50th Anniversary live double CD up for pre-order on Amazon

[seltaeb1012002]

J-Thomas could learn a thing or two from J-Hype.

Haha. Now I've been lazy at times for my own stuff. But for a lot of things I've done for myself and other people, you'd never know I use pitch correction.

For a project of that magnitude (C50) .. man I would've worked my ass off to get those vocals sounding great.

It's all about Melodyne. Autotune's just not the move, unless it's used extremely subtly on a few words here and there, or if you WANT the robotic effect.

To add to all of the complaints.. and someone might've mentioned it already. Brian clearly wasn't "feeling it" on these particular performances.

Ah man. Gotta love The Beach Boys.

[Wirestone]

J-Thomas could learn a thing or two from J-Hype.

Robo-Brian:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwTx-BVPJOw

Doesn't sound remotely live, either.

This ain't on the album.

[the professor]

Some of the live cuts have already shown up on youtube, check this user's vids for more.

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

Don't Back Down has a massive amount of autoutune, Safari sounds much better and has far less. Go figure.

That's the worst tuning job I've ever heard. They got Foskett hitting all sorts of wrong notes. It's like they just slapped the auto-tune plug in on there at "zero retune" (most robotic sound, for those aren't familiar with the plugin) without even considering what the right notes are in the melody. Ahhh. So friggin frustrating.

This is the most acute and well-informed critique I have read , among many good critiques, and I agree with the analysis of the result, though I know nothing of the technology. But I can't listen to what's being played here. The Surfin Safari track is the same as the one in the NPR concert, no? Bruce says "we must be in Texas"at the end.  But it otherwise sounds nothing like it. Disaster.

[Mikie]

The Surfin' Safari track IS the same version that's on the NPR recording. I immediately recognized that Dave hits the lead on the bridge NOTE for NOTE!

[the professor]

I am listening to the Rolling Stone three songs; if only this live album sounded anything like that.. . . . . . .

How much sadness are we able to take. . . . . . . . .

[Mike's Beard]

This bit of Don't back Down is also just pure Robo-Mike, especially 'feeeet' and 'not my boys'

Don;t Back Down [Snippett]: http://soundcloud.com/moar-freddie/dont-back-down-live-snippett

I honestly thought this had been tampered with as a wind up. It's fucking atrocious! Joe Thomas should not be allowed within 100 feet of the mixing desk.

[seltaeb1012002]

I am listening to the Rolling Stone three songs; if only this live album sounded anything like that.. . . . . . .

How much sadness are we able to take. . . . . . . . .

They did an awesome editing job with that one. Nice and natural.

[The Shift]

I've only listened to a couple if the tracks but what I hear potentially hugely damaging to the legacy. They're gonna be a laughing stock if the music press takes this apart.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I do find it quite amusing that I was attacked so voraciously for criticizing the autotune on the new album, by many of the people now complaining about the latest pitch correction misadventure

It's lonely being two steps ahead all the time 

[Wirestone]

I do find it quite amusing that I was attacked so voraciously for criticizing the autotune on the new album, by many of the people now complaining about the latest pitch correction misadventure

It's lonely being two steps ahead all the time  

That's because they're two entirely separate projects and sound entirely different, you pompous nincompoop.

EDIT: And yes, the irony of me calling someone else a pompous nincompoop is sinking in. Regardless, there is a huge, gaping chasm between TWGMTR and this latest release.

[Wirestone]

I've only listened to a couple if the tracks but what I hear potentially hugely damaging to the legacy. They're gonna be a laughing stock if the music press takes this apart.

If the band were still together and had a big schedule this summer, maybe. I doubt anyone notices this is even out. Which is a bad thing on one hand, and a good thing on the other ...

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I do find it quite amusing that I was attacked so voraciously for criticizing the autotune on the new album, by many of the people now complaining about the latest pitch correction misadventure

It's lonely being two steps ahead all the time  

That's because they're two entirely separate projects and sound entirely different, you pompous nincompoop.

EDIT: And yes, the irony of me calling someone else a pompous nincompoop is sinking in. Regardless, there is a huge, gaping chasm between TWGMTR and this latest release.

Not to me they don't,  you cloth eared donkey dick

Wirestone, I assume we're having a joke together here. It would be a real shame if you were seriously attacking me.

To go back to that time. As I said then, I found the autotune on TWGMTR painful to listen to. Is it possible, Wirestone that I hear things differently to you. Recording is my job after all. Shall we agree to differ on that note (no pun intended)

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Some of the live cuts have already shown up on youtube, check this user's vids for more.

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

Don't Back Down has a massive amount of autoutune, Safari sounds much better and has far less. Go figure.

That's not from the album. If you heard my earlier DBD snippet you'll see this sounds beautiful by comparison!

[Rocker]

I'm buying the CD to support the boys then burying it in my backyard.

To support this job that was done?! I mean I'll get it too, because I first want to listen to the whole thing before judging everything but if it is as bad as the snippets sound then support is not what I'd like to give them. "Isn't it time" had studio Al "double tracked" and live Al single tracked during the same line going directly into each other!! http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/Beach-Boys-Live-The-50th-Anniversary-Tour/hnum/3566959

(at: all those things that we liked to do-ooh)

The Surfin' Safari track IS the same version that's on the NPR recording. I immediately recognized that Dave hits the lead on the bridge NOTE for NOTE!

And despite all that working on tracks they couldn't get Brian's off key background vocals to not stick out. I said it before, the boys especially Brian got so much better later in the tour and on recordings you can hear him being right in the blend. Why did they use such early recordings!

