Part 1: As Beach Boys fans get ready for the release of the SMiLE-era recordings later this year, Jan & Dean Examiner discusses one noted track from the period, "Vegetables," as recorded and released by The Laughing Gravy (aka Dean Torrence and friends).
Q: What got you directly involved with Brian Wilson that you ended up recording your own version of “Vegetables?”
Dean Torrence: Out of all the stuff I heard that was the least [laughing] esoteric song that I heard. It was simple, and it had that Brian Wilson feel ... “I tried to kick the ball but my tenny threw right off.” To me that was classic Brian Wilson! “I tried to kick the ball but my tenny threw right off, I’m red as a beet. [laughs] I’m so embarrassed” That to me was the total innocence of Brian and that song just clicked with me for some reason. I was kind of around doing graphics, as I remember I was asked to do …
Q: You mentioned you put together the “Heroes and Villains” picture sleeve.
DT: “Heroes and Villains,” and something with vegetables, because I remember doing a bag full of vegetables. I think he thought that “Vegetables” was gonna be a single. [Historical note: On April 29, 1967 Brian announced that “Vegetables” was to be the next single.]
Q: He was in litigation with Capitol.
DT: Right. For whatever reason the song got caught in the politics and the crossfire and stuff, and when I heard that nothing was gonna happen with all that music I asked Brian if I could do it. I took it and worked on it, and got it part way finished. I brought it to him, and he liked it well enough to participate.
Part two continued tomorrow…
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