State of the surviving voices

[oldsurferdude]

It's insane to even comprehend. I think his solo albums defnitely would have made more of a mainstream impact. And the public apparently loves that classic Brain vocal sound too. They ate "Getcha BacK' right up, which besides an unnamed soundtrack cut, is their last hit. And before that "Good Timin", which is just so BW, despite the fact he only played and didnt sing on it.

But at the same time, I dont think he would have sounded like young Brian today. I honestly think even if he kept his voice safe all that time, he probably wouldnt ended up sounding basically like this. McCartney sounds "huskier" these days too. And honestly, his 80s voice was pretty decent, and if he didn't YELL all over BW88 I think "L&M" and "Melt Away" would have made more impact. I think his mid-range was still good in the 80's but him using his loud voice on those songs, would be like him using his "H&V" voice on "Surf's Up". It just doesnt fit.

However, by Imagination he started sounding like an old man, regardless of smoking or what have you.I just think it was him getting older. But his voice on BWRG does sound sweeter than it has in a while. And hes using the voice the right way unlike BW88.

Sorry for the rambling, but this topic gets me going.

I don't know-his vocals on Imagination were some of the best I had heard in years-say, since Matchpoint.

[Alex]

I think modern Brian sounds like an older version of 80s Brian...and maybe some 15BO/Love You Brian when he yells and barks...wish he would do that more often these days. Took me a long time to get into Brian's gruff voice, but nowadays I love it.

[Wirestone]

I said this on an earlier thread about vocal quality, and I think Alex hits the point right on the head.

I think modern Brian sounds like an older version of 80s Brian.

This is absolutely right. Brian has had roughly three voices in his career -- smooth 60s, gruff 70s and nuts 80s to now. And those first two voices had a lot in common. Brian's phrasing, for one. You could listen to BW in the mid-70s to the beginning of the 80s and know it was the same guy.

Example: On Jan. 14, 1981, Brian records Stevie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOB4dPwTtIc



This is not a healthy Brian Wilson. He's in the depths, although not hugely fat yet. But listen to the song. You can hear remnants of the classic voice in there. A tic he would later show live -- clipping notes at the end of phrases -- pops up, but slightly. He has that classic California "cool" sound that defines his vocals with the Beach Boys.

Just two years later (and now under the care of Landy), Brian goes into the studio to record three demos. Black Widow, Little Children and In the Nighttime. You can listen to the 83 version of Little Children here:

http://www.myspace.com/officialbrianwilson/music/albums/brian-wilson-9544591



He's healthier. He's recording and touring. But something is off. The voice has changed -- it no longer sounds like the Brian Wilson of the 60s or the 70s or even two years prior. This is a version of the Brian Wilson voice we came to know through the 80s and 90s: Shouty, unhinged, with phrasing that seems off -- something has gone wrong. And it doesn't have to do with tone (which is pretty much the same) or range (which is likewise pretty unaffected).

This is just two years later. Two. Years.

It sounds -- to me -- like someone who doesn't quite know how to sing. During those two years, in some way, something happened to Brian. His voice has never been the same since. I would bet on drug-induced brain damage or a mini-stroke (and people who have mini-strokes don't often recognize that they've had them).

I don't think Brian realized that anything had happened. He didn't appear to struggle with his new voice, or act angry that anything had changed. I think he may have come to realize during his solo album that his voice was less expressive -- he talked a couple of times about how people think he "sabotaged" his performances on the album.

But it took until 1998, with Imagination, for someone to seriously sit down with Brian and deal with the vocals. And I think Joe Thomas deserves tremendous credit for making Brian sound -- well -- human again. It wasn't the double tracking. It wasn't the autotune. It was getting Brian to focus on phrasing and breath control.

This slow re-education has continued. Darian worked closely with Brian on his Smile leads. Melinda (I assume) brought in vocal coaches. And in TLOS and the Gershwin project, I think we finally have a Brian Wilson who has learned to phrase like a professional singer -- again.

He sounds like a professional version of his 80s voice, though. He can summon the BBs sound now and again, but he sounds like a different guy. Which, in many ways, he is.

[adamghost]

I'm going to throw this explanation in there as someone that's had a chronic sinus problem that's made me examine, very closely, the nature of head resonance and how it affects one's singing.

It could easily be that the health regimen Brian was on changed the physiology of his body so radically that he COULDN'T sing the old way any longer.  Singing, especially stuff like falsetto, has a lot to do with your ability to "bounce" the sound off various parts of your body...your diaphragm, throat, and sinus cavities.

There's also the possibility that Brian did a lot more cocaine after 1981.  If he took his septum out, well, right there, that will screw with your voice, big time.

