The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've been wanting to post this for some time now, but I've been listening to the concert in Washington DC from 1967 and it's a great concert really. But what I wanted to point out was Graduation Day, this maybe be the best version I've heard, yes, even without Brian. Though it gets ruined a bit by Mike's puking sound at the beginning and someone (I think Al or Bruce) singing a bit from Tutti Frutti...The piano vibe makes for an easy listening/lounge type version of the song. The chorus sounds SOOOO amazing with Bruce singing Brian's part, I don't know what it is but it gets me everytime. I've tried to listen for Bruce's falsetto and voice throughout other concerts, but it's hard to find sometimes like in Live From London or Live at Big Sur in 1970. I do like Mike's joke, "this song has a bit of nostalgia, so if you have anything to take for nostalgia, you might want to take it." Anyone else have any favorites of Bruce's falsetto on record or in concert?

Bruce could do a pretty good Brian Wilson imitation back in the day. He sounded pretty close to Brian when they would do "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" back in the 60's. But he has a more pure, sine tone type quality to his falsetto, whereas Brian and Carl had a lot of richness or overtones in their falsetto, evidenced by the fact that it is sometimes hard to detect when the Wilson brothers switch to falsetto.

However, I've noticed that Brian took clever advantage of Bruce's pure, super high falsetto in some of his background vocal arrangements. Which brings to mind one of my favorite Bruce falsettos. I enjoyed watching from the second row on the recent tour, Bruce do his super high, sustaining pedal tone in the background vocals for IJWMFTT. It's pretty subtle but it's integral to the sound. I've also always loved his really high background harmony during the lines "Sheriff John Stone why don't you leave me alone" of SJB. It's pretty amazing that at 70 he still has that super high falsetto.

I also noticed Bruce singing that line in IJWMFTT on the recent tour....also he's being doing a hell of a job on the tag to Fun Fun Fun.  I'm pretty sure some of the really super high notes on the new album are sung by Bruce Johnston as well.  Agree that it's impressive for a guy who just hit 70.

For a guy who still sounds fairly good, it's a head-scratcher that he doesn't sing a lot at concerts - he has Disney Girls, a couple lines in Wendy, and his line in California Girls. His b/g vocs are inaudible most of the time. It doesn't seem like he sang much during the Mike and Bruce shows, either. What gives?

(I love the faux-Brian falsetto at the end of Endless Harmony. That's Bruce, right?)

Bruce doesn't sing much because he doesn't have to, so why would he?

Well, personally speaking, because it's fun to sing and be a part of things on stage.  I mean, I don't know that Bruce feels the same, but that was my first thought.

Aegir is probably right on the money on this, though. The guy has built a reputation for doing a whole lot of clapping and mic adjustment during shows.

I've always thought that Bruce's best falsetto moment was at the very end of Good Timin', circa 1980.

Oh, God, that brings back some of the stranger memoriers of Darien Lake.  Leave the boom alone, man!

My fave:  Bruce's falsetto on "Country Air" from Big Sur, 1970.  Unbelievable.

Yes...I believe that is Bruce...though I want to say his voice was sped up a bit to sound closer to Brian's falsetto...if that makes any sense???  I believe I remember reading that somewhere.

I'll have to remember where I found that quote about the song.  I want to say it was mentioned in Carlin's book...which I don't currently have handy.  If anybody does...maybe look up that track in the index and see what he says.  I could have remembered it wrong.