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I need to know who sings what in God Only Knows bridge. This is killing me. There was a time I thought it were 3 Brians, after that 2 Brians with Carl in the middle and now seeing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTpzKDhdjms I'm almost convinced the falsetto is Al. The only part never had any doubt was Brian's  "ba pa ba pa ba pa ba"
This is also importante to me because, depending on the response, it can reinforce or kill the theory that a man overdubbing himself can never sound as good as a group take. This particular part to me is the most brillant vocal harmony ever recorded, so it can make a point to any theory

I agree with the theory that a man singing overdubbed can never sound as good as a group take.   I'm not talented enough to pick out who's singing the bridge, though.  I always thought the 'bom bom bam bam... bom bom...." abrasive part was Mike, but I'm not sure of that now either, it could be Al, or even Brian...

It's quite amazing how in some songs, they sound SO similar!  There's times when it could literally be any of them singing. 

On the other hand that Our Sweet Love accapella, whose left channel sounds like 3 Carls doing "Aaaah Ahhh Uuuuhh Our Sweet Love" blends sublimely

True, but Carl wasn't human so that's the exception that proves the rule...

Edit: This post is edited.</edit>

FWIW...

Wish I could remember the source on this (of course, I can't  >:(), but I think the only vocals on "God Only Knows" were done by Carl, Brian and Bruce. Those three are certainly the only ones in the tag (beginning @ 1:59 through the end of the song).

There's an additional background vocal part that was recorded for the same section of "God Only Knows" but it was ultimately scrapped for whatever reason ("see" the end of track 7, disc 5 of the "Good Vibrations" box set) which may feature more of the guys but, as Ron pointed out, sometimes it's incredibly difficult to pick out individual voices.

The falsetto part that comes in @ 1:13 sounds like Bruce to me and the second voice ("doo-doo-doo-doo") that comes in @ 1:16 sounds like Carl, and "bah, bah, bahm, bah" thing @ 1:19 kinda sounds like Al, but it could be Brian. I don't think Mike or Dennis sang at all on "God Only Knows".

<<The falsetto part that comes in @ 1:13 sounds like Bruce to me and the second voice ("doo-doo-doo-doo") that comes in @ 1:16 sounds like Carl, and "bah, bah, bahm, bah" thing @ 1:19 kinda sounds like Al, but it could be Brian. I don't think Mike or Dennis sang at all on "God Only Knows". >>

You're pretty much correct:  Bruce on falsetto, then Carl comes in with the second voice, then Brian on the "bah, bah-bah-bah".
This is straight from Bruce, in a multi-part Beach Boys radio special that aired in '88. He said the only voices on the record are the three of them, although Mike and Al (and Terry and Marilyn and maybe Diane) sang on the original, unused tag. The tag that WAS used is just Bruce and three Brians.

Brian strangely said in an interview a few years ago that Dennis sang on that song.  The interviewer even clarified it, and Brian said yes Dennis was on it.

You can't trust a thing he says, though, so that could all be bull.  I'll see if I can find the interview...

I *always* heard it as Brian on the bah-bah-bahs or whatever the hell you guys are calling it.

what is weird is that in the live performances the ascending falsetto "uuuuh" sounds like Al and the descending "aahh" like Bruce. Thank you guys, I was wrong... in the vídeo I posted Al sings the "ba pa ba pa ba pa ba" in unisson with Mike, not the falsetto

Much as Brian's & Al's voices sound alike, on GOK it's too obvious who is on that bit to not recognize the master of the BBs.

I do believe it's also Brian singing the "bah...BAH-bah, bah-bah-bah" bit on "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Compare that part on the final mix to that on the Brian-only demo mix, and it appears to be a holdover, not redone or added like the rest of the parts.

You mean Bruce and TWO Brians?

This has been an interesting thread to me. I never thought about who was singing the middle of GOK. What's been revealed here makes good sense to my ears.
I do think, though, that sweeping generalizations like "man overdubbing himself can never sound as good as a group take" are silly examples of anti-technology prejudice. I also still think the a cappella breakdown in Salt Lake City is all Brian in spite of what I've been told here by people who are undeniably expert, and that sounds awesome. (Don't even get me started on The Beatles "Nowwhere Man" or "Because," which sound like all-John to me, again in spite of what I've read from authoritative sources.)

See also the all-Brian "Don't Talk" a capella bit or the mostly-Brian "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" for further evidence of how good one guy can sound. I'll grant you I usually greatly prefer the sound of multiple different voices over one guy doing all the parts, but still.

That's kind of silly that you don't believe experts who would know.  You ... you silly head. 

You have to remember that when they perform live they have to arrange the vocals based largely on which of the guys are present. It's been this way since 1962, really. For example, Dennis sang a lot on their earlier records, but onstage he was always back on the drums and seldom had a vocal mic so the blend and the arranging thereof had to change out of necessity; Brian rarely performed live between 1965 and 1975 so his parts had to covered by someone else which meant someone else's parts weren't being covered; and so on.   

Uh, yeah...sorry.

lol, Ron.
If I didn't trust my ears, I wouldn't have been making music no one wants to hear since 1970. Hey, wait a minute... :-)

wow!!

I always heard the tag as Brian, Bruce ... and Carl!! 

listening to the accapella version, just blows me still how alike Brian and Carl could sound like....

and wow Bruce on that first part at 1.13......... that second note, the comes down, sounds SO much like Brian!

these guys are 'still a mystery' to me year after year.

RickB