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I've become so obsessed with BB music that I'm losing friends. :D

I've been obsessing on who sings exactly what in various songs. I was wondering if there are any experts out there WHO KNOW FOR SURE what sang what on each song? Can anyone lend me a hand?

Thanks in advance!

Just ask, wherever there's a question in your mind.  Some vocals are still debated, but most are verified and known by a lot of people on the board.

Or buy AGD's book which nails pretty much all of them, apart from a couple which are the object still of many a fevered debate.

This has actually happened to me. My peers are so into such a different scene with music that i'm starting to be cast out from their friendship for being a Beach Boys fan. I'll take music over friendship.

I have AGD's book. Great book. One of the best. But it fails to REALLY justify who is singing what.

Okay, great. I'll go by 2-fer-album. (if you guys don't mind, cut n paste the entire lists - then put the same by 'em. if it's debatable, please note that). And also... I know there are different singers for different parts of the songs; if you guys/gals don't mind, could you please note where the different person takes over a verse?

Hate to be a pain in the ass BUT I really wanna get this crap down, ya know? Again, thanks in advance!

And guys/gals, I LOVE this website. It's not just a bunch of Full House fans who own a BB greatest hits album. :D

15 Sad Ones:

Rock And Roll Music
It's OK   
Had To Phone Ya      
Chapel Of Love      
Everyone's In Love With You      
Talk To Me      
That Same Song      
TM Song      
Palisades Park      
Susie Cincinnati      
A Casual Look      
Blueberry Hill      
Back Home      
In The Still Of The Night      
Just Once In My Life
      
Wuv You:

Let Us Go On This Way      
Roller Skating Child      
Mona      
Johnny Carson      
Good Time      
Honkin' Down The Highway      
Ding Dang      
Solar System      
The Night Was So Young      
I'll Bet He's Nice      
Let's Put Our Hearts Together      
I Wanna Pick You Up      
Airplane      
Love Is A Woman   

 15 Sad Ones:

Rock And Roll Music  Al
It's OK Mike (Denny on fade)   
Had To Phone Ya Group
Chapel Of Love Brian   
Everyone's In Love With You   Mike   
Talk To Me Carl      
That Same Song Brian      
TM Song   Al   
Palisades Park Carl      
Susie Cincinnati Al      
A Casual Look Mike      
Blueberry Hill Mike      
Back Home Brian      
In The Still Of The Night Dennis      
Just Once In My Life Brian/Carl
      
Wuv You:

Let Us Go On This Way Mike/Carl      
Roller Skating Child   Mike   
Mona Dennis      
Johnny Carson Mike/Carl   
Good Time Brian      
Honkin' Down The Highway Al      
Ding Dang Mike/Carl      
Solar System Brian      
The Night Was So Young Carl      
I'll Bet He's Nice Brian/Carl      
Let's Put Our Hearts Together    Brian/Marilyn   
I Wanna Pick You Up Dennis/Brian      
Airplane   Mike   
Love Is A Woman Brian
 

Thank you!

Man, a lot of those AL vocals, I thought were Mike's.

A little addition: On this song, Dennis sings "I'll bet he's nice, I'll bet he's twice", then he sings "You pretty darling, you my pretty darling", and finally, he sings, "I'll bet he's sweet, I'll bet he's neat". 

Other than that, Ian's right on...

Cool! Thanks.

I'll wait a day or so to post the next set of albums. There still might be some debate.

I think I'm pretty good at this. I'll play this game anyday.

Question: In AIRPLANE, who sings the end part ("I can't wait.... can't wait... too long")... sounds like two guys. I'm assuming Carl/Brian?

Brian does both end parts of the end of Airplane.

Thanks for that note, Sheriff! I forgot about those lines of Bet He's Nice.

Really?! All this time, I thought it was Carl and Brian.

Mike.

'Scuse me, but if you care to check out pages 89 to 96, you get told who sings lead on what. Example - "R&R Music"..."Love's lead vocal is competant". "Had to Phone Ya"... All the band take a line or two of the main vocal - in order, Mike-Alan-Carl-Dennis..." For the changeovers, try using your ears a little - maybe it's just me, but I think there's a slight, but discernable difference between Carl & Dennis on "HTPY". Sorry if I seem a little irked, but essentially you're telling me I've not done the job I was commissioned to do properly. I actually listened to all those tracks, three times minimum. May I suggest you try doing the same ?

