Heroes and Villains

"Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Smiley Smile and their unfinished Smile project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Wilson envisioned the song as an Old West-themed musical comedy that would surpass the recording and artistic achievements of "Good Vibrations". The single was Brother Records' first release. While it failed to meet critical and commercial expectations, it was nevertheless a hit record, peaking at number 12 in the U.S. and number 8 in the UK.

The song was Wilson and Parks' first collaboration. Parks characterized the song as "historically reflective" and a "visual effort" that was meant to match the ballads of Marty Robbins. He said the lyrics were based on the early history of California, including references to the involvement of the Spanish and American Indians. Some accounts suggest that the song developed partly from a Wilson reworking of the standard "You Are My Sunshine". Early versions included sections with lyrics about farm animals ("Barnyard") and physical health ("I'm in Great Shape").

"Heroes and Villains" had the most complex making of any song in the band's history. Recording spanned virtually the entire Smile sessions as Wilson experimented with at least a dozen versions of the track, some of which ranged in length from six to eight minutes. Wilson discarded almost everything that was recorded, with expenses totaling around $40,000 (equivalent to $ in ). Most of the final composite was produced in three days at his makeshift home studio. The chorus featured a theme that was cannibalized from another Smile track, "Do You Like Worms?".

Wilson's bandmates and associates later voiced dissatisfaction with the released version, believing that the mix was vastly inferior to his earlier, lengthier edits. Commentators blame the record's failure on the esoteric lyrics, the "muddy" sound quality, and the late timing of the release. It remains one of the lesser-known hit songs in the Beach Boys' catalog. Musician Al Kooper, writing in his 2008 autobiography, recalled that Wilson played him a rough mix of "Heroes and Villains" shortly after the release of Pet Sounds. Kooper remembered that the song had "evolved, I believe, from a Wilson revamping of 'You Are My Sunshine.'"

thumb|upright|"Heroes and Villains" was partly inspired by the ballads of singer [[Marty Robbins (pictured 1957)]]

"Heroes and Villains" was the first song that Wilson and Parks wrote together. As with the others that they wrote for the Smile album, Parks wrote the words while Wilson composed the music. When presented the descending melody at the initial writing session, occurring a few days after their first meeting, Parks was reminded of the Marty Robbins' 1959 song "El Paso" and immediately conceived the opening line: "I've been in this town so long that back in the city I've been taken for lost and gone and unknown for a long, long time."

Wilson told Parks that he had thought of the Old West when conceiving the melody. Journalist Domenic Priore speculated that Wilson may have based the verses on Phil Spector's productions of "River Deep - Mountain High" and "The Bells of St. Mary's" – particularly the former's bass line. Asked in 2004 about the influence of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on the recurring melodies and themes on Smile, Wilson responded: "A little bit, not much. It influenced 'Heroes & Villains' and a couple of others." According to journalist Domenic Priore, this early take may have included a section that quoted "You Are My Sunshine". The master take for "You Are My Sunshine" was spliced out of the original reel so that Dennis Wilson could add a lead vocal. In 1968, a mono mixdown of the tape was created, but as of 2004, the original master had gone missing from the band's archives. "Do a Lot" was later reconfigured as "Mama Says" and briefly as a section of "Vega-Tables". Similarly, on January 27, a section called "All Day" was recorded. On February 18, journalist Tracy Thomas reported in the NME that "Heroes and Villains" would be released once Wilson decides on the contents of the single's B-side. She quoted Wilson as saying that he wanted to "keep as much of Smile a surprise as possible. I may end up just recording me and a piano. I tried it last night in the studio. It would be an interesting contrast, anyway."

Work on the song continued throughout February and March. At the end of February, the band launched a lawsuit against Capitol that sought neglected royalty payments and a dissolution of their contract with the label. Following this, Wilson announced that the album's lead single would be "Vega-Tables", a song that he had yet to start recording.

Parks' departure and hiatus (March–May 1967)

On March 2, 1967, after a session for "Heroes and Villains", Wilson and Parks ran into disagreements, possibly over lyrics, and temporarily dissolved their partnership. On March 18, KMEM in San Bernardino conducted a radio survey that reported that Wilson was busy preparing "Heroes and Villains" and Smile, "and he's informed the Capitol bosses that he doesn't intend to 'hold back' on these projects." On March 21, band publicist Derek Taylor reported in his weekly column for Disc & Music Echo, "Only a scoundrel would dispute the claim that 'Heroes and Villains' is the most famous single not yet recorded. [...] it is a fact that the single, at the time of writing, is not completed and many people here are troubled. But Brian Wilson is not one of them."

