How The Beach Boys made Sail On, Sailor

[@nipstertunes]

Holland, such a great album! Blondie Chaplin sang the lead on "Sail On Sailor" and it is just awesome. I saw him sing it at a concert where Brian Wilson and his incredible band did the whole "Pet Sounds" album. An amazing evening I will never forget, I had chills through the whole concert. Hail The Beach Boys! Thanks for this very interesting post.

[@robbrown4621]

I met Blondie once when he was in Rick Danko's band around 1979. I was on the concert committee and was assigned the job of hanging out with the band before the show. I was a huge Beach Boys fan and had seen them when Blondie was in the band back in 1974. I didn't know that Blondie would be there that day. I talked with Blondie about Ricky Fatah and he told me that he and Ricky did stay in touch and spoke on the phone once or twice each year. Rick seemed amused and pleased that I was a big fan of Blondie's work. Rick just listened while Blondie and I spoke. Anyway, that afternoon, Blondie and Rick were swigging Jack Daniels and finished most of the bottle before they ever got close to the stage. They seemed perfectly stable and performed a very good show. Great memory still with me after all these years...

[@AprilShowers1955]

Lucky you!😊❤

[@billchurch1145]

One of my favorite songs to play along on guitar with their brilliant recording. Never tire of hearing or playing this beautiful work.

[@petestaint8312]

Fantastic video and channel! Thanks for posting. 🏡

[@AprilShowers1955]

Another well done great song! 😊❤

[@Logan912]

"Just write the fucking song, Brian." - Van Dyke Parks. Gotta love VDP lol

[@Fogghorn_Legghorn]

Great job! Great song on one of my favorite LPs. It's one of those albums I'd like to have on "a desert island."

[@paullarimore8598]

In the world of "What if..." Three Dog Night could have had a commercial success with this. Always loved this song.

[@grouchosays]

I have heard that they sang on BB’s records.

[@1401minstrel]

From the title of this video I was expecting to hear something about how the Beach Boys made Sail On, Sailor. Instead, it's about how Sail On, Sailor was written by Brian Wilson and several non-Beach Boys. Brian really didn't care for the song at the time and didn't even show up to the studio to record it. Carl Wilson had to phone Brian for guidance. Dennis Wilson took the first crack at the lead vocal, then left to go surfing. Carl then had a go at the lead vocal, but then asked 22 year old South African Blondie Chaplin to try it. Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar had become Beach Boys in 1972. Blondie did only two takes and absolutely nailed it. Other singers have sung Sail On Sailor in the intervening years, but Blondie's version is still the gold standard. Another interesting fact is that Carl Wilson and Mike Love are the only original Beach Boys on the recording of Sail On, Sailor. Mike sang background vocals and Carl sang background vocals, played grand piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, electric guitar, Hammond organ and ARP Odyssey synthesizer. Carl also produced the track. In addition to the lead vocal, Blondie Chaplin sang background vocals and played lead guitar. Ricky Fataar sang background vocals and played drums.

[@harrygeorgebray6386]

In the Long Promised Road documentary about Brian, Brian said: 'Sail on Sailor was one of the best songs I ever wrote'. It was when he was in that deli cafe that he goes to, he's eating ice cream and he comes out with that.

[@nancyparkertel511]

Love “Sail On, Sailor.” Also love “Funky Pretty.” Great song that is still quite unknown from the “Holland” album! 👍

[@Kwizzykwazzy]

Excellent video man❤ you should do one on the Christmas album next

[@hpblack1953]

Brian Wilson, his genius aside, is hardly a reliable source for the history of "Sail on, Sailor".

[@Peter-f1z]

I also helped write this song.

[@johnmc3862]

You did.

[@scottjkennedy]

*tune

[@1401minstrel]

Rieley is pronounced with a long i, like Reilly.

[@maureencora1]

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death. U.S.Navy... Sail on Sailor. (smile)

[@ROGER2095]

I prefer the Ray Kennedy version on the KGB album. It's deep and dark - about struggling with drugs. Plus, there's Mike Bloomfield's guitar!

[@russelljdj]

Classic Rock radio is lost and awful. Besides Sail On Sailor, they could play Trader, Funky Pretty, Surfs Up, Student Demonstration Time, Hey Marcella. But that might take away from them playing Freebird 50 times a week. Someone give me a Classic Rock Station to program the music to. I learn em.

[@jeffaurand2345]

My computer tells me I have over 650 hours of music (from CD). I have my own classic rock station with no commercials.

[@paulpalinkas]

Much of this is straight out of the Wikipedia article, like verbatim.

[@Everything_Beach_Boys]

Yep. Actually that's not true. I wrote some stuff myself and left some stuff out from wiki. I rearranged all of it and planned out the video.

[@hpblack1953]

@@Everything_Beach_Boys -- none the less, lifting from Wikipedia word for word is not cool, dude. Despite the number of words used from Wikipedia.

[@TowGunner]

@@Everything_Beach_Boys Hope you checked the sources. Wiki is often inaccurate and notoriously biased.

[@shirtymop6463]

Actually, all of it is Wikipedia, verbatim. I think I caught one sentence that had been slightly reworded.

[@hklinker]

Wiki is actually a pretty good source for a lot of things. Anyone can edit it.

[@MokkaMatti]

Is Brian Wilson the inspiration for that Family Guy dude with the really weird chin?