Edit:

Sorry to labor a point and maybe I'm being over-sensetive, but if this isn't good enough for you -

"I'LL BET HE'S NICE
(B.Wilson)
There's a tape in circulation of Brian demoing Love You material for the rest of the band, and you can almost hear the jaws dropping when he plays this. A painfully honest letter to a lost love, Brian and Dennis trade gruff verses to great emotional effect, but Carl's middle eight is seamlessly superlative, and the group tag is just icing on the cake. Wonderful stuff."

- then maybe I shouldn't f*cking well bother anymore as I'm obviously just not up to the required standards.

You could have tried reading the "15 Big Ones" booklet in the first place. Or the record backcover.

Surely not mate, Brian does the 'lead'... though I'd bet on my mothers grave that Carl is doing the 'fill ins'... the "can't wait"... "her face"...

It is absolutely him :)

Absolutely. Something I neglected to mention in the ComGuide (mea culpa - I'll fix it in the 2011 update).

Apologies to all for the previous intemperate post, but honestly, stuff like that really makes me wonder why I bother some times. Guy's got the book, the info's in there, and it's still not enough. I'll ask Omnibus if, for the next one, we can included a multi-layered double-sided DVD of the vocal tracks isolated out*.

[* denotes heavy sarcasm]

I really have no trouble discerning one singer from another, no matter when the incarnation of the group.

Not trying to be a smarmy, uppity bastard when I say that guys... but Andrew is right, it ain't so hard... use dem ears.  Easily distinguishable... of course Al and Brian are occasionally difficult, but not often.

It's the beards... they confuse a lot of people.

Mr. Doe, I'd like to compliment you on the book, I look into it at least once pretty much every day. Great job.

(I did find a mistake you might want to do something about in possible reprints (even though somebody probably pointed it out already): The Little Girl I Once Knew isn't in the book)

Page 42.  ;D

Thanks for the kind words. Most people I know have it permanently installed in the toilet.  :o

I guess that was posted only to test us...but Rock'n'Roll Music is of course Mike.

Al sings the "round and round"-part, Brian comes in at the end to sing the title of the song.

I was about to say, that's definately Mike on lead. Just watch the Good Timin' dvd for proof (and AGD book which I don't have --yet--  ;D)

Andrew G. Doe:

Yes, you are being sensitive. I even mentioned that your book was "great" and "one of the best" -- yet, your response was a bit harsh towards me (and not too professional, IMO). I wasn't saying anything negative, nor was I even criticizing your book. I simply wanted more details about vocals, that's it.

I don't have my copy of your book right now. I accidentally left it at Cost Cutters (and no, I'm not saying this to spite you, I really did forget it.) when I was getting a haircut 2 weeks ago. After work, I'll pick it up and check out those pages you were referring to.

Yeah, sure I remember you getting down and dirty with SOME of the vocal ID facts, like your "I'll Bet He's Nice" example, but I don't think every song you covered consisted of vocal explanation like that; WHICH IS WHY I started this thread... I want to know it all and be sure AND at the same time, get some input from people in this forum whether they're Beach Boy book authors, or not.

Is that ok with you? 

Sure, yeah, some of these vocal IDs are obvious to the ears but what's wrong with knowing for sure? Heck, you guys read this thread, a lot of AL sounded like Mike Love and vice versa, same can be said about Carl/Brian... so, you guys with super ears can stand by your "facts."

As for me, I want input from helpful people in this forum.

BTW (to whoever brought up liner notes), I bought the majority of my Beach Boys collection on iTunes so I'm not blessed with the booklets (and yes, they were legally downloaded)

Anyways, I'll check out  pages 89 to 96 to get vocal information.

In the meantime, cool off, man.

*sigh*

I'm one of them!!  (I could make a joke about a "Little Deuce Poop" but I won't.)

I said some kind words, too (see first post on this thread). Where's my thanks?  :'(

He hates you, Run.

runalot, did it never occur to you that i was doing the best I could within the constraints of the format ? You know how many pages were cut ? Eight. Sure, you said nice things (and thanks for that), then proceded to tell me it wasn't good enough -

"But it fails to REALLY justify who is singing what."

Well, gee, thanks a bunch for that. I only spent three months writing the thing in my spare time (and some 30 years researching it). You write the next one.

Am I being over-sensetive ? Maybe, but I'm proud of that book and don't take unfounded criticism kindly. The leads are noted for the overwhelming majority of the songs - granted some slipped past - and to be told it's not good enough is, frankly, insulting to me on a personal and professional level. Omnibus thought it was good enough (twice) as did my collaborator.

I thought your book said it all, Andrew. Perfection.

I never said it wasn't good enough. I never insulted you, either.

