The last instance of Brian's "classic" vocals

[the captain]

Very much sounds doubled.

[Sheriff John Stone]

As I mentioned in an above post, I saw the performance the night it was broadcast in 1985. I videotaped it that night, watched it (in awe) numerous times, and, for about 22 years, never even considered that it wasn't entirely "live", until I read an opinion on a message board.

I'm going way back now, from memory, but I really don't remember any of the televised 1985 Inaugural Ball NOT being live. Did they pre-record stuff back then, and have acts sing or play over it - for an Inaugural Ball? Was it by choice only, because I can't envision an artist like Frank Sinatra, who I think performed,  lipsynching or singing over a pre-recorded track.

I just thought the Beach Boys were using really good microphones, and the sound people did an exceptional job. Curiously, the Beach Boys' instruments are sitting on the stage directly behind them. If they performed any other songs that night, they weren't televised. I also never read any accounts of the guys going into a studio to pre-record "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring". I guess we weren't supposed to...

[MBE]

The 1985 performance is one of the later day Beach Boys best. Overdubbed or not they have a great bloend. Sure the 1965 one is better, but if Brian had to sing lower in 1985 there is a lot of feeling there. Really it's one of the only post Dennis moments I have watched regularly over the years.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just re-accquainted myself with that performance, and even allowing for the limitations of youtube, I hear a minimum of 10 voices. In the intro, Brian is clearly double-tracked

[variable2]

Just re-accquainted myself with that performance, and even allowing for the limitations of youtube, I hear a minimum of 10 voices. In the intro, Brian is clearly double-tracked

They might be singing with a pre-recording, but Brian isn't double tracked on the first note..  Bruce doubles the falsetto lead with him for the rest of the tune though.  The reason for this is I think that Brian might not be singing live at all.

The arrangement only has 4 parts, and you can hear Bruce and Brian together on "whole year rounnnnnnd"

You can hear the double tracking pretty well on the ends of phrases such as the "wintry snow" (C Bb F) bit of Alan's part

[Sheriff John Stone]

The reason for this is I think that Brian might not be singing live at all.

Brian is singing live. First, look at his facial expressions; he could never lipsynch or fake it like that. Never. Second, when Mike looks over at Brian, it isn't because Brian is impressing him, it's because Brian hit a clunker, the only one he hits BTW. Which also proves he is singing; if it was in a pre-recorded track, they would've edited that note out.

Again, there is something strange that they left the stage area, where their instruments were set up. Even though the set wasn't televised, do we assume they played some songs - live. Why didn't they just stay on the stage? So, maybe, it was set up with a pre-recorded tape, that they moved to another area, with the lighting different, or the speakers, or whatever. I do, though, find it a little "extravagant", that the producers of the Inaugural Ball would have The Beach Boys pre-record a track to be sung over live the night of the Ball. I mean, this wasn't American Bandstand! If this was 2009, yeah, but 1985?

[Jim V.]

So, let me get back to the original point of this thread, if I may. I don't have the Badman book at my side right now, but you guys are now saying the "In The Back of My Mind" re-recording is actually from early '75 now? And also has 50/50 Brians "new and old" vocal stylings? Or am I wrong?  Or was it actually from the next year, and he just pulled out a better than usual vocal performance?

Or should we just leave it with "California Feeling" as his last "classic" vocal performance?

[Andrew G. Doe]

The reason for this is I think that Brian might not be singing live at all.

Brian is singing live. First, look at his facial expressions; he could never lipsynch or fake it like that. Never. Second, when Mike looks over at Brian, it isn't because Brian is impressing him, it's because Brian hit a clunker, the only one he hits BTW. Which also proves he is singing; if it was in a pre-recorded track, they would've edited that note out.

Again, there is something strange that they left the stage area, where their instruments were set up. Even though the set wasn't televised, do we assume they played some songs - live. Why didn't they just stay on the stage? So, maybe, it was set up with a pre-recorded tape, that they moved to another area, with the lighting different, or the speakers, or whatever. I do, though, find it a little "extravagant", that the producers of the Inaugural Ball would have The Beach Boys pre-record a track to be sung over live the night of the Ball. I mean, this wasn't American Bandstand! If this was 2009, yeah, but 1985?

1 - the synch on the youtube footage isn't good enough to decide if they're lipsynching or not.

2 - the instruments might belong to some other band.

3 - I still hear at least ten voices: unless they had some form of live ADT back then, there had to be a pre-recorded track.

4 - was the ceremony a live broadcast, or was there time for some post dubbing ?

[Sheriff John Stone]

The reason for this is I think that Brian might not be singing live at all.

Brian is singing live. First, look at his facial expressions; he could never lipsynch or fake it like that. Never. Second, when Mike looks over at Brian, it isn't because Brian is impressing him, it's because Brian hit a clunker, the only one he hits BTW. Which also proves he is singing; if it was in a pre-recorded track, they would've edited that note out.

Again, there is something strange that they left the stage area, where their instruments were set up. Even though the set wasn't televised, do we assume they played some songs - live. Why didn't they just stay on the stage? So, maybe, it was set up with a pre-recorded tape, that they moved to another area, with the lighting different, or the speakers, or whatever. I do, though, find it a little "extravagant", that the producers of the Inaugural Ball would have The Beach Boys pre-record a track to be sung over live the night of the Ball. I mean, this wasn't American Bandstand! If this was 2009, yeah, but 1985?

1 - the synch on the youtube footage isn't good enough to decide if they're lipsynching or not.

2 - the instruments might belong to some other band.

