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 Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys
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Chuck S. Lettes Member From: Denver, Colorado |
posted 08 October 2001 09:25 AM
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I've read some posts by Steel Guitar Forum members about the Beach Boys, so here's my own two cents. Carl Wilson, the "heart" of the group, was a featured singer (God Only Knows, This Whole World) who loved performing and creating that tight Beach Boy sound. He was the quiet, dedicated one who always made the shows happen. There's a nice "never published" interview with Carl in this month's Guitar One Magazine. Also listed in the article is a website: www.carlwilsonfoundation.org Carl was one of my favorites, and I miss him. Any other people out there with some thoughts about Carl? Chuck |
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Rich Weiss Member From: Woodland Hills, CA, USA |
posted 08 October 2001 03:20 PM
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Carl was a true gentleman. The first session I ever did on steel was for Carl. He was producing a friend of mine, back in 1973. I remember that he let me sit in his seat to listen to the playback. I'm sure I was way out of tune, I'd only been playing a couple of years, but he was kind and encouraging and never told me if I was. A great guy. |
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Jason Stillwell Member From: Soper, OK, USA |
posted 08 October 2001 07:25 PM
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I just bought that Guitar One magazine last week. Of all the Beach Boys literature I've read over the past 14 years, it was the first info I've ever been able to find concerning Carl's guitar work. Did any of you ever get the chance to hear him sing "Sail On, Sailor"? Exquisite! When I saw the guys in Tulsa, 1996, I was about 6 rows back on Carl's side of the stage. When they broke into Sailor, I didn't know who would sing. I'd never heard the Boys perform this in concert, though Billy Hinsche had been known to sing the song now and then. Carl Dean broke into the lead vocal, and I don't think the Beach Boys and/or Carl have ever recorded anything comparable to what I heard that October night at the State Fair. One of the saddest days of my life was when I heard of Carl's passing. I never got to meet him, and it will go down in my life's history as one of those "what-if's" that never happened. --js |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 09 October 2001 03:40 PM
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In the mid 60s,I was the guitar player for an East Coast singer known simply as "Keith" who had a couple top 10 hits on Mercury in 66-67 - most notably a tune called "98.6". Anyhow,we were the opening act for the Beach Boys on many package shows and road tours around this time frame and I got to know those guys pretty well - especially Dennis and Carl and I even did a little jamming with them. I shouldn't tell this story but I cain't hep it.....one time in the summer of 1967 in Cleveland,Carl invited me up to his room after the show for a smoke,but we were staying at different hotels so I grabbed a taxi after the gig. In the lobby of his hotel,I phoned Carl's room and he told me to come on up. I hung up and turned and literally ran right into the great soul singer Jackie Wilson.I introduced myself and without missing a beat,I said "You wanna get high with the Beach Boys?" He said "You bet!" and I'll never forget the look on Carl's face when he peeped out through the chain on his door and saw Jackie Wilson.Watching that unlikely pair cop a buzz and talk music was also unforgettable. Those guys always told me "Man - You gotta move out to California!" and in 1974,I finally did make that move - and have lived here ever since. The last time I spoke to Carl,was one day in 1984 when I was engineering down at Warner Bros Studio in North Hollywood and he came in along with Christopher Cross to stack background vocals on a David Lee Roth remake of "California Girls".It was a busy day and we didn't chat much but we both said we'd stay in touch.I never saw him again and I was floored when I heard he had cancer because in later years,he always tried to live a pretty healthy lifestyle. Those first few early Beach Boys records created in my 15 year old mind,an atmosphere and a sort of quasi-mythical vision of California as a little hipper than anywhere else - the promised land - the end of the rainbow - replete with gleaming surfboards,candy apple red Fender guitars,hot rod woodies,bitchin' surf and beautiful girls on the beach - that way down deep I never really did entirely get over.I suppose that's one reason I still live here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Not long ago I was playing guitar w/King Cotton on an R&B gig down at the Marina Del Rey Yacht Club and Mike Love happened to be there.He sat in on a few doo-wop tunes and on break we spoke at length about the old days,Carl and Dennis,etc and somewhere in the conversation,he said: "There can be no more Beach Boys without Carl Wilson." He's right about that. -MJ- |
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Steven Knapper Member From: Temecula Ca USA |
posted 09 October 2001 04:09 PM
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That was a fantastic story Mike, really enjoyed reading that one. One thing that no one mentioned (or I just missed it), Carl was a GREAT LEAD guitar player, some of those good ol surfin' songs were the first I learned --by ear, playing the record over and over and etc til the family were ready to kill me or the guitar. I just had to say great guitar work by Carl Wilson, and I miss him too. S. PS Mike, were you in Sylmar for THE big one in '71?? [This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 09 October 2001 at 04:11 PM.] |
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Chuck S. Lettes Member From: Denver, Colorado |
posted 10 October 2001 06:24 AM