Maybe my words "But it fails to REALLY justify who is singing what" were taken wrong and sound a bit dark. All I said is it never gets into detail on who sings what (and I'm sure it does on some songs, but not all!).... that's it.  And it's not you or your books or your partners fault for this. Your book just didn't have that extra detail I wanted...   STILL, I'd rate it a 5-star!!!!  Understand?

Sorry you took it as an insult.

Andrew,

For what it's worth, I think your book is great.  An invaluable resource.

The only quibble I had--and you may remember that we exchanged posts about it here a few months ago--was that you listed Carl as doing the lead vocals on "Here Comes the Night (1967)" and to my ears, it's definitely Brian.

Looking forward to the update!

But Andrew DOES tell you who sings what. Even right down to individual lines. That's the point. If you're going to make a criticism about somebody's work, make sure you know what you're talking about first.

I didn't criticize his work, man. What is this? Gang up on on Runalot day? With that said...

Andrew,

Looked through you book again and I realize why you may have gotten a little ticked at my remark (my memory isn't the best).  It does list who sings what - some, more than others - but like you said, limited format, etc.

I guess I was just looking for those extra details (you know, like exactly who sings what during what verse, etc...on ALL.)

Anwyays, I'm ready to move on. When I list my next set of albums on this thread, I'll actually reference what you wrote in regards to who sings what. And, if there is more i need to know, I'll put a little question beside it.

Cheers.

(BTW, me leaving that book at the barber was a mistake. All the color photos are tore out... someone's kid must've gotten a hold of it). I can almost promise you that I'll pick up another pristine copy -- and that is how much I dig your book.

Now, can you guys stop picking on me? :D

That is why you don't take valuables with you to public places!

Besides, don't barber shops have magazines that you can read?

I'd rather read Andrew's book than WOMAN'S DAY. :D

I'd rather read a Beatles book by Geoffery G. (what's his last name? Italian) than read Woman's Day.

AND YOU STINK TOO!  ;D

Ian, Cpt. Howdy...

what is your avatar from?

The greatest movie of all time, Impulse (1974).

William Shatner. :D

Cool.

The comp guide does not list every individual singer of every song. I think that's obvious, since it would have had to be twice as big otherwse. :)

So can we agree that some nerdy details about certain vocal parts are still open to discussion? For example:
Who sings "Oh Lord I lay me down, No life's left to be found, There's nothing left for me"?
And Al Jardine sings on the last part of A Day In The Life Of A Tree besides Van Dyke Parks.

The first time it's Jack Rieley of course...subsequently (after Van sings his "trees like me" part) it sounds like Brian to me...the timbre of his voice was very distinct in that era.  Which part is Al singing? That high "da-da da da"?

Here is what I meant:

Rieley: Trees like me weren't meant to live
Rieley:  If all this world can give
Rieley: Pollution and slow death

Rieley???: Oh Lord I lay me down
Rieley???:  No life's left to be found
Rieley???:  There's nothing left for me

Van Dyke: Trees like me weren't meant to live
Van Dyke:  If all this earth can give
Van Dyke:  Is pollution

Van Dyke: Trees like me weren't meant to live
 Al: (Oh Lord I lay me down)
 Van Dyke: If all this earth can give
Al:  (My branches to the ground)
Van Dyke:  Is pollution and slow death
Al: (There's nothing left for me)

Al: Oh Lord I lay me down
Al:  My branches to the ground
Al:  There's nothing left for me

There are also some backing vocals...

No, no, no, it goes like this:

Van Dyke: Treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees like me weren't meant to liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive

 ;D

And man you should hear that tag through the matrix !

Andreas,

I strongly believe that all of the lines you attribute to Al were actually sung by Brian. Doesn't sound like Al at all to my ears--but it does sound a hell of a lot like Brian.

AGD, can you weigh in on this?

I think Stephen Desper stated that it was indeed Brian. Look through the essays. Chuck's Desper-engine is very good and very easy to handle. Hope you'll find some infos

Steve does indeed say it's Brian, bit it just doesn't sound like him to these ears. If it is him he's never sung like that before or since.

Normally I'd back Steve on anything, but he's not infallible (i.e. Brian's part on "At My Window" is French, not Portugese). But then, who is ?

You have to remember that his entire contention is that it's Brian physically sped up on tape, by playing the tape slowly while recording the vocal, so the vocal appears to be higher when played back at regular speed.

So indeed, Brian would never have sung like that before or since.

Nothing about being sped up in his book... plus since when has Brian's voice sped up sounded exactly like Alan's ?