3 - I still hear at least ten voices: unless they had some form of live ADT back then, there had to be a pre-recorded track.

4 - was the ceremony a live broadcast, or was there time for some post dubbing ?

1. Agree
2. Could be, but they LOOK like the Beach Boys' instruments; would've they brought the guys there for only 3 minutes?
3. That IS the question; I will agree it sounds "full" for only 5 guys
4. I'm pretty sure it was a live broadcast

[the captain]

I listened again and am really as sure as I can be under the circumstances (only my ears and youtube to go by) that it's them doubling a track.

[adamghost]

Vis a vis the inaugural ball thing, my recollection was that I thought it was live sung to a tape. If Brian was not doubled at the outset, it may simply be because he missed the cue to start.  If they were singing with a tape (and I think they were), it had to be VERY tricky, because it being a cappella, there would be no way for them to get a click to keep them in time with the original track. No surprise to me if they didn't all come in at once.  I'm amazed they didn't mess it up, honestly.

And yeah, Bruce is clearly doubling Brian all the way through.  I think he did that on the GOIN' PLATINUM special, too, but it didn't help much because Brian was louder than God on that part.

[Pretty Funky]

Re the instruments. I think Donna Summer was next so may have been hers.

Multi tracked for sure. I prefer Graduation Day from 84 to display their live vocal chops at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGRSpVl8wss&feature=related

Hard to tell about Brian but they are all reaching for the high notes at the end.

[donald]

To me, the voice came and went for a long time.  There were some good moments and some really bad moments,,,and they werent sequential.

Some of this had to do with older recordings intermixed with recent recordings of new releases over the years.  And I suspect episodic substance abuse accompanied by heavy smoking between and during some sessions. 
Good weeks and bad weeks...and a few bad years.   I've also suspected medication induced vocal and articulation control problems over the years prior to the advent of atypical antipsychotics ands SSRI's ....but that is just my professional guess.   Seems to me many of his worst vocals were under Landy's watch.

[Ganz Allein]

I've also suspected medication induced vocal and articulation control problems over the years prior to the advent of atypical antipsychotics ands SSRI's ....but that is just my professional guess.   Seems to me many of his worst vocals were under Landy's watch.

I agree totally, and I wonder what Brian's voice would be like if Landy hadn't given him inappropriate meds for all those years.  Landy seems to have Brian seriously medicated for that '84 "Graduation Day" performance.  During the interview in the second half of the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKg46eth5UU) Brian starts talking about Phil Spector when asked a question about groupies and asks at one point if they can bring Landy up there with them.

[Chris Brown]

I agree totally, and I wonder what Brian's voice would be like if Landy hadn't given him inappropriate meds for all those years. 

My guess is that it would be pretty much the same tone wise, but without the slur that he occasionally has.  Actually I think the biggest difference would be in his speaking voice, where the slurring is more more noticeable. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

If they were singing with a tape (and I think they were), it had to be VERY tricky, because it being a cappella, there would be no way for them to get a click to keep them in time with the original track. No surprise to me if they didn't all come in at once.  I'm amazed they didn't mess it up, honestly.

You know what flips my sh*t about that? The fact that if they still had enough skill to pull off singing with an a capella track, then they didn't even *need* the track in the first place, so why bother? Talk about wasted effort...we can't even tell the difference!

[MBE]

So, let me get back to the original point of this thread, if I may. I don't have the Badman book at my side right now, but you guys are now saying the "In The Back of My Mind" re-recording is actually from early '75 now? And also has 50/50 Brians "new and old" vocal stylings? Or am I wrong?  Or was it actually from the next year, and he just pulled out a better than usual vocal performance?

Or should we just leave it with "California Feeling" as his last "classic" vocal performance?

I think we can safely go with late 1974 as the last great vocals.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

When you hear the Johnny Rivers version of "Help Me Rhonda", Brian's high parts sound like his 15 Big Ones voice when he'd try to sing high. I wonder, though, if his backups were slightly sped up.

[MBE]

From Help Me Rhonda '75 to Getcha Back Brian could hit the high notes if he tried. It wasn't pure but he did hit them. It sounded like a much greater effort though, and live it never really came off. I don't know if different tape speeds were involved but I felt things like Help Me Rhonda '75 had Brian mixed a little lower then he wolud have been before.

[runnersdialzero]

I just heard "Match Point Of Our Love" for the first time - I know this sounds stupid, but it makes me feel sort of weird. How he somehow managed to go from his Love You voice into a voice that sounds about 80 older/20 newer styled vocals is almost eerie sounding.

I also noticed that it seems like as the song goes on, he sounds more like Love You and less like his older voice - in the beginning you would almost swear there was no change, but by the end, he sounds similar to how he does on Love You, etc.

The falsetto on some parts of "My Diane" is pretty remarkable, too.

Thanks for pointing these tracks out to me, guys - I never really bothered with anything after Love You.

[matt-zeus]

Thanks for pointing these tracks out to me, guys - I never really bothered with anything after Love You.

you don't want to miss out on MIU, the best BB album of the last 30 years (There's not that much stiff competition!)

[MBE]

La Light is worth hearing for Dennis' work and Good Timin.

[donald]

Thanks for pointing these tracks out to me, guys - I never really bothered with anything after Love You.

you don't want to miss out on MIU, the best BB album of the last 30 years (There's not that much stiff competition!)

The best BB album of the last 30 years.    Who woulda thunk it?

[Smilin Ed H]

Nah, that's LA.

[John]

Yeah, L.A. Light is much better than MIU.