When Brian's Singing Sounds Like Brian

[Austin]

First of all, what this thread is not:

1. An argument that Brian sings just as well today as he did in the sixties.
2. An argument that Brian's singing is awful.
3. Analysis or a request for information/elaboration on the numerous and drastic changes to Brian's voice since the sixties.

Anyway, put simply: I have the sense that a newish listener wouldn't be able to blindly identify a lead from, say, Imagination and tie it to the same guy who did Pet Sounds. So here's a hypothetical scenario:

Let's say this listener is given a snippet of a sixties Brian lead and a snippet of a latter-day Brian lead. Said person is aware of the 40-year span between recordings but doesn't know any of the vocal abuse history. What two fragments would you pick to demonstrate that he's the same guy? No need for full songs, and your example does not need to sound like "young" Brian. Your listener just needs to easily draw a line from one to the other and say, "Yep, sounds like the same guy." There's a difference.

(And, really, the more specific, the better, if only for my curiosity.)

[Wirestone]

Interesting question!

I would go with "Cry" on Imagination -- the falsetto there shows its most sustained use for years, and Brian sounds pretty darned good doing it -- and "Midnight's Another Day." Although I'd go with the demo version over the one released on TLOS.

Both sound like what someone without a lot of excess knowledge might expect a latter-day BW to sound like. (The keys, I would say, are twofold -- phrasing and sweetness.)

[Wylson]

To me Good Kind of Love sounds like 1976/77 Brian - his phrasing sounds v natural. Other occasions:
- What I Really Want For Christmas
- First Noel
- You've Touched Me (the falsetto bit in the vocal round at the end)
- Couple of moments on Gershwin - in particular Someone to Watch Over Me sounds like Pet Sounds Brian as an old man.

[Wirestone]

Another tune that sounds like 15 BO/LY Brian is the "I'm into Something Good" duet with Carol King.

And yes, the Gershwin album is full of vocal tracks that suggest an older, PS-style Brian. Good call.

[Wylson]

Another tune that sounds like 15 BO/LY Brian is the "I'm into Something Good" duet with Carol King.

And yes, the Gershwin album is full of vocal tracks that suggest an older, PS-style Brian. Good call.

Definitely - the Carol King duet makes it sound like no time has passed between Love You and TLOS. Half expect to hear Dennis coming in at the end.

[Ron]

The absolute best, although this is cheating, is when he does "Dont' Worry Baby" on the Roxy CD.  It's in a lower key, but as soon as he does the "Well, it's been...." it's UNMISTAKEABLY the same guy.  Coolest thing ever. 

[Curtis Leon]

The hard part is, 60's Brian almost always sang in head voice/falsetto. Mid 70's and on Brian almost always sang in modal - save for BV's. But, uh, I'd put up Orange Crate Art as an example. Cry too. He goes into falsetto just before the tag to Surf's Up too. And the 90s live versions of Caroline, No also count. But all in all, he really doesn't sound anything like he did in the 60s. It's understandable. Years of drug use, several packs a day, plus possible brain damage due to the medication Landy was feeding him made his phrasing near completely different than what it was (although it's been getting better since Imagination)

EDIT: Does Getcha Back count at all, or is it too soon?

[Wylson]

Just to add - I think that when Brian does a multi-tracked BBs style vocal, it always comes out sounding obviously linked to the Beach Boys. The most recent example being Rhapsody in Blue (the intro) - where the harmonies move higher in the later part of the song, it unmistakably sounds like BBs and is a great sound. To me this shows that the change in Brian's voice is at least as much to do with phrasing/pronunciation as tone.

[Runaways]

i'll agree with the "someone to watch over me".  mainly the "there's somebody i'm longing to see" line.  and i think when he sings "god only knows" he falls back to that sweet voice, even if he didn't sing the original obv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX7znc-bhDs


but along those lines.  sometimes i hear it more in his talking voice than his singing. 

[Austin]

EDIT: Does Getcha Back count at all, or is it too soon?

Yeah, it counts. 1982 and on is really where it gets difficult (though I suppose there are probably some 70's leads that would make a fan confused...)

[Jonas]

i'll agree with the "someone to watch over me".  mainly the "there's somebody i'm longing to see" line.  and i think when he sings "god only knows" he falls back to that sweet voice, even if he didn't sing the original obv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX7znc-bhDs


but along those lines.  sometimes i hear it more in his talking voice than his singing. 

where the sh*t is darian?

[Curtis Leon]

EDIT: Does Getcha Back count at all, or is it too soon?