EDIT: Just saw the edit that these are not the album versions. I'm listening to the Sirius performance right now and Surfin' Safari was that performance (later used for NPR as well)





I was looking forward to this album even more than to the boxset because to me this is the Beach Boys live & alive, great souvenir from the tour. The tracklist is fantastic and the tour probably was their best in who-knows-how-long. It could've had the potential to be the Beach Boys' best live album (or at least the 2nd best). I still have hopes that I won't be too disappointed when I finally hear the whole thing, but man....wtf?!

I know that it won't change anything but I still hope that word comes to the people who are responsible for this

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

maybe it will be pulled, fixed up and issued again making this autotunetastic one a collectors item

[GoofyJeff]

Okay are we certain someone (or some people) aren't playing pranks on us?  If they aren't, then there are two separate versions out there (or the YouTube user accidentally uploaded the wrong version of "Do It Again").  The YouTube user's version of DIA doesn't have band intros (and sounds like the NPR recording), but the samples from that German(?) site you hear Fosky say "and Briiiiian Wiiiiilsooooon..."   

[Freddie French-Pounce]

The actual CD has the BRIIIIIIAAAAAN WILSOOOOON on it

[Rocker]

The YouTube user's version of DIA doesn't have band intros (and sounds like the NPR recording), but the samples from that German(?) 

Right, it's german.

[Wirestone]

maybe it will be pulled, fixed up and issued again making this autotunetastic one a collectors item

Hard to say how it can be fixed unless they pull different performances, which seems unlikely.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

That's because they're two entirely separate projects and sound entirely different, you pompous nincompoop.

I feel I should clarify what I mean by pitch correction, and why, to me there is little difference between this, and TWGMTR. I think what you are hearing and disliking is the T-Pain, (or Cher if you're a certain age) effect. This is pitch straightening. This is where all vibrato and "humanness" for want of a better word is removed. Then there is standard pitch correction, where all notes are pushed to the correct pitch and some or all of the vibrato and note leaning is left intact.

The C50 clips are full of both. TWGMTR has less pitch straightening, (it is there though) but every note has been corrected. To me, I hear no difference in the "horribleness" (excuse my technical terminology) of both techniques.

Like I said last year though. I'm happy people like the new album, and I'm glad the boys have gone out on a high note, if indeed it is the last album. Personally though, I find the pitch correction makes it unlistenable. I'm sorry you don't like that Wirestone, but I'm afraid that is your problem.

And I'm sorry if I came across as pompous. It was really meant in a light hearted way. A lot of people were horrible to me last year though, just beacuse I dared to say I didn't like TWGMTR. Surely you just see how I smacked my head in disbelief when I see the same people who layed into me, now bitching on about autotune?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Just to throw my hat into the ring...

It was okay to have autotune on TWGMTR because it was a studio album. In my own humble opinion, it has no place on a live setting, at least not by rock's greatest vocal band in history.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I tend to agree. It was OK for them to have it on TWGMTR. It was the modern sound they were going for. I also think they don't have the chops they had, and probably can't be bothered to do 558 takes of one line like in '66.  I just personally hate the sound of it. I understand why it was used. It will have been used for the sma e reasons on the C50 as well, obviously someones gone a bit gung ho though 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Sooooo.....you would prefer a live album with Brian & company embarrassing themselves by singing off-key?

Were you not the same people poo-pooing all those late-night appearances where they butchered "That's Why God Made The Radio?"

Do you want a live album that blatantly exposes their weakness, thus strengthening my in-laws assertion that these men are too old to make music anymore and should "give it up"?

What a surprise.....the Beach Boys fans appalled and on the brink of mass suicide because the live album turns out to be exactly what anyone paying attention for the past 30 years knew it would be: a polished souvenir from a memorable tour.

Yeah, the "flown in" vocals on "Isn't It Time" is blatant and lame. But the rest of the sound bites sound ok to me. Yeah, it sounds doctored, but having seen Brian in concert a thousand times I realize his delivery can at times be a little erratic. So go ahead and fix him. Why make him stand naked on a CD and look bad? Do we not want our Beach Boys to sound as good as possible? Do we not want to even humor the idea that they can't swing it anymore? Do we wish to believe that Brian is still a powerful songwriter, arranger, producer, who needs no outsider help to create a masterwork?

You can't have it both ways. You'd bitch if the disc was an off-key embarrassment. You bitch if they fix it. You can't win with Beach Boys fans. And now you're gonna scare away potential sales and send a message to management that there is no audience for products of this nature and they will think twice before investing money into such pursuits in the future. Bravo.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I certainly wasn't one of the people blasting them for their TV show appearances...I was one of those who digged the Fallon performance, warts and all. There were good performances from every song throughout the tour; acceptable versions could have been found for each of them. I don't mind the fact that some things were fixed so much as I bemoan the shambolic way in which they were; it sounds amateurish, and I personally could have done better. Actually, most anybody with even a year of training could have done a better job.

[seltaeb1012002]

Do we not want our Beach Boys to sound as good as possible?

I think that's what we're getting at. The engineers & producers went a little too overboard with the tuning (and doubling in BW's case). The vocals sound way too robotic to be deemed acceptable for a live CD release. There is a middle ground in which The BB's voices could have been tuned without the robotic artifacts. What we have here is lazy, amateurish tuning. Period.

Just listen to the Rolling Stone set to hear these guys edited the right way. It's a crime that they weren't edited this way for the CD set. And I think the thing that pisses people off, is that this is probably the last "new" concert we'll be getting from them. Sad to end on this note.

The only message that should be received by the people in charge, is that they need to hire the right people to do the editing next time. Did you hear that clip of Don't Back Down? It's so tuned-to-sh*t that many of us thought it was a prank. Mike's voice is hardly recognizable.

"Polished" is not the word here. "Massacred" would be more fitting. IMnotsoHO.