Live Grammy Discussion Thread

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Wow...did I just walk into a sports bar mid NFL game? Is this a Rush message board? I'm waiting for an Yngwie Malmstein reference. If Steve Vai had been there he would have kicked everybody's butt...who gives a rat's nut sack? This isn't the rock and roll olympics...no medals are given out. Anybody who thinks Springteen is supposed to be a technically gifted guitar player and that its somehow noteworthy that McCartney can play a  better solo must have not seen the last several decades of Bruce playing his obligatory Duane Eddy turtle paced five note runs which are all his song's require, while McCartney has given the world some of the tastiest melodic guitar moments in rock history. Was Bruce the favorite going into this knife fight? I think not. Should we remind everyone that Dweezil Zappa can probably play faster and cleaner than Hubert Sumlin? He could smoke him, roll him, toast him...is that important? I bet Bruce could bench more weight than Paul...should we take that into account? Is this a soccer riot or a BB's message board? Bruce can't jam, Paul can...they both have done pretty well with their lives. I doubt they were taking it all that seriously, just having some silly, loose fun. Nothing takes the fun out of a rock and roll party more than a hard a*s keeping score.

Why's everyone slamming Bruce? At least he wasn't wearing shorts!

Oh, er, wait: we're talking about Springsteen?

All I know is the bloated, fake R&B vocal hysterics, production number laden Grammys,  ended with a bunch of old guys cranking out awesomely sloppy guitar solos led by a 70 year old!
I went to sleep smiling

BTW, Glen Campbell smoked everyone, in my opinion.

[LetHimRun]

Two points I needed to restate, and mention about Wouldn't It Be Nice.

A few pages back, Ron posted something which *nailed it* for me about the lead vocal on that song. Brian sang it which such force, such intensity...it's something I did not notice for a long time until the Pet Sounds Sessions and SOT let us hear the bare vocal tracks. Brian is going all out, he sounds young, enthusiastic, and he's "belting it out" to use a vocal term. Full voice, in that glorious high range of his. It fits the perspective of the lyrics, a young man looking ahead with a lot of positive, wishful vibes.

I've heard covers, I've tried covers, and that power of the original lead vocal falls through the cracks. A lot of singers can't help but try to do the precious side of that falsetto, trying to equate a softer, gentle delivery with the sentiment of the song. I don't think it works as well. Al Jardine, on quite a few live shows, belted out the song as it should be done, and I almost wish Al had contributed a lead last night. He understood what the vocal was all about, as did Ron who posted a lot of my sentiments on it.

Not taking away from Foster's vocal - I'd be nervous as hell singing that song next to one of my musical idols, too, as anyone! He was probably living a dream he's had since getting into the BB's music...that's pretty intense stuff. His love for the band showed in other ways last night.

It's a vocal performance that I think cannot be equaled, it's that powerful and that well-delivered, and it is also my favorite song and probably favorite recording of all time. It's a massive order to fill when trying to cover that one.

Great take. I agree with you and Ron. I wish he would have belted it out because I think it would have been better. He's capable, but obviously he went a different direction..

If you can, check out this performance of one of their songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BicDt5HGddU

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

That;s the thing with the Beach Boys: they just sang, sang out and sang with enthusiasm and heart. They employed little to no vocal technique (other than breathing) and sang with their individual and unique natural voices.

When you try and tackle a Beach Boys song as "a singer" it really never quite comes off unless you make the song your own.

 

[Mikie]

Glen Campbell was great last night. Looked good. Very happy! Better than I thought he would for a guy on his way out. His new album is pretty damn good too.

[Mikie]

Anybody here see ol' Joe Walsh play acoustic for Macca last night?  Funny faces and all.  Wow!!  How cool is that?

[Newguy562]

Glen Campbell was great last night. Looked good. Very happy! Better than I thought he would for a guy on his way out. His new album is pretty damn good too.

Wasn't Glen Campbell part of the Beach Boys or worked with them? i know i heard his name before and it had something to do with the BB's.

[hypehat]

Glen Campbell was great last night. Looked good. Very happy! Better than I thought he would for a guy on his way out. His new album is pretty damn good too.

Wasn't Glen Campbell part of the Beach Boys or worked with them? i know i heard his name before and it had something to do with the BB's.

Glen Campbell was the first stand in for Brian when he quit the touring group in '64, and was a session guitarist on some songs too. He also has a BW produced tune called 'Guess I'm Dumb', which is amazing. His music in the 60's is also great - Listen to Wichita Lineman, Where's The Playground, Susie?, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Gentle On My Mind, Galveston..... Lots of schlock otherwise, but the guy is a supertalented guitarist and singer.

[Heysaboda]

The Boys, once again, were a Class Act last night at the Grammys.  That kind of singing will never go out of style.

There IS just something magical about those voices.

I thought they did quite well.

My only complaint was that they shortened GV for the show; would have loved to hear another tune from them!