According to you Andrew, on that Holland tape. Hawhaw!

Don't forget the mp3 I made of that section slowed down, with the vocal isolated as much as possible.

http://www.someoneliving.com/alorbrian.mp3

I hear you.  I thought I knew a lot of them but I'm not a self-proclaimed
genius like Matinee Idyll.  It's hard for me to pick out which Wilson brother
it is at times..  that's why a lot of songs are still debated.  Al isn't even
a Wilson brother and can pass for Brian many times.  "Love You" Brian
sounds a lot rougher then "15 Big Ones" Brian.. but so does Dennis.  I
thought your starting a thread on this topic would be very interesting.
Unfortunately you got a lot of "what's wrong with you?  Listen for yourself"
comments, which isn't the helpful attitude I've grown accustomed to
on this forum over the years.

It sure sounds more like Brian than before, but I still think it's Al.

I'm being totally serious here, and putting the 'Holland' tape aside - anyone who thinks that's not Alan has major, major hearing problems.

Nope... because my tenet is that the voice on that tape is Alan, not Brian.

A-Haaaaaaaa !

Steve Desper, for instance...

I happen to think it's Al, but either way, the tape is sped up, which makes it much harder to discern.

I was going to say the same exact thing, only with Al's name replaced by Brian's.

Seriously.

But then again, Andrew, you and I still disagree about "Here Comes the Night."  :-)

Dammit, why is there never a fully functioning TARDIS around when you really need one ?

OK, there's one way to settle this for good. Trouble is, it'll take a while.

up until now I Always thought it was Brian at the end (Al Jardine's parts)

carrraaazzzyyy

Not sure I want to know whether I'm wrong.

If there's one thing I hate, it's being proven wrong over something I'm so sure I'm right about!

But, I guess if you can settle this, Andrew, you should.  Take all the time you need--we're not going anywhere!  ;)

Just so I'm clear: this is the end of "A Day in the Life of a Tree" you're going to settle, right? In terms of whether it's Brian or Al singing with Van Dyke?

Ab-so-lute-ly. Not any other song of the same name by any other band of the same name.  ;D

And I've got used to being 100% sure about something then having to 'fess up. As long as the accurate truth comes out, no problem (well, beyond a mildly dented ego...).

Definitely Al. The way he sings "branches to" gives it away.

I think Here Comes the Night on Wild Honey is Brian, too.

Here's a good one: the alternate version of Good Vibrations (Asher lyrics) - Brian or Carl? What do the liner notes say? I think it's Carl, to be honest, but I don't know the circumstances surrounding the recording of it, like, if Brian did a guide vocal and that's it... It's one of the weirder lead vocals because the person is vamping a bit.

Brian. Scratch lyrics, scratch vocal.

OK... I have had words with someone who's got excellent ears, well up on their BB history and, more pertinently, has heard the vocal in question isolated out in recent times. They say, "I'd swear it's Alan".

Realise this won't be enough for some, but it's OK by me.

I'm in the camp that says Brian at the end of Tree, but I admit Al is certainly a possibility.  It just sounds too much like late 60's-1971 or so Brian to me.  I thought the way the line "branches to" was a clear indicator of Brian, not Al.  And as Josh said, the possibility of the tape being sped up doesn't help us much either.  Steven would be of some valuable help to us right now!

The GV scratch version with Asher lyrics is almost certainly Brian...too powerful to be Carl at that time.  Plus I doubt the BB were around during that stage of composing the song anyways.

And Andreas, that first "oh lord I lay me down" is Jack Rieley I'm pretty sure.

Whoever is singing the alternate GV is singing very much out of their usual idiom, to be sure.  It's almost as if Brian (I think it's Bri) is trying to imitate somebody else.

I'm totally split on the Brian/Al line - I would just go with Brian, but I could never be sure.

GV alt IS Brian. I don't think the others were even around were they?

Branches to the ground IS Al.

Your mom IS Al.

Yeah, that would be the proof I need.

Hello ?

'Scuse me ?

[waves hand]

Someone who's a huge BB fan, excellent musician, knows his BB stuff backwards and has heard the part isolated out says he's sure it's Alan - what more do you guys want - a signed affadavit ?

Hellfire, not rocket science to work out who I'm talking about, is it ?

Gee, I think...uh, I'll actually need to have access to all the Surf's Up LP isolated tracks, y'know, for context and whatnot.  I mean, I think it's Al myself, but just to be sure.

