The Smiley Smile Message Board
Welcome,
Guest
. Please
login
or
register
.
1 Hour
1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
Forever
Login with username, password and session length
If you like this message board, please help with the hosting costs!
683274
Posts in
27763
Topics by
4096
Members - Latest Member:
MrSunshine
August 02, 2025, 11:38:40 AM
The Smiley Smile Message Board
|
Smiley Smile Stuff
|
General On Topic Discussions
|
The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.
« previous
next »
Pages:
[
1
]
Author
Topic: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis (Read 5045 times)
MarcellaHasDirtyFeet
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 582
The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
on:
April 08, 2016, 07:17:34 PM »
Hey y'all,
This stems from a question- did Dennis sing on "Our Prayer"?
But after a chance hearing of "Surfin Safari" on the Tower Records doc-- and being struck again by the prominence of what I believe to be Dennis' voice on the track-- I just wanted to rap about his voice in the blend, and where yous guys really appreciate its place in the harmony stack. Of course, I would hope the discussion would span all relevant areas.
I like the 70s tones of 15 BO and the gruff Wilson Bros texture
Edit: Also, what did his voice add? Should it have been used more in the bvs?
«
Last Edit: April 08, 2016, 07:24:05 PM by MarcellaHasDirtyFeet
»
Logged
Lonely Summer
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 3985
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #1 on:
April 08, 2016, 07:42:25 PM »
I can't actually detect his voice in the blend very much after Al came back to the group, but on the early stuff, yeah, very noticeable, and I think his voice adds a nice texture to the mix. His voice never was as sweet as Brian's or Carl's; but not nasal like Mike, either. I don't know how to describe it, other than, "a blend made in heaven".
Logged
c-man
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 4941
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #2 on:
April 09, 2016, 07:28:19 AM »
Dennis definitely sings on "Our Prayer" - the session tapes confirm that. And, although perhaps not noticeable, he's on most of the hits from '63-'65 even after Al came back. He dropped out of the vocal sessions for much of
Summer Days
and
Pet Sounds
, but was back in for most of
SMiLE
and
Smiley Smile
.
Logged
Lean Back Now Listen
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 44
To Wind Chimes.
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #3 on:
April 09, 2016, 07:44:16 AM »
I feel as though I'm able to hear him in the blend in a lot of the Today! songs, particularly Please Let Me Wonder and Kiss Me Baby. And with him singing lead on two of the album's songs anyway, I often view Today! as being the best showcase for Dennis's voice until Friends (he certainly was quite prevalent in the earlier albums' blends, though). But even still, I can hear him clearly on many Smiley Smile tracks (which is easy, since they often traded solo vocals throughout). I can appreciate his place in the stack, as I'm usually able to hit his notes better than the others'.
Disregarding that, though, I feel like his voice almost adds a tiny bit of dissonance to the blend, something a little rough around the edges. Al and Dennis both have what I would perceive as a "grit" to their voices that make the blend that much more fleshed-out, but Al's voice is somewhat more amorphous, sometimes sounding Brian-esque and other times closer to Mike. I think Dennis maintained a higher degree of uniqueness, even after his voice became raspy.
Logged
JK
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 6079
Maybe I put too much faith in atmosphere
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #4 on:
April 09, 2016, 09:04:23 AM »
Hi, LBNL, and welcome! :=)
For me the extraordinary coda of the criminally overlooked "I'm So Young" is Dennis's finest hour as a Beach Boys vocalist. Well, almost everyone's----how about Mike's bass and Brian's falsetto?!
Logged
"Ik bun moar een eenvoudige boerenlul en doar schoam ik mien niet veur" (Normaal, 1978)
You're Grass and I'm a Power Mower: A Beach Boys Orchestration Web Series
the Carbon Freeze | Eclectic Essays & Art
Lean Back Now Listen
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 44
To Wind Chimes.
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #5 on:
April 09, 2016, 02:46:51 PM »
Hello, and thanks!
And of course!! How could I forget about I'm So Young?? His voice on the coda is very prevalent. I enjoy cycling through his, Mike's, and Brian's parts. They're all so much fun to sing!
I think I'm going to listen to Today! again right now. Digging into that harmonic blend and picking out the individual pieces never gets old!!
Edit: As for the original question of Our Prayer, it helped me to listen to the Made In California stereo mix. I think I could pick out Dennis in a couple of spots with the enhanced separation. It's usually easier to find him when they're making "aaah" sounds rather than "ooo" sounds, because Dennis has a particular "grit" or "rasp" when making the former sound in particular (to my ears). It's a little more subtle here than their earlier stuff, but I'm pretty sure I can hear him. As c-man said, he's definitely there, so it's just a matter of figuring out which individual line he's carrying.