In April, Wilson paused work on "Heroes and Villains" to focus on "Vega-Tables" for two weeks. Parks' last recorded appearance on the album's sessions was for a "Vega-Tables" date on April 14, after which Wilson took a four-week break from the studio.

On April 29, Taylor announced in Disc & Music Echo that "All the 12 songs for the new Beach Boys album are completed and [...] there are plans to release the album on a rush-schedule any moment." That same day, a Taylor-penned press release, published in Record Mirror and NME, revealed that "Heroes and Villains" was delayed due to "technical difficulties". On May 6, Taylor announced that Smile had been "scrapped" by Wilson. On May 11, Wilson returned to work on "Heroes and Villains" for a single session. On May 14, Carl Wilson stated at a press conference in Holland that "Vega-Tables" would probably be released as a single instead of "Heroes and Villains".

Smiley Smile remake (June–July 1967)

By June, Brian had declared to his bandmates that most of the material recorded for Smile was now off-limits and that he wanted to rerecord "Heroes and Villains" from scratch. Vocal and instrumental tracking on the song lasted from June 12 to 14 at Wilson's makeshift home studio, representing a dramatic contrast from his previous working methods. According to the group's statements to the press, they abruptly dropped out of headlining the Monterey Pop Festival that weekend because of commitments to deliver the "Heroes and Villains" single to Capitol.

thumb|The group at [[Zuma Beach in Malibu, July 1967]]

Biographer Steven Gaines wrote that "Heroes and Villains" was the only track prepared for the forthcoming Smiley Smile album that Wilson "really cared about". Jim Lockhert, the engineer for the Smiley Smile sessions, recalled: "We had the complete song, but they just wanted to use part of it. Brian wanted to change what had been done on the rest of it. I think he wanted instrumentally and vocally to make it more complex. I think he wanted to finish the song, it was a challenge to him." Like many of the other tracks on Smiley Smile, Wilson used his recently acquired Baldwin theatre organ on the track. Billboard reviewed it as "clever off-beat rock material with an arrangement that encompasses barbershop harmony and jazz!" Cash Box called it a "creatively delivered conglomeration of sounds that run the gamut from amusement park hooplah to barbershop harmony" and said that the lyrics "pose some interesting questions." Record World called it "a strange, appealing, harmonious song."

Bruce Johnston witnessed the record's debut at The Speakeasy Club in London. He recalled, "Everyone really got up to dance. But when the tempo changed, I knew we'd blown it with that record." Among British reviewers, Disc & Music Echos Penny Valentine lamented that while she appreciated certain aspects of the song on repeated listens, "the record as a whole [...] is disappointing. [...] one has, perhaps, just come to expect too much from the Beach Boys. And this isn't it!" In his review for Melody Maker, Nick Jones praised the song as "another masterpiece of production from Wilson and another move in his flowery progression." New Music Reviews critic described the song as "weirdly fascinating".

In an editorial published in December, Rolling Stone founding editor Jann Wenner referred to the song as "pointless" and a weak follow-up to "Good Vibrations". Music journalist Jules Siegel, who was present throughout the Smile sessions, reported in Cheetah that while it seemed like "the Beatles had outdistanced the Beach Boys" during the previous summer, "some people think ['Heroes and Villains'] is better than anything the Beatles ever wrote." At the end of the year, French radio listeners selected "Heroes and Villains" as the "Record of the Year".

Impact on Wilson's decline

"Heroes and Villains" came to be cited as a factor in Wilson's professional and psychological decline. Badman stated that the dismal reception was the direct cause of Wilson's withdrawal from the public eye, while Howard offered that the pressure to follow up "Good Vibrations" with "an equally ingenious hit" likely contributed to the collapse of the Smile project. Marilyn said that Brian did not perform the song for anybody in the years following its release. In the 1998 documentary Endless Harmony, Love referred to "Heroes and Villains" as the last dynamic moment in Wilson's music. Journalist David Bennun concurred, "In a way, Love is right. Brian Wilson would never again generate something as thrilling as Heroes And Villains, or any of the other, numerous, breathtaking tracks he had constructed for the band in their so far brief career."

Wilson would sometimes refer to the voices in his head as "heroes and villains". Darian Sahanaja, a member of Wilson's supporting band since the 1990s, said that, "When I first met Brian, you couldn't even mention the words 'Heroes and Villains'; he’d turn around and walk away or he’d say, 'I don’t want to talk about it.'"

