Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring '77 (With Brian - Audio)

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Are there any interviews from this time period? I'd like to see how he improved from the previous year.

[pixletwin]

Makes me wonder what happened between this and the sessions where he freaked out because he couldn't get that tone back.. what sessions were those? MIU or LA?

[seltaeb1012002]

Are there any interviews from this time period? I'd like to see how he improved from the previous year.

Nothing that I can recall. But this is from January '77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcHx2J3NkI

Seems like he was on an upswing up until the CBS show.

Was he clean throughout '77?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Pixletwin, I think that was LA. The MIU sessions were late 1977 and early 1978 and voice was still improved.  By late August, his voice was in worse shape then ever before. Considering what we know happened on that Australian tour, I think we know what happened. I know he started/resumed doing heroin at that point in addition to cocaine; what I've always wondered was if he was snorting it or freebasing rather than injecting.If he was indeed chasin' the dragon, that would certainly explain the rapid decline vocally and otherwise.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Are there any interviews from this time period? I'd like to see how he improved from the previous year.

Nothing that I can recall. But this is from January '77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcHx2J3NkI

Seems like he was on an upswing up until the CBS show.

Was he clean throughout '77?

That was a perfect example of a 'put on' voice! He never sang like that before or since; comparing his voice to his SNL performance, he suddenly has more power and doesn't sound out of breath, but sounds like he's taking the