And I think I'd need to be able to compare the tracks from Surf's Up to the tracks from Sunflower as well.  Every last discrete one of them.

Then, I can be confident. 

I knew it before you said that, but yeah, that seems good enough evidence to me, on top of what my ears tell me.

though the signed affadavit would be nice.....cos we're all going to keep on arguing until someone who was there tells us.  ;)

Even I'm hanging more to Al than Brian now but the theory about it's how he pronounces 'Branches' can't hold water - they went to the same high school for god's sake so the pronounciation of any given word will be much the same.

Could be Brian though....

Brian does not pronounce ANYTHING folky.
The pronunciation of branches on that tune defines folkiness.

Did you reeeeeaallly listen to "Ding Dang" three times?

More to the point, did I really listen to Summer In Paradise and Stars & Stripes three times ?

I did, and I still bear the scars.

Taken from the Desper thread:



And from Mr. Desper himself, posted today:


So, since Mr. Desper had said at an earlier point that it was Brian, and he's saying now that there should be no debate on the matter, I'm sticking to my guns and declaring that it's Brian, not Al.

I'm clueless--who's AGD talking about?

Yes, why don't we just read Desper's and Doe's book and close this website? Apparently, the authors don't consider discussion worthy anymore.

<<Yes, why don't we just read Desper's and Doe's book and close this website? Apparently, the authors don't consider discussion worthy anymore.>>

In Mr. Desper's case, I think it's a matter of him actually having been there and been part of the recording process.  From his point of view, there's no reason to debate the issue, since he's already answered the question definitively.  If I were him, I think I'd be a little annoyed if I gave an answer and people who weren't there and don't have firsthand knowledge are now questioning my information.

Without taking sides, and with no disrespect at all for the esteemed Mr. Desper, eyewitness testimony is almost never definitive, final proof of anything- especially something relatively minor from thirty-five years ago that probably hasn't been questioned much in the intervening years.

Who here hasn't had an emphatic personal memory disproven?  If you haven't, you aren;t trying hard enough.  The human brain is an amazing machine, but it's imperfect.

At one point in the eighties, a poll showed that something like forty percent of all Americans who were adults in 1963 remembered witnessing the Kennedy assassination on live television.  Of course, the motorcade wasn't televised.

Eyewitness testimony is very strong evidence, but not final proof.

If there's one thing I've learnt it's:
Don't trust engineers
Don't trust authors
Don't trust witnesses
Don't trust Brian Wilson

Steven's affirmation and re-affirmation today is enough for me to settle the issue...I realize that nobody's memory is perfect but I'm apt to trust the engineer in this case. 

All I'll say on that matter is that he has been wrong several times, which is only human, and not a putdown in any way, shape or form.

That is very true Ian...he sounds pretty convincing though, even adding that Al wasn't even in town at the time.

Perhaps a dated vocal session AFM worksheet and a dated copy of Al's travel itinerary will suffice?

I just find it absurd that Doe and Desper clearly contradict each other in that matter, and both insist that no further discussion is allowed.

I'm insisting nothing of the sort (I'm not that inflexible kind of author), and OF COURSE Steve was there and I wasn't. But it sure as hell sounds like Alan to me, as it does to the person who's heard the tapes isolated out, and recently.

And you know something ? In the greater scheme of things, it doesn't matter.

I just listened again. I would bet anything on Al. That loud clear high note "There's nothing left for meeee" does not sound like Brian. Facts and memories are never absolute, but I will continue to trust my ears.

In the .... uhmmm... other thread, you can witness that ... uhmmmm.... authorities are not always infallible.

You can say that again, brother. Holy foda.

In the .... uhmmm... other thread, you can witness that ... uhmmmm.... authorities are not always infallible.

Ahh, you know what I meant!  ;D

I've just read the relevant part of 'the other thread'.

I'm saying nothing.

DEFINITELY hacker. That ain't Desper.

& there was also a woman's voice
(google search) tree "Linda Jardine" (http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=tree+%22Linda+Jardine%22&btnG=Zoeken&meta=)

Please delete.

You're right.  :-\

I knew there was something with "The Little Girl I Once Knew" not being included somewhere, and now I remember: it's not in the alphabetical index.  ;D

I am fascinated about this topic.  Personally I have always thought that the vocals in question sounded like Brian.  But obviously Brian and Al's voices are hard to tell apart at times, so I can certainly understand why people think it's Al.

