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The Penguin Discography: Rio Grande




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    Song Title »
Rio Grande
    Authors »
Brian Wilson, Andy Paley

    Year Written »
1988

    This Performance »
Date Performance 1987-10-00
Running Time 6:07
Performers Mark Lin(n)et(t)(e) (Recorded By), Brian Wilson (Vocals), Mark Lin(n)et(t)(e) (Mixed By)
Comments(Early Version - Compiled Rough Mixes) Recorded & Mixed at Ground Control (10/12/87-10/13/87). As did the original album, the music on this CD ends with "Rio Grande". This alternate version inclides rough mixes of backing tracks and sections (e.g. "Cool, Cool Guy") that were later deleted from the final, released version of the Wilson/Paley suite.
Appears On
Brian Wilson (Rhino Edition Of 1988 Album) (2000)
Brian Wilson

    Lyrics »

Ride 'em
Ride 'em cowboy
Coma-ti-yi-yippee-i-a
(Repeat)

Rio Grande, Rio Grande
I'd swim you but I can't
Late at night flickering fire
Keeps me warm and safe from harm
Little man understands
The Indian's upper hand
Never stray, always travel in groups in ten

Cherokee trail
Cherokee trail
I'm ridin' you all alone
Cherokee trail
Cherokee trail
I can't find my way back home

Oh the great big river
Rolls on and on
Oh the great big river
Makes my heart beat strong
Yeah the great big river
Rolls on and on
And the great big river
Makes my heart beat strong
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on

Whao yea, yea, yea, yea, yea-yea-yeah
The river's deep and the river's so wide
She's waitin' for me on the other side
Yea-yeah
Whao yea, yea, yea, yea, yea-yea-yeah
I want the river to take me home
Can't ride the river no more all alone
Yea-yeah

Whao yea, yea, yea, yea, yea-yea-yeah
I wanna tell you that she's so fine
I'm gonna love her 'til the end of time
Yeah yeah

Whao yea, yea, yea, yea, yea-yea-yeah
I wanna tell you that she's my girl
There's nothin' like her in the whole wide world
Yeah yeah

Night bloomin' jasmine
It comes a creepin' through my window
Night bloomin' jasmine
While I'm sleepin' near my window
(Repeat)

Oh the great big river
Rolls on and on
Oh the great big river
Makes my heart beat strong
Yeah the great big river
Rolls on and on
And the great big river
Makes my heart beat strong
Rollin'...rollin...rollin' on

