Thanks! Yeah, I thought it was a Hawaiian blues progression.... and while it kind of is, I realized I had little idea of what was actually going on until I examined it closely.
I think I'm almost there... pretty close at this point. (Although Lord knows how I could make Transcendental Meditation sound decent on piano. LOL). Thanks!
@@seerup101 well....ok... yeah... that's a weird one but it's part of the charm of the record. It's definitely the one that took the longest for me to get used to.
The outro kind of remembers me of "Jardim Abandonado" by Jobim (ruclips.net/video/aVStDKE8uUY/видео.html ← 4:30). The album version doesn't sound that jazzy/bossanov-ish haha, excellent performance at the piano as always.
I knew that Brian was listening to Brazilian jazz and Bossa nova at this point because of the sound of tracks like Busy Doin' Nothing, So, thanks! It's good to hear more material which may have influenced Brian.
Well, he might have. First of all, I don't actually hear any specific piano or keyboard part in the original recording; what I do hear is something like a ukulele, something like a pedal steel guitar, a harpsichord-like string instrument timbre which I can't accurately identify, various hand percussion, and tropical sound effects (guitar-neck bird calls, knocks, taps, perhaps recordings of ocean waves on a beach, etc.). Secondly, the songwriting credits for this tune include Brian Wilson alongside three others (Al Vescovo, Lyle Ritz, Jim Ackley). I don't know much detail-wise about the Friends recording sessions in '68, but I suspect some or all of his cowriters for Diamond Head were probably session musicians for the track (Lyle Ritz I know for sure was a Wrecking Crew bassist and ukulele player; didn't he play bass or Fender bass on several Pet Sounds tracks?). It has been well documented that Brian's composing after the SMiLE sessions often required external support, so it is certainly arguable how much of this song he did or did not write. But I prefer to imagine that Brian's ear and harmonic genius never really left during this period, even in the early to mid seventies, and even while his self-confidence and motivation waned. So while I don't doubt that this song was cowritten, it's not a stretch to imagine Brian's "fingerprints" on this track's harmony and chords, at least to whatever extent he was able to participate. Fair enough? In any case, thanks!
@@seerup101 according to someone who has contributed to recent archival releases, Brian gave the musicians instructions to jam and make up a tune, and Al Vescovo made up the majority of it. I 100% agree though, Brian never lost his knack for composing or producing. All the stuff he did through the 70s and on into the 90s shows that imho.
That's cool, and it occurs to me that I should have emphasized that there are plenty of these kinds of historical details that I simply am ignorant about altogether. I guess that sometimes I unconsciously fill in the gaps in my knowledge with my gut feelings about the music, although that may not necessarily be accurate or even useful. Thanks for sharing! It's all very interesting, to me, anyway, and I never cease to be amazed by how much (and how finely detailed) many folks here seems to know about Brian.
@@seerup101 yeah I do the same thing sometimes, filling in gaps in my mind. I definitely didn't know as many details like this until I really started asking these people about stuff.
I had no idea this song had this many diminished chords, good ear! Sounds great!
Thanks! Yeah, I thought it was a Hawaiian blues progression.... and while it kind of is, I realized I had little idea of what was actually going on until I examined it closely.
This must be one of the most complex chord progressions in pop music ever.... that's why Brian Wilson is a genius
I gotta agree with you 100% here. Thanks!
This is a clear example of how complex the chord progressions are
Yeah, even with Brian it doesn't really get much more complex than this one! It surprised me,
So nice rendition!
Thank you!!
Damn! Super cool. Do the whole Friends album. It's not even half an hour long......just saying...
I think I'm almost there... pretty close at this point. (Although Lord knows how I could make Transcendental Meditation sound decent on piano. LOL). Thanks!
@@seerup101 well....ok... yeah... that's a weird one but it's part of the charm of the record. It's definitely the one that took the longest for me to get used to.
The outro kind of remembers me of "Jardim Abandonado" by Jobim (ruclips.net/video/aVStDKE8uUY/видео.html ← 4:30).
The album version doesn't sound that jazzy/bossanov-ish haha, excellent performance at the piano as always.
I knew that Brian was listening to Brazilian jazz and Bossa nova at this point because of the sound of tracks like Busy Doin' Nothing, So, thanks! It's good to hear more material which may have influenced Brian.
Diamond head it's prior to that Jobim composition haha, i heard in a interview that Donovan Leitch influenced Brian too.
Love your covers! However, Brian didn't write this piano part.
Well, he might have. First of all, I don't actually hear any specific piano or keyboard part in the original recording; what I do hear is something like a ukulele, something like a pedal steel guitar, a harpsichord-like string instrument timbre which I can't accurately identify, various hand percussion, and tropical sound effects (guitar-neck bird calls, knocks, taps, perhaps recordings of ocean waves on a beach, etc.). Secondly, the songwriting credits for this tune include Brian Wilson alongside three others (Al Vescovo, Lyle Ritz, Jim Ackley). I don't know much detail-wise about the Friends recording sessions in '68, but I suspect some or all of his cowriters for Diamond Head were probably session musicians for the track (Lyle Ritz I know for sure was a Wrecking Crew bassist and ukulele player; didn't he play bass or Fender bass on several Pet Sounds tracks?). It has been well documented that Brian's composing after the SMiLE sessions often required external support, so it is certainly arguable how much of this song he did or did not write. But I prefer to imagine that Brian's ear and harmonic genius never really left during this period, even in the early to mid seventies, and even while his self-confidence and motivation waned. So while I don't doubt that this song was cowritten, it's not a stretch to imagine Brian's "fingerprints" on this track's harmony and chords, at least to whatever extent he was able to participate. Fair enough?
In any case, thanks!
@@seerup101 according to someone who has contributed to recent archival releases, Brian gave the musicians instructions to jam and make up a tune, and Al Vescovo made up the majority of it. I 100% agree though, Brian never lost his knack for composing or producing. All the stuff he did through the 70s and on into the 90s shows that imho.
That's cool, and it occurs to me that I should have emphasized that there are plenty of these kinds of historical details that I simply am ignorant about altogether. I guess that sometimes I unconsciously fill in the gaps in my knowledge with my gut feelings about the music, although that may not necessarily be accurate or even useful. Thanks for sharing! It's all very interesting, to me, anyway, and I never cease to be amazed by how much (and how finely detailed) many folks here seems to know about Brian.
@@seerup101 yeah I do the same thing sometimes, filling in gaps in my mind. I definitely didn't know as many details like this until I really started asking these people about stuff.