One factor that seems to have been overlooked is this -- wasn't ADITLOAT one of Brian's kind of "personal" projects?  I guess what I'm getting at is that it seems like the kind of track he recorded by himself (I assume that was him on the organ), maybe messing around with Van Dyke in the home studio.  He conscripted Jack Rieley to do the lead vocal, and I always assumed that he put himself and Van Dyke on at the end because they happened to be there.  None of the other Beach Boys appear to have been involved in this recording at all.  So I guess my question is, does it seem very likely that Al would have been around to record these vocals?  And isn't that what Mr. Desper was getting at with his post on the subject -- that he didn't recall Al being present at the session?

What I'm saying is, reasonable minds can probably disagree as to whether the vocal sounds like Brian or like Al.  But doesn't it seem more likely, given the circumstances under which the song was recorded, that it was Brian?

It was recorded in the house, with lots of rented equipment, and Brian had a definite vision for how he wanted it to go. The Boys are in on it with "ooo ooo ooo" in the middle section and then near the end with the "da da da da" and "bom bom bom" backup vocals.

"Day In the Life Of A Tree"... the tag vocal that is Alan, or Brian. Got Billy Hinsche to ask around a bit. Here are the results:

Billy says... Alan.

Jeff says... Alan.

Brian says... Alan.

WHAT a surprise!

I think I still need to hear the entire Beach Boys tape library to be sure.

I'll bring the coffee and speed.

You could always ask Alan Boyd, y'know.

Hearing with our own ears is the only way.
Alan, we'll bring the coffee and speed.

I did. Some time ago.  ;D

See, this is why we defer to AG Dizzle.

Boyd says Alan too.

WHAT a surprise!

I think I still need to hear the entire Beach Boys tape library to be sure.

I'll bring the coffee, speed, Reddi-Whip, birthday cake and Dolly Parton videos.

The Cyclical Nature of Ian's Posts[/i]

I meant it that way, CLOWN-FINN-BOY!  ;D

Yes, ma'am... err, ladies.  :o

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Andreas says ...  Alan.
AGD says ... Alan.
Alan Boyd says ... Alan.
:)

This may be a dumb question Andrew, but when you say "Brian says: Alan" are you referring to BW himself?  I can't think of another Brian it might be but I would think that Brian Wilson saying "I didn't sing that" would be enough to put this issue to bed once and for all. 

I would say its Brian. Noone uses a normal voice in Day oF the Life. Reiley sounds like Brian in Smile 2004.

You're....kidding...right?

Yes, he is.

Matinee Idyll says it's Al Jardine.

There, that's settled, let's talk about another song.

Who is doing the 'ahahahs' in Country Air?

Be Here in the Mornin' "AHAHAHA" be here in the evenin' "AHAHAHA"

Them parts.

Aren't the lines "Be here in the morning, be here in the evenin" in Be Here in the Morning?

Bah, yes... dunno why I typed "Country Air", I meant "...Morning"

So...? the question still stands...

I'll say Carl.  :-\

Be Here In the Morning: "ah ahhh ha" sounds like Brian doing a 'different' voice, especially on the second one each time. The first couple of notes sound like Carl, but when he goes to the last note the second time, I hear a Brian tone.

Not dumb at all - when I saw it I double checked, pronto. Brian Douglas Wilson.

 Okay, how about the high parts on Celebrate The News?  Al?

Most likely Al, but Bruce can sing high too. No Brian participation on that track, unfortunately.

You sure? It sounds Brian-y to me, or at the very least, Carl-y. Is it a fact that Brian didn't participate on this one?

Speaking of Bruce, do we know of any of his falsettos? I think I only know his regular voice.

I'm with Mitchell -- I can usually puzzle out Al vocals and that really sounds like Brian.

I'm pretty sure that the only Beach Boys on Celebrate the News are Dennis, Carl, Mike, Al, and Bruce. Brian's contributions in 1969 were dwindling to say the very least. If he's there, he was mixed low or mixed OUT. Let's not forget the grudge that Brian held against the group, trying to sabotage their recordings.

Brian was very definitely heard on Forever and Add Some Music.  I would lay odds that Brian is all over Sunflower in a vocal sense.  Most of the Sunflower tracks were at least started in some form in 1969, definitely Forever which started life on 8 track.  Brian produced Break Away (for which CTN was the flip).  So unless you have some documentation, can you again say why you think that Brian wasn't on CTN?

I don't have any documentation except for my ears, and I don't hear Brian on there. This is probably a question for Alan Boyd.

Parts that I think are Brian -- the high pitched falsetto in the "I've got news for you/there ain't no blues/I've got news for you".  No one else in the group has that high pitched wail.  The answering "No more" is either Brian or Carl, but not Al.  The vocals on the tag -- the high line is Brian.