Retrospective assessments

thumb|left|alt=The Beach Boys performing on stage with an array of backup musicians. From the group, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, and Mike Love are pictured.|When the Beach Boys performed "Heroes and Villains" in the 1970s, they added the "Bicycle Rider" lyrics from "Do You Like Worms?".

Despite its relatively high chart placement, "Heroes and Villains" remains one of the lesser-known songs in the Beach Boys' catalog.

Wilson's bandmates did not feel that his final edit was as good as his earlier versions, He blamed the record's lack of "sonic energy" on the limited recording equipment and felt that the mastering was probably engineered improperly, commenting, "I could hear the difference. I could hear the edge was gone." Academic Larry Starr explained that the Wild West-themed subject matter "lacked any context whatsoever in the cultural environment of popular music in 1967, an environment immersed in the emerging counterculture and one that tended to prize lyrics with marked personal or social 'relevance.'" Doggett felt that while the song was "beautiful and intriguing", it was "nowhere near as commercial as 'Good Vibrations'."

Some commentators blame the shifts in contemporary pop culture for the record's failure. Starr disputed the suggestion; instead, the song's "relatively limited appeal may be ascribed to two factors that remained problematic, or sometimes even disappointing, in the Beach Boys’ output for the remaining years of the 1960s: the lyrics, and the production values." Considering the rich orchestrations of Pet Sounds, Starr concluded that "the source of biggest disappointment for listeners, however, may well have been the overall quality of the sound." Stebbins said that while the arrangement was "generously filled with fantastic Beach Boys vocal harmonies and genius musical twists and turns", the record's "disturbingly muddy sound quality [...] undoubtedly hurt its commercial appeal."

Despite some commentators criticisms of the song, "Heroes and Villains" has ranked highly in lists of the Beach Boys' greatest songs, and in some rankings of the greatest songs of all time. Mojo magazine named the song the 7th greatest by the Beach Boys, while the French edition of Rolling Stone ranked it 8th. Williams listed it as one of the 100 greatest rock singles of all time in his 1993 book Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles.

Other versions

1967 – Lei'd in Hawaii

Before the release of Smiley Smile, the Beach Boys attempted to make a live album known as Lei'd in Hawaii. Due to technical difficulties, they decided to record the album at Wally Heider's Studio 3 on September 11, a session which included a runthrough of "Heroes and Villains". A surviving audio tape of this performance features an overdubbed spoken-word monologue, given by Mike Love, in which he ridicules the song. Carlin writes that the track was likely not intended for release as Love's rant shifts from "mock-serious to bitterly sarcastic" and "becomes even more barbed as he goes on". He surmised that another laughing voice in the audio belonged to Wilson, and that Wilson may have coordinated the recording himself.

The 2017 compilation 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow includes this version of "Heroes and Villains", albeit with Love's monologue omitted. The band's concerts in Hawaii marked the last time Wilson sang "Heroes and Villains" before a public audience until 2001, when he performed the song at a Radio City Music Hall tribute concert held in his honor.

2004 – Brian Wilson Presents Smile

Wilson's 2004 solo album Brian Wilson Presents Smile included new rerecordings of "Gee", "Heroes and Villains", "Barnyard", "The Old Master Painter", and "I'm in Great Shape". In this version, the discarded "Cantina" section was restored in "Heroes and Villains". Sahanaja recalled that the group had "already been performing a version of the song that incorporated the 'Cantina' section, and so Brian wanted to go with that structure for the recording."

2011 – The Smile Sessions

thumb|right|upright=1.2|The Beach Boys performing "Heroes and Villains" in 2012, during their [[The 50th Reunion Tour|reunion tour]]

Released in 2011, The Smile Sessions compilation included a hypothetical version of the original album that was based on Wilson's 2004 version, albeit with a few changes in the sequencing. Among these revisions was the placement of "I'm in Great Shape", which became sandwiched between "Do You Like Worms?" and "Barnyard". Asked about this change, Sahanaja responded: "the tape session research shows that ['I'm in Great Shape'] was definitely part of the 'Heroes and Villains' variations, and so the decision [with The Smile Sessions] was to keep it within that context." and used in the Season 3 trailer from Prime TV Series, The Boys. It is also featured in the 11th episode of season 4 of the television series Mr. Robot ("eXit").

Personnel

Per band archivist Craig Slowinski. and from Keith Badman.

