The (very poorly pronounced) Spanish words whispered on "Mexican Girl" are: "Te quiero" ["I love you'] thereby quoting the spoken piece on "Please Let Me Wonder".


The opening passage of "Good Kind of Love" sure sounds like "Brian is Back" to me.

You said:
Only once did the Beach Boys ever go full-on Modernism and employ Helvetica, and that was the 1963 "Little Deuce Coupe" album jacket. Oddly enough, that was also the only album pre-dating "Smile" that doesn't feature the band on the front cover.

When in fact, "Surfin' U.S.A." also does not feature the band on the front cover.

Toni Tennille's voice is distinctly prominent on "Everyone's in Love With You" -- specifically this passage:
"Because, because, because you gave your love...."
Would this be worthy of a (background vocals) footnote?

"The Lord's Prayer" was released Christmastime, 1963, the "B" side to the "Little Saint Nick" single.  I do not know precisely when it was recorded.

Thanks Andrew...I'd bet then that Mike wasn't at the first session.  If so, that might explain Dave's presence (if he is indeed there) on the background vocal track.

Re:  "A Young Man's Gone":  I couldn't find a copy of that at home last night.  I did just listen to a 30 second sample of an mp3 online in not very good fidelity, but even going just by that, it sounds like four parts: Mike-Carl-Al-Brian bottom to top to me, which is exactly what one would expect.  For sure on the Mike, Carl and Brian and about 80% sure on the Al.  Did someone think they heard Dennis in there?  Granted, it wasn't a good fidelity mp3, but I don't hear any trace of him.  And I've never seen or heard any version of it that he sang on.

I do not hear even a trace of Dennis here (listening to the "LDC" CD version with headphones on) -- especially when contrasted with the "Lord's Prayer" where his "rasp" is clearly evident.

Any guesses, then, as to whose voice it might be (on No Go Showboat)? (If not David's)

Forgive me if I'm way off base here, but going back to No Go Showboat, could that mystery vocalist be David Marks? I have no idea what he sounded like back then or if he was even in the band at that point, but he was pretty young, and it sounds like a young male voice.

I an now inclined to come full circle on this -- absent any other evidence, who else but David Marks could this be?  (I don't think this was an instance of Mike Love's "mock" falsetto as was suggested in a previous post.)  Unless perhaps some anonymous "session" musician was given his vocal "moment in the sun" here.....
What does give me pause, though, is this: I would have thought Jon Stebbins would have jumped on this by now (confirming this to be David's voice). (Maybe Mr. Stebbins has not been reading this thread?) The only other instance of David Marks' singing as a Beach Boy (that I know of) is his duet with Carl on "Summertime Blues" -- and it is impossible to identify distinguishing characteristics in David's voice in that instance (to compare with the vocal snippet in No Go Showboat).  Does anyone know of any other (confirmed) instances of David Marks singing (background vocals or otherwise) for the BB's?

Denny's Drums 
Transcendental Meditation
TM Song

It sounds to me that Marilyn is varying from the melody literally right at the end of the song, "No-go-sho-ow-boat"...

Right -- that's the giveaway passage that confirms this is not a "normal" Beach Boy voice -- but it does not sound to me like Marilyn (or any female singer).

Audree -- harmonica on "Old Man River" -- for real? (It is difficult sometimes to discern intended humor on the internet.)

With apologies for backtracking here:  Jon, the (background) voice on "No Go Showboat" does not sound to my ears like a female one -- is that Marilyn doing an imitation of Brian? (although it seems more like a "Dennis" imitation -- assuming, of course, that he had that high a range in his falsetto -- which he did not.)

Do session sheets establish that Marilyn was present for NGS? (i.e., is that the sole basis for "inferring" that she indeed is singing on NGS?  Or, is it obvious (to your ears and others) that it is in fact Marilyn?

In any event, ever since I first heard this tune back in circa 1965 (on a tinny "portable" LP player) -- I knew that there was a "different' voice present on NGS-- for awhile I assumed that it had to be David Marks (not knowing at the time that he did not sing much).