Clearly Al or Bruce can hit the same notes, but only Brian has that timbre.  Plus -- Dennis was really good about including his brothers in his work at this time. In fact, considering that Carl sang many leads for him and Mike occasionally wrote lyrics for him, Denny might be the most egalitarian member of the band.  So I have to think that Dennis would want Brian on the record if he could get him.

Well......we'll have to ask Alan Boyd or Steve Desper. Maybe Alan could uncover a session sheet.

My ears tell me Brian's on -

ASM
This Whole World
Dierdre
At My Window
Our Sweet Love
Forever
Cool, Cool Water
All I Wanna Do

Steve's book adds -

Slip On Through

Nine out of twelve.  ;D

If anyone cares:
Evenreven says.... Alan

Alan Jardine says... Brian.

Just kidding  ;D

Ok, as for mystery 'falsettos':

No-Go Showboat (not the lead, but the "no gooo, no gooo")
Ballad of Ole' Betsy (around 0:48 on)

Who is this? I've asked before and it's never been officially settled. It sounds like it might be pitch-shifted or something. I also like the idea that it might be Mike. I'm pretty sure it's a male voice being weird as opposed to a girl's voice (i.e., it isn't Marilyn or someone like that).

Im almost sure Brian does the high "no more" parts on CTN, and other background vocals within that song.

Be Here, the "Ahaa" parts were also likely Brian. Part of the reason i think this is noone in the band usually gets creative with their vocals w/o Brians help. And, they also sound way too much like Brians voice.

Brian was the one who created vocal melodies 90% of the time, during the late 60's this percentage probably goes up higher. Its just fact. The radical difference in melodies on Sunflower/Surf's Up compared to Friends/20 shows it.

Really?

I hadn't heard about this before.   Can you elaborate, give some examples?

Just want to be sure I'm clear on this--Brian Wilson himself says that it was Al singing with Van Dyke at the end of "A Day in the Life of a Tree?"

That's definitely Al on Celebrate the News. Brian's falsetto is a little different. Like usual, Al's vocals are more punchy and clear than the others'. 

Brian Wilson. Himself. The one who dashed off the odd surf & car ditty, and took 37-odd years to release some album or other.

Wow, I thought all you hardcore Brian Wilson fans took everything he said as gospel!  :D

I'm also interested in this. I can imagine he had an attitude but I wonder if there are any conrete examples of him trying to sabotage recordings.

After 1967, Brian was emotionally beaten down due to the failure of Smile. He blamed the group for the problem, and took it upon himself to sabotage their career. The low production values on the Smiley Smile and Wild Honey albums were the first strike. He was giving fewer and fewer songs to the Beach Boys, preferring to give his hot new material to Redwood. The Beach Boys bullied that Redwood material back from Brian.

Brian conscientiously was going out of his way to ruin the same people he blamed for Smile's demise. Ever hear that old story about the "missing" Do It Again master? Missing, yes. Brian erased it. Luckily for us, Steve Desper had made a safety copy.

Brian was also trying to ruin his voice to deprive the group of their sweet falsetto. Hence the five-pack-a-day cigarette habit. 15 Big Ones and Love You were meant to destroy the band's credibility. No one would expect synth-laden pop with horrible vocals from America's band. Love You he left unfinished until Carl came in and mixed it down and made it releaseable.

Note Brian's bad vocals on most Beach Boys material after 1967. Believe me, the man holds a grudge and probably always will.

I disagree with a lot of that. I think the Do It Again master was lost out of the back of Desper's car as he and Carl drove it to Capitol to master it. Stephen has said so on this board.

Brian's vocals on Sunflower are NOT faulty in any way. Maybe he didn't want to sing lead as much anymore, but he still sang and wrote songs until 1968. Friends is NOT Brian sabotaging the band. Peter Reum has said that this period was harmonious for EVERYONE in the family at the time, including Brian and Murry (which is why they wrote Break Away together).

Friends is the fly in the ointment. As is 20/20. But why would Brian track stuff like Can't Wait Too Long or Ol' Man River and leave them unfinished?

Because he lost interest in them. He wasn't as focused anymore. I believe Peter Reum talked a lot about this period on the old Smiley board, and I don't remember it all, but it had to do with the band having to finish his ideas a lot. It wasn't so much deliberate sabotage as it was no longer having the drive to do it all.

The stereo mixdown was what was lost.  That's why all we have is the mono/duophonic.  That's fact.

If Brian was trying to sabotage the Beach Boys, he was an utter, miserable failure.

