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Todd Ireland
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| Posted: 22 May 2010 at 9:39pm | IP Logged
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I notice in the database that all mono hit version CD appearances of The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" run 2:21-2:23, while all stereo hit version CD entries run 2:30-2:31. I have a strong feeling the shorter mono length is reflective of the vinyl 45, while the longer stereo length is indicative of the vinyl LP. Does anyone have actual run time info for either? (Perhaps Jim might be able to help us out with the 45 info since he's currently reviewing hits from 1966.)
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satchdr
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| Posted: 22 May 2010 at 10:46pm | IP Logged
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My original Capitol 5706 "West Coast" pressing 45 (deadwax 45-55558-F-5) has an actual running time of 2:22, as does my mono reissue "Pet Sounds" LP Capitol N-16156 (deadwax N-1-16156). So the 45 length and vinyl LP length are identical.
The run time of the song on my "Pet Sounds" mono/stereo reissue CD (Capitol 72435-21241-2-1) and "The Very Best Of/Sounds Of Summer" CD (Capitol 72435-82710-2-7) conform with Pat's listings in the database.
I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but I do not think that the song was issued in stereo on any vinyl LP. Rather, the stereo debut was on the "Pet Sounds Sessions" CD box set and then was repeated in the mono/stereo reissue CD referenced above.
The liner notes from the mono/stereo issue make fascinating reading, particularly as to "Wouldn't It Be Nice." The mono mix and stereo mix differ in that the bridge section is sung by Brian Wilson in the stereo mix and by Mike Love in the mono mix.
According to the liner notes: "The bridge originally was sung by Mike during the sessions for the song, and a mixdown was made of the song that included Mike's bridge vocal. But at some later point, Brian decided he was unahppy with Mike's vocal for the bridge and re-recorded it himself, in the process erasing Mike's vocals from the vocal multi-track tape. Then, after mixing down a version with his vocal in the bridge, he decided that he liked Mike's vocal better after all. He literally cut the bridge (with Mike's vocal) from the earlier mono mixdown and spliced it into the finished mono mix in place of his. However, that meant, when it came time for [Mark] Linett to create a stereo mix three decades later, all that survived on the vocal multi-track wa Brian's vocal for the section."
Good stuff!
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Todd Ireland
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| Posted: 22 May 2010 at 10:56pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the info, satchdr! So if the stereo mix never appeared on a vinyl LP and features a different vocalist during the bridge than on the mono 45 mix, then this means the stereo mix is technically not the hit version, right?
Edited by Todd Ireland on 22 May 2010 at 10:57pm
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EdisonLite
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| Posted: 23 May 2010 at 10:10am | IP Logged
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The first version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" was created in the '90s. It had, in fact, been floating around in the '90s, amongst BB collectors/fans, before the first official stereo version was commercially released a few years later.
satchdr, great story!
I agree with Todd that I wouldn't label the stereo version as the "hit version"; however, this song is an unusual case and I wouldn't call it an "alternate mix" either. That unfairly negates its value. I think the best option is to simply have a description under the title that says something like:
All stereo versions come from a mix created in the '90s, which substitutes a bridge lead vocal by Mike Love for one by Brian Wilson.
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AndrewChouffi
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| Posted: 23 May 2010 at 6:56pm | IP Logged
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A couple of Beach Boys CDs have the stereo version with the bridge lead vocal by Mike Love "flown in". It doesn't sound too bad (but it sounds a little weird with headphones on).
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Todd Ireland
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| Posted: 23 May 2010 at 7:26pm | IP Logged
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Really, Andrew? Which CDs?
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AndrewChouffi
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| Posted: 24 May 2010 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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To Todd:
I don't have enough specific knowledge to give you correct information. But I'm *pretty sure* 2nd pressings of the stereo 'Pet Sounds' CD & 'Sounds Of Summer' have the "Mike Love flown-in by Mark Linett" version.
Andy
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EdisonLite
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| Posted: 24 May 2010 at 10:25am | IP Logged
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Andrew, these stereo versions you speak of with the Mike Love bridge flown in - do they go to mono for the bridge and then back to stereo for the chorus? (That would be really weird sounding, especially on headphones). Or did they somehow find a way to make the bridge stereo with Mike's voice?
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AndrewChouffi
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| Posted: 24 May 2010 at 11:01am | IP Logged
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To EdisonLite:
It's hard to describe; it's like the mono 45 at that bridge is blended with the stereo instrumental passage from the mutitracks.
Andy
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crapfromthepast
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| Posted: 08 February 2025 at 12:37am | IP Logged
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Mono hit version (multi-tracked Mike Love vocals from 1:06 to 1:19)
This version first appeared on CD on Motown's More Songs From The Original Soundtrack Of The Big Chill (1984). It sounds surprisingly good here, with a low-generation source tape, nice dynamic range, decent EQ, and no evidence of added noise reduction on the fade (not that such NR existed in 1984). The same analog transfer is used on:- Capitol's Pet Sounds (1990)
- Capitol's 5-CD Good Vibrations (Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys) (1993)
- Capitol's 20 Good Vibrations The Greatest Hits (1995)
- Simitar's Love Rocks Tonight's The Night (1998)
- Capitol's Pet Sounds (1999)
- Capitol's Capitol Records Sixtieth Anniversary 1942-2002 (2002)
There's a new, and significantly inferior, analog transfer on Rhino's 3-inch CD Lil' Bit Of Gold (R3 73001, 1988). Here, it has a wobbly soundstage, almost like fake stereo, with sounds and detail bouncing from ear to ear. Avoid. The same analog transfer is used on:- Capitol's The Greatest Hits Vol. 1 20 Good Vibrations (1999)
Non-hit mono version (single-tracked Mike Love vocals from 1:06 to 1:19)
I don't think this version was ever released on record, but I can't confirm.