May 11, 1966 – Gold Star (this session was taped over, and no copy of the recording from this date survives)
Hal Blaine – drums
Frank Capp – percussion and bells
Al Casey – electric guitar
Jerry Cole – electric guitar
Carol Kaye – Fender bass (uncertain credit)
Bill Pitman – Danelectro bass (uncertain credit)
Lyle Ritz – upright bass
Al De Lory – keyboards
Larry Knechtel – keyboards
Jim Horn – flute, tenor saxophone
Bill Green – clarinet, tenor saxophone
Jay Migliori – tenor saxophone, bass saxophone
Steve Douglas – tenor saxophone
October 20, 1966 - Western ["Verse" and "Barnyard"] (this session produced the master take of the verse instrumental, and the discarded "Barnyard" section)
Gene Estes – slide whistle ("Verse", timpani on earlier takes), shaker ("Barnyard")
Jim Gordon – drums ("Verse"), conga with stick ("Barnyard")
Carol Kaye – acoustic rhythm guitar ("Verse", uncertain), lead guitar ("Barnyard", uncertain credit)
George Hyde – French horn
Tommy Morgan – bass harmonica
Van Dyke Parks – tack piano, animal sounds (uncertain credit)
Bill Pitman – Danelectro bass (uncertain credit)
Lyle Ritz – upright bass (arco in "Verse")
Brian Wilson – wordless vocals, animal sounds
October 27, 1966 - Western ["I'm in Great Shape"] (this session produced the instrumental recording later used on The Smile Sessions)
Jay Migliori – tenor saxophone
Van Dyke Parks – piano with taped strings (celeste on earlier takes)
Dorothy Victor – harp
Brian Wilson – overdubbed Fender bass
November 14, 1966 – Gold Star ["My Only Sunshine"] (this session produced the recording later used on The Smile Sessions)
Arnold Belnick – violin
Norman Botnick – viola
Joseph DiTullio – cello
Jesse Ehrlich – cello
Jim Gordon – drums, sticks (shaker on early takes)
Carol Kaye – acoustic rhythm guitar
Raymond Kelley – cello
Leonard Malarsky – violin
Tommy Morgan – harmonica
Alexander Nelman – viola
Jay Migliori – saxophone, clarinet
Bill Pitman – Danelectro bass
Diane Rovell – additional vocals (part two)
Joe Saxon – cello
Brian Wilson – lead vocal (part two)
Dennis Wilson – lead vocal (part one)
Marilyn Wilson – additional vocals (part two)
January 3, 1967 - Columbia ["Do a Lot", "Bag of Tricks", "Mission Pak", "Bridge to Indians" "Part 1 Tag", and "Pickup to 3rd Verse"] (series of unused early modules recorded, "Do a Lot" eventually became a module of "Vega-Tables" and later "Mama Says")
Brian Wilson – vocals, upright piano ("Do a Lot" and "Bag of Tricks"), tack piano, overdubbed handclaps ("Part 1 Tag"), overdubbed grand piano ("Do a Lot"), overdubbed whistling ("Do a Lot", uncertain credit), overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
Dennis Wilson – vocals, overdubbed thump percussion ("Do a Lot", uncertain credit), bass drum and jug with mallet ("Bag of Tricks"), overdubbed handclaps ("Part 1 Tag"), overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
Carl Wilson – vocals, overdubbed handclaps ("Part 1 Tag"), overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
Mike Love – vocals, overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
Al Jardine – vocals, overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
Bruce Johnston – vocals, overdubbed guiro, "choo-choo train" recorder, steam engine percussion, duck quack, noise maker, whistles, bells ("Bag of Tricks")
unknown - French horn (early takes of Bag of Tricks)
unknown - French horn (early takes of Bag of Tricks)
January 27, 1967 - Columbia ["Children Were Raised", "Part 2", "Whistling Bridge" and "All Day"] ("All Day" evolves into "Love to Say Dada" and later "Cool, Cool Water")
Brian Wilson – lead and backing vocals, thigh slap, overdubbed tack piano ("Children Were Raised"), tack piano ("Part 2"), vocals ("Bag of Tricks"), whistling ("Whistling Bridge", uncertain credit), piano with strings taped ("All Day")
Dennis Wilson – backing vocals, "brillo pad" percussion ("Children Were Raised") vocals ("Bag of Tricks"), whistling ("Whistling Bridge", uncertain credit)
Carl Wilson – backing vocals ("Children Were Raised"), vocals ("Bag of Tricks"), whistling ("Whistling Bridge", uncertain credit)
Mike Love – backing vocals ("Children Were Raised"), vocals ("Bag of Tricks")
Al Jardine – backing vocals ("Children Were Raised")
Bruce Johnston – backing vocals ("Children Were Raised")
February 7, 1967 - Columbia ["Cantina"]
Gene Gaddy – "You're under arrest!" voice
