Vocal peaks?

[mikeyj]

This may have been posted on this board before (apologies if it has) but what does everyone think is the peak of each band members voice? You can be as general or as specific as you want and of course its all your opinion so you don't have to say what you think was technically the best period of each band members voice but just what your favourite period for each members voice is (confusing, I know). And of course it probably always changes for most people, like it does for me, and it generally depends on what you've been listening to etc..

Anyway for me I would say:

Brian: Pet Sounds + Friends tracks
Carl: "God Only Knows"
Dennis: Friends tracks
Mike: "All I Wanna Do"
Alan: undecided.
Bruce: Sunflower/Surf's Up tracks (not really much to choose from and it generally is all pretty much the same to me)

[tpesky]

I agree with those except Carl, I think his vocal peak was later. GOK was one of his early leads and certainly his first lead on a ballad. I think Carl's voice would develop both a rougher edge to it at times and the ability to pour out a beautiful ballad. This happened in the early 70s somewhere.
Alan- I don't know, I am going to say somewhere in the mid -late 70's when he still had the high range going. He is a tough one, just his voice is so darn consistent

[tpesky]

Whoops ! I change my mind on Dennis too, I am going with 1970-71 as well with Forever and some of the other ballads.  Sunflower really had some incredible vocals

[mikeyj]

I agree with those except Carl, I think his vocal peak was later. GOK was one of his early leads and certainly his first lead on a ballad. I think Carl's voice would develop both a rougher edge to it at times and the ability to pour out a beautiful ballad. This happened in the early 70s somewhere.
Alan- I don't know, I am going to say somewhere in the mid -late 70's when he still had the high range going. He is a tough one, just his voice is so darn consistent

I agree with Carl. I dont know it always changes for me with all of their voices. I would also say I love his lead vocal on the Knebworth version of Darlin'.. that just rocks.

I agree about Al in terms of consistency.. he is just too hard to call. I can't really think of one where I think, "gee that is better than the others", hence why I left it undecided

I was thinking about the Sunflower era and to be honest I would have to say Friends + Sunflower.. but then again I also love his vocals on C&TP It's SOOO hard for all of them but I just thought I'd see what everyone came up with.

[Dancing Bear]

Brian: 1964/65
Dennis, Mike and Bruce: 1969/71
Alan and Carl: later than the 'golden era' of 68-73, but the lack of good material makes it hard to tell. Probably late 70s for Al and early 80s for Carl.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Brian:    1965-1966 Today/Pet Sounds/SMiLE
Dennis: 1969-1972 20/20/Sunflower/CATP
Carl:      1979-1985 L.A./KTSA/BB85
Mike:     1964-1965 LDC/All Summer Long/Today/SD&SN
Al:         1976-1980 15BO/MIU/L.A./KTSA
Bruce:   1979-1980 L.A./KTSA

[Beach Boy]

Brian:    1965-1966 Today/Pet Sounds/SMiLE
Dennis: 1969-1972 20/20/Sunflower/CATP
Carl:      1979-1985 L.A./KTSA/BB85
Mike:     1964-1965 LDC/All Summer Long/Today/SD&SN
Al:         1976-1980 15BO/MIU/L.A./KTSA
Bruce:   1979-1980 L.A./KTSA

I vote like that too.   

[melissalynn]

Not very original on my part, but I'm also voting the same as the Sheriff on this one.

[RONDEMON]

I think Brian's voice has always been enjoyable to an extent. Even his gruff 70's voice and 80's solo voice are interesting.
His 1976 demo of "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" proves he still had a great voice when he actually tried. The 80's voice is whiny but he's still singing on key on the studio recordings and sounds good. His Orange Crate Art voice is pretty great too, especially those big harmonies.
But if we're getting into specifics...

Brian 65-74

Dennis 68-72. His vocals on Sunflower are amazing. Breaking a little, but not yet into gruff territory at all. IMO "Slip On Through" is his best vocal.

Mike - Now this is tough. He's always been very consistent considering his range, but later on he got into serious nasal territory. So maybe 64-85?

