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You'll have to excuse me if this has been discussed before...but is there any evidence that Brian contributed any vocals on this LP in any shape or form??  I've always heard he provided some backing vocals on "Angel Come Home" (a great song, btw) but I've always had trouble picking him out of the vocal mix.  What was his involvement like in the recording of the LP in general??

Always thought it was Brian's voice at about 1:45 into "Baby Blue". If that's not him then kudos to whoever did that beautiful impersonation.

I just listened to it.  It could be Brian...but it's hard to say.  I think "Baby Blue" was recorded in early 1978 as part of the "Bambu" sessions and was then then given to the band when they were throwing together the "L.A. (Light Album).  I assume they did some additional overdubbing on the track at that point.  I think it could also be Carl.  Anybody have more info to chime in on???

I think the only possibility is that Brian is on "Angel Come Home" vocally. I don't think he's on any of the rest of the album vocally, and instrumentally he's only on "Good Timin'" and "Shortenin' Bread".

We hashed this out a long time ago, somewhere.  He's on "Angel Come Home," and no other confirmed vocal appearances other than that.  The falsettos on "Baby Blue" that sound like Brian are Carl...Alan Boyd proved this to me a few years back by playing me an isolated track.  It's pretty certain he's on keyboards for "Good Timin'".  Other than that, we don't know of Brian being on the album at all.  There's some back and forth about whether he was involved with the new recording of "Shortenin' Bread" but the consensus seems to be he wasn't.  Many of the vocals on the Carl tracks are Carl and Bruce multitracked, with possibly some Dennis or Bobby F. in there.  The backups on "Baby Blue" are Carl and Bruce.  On the "adventure on the high seas" part of "Full Sail", the gruffer voice has been determined to be the song's cowriter, Geoffrey Cushing-Murray.

If Brian's on anything else, my bet would be on "Lady Lynda."  That had been kicking around for awhile, there's a lot of vocals on it, and a few of them are pitchy.

Thanks, I've always wondered about the background vocals on the whole album...I know LA is not the most popular album among fans, but it ranks in my top 3 BB studio albums.  I've always noticed that the background vocals had a very different quality to them...and through bits and pieces of info I've heard, now I realize it's because there are other people involved.

It's not a bad LP...but it has a definite MOR sheen to it (probably courtesy of Bruce).   I'm surprised that Brian wasn't more involved...as it marked the beginning of another real low point in his life (wasn't the infamous San Diego incident shortly before this?).   As a matter of fact, didn't he check himself out of the mental hospital to fly to Florida to work on the LP at the behest of the band which led to the equally infamous "I think I've been f**ked" quote?  The fact that they were able to cobble together enough songs for a proper LP is amazing.  It was generous of Dennis to "give" two of his Bambu recordings to the group.  I just think Brian was way too messed up to have had much input in the LP.

I love L.A. too, and I love the vocals on it.  I think it's the Carl-Bruce (and occasionally Dennis) tonality that gives it that "thing."

Brian worked up a bunch of stuff, they just didn't wind up really using any of it.  There's a lot more on this era in another thread somewhere.

I've heard a couple of Brian vocals from this era that weren't released.  They really pretty much uniformly suck.  So that had to have been a factor, too.

I remember reading it was Brian who made the call to Bruce to 'help out' on the album.

What do you mean by "suck". Like "I'm Begging You Please" bad? "I'm So Lonely" bad? Or "Back Home" '76 bad, where the vocals aren't good, but it adds character? Also, how was his lead on the '78 version of "California Feelin'"?

I've always thought he was heard vocally on Angel Come Home on the "Come-a-come-a" background vocals.  If I recall correctly this section is in the chorus in the latter half of the song.

Now where I can't audibly place him is Carl and the Passions!

Disinterested.  I heard it just once long ago but one part I'll never forget, he sang "it was such a beautiful day..." and then interjected quickly and ironically (and instantly rendering the take unusable):  "...like most days."  Pretty much sums it up.

Brian on Angel - second verse, the line I JUST LET HER GO.

Good Timin' - Carl on lead, Bruce, Carl and Bobby F. on backgrounds.

And I wish they had put Calendar Girl on the LP!

The basic track of the released "Shortenin' Bread" is the one Brian recorded in early '78, with him playing piano (and probably the Moog overdub), Dennis on drums, Billy H. and Chuck Crane on guitars, plus a few other parts.  It was overdubbed quite a bit instrumentally over the next several months, including possibly a trip to Caribou Ranch, and eventually finished vocally by Carl, Dennis, Bruce, Al (not sure about Mike), and scorching lead guitar by Jimmy Lyon.  Unless they replaced Brian's keyboard parts for some reason (I know of no evidence suggesting they did), then he's on the track instrumentally.

I recall you saying this before. This sincerely sounds absolutely hilarious and I'm sad that I'll probably never hear it. :(

Bad memory on my part then...on instrumentally, but probably not vocally, then, is the verdict.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,6054.0.html

According to this Bruce said Brian did some vocal parts for the remake of Here Comes The Night, whether his vocal takes made the released mix is another issue.

Seeing as Brian was in hospital at the time, I'm dubious.

[brainfart]

No, according to this Bruce said "I still have to get Brian on it, and I have finish Mike".  The consensus for some time has been that Bruce was never able to get Brian on it, because as Andrew said, Brian was soon hospitalized for the remainder of the production.

So is it safe to assume that Brian did not take part in the sessions once they went back to California and that any new work he would have done related to the LP was the stuff down at Criteria?  That would make sense...as it was a dark period for him.  I believe the story about Brian checking himself out of a mental hospital to travel to Miami is true.  I've always felt that by this point Brian was a very reluctant Beach Boy.  Yes, he had his mental demons to fight...but I just think maybe he was done with the group...but there was so much pressure on him to continue as a creative member.  I think if he had been in one of his better mental states he could have done a good job with this LP...but what we got in the end was rather bland.  You can definitely feel the hand of Bruce "Schlock" Johnston all over it.  It shines at times...and rarely is truly awful...but it could have been better had Brian been able to continue working on it.  Let's face it...with the exception of Dennis (who suffered from many of the same issues that held Brian back) there wasn't another Beach Boy capable of delivering a truly wonderful LP.  Not even Carl by this point.

Nope, not exactly...Brian's parts on "Angel Come Home" would have most likely been done upon their return to California.  Likewise "Lady Lynda" if he's on it.  Plus, he cut tracks for two outtake songs ("Drip Drop" and "I'm Beggin' You Please") back in L.A. after they returned.

Thanks for this!

Thanks for the info!  "Drip Drop" is a classic!  Not sure exactly what kind of classic...but it's a classic!

I know this is a slightly older topic, but I came across it just now and thought it was interesting.

In regards to whether or not Brian sang on Lady Lynda, I found this video on Youtube recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm0rdP8cf6c .  Ron Altbach commented on it:

"I co-wrote this with Al. We wrote it in Big Sur in 1976 The only BBoys on the vocals are Al and Mike. Bobby Figueroa, Eddie Carter, Eddie Tuleja and I were the back-up vocals. The electric wurlitzer piano was originally the sound my band King Harvest used on Dancing in the Moonlight. So, yes, this was in the same kind of non-bboys production that Al and I did on MIU. And we had a great time doing it. Ron Altbach"

I would assume he's talking about the released version on L.A., but he may be referring to the alternate version in the video.  Either way, it's highly unlikely Brian sang on it at all.

Pretty sure he's referring to the original version cut before the LA sessions that can be heard in the background of a scene in Almost Summer.