The Mills Brothers influence

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I love the music of the 20's, 30's and 40's, particularly the vocal groups and solo singers

The Mills Brothers did some great songs, like Paper Doll, and Dinah. They used to emulate brass instruments vocally, much like Brian did with SMiLE, notably VegaTables fade.

It's been noted here a few times, that for all it's technological advances, SMiLE was actually a very retrogressive album, looking back to the 30's, 40's and before. In fact, it was SMilE that introduced me to early 20th century music, plus Baroque and Classical music. It was a springboard for me to discover all this other wonderful music. So the magic for me with SMiLE has never just been the music, or the myth, it's the door's it opened for me to discover new things.

[mammy blue]

I love VDP's tip of the hat to the Mills brothers in the Discover America album, one of my favorite tracks from that amazing set.

[Rocker]

The Mills Brothers were fantastic ! And I agree that certain vocal parts of Smile were kinda retro. Not in a nostalgic way but in an old(er) style.

[Matt Bielewicz]

Not familiar with the Mills Bros. Do they sound like the band that sings 'Mr Sandman' in Back To The Future? You know, sort of close-harmony, super-old sounding stuff, 1920s to 1950s sort of a sound? In the UK, there was a radio programme on when I was a kid full of that kind of stuff called 'Sing Something Simple', with the Mike Sammes Singers, who were hired to do backing vocals on 'I Am The Walrus', of all things!

The only place I really hear that kind of singing on SMiLE is on the Vega-Tables Demo, on the lines 'Run all around, dig a hole in the ground' and 'Pop those buttons right off of my shirt'.

And of course now, those lines are on the vinyl 45 version of Vega-Tables, too...!

MattB

[Rocker]

Try some youtube:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruLIkHIIuwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2m8VZBfRYo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBbgZauYL1Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66jdM8ebDs8&feature=related

[guitarfool2002]

There are Mills Brothers influences there, along with the Ink Spots, The Andrews Sisters, The Boswell Sisters...all of them featuring tight jazz harmonies and most of all, each of their records had its own "atmosphere" or texture, so when you heard an Ink Spots record there was no mistaking who it was.

Guinness used "My Prayer" by the Ink Spots in a TV ad about 10 years ago...brilliant tune.

And if you take it further, those vocal groups mentioned above influenced a lot of vocal harmony - what the Chordettes did on Mr. Sandman (the Back To The Future song) was smooth it out a bit, borrowing more from a "pop" sound texture than that mystical smoky-jazzy quality on Mills Bros and Ink Spots discs. But the arrangements, under all the polish, are less R&B but still very thick and jazzy arrangements.

Take it another step and check out the "Sons Of The Pioneers" and all the other singing cowboy groups who used to appear in the movies kids of Brian's generation would watch on the Saturday matinee. Roy Rogers and the Sons of The Pioneers singing "Cool Water" and "Tumblin Tumbleweeds" in close harmony...you hear echoes of that stuff in Brian's work.