honestly, I don't think this is all   
   that big a deal.  And California Girls has some pretty serious   
   orchestration going on, Brian did "Tonight You Belong to Me" with   
   woodwinds and such....   
      
   ...wich reminds me....listen to that string break in Bush's "Glycerine"   
   and compare it to the one in "I'm Waiting for the Day". .....   
      
   ....or maybe i'm not understanding your question.  If you're wondering   
   if they are NEW string arrangements,  as opposed to old Brian Wilson   
   arrangements, or if they're new approximations of 1967 arrangements by   
   someone other than Brian, I guess I don't really know for sure.  If so,   
      
   I'll bet Van probably contributed something along these lines.   
      
   Maybe I really am giving this issue short shrift. But I've heard   
   Hollyridge Strings stuff that sounds similar, and I think Ron Altman   
   did a classically arranged instrumental medley of BW stuff about 15   
   years ago that wasn't bad. I'm just not hearing a lot of added value in   
   any of these things, so it occurs to me that Brian did it right the   
   first time, and only he seems to do that.  The guy hears six-part   
   harmony in his head, so it never occurred to me that anyone else was   
   arranging things, including the strings. Listen to the chorus on "I   
   Just Wasn't Made for These Times' and tell me how you can have more   
   people playing different things on one section of music without it   
   sounding like complete caca-phony.  I realize these are mostly vocals,   
   but that'show brian would do that sort of thing.....lining up a bunch   
   of string players and singing their parts out loud for them to play.   
      
   Again, I suggest we all watch the entire two hours of the Leaf Showtime   
   special on Tuesday, which includes lots of candid studio footage. I'm   
   not sure there's anything along these lines on there, and if there is,   
   it could be Brian's telling them to play stuff some other guy arranged   
   37 years ago, but i kinda doubt that.   
      
   Derek   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)