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Hello Michael, I liked your post about Carl Wilson. Your anecdote really made him come alive. I've been listening to a Beach Boys reissue that has "River Flow (?) " and "This Whole World" and I guess I've been thinking about Carl and his fine voice. It turns out that the movie "Almost Famous" ended using "River Flow" as the credits passed by. By the way, I remember having the 45 of "98.6" and working up the chord changes for a high school garage band. What other tunes did Keith chart with? I enjoyed getting to talk with you in St. Louis; hope you are doing fine. Chuck |
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Jason Odd Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
posted 10 October 2001 09:06 AM
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Ah, another cool Forum story, honestly Michael J., Mike Perlowin and Herb Steiner have some of the best 1960s stories. With Herb and Mike P. it's dueto their being part of the Californian music scene and associating and working with all the Hollywood types, some later reaching great fame, others not. Michael seems to have all these stories from moving around, like the Allmans related story in Nashville, the Roy Buchanan bar band days, etc. Too cool! Keith, wow now that's a name I hadn't heard for ages. I knew he was associcated with Zappa and he cut a single for one of Frank's labels in the late 1960s, heck here's evene a story of Keith very briefly working with the Mothers Of Invention. Anyway, I saw this on the AMG website: Has anyone gota copy of the Beach Boys album "Carl and the Passions" from 1972? |
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Dave Brophy Member From: Miami FL |
posted 10 October 2001 10:07 AM
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Cool thread.I was wondering if Carl sang a lot of Brian's lead and falsetto parts onstage,or how they worked that? Btw,Brian did "Sail On,Sailor" earlier this year on network TV;I think it was the Letterman show. And I saw a black and white video BB concert from 1964 (with Brian) not long ago (I think it was on Nickelodeon)that was great. |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 10 October 2001 12:55 PM
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Damn Jason - You know more than I do about this stuff.One other point of interest was that "Tell Me To My Face" which was my favorite record Keith did when I was with him,was written by Grahm Nash and pitched to Keith during a chance encounter at The Bag O'Nails in London while we were over there doin' a little lip syncin' on a TV show called "Top Of The Pops". Not long after that,I began to realize there were hipper things going on - like Hendrix,Cream,etc and I bailed out of that somewhat bubblegum scene for bluesier climes. Later on in 1975,after I'd been in California for a couple years,I hooked up again with him at Criteria Publishing where I was working in their little demo studio down in Hollywood.Anyhow,I told Keith I was now playing steel and he invited me to come jam with his new band for old times sake.I started going down down to Redondo Beach and rehearsing in his garage and pretty soon I found myself a full fledged member of his band.Problem-the material which was all Keith's originals - was pretty weak.He was going for a kind of Al Stewart "Year of the Cat" type sound - only not as good.We ended up recording down at Cherokee and when it was all said and done,it was just a touch lame for my tastes and thankfully,I had an offer to go to Japan for a few months so I was able to gracefully bow out.I still run into Keith once in a while down at the beach.He used to be a bartender at several sports bars in Redondo and Hermosa - I don't know what he's doing now. Back to the Beach Boys,I think Carl did sing some of Brian's parts as their voices were virtually interchangable but I also remember that Burce Johnston also did a lot of the high falsetto stuff live.One thing that sticks out in my mind about their live show was watching them do "Good Vibrations" live with just 5 guys - no auxillary players like they used later on.Carl played bass and sang lead,Bruce on Farfisa organ and Al playing lead guitar while Mike played theremin,Dennis on drums of course,all five guys sang and there it was...the whole record...all the parts-the thick harmonies-everything...live. One other quick anecdote-Dennis used to bring his Cadillac convertable with him on tour in the back of a big box truck-so he'd have it handy to cruise for chicks in whatever town he was in at the time.One night he actually had it in one of those big sports arenas where you can drive right up to the backstage area and he and I were sitting in it w/the windows rolled up having a smoke when Bruce Johnston comes banging on the window yelling "Are you guys crazy? You can't do that in here! You'll get us all busted" Dennis handed me the joint and said "Don't worry about him...He's on salary..." |
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Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX |
posted 10 October 2001 01:04 PM
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MJ, I thought I had some great stories, but you are truly the Anecdote King!  I bow to your hipness, sir!! Keep them coming!------------------ |
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Andy Volk Member From: Boston, MA |
posted 10 October 2001 05:07 PM
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Man, what great stories, MJ. While Pet Sounds is still right up there on top of my personal list of transcendent 60's Pop, "The Beach Boys; Perfect Harmony" is kind of an overlooked gem IMHO. It's focused on the vocal harmony side of their career and features drop-dead, gorgeous harmony on obscurities like "Hushabye" and demo versions of "Wouldn't It be Nice" and "In My Room". You can check out clips at Amazon: |
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Jason Odd Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
posted 10 October 2001 06:54 PM
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Mike, I have to agree with Herb! In regards to Top Of The Pops, they still air some of theose old clips from the show on 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc segments. I have a feeling there was a Keith one aired in the 1960s series. But I'm not sure, the best one was Frank Zappa and the Mothers with Roy Estrada doing a Doo-Wop number in a very high falsetto in '68. Andy, I think 'In My Room' is my all time fave. |
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