"I got news for you" part includes Al no question but Brian is definately in the song.

The mono mix is from a copy made by Steve Desper. The original master was erased.

An utter, miserable failure? First he releases the baffling Smiley Smile and Wild Honey which are mostly his brainchildren. The band almost never recovers. Then the Brian's Back campaign begins and he produces the equally-baffling 15 Big Ones and Love You. How many fans did those two albums win the band?

The band wanted something different they can also play live. Keyword being live. Thats why Smiley and Wild Honey are more simple. They were drugged out and admitted as much that they wanted easier material. They did not want to pay for a touring side band in 1967.

Back to "Celebrate the News" -- I always heard the spoken "hello" at the very beginning as Brian.  Am I wrong on that?

And Brian was dumb enough to listen to them. He gave them what they wanted. He f***ed with them, period.

Yeah, I feel the same way about that, but I'm not 100% certain.

To revisit a previous topic in this thread, I listened to Celebrate The News today and am left uncertain as to who the falsetto is. It could very well be Brian or Al.

"Hello!" is completely 100% Carl.


Which is why the twofers have it in duophonic.  However, what would Brian accomplish by erasing a mono safety copy.  It was always going to be a stereo release.


So you mean commercially?  I guess that is about all that Brian cares about, the moolah, so sure, maybe he was out to bankrupt uh...himself?  As well as his organization.

But artistically, some of his most interesting and beloved work comes from the period in question.

Maybe Brian thought it was the master.


Brian has plenty of money to fall back on. He had plenty of it to fall back on during the late 60s and early 70s. Brian LOVES money just as much as Mike does.

Artistically, I agree 100%. I wish my sabotage turned out such wonderful results.

I always thought so too.  Well, maybe not 100%.  What if it's Dennis?  I'm still in favor of saying it's Al for most if not all of the falsetto parts.

Sounds like Dennis to me.

'Course, might be Alan.

I was always under the impression that what was lost was a multi-track used in the preparation of  Stack-O-Tracks, hence no possibility of a stereo mix. Think Boyd said the mono 45 master has been relocated. Whatever, nothing was purposely erased.

Not after Murry sold Sea Of Tunes out from under him he didn't. No publishing income.

But he still received songwriting royalties, correct?

Publishing's where the sweet coin is.

Yeah, I was thinking the mono master was "lost" rather than known to be erased.

Good point.

I agree fully.




That was always an obvious one to me.  Hearing the background vocals for the first time, I could pick out Brian's voice.

I just love that song!

I am now hanging my head in shame.

Anyone who has heard SOT 20 knows that the multitrack masters for Do It Again still existed as of 1985.  The last pass through that tape had EVERYTHING on it that was on the final track, except for the drum processing (but the drum that was processed itself was there as an overdub).  Steve Desper has posted that, similar to Mike's vocal on the mono mixdown on Wouldn't It Be Nice, the reverb effect was added using an experimental device during the STEREO mixdown to a 2 track stereo mix.  This 2 track stereo mix was lost from his convertable on the drive to Capitol.  All that they had left that had the reverb effect was a mono safety copy, and no time to re-mix the track.

That's a story pretty consistent with the evidence (i.e. the multitracks on SOT 20).  I see no reason to disbelieve it.  Have you actually any evidence, Jason, that Brian erased the stereo master?  For THAT is the missing piece, and was the only non-mono version of DIA with the final effect processing.

The only evidence I have is a lengthy conversation with a close associate of Brian's, who vehemently denies Desper's story.

I have to believe Steve on this one.  Close associates of Brian all have chips on their shoulder, and Steve as a Carlista has no reason to invent a story to cover for what would be Brian's malice.  It's just conspiracy theory, makes for a good story, but IMO is just not true.  And I'll ask the question again, only now under different circumstances:  what "good" would Brian be hoping to accomplish?  So what, one track on 20/20 is in mono?

BTW, I think a great, great project for the BB people to do is a nice remix of Do It Again.

No, it wouldn't be quite perfect, but Steve could fly in and if a multi-head tape delay/repeat unit like the original Phillips could not be found, Steve could oversee the digital recreation (which is actually not terribly difficult to do).

Yeah, the mono hides a lot of the great track.  More than just the reverb, there is a lot of good stuff you can hear in the multitracks.  My respect for that song went up greatly after hearing SOT 20.  The mono mix is not well balanced and is clearly not the vision that Carl and Steve had.

To me too.

Just reposting my query, which didn't get answered...

I also thought it was Brian.... :o