«
Last Edit: April 09, 2016, 03:27:04 PM by Lean Back Now Listen
»
Logged
Lonely Summer
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 3985
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #6 on:
April 09, 2016, 03:19:24 PM »
Quote from: Lean Back Now Listen on April 09, 2016, 07:44:16 AM
I feel as though I'm able to hear him in the blend in a lot of the Today! songs, particularly Please Let Me Wonder and Kiss Me Baby. And with him singing lead on two of the album's songs anyway, I often view Today! as being the best showcase for Dennis's voice until Friends (he certainly was quite prevalent in the earlier albums' blends, though). But even still, I can hear him clearly on many Smiley Smile tracks (which is easy, since they often traded solo vocals throughout). I can appreciate his place in the stack, as I'm usually able to hit his notes better than the others'.
Disregarding that, though, I feel like his voice almost adds a tiny bit of dissonance to the blend, something a little rough around the edges. Al and Dennis both have what I would perceive as a "grit" to their voices that make the blend that much more fleshed-out, but Al's voice is somewhat more amorphous, sometimes sounding Brian-esque and other times closer to Mike. I think Dennis maintained a higher degree of uniqueness, even after his voice became raspy.
I agree with that last part. In my early years of BBfandom, I would often confuse the voices of Brian, Carl and Al. I don't remember mistaking Dennis for someone else, except on "Catch A Wave".
Logged
SMiLE Brian
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 8485
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #7 on:
April 09, 2016, 03:23:54 PM »
Dennis added that "thick" tone to the early bend. Al and Bruce would later smooth with their vocal talents.
Logged
And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
Robbie Mac
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 903
Carl Wilson is not amused.
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #8 on:
April 09, 2016, 04:39:13 PM »
Having a rough voice in a vocal group is a pleasantly surprising addition. All great vocals groups had a rough voice blending with the sweetness l. That's why Lennon blended so well with McCartney.
Logged
The world could come together as one
If everybody under the sun
Adds some 🎼 to your day
Bill30022
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 118
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #9 on:
April 09, 2016, 04:41:24 PM »
And somewhat related - why didn't Dennis sing live when behind the drums?
Logged
adamghost
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 2116
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #10 on:
April 09, 2016, 05:33:51 PM »
Quote from: Andy Botwin on April 09, 2016, 04:39:13 PM
Having a rough voice in a vocal group is a pleasantly surprising addition. All great vocals groups had a rough voice blending with the sweetness l. That's why Lennon blended so well with McCartney.
Agreed...see also Chris Squire - Yes; Huey Lewis - News.
Bee Gees were great harmonists but suffered for the lack of this (though Maurice occasionally came close).
Logged
c-man
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 4941
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #11 on:
April 09, 2016, 06:41:04 PM »
Quote from: Bill30022 on April 09, 2016, 04:41:24 PM
And somewhat related - why didn't Dennis sing live when behind the drums?
Too hard to keep in tune and in time at once? He did sing live while drumming on "Please Let Me Wonder" ('65 and '69), "In My Room" ('75-'80) and "It's O.K." ('76-'79).
Logged
SurferDownUnder
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 240
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #12 on:
April 09, 2016, 06:48:04 PM »
Quote from: adamghost on April 09, 2016, 05:33:51 PM
Quote from: Andy Botwin on April 09, 2016, 04:39:13 PM
Having a rough voice in a vocal group is a pleasantly surprising addition. All great vocals groups had a rough voice blending with the sweetness l. That's why Lennon blended so well with McCartney.
Agreed...see also Chris Squire - Yes; Huey Lewis - News.
Bee Gees were great harmonists but suffered for the lack of this (though Maurice occasionally came close).
Maurice had the most versatile voice but not a very strong bass (he would often sing the high harmony such as when they played Nights On Broadway live or when just he and Barry sang Heartbreaker in the One Night Only concert). Would have been amazing to hear what Barry could have written with a bass vocalist in mind, e.g. Lonely Days with some bass harmony would be heavenly
Logged
Andrew G. Doe
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 17767
The triumph of The Hickey Script !
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #13 on:
April 10, 2016, 12:26:04 AM »
Quote from: Lonely Summer on April 09, 2016, 03:19:24 PM
Quote from: Lean Back Now Listen on April 09, 2016, 07:44:16 AM
I feel as though I'm able to hear him in the blend in a lot of the Today! songs, particularly Please Let Me Wonder and Kiss Me Baby. And with him singing lead on two of the album's songs anyway, I often view Today! as being the best showcase for Dennis's voice until Friends (he certainly was quite prevalent in the earlier albums' blends, though). But even still, I can hear him clearly on many Smiley Smile tracks (which is easy, since they often traded solo vocals throughout). I can appreciate his place in the stack, as I'm usually able to hit his notes better than the others'.
