When Brian's Singing Sounds Like Brian

[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.

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

I don't disagree, it's just, like all his 1995-era vocals, rather pinched, and that kinda blows the illusion for me.

[TdHabib]

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.

"Caroline, No" as well Billy. He always knocks that one outta the park.

[Sam_BFC]

Another thing to consider:

Some people have pointed out in the past instances of where 'young' Brian shows hints of 'old' Brian in live recordings where he strains his voice a bit.

I noticed this once on one of the classic live Surfer Girl recordings on the bridge 'in my woody...' line.

[Curtis Leon]

Love Ya sounds a lot like 15 Big Ones/Love You Brian.

EDIT: The demo for Night Blooming Jasmine on the BW '88 remaster sounds like a smoother version of the LY/15BO voice, too.

[Alex]

When he sang in a low key on Too Much Sugar, Rio Grande, and in various other parts of BW88 he sounds like he did on 15BO/LY/MIU.

[Curtis Leon]

.

[Ron]

I heard one tonight. 

"Someone To Watch Over Me" on the Gershwin album.  As I was listening to it, driving home in my car (I have a 60's plymouth I drive in the summer) with the windows down, and the album playing, when that song came on... it struck me how much Brian sounded like his earlier self.  It kinda has the vibe the "Surfer Girl" album had to it.  Beautifully sang, and although his voice is much heavier and not as sweet, it still has (on this song) that tender sensitive sound that he had on the Surfer Girl album. 

Anybody else hear it?

[rab2591]

I heard one tonight. 

"Someone To Watch Over Me" on the Gershwin album.  As I was listening to it, driving home in my car (I have a 60's plymouth I drive in the summer) with the windows down, and the album playing, when that song came on... it struck me how much Brian sounded like his earlier self.  It kinda has the vibe the "Surfer Girl" album had to it.  Beautifully sang, and although his voice is much heavier and not as sweet, it still has (on this song) that tender sensitive sound that he had on the Surfer Girl album. 

Anybody else hear it?

Ha! Actually yesterday I played that track (my favorite track from BWRG) and that same thing struck me. It such a Pet Sounds-like tune - despite the noticable deeper voice he really sounds like his younger self.

[Ron]

I can't believe how

A. expressive

and

B. reserved

he sounds.  Usually, he either (in varying degrees) sings something too robotic (he sounds ridillin'd out), or he sings it way over the top... but on that song, it's like "WHOA" a real human being showed up.  Beautiful song, It's really satisfying to see the progression Brian has made back to his real self (at least on wax) over the last 10 years.  I'm sure in real life he's even more in touch than what we hear on record, but that song is really something special. 

[rab2591]

Indeed. makes me really anticipate the Disney album - and anything he does after that.

I think the only other time he's really sung like that was on 'She Says That She Needs Me' from Imagination....that's another where Brian really sounds like young Brian.

[Wylson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZHK1LX27Q

[desmondo]

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.

Imagination - the whole thing is heavily processed not just the vocals - sadly

[b00ts]

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.

I wouldn't say it's truly amazing. The equalization and level of the vocal and its relation to the overall mix, especially if dropped into a whole separate/newly recorded track, can make it sound different, even when it is the same take.

[Cabinessenceking]

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?

Looks like age is catching up with Brian since this vid was taken....

[Nothgual]

When I was very early in my fandom I thought Mike did the high parts and Brian did the low parts in the 60s (this was many years ago).   To me, Brian's solo albums were confirmation of that. Embarassing story i know... Gotta say I've never had a moment where I heard young Brian in old Brian. Such a transformation.

[onkster]

Regarding the Paley session vocals: WHY do they sound so weird? It's almost as if he's trying to sound like someone else.

Are the tapes sped up or something?

[ontor pertawst]

It just sounds like they were all dubbed at the wrong speed. Perhaps several times on crappy ol' rundown tape decks. Play around with the tracks in an audio editor and you can make it sound quite a lot better... this would be a good time for someone to say they did that to all the circulating tracks and wants to share them.

[EgoHanger1966]

Regarding the Paley session vocals: WHY do they sound so weird? It's almost as if he's trying to sound like someone else.

Are the tapes sped up or something?

(Depending on what copy you have) slow them down by 6 percent.

[seltaeb1012002]

The part where you hear Brian's falsetto creep in on "Those Were The Days" is pretty reminiscent of his old falsetto.

Another spot to check out is his falsetto on "Vegetables" on BWPS during the slow "Tell us the name of your" line

[keysarsoze001]

Regarding the Paley session vocals: WHY do they sound so weird? It's almost as if he's trying to sound like someone else.

Are the tapes sped up or something?

(Depending on what copy you have) slow them down by 6 percent.

If using Landylocked, I used 7 percent and it came out sounding basically like he did on the Roxy album.

I very rarely find any instances where current Brian sounds like 60s Brian, but I think the way he growls his way through "It Ain't Necessarily So" he sounds very very much like 15BO Brian. Especially on the "Jonah he lived in a whale" verse.

I agree with the assessment that the reason his vocals on the last few albums have been so good is enthusiasm. His absolute best vocals of his solo career are on the Gershwin, because there's practically no music ever written which he loves more than Gershwin.

[Ron]

Everytime I listen to "Ain't necessarily So" I marvel at that Jonah line.  I mean he growls it, baby.  I always try to do it like Brian and fail miserably, at 70 he's clocking circles around me and I'm a young feisty motherfucker. 

[Jim V.]

So I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "Summer's Gone". From what I've heard, definitely just sounds like an older version of the guy who sang "Caroline No" and "Please Let Me Wonder".

[Sheriff John Stone]

Brian's cover of Carl's "Heaven", "Listen To Me", and "Colors Of The Wind". I don't know if somebody got to Brian or he figured it out on his own, but I'm glad he started to sing more relaxed, more gentle, and less shouty.

[keysarsoze001]

So I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "Summer's Gone". From what I've heard, definitely just sounds like an older version of the guy who sang "Caroline No" and "Please Let Me Wonder".

I think it's tone and intent of the vocals more than actual vocal similarities. Probably also because it evokes "Caroline, No" in terms of being so elegiac and its placement on the album.

And yeah, his delivery of the entire Porgy suite is just awesome. The kind of soul in his voice on those tracks that you're used to hearing from Carl.

[Ron]

YES HELL YES Sheriff Stone on "Colors of the Wind".  Somebody should whisper in his good ear that he's never sounded better than that, if he would embrace that style and do some more songs like that I would be in Heaven.  No pun intended.