What's the Earliest Recorded Evidence of Brian's Vocal Deterioration?

[I. Spaceman]

I think the booted version was on Deep Sea Treasures.

[Dave Modny]

Until 2:45 when it becomes a shriek as he attempts an even higher note at the end. Dunno if he could hit a note that high before that, but it didn't sound good. Never was meant to be heard of course......

I always just thought that actual, blatant "scream" at the 2:45 mark was more or less done in jest. Sort of a little humorous outburst when everything's done (and obviously something that was never intended to be heard). Maybe done with a touch of exasperation, too!

My point in posting all this to begin with, was simply to say that, any timbral or stylistic changes aside, Brian's range -- normal or falsetto -- was probably still very much intact in '69/'70. Thus, I'm still personally hesitant to use a word like 'deteriorate' at that point. That word just seems to imply something that came later and was far more glaring and solidified. It's just 'different' to me at this point. Shrill...soft...etc....whatever word one wants to use. Though, I really like his voice and singing during this era. I'm obviously a big 20/20 and Sunflower fan.

All in my humble (and utterly worthless) opinion of course...lol.

[MBE]

Dave you are right on according to my ears.

[Dave Modny]

I think the booted version was on Deep Sea Treasures.

I think you're right. Though, IIRC, GSHG had the same vocals-only and alt. mixes as well. The latter was Vigotone. Probably just duped it.

[Mikie]

Deep Sea Treasures Vol. 1 was released on Polar Bear a year before the Vigotone release.

[Outtasight!]

Whitney Houston did indeed lose her voice... Listen to any live recordings from the last few years of her life. It scary.

Coke also is killing Mariah Carey's voice.

The sooner Mariah Carey's voice is destroyed the better. By whatever means. I can't be doing with that continual oversinging. Make it stop!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

oh she still over sings she just does not do it well

[Shane]

The place I first hear the late 1960s "nasal" voice of Brian's is the "Sail Plane Song" demo on the Endless Harmony soundtrack.

In my opinion, Brian had something very special going on with his voice in late 1964.  I'm speaking of the Christmas album, and the Beach Boys Today LP.  By that point, his voice had matured and strengthened, but still had this youthfulness about it.  There is just something magical about it.  I also hear it in his falsetto swoops on the Annette "Monkey's Uncle" single, recorded around the same time.

[Dead Parrot]

Might be worth mentioning that for a few months circa Sgt Pepper, cocaine was Paul McCartney's drug of choice. But he stopped using it, because he didn't like the effect it had on his singing voice.

[Jay]

Whitney Houston did indeed lose her voice... Listen to any live recordings from the last few years of her life. It scary.

Coke also is killing Mariah Carey's voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWzqlx_8PGo&list=FLV1RDQ0_F5rhRw-6iYbh-8Q

[Dave Modny]

The place I first hear the late 1960s "nasal" voice of Brian's is the "Sail Plane Song" demo on the Endless Harmony soundtrack.

In my opinion, Brian had something very special going on with his voice in late 1964.  I'm speaking of the Christmas album, and the Beach Boys Today LP.  By that point, his voice had matured and strengthened, but still had this youthfulness about it.  There is just something magical about it.  I also hear it in his falsetto swoops on the Annette "Monkey's Uncle" single, recorded around the same time.

Yeah, I think if I were to zero in on a rough time frame where that noted (soft/shrill/nasal) timbral and stylistic change becomes prominent, those summer of '68 sessions would be my personal marking point as well: "Sail Plane Song," "Walk On By," "Ol' Man River," "We're Together Again"...even his part on the alt. version of "Do It Again." An interesting period, as well, in that a) there's quite a few good examples from him during that time frame and b) it's kind of an unofficial half way point between the meat of the Friends and 20/20 sessions proper, if one is looking at a point of comparison. Maybe using the vocal on "Busy Doin' Nothing" (from March/April '68) and the vocal on "I Went To Sleep" as goalposts (assuming the latter was indeed laid down in Nov. of '68, if not June of '68). Any additional vocal work on "Time To Get Alone," from 10/68, as well.


Again, I personally can't use the word 'deteriorate' because I still see too much similar and intact in terms of his range and purity -- the overall *shape* of his voice -- when holding it up against unfutzed examples of his classic period, or even just a year or two before (e.g. Humble Harv, H&V Hawaii)....but it is a different sound and style. Just like comparing the change from "Barbie" and "Judy" to "She Knows Me Too Well." There, the evolution of the wondrous, sonorous "whine"...if you will.

[harrisonjon]

I think the 'scream' on Forever is Brian's way of saying "that was a good take", and/or relief that they won't need another take.

I'm not sure if the 1968-70 examples above are not simply Brian not being willing to stretch himself on demos. Conversely did he shelve Walk On By because he just felt he did not have it in him?

