by Rbcsoup » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:56 am
I have not yet had the chance to listen to Chris' soundbytes. Thanks for posting them!
This is from my notes and those of Greg Russo. Also, at the end of the notes/commentary, I have included part of the group’s Sessionography from 1966 which should help with this mystery.
By the way, I was wrong about “Look Through My Window” as it was recorded in September 1966 after Michelle was back in the group. I appreciate your agreeing with me Chris, but maybe the fact that it sounds like Jill to us, makes Michelle's point that it's impossible to tell.
I also forgot that Henry Lewy, not Bones Howe, engineered the tracks with Michelle in August 1966.
This research is based on actual session sheets.
First and foremost: Michelle was fired on June 28, 1966 and reinstated on August 23, 1966. Once Jill joined the group, they went to London for a week. So her actual time with the group really was brief.
Dunhill released “I Saw Her Again” b/w “Even If I Could” in late June to hold things over.
The first studio session with Jill on board took place on July 5, at which the revised backing track of “No Salt On Her Tail” was recorded.
On July 8, John’s song “Gypsy” (which became “Dancing Bear”) was started.
On July 15, Jill replaced Michelle’s vocal on “Even If I Could.”
During the last week of July, “That Kind Of Girl,” “Did You Ever Want To Cry” and “Strange Young Girls” were committed to tape along with some orchestration on “Dancing Bear.”
John’s song “Did You Ever Want To Cry” was sung by Cass, but it would be shelved until the end of November for further work.
The Mamas & The Papas recorded their vocals to “Strange Young Girls,” “No Salt On Her Tail” and “I Can’t Wait” in early August after the keyboard, bass and drum tracks were redone on the last two songs.
Re-recording was also done on “Trip, Stumble And Fall” during that session, although the vocals were not touched.
Once Michelle was back in the group, in three separate three-hour sessions, Michelle had to re-record as many of Jill Gibson’s parts as she could, and the first one was “Dancing In The Street.”
The studio musicians and John, Cass and Denny re-recorded whatever parts were necessary to make everything sound homogenous. Henry Lewy engineered these recordings.
When Greg and I worked on this we concluded that Michelle was not on a third of the final album. Even though she and John had written “Trip, Stumble And Fall,” Jill Gibson’s vocal was on the final track because time to complete the LP had run out. The other tracks that did not feature Michelle were “I Can’t Wait,” “Dancing Bear” and the LP version of “Even If I Could.”
Trip, Stumble And Fall (04/25/66, 07/05/66 [with Jill Gibson], 08/02/66 [bass, drums and keyboards replaced])
Even If I Could (04/25/66, 07/15/66 [with Jill Gibson])
Dancing In The Street (04/25/66, 08/23/66)
Words Of Love (04/26/66, 11/09/66 [orchestration by Marty Paich])
I Saw Her Again (04/26/66, 04/27/66)
Once Was A Time I Thought (04/28/66)
Here In My Arms (04/28/66)
No Salt On Her Tail (04/28/66, 08/23/66 [new backing track], 08/24/66)
I Can’t Wait (07/06/66 [with Jill Gibson], 08/02/66 [bass, drums and keyboards replaced])
Dancing Bear (07/08/66 [with Jill Gibson], 07/27/66)
That Kind Of Girl (07/24/66 [with Jill Gibson], 08/23/66 [new backing track with Michelle’s vocal])
Did You Ever Want To Cry (07/24/66 [with Jill Gibson], 07/26/66 [new backing track], 11/29/66 [new backing track])
Strange Young Girls (07/31/66 [with Jill Gibson], 08/03/66 [new backing track], 08/23/66 [Michelle’s vocal])
My Heart Stood Still (08/23/66, 08/24/66)
Look Through My Window (09/24/66; 09/28/66 [orchestration by Marty Paich])