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Just found this amazing fan version of "Break Away" and wanted to share it in case it wasn't posted here previously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au4moAPdPxA

Which version of "Break Away" would you rate as the best?

Thanks for posting. I think Breakaway's one of their best. The a cappella version is stunning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6aT2K38t2w&feature=related

Still prefer the original single version, I only wish the incredible background vocals towards the end would stick out more clearly.

Always thought the lyrics were pretty good too (contrary to Bruce Johnston's opinion).

IIRC, Bruce's main grievance was he thought that the backing vocals were voiced too low, making the group sound like "a bunch of old men."

He's probably right about that. I love "Break Away" but for some reason the song doesn't seem to take off the way it should. That said, I really like the way Brian would "under-produce" some of his songs around that time. The original "Cotton Fields" for example has a very unusual vibe to it.

There's definitely deepr singing on Break Away than on other tracks. I often wonder if it was Murry's voice since this song was a collaboration between him and Brian.

The deeper singing on the end tag I'm sure is Murry.

The acapella version is simply amazing but on the released version, the backing vocals are sort of lost.
Great lyrics too

Always sounded like Mike to me.

Without having the track to hand, and without having given it too much thought, I always had the impression it was Dennis. I should really have a listen...next thing you know AGD will be telling me Dennis wasn't even on the session...

Looking through some old threads on here concerning the tag, it seems that it may have been Murry and Mike on bass vocals together

Some of the bgs are manually and artificially slowed down (and thus lowered).  You can hear the edit pretty plainly and hear that characteristic stretching of vocals played slower than they were recorded.  Not sure why this was done but it was, and makes identifying the voices a little bit hard.

No way for me to know, but I always thought that the lower voices were meant to give the impression of "manliness."  Particularly in that they clearly go down in the second chorus from the first.  I'm guessing it is a combination of "Brian humor" (it sounds pretty funny!) and a dramatic device to indicate emotional growth that goes with aging (a la "21, 22..." in "When I Grow Up").

Anyway, always one of may very favorites.  And I don't see it as "underproduced" at all.

Some of the comments on Youtube kill me. "They do have an annoying habit of sounding like each other." What the hell is so annoying about that? I think it's pretty cool, and Breakaway is an excellent example of how close the band members' vocals sounded with each other. A good example of why they could interchange parts (especially on the road) and the average Joe off the street coudn't tell the difference of who was singing what, eith exception to Mike.

The acapella version of Breakaway sounds VERY cool.  Regarding the lead vocal by Brian - was it really thin at that point in 1969 mostly because of inactivity? Was the take with his lead vocal really just a guide vocal he was doing with Carl in mind? Because he and Al also sang on it too. I remember a long time ago Brad Elliot commented that brian's vocals were starting to sound "thin" in the late 60's. I kinda disagreed with him, but Breakaway did seem to be a little strain for him I guess. I don't know; I hear other vocals from Brian in the late 60's starting with Friends and into 1971 and he still has it. 'Course maybe his vocal was doubled on Breakaway and other songs.

My favorite version is the stereo version. The "Endless Harmony" and "Hawthorne" versions are both superb. Why it didn't do better on the U.S. charts is beyond me. After it didn't do well, I think Brian, after working hard on it (like Heroes & Villians) was very disappointed and just said F it. I think Breakaway is still un-appreciated by many and should have been on a Beach Boys album to begin with.

I think the vocal tag on the Hawthorne version is much better than the single mix. The single version fades far too quickly and seems to make the song feel a little half-hearted. If that longer vocal tag could be grafted on to released version then we would have the definative version of Break Away.

Well, look at the last few posts - 'is it Mike?' 'Is it Murry?' 'Is it Dennis?' That's what i meant....

Let's go a step further, and hypothesize that Brian meant this song as a statement of his "Breakaway" from what he thought of as his whiny, feminine-ish trademark sound...after that, he rarely used his falsetto (at least for a long time), and by the time of "15 Big Ones" was trying to sound as deep and masculine as he could.  I never thought of it this way until now, but maybe "Breakaway" was the first indication of this intention.   

You can notice some slight thinning in Brian's voice as early as 1968, possibly due to the cocaine use that had reportedly begun at the end of 1967. On the Friends album he has 95% of his "classic voice", but he does sound a bit...tired. The instrument is THERE, but he's basically just going with the flow. This goes hand in hand with his feelings of competition (and the lack thereof) at this point. Transcendental Meditation sounds like an early indicator of the path his voice would go for the rest of the 1960s, including Breakaway and Forever. He still has it but he's beginning to sound reedy. The real indicator of a change is the 1970 Don't You Just Know It single with Jan Berry. And then the demo of Awake from 1971.

While I was typing my post above I was thinking about those exact songs - "Forever" and "Don't You Just Know It", in addition to "Games People Play", "Awake", and Sunflower in general. The falsetto wasn't exceptionally strong, and there were hints at that point that it was thining, but he definitely still had it. Was unaware he was doing coke as early as late '67 - I figured it really escalated in the early 70's, along with the smokes.

Sorry to go slightly off.....

P.S. I hear Mike on the tag of Breakaway, no one else.  Just my ears.

I feel like the ending is missing something... that is the only part of the song that sounds underproduced to me.

This is cool...I actually do prefer the alt stereo version with Brian on the 1st verse. The original released version with Carl on all lead vox, I never particularly cared for as Carl sounded like he was scarfing down a pizza while he was singing.

It's the final verse (not the tag) where we hear some unidentifiable deep & low backup vocals (singing the "break-break-breakaway" variation).

Yes. The last verse. I just hear Mike. I don't think Murry sang on it, did he? And I don't think that's Dennis either.

Again, I think identifying singers is difficult when they are artificially pitch shifted.

Brian sounds older as early as Pet Sounds and that's because he was. I have no problem with his voice through 1974. In fact Awake to me is amazing. Break Away is a perfect record and I don't hear anything off or odd about any of it.

Totally agree with MBE. Brian voice was an instrument that he could do just about anything with. He could sing anyone's part, had incredible range, could sound strong or weak, thin or thick-whatever he needed at the time.

Um... except that Murry wrote the lyric.  :)

Maybe they worked on it together, Brian expressing his feelings/Murry writing the lyrics; as with Tony Asher? 

Yeah, or maybe Murry wrote the lyrics but Brian identified with the concept and decided to embrace it production-wise.

So Brian actually tried to sound thick or thin on purpose? Like the intro to California Saga for instance; he sounded a little "thin" on purpose and not because he couldn't help it? You don't think his voice sounded thin because of the hash, smokes, coke, or general vocal chord inactivity?

Low voice on the end is definitely Mike. Murray's voice didn't have the nasal quality Mike's did.

Again Brian sounds older in 1972 but still like Brian. I always thought he was trying to sound a bit like Mike on California Saga I don't think his voice sounds strained or thin. Honestly how could anyone listen to something like Won't You Tell Him from 1971 and think Brian sounds anything other then great. After 1974 Brian had real problems singing and still does but before that he had a wonderfull voice.

I agree that the Hawthorne version is the best.   It could have been the centerpiece of an album rather than a relatively obscure single.  At least it was a minor hit in a time where even minor hits were rare!

What are the words Mike is singing at the end of Breakaway?

Thank you :) that would have been my work. Unfortunately, Brother busted my ass and got my YouTube account shut down for having a fan mix of this, "Surf's Up", and a couple other Smile tracks.

Well, it was excellently done! Figures they would attack what I consider to be a tribute of sorts. Luckily I had already saved the video and an mp3 out of it before it had to be taken down. But definite props to you for a job well done!!