Denny -- The Group's Strongest Vocalist?

[the captain]

Was just gonna post that same thing: difference of melody v harmonies. There is an A5 (i.e a major third above the F) at 1:12. Harmony part above the melody. Really, really high.

[adamghost]

Any higher ones?  I remember "Catch A Wave" because I was doing a BBs tribute gig and for fun I tried out Brian's parts to see if I could do them in case the other guy needed to sub something out.  That one and the end of "California Girls" ("could be...") were the ones that defeated me.  But they weren't as high as G5 I don't think, I'm figuring they're up around a high F or something.  But the syllables make them a bitch to sing, at least the way I sing up there.  it'd probably be easier for someone who had a different technique for their top notes.  I remember "Little Deuce Coupe" was kind of a bitch too, but doable if you got enough breath under ya.  But my impression is in the later years with Bruce in the band some of those block harmonies with six parts got REAL high, though I can't think of one right now.

[Fall Breaks]

At the end of "Forever (vocals only)" Brian hits a slightly flat Bb5. But wait, it's Bruce at the na na na na's in "GV"? Isn't it Brian?

Another high Brian is "Papa Oom Mow Mow". "Catch A Wave", I believe, is "just" a D.

[Sam_BFC]

I also found it interesting to read that Bruce is the guy going those high parts at the end of Good Vibrations...interesting stuff

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I never noticed the A5 above the F in Surfs Up. I will have to listen to that again.

Interesting, I never heard that was Bruce on GV. I suppose that everyone that wrote about the song assumed it was Brian. What source revealed it to be Bruce?

[hypehat]

I think it's just simple logic - Bruce went with Brian in the harmony, because he's the only one (until Carl got a bit older) who could hit those notes. I think it's Bruce & Brian doubling on the high harmonies there - I can hear him in there slightly.

There's 'Friends' as well - the bit at the end of the verses, which i think is also 'just' a D hit by Brian. But it's a bloody stratospheric D.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Brian - strength: Great range, and pitch perfect, best falsetto in pop music, best in ballad's, strong  in some up beat numbers
         - weakness: Lacks emotion, especially after 1968 or so, with a few exceptions

Dennis - strength: Raw and emotional, great performing singer, can do hard rock and ballad's
            - weakness: Not the prettiest voice, especially after 1974 or so, could go flat at times

Carl - strength: Greatest all around voice, great on ballad's and sound's beautiful even in the up beat rockers, he made a horrible song sound good.
       - weakness: All though he showed he could sing up beat 'r&b' type songs, he wasn't as strong on hard rock songs

Mike - strength: unique and catchy rock lead voice, and a nice ballad voice, great bass voice
        - weakness: Often lacks emotion, nasal lead got annoying by the late 70s.

Al - strength: Strong pitch perfect voice, great for soft folk songs
    - weakness: lacks emotion, somewhat annoying on up beat leads

Bruce - strength: Very strong for slow songs, great pitch
          - weakness: A bit loungey for pop/rock music

Blondie - strength: Great rock, lots of soul, great emotion
             - weakness: Not always pitch perfect

Ricky - strength: I really like him on Here She Comes
         - weakness: Haven't heard enough of him to really say
          

I would go along with this except to say towards the end, when Carl got huskier, he became a really GREAT soul-rock singer.  His "Sail On Sailor" from the '90s is spine-tingling.  It's sort of moot, though, because he didn't record much in that era.

I was looking at the above thing about who had the biggest range.  I was thinking that Carl ought to outrank Al in that department, but on reflection, Al could almost certainly sing lower than Carl, and that counts.  So I think saying Al had more range than Carl is probably about right.

That said, what's the highest note anyone ever hit on a BBs record?  I believe it might be the high harmony to "domino" at 1:15 on the BBs version of "Surf's Up."  I don't have a guitar handy to check the note, but it's north of my own range, which puts it up around G5.  Of course, it might be sped up, but I don't hear that it is.  That one's Carl (or...listening again...is it Bruce ??)...anyone got a higher one?

How bout the repeated "Jai Guru Dev" at the end of "All This Is That"? that's Carl right? And a high ass note. Maybe not as high as the end of Surf's Up, but still pretty impressive.

[the captain]

How bout the repeated "Jai Guru Dev" at the end of "All This Is That"? that's Carl right? And a high ass note. Maybe not as high as the end of Surf's Up, but still pretty impressive.

On the 1 beat it is a C#. The pickup note in the repeated iterations is a D.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Good to know!

I'm an OK singer. Just OK, but my vocal warm-up method has always been to sing either Surf's Up and/or the end of All This Is That, both of which I can pull off pretty damn well. But I tell ya, some days, for whatever reason, I simply can't hit those notes in Jai Guru Dev or the "domino" in Surf's up! I can't imagine being Carl and having to nail it night after night live!

[Chris Brown]

No way the end of Good Vibrations is Bruce - I could possibly buy Bruce doubling Brian, but not Bruce alone. 

