The beginning of SMiLE: Part 1: Again?
Apr 4, 2019 15:23:56 GMT -5
Beach Boys Fan, catbirdman, and 2 more like this
Post by Cam Mott on Apr 4, 2019 15:23:56 GMT -5
A case can be made that the album-after-Pet-Sounds began with the recording of the first version of “Heroes and Villains” on May 11, 1966. It may have been recorded as for a single, I’ve not seen any evidence for or against it, but it definitely has direct connections to the 2nd phase of that album when the title was SMiLE. The song “You Are My Sunshine” connects them and the title “Heroes and Villains” connects them.
Brad Elliot found in Capitol's files, while working on the “Rarities” album, a memo of June 22, 1966 assigning the album project number 31-5526 and album number T-2580 to a new, then untitled, Beach Boys album.
Though this album had at least three phases under three titles, I suppose June 22, 1966 is the official beginning of the album project. However, I am concentrating on the phase of the album when it was titled SMiLE and I’m defining the beginning of SMiLE as the night Brian and Van Dyke wrote their version (the 2nd ) of “Heroes and Villains”; the change of the album title from “Dumb Angel” to “SMiLE” seems to coincide approximately with the time of the beginning of their song collaboration anyway.
“SMiLE, as far as I was concerned, was the name of the project.”
Van Dyke Parks, 2005, “The Story of Brian Wilson’s Lost Masterpiece SMiLE”
I’ve been working for a couple of decades on and off on when this collaboration began. There are clues from 4 people who were directly involved in the scene - Jules Siegel, Derek Taylor, Frank Holmes, and Michael Vosse - as to when Brian’s and Van Dyke’s first song writing collaboration began:
Jules Siegel
Siegel reported, around April 1967 apparently, regarding the beginning of the collaboration, in the context of the "dining-table concerto" dinner party on "an October evening" while the Boys were touring Europe, that:
“Earlier in the Summer, Brian had hired Van Dyke Parks, a super-sophisticated young songwriter and composer, to collaborate with him on the lyrics for Smile.”
Jules Siegel, “Goodbye Surfing, Hello God! (LLVS 86)
Not a very specific time frame but before the end of Summer or before August 31 if he was speaking meteorological seasons or before September 23 in 1966 if he were speaking astronomical seasons.
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor published, around late July/early August 1967, that:
“Work began on ‘Heroes & Villains’ in late summer of 1966 when Brian Wilson and his lyric collaborator Van Dyke Parks were also planning eleven other singles for an album tentatively titled ‘Smile’.”
Again that would be August and/or late August meteorologically or September astronomically.
Frank Holmes
There may be more from Frank in published accounts, but back in 1998 to 2001, he (and the Otis Art Institute Registrar) patiently worked with me on the questions of when he got the SMiLE album commission and when before that Van Dyke might have begun his commission as lyricist for the SMiLE album. Frank’s memory was very strong in my opinion and he admitted areas where his memories were not as strong:
“Frank Holmes attended a Beach Boys vocal session at Columbia; Frank remembers standing around in the hall with Dennis Wilson and Terry Melcher.”
Notes from a phone conversation with Frank Holmes 8/31/98
“To answer your questions, I'm sure I started the project right away, perhaps it was the last week of August. That would have given me three weeks before the semester started.
Brian did tell me at that time that the album was originally to be called "Dumb Angel," but now was changed to "Smile." That was the concept I would follow.
Frank Holmes email 12/6/01
“I was living in Pasadena till September and had been working on some of the drawings and ideas then. When I started my final year at Otis Art Institute, I moved back to Los Angeles and I began the finished work when the semester started (on September 19, 1966). So you might say that part was done in Pasadena and the rest in Los Angeles.”
Frank Holmes email 12/4/01
I think Van Dyke had been working with Brian for a while, I don't know how long, I'm guessing not too long.
Frank Holmes email 2/6/01
The “Good Vibrations” vocal session establishes he was on the job on September 12 or/and September 21.
Three weeks before the beginning of the 1966/67 Fall semester at Otis on September 19 would be about the week of August 28th through September 4th.
Frank is not sure but guessed Van Dyke began possibly around late August and early September.