[modestmaus]

Oh wow. "Don't You Just Know It" is very interesting. I was sort of expecting some early example/hint of a 15 Big Ones Brian type voice but if anything, there's sort of a hint of 1980s 'Sweet Insanity' Brian on there. yikes.

Also, it makes me interested in listening to more of the post 60's Jan & Dean but that is beside the point. haha.

[Micha]

I played "This Whole World" for a friend yesterday - and it never struck me before how strained Brian's falsetto sounds on the instrumental part right before the outro, the do-do-dooo thing. He still hits the notes, but sounds as strained as on, say, Getcha Back.

[adamghost]

I think Brian's deterioration wasn't just fuelled by booze, drugs n' smokes. You gotta remember that in the early sixties, he had live performances to keep his voice in shape, even when he stopped touring for 1965/66 he had sessions for Today!, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!), Party, Pet Sounds, Smile, occasional TV appearances etc. etc. he was pretty regular with using his voice. The dude was treating his pipes with less practice from '67 - '73, evidenced by less leads, less background vocal appearances and more time spent between each recording sessions. If he had a little vocal coaching in '69-'71 I doubt the shrillness and deterioration people describe would be as prominent. I'd wager 70% of the change of the timbre of his voice from '65 to '71 was reversible.

I was gonna post exactly this.

[Ron]

About Brian's deterioration, to me it's tricky because on some of the early demos and stuff, I hear him sounding pretty 'off'.  On the early "Surfin' USA" demo with the piano, he's off key pretty bad in the falsetto part.  Also I"m Bugged At My Old Man sounds bad to me, I know it's not a serious song but his vocals are just way off. 

So I think when we find later examples and say that it's proof of him losing it, some of those were probably just recorded on a bad day and if he did another take he might have killed it.  Of course for a long time he was putting much less effort into his music so another take may have been just as bad, but I don't think he was in a position where he wasn't capable of GREAT vocals until at least the mid 70's.  Just like he had bad days in the early days he probably had bad and good days in the 70's as well. 

I would ALSO like to say that 'deterioration' kind of implys that it's something that Brian couldn't control.  I think a lot of his style changes (like the above mentioned period where his vocals got much thinner... like on I went to sleep)... a lot of his style change may have been intentional.  The full throated, beautiful, smooth falsetto he used on something like "Sloop John B" or something he didn't necessarily lose, but just stop singing in that style and fall out of practice.  Of course we've all talked about, as well, whether or not the husky voice later was done on purpose. 

I honestly don't think that he had lost anything beyond his control until the mid 70's.  I think by then, even on a good day he just simply couldn't sing as well as he wanted to. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Whitney Houston did indeed lose her voice... Listen to any live recordings from the last few years of her life. It scary.

Coke also is killing Mariah Carey's voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWzqlx_8PGo&list=FLV1RDQ0_F5rhRw-6iYbh-8Q

Dear God...she sounds like Macy Gray getting a rectal exam by Darth Vader.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brilliant points, both Dave and Ron.

Some of it was due to his love of the weed. That soft, breathy type voice you may have after a bowl or five. When he started doing coke, it immediately made his vocals more nasal. Throw that in, sprinkle a bit of natural aging and add a dash of not always giving a sh*t (in comparison to his peak of his powers for GV), and yeah, that was a recipe of something that was going to change his voice. I think a song like 'Lonely Sea' might have been impossible for him to do by maybe 1970, if not earlier.

[Ron]

Only thing I would say to that, is that I don't think he gave a sh*t.  I think he liked that sound and still considered himself on top of his game... if he wanted to still sound like "Wouldn't it be Nice" he could have taken steps and stayed with that sound, but the thin weedy wispy sound he likely wanted.  So he may not have been able to sing the Lonely Sea but he probably didn't want that anymore. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Oh yeah, most definitely.

[Gertie J.]

transcmeditation.

[Jay]

I just found a version of Don't You Just Know sung by Brian and Jan, and I was surprised with just how bad Brian sounded. It definitely sounds like his vocal was recorded much later than 1970. More like 1973 or 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU80Vv9ylGQ

The weirdest thing about it is that this isn't the version I've always heard and been familiar with. On the verison I've always heard Brian sounds even worse.

[Newguy562]

This thread makes me feel so bad.  (Poor Brian)

[The Heartical Don]

Should we factor in whether he used his voice well? By this I mean: in classical music, much attention always is devoted to the artists using their voices in a medically sound way, so that they stay in their prime as long as possible. So many of these singers still hit everything they want in their '60s, even '70s. Has to do with breath control, not overstretching their chords, and more (I'm not a real expert).

What if Brian put too much strain on his voice, without us fans knowing that, already in the earliest years? Then wear and tear will set in pretty early in life. Carl may have treated his much better, without knowing it, and therefore his substance use could possibly have had little influence on it.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

WTF is up with Brian's voice at about 0:52 on that YT link?! The 'you got me rockin' part sounds very odd.

Count me as one of those who think Brian's vocals were recorded later...his voice sounds thin as sh*t.