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    Other Performances »
Running Time 8:15
Performers Mark Lin(n)et(t)(e) (Mixed By), Mark Lin(n)et(t)(e) (Recorded By), Brian Wilson (Produced By), Lenny Waronker (Produced By), Andy Paley (Co-Produced By), Bill Dimit (Bluegrass Sections Recorded By), Brian Wilson (Piano), Brian Wilson (Organ), Brian Wilson (Keyboards), Brian Wilson (Emulator), Brian Wilson (Vibes), Brian Wilson (Bells), Brian Wilson (Chimes), Brian Wilson (Glockenspiel), Brian Wilson (Percussion), Brian Wilson (Sound Effects), Brian Wilson (Lead Voices), Brian Wilson (Background Voices), Brian Wilson (Vocal Arrangements), Andy Paley (Electric Guitars), Andy Paley (Acoustic Guitars), Andy Paley (Bass), Andy Paley (Drums), Andy Paley (Percussion), Andy Paley (Keyboards), Andy Paley (Harmonica), Andy Paley (Additional Background Voices), Michael Bernard (Computers), Michael Bernard (Synthesizer Programming), Michael Bernard (Drums), Michael Bernard (Keyboards), Michael Bernard (Percussion), Michael Andreas (Flutes), Michael Andreas (Saxophones), The Baystate Bluegrass Band (Mandolin), The Baystate Bluegrass Band (Banjo), The Baystate Bluegrass Band (Bass), The Baystate Bluegrass Band (Steel-String Acoustic Guitar), Stuart Blumberg (Trumpet), Jeff(rey) (S.) Bova (Keyboards), Jim(my) Bralower (Shaker), Lance Buller (Trumpet), Robbie Condor (Additional Keyboards), Andy/Andrew Dean (Keyboards), Andy/Andrew Dean (Vibes), Andy/Andrew Dean (Percussion), Andy/Andrew Dean (Jingle Bells), Elliot Easton (Guitar), Todd Herreman (Fairlight), Tris Imboden (Drums), Tris Imboden (Hi-Hat), Tris Imboden (Cymbals), Hymen Katz (Flute), Hymen Katz (Piccolo), Harry Kim (Trumpet), Kevin S. Lesley/Leslie (Footsteps), Steve Lindsey (Additional Keyboards), Jeff Lynne (Keyboards), Jeff Lynne (Bass), Jeff Lynne (Six-String Bass), Jeff Lynne (Guitar), Jay Migliori (Baritone Saxophone), Frank Morocco (Accordion), Rob Mounsey (EMU Tympani), Rob Mounsey (Piano), Rob Mounsey (Synth Guitar), Rob Mounsey (Emulator Cello), Dean Parks (Guitar), Bob Riley (Drum Machine), Philippe Saisse (Keyboards), Tony Selvage/Salvage (Violin), Tony Selvage/Salvage (Saw), Carol Steele (Percussion), Larry (Lawrence Lowell) William(s) (Horn), Larry (Lawrence Lowell) William(s) (Saxophone Solo), Larry (Lawrence Lowell) William(s) (Additional Keyboards), Jeff(rey) (S.) Bova (Programming), Jim(my) Bralower (Drum Programming), Robbie Condor (Synthesizer Programming), Andy/Andrew Dean (Synthesizer Programming), Robbie Kilgore (Keyboard Programming), Steve Lindsey (Synthesizer Programming), Philippe Saisse (Synthesizer Programming), Larry (Lawrence Lowell) William(s) (Synthesizer Programming)
CommentsRecorded & Mixed at Ground Control & Soundcastle. Bluegrass Sections Recorded at Twilight Sound, Boston.
Appears On
Brian Wilson (Rhino Edition Of 1988 Album) (2000)
Brian Wilson

    Comments »

(C) 1988 Beach Bum Music (BMI) Brian Wilson: "I wasn't sure where or how it was going to go; we experimented as we went along. 'Rio Grande' rambles a little bit...covers a lot of ground. It gets me in the gut. I feel such a love from it...a very special piece of music. One of my favorites on the album." Then-Warner Bros. Records president Lenny Waronker believed a key to the artistic success of this album would be for Brian to show he could still produce work similar to that of his "Good Vibrations"/Smile era, when he was at an innovative peak, inventing a kind of modular recording. At one point in 1987, a suite linking the as-yet unreleased "Saturday Morning In The City" and "Saturday Evening In The City" was talked about but "Rio Grande" became Brian's remarkable musical response to Lenny's challenge. Brian Wilson (in 1988): "A labor of love, probably the best thing on the whole album...it's a song that expresses the need to be....Lenny wanted me to get a little bit into that kind of Smile bag, and I did. Some of it took on characteristics of the Smile album, but that's all, just characteristics. It wasn't directly influenced by Smile, just the vibes, the basic feeling of it....At first, it was uncomfortable for me - real hard to do at first - but Lenny figured there was one left in me, that there was a suite, a rock opera that I could do. It looks like Lenny was right." Back in '88 Brian admitted that his favorite part of the track was the "take me home" section. In explaining the feeling that inspired that piece, Brian offered that the character in the song "has so many obstacles that he just wants to go home. He wants to run away from all that stuff and go back to his home, wherever that might be, [like] in the sky. That's symbolism, right? God cannot be conceived of, so therefore we give him a literal meaning that he's in the sky, so that people can understand what is being said." (NOTE: To get a sense of how modular recording works, listen to the bonus tracks of the early "Rio Grande" and "Night Bloomin' Jasmine." You'll hear how Brian resurrected the hook [he never wastes a good one] and made it work in "Rio Grande.")

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    Last Modified »
2010-08-19