Michael Vosse
Michael Vosse spoke to it in an article published in Fusion Magazine in 1969. He set out a fairly detailed but sometimes confusing timeline. Luckily he mentions some events that a date can be put to and I’m adding some other witness from 1998 through 2005 which also helps sort it out. I am starting from his beginning work for Brian, which is one of the known dates, and going backward to his “not sure” date of when Van Dyke began working with Brian, hopefully this won’t create its own confusion:
circa Monday Oct 17
Michael begins his new job as Brian’s assistant.
“at the end of which time - first, I was hired to do several things … They were feuding a little with Derek Taylor, which was silly. We knew it would pass. But they wanted me to do a few press things, and at that time Derek was about to leave for London with the group (on or about Oct. 23) so there was some stuff to do here with Brian. So I was hired in an informal capacity to set up the film company”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“Ann Arbor concert was at the end of his first full week.”
Notes of phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
“The first days of the job included going with Brian to the Michigan gig.”
Michael Vosse email 12/19/01
“During the first week of work he took me along to Michigan where the Beach Boys did - I think 2 shows - on their way to a triumphant European tour –“
Michael Vosse ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
The beginning of a wild week which started with Michael recording all sort of water and pebble sounds and ending with the LA airport group photo, with beginning a Teen Set article and participating in the SMiLE party tape and “producing” the “Good Vibrations” firehouse video and probably accompanying Brian to a taping of Boss City and definitely to two Ann Arbor Beach Boys shows in between. Whew.
circa Oct 3
“A couple of weeks” before his first day on the job.
“…and then one day, the week "Good Vibrations" came out, Brian told us that he would like us both to go to work for the Beach Boy. - but first, like, talk to the other guys and find out what we would like to do. And so for a couple of weeks we just sort of did that,”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“The next day BW calls Michael and offers him a job saying a lot is going on right then and he needs an assistant. They discuss back and forth for a few weeks before Michael Vosse accepts”.
Notes from phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
“Within a few days (of the TeenSet interview meeting with Brian) he called and offered me a job, working for him.”
Michael Vosse, ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
“But I didn't really meet the rest of them (Beach Boys) for about a week (after dinner party)”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“The week "Good Vibrations" came out” must refer to the week of September 28 to October 5 when “Good Vibrations” debuted as a Pick Hit at KHJ Boss Radio.
The week of its official release would be the week of October 10 to October 17 which would not leave the “couple of weeks” before he started on the week of October 17.
Michael Vosse puts both Brian’s call to meet, and the Teen Set interview meeting, and Brian’s job offer within the next/few days, and his meeting the other Beach Boys all at “about a week” after the dinner party and during “the week "Good Vibrations" came out.
circa Oct 2 to September 29
The day before or a few days before the job offer, his second of two meeting of Brian “before the job”.
“And a week later Brian called me, and David and I just started hanging out a little with him, and talking about things”
“I myself had first met Brian when I was sent to do an interview for Teen Set magazine – which, by the way, paid fifty dollars an interview, which was great
because all they want is one page - so I went to interview Brian, and it took me a week to get it: Derek Taylor set it up. And Brian and I met at Gaiety
Delicatessen and had malts - right? - and he was very nervous.”
“In the press releases the record had been referred to as Dumb Angel but he told me the record was going to be called Smile ...”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“Michael Vosse meets BW at a restaurant for an interview for The TeenSet magazine; Jules Siegel had not wanted to fool with this job and Derek Taylor threw it to Michael”
Notes from phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
Sidebar: Jules Siegel had no memory of the above: “Wha? Teen Set? I don't remember this at all.”
Jules Siegel email 3/28/99
“I went through Derek Taylor to arrange that interview. He was an absolutely stellar good guy. The band was a tad skittish about him about the time "Good Vibrations" came out because of his ties to the Beatles.”
Michael Vosse email 1/29/01
“I met Brian twice before the job …Later in the Fall (his second meeting of Brian), Teen Set assigned me to do a small interview with Brian about “Good Vibrations”.”
Michael Vosse: ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
circa Sept 25 to September 22
A week before the Teen Set interview meeting.