Disregarding that, though, I feel like his voice almost adds a tiny bit of dissonance to the blend, something a little rough around the edges. Al and Dennis both have what I would perceive as a "grit" to their voices that make the blend that much more fleshed-out, but Al's voice is somewhat more amorphous, sometimes sounding Brian-esque and other times closer to Mike. I think Dennis maintained a higher degree of uniqueness, even after his voice became raspy.
I agree with that last part. In my early years of BBfandom, I would often confuse the voices of Brian, Carl and Al. I don't remember mistaking Dennis for someone else, except on "Catch A Wave".
And that's Mike anyway.
Logged
The four sweetest words in my vocabulary: "This poster is ignored".
adamghost
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 2116
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #14 on:
April 10, 2016, 01:12:30 AM »
Quote from: SurferDownUnder on April 09, 2016, 06:48:04 PM
Quote from: adamghost on April 09, 2016, 05:33:51 PM
Quote from: Andy Botwin on April 09, 2016, 04:39:13 PM
Having a rough voice in a vocal group is a pleasantly surprising addition. All great vocals groups had a rough voice blending with the sweetness l. That's why Lennon blended so well with McCartney.
Agreed...see also Chris Squire - Yes; Huey Lewis - News.
Bee Gees were great harmonists but suffered for the lack of this (though Maurice occasionally came close).
Maurice had the most versatile voice but not a very strong bass (he would often sing the high harmony such as when they played Nights On Broadway live or when just he and Barry sang Heartbreaker in the One Night Only concert). Would have been amazing to hear what Barry could have written with a bass vocalist in mind, e.g. Lonely Days with some bass harmony would be heavenly
Absolutely; I just meant he had the roughest voice of the three (but not saying much). I don't mean gritty (that would be Barry when he chose to be), just the timbre of his voice.
Logged
SurferDownUnder
Smiley Smile Associate
Offline
Posts: 240
Re: The Blend - w/ or w/out Dennis
«
Reply #15 on:
April 10, 2016, 02:03:47 AM »
Quote from: adamghost on April 10, 2016, 01:12:30 AM
Quote from: SurferDownUnder on April 09, 2016, 06:48:04 PM
Quote from: adamghost on April 09, 2016, 05:33:51 PM
Quote from: Andy Botwin on April 09, 2016, 04:39:13 PM
Having a rough voice in a vocal group is a pleasantly surprising addition. All great vocals groups had a rough voice blending with the sweetness l. That's why Lennon blended so well with McCartney.
Agreed...see also Chris Squire - Yes; Huey Lewis - News.
Bee Gees were great harmonists but suffered for the lack of this (though Maurice occasionally came close).
Maurice had the most versatile voice but not a very strong bass (he would often sing the high harmony such as when they played Nights On Broadway live or when just he and Barry sang Heartbreaker in the One Night Only concert). Would have been amazing to hear what Barry could have written with a bass vocalist in mind, e.g. Lonely Days with some bass harmony would be heavenly
Absolutely; I just meant he had the roughest voice of the three (but not saying much). I don't mean gritty (that would be Barry when he chose to be), just the timbre of his voice.
Oh yes don't get me wrong you are right, just ruminating on how a bass would sound like in that blend, I guess the closest they got was the intro of "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man" with the intro "oh solo dominque" part
but I believe that was Robin
Logged
Pages:
[
1
]
Jump to:
Please select a destination:
-----------------------------
Smiley Smile Stuff
-----------------------------
=> BRIAN WILSON Q & A
=> Welcome to the Smiley Smile board
=> General On Topic Discussions
===> Ask The Honored Guests
===> Smiley Smile Reference Threads
=> Smile Sessions Box Set (2011)
=> The Beach Boys Media
=> Concert Reviews
=> Album, Book and Video Reviews And Discussions
===> 1960's Beach Boys Albums
===> 1970's Beach Boys Albums
===> 1980's Beach Boys Albums
===> 1990's Beach Boys Albums
===> 21st Century Beach Boys Albums
===> Brian Wilson Solo Albums
===> Other Solo Albums
===> Produced by or otherwise related to
===> Tribute Albums
===> DVDs and Videos
===> Book Reviews
===> 'Rank the Tracks'
===> Polls
-----------------------------
Non Smiley Smile Stuff
-----------------------------
=> General Music Discussion
=> General Entertainment Thread
=> Smiley Smilers Who Make Music
=> The Sandbox
Powered by SMF 1.1.21
|
SMF © 2015, Simple Machines
Page created in 2.514 seconds with 22 queries.
Helios Multi
design by
Bloc
Loading...