Brian only sang the intro (two lines) on "California". Though it does sound a little weak.........was his voice really messed with for the record?

I doubt it was manipulated. Sounds right to me for that period.

Hello:

If anyone would like to get their hands on a very limited edition FIRST CD PRESSING of the EP, just send me a private message.
There were only 50 made and there are under 40 left. You never know, they might be worth something some day in the near distant future.

-Jared

The fact that it's centered around Brian rather than The Beach Boys gives me hope that it won't be just a bunch of stock footage of surfers with a nameless collection of talking heads giving their misguided commentary.

These lists mean nothing.

I find that eventually, they'll get into them on their own time without any coaching. I used to make everyone in my life listen to them constantly which turned a lot of them off. But once I cooled out, they started to come around.

Even my significant other keeps a copy of Pet Sounds for the car. Makes me proud.

Don't blame the engineer. It's usually the producers and record companies telling them to "make it louder". They're only doing their job.

FWIW, I'm sure the vinyl release will sound better than the CD (that is, if you have a reasonably decent turntable set up).

I'd take everything Steve Hoffman says with a grain of salt or two. I can say no more.

The fade of "Melt Away". Simple yet complex. I particularly like the mix of the song that appears of the original pressing of the Brian Wilson album which includes a vocal overdub (which I'm sure is NOT Brian but it's pretty nonetheless) that doesn't appear on the remastered edition.

With all the hardcore fans here, I'm a little surprised this thread has lasted so long regarding the question concerning who sang the falsetto part in "Getcha Back". Maybe it took C-man's post above recounting MIX Magazine's interview with Producer Steve Levine  in '85 to kind of put the issue to rest.

As soon as I bought the single and heard it for the first time, I remember that I immediately knew it was Brian singing the falsetto. At the time, I knew Foskett was in the touring band, but didn't even think that he might be contributing vocals to the studio recordings. I remember thinking how cool it was for Brian to be singing in his old falsetto voice and how the song benefited greatly from it. You can tell it's him with the same high nasal tonal quality as the old days and I remember thinking, yeah, he can still do it!!! It wasn't replicated very often after that on a Beach Boys record. Even on the '88 solo album it sounded forced.

Before that his old high voice showed signs of life on Love You, but the one I still can't figure out to this day is "Matchpoint Of Our Love". Nobody seems to have a definitive answer as to why his voice is so clear on that song, and why he hasn't really been able to replicate it since. Was he 'forced' to get that high vocal sound like he was for "Getcha Back"?
  

I've always assumed that the Matchpoint vocal was recorded ealier - early 70s? It sounds like his voice is beginning to deteriorate. The rest of MIU Brian pretty much sounds like a younger version of his current singing voice.

Regarding Brian's last falsetto - I think that the middle 8 of Saturday Morning In The Saturday is the last sustained falsetto, although it's not that good, and from same album 'How Could We Still Be Dancing' which is a lot better.

I assumed that Alan was secretly doubling with Brian on the lead of "Matchpoint", hence the clarity. I also agree that it was probably recorded a little earlier than the other material.

It definitely sounds like Brian to me. It's possible that Jeff is helping him out but it does not sound like Jeff's tone to me.

Also, if Jeff were singing the part, I don't see why he would attempt to sound like 80s Brian when he can so easily resemble a 60s Brian (especially in those days).

Once the key change hits at the end, it's really easy for me to deduct that it's Brian doing the part. Sounds like Brian really went to town on that part of the song, too. He's doing two or three other parts simultaneously via overdubbing.

"When Girls Get Together" sure has an interesting history. I like it in that it was among the batch of great songs up for inclusion on what eventually became Sunflower. However, it is relatively week. It could have used a re-write or two.

The title of the track itself has always sounded like a low budget lesbian porn movie to me.

Check out this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1bfsr-USHU

My only correction is that Linda Ronstadt's name was misspelled as "Lynda Ronstadt".

Small criticism for a well researched and wonderfully structured article.

An outtake from the SMiLE era. It's nothing but Brian, VDP, Mike Vosse, Danny Hutton, David Anderle, Jules Seigel, etc. talking nonsense and doing different skits and games.

Well worth erasing the master for "The Little Girl I Once Knew", I might add.

Wow, for a genius, Brian sure could be a real dumbass sometimes!

Well he probably figured the song was a "failure" due to it's stale performance on the charts and thought nobody would miss it.

He recorded over something to make the final mixdown of "I'm Waiting For The Day" too. That bleed-through is terribly obvious on the mono mix of Pet Sounds.

Thanks to David Beard for such a great compilation. Some tracks blew me away more than others but I definitely agree that it flows nicely. I listened to it in my car and I kept pushing repeat on "Love Like In Fairy Tales" (AKA Glow Crescent Glow). I am almost eager to hear what else Mike Love is cooking/has cooked up for "Mike Love Not War".

"Cool Head, Warm Heart" and "Love Like In Fairy Tales" are certainly better than "Santa's Gone To Kokomo".

The ending of "Honkin' Down the Highway" is so wacked that it makes me wonder if Al could be a creative genius-in-disguise... or at least if he is indulging in his state's medical marijuana program.

On the ESQ CD, "Honkin" and "Drivin" are both on there, but Honkin is first, and segues into Drivin.  The ending still sounds awkward, but makes much more sense when Drivin starts. 

Yeah, I kind of like the sequencing of those two tracks better on the ESQ disc (even if the ESQ disc has slightly different mixes).

I don't think the multi's for the master take exist anymore.

There are a few brief snippets of the session for the tune (with the working title of 'Carol K') on the Hawthorne, CA set as well as an interesting alternate mix.

Brian's voice on this track really shines. Great blend of vocals and instruments.

I can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

"Don't Fight The Sea" is my instant favorite right off the album right off the bat. I'm usually not a fan of albums with too many guests (Santana anyone?) but the guest appearances on 'Postcard...' are tasteful and well-rounded.

Nice one, Al.

Zooey Deschanel is a big fan of the Carl & The Passions album in addition to being a noted fan of Brian's solo work and The Beach Boys in general.

My setlist would be as such:

California Girls
Do It Again
Getcha Back
It's Okay
I Get Around
Sloop John B.
Surfer Girl
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Dance Dance Dance
Be True To Your School
Little Deuce Coupe
Don't Worry Baby
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
All I Wanna Do
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
California Saga (On My Way To Sunny Californ-i-a)
Heroes and Villains
You Still Believe In Me
Cotton Fields
Hushabye
Add Some Music
Please Let Me Wonder
Don't Fight The Sea
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Marcella
God Only Knows
Breakaway
Kokomo
Sail On Sailor
Hawaii
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Help Me Rhonda
Forever
Good Vibrations

ENCORE:
Surfin USA
Barbara Ann
Fun Fun Fun

Hooray for less scrolling!

That reminds me of when I saw Brian sing "Love and Mercy" in Lowell last year.

He sang 'crappy movie' instead of 'crummy movie'.

Perhaps he went to the theaters earlier that day?

OT, I know but worth sharing, no?

Ballad of Ole' Betsy?

I kind of agree.

I wouldn't mind the stickies if the threads were still going, but it appears that most of them aren't at the moment.