Producer/engineer Mark Linett is best known for his remixing and remastering of the Beach Boys’ catalog. It wouldn’t be his first Beach Boys recording experience, however. That came when he worked on David Lee Roth’s cover of “California Girls”.
During a recent interview with journalist Darren Paltrowitz, Linett (The Beach Boys, David Lee Roth, Randy Newman, Frank Zappa, Journey) recalled his experience as an engineer for “California Girls”, which featured backing vocals from Beach Boy Carl Wilson.
“It actually happened before, several years before my deeper association…before I started working with Brian [Wilson],” Linett said of the 1985 sessions at Warner Bros. Amigo Studios in North Hollywood.
While Roth, a long-time Beach Boys fan, was ready to pay proper tribute to the Beach Boys classic from the summer of ’65, Carl Wilson needed a little help, according to Linett, who said “I do remember specifically Carl coming in with a cassette. Ya know, like, ‘Beach Boys Greatest Hits’ or something, and saying, ‘We gotta listen to this ‘cuz we don’t do it this way on stage anymore.”
Linett has more to say about the sessions during his appearance on the Paltrocast below:
Darren Paltrowitz can be heard on the David Lee Roth podcast The DLR Cast with co-host Steve Roth. You can also catch his interviews with various celebrities on his podcast the Paltrocast.