“And one night Van Dyke Parks came over; he said that he was doing this thing with Brian, and suggested that we all go over there sometime.”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“I met Brian twice before the job – the first time David Anderle and I went to his home…”
Michael Vosse ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
“I met him one night when Van Dyke Parks called Anderle and invited us to come over to Brian's to hear some of their stuff. We both loved Pet Sounds and were up that hill in a flash. And it was great. Brian and Van noodled at the piano and Brian played us an acetate of "Good Vibrations" which was about to be released.”
Michael Vosse email 5/3/01
“So Brian threw a formal dinner at his house up in Beverly Hills, way up in the hills. Anyway, we went over to Brian Wilson's house one night for dinner: David Anderle and his wife, and me and a chick, and Van Dyke and his wife, and a guy from the Saturday Evening Post named Jules Segal–“
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“So Brian, who was very impetuous and weird about things sometimes, immediately decided it was time to form a company.”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
Frank Holmes may have attended this party: “He remembers a party of about 8-10 people including himself, Brian, Marilyn, DA, Michael Vosse, VDP, Durrie Parks, one of the Turtles, and a couple others “and ‘Good Vibrations’ was not out at the dinner party”. Frank says he may remember SMiLE music being played, but he stayed in another room.”
Notes of phone conversation Frank Holmes 8/31 and 9/1/98
prior to August 31
“And by the end of the summer, Anderle and I and his old lady were living in a little garage in downtown LA.
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
circa August 25 to August 22
“A month or so...I’m not sure” before the dinner party.
“When I heard those first two songs (CE/WRTIH and SU performed at the dinner party), Van Dyke had only been working with Brian a month or so. I'm not sure though ...”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
So, again, not sure but Michael thought Brian and Van Dyke’s collaboration began around late August possibly.
Summary so far: All four witnesses put the beginning of the collaboration around the Summer/End of Summer/late August/early September range.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Stuff in italics is my words except when I quote my own notes of phone conversations, which are also my words but are Cliff-Notes quotes as accurate as I was able to furiously write long hand as the interviewee spoke. I hope I make sense to those interested. I have also assumed a certain level of familiarity with SMiLE history, hopefully I haven’t assumed too much.
As always, corrections, contradictions, more and better information is always welcome.
More, for what it’s worth, in The Beginning of SMiLE: Part 2 as time allows, yada, yada, yada….
_____________________________________________________________________________
Brad Elliot found in Capitol's files, while working on the “Rarities” album, a memo of June 22, 1966 assigning the album project number 31-5526 and album number T-2580 to a new, then untitled, Beach Boys album.
Though this album had at least three phases under three titles, I suppose June 22, 1966 is the official beginning of the album project. However, I am concentrating on the phase of the album when it was titled SMiLE and I’m defining the beginning of SMiLE as the night Brian and Van Dyke wrote their version (the 2nd ) of “Heroes and Villains”; the change of the album title from “Dumb Angel” to “SMiLE” seems to coincide approximately with the time of the beginning of their song collaboration anyway.
“SMiLE, as far as I was concerned, was the name of the project.”
Van Dyke Parks, 2005, “The Story of Brian Wilson’s Lost Masterpiece SMiLE”
I’ve been working for a couple of decades on and off on when this collaboration began. There are clues from 4 people who were directly involved in the scene - Jules Siegel, Derek Taylor, Frank Holmes, and Michael Vosse - as to when Brian’s and Van Dyke’s first song writing collaboration began:
Jules Siegel
Siegel reported, around April 1967 apparently, regarding the beginning of the collaboration, in the context of the "dining-table concerto" dinner party on "an October evening" while the Boys were touring Europe, that:
“Earlier in the Summer, Brian had hired Van Dyke Parks, a super-sophisticated young songwriter and composer, to collaborate with him on the lyrics for Smile.”
Jules Siegel, “Goodbye Surfing, Hello God! (LLVS 86)
Not a very specific time frame but before the end of Summer or before August 31 if he was speaking meteorological seasons or before September 23 in 1966 if he were speaking astronomical seasons.
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor published, around late July/early August 1967, that:
“Work began on ‘Heroes & Villains’ in late summer of 1966 when Brian Wilson and his lyric collaborator Van Dyke Parks were also planning eleven other singles for an album tentatively titled ‘Smile’.”
