Originally Posted by Lord Larehip

At best, Fataar and Chaplin were session Beach Boys. I'm not buying that they were true members of the band. You never saw them in pictures of the band--not that I am aware of anyway. They were in the background making them essentially session men.

This is from Wiki concerning "Sail On Sailor":

Brian Wilson has said of the track:

“Van **** really inspired this one. We worked on it originally; then, the other collaborators contributed some different lyrics. By the time the Beach Boys recorded it, the lyrics were all over the place. But I love how this song rocks.[2]”

However, Parks has insisted that the song was not really worked on by Wilson, but rather that Wilson gave him a few chords with a small melody. Parks states that part of the reason it was so heavily stressed to be a mostly Wilson composition (indeed, Parks had to sue to gain any credits at all) is because Warner Brothers had demanded Wilson return to writing music and to the front of the band—something Wilson was not willing to do.[citation needed]

Parks later describes his contributions further:

“I came up with that lyric when I was working with Brian, as well as the musical pitches those words reside on. I did nothing with that tape until I saw The Beach Boys’ crisis at the company where I was working, earning $350 a week. Well, they recorded [“Sail on Sailor”], and it was a hit. And I’m glad that every one came out of their little rooms to claim co-writing credit on that song. But I never questioned it, just as I never questioned the various claims on the residuals. [...] On the tape, it’s clear from the contents that I authored the words and the musical intervals to “Sail on Sailor.” It’s also velar that I composed the bridge, played them, and taught them to Brian.[3]”

Vocals for "Sail On, Sailor" were recorded in late October 1972, some time after the Beach Boys had left Holland. However, Brian Wilson was not involved at all with the song's recording sessions, leaving the basic track to be recorded by Brian's brother Carl and ex-Flame and then-Beach Boys members Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin. The lead vocal was first attempted by Dennis Wilson, who sang the vocal once before leaving to go surfing. Carl was the next to attempt a vocal, but he then suggested that Chaplin make an attempt. After two takes, Carl decided that Chaplin's vocal would feature as the lead.[3]