New Brian Wilson song just premiered on radio

[Lee Marshall]

No worries Ray.  Just like Frasier Crane...I'm listening.  Perhaps a picture just to actually show the experts that you were THERE might assist in keeping the discussion from submerging into the cess...oops...guess pool of artificial expertise.

[Awesoman]

There is no pitch correction.  Brian corrects pitch live as he is cutting the vocals .  For example at the "I'm Into Something Good' session ; Carole King had not started singing the second verse when Brian pitch corrected..." Carole , your flatting" . He did it to Macca , to  EJ , to Nate Reuss, to everyone.  My understanding is the vocals are double tracked and buried with echo .

There is pitch correction.  If Brian does it live, then he uses one of these tools to do it.  Also, Brian is not a computer person so we can assume he is using a fellow engineer to do it for him while he watches over the engineer's shoulder.  The double tracked vocals heard are used to try to mask the effect of auto-tune, which rarely ever works.

Ok ,  whatever

There is definitely an Auto tune or pitch-correcting effect on the vocals, however I think it serves as a stylistic choice here more than anything else.  

Didn't BW once admit in an interview that he uses pitch correction?

[Rich Panteluk]

Dear Mr. Lawlor,

Please do not argue with ForHerCryingSoul.  He is an expert.  Don't you realize that Brian has been using doubletracked vocals for nearly 50 years for the purpose of "masking" the auto-tune.  

In all seriousness it is great to have someone here who has attended sessions, been a good friend to Brian, and can weigh in when some folks' musings get out of hand.  Thanks for posting here Ray, you class the place up!  I am looking forward to the album.  I hope we hear a taste of the studio version of Saturday Night on Hollywood BLVD next or soon.  I really enjoyed Nate's vocals during the Vegas show and want to hear how the album version came out.

[guitarfool2002]

For the musicians who want to jam along with Brian, Al, David, and the song: Adding to Alan Smith's earlier post, here is a chord chart I did in the key of the recording. Many of the chords are anticipated going into the next bar, but it's difficult to notate in this format - listen for those changes. Those who prefer open guitar chords, you can capo at the 3rd fret and transpose all of these down three half-steps, C minor becomes open A minor, Eb becomes open C, etc. Lot of those nice hybrid "Brian chords" to be found, some where the notes played in the bass imply a different harmony than the chord on top, a few I'm not 100% sure of but they worked this morning.  


THE RIGHT TIME

INTRO
Cm    Bb/D | Eb/F     | Cm    Bb/D | Eb/F     |

Cm    Bb/D | Eb/F     | F          | F        |

VERSE
Cm     Bb/D | Cm7/F     | Cm    Bb/D | Cm7/F    |

Eb     Dm7  | Cm7       | F          | F        |

CHORUS
Bb          | Gm        | Dm         | Eb     F |
 
Bb          | Gm        | Dm         | Eb     F |

REPEAT VERSE

REPEAT CHORUS

BRIDGE
Ebmaj7     | Ebmaj7     | Dm7      | Dm7      |

Ebmaj7     | Ebmaj7     | Dm7      | Dm7      |

Ebmaj7     | Ebmaj7     | Dm7      | F        | F       |

VOCAL/GUITAR BREAK: REPEAT CHORUS X2

CHORUS X2

OUTTRO
Ebmaj7     Dm7 | Cm7/Eb     | Ebmaj7     Dm7 | Cm7/Eb     |

Ebmaj7     Dm7 | Cm7/Eb     | Bbmaj7     |

[Dudd]

I can see why people might be put off by the similarity to "Lay Down Burden," but not by the pitch correction.  This is not "unbelievably terrible", C50 Live-level Autotune.
Very nice song, to my ears.

[Gohi]

Lol the chorus is just Lay Down Burden.

[SMiLE Brian]

Agreed Judd, it's Brian freaking wilson making art in 2015.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Agreed Judd, it's Brian freaking wilson making art in 2015.

Absolutely!! And how fortunate we are that he is. I've listened to it like 10 times-so far. 

[guitarfool2002]

Dear Mr. Lawlor,

Please do not argue with ForHerCryingSoul.  He is an expert.  Don't you realize that Brian has been using doubletracked vocals for nearly 50 years for the purpose of "masking" the auto-tune.  

In all seriousness it is great to have someone here who has attended sessions, been a good friend to Brian, and can weigh in when some folks' musings get out of hand.  Thanks for posting here Ray, you class the place up!  I am looking forward to the album.  I hope we hear a taste of the studio version of Saturday Night on Hollywood BLVD next or soon.  I really enjoyed Nate's vocals during the Vegas show and want to hear how the album version came out.

I'd suggest putting a smiley/emoticon after the first paragraph to further enhance the sarcasm...  Like that one !  

[bgas]

But I think an important question persists:  how the hell is Norway getting to hear this song before everyone else?!