Carl - Carl really grew into his voice as he aged so I'd say he was always very consistent.
Al - Same as Carl. Al's vocals are the shining beacon in every song where he pops in. A breath of fresh air.

[linusoli]

Brian - Those falsetto squeals in the choruses of "A Thing or Two!!!!!!"
Carl - Man, it really might be the verses of "Baby Blue"
Dennis - "Little Bird"
Mike - All the bass vocals from the Smile sessions
Al - The bridge of "Don't Go Near the Water"
Bruce - The response vocal of "God Only Knows"

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Brian-Caroline, No; Wake the World; Winter Symphony

Dennis-He is fairly consistant from 68-74. Soul of Free and Be With Me stick out.

Mike-I actually love his voice on Big Sur. Not his high nasel voice, but a baritone sound that suits him better.



Carl, Al and Bruce were very consistant. But I could probably think of a song that fit their voices the best.

My favorite vocal perfomance of each:

Carl-The Night Was So Young

Al-Winds of Change

Bruce-Dierdre

[Eric Aniversario]

Brian - 1965-1968 She Knows Me Too Well...Friends Tracks

Carl - 1980-1981 Never sounded better live than these two years

Dennis - 1970-1971 Lady...Barbara...Forever

Mike - Studio 1964 (Little Honda, I Get Around, All Summer Long), Live 1978-1980

Al - 1999-2007 He was very hoarse through most of the 90's, his 80's performances left a lot to be desired.  60's vocals still weren't developed...not really many 70's leads.  His voice has definitely gotten better over time...he puts all the others still around to shame vocally.

Bruce - 1970

[Beach Boy]

Just one addition:

I love Dennis vocals the best around POB. So I would say 1976-1979, "Angel Come Home" is his best lead vocal, what a killer! 

[Bicyclerider]

I think the vocal peak of the entire group was 1969-1970 - the time of the Last Capitol album and Sunflower.
Mike - can't think of a better vocal than All I Wanna Do
Carl - This Whole World and Our Sweet Love
Dennis - Slip on Through, Forever, and Celebrate the News
Alan - susie Cincinatti, Loop de Loop, Breakaway, Cottonfields (single version)
Brian - his voice shines on Good Time, Games Two Can Play, Breakaway (early version) - granted, Brian wasn't singing on many songs during this period, but his voice is as strong as on Friends IMO, the songs just aren't as strong (with the exception of Breakaway).
Bruce - Deirdre

Both Carl and Alan developed some vocal mannerisms that could be irritating after the Surf's Up period, although they were the most consistent great singers in the group.  Dennis's voice, while still an effective instrument through Pacific Ocean Blue, was obviously going downhill on Carl and the Passions - the raspiness and hoarseness was already creeping in.

I find Brian's vocals during the Friends and the 69-70 period to be more relaxed and "pure" than some of the vocals for Today and pet Sounds, where he sounds like he's really pushing his voice with some harshness in the higher registers.

[phirnis]

(...)
I find Brian's vocals during the Friends and the 69-70 period to be more relaxed and "pure" than some of the vocals for Today and pet Sounds, where he sounds like he's really pushing his voice with some harshness in the higher registers.

Agreed. There's only very few things as soothing as a lead vocal by Brian Wilson circa 1968. By 1970 there's almost a sense of shy melancholy to his vocal delivery, which I find to be very moving even in the quirkiest tunes from that period.

[MBE]

I would say Sunflower as a whole too, but would like to talk a little about when I think their peaks started and ended.

I like Brian's mature high voice and his full lower voice of 1967-74. I like his songs of that time very much too.  I think as early as 1962 (the Lonely Sea) he was peerless as a singer.  Last great vocals were on the Caribou sessions. 

Dennis' first great vocal was probably You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, though In The Back Of My Mind shows progress he isn't quite there yet. The 1968-73 period is pretty uniformly fantastic. The 18 months of the Sunflower sessions are him at his very best. Having heard live tapes of Cuddle Up and I've Got A Friend, plus a note perfect 1973 Forever I would have to say that I don't agree that his voice had really declined by CATP. I do hear some cracks on the studio cut of Cuddle Up but the live version was very smooth. Besides his range on Make It Good and Cuddle Up is pretty wide. Last great vocal probably the December 1973
Forever.