Al Jardine – laughter and backing vocals
Bruce Johnston – laughter and backing vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals, laughter and backing vocals
Tommy Tedesco – overdubbed mandolins
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, laughter and backing vocals, tack piano
Carl Wilson – laughter and backing vocals
Dennis Wilson – laughter and backing vocals
February 15, 1967 - Western ["Prelude to Fade" and "Piano Theme"] (main chorus theme, previously written as part of "Do You Like Worms", tracked for "Heroes and Villains" for the first time, "Prelude to Fade" used as the ending of the edit featured on The Smile Sessions)
Brian Wilson - tack piano ("Piano Theme")
Van Dyke Parks - piano with strings taped ("Prelude to Fade") tack piano ("Piano Theme")
Carol Kaye – acoustic rhythm guitar ("Prelude to Fade")
Ray Pohlman - fender bass ("Prelude to Fade")
Bill Pitman - danelectro bass ("Prelude to Fade")
Lyle Ritz - upright bass ("Prelude to Fade")
Hal Blaine - drums ("Prelude to Fade")
Gene Estes - temple blocks ("Prelude to Fade", played bicycle horn, bicycle bells, and siren on earlier takes)
Tommy Morgan - harmonica ("Prelude to Fade")
George Hyde - French horn with flutter ("Prelude to Fade")
Sid Sharp - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
William Kurasch - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
Jerome Reisler - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
Ralph Schaeffer - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
John (Vidor) Vidusich - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
Walter Wiemeyer - violin ("Prelude to Fade")
Norman Botnick - viola ("Prelude to Fade")
Alexander Nieman - viola ("Prelude to Fade")
Jesse Ehrlich - cello ("Prelude to Fade")
Joseph DiTullio - cello ("Prelude to Fade")
February 20, 1967 - Columbia ["Gee"]
Al Jardine – vocals
Mike Love – vocals
Brian Wilson – vocals
Carl Wilson – vocals
Dennis Wilson – vocals
March 1, 1967 - Western ["Verse Remake" and "Organ Waltz"] (discarded remake of the verse backing track and intro)
Gene Estes – temple blocks ("Verse Remake", rehearsals only) overdubbed recorder, whistle, slide whistle, buzzer, noise maker ("Organ Waltz")
Hal Blaine – drums ("Verse Remake")
Carl Wilson – electric rhythm guitar ("Verse Remake")
Carol Kaye – acoustic rhythm guitar ("Verse Remake", uncertain)
Ronald Benson – baritone ukulele with stick ("Verse Remake")
Van Dyke Parks – tack piano ("Verse Remake") hammond organ, overdubbed recorder, whistle, slide whistle, buzzer, noise maker ("Organ Waltz")
Bill Pitman – Danelectro bass ("Verse Remake") overdubbed recorder, whistle, slide whistle, buzzer, noise maker ("Organ Waltz")
Chuck Berghofer – arco upright bass ("Verse Remake")
Brian Wilson – organ bass pedals, grand piano, overdubbed recorder, whistle, slide whistle, buzzer, noise maker ("Organ Waltz")
Diane Rovell - overdubbed recorder, whistle, slide whistle, buzzer, noise maker ("Organ Waltz")
June 12–14, 1967 - Bel Air ["Chorus Vocals", Children Were Raised Remake" and "Barbershop"] (most of the final single edit of the song recorded over these three days, including fragments originally intended for "Do You Like Worms")
Brian Wilson – backing and harmony vocals ("Chorus Vocals"), lead and backing vocals, electric harpsichord, overdubbed baldwin organ ("Children Were Raised Remake"), lead vocals ("Barbershop")
Dennis Wilson – backing and harmony vocals ("Chorus Vocals"), backing vocals ("Children Were Raised Remake")
Carl Wilson – backing and harmony vocals ("Chorus Vocals"), backing vocals ("Children Were Raised Remake")
Mike Love – backing and harmony vocals ("Chorus Vocals"), backing vocals ("Children Were Raised Remake"), lead vocals ("Barbershop")
Al Jardine – lead vocals ("Chorus Vocals"), backing vocals ("Children Were Raised Remake")
Billy Hinsche – backing and harmony vocals ("Chorus Vocals")

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

!Chart (1967)

!Peak<br />position

!scope="row"|Finland (Soumen Virallinen)

|style="text-align:center;"|38

!scope="row"|New Zealand (Listener)

| style="text-align:center;"|6

!scope="row"|UK Record Retailer

| style="text-align:center;"|8

!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

| style="text-align:center;"|12

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

1966 and 1967 Smile sessionography