Queen and Dennis Wilson collaboration! "Holy Man"*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Giant Hogweed, May 7, 2008.

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  1. Giant Hogweed

    Giant Hogweed Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Exeter, Devon, UK
    (Well sort of!) It turns out that on the new reissue of POB the Taylor Hawkins version of Holy Man will be coming out as a single (possibly) but in an alternate version rocked up with Brian May and Roger Taylor doing instruments and harmonies, here's an article about it!;

    http://www.buddyhead.com/2008/05/05/dennis-wilson-pacific-ocean-blue-reissued-finally/#comment-7795

    It's all backed up by Jon Stebbins on the Smiley Smile board;

    http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,5486.0.html

    If you're a massive fan of both like me then this is very exciting news!!!
     
    Ludger likes this.
  2. My Lord! This is unbelievable! I hope it happens and with some great guitar breaks from Brian and bombastic drums from Roger. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be looking for this. :goodie: :goodie: :goodie:

    As far as I know this will be the first song ever performed both by members of Queen and The Beach Boys, except for "I Can Hear Music", the Phil Spector tune performed by Larry Lurex (Freddie Mercury) and by The Beach Boys.
     
  3. Giant Hogweed

    Giant Hogweed Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Exeter, Devon, UK
    I haven't been too enthused about a lot of the Queen collaborations in recent years but this sounds like a particularly intriguing one!
     
  4. music4life

    music4life Senior Member

    Location:
    South Elgin, IL
    What, no Paul Rodgers?! lol
     
    NightGoatToCairo likes this.
  5. Thank heaven! :D
     
    Sondek likes this.
  6. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    If you'll permit me to play devil's advocate, who the hell is Taylor Hawkins and why is the radio single off the long-suppressed, newly remastered Pacific Ocean Blue NOT BY DENNIS WILSON???
     
  7. Do Denny vocals of Holy Man exist? Do you have them? :wave:
     
  8. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I don't see how that's relevant. This is a Dennis Wilson reissue. Taylor Hawkins (whoever he is) is not Dennis Wilson. I woulda thunk we would be opposed to newly-recorded elements showing up on this set ("desecration", etc.). Seems to me that if Denny wanted to collaborate with Queen, he would have done so.
     
  9. Jon Stebbins

    Jon Stebbins Member

    Location:
    California
    Here's some reality. There are 33 tracks on this set...32 of which have absolutely NO newly recorded elements. One of those 32 is a great basic track called Holy Man, but no vocal was ever recorded for it. However that track, with no vocal is included anyway, in its pristine form... as DW left it behind. Anybody wanna hear what it might have sounded like with the original melody included? For those who do... Dennis' collaborator Gregg Jakobson who co-wrote most of POB and Forever among others asked his friend Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer and a huge huge DW fan...who also sounds a bit like Dennis...to sing his lyric...let's experiment and see if it sounds good with the melody included. IMO it does...Dennis' orig. engineer John Hanlon liked it, Jim Guercio liked it...nothing over the top...just a nice humble rendition...they made it track 33...the only one with anything added to it...and if you can't stand it you've got the pure version right there on disc one to enjoy.

    The Queen version is another story...also the same basic DW track, with Taylor's vocal and some new harmonies and guitar added...but as of now its not slated for the CD set...its something extra that may or may not get released, I don't know. It sounds like a collaboration between Dennis and '70's Queen to me, some people might think that's an interesting pairing, some won't. But there's no "desecration" going on here...the pure track as DW left it behind is front and center for all to hear, placed earlier in the set than the vocal version... and personally i like the Taylor version because its tasteful and it shows off a great melody, which the pure DW version is sadly missing. So... instead of obsessing on a single bonus track with a vocal added...I think its the other 32 tracks of POB/Bambu, that should get your attention.
     