[Pretty Funky]

As far as any reunion goes, most of their songs should have the original lead singer, or in the case of some Carl leads I think Brian should do them as he has done on his solo shows. Their is however a group of tunes David should do such as Forever, but why not even You Are So Beautiful in a Dennis tribute section? Sail on Sailor is another if Blondie is not involved.

[Wirestone]

Adam -- That's some great stuff I hadn't thought about before. But would it affect phrasing? I guess it might, if Brian had to work in a different way to produce the notes.

I guess the easiest way to describe Brian's voice of the 80s and 90s is "forced" -- it just sounds like he's laboring so mightily to produce the sound -- and that certainly fits with what you're talking about.

[Chris Brown]

Lots of excellent points being made here...Brian will obviously never sound like he used to again, but he continues to amaze me with the improvement he's shown in the last few years in his "older" voice.  At this age, most singers' voices are declining (to varying degrees), losing range and tone quality.  Brian has really defied this trend.  Wirestone hit the nail on the head I think - beginning in the 80's, Brian has really had to "re-learn" how to sing.  What used to come so effortlessly was no longer an option, and he had to figure out/be taught new ways to make his voice do what he wanted it to do.  Something like that doesn't just happen overnight...it takes time and help in the form of positive encouragement and vocal coaching. 

There have certainly been times since the 80's that Brian has sounded good...I may be in the minority, but I really thought he sang well on BW88, and I thought he sounded fantastic on Imagination.  Even when he sounded good, however, something didn't quite seem right about his singing...he was trying to sing in a way that didn't sound natural anymore.  Since BWPS, I feel like Brian has become more comfortable with his older voice, and is finally learning to use it in such a way that it compliments the songs he's singing.  It still may take more effort from him than it used to, but you can really hear the different between a Brian Wilson who isn't confident and comfortable with his singing voice and a Brian Wilson who is.  It's been an incredible thing to watch and hear, and it makes me that much more excited about what Brian still has in store for us.

[runnersdialzero]

I do not want to go to a Beach Boys reunion concert to hear Jeff Foskett sing lead vocals. Sorry.

[LostArt]

I do not want to go to a Beach Boys reunion concert to hear Jeff Foskett sing lead vocals. Sorry.

I can certainly understand this, and I agree, but someone is going to have to sing those falsettos, and none of the surviving members would be able to handle it for a whole show. 

[Awesoman]

Wirestone, you weren't kidding - Darian's ON FIRE with this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIpYRGIhMmA

Nice vocal performance by Darian...but isn't this a Brian Wilson concert?  What's Darian doing singing this song?

[hypehat]

You might not want to click on the performance of Don't Worry Baby from the same show then....

Brian gave the lead to Darlin' to Darian, and Then I Kissed Her, Don't Worry Baby and Wouldn't it Be Nice to Jeff on that tour.... I suppose they are a band after all and it's nice, but still a little jarring.

[Wirestone]

Nice vocal performance by Darian...but isn't this a Brian Wilson concert?  What's Darian doing singing this song?

I suppose they are a band after all and it's nice, but still a little jarring.

Comments like these make me want to stick rusty forks into my eyes.

[LostArt]

You might not want to galo on the performance of Don't Worry Baby from the same show then....

What is this glitch?  Is everybody having the same problem.  Is everybody seeing the word 'galo' here?  It seems to happen whenever someone uses one of these words.  I'll type each word with a space between each letter, and then type the same word normally:

C h i c k
galo

C h u c k
galo

C h e c k
galo

WTF?

[TdHabib]

Nice vocal performance by Darian...but isn't this a Brian Wilson concert?  What's Darian doing singing this song?

I suppose they are a band after all and it's nice, but still a little jarring.

Comments like these make me want to stick rusty forks into my eyes.

Me too. They are phenomenal singers, really terrific in the pitch-control department. The Darian "Darlin'" performance is one of the best I've heard since Carl's earlier performances.

[Ron]

I don't know what you would call the science of studying voices, and i'm certainly not one of whatever that kind of scientist is:)

Brian though has this interesting quality to his voice, and always has, the only way I can explain it is to say there's kind of a hollow sound there.  He has this little hollow part of his voice, his speaking voice, his singing voice, etc. and all of that has remained throughout the incarnations of his vocal styles.

The biggest 'mark out' moment where I hear the old Brian in that 'hollow' sound is on the Live @ the Roxy album (which by now is pretty dated)... when he does "This old world" pretty feebily, and then the band breaks into "Don't Worry Baby"... for the first line or two, he has that same exact tone, sound, whatever that he had on the original, even though the key is different.  The weight of the vocal is still there, and sounds amazing.  I can't properly explain what it is, but if anybody gets a chance, listen to that track and tell me if you hear it too.