I think this mix first turned up on CD on Capitol's Beach Boys collection Made In U.S.A. (1986). It sounds just fine here. The same analog transfer is used on:- Time-Life's Classic Rock Vol. 7 1966 The Beat Goes On (1988)
- Time-Life's Rock 'N' Roll Era Vol. 3 Beach Boys 1962-1967 (1988)
- EMI-Capitol's Ten Best Series (1990)
- Heartland/Warner Special Products' 2-CD Hooked On A Feeling (1995)
Non-hit 1996 stereo remix by Mark Linnett (Brian Wilson vocals from 1:06 to 1:19)
It's neat to hear Brian sing the bridge, but I can see why he much preferred Mike Love's multitracked vocals in that portion of the song.
This mix turned up first on Capitol's multi-CD The Pet Sounds Sessions (1996). It sounds just fine. The same analog transfer is used on: - Capitol's Pet Sounds (1999 reissue)
- Time-Life's 2-CD Singers And Songwriters Vol. 14 1964-1969 (2001)
- Capitol's Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary (2006)
Non-hit 2001 stereo remix by Mark Linnett (multi-tracked Mike Love vocals from 1:06 to 1:19)
It first appeared on Capitol's Sounds Of Summer The Very Best Of (2003).
I have it on Capitol/UMe's 6-CD Made In California (2013), which sounds just fine.
My recommendations
For the hit mono version, anything in the first batch that I listed above will work just fine. But if I have to pick, I'll go with Motown's More Songs From The Original Soundtrack Of The Big Chill (1984). None of the later releases improve on the Motown disc.
For the non-hit mono version, in which the vocals in the bridge are single-tracked rather than multi-tracked, go with Capitol's Made In U.S.A. (1986).
For the stereo remixes, anywhere you can find them will work just fine. They all use the same analog transfers, and any CDs with those versions will sound just like Capitol's The Pet Sounds Sessions (1996) or Capitol's Sounds Of Summer The Very Best Of (2003).
Edited by crapfromthepast on 08 February 2025 at 12:39am
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LunarLaugh
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| Posted: 08 February 2025 at 3:54pm | IP Logged
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The DCC Pet Sounds from 1993 has a really good mono "Wouldn't It Be Nice" in spite of a little warble that occurs right on the
introduction.
There are multiple stand-alone versions of Pet Sounds with the 1996 box set stereo remix included alongside the original mono
album. The first one appeared in 1999 and, as Ron mentioned, includes the Brian Wilson sung bridge. Then it was re-issued in
2001 with Mike Love's bridge from the original mono mix synchronized (and not very well at that) to the rest of the stereo
multi-tracks. Disc One of the 2016 50th Anniversary 2-CD set includes the same 2001 stereo attempt with a copy of the mono album
mix sourced from the tape copy prepared by Brother Records in 1972 to make the Pet Sounds/Carl and The Passions 2-LP release.
When it comes to the mono mix of Pet Sounds there seems to be a noticeable loss of fidelity post-1993 DCC release that would
suggest the original master tape used to create the bulk of that disc may have deteriorated and a higher generation mono tape (separate from the 1972 tape)
was used for the 1996 box set, the 1999 CD, and the 2001 CD.
Edited by LunarLaugh on 08 February 2025 at 3:56pm
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crapfromthepast
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| Posted: 10 February 2025 at 4:40pm | IP Logged
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I got to listen to the DCC Pet Sounds and the Razor & Tie 2-CD Greatest Hits (clearly the same analog transfer as DCC Pet Sounds but not a digital clone).
They're EQ'd with a little more bass (at the expense of midrange) than the mono versions I listed above. It's apparent in a level-matched A/B test, which you can perform easily in Audacity.
Ultimately, I wasn't very impressed with the DCC/R&T discs for "Wouldn't It Be Nice". I found the mastering to be a little muddy/squishy, and I felt that the EQ choice detracts from the vocals. It's certainly not a night-and-day difference (as is used to justify the high price tag of those discs in the used market). I also noticed a low-frequency hum on the intro of the DCC/R&T mastering, which is not on the Motown mastering or any of the discs based on it.
Just my opinion.
Edited by crapfromthepast on 10 February 2025 at 8:05pm
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LunarLaugh
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| Posted: 12 February 2025 at 10:56am | IP Logged
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At some point, whomever was compiling the parts together for the digital master of Pet Sounds for CD in the late '80s replaced some of the
instrumental introductions on the master mono mixes with the mono instrumental mix on the instrumental track of the multi-tracks tapes containing
the vocals (once Brian achieved the desired instrumental take, he would mix it down to mono on one track of an 8 track tape, leaving seven tracks
open for vocal overdubs). This was done to make tape noise less apparent on the higher resolution compact disc format without needing to overbake
the sound with noise reduction (which they DID also use to a degree).
This may explain why some mono Pet Sounds tracks have noisy introductions (such as the aforementioned tape warble and buzz) on certain releases
and others do not. You can most clearly hear such an edit on the mono "God Only Knows" as the two tape sources they put together were not running
at quite at the same speed. Quite a few mono CD appearances of God Only Knows (and at least one of the mono reissue vinyl issues of Pet Sounds)
contain this edit.
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Topic: "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" - Beach Boys