Yeah, it counts. 1982 and on is really where it gets difficult (though I suppose there are probably some 70's leads that would make a fan confused...)

Then it's probably the closest he's ever come to sounding like pre '74 Brian. He does the same style of falsetto in the acapella bridge to Love and Mercy too, albeit slightly buried in the mix.

[adamghost]

He's been sounding more and more like the Brian of yore with each passing release.  It's the softening of his tone, particularly the way he closes his lines.  I found GIOMH unlistenable because of his singing, and I kind of tolerated some other things like ORANGE CRATE ART, but since the Christmas album I've actually liked his singing, and have enjoyed it more with each successive release.

[D409]

i'll agree with the "someone to watch over me".  mainly the "there's somebody i'm longing to see" line.  and i think when he sings "god only knows" he falls back to that sweet voice, even if he didn't sing the original obv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX7znc-bhDs


but along those lines.  sometimes i hear it more in his talking voice than his singing.  

where the merda is darian?

That's Gary Griffin who substitutes for Darian when he's away on Disney soundtrack duties or whatever else he does outside Brian Wilson land...

[Amy B.]

He's been sounding more and more like the Brian of yore with each passing release.  It's the softening of his tone, particularly the way he closes his lines.  I found GIOMH unlistenable because of his singing, and I kind of tolerated some other things like ORANGE CRATE ART, but since the Christmas album I've actually liked his singing, and have enjoyed it more with each successive release.

It sounds more like he cares. He's putting more care into his tone and phrasing lately. The Brian that sang "Someone To Watch Over Me" is the same guy who sang "Blue Christmas." Of course he sounds 45 years older, but it's the same guy.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Interesting question!

I would go with "Cry" on Imagination -- the falsetto there shows its most sustained use for years, and Brian sounds pretty darned good doing it -- and "Midnight's Another Day." Although I'd go with the demo version over the one released on TLOS.

Both sound like what someone without a lot of excess knowledge might expect a latter-day BW to sound like. (The keys, I would say, are twofold -- phrasing and sweetness.)

1 - the vocals on Imagination are heavily processed.

2 - the lead vocal on the demo of "Midnight..." and the TLOS track is the same recording. Therefore how you can go with the demo version is truly, truly amazing.

[drbeachboy]

Andrew, I've always thought that Midnight had the worst vocal on TLOS, and now I understand why. So, why did they use the demo vocal for such an important song?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Andrew, I've always thought that Midnight had the worst vocal on TLOS, and now I understand why. So, why did they use the demo vocal for such an important song?

It's not the only one. When I interviewed Scotty in the US in early 2009, I asked him about that:

Andrew: You've stated in interviews that the album version of "Midnight" makes extensive use of the demo, notably Brian's vocals - were any other parts of other demos flown in like this ?

Scott: A lot of them were. Some [vocals] were done at Mark Linnet's, but there was something true about his initial enthusiasm, so we went back to the demos.

[Fall Breaks]

I'd play "Please Let Me Wonder" followed by the original "Gettin ' In Over My Head".

[MBE]

Original "Gettin ' In Over My Head".

That's the closest he's come to my ears.

[adamghost]

It's a shame his voice was in such ropey shape during the Paley sessions, because some of those tracks are so awesome.

I like the original "Getting In Over My Head" too, but it's a pretty flawed vocal track.  He could do it so much better now.

[GuyOnTheBeach]

Original "Gettin ' In Over My Head".

That's the closest he's come to my ears.

I agree there, the earlier track I'd go with would be 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times'

[hypehat]

It's a shame his voice was in such ropey shape during the Paley sessions, because some of those tracks are so awesome.

I like the original "Getting In Over My Head" too, but it's a pretty flawed vocal track.  He could do it so much better now.

So true. I wish they finished them. I reckon Al or Carl would have knocked that out of the park. Such a stupid move on the part of the group 

[MBE]

It's a shame his voice was in such ropey shape during the Paley sessions, because some of those tracks are so awesome.

I like the original "Getting In Over My Head" too, but it's a pretty flawed vocal track.  He could do it so much better now.

I don't know if it's totally on pitch but there is a certain quality I hear. It's not pre 1975 Brian in skill  but the phrasing of the young Brian is there to me. It's sounds like the same guy who sang all those classic vocals, and that's what I rarely hear from 1975 on

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'd play "Please Let Me Wonder" followed by the original "Gettin ' In Over My Head".

Even live versions of "Please Let Me Wonder" of BW solo hit the mark...that is the one song where he sings like his young self on the verses.