My guess, checking the notes at the bottom of the link, is they got this from someone in NYC..
>> Per Sundnes er i New York City og rapporterer direkte fra the Big Apple. ( Per Sundnes is in New York City and reports directly from the Big Apple. )<  

[SMiLE Brian]

Agreed Judd, it's Brian freaking wilson making art in 2015.

Absolutely!! And how fortunate we are that he is. I've listened to it like 10 times-so far. 

I got another 30 listens to go!

[rab2591]

Lol the chorus is just Lay Down Burden.

Yeah, Brian's never been known to re-imagine older tracks. I'm off to listen to Land Ahoy and Cherry Cherry Coupe...

[Gohi]

Lol the chorus is just Lay Down Burden.

Yeah, Brian's never been known to re-imagine older tracks. I'm off to listen to Land Ahoy and Cherry Cherry Coupe...

Did I imply this was a one-time thing?
What's your point? That he's done it before so just don't bring it up?

[Dudd]

EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Love the song!  Although it does feel a bit like a reworked Lay Down Burden, but there's nothing really wrong with that.  After hearing this and the songs from the Vegas show, I'm feeling much better about the album than when I first heard Our Special Love.

[rab2591]

Lol the chorus is just Lay Down Burden.

Yeah, Brian's never been known to re-imagine older tracks. I'm off to listen to Land Ahoy and Cherry Cherry Coupe...

Did I imply this was a one-time thing?
What's your point? That he's done it before so just don't bring it up?

I guess I'm missing the humor then....didn't realize that Brian re-working a melody/chord progression calls for a "Lol"

[doc smiley]

I enjoy the song..
As for Al's part,  I agree with the "double tracked and buried with echo" conclusion and I like it!

[Lee Marshall]

Well...I enjoyed the HECK outta that.  I had a chance to listen w/o interuption and thoroughly 'felt' it.  A unique sound with that guitar for what turns out to be a Beach Boys kind of effort.  Yes I enjoyed It's OK and Good Timin' a LOT and Kokomo a little but as a Beach Boys [based] release...this is the first NEW something I've enjoyed to this extent since Holland hit the shelves.  [that's after 1 listen...]

Like all Beach Boys and Brian material some folks like the A pile.  Some prefer the B choices and others are better satiated by C, D, or E.  This song, then, would be no exception in that regard.  But as a LONG TIME fan...I dig it BIG TIME.

Nicely done Brian...Al...David.  Thanks for NOT trying to be anyone other than yourselves.  Timeless pounds the livin' daylights outta trendy everytime.

[Gerry]

Hey does anybody hear Shortin' Bread in this song? No? Well neither do I.But I digress. It amazes me how everybody is now an expert on recording techniques and really has better  taste than Brian Wilson whenit comes to producing a song. There is a weird vibe on this board sometimes, almost as if you wanted the Beach Boys to be something different then they really were. When the album does come out I think this is the last place I'd want to be, too much negativity .Unless Brian Wilson visits, than everyone is on their best behavior.

[ppk700]

Hey does anybody hear Shortin' Bread in this song? No? Well neither do I.But I digress. It amazes me how everybody is now an expert on recording techniques and really has better  taste than Brian Wilson whenit comes to producing a song. There is a weird vibe on this board sometimes, almost as if you wanted the Beach Boys to be something different then they really were. When the album does come out I think this is the last place I'd want to be, too much negativity .Unless Brian Wilson visits, than everyone is on their best behavior.

For all we know, the Most Honoured Guest himself is reading this thread right now... if he is, hi Brian!

[ForHerCryingSoul]

Please do not argue with ForHerCryingSoul.  He is an expert.

lol I'm really not an expert, but thank you.  I still can't wait to hear the other tracks in store for No Pier Pressure.  If that link for the song ends up being taken down, PM me.  I recorded it for reference.

[Gerry]

So you can't wait to hear the rest of the album so you can critique the sh*t out of it?

[mikeddonn]

Nice uplifting song!  Thank you Brian and friends!

[ForHerCryingSoul]

It amazes me how everybody is now an expert on recording techniques and really has better  taste than Brian Wilson whenit comes to producing a song. There is a weird vibe on this board sometimes, almost as if you wanted the Beach Boys to be something different then they really were. When the album does come out I think this is the last place I'd want to be, too much negativity .Unless Brian Wilson visits, than everyone is on their best behavior.

Didn't mean to sound prudish when it came to reviewing the track.  It's just my two cents and my opinion on it based on the sounds of his earlier work, which is probably not a fair comparison.  I personally liked the sound of Brian Wilson's Lucky Old Sun album, Gershwin album and That's Why God Made the Radio, even with auto-tune (I use that word interchangeably with software that corrects pitch). 

Back to the song, it's a lot better than the Sweet Insanity sessions.  I hope we can all agree on that. 

[ForHerCryingSoul]

So you can't wait to hear the rest of the album so you can critique the sh*t out of it?

Honestly no.  I just would like to hear Brian Wilson continue to make art.  I only critiqued to observe and predict what is to come.  I didn't mean to completely trash it...  I'm sorry.