Again that would be August and/or late August meteorologically or September astronomically.
Frank Holmes
There may be more from Frank in published accounts, but back in 1998 to 2001, he (and the Otis Art Institute Registrar) patiently worked with me on the questions of when he got the SMiLE album commission and when before that Van Dyke might have begun his commission as lyricist for the SMiLE album. Frank’s memory was very strong in my opinion and he admitted areas where his memories were not as strong:
“Frank Holmes attended a Beach Boys vocal session at Columbia; Frank remembers standing around in the hall with Dennis Wilson and Terry Melcher.”
Notes from a phone conversation with Frank Holmes 8/31/98
“To answer your questions, I'm sure I started the project right away, perhaps it was the last week of August. That would have given me three weeks before the semester started.
Brian did tell me at that time that the album was originally to be called "Dumb Angel," but now was changed to "Smile." That was the concept I would follow.
Frank Holmes email 12/6/01
“I was living in Pasadena till September and had been working on some of the drawings and ideas then. When I started my final year at Otis Art Institute, I moved back to Los Angeles and I began the finished work when the semester started (on September 19, 1966). So you might say that part was done in Pasadena and the rest in Los Angeles.”
Frank Holmes email 12/4/01
I think Van Dyke had been working with Brian for a while, I don't know how long, I'm guessing not too long.
Frank Holmes email 2/6/01
The “Good Vibrations” vocal session establishes he was on the job on September 12 or/and September 21.
Three weeks before the beginning of the 1966/67 Fall semester at Otis on September 19 would be about the week of August 28th through September 4th.
Frank is not sure but guessed Van Dyke began possibly around late August and early September.
Michael Vosse
Michael Vosse spoke to it in an article published in Fusion Magazine in 1969. He set out a fairly detailed but sometimes confusing timeline. Luckily he mentions some events that a date can be put to and I’m adding some other witness from 1998 through 2005 which also helps sort it out. I am starting from his beginning work for Brian, which is one of the known dates, and going backward to his “not sure” date of when Van Dyke began working with Brian, hopefully this won’t create its own confusion:
circa Monday Oct 17
Michael begins his new job as Brian’s assistant.
“at the end of which time - first, I was hired to do several things … They were feuding a little with Derek Taylor, which was silly. We knew it would pass. But they wanted me to do a few press things, and at that time Derek was about to leave for London with the group (on or about Oct. 23) so there was some stuff to do here with Brian. So I was hired in an informal capacity to set up the film company”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“Ann Arbor concert was at the end of his first full week.”
Notes of phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
“The first days of the job included going with Brian to the Michigan gig.”
Michael Vosse email 12/19/01
“During the first week of work he took me along to Michigan where the Beach Boys did - I think 2 shows - on their way to a triumphant European tour –“
Michael Vosse ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
The beginning of a wild week which started with Michael recording all sort of water and pebble sounds and ending with the LA airport group photo, with beginning a Teen Set article and participating in the SMiLE party tape and “producing” the “Good Vibrations” firehouse video and probably accompanying Brian to a taping of Boss City and definitely to two Ann Arbor Beach Boys shows in between. Whew.
circa Oct 3
“A couple of weeks” before his first day on the job.
“…and then one day, the week "Good Vibrations" came out, Brian told us that he would like us both to go to work for the Beach Boy. - but first, like, talk to the other guys and find out what we would like to do. And so for a couple of weeks we just sort of did that,”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“The next day BW calls Michael and offers him a job saying a lot is going on right then and he needs an assistant. They discuss back and forth for a few weeks before Michael Vosse accepts”.
Notes from phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
“Within a few days (of the TeenSet interview meeting with Brian) he called and offered me a job, working for him.”
Michael Vosse, ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
“But I didn't really meet the rest of them (Beach Boys) for about a week (after dinner party)”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“The week "Good Vibrations" came out” must refer to the week of September 28 to October 5 when “Good Vibrations” debuted as a Pick Hit at KHJ Boss Radio.
The week of its official release would be the week of October 10 to October 17 which would not leave the “couple of weeks” before he started on the week of October 17.
