Mike Love’s finest vocal moments

[shelter]

All I Wanna Do
Meant for You
Big Sur

It's funny that most people seem to prefer Mike's vocals when he doesn't sound like he usually does.

[schiaffino]

STD - I don't like the song, but if ever Mike sang with conviction and balls of some sort, that's the song...and I do like the speaker effect

Can't say I know this track - is there a lot of clapping on it ?

 

My bad, meant Student Demonstration Time 

[Cyncie]

I think, in general, all of Mike's recorded vocals are pretty good. His rock n roll nasal tone works well in contrast with Brian's falsetto on the early songs, and he can turn in some awesome bass lines. "Kiss Me Baby" is by far my favorite vocal of his. I love the song, and he sings it very sensitively.  In recent years, when I've heard Mike sing  live,  he occasionally veers into a much less pleasing version of his nasal tone.  Not sure why that is, but it's not my favorite vocal from him.

Best song I ever heard Brian sing was "I'm Waiting for the Day" at a soundcheck for the Wilson - Beck tour.   It was a heart stopper.  He sounded 30 years old to me.  

That's awesome! So many people have said that Brian can still turn in a pretty good vocal when he's relaxed. I would love to hear Brian, relaxed and happy, try Caroline No, Warmth of the Sun, or Lonely Sea.

[Andrew G. Doe]

In very recent years, a close friend of Brian's bet him a steak dinner he couldn't still hit the high note in "Surf's Up". He lost. 

[Smilin Ed H]

Almost anything up to 1975, And after that, maybe Pitter Patter, A Casual Look, Johnny Carson. Not much more.

Particularly fine vocals?
Surfin' USA
I Get Around
Here Today
Do It Again
All I Wanna Do

[Micha]

All I Wanna Do
Meant for You
Big Sur

It's funny that most people seem to prefer Mike's vocals when he doesn't sound like he usually does.

Well, movie stars usually get Oscars for unusual roles, especially in the old days. That's a similar effect. I think though that on "Big Sur" and "All I Wanna Do" Mike does sound like he usually does, just more heartfelt. On "Meant for You" he nearly sounds like Brian, and his performance on "Monster Mash" is quite outstanding too. Mike should have applied the style he applies on "All I Want To Do" more often, he's quite good at that. Or was.

[CenturyDeprived]

On the Keep an Eye on Summer - The Beach Boys Sessions 1964... give a listen to the track "Keep an Eye on Summer - Instrumental Mix with Backing Vocals". This is just sublime, and fascinating. A tad dissonant at times, very interesting to hear these backing vocals by themselves and try to ponder how they eventually interconnected with Brian's lead vocals.

I love Mike's bass vocals that pop/jump out of the mix at 2:16. Fine bass vocals throughout the song, but that Mike vocal bit that just pops out is rad.

[Juice Brohnston]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

[CenturyDeprived]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

I've decided that in Make it Big, the end vocal interplay between Brian + Mike, with Mike getting close to a falsetto, is one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire catalog. I get the "feels" on that part almost as much as some of their very best material from the '60s.  I'm odd like that.

That vocal arrangement is genius; I wonder if it was Brian's idea? I think I recall reading that he only came in for a brief cameo on that song. I wonder if those Brian/Mike vocals were arranged on the spot by Brian, or if it was some pre-existing arrangement (done by someone else) that Brian just came in to sing.

[Jim V.]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

I've decided that in Make it Big, the end vocal interplay between Brian + Mike, with Mike getting close to a falsetto, is one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire catalog. I get the "feels" on that part almost as much as some of their very best material from the '60s.  I'm odd like that.

That vocal arrangement is genius; I wonder if it was Brian's idea? I think I recall reading that he only came in for a brief cameo on that song. I wonder if those Brian/Mike vocals were arranged on the spot by Brian, or if it was some pre-existing arrangement (done by someone else) that Brian just came in to sing.