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

On another note: on "All I Wanna Do" (Sunflower) regarding the line in the bridge "when I sit and close my eyes, a gentle thought comes in my mind".... The second half of that line goes up higher in basically a falsetto. Is this Mike? If so, it's very out of character for his singing style. I'd be very impressed if it's him.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I can hit a C just below the F in Surfs Up in full operatic voice. But I can't go much higher than the F in falsetto. Maybe a G.

[Bean Bag]

does anyone mind if I post in pink?

Yes, I do. I use the brick theme on this mb, which has a yellow background (much easier on aging eyes than the standard theme). Needless to say, pink isn't legible.

Sorry for the eye strain.  No more pink.  But...how do you change themes?  I see the colors in the top left...I'm using Firefox, by the way.

[Bean Bag]

How bout the repeated "Jai Guru Dev" at the end of "All This Is That"? that's Carl right? And a high ass note. Maybe not as high as the end of Surf's Up, but still pretty impressive.

Oh yeah.  Jai Guru Dev.  That vocal tag (by Carl, I believe as well) is one of my favorites.  One of those "i need to hear this...so please shut the flunk up for a second" vocal-moments.  Yes.   

[Chris Brown]

On another note: on "All I Wanna Do" (Sunflower) regarding the line in the bridge "when I sit and close my eyes, a gentle thought comes in my mind".... The second half of that line goes up higher in basically a falsetto. Is this Mike? If so, it's very out of character for his singing style. I'd be very impressed if it's him.

Sounds like Mike to me - one of my favorite vocals of his, in fact.

[Bean Bag]

I think so.  During the 70s, I think that's unquestionable.

Its very questionable, infact I'm questioning it right now. He was good, but the strongest? Nay, and better than Brian? You're high.

 

So to modify that:  Denny's the strongest vocalist when high?  Maybe he is.  You may have something there. 

[adamghost]

On another note: on "All I Wanna Do" (Sunflower) regarding the line in the bridge "when I sit and close my eyes, a gentle thought comes in my mind".... The second half of that line goes up higher in basically a falsetto. Is this Mike? If so, it's very out of character for his singing style. I'd be very impressed if it's him.

Sounds like Mike to me - one of my favorite vocals of his, in fact.

Yeah, other than his making fun of Brian on that comedy track, that's the only Mike Love falsetto performance that I'm aware of.  Can anyone think of any others?

RE:  "Good Vibrations" Bruce v. Brian...not going to stake my reputation on it or anything, because I really haven't listened too closely, but the tone always struck me as too soft and rounded for Brian and more Bruce's thing.  But "it ain't a hill worth dying on" -- I'm deliberately NOT going to listen and leave it open to everyone's interpretation!

Man, an F is impressive, even in falsetto!  Nice!  I can grab an F on a good day, but it's nasty.  I had to do it recently at an Elton tribute gig:  "And he shall be LEE--von..."  For ease of singing I prefer not to go over C if I can help it, but I have a regular session gig layering backups that often requires me to go higher, up to an E.  Not the most COMFORTABLE singing range, though, is it?  Some guys have that extra falsetto that gets 'em up even higher than that.  I don't know how they do it.  It's really amazing to me.  The Fosketts of this world...hats off to 'em.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I just listened to a Stereo Good Vibrations and will happily put my non-reputation on the line and suggest that, after painstaking  examination, all I can say for sure is that, to these ears, it's most certainly not Brian. It doesn't have the Brian shrillness, (shrill in the most awesome way) isn't Carl or Al, neither Dennis or Mike were likely to have have been assigned that part, so that leaves Bruce! Unless Brian had Marilyn do it! But it SOUNDS like a Beach Boys, so my money is on Bruce.

Damm good tune BTW. Damn track never ceases to blow my mind.

[Austin]

My isolated copy of that vocal sounds a lot like Bruce, with Brian floating in the background underneath, but that's after heavy extraction processing, so still not a guarantee. 

[hypehat]

Re: Mike's falsetto, there's a track on Keepin' The Summer Alive in which he busts it out for a few notes, but I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to that entire record for that!

[Fall Breaks]

My isolated copy of that vocal sounds a lot like Bruce, with Brian floating in the background underneath, but that's after heavy extraction processing, so still not a guarantee. 

I have no isolated vocals to compare with, but after listening to the Lei'd in Hawaii rehearsals for GV (from the Hawthorne comp), where Brian sings the part, and then to the studio version, I'd say that Brian is in there, although maybe not alone.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

This guy from the Danielson Famile can really gets up there

http://youtu.be/sUG0S2ClC2w

[DonnyL]

I'm kind of thinking of the entire range of the group's career ... Al is a great singer (and guitar player), super unrecognized and i think the group's true secret weapon.  i think, being a humble guy, that his influence on the group is greater than we may realize.

1 - Carl
2 - Al
3 - Brian
4 - Dennis
5 - Mike
6 - Bruce

[adamghost]

Re: Mike's falsetto, there's a track on Keepin' The Summer Alive in which he busts it out for a few notes, but I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to that entire record for that!

Really?!?  I don't remember that.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Hmmm, is it on Oh Darlin?