The Smiley Smile Message Board

Okay, I love the song.  I really do.  But whoever is signing lead (Carl?) is WAY out of his range.  You can tell that he's straining at many points through out the song.  That said, whoever that is does a miraculous job of staying in key considering how far out of his range he obviously is.

They really should have put the song in a different key (preferrably one that's easier for him to sing) or had someone else sing it.  I don't think it really takes a lot away from the song, but sometimes I just lock in on that because it just jumps out of the speakers at you.

It's just Carl rocking and rolling ! Love it !

It's a fun song. I love the metaphor. This song and Darlin' showcase Carl's shouty voice, but he's always in tune, so it's all good. It kills me to sing along with it!

Agreed.  And as I said, he does a miraculous job of staying in tune, but he's way out of his range. hahaha

But I do agree, it's a fantastic song.

Singing out of range is a rock trademark.
Motown made an industry out of it.
Listen to the Four Tops. And Stevie Wonder.

Carl? Really? I never thought about it, but reflecting now- I think it sounds more like Al screaming. The vocal doesn't have the Carl subtleties, but I guess it's hard to pull off Carl nuances while yelling!

analogdemon, I agree with you. I've never cared for the lead vocal on this song. I don't know if it is the range that is the problem, though. I always thought it was just a matter of Carl trying to sound like somebody other than himself.

I'm not too crazy about the song "Wild Honey" either. I always thought it was overrated. About the only version of the song I kind of like is the live early-70's version with Blondie Chaplin's lead vocal. That version rocks. The 1967 version drags, for me anyway...

About ten years ago, I had a huge argument with my girlfriend about Carl's lead vocal on this song.  It was very seldom that I tried to impose my taste on her in any way, but she made a comment I couldn't leave alone: that all the Beach Boys anyone needed to hear was on Endless Summer (which she loved).  Needless to say, I made her a ninety minute tape of stuff that's not on Endless Summer.

When I previewed it for her in the car she zeroed in on "Wild Honey" and pointedly asked if Carl was drunk.  Smelling blood, she kept hammering me on that vocal, which I had always liked, until she got me to blow my stack.  I've never been able to enjoy the song in the same way again.


I still have the tape...

Awww hell, my ex-girlfriend and I had a similar blow-out over the Stones, pre- and post-Jones.
Her position, they were only good with Jones and everything afterward was a pale and straightforward imitation.
We almost came to blows.
The sad thing is that now I agree with her.

Overall, it's better to have impressionable and unknowledgeable girlfriends.

I don't think Jones had much to do with Beggars Banquet or Let it Bleed so that argument never convinces me. But he does the best solo on I Wanna be your Man and looks like the perfect sixties popstar - that is the coolest haircut I've ever seen. I drew a picture of him. I should make it my avatar.

Sorry to go off topic - I love Carl's strained vocal on this. The whole thing just rocks for me.

Also, impregnable.

This girl also maintained that the Beatles destroyed popular music with Sgt. Pepper, purchased an ABBA disc in my presence, and accused me of snoring and dressing funny.  On the other side of the ledger, she had seen a Beach Boys/Chicago show in Anaheim in '76, and (as a very little kid) had seen the Beatles in Toronto.

We're still the greatest pals, but just on principal I listed her actual date of birth on the Internet Movie Database and then (just to be safe) moved 2700 miles away.

Uhhhh, could I borrow her number???  ;D

Another take -- I LLLOOVVVEE Blondie's take on Wild Honey in the 70's.  The band as a whole ripped that song apart.

For a second I thought you were Eran Levy.

DUDE! Do you have the Live at the Fillmore East bootleg? That has a performance of Wild Honey from 1972 in England in soundboard-quality sound. Blondie RIPS S H I T on that track!

My FM is not accepting dalmations!  :)
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EDITED MOTHERFUCKER!

Don't advertise trades, dudes, or all we'll be sharing is a 404.

I think he does a great job on this song.

It sounds exactly how it should do.

Actually, you two would hit it right off.  And she lives right in town with you.  So no way.

I have to say Exile On Main Street makes a great case for the post-Jones Stones, but they definitely stopped being as adventurous and settled into a single main groove after '69.  That's also when they started to become a cartoon of themselves.

I should add that my brother also had a negative reaction to Carl's vocal on "Wild Honey", which puzzles me a little once again since I've always loved it.

Just tell them what the song is about and they may appreciate it more.

Cunnilingus. What makes life worth living.

I love the way Carl sings "Wild Honey," strained out-of-range vocals and all. It's so cool hearing Carl caught in the moment of developing his signature singing style -- his voice is not quite fully ripened on WH. I would have loved to have heard him sing it live, especially once he hit his stride vocally and performancewise, but alas that didn't happen.

I did see Blondie sing WH on a couple of occasions, and he really rocked it. But the guy who really kicks out the jams on WH live is Matt Jardine. You can hear Matt singing WH on Al's Live in Vegas album. His reading of WH at the CWF Benefit Show at the El Rey in 2001 was just amazing, especially with Skunk Baxter's sizzling guitar.

It never struck me that Carl's vocals were off in any way on Wild Honey.. I thought it was supposed to sound that way.

Awesome song, really easy to play, and now that I know what it's really about, I'll be playing it more often.

It is.

WILD HONEY title track is what turned me on to The Beach Boys. Great fucking song!

Carl sings his ass off on it!