    Record Rotator, phillyal1 and Simon A like this.
  10. Henry the Horse

    Henry the Horse Active Member

    Makes sense to me!:agree:
     
    Simon A likes this.
  11. audiodrome

    audiodrome Senior Member

    Location:
    North Of Boston
    Sounds very cool - can't wait to hear it and everything else! :)
     
  12. nosticker

    nosticker Forum Guy

    Location:
    Ringwood, NJ
    This is all great news. Taylor Hawkins sounds like DW at times, maybe even something like Peter Criss' vocals on "Hard Luck Woman". I love Taylor's lead vocal on the Foos' "Cold Day in the Sun" from IN YOUR HONOR.

    It's not being put on the CD instead of something else, so why not?




    Dan
     
  13. Brian May and Roger Taylor are great artists (and really nice people) who would never intentionally desecrate another artist. I can't wait to hear their contributions to "Holy Man". If I don't like it I won't listen to it anymore.

    I'm happy that Denny's unmessed with "Holy Man" will be on the set. This should satisfy everyone. Everything else is gravy.

    The only real "desecration" of an artist is neglect.
     
    Lightworker likes this.
  14. Wallace

    Wallace Forum Resident

    Location:
    Holland
    Brian May has written something on his soapbox about his (and Roger Taylor's) involvement in the track:

    **Tue 20 May 08**
    HOLY MAN
    - a beautiful DENNIS WILSON TRACK

    Well, since many people have been asking, and the word seems to be out there ....

    I got inspired when Taylor sent me the track in its raw state, with a really soulful vocal from Taylor. It was a song which Dennis Wilson had begun, shortly before he died, but never finished. Beautiful piano playing, wonderful spiritual feel. The producers of the new Dennis Wilson release had asked Taylor Hawkins to sing on the track, and, by instinctive 'feel', finish the song. He had done an amazing job. Taylor had a feeling we could contribute, so he sent me a ProTools session of it. If you were a fan of the Beach Boys, you'll remember Dennis was not known as the principal songwriter, and was regarded by many as just a band member who was carried along. But, of all of the band, it was only Dennis who actually led the life of a surfer, and as time went on, it became obvious that he had a lot to say. He came into his own as a writer, and is now regarded by many as truly at the heart of what the Beach Boys were, and are, in the history of Rock.

    So the track arrived, and I was moved ... so much so, that it hadn't even got to the end of the first playing before I was down in the studio, playing along ... inspired. I plunged in, and did a kind of resculpting, about three days work, as perhaps you'll eventually hear - and sent back a rough mix of what I'd done. It involved mapping and singing some backing vocals for the lead vocal to bounce off, building the rhythm track with guitars, and playing a solo. I then extended the song a little, to try to make the point a little stronger, and made an ending which resolved to something very much like the opening of the track - just subtly changed. The whole track spoke to me like a poem, and seemed to be steeped in the spirit of this mysterious man, the Beach Boy Who Surfed. And I wanted to do my bit to realise it to the full. Taylor was hugely enthusiastic, and we then asked Roger to add his magic. Roger loved it too, added his voice to the harmonies, and did some nice percussion, so the whole thing now had a subtle Queen overtone. We all loved the track - and hoped that we would see it on the Dennis album.

    Sadly, we then found out that the producers of the album had gone ahead and compiled the album without waiting for us. I think there is some plan to issue it as a download, but obviously, having put so much love into it, we were a little disappointed, Taylor and Roger and me.

    But such is life. It was still a nice experience doing it. Those moments are precious, and it's a fact of life that they don't always lead to something commercially successful, or even get heard. It's the moments of creative joy which matter ... and, in a way, this brought us closer to Taylor. And maybe there will yet be a good outcome.


    I am curious if this so-called London version (?) will indeed come out.
     
    willy likes this.
  15. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    "The Beach Boy who surfed" :)
     
  16. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Thanks Jon for always sharing the information and setting the record straight. If The Beach Boys camp had more guys like you who cared, we'd have a lot more stuff out there. Keep it up! :righton:
     
  17. Henry the Horse

    Henry the Horse Active Member

    What he said.:agree:
    And, I've really enjoyed your books, thanks!
     
  18. Thanks so much for posting the quote from Brian May.
    I think the Queen version could be beautiful. I sure want to hear it!
     