[Heysaboda]

Ugh. f*cking terrible performance.

Oh, it wasn't that bad.  Strange, but then, what isn't?  Not going to win any new fans, but Dave certainly looked cool up there.

I heard Brian OK, but it could have been a better mix.  Grammy engineers probably not used to whoo-whoo machines.  Cannot get used to hearing WIBN in the key of D.

Foster the People did a more acceptable job, but like said above they sang it three keys low, and the lead singer has no power or strength to his voice.  Al Jardine would have murdered this song, he sings it very well and in my opinion was the best person on stage to sing it.  I liked Foster the People's vibe and the way they handled the song, but it was a bit out of their league.

I'm pretty sure Wouldn't It Be Nice it out of the league of 99% of all groups ever.

FTP's lead singer does have power and strength to his voice, he just didn't use it and along with being subdued with the lead, was nervous on top of it (vibrato didn't help on a song that doesn't need it) because of it being the biggest stage they have ever been on. Really, FTP has only been touring big stages like this for about a year and to top it off, they are playing a song off an album of a group and person the lead singer idolizes. The nerves had to be unbelievable.

Like I said I liked the vibe they gave it, and deep respect to them for the striped shirts.  I would have been scared to death!

Ron, I have to admit, FTP did way better than I thought they would.  I was one of the ones (stupidly) ragging on them before the show, but I have to say, they respected the material, and hey, they did all right!

"like"

[drbeachboy]

Anybody here see ol' Joe Walsh play acoustic for Macca last night?  Funny faces and all.  Wow!!  How cool is that?

He was excellent with Macca on the acoustic guitar. He didn't play too shabby on The End, either.

[Mikie]

Yeah! Almost forgot about "The End"!  All of 'em up there rockin'!  Superb!!  Add J.C. Fogerty and Petty and Dylan up there and you woulda had an ass-kickin' band!

[CoolWater]

Long time lurker, first time poster...

Does anybody know what the flub was as Mike asked the Audience to sing along? After he said something like, "Everybody sing along." you can here someone in the band (backing band I think) say, quite loudly, "Hold on!"  Did Mike skip over a instrumental break, or was someone just not in place to start singing?

Sorry if this was answered already, I spent all morning searching but came up empty.

[Heysaboda]

Let me spell it out for you since you still don't understand.

Bruce Springsteen gets acclaim for playing guitar.  He ONLY plays guitar.  He played lead last night on "The End", like Harrison/McCartney/Lennon did.  

Standing next to him was Paul McCartney.  Paul McCartney is known as being one of the greatest *BASS* players of all time.  Paul is known, worldwide, for his piano playing.  The THIRD instrument Paul is good at, is GUITAR.  On the instrument he's THIRD best at, he's MUCH better than Bruce Springsteen.

How you and others can't get the comparison I'm making is beyond me.  Paul is a better bassist than he is a guitarist.  THATS A FACT.

Paul is a better pianist than he is a guitarist.  

THAT IS A FACT.

Third, Paul is so great on guitar he ate Bruce Springsteen ALIVE at 70 years old.

Bruce let a 70 year old BILLIONAIRE roll him up and smoke him on stage last night.  

That is all.  

You forgot to mention, Paul is a better DRUMMER than Bruce is a GUITARIST
LOL

[Heysaboda]

Here's the link to the post-performance interview with the BBs:
http://www.grammy.com/videos/the-beach-boys-one-on-one-backstage

Mike Love is a complete riot!  At the end of the interview he says "nice jacket" to the interviewer!

FUNNY!

Have to say: I'm feeling the Love for the Lovester!

[Justin]

Couldn't we afford to merge some of these Grammy threads together?  Seems a little much to have to open 3 or 4 threads about the same topic.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

The Ultimate Classic Rock.com site had several excellent reviews:

"Every note sounded magnificent, and it was great to see Wilson and Mike Love together again, even if in general the band seemed terrified by either the moment or the crowd. We sincerely hope that Wilson enjoys making music in ways that don’t register via his facial expression. Because we sure like hearing them perform!"

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beach-boys-reunite-to-perform-good-vibrations-at-the-2012-grammy-awards/

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-grammy-awards-performances/

"The 2012 Grammy Awards finally arrived Sunday night, and while classic rockers weren’t up for many awards on the big night, they were well represented onstage. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and the Beach Boys all turned in top-shelf performances. "

I imagine we, on this board, knowing the music so well have a higher expectation on the vocals.  Bottom line - No Carl.

[southbay]

The Ultimate Classic Rock.com site had several excellent reviews:

"Every note sounded magnificent, and it was great to see Wilson and Mike Love together again, even if in general the band seemed terrified by either the moment or the crowd. We sincerely hope that Wilson enjoys making music in ways that don’t register via his facial expression. Because we sure like hearing them perform!"