God Only Knows was Carl's first great lead to me as with everyone else I like his voice around Sunflower best. It had some of the power it had later, but also a youthfullness that was missing in the later 70's. I think his last great vocals were on his solo albums.

Mike sounded really good on bass vocals from about 1964-74. His first terrific vocals for me are on Hushabye. I would say Sunflower is his shining moment as a lead singer. All I Wanna Do and the Surf's Up outtake Big Sur are my favorites.  Last really great vocal would have to be It's Ok.

Al was great from the second Help Me Rhonda on. I guess the Cottonfields single would be my favorite. He still is good and lasted much better then the others. I would agree the he did develop some vocal phrasings that weren't endearing by 1976. As he confessed on the Endless Summer tv show, his high range was gone by the late 80's. I think Santa Ana Winds is his last great lead.

Bruce sounded very good from about 1966 on, Don't Run Away being perhaps my favorite. He wrote with Mike for his Bruce and Terry act and it's very much in the vein of Pet Sounds. I like his voice best around Sunflower too so that makes six for six. I will say that by the 1985 album his voice had declined quite a bit, so though I dislike the song Endless Harmony would be his last pristine lead.

As far as Blondie and Ricky go I like most everything I hear. Blondie's voice is a little weathered now but still very powerful. Early 70's I suppose for both.

The vocals I heard by Dave on the Moon LP's are very nice.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I think his (Carl's) last great vocals were on his solo albums.

Of course it's a matter of opinion, but...

I think Carl carried The Beach Boys 1985 album. Even though the material was weak(er), Carl raised his game to a new level. His vocals on "It's Getting Late", "Where I Belong", "Maybe I Don't Know", and even "She Believes In Love Again" show a combination of both tenderness and strength. Carl matured as a singer; you could almost sense that he was going for it...

[MBE]

I suppose you are right about Carl on the 1985 LP but I didn't think of it for two reasons. One because the songs are pretty weak, and two because the processed feel of the production gives his voice a less natural sound. For example the quiet bits on It's Getting Late. I think you have a good point about Carl trying far harder then the rest on it.


Carl's voice never completely left him, but his singing in the last ten years of his life was far more husky and less flexable. I guess I can go from the live recordings too. When I hear Carl in 1980-82 he sounded so powerful. By 1985-86 I don't hear that anymore. You know what it really cool is watching Carl in the Endless Harmony God Only Knows segement. You can hear all his vocal changes through the years in one three minute package. I would pick the second clip myself which goes back to right around (perhaps a year or two after) the Sunflower era.

[jmc]

As a group for me 68'-72' was their best stretch.  Individually their peaks in vocal range, clarity etc...

Brian: Smile-Friends
Carl: Sunflower / Surf's Up (This Whole World, Our Sweet Love, Long Promised Road, Feel Flows, 4th of July).
Dennis: 20/20 and Sunflower (Ceased to Exist, Slip On Through, Forever)
Al: Surf's Up/Holland period
Mike: Smile-20/20 (I too love his bass lines on Smile era stuff and love his bass line in Break Away)
Bruce: Sunflower/Surf's Up period

[Jon Stebbins]

Mike was great right out of the box...Surfin' Safari, 409, Surfin' USA these vocals are iconic. All I Wanna Do is his range peak.

Brian...We'll Run Away, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, Surf's Up.

Carl...Feel Flows, Trader.

Dennis...Lady, Barbara, Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again.

Al...Cottonfields, Lookin' At Tomorrow.

[pixletwin]

Mike was great right out of the box...Surfin' Safari, 409, Surfin' USA these vocals are iconic. All I Wanna Do is his range peak.

Brian...We'll Run Away, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, Surf's Up.

Carl...Feel Flows, Trader.

Dennis...Lady, Barbara, Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again.

Al...Cottonfields, Lookin' At Tomorrow.

I'll put my money there.

The tough one for me is Dennis... JohnStebbins has it right, but other times I really like Dennis voice ca. POB. There was something that was more soulful in his voice by that time.