Michael Vosse puts both Brian’s call to meet, and the Teen Set interview meeting, and Brian’s job offer within the next/few days, and his meeting the other Beach Boys all at “about a week” after the dinner party and during “the week "Good Vibrations" came out.
circa Oct 2 to September 29
The day before or a few days before the job offer, his second of two meeting of Brian “before the job”.
“And a week later Brian called me, and David and I just started hanging out a little with him, and talking about things”
“I myself had first met Brian when I was sent to do an interview for Teen Set magazine – which, by the way, paid fifty dollars an interview, which was great
because all they want is one page - so I went to interview Brian, and it took me a week to get it: Derek Taylor set it up. And Brian and I met at Gaiety
Delicatessen and had malts - right? - and he was very nervous.”
“In the press releases the record had been referred to as Dumb Angel but he told me the record was going to be called Smile ...”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“Michael Vosse meets BW at a restaurant for an interview for The TeenSet magazine; Jules Siegel had not wanted to fool with this job and Derek Taylor threw it to Michael”
Notes from phone conversation with Michael Vosse 9/30/98
Sidebar: Jules Siegel had no memory of the above: “Wha? Teen Set? I don't remember this at all.”
Jules Siegel email 3/28/99
“I went through Derek Taylor to arrange that interview. He was an absolutely stellar good guy. The band was a tad skittish about him about the time "Good Vibrations" came out because of his ties to the Beatles.”
Michael Vosse email 1/29/01
“I met Brian twice before the job …Later in the Fall (his second meeting of Brian), Teen Set assigned me to do a small interview with Brian about “Good Vibrations”.”
Michael Vosse: ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
circa Sept 25 to September 22
A week before the Teen Set interview meeting.
“And one night Van Dyke Parks came over; he said that he was doing this thing with Brian, and suggested that we all go over there sometime.”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“I met Brian twice before the job – the first time David Anderle and I went to his home…”
Michael Vosse ESQ Issue no. 68, 2005
“I met him one night when Van Dyke Parks called Anderle and invited us to come over to Brian's to hear some of their stuff. We both loved Pet Sounds and were up that hill in a flash. And it was great. Brian and Van noodled at the piano and Brian played us an acetate of "Good Vibrations" which was about to be released.”
Michael Vosse email 5/3/01
“So Brian threw a formal dinner at his house up in Beverly Hills, way up in the hills. Anyway, we went over to Brian Wilson's house one night for dinner: David Anderle and his wife, and me and a chick, and Van Dyke and his wife, and a guy from the Saturday Evening Post named Jules Segal–“
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
“So Brian, who was very impetuous and weird about things sometimes, immediately decided it was time to form a company.”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
Frank Holmes may have attended this party: “He remembers a party of about 8-10 people including himself, Brian, Marilyn, DA, Michael Vosse, VDP, Durrie Parks, one of the Turtles, and a couple others “and ‘Good Vibrations’ was not out at the dinner party”. Frank says he may remember SMiLE music being played, but he stayed in another room.”
Notes of phone conversation Frank Holmes 8/31 and 9/1/98
prior to August 31
“And by the end of the summer, Anderle and I and his old lady were living in a little garage in downtown LA.
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
circa August 25 to August 22
“A month or so...I’m not sure” before the dinner party.
“When I heard those first two songs (CE/WRTIH and SU performed at the dinner party), Van Dyke had only been working with Brian a month or so. I'm not sure though ...”
Michael Vosse: Fusion magazine
So, again, not sure but Michael thought Brian and Van Dyke’s collaboration began around late August possibly.
Summary so far: All four witnesses put the beginning of the collaboration around the Summer/End of Summer/late August/early September range.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Stuff in italics is my words except when I quote my own notes of phone conversations, which are also my words but are Cliff-Notes quotes as accurate as I was able to furiously write long hand as the interviewee spoke. I hope I make sense to those interested. I have also assumed a certain level of familiarity with SMiLE history, hopefully I haven’t assumed too much.
As always, corrections, contradictions, more and better information is always welcome.
More, for what it’s worth, in The Beginning of SMiLE: Part 2 as time allows, yada, yada, yada….
_____________________________________________________________________________