[Ron]

There have certainly been times since the 80's that Brian has sounded good...I may be in the minority, but I really thought he sang well on BW88, and I thought he sounded fantastic on Imagination.  Even when he sounded good, however, something didn't quite seem right about his singing...he was trying to sing in a way that didn't sound natural anymore.  Since BWPS, I feel like Brian has become more comfortable with his older voice, and is finally learning to use it in such a way that it compliments the songs he's singing. 

The #1 difference I've noticed in Brian that he's developed in what appears to be the last 3 or 4 years! is that he sings with dynamic again.. instead of just singing everything at full voice, he's singing things tenderly, or even sounds sad on some songs. 

I mean, if you're taking anti-depressant medication or whatever he takes, it's probably hard to attempt to sound sad! It may be as simple as that. 

Listen to say... "Forever she'll be my surfer girl".  Most of that (and it's a beautiful song) is sang very confidently, and strongly by Brian in kind of his full voice. He's not trying to make it sound tender or sad or anything like that.

Now listen to "Southern California".... much more tender, although he's still kind of oversinging it (Love it, though).

Now listen to "The Like in I Love You'.... and listen how tender his voice gets.  Listen to when he flows into "The pain in painnnnting...." and how beautiful that is.  YOU KNOW in the past he would have just screamed that line and ruined it.  It's like he now has emotion, and feels the weight of the song, and can show tenderness and sadness and a really mature sound to the song, instead of just singing it straight.  He's actually, in my opinion, a MUCH better singer right now (at least on wax!) then he was just a few short years ago.  LIGHT YEARS ahead of how he sounded on "Smile". 


It's a beautiful thing to watch Brian change, and just see how his career, his family, and his illness have changed over the years and how he's still creating such beautiful music.  Amazing to see all of this, I cannot wait to buy this album (and the Disney songs album too!). 

[Wylson]

Some really interesting comments. I totally agree that it is Brian's phrasing more than his tone that is different.

[Runaways]

You might not want to galo on the performance of Don't Worry Baby from the same show then....

What is this glitch?  Is everybody having the same problem.  Is everybody seeing the word 'galo' here?  It seems to happen whenever someone uses one of these words.  I'll type each word with a space between each letter, and then type the same word normally:

C h i c k
galo

C h u c k
galo

C h e c k
galo

WTF?

galo, galo, galo

EDIT: LOL

[Mr. Cohen]

Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZf31lOrNSY&feature=related

1971 and you can hear a clear link between this and 2010 Brian.

[Ron]

Yup.  I hear it, especially on the falsetto. 

[Don_Zabu]

I don't. -shrug-

[adamghost]

I too have noticed the change in Brian's voice in recent years.  His singing on TLOS made the album for me.  I never thought I would say that.

[Wirestone]

I'll also add -- I'm kind of a fan of the 80s-90s "forced" Brian voice. It's just so unusual. When you pair it with elaborate arrangements, it results in something kind of unsettling -- in a good way. And when you pair it with a simple arrangement -- just a keyboard, let's say -- it sounds like some sort of outsider musical art.

Not to mention the way that the forced voice mutated throughout those 20 years or so. It was pretty clear through BB85, then got shouty for BW88, then relaxed for Sweet Insanity, then got pinched to all heck on the Paley sessions. The strangest he ever sounded has to be on Orange Crate Art -- I think because it was recorded over three years or so. You get several of those weird voices together on the one album -- sometimes on the same song. I mean, has he ever sounded more odd than on "Movies is Magic"? And yet, "This Town Goes Down at Sunset" sounds clear as a bell.

[donald]

I'm fine if Brian stays with his "mid-range' voice and lets someone else handle the higher falsetto notes.  I like his crooning voice best these days.

There are others in the pantheon of Beachboys voices who can do the high parts..........Jeffrey, Matt, Randall, and a couple of others on certain songs.

Bruce is in better voice than 2 years ago.
Al sounds like AL.

Mike's voice varies in quality.........I guess according to song/key/part he is singing........sounded a bit uneven on his GV part recently......but still does the more nasally songs .....especially the car songs........quite well.  

With  a little backing, the original remaining members could pull a reunion off quite well.   Christian is singing better and stronger these days.   To keep it in the family I would suggest Matt and Christian and for outsiders, Darian and Scott T. would round it out.  Also that give you your keyboard and lead guitar.     My vote for drummer is Cowsill.  Hands down.

[Awesoman]

Nice vocal performance by Darian...but isn't this a Brian Wilson concert?  What's Darian doing singing this song?

I suppose they are a band after all and it's nice, but still a little jarring.

Comments like these make me want to stick rusty forks into my eyes.

Well have fun with that.