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beach-boys-reunite-to-perform-good-vibrations-at-the-2012-grammy-awards/

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-grammy-awards-performances/

"The 2012 Grammy Awards finally arrived Sunday night, and while classic rockers weren’t up for many awards on the big night, they were well represented onstage. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and the Beach Boys all turned in top-shelf performances. "

I imagine we, on this board, knowing the music so well have a higher expectation on the vocals.  Bottom line - No Carl.

Agree with the last line, no doubt.  The LA Times put it well this morning though, when discussing the Boys vis-a-vis Maroon 5 and the Fosters.

" The Beach Boys, in fact, showed the limitations of the acts they performed with. "

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/grammys-2012-more-beach-boys-less-maroon-5-foster-the-people.html

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

True, but if Brian steps up, this can just be a return to the Brian/Mike led early Beach Boys.

Of course, they might not want to tackle, say "Trader" on tour minus Carl 

[Mahalo]

Maroon 5 nailed Surfer Girl...

Are you tone-deaf?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Maybe he means "nailed" it as in F*#ked it?

[Mahalo]

I don't think that Maroon 5 has f*cked anything in their lives except that song.

[Awesoman]

The Ultimate Classic Rock.com site had several excellent reviews:

"Every note sounded magnificent, and it was great to see Wilson and Mike Love together again, even if in general the band seemed terrified by either the moment or the crowd. We sincerely hope that Wilson enjoys making music in ways that don’t register via his facial expression. Because we sure like hearing them perform!"

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beach-boys-reunite-to-perform-good-vibrations-at-the-2012-grammy-awards/

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-grammy-awards-performances/

"The 2012 Grammy Awards finally arrived Sunday night, and while classic rockers weren’t up for many awards on the big night, they were well represented onstage. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and the Beach Boys all turned in top-shelf performances. "

I imagine we, on this board, knowing the music so well have a higher expectation on the vocals.  Bottom line - No Carl.

Agree with the last line, no doubt.  The LA Times put it well this morning though, when discussing the Boys vis-a-vis Maroon 5 and the Fosters.

" The Beach Boys, in fact, showed the limitations of the acts they performed with. "

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/grammys-2012-more-beach-boys-less-maroon-5-foster-the-people.html

"...and though Wilson isn't all that mobile these days, there's no denying the look of sheer joy on his face every time he gets to perform."

Not quite sure that was *joy* we saw from him last night.  He looked terrified.  

But honestly I think the best way to go was to can Moron 5 and Foster The People and let the Beach Boys do the full version of "Good Vibrations".  Give Mike Love a little chance to work the crowd a little bit.  They could have had a guest vocalist handle Carl Wilson's lead vocals.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

The Ultimate Classic Rock.com site had several excellent reviews:

"Every note sounded magnificent, and it was great to see Wilson and Mike Love together again, even if in general the band seemed terrified by either the moment or the crowd. We sincerely hope that Wilson enjoys making music in ways that don’t register via his facial expression. Because we sure like hearing them perform!"

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beach-boys-reunite-to-perform-good-vibrations-at-the-2012-grammy-awards/

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-grammy-awards-performances/

"The 2012 Grammy Awards finally arrived Sunday night, and while classic rockers weren’t up for many awards on the big night, they were well represented onstage. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and the Beach Boys all turned in top-shelf performances. "

I imagine we, on this board, knowing the music so well have a higher expectation on the vocals.  Bottom line - No Carl.

Agree with the last line, no doubt.  The LA Times put it well this morning though, when discussing the Boys vis-a-vis Maroon 5 and the Fosters.

" The Beach Boys, in fact, showed the limitations of the acts they performed with. "

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/grammys-2012-more-beach-boys-less-maroon-5-foster-the-people.html

"...and though Wilson isn't all that mobile these days, there's no denying the look of sheer joy on his face every time he gets to perform."

Not quite sure that was *joy* we saw from him last night.  He looked terrified.  

But honestly I think the best way to go was to can Moron 5 and Foster The People and let the Beach Boys do the full version of "Good Vibrations".  Give Mike Love a little chance to work the crowd a little bit.  They could have had a guest vocalist handle Carl Wilson's lead vocals.

I agree!

It bugs me how we're apparently not supposed to know it's Jeff basically singing for Brian!

[drbeachboy]

Erik, Jeff has been doing this in concert since Brian began touring again. You know as well I do that the Grammy people, as well as the band couldn't afford a major screw up, so they had to make the decision to lower Brian for this one performance. This won't happen like this in a regular concert setting. I don't think they were trying to fool anyone, just making sure the band had a successful first outing.

[Justin]

I'm surprised that I was as accepting of the abbreviated version of "Good Vibrations" as I was when I watched it last night.  It actually was a great way to go right into the song, getting the crowd energized for it.  Sure it would have been great to do the whole song...but after that buildup by Seacrest...the opening to GV might have taken longer to get the crowd going.