  19. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I'm still not really clear from reading the description above -- is Taylor Hawkins singing the melody and lyrics Dennis wrote for this song, or is it something newly created? I see on the POB reissue sleeve that he has a writing credit on his version.
     
  20. Jon Stebbins

    Jon Stebbins Member

    Location:
    California
    Its Dennis' track, his melody is inherent, Gregg wrote new lyrics, Taylor tweaked them and the melody to suit his vocal...all done in a very humble spirit, the only goal was to bring Dennis' great song to life...I think they did a fine job.

    The Queen version was just mixed a week ago...and is still being debated, how, when, where...if...it will see release. I think we'll all hear it eventually, but how soon i don't know.
     
  21. markbrow

    markbrow Forum President

    Location:
    Denver
    Did this ever get released? I know Taylor's version was on the Wilson reissue, but as far as I can tell the Queen overdubbed version was never released. The previous thread on this is closed for some reason, but here's an excerpt from it. I can't believe this track hasn't surfaced, as it's floating around out there.

    Excerpt:


    Brian May has written something on his soapbox about his (and Roger Taylor's) involvement in the track:

    **Tue 20 May 08**
    HOLY MAN
    - a beautiful DENNIS WILSON TRACK

    Well, since many people have been asking, and the word seems to be out there ....

    I got inspired when Taylor sent me the track in its raw state, with a really soulful vocal from Taylor. It was a song which Dennis Wilson had begun, shortly before he died, but never finished. Beautiful piano playing, wonderful spiritual feel. The producers of the new Dennis Wilson release had asked Taylor Hawkins to sing on the track, and, by instinctive 'feel', finish the song. He had done an amazing job. Taylor had a feeling we could contribute, so he sent me a ProTools session of it. If you were a fan of the Beach Boys, you'll remember Dennis was not known as the principal songwriter, and was regarded by many as just a band member who was carried along. But, of all of the band, it was only Dennis who actually led the life of a surfer, and as time went on, it became obvious that he had a lot to say. He came into his own as a writer, and is now regarded by many as truly at the heart of what the Beach Boys were, and are, in the history of Rock.

    So the track arrived, and I was moved ... so much so, that it hadn't even got to the end of the first playing before I was down in the studio, playing along ... inspired. I plunged in, and did a kind of resculpting, about three days work, as perhaps you'll eventually hear - and sent back a rough mix of what I'd done. It involved mapping and singing some backing vocals for the lead vocal to bounce off, building the rhythm track with guitars, and playing a solo. I then extended the song a little, to try to make the point a little stronger, and made an ending which resolved to something very much like the opening of the track - just subtly changed. The whole track spoke to me like a poem, and seemed to be steeped in the spirit of this mysterious man, the Beach Boy Who Surfed. And I wanted to do my bit to realise it to the full. Taylor was hugely enthusiastic, and we then asked Roger to add his magic. Roger loved it too, added his voice to the harmonies, and did some nice percussion, so the whole thing now had a subtle Queen overtone. We all loved the track - and hoped that we would see it on the Dennis album.

    Sadly, we then found out that the producers of the album had gone ahead and compiled the album without waiting for us. I think there is some plan to issue it as a download, but obviously, having put so much love into it, we were a little disappointed, Taylor and Roger and me.

    But such is life. It was still a nice experience doing it. Those moments are precious, and it's a fact of life that they don't always lead to something commercially successful, or even get heard. It's the moments of creative joy which matter ... and, in a way, this brought us closer to Taylor. And maybe there will yet be a good outcome.


    I am curious if this so-called London version (?) will indeed come out.
     
    longaway likes this.
  22. QueenVault

    QueenVault Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bellefonte, PA
    From the information I got, this ended up not getting released because a mix could not be agreed upon between the Queen and Wilson camps.
     
    Simon A likes this.
  23. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Reopened and merged with the new posts.
     
    Simon A likes this.
  24. markbrow

    markbrow Forum President

    Location:
    Denver
    I do know the mix was not the problem.
     
    Simon A likes this.
  25. QueenVault

    QueenVault Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bellefonte, PA
    I had wrong information then :)
     
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