So funny that you're such a big fan of that song. I love it too. And it's a main reason (along with "Kokomo", "Island Girl" and "In My Car") of mine why Still Cruisin' is part of my collection.

[SurfRapGrungeFiend]

Little deuce coupe, catch a wave, monster mash (shindig version is great), add some music to your day

theres more i cant think off the top of my head, kokomo was great but i didnt care for the song though strangely

[CenturyDeprived]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

I've decided that in Make it Big, the end vocal interplay between Brian + Mike, with Mike getting close to a falsetto, is one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire catalog. I get the "feels" on that part almost as much as some of their very best material from the '60s.  I'm odd like that.

That vocal arrangement is genius; I wonder if it was Brian's idea? I think I recall reading that he only came in for a brief cameo on that song. I wonder if those Brian/Mike vocals were arranged on the spot by Brian, or if it was some pre-existing arrangement (done by someone else) that Brian just came in to sing.

So funny that you're such a big fan of that song. I love it too. And it's a main reason (along with "Kokomo", "Island Girl" and "In My Car") of mine why Still Cruisin' is part of my collection.

Right on, sweetdudejim   The only part that makes me cringe is the "Johnny B. Goode" lyric. I really could do without that! And Mike hams it up too much with trying to sound like his young, nasal self on that entire section. But at the end, on the tag, Mike sounds gold. I too love those other Still Crusin' tracks. I wish they did an entire album in that era that had that synthy 80s Make it Big sound. Love it.

[chaki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfilXmU4ReM

[marcella27]

My favorite of his is Let the Wind Blow.

[thorgil]

Meant For You.

[ForHerCryingSoul]

One of my favorites is He Come Down.  I like his vocal delivery.

[Loves The Sunflower]

Like Mike's vocals on nearly all of the songs already mentioned. I'm also quite fond of his vocals on Sumahama, Devoted To You (BBs Party, my least favorite BB album), All This Is That, Bluebirds Over The Mountain, (his part in the bridge of) It's About Time, Lahaina Aloha, Here Today and Pitter Patter.

[mathen_]

Caroline  No.

Just kidding. Although I really hold many negative opinions about him, his personality, his lyrics and most of his "songs",  I pretty much appreciate every Mike's vocal PRE-74l, specially his mellower voice from the ballads. His vocal tone really improved from Today!, as can be heard in Aren't You Glad, All I Wanna/Want to Do, Pet Sounds material, among others.

Unfortunately, something happened in 76 that really screwed everything up. His voice became terrible.

[The Cool One]

Aren´t yu glad

[RangeRoverA1]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

I've decided that in Make it Big, the end vocal interplay between Brian + Mike, with Mike getting close to a falsetto, is one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire catalog. I get the "feels" on that part almost as much as some of their very best material from the '60s.  I'm odd like that.

That vocal arrangement is genius; I wonder if it was Brian's idea? I think I recall reading that he only came in for a brief cameo on that song. I wonder if those Brian/Mike vocals were arranged on the spot by Brian, or if it was some pre-existing arrangement (done by someone else) that Brian just came in to sing.

So funny that you're such a big fan of that song. I love it too. And it's a main reason (along with "Kokomo", "Island Girl" and "In My Car") of mine why Still Cruisin' is part of my collection.

Right on, sweetdudejim   The only part that makes me cringe is the "Johnny B. Goode" lyric. I really could do without that! And Mike hams it up too much with trying to sound like his young, nasal self on that entire section. But at the end, on the tag, Mike sounds gold. I too love those other Still Crusin' tracks. I wish they did an entire album in that era that had that synthy 80s Make it Big sound. Love it.

I like "Still Cruisin'", very good songs therein. Even bad - the song you 2 discuss - has jolly good reason to like it. That Brian & Mike tag is big favorite, said it before. Say what you will but I think Brian's vocal there is great!

Back to topic - "Here today", "I'm waiting for the day", "Monster mash", "Little deuce coupe", "Little Saint Nick".

[thorgil]

But then, I like almost all of Mike's vocal contributions. I'd only wish for many more samples of the wonderful soft timbre he uses on "Meant For You".

[CenturyDeprived]

But then, I like almost all of Mike's vocal contributions. I'd only wish for many more samples of the wonderful soft timbre he uses on "Meant For You".

I agree completely. I wonder if he didn't feel comfortable singing that way more often? It's way too few and far between that he utilizes his voice in that way. Instead, starting in the mid 1970s, he largely regressed back into trying to consciously sound like his younger self, with not great results. I wonder if he just didn't get enough support or encouragement to sing like that more.  

I still want to know the story of why Mike was replaced as the lead singer of Please Let Me Wonder. It was certainly the right choice, but I wonder how that went down.

[Don Malcolm]

Folks have done a fine job in identifying many of Mike's great performances through the years. And have--quite appropriately--lauded his unique skills at providing most of the great bass lines in the harmonic stack.

But nobody seems to appreciate Mike's brilliant moments of "self-parody" that surfaced in the 15BO/Love You era. Where he takes that nasal sound into genuinely self-conscious directions that threaten to go over the top but fall just short of jumping the shark.

I'm talking "It's OK," "Roller Skating Child," and--the funniest and the most brilliant of the bunch--"Johnny Carson."

If I am in a particular frame of mind and hear Mike sing that "He speaks in such a manly tone" line from "JC" I will fo' sho' be ROTFLMAO for many, many minutes.

Mike really NEEDS to sing "JC" in concert.

[CenturyDeprived]

Folks have done a fine job in identifying many of Mike's great performances through the years. And have--quite appropriately--lauded his unique skills at providing most of the great bass lines in the harmonic stack.

But nobody seems to appreciate Mike's brilliant moments of "self-parody" that surfaced in the 15BO/Love You era. Where he takes that nasal sound into genuinely self-conscious directions that threaten to go over the top but fall just short of jumping the shark.

I'm talking "It's OK," "Roller Skating Child," and--the funniest and the most brilliant of the bunch--"Johnny Carson."

If I am in a particular frame of mind and hear Mike sing that "He speaks in such a manly tone" line from "JC" I will fo' who' be ROTFLMAO for many, many minutes.

Mike really NEEDS to sing "JC" in concert.

Agreed about all of those, except I think Mike sounds *killer* on Roller Skating Child.

[Jay]

And he has a great voice for playing off the other guys leads or co-leads. Al especially..they have similar voices yet they work well off each other. A Casual Look, Winds of Change, Make it Big.

I've decided that in Make it Big, the end vocal interplay between Brian + Mike, with Mike getting close to a falsetto, is one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire catalog. I get the "feels" on that part almost as much as some of their very best material from the '60s.  I'm odd like that.

That vocal arrangement is genius; I wonder if it was Brian's idea? I think I recall reading that he only came in for a brief cameo on that song. I wonder if those Brian/Mike vocals were arranged on the spot by Brian, or if it was some pre-existing arrangement (done by someone else) that Brian just came in to sing.

So funny that you're such a big fan of that song. I love it too. And it's a main reason (along with "Kokomo", "Island Girl" and "In My Car") of mine why Still Cruisin' is part of my collection.

Right on, sweetdudejim   The only part that makes me cringe is the "Johnny B. Goode" lyric. I really could do without that! And Mike hams it up too much with trying to sound like his young, nasal self on that entire section. But at the end, on the tag, Mike sounds gold. I too love those other Still Crusin' tracks. I wish they did an entire album in that era that had that synthy 80s Make it Big sound. Love it.

I like "Still Cruisin'", very good songs therein. Even bad - the song you 2 discuss - has jolly good reason to like it. That Brian & Mike tag is big favorite, said it before. Say what you will but I think Brian's vocal there is great!

Back to topic - "Here today", "I'm waiting for the day", "Monster mash", "Little deuce coupe", "Little Saint Nick".

Mike didn't sing I'm Waiting For The Day.