5/19/08

The Cocaine Sessions

Here are the infamous "Cocaine Sessions" that involved Brian Wilson and, supposedly, his brother Dennis around 1981/1982. The voices are rough and Brian is totally stoned, yet you can't help feeling the emotions that emerge from these songs. This boot is mostly known for "Oh, Lord", an organ-led song in which you can feel Brian's sadness and pain. It's sometimes hard to listen to, but it is a fascinating document of what Brian's life was like in the early 80's.

The .rar file contains two versions: the "original" bootleg, and a "cleaned-up", "re-eq'ed" version. Enjoy! ;)

Links: 1 / 2 / 3

The 5 entire TLOS shows that I have have been reuploaded - get 'em while you can!
/ Permanent link :

21 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 25, 2008 at 4:28 AM

    This is fabulous! Thank you so much! The "cleaned" up version really allows you to hear things better, and hearing Oh Lord, for what must be the first time was very spiritual (I know that sounds silly but it sounded amazing!). Again, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linear ZapMay 25, 2008 at 8:56 PM

    This doesn't sound silly at all - actually, I wholeheartedly agree with you!

    ~LZ

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 27, 2008 at 3:30 AM

    Linear Zap -

    Thanks for this post. Your blog rocks!

    An question on an earlier post...

    The FLAC version of Purple Chick's SMILE linked from your blog has an error on Track 17, Good Vibrations. There is a "skip" at the 13 second mark. Do you have a clean, lossless copy of that track?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Linear ZapMay 27, 2008 at 9:54 AM

    Hi,

    I've just listened to it and there are no skips - but try this link and tell me if it helped:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/xhbyff

    ~LZ

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 27, 2008 at 12:18 PM

    LZ-

    Thanks for the file!

    However, I still hear the skip. It happens at the same time as a tambourine hit at around 14 seconds.

    Here is a screenprint of the waveform showing the skip.

    http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mkj6lex.bcincndx&x=0&y=44jdy6&localeid=en_US

    Just hit the "View The Slideshow" button to see the photo in full size.

    Do you have the original Purple Chick disc to re-encode it? Or perhaps it is that way on the original disc...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linear ZapMay 27, 2008 at 5:34 PM

    Now I see what you're talking about! Not only is it on this version, but it is also present (albeit less noticeable) on the 45-version (or Smiley Smile version) of Good Vibrations.

    It's a glitch in the mono backing track (you can hear it on disc 5 of the GV boxset). Seems like this glitch has been "fixed" on the 2006 stereo version of the backing track... :)

    ~LZ

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  7. AnonymousMay 27, 2008 at 6:57 PM

    LZ -

    Thanks! I was beginning to think I was hearing things.

    Can you post (via sendsapce if easy) the 2006 stereo version of the backing track... :)

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. pixletwinMay 27, 2008 at 9:07 PM

    Thanks LZ. Its good to see you back in fine posting form. :D

    -pixletwin-

    ReplyDelete
  9. Linear ZapMay 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM

    And there's more to come!

    >anonymous: my policy for this blog is to never give links for stuff that you can buy. But write me an email at apspweb@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJune 3, 2008 at 10:47 PM

    Thank you so much for posting all this Beach Boys and Brian Wilson material. I am very thankful for this.

    I was wondering if you could post stuff like Beatrice From Baltimore, Sail On Sailor (demo), Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again, Til I Die (demo) and other rare songs from the late 60's and early 70's.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Linear ZapJune 4, 2008 at 9:40 AM

    None of these are bootlegged, as far as I know. We don't even know if they still exist in the vaults!

    (to be more precise, Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again exists, but hasn't been bootlegged. And it is unknown whether the other three still exist or not. For instance, Beatrice From Baltimore seems to have been erased and replaced by something else on the tape)

    ~LZ

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  12. AnonymousJune 4, 2008 at 9:30 PM

    Then maybe stuff from the Caribou sessions in '74 to '75? Or Good News, Honey Get Home, Game of Love, etc. I would love to see more early to mid 70's rarities.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Linear ZapJune 5, 2008 at 9:26 AM

    Same goes for these: unbooted. :(

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousJune 5, 2008 at 4:33 PM

    Many many thanks for all the stuff you post - I came across this by accident today and thought it would nicely complement the TLOS/Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl and TLOS/Midnight's Another Day dowloads you have - a kind of trilogy of TLOS bonus tracks!

    Found it on dutchbeachboys.blogspot.com.

    The link is: http://www.mediafire.com/?9pejpakmvnp.

    Thanks again,

    Wee Helper

    ReplyDelete
  15. Linear ZapJune 5, 2008 at 6:05 PM

    Hi Wee Helper,

    I already had this one, but I have a policy for this blog: never post stuff that can easily be bought. That's why I didn't post it here!

    Thanks for the heads-up though! And should you need a recently released BB/BW track, we can always find an arrangement - leave your request in the comments and I'll send the track to your email address! ;)

    ~LZ

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJuly 6, 2008 at 4:57 PM

    hi there,
    first off, brilliant blog,
    just wondering if you could reup the
    Unsurpassed Masters for smile + smiley smile (just the sendspace links) as theyve gone down and ive been stupid enough to lose them on disc.

    thanks
    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  17. Linear ZapJuly 6, 2008 at 9:38 PM

    Both are still available! Check the side bar for "Sea Of Tunes Vol. 16 & 17". If one of the links doesn't work, try another one (there are always at least two or three links to choose from)

    ~LZ

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  18. AnonymousJuly 21, 2008 at 8:27 AM

    Amazing sound work!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Garby Francis LeonSeptember 29, 2008 at 9:38 AM

    Thanks for the wonderful material - an invaluable archive on the creative and technical work of a musical genius.

    The photo for the cover of 'Cocaine Sessions' btw is not from 1981 - not even close.

    Brian was heavier, looked different.

    I only know because the 'Hamburger Sessions' - as they should be called, cocaine wasn't part of the music at all - took place at my beach house in Venice CA, 17 Horizon Avenue. The organ is my old B3 that Brian plays on O Lord, the piano my Steinway grand..

    With Dennis on hand, Brian and I worked on several things, writing "Stevie" over several afternoons, later recording a demo at a small studio in Santa Monica, Dennis producing.

    These were Dennis Wilson's last sessions as a drummer and producer.

    It all comes back to me now because of the extraordinary, crushing beauty of Brian's new work 'That Lucky Old Sun.' My 7 year-old daughter won't stop listening to 'Midnight's Another Day,' telling me that it's the most beautiful song ever written.

    Peace and love to all, and thank you Brian - gl

    ReplyDelete
  20. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2009 at 5:45 AM

    I've notice the same thing in the past... that is, the hanburger sessions being called the cocaine sessions. The cocaine sessions reportedly have sounds of Denny screwing a woman, among other things. Anyone have something along those lines in their stacks?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Linear ZapJuly 17, 2009 at 12:03 PM

    That's a hoax - the "cocaine sessions" you're referring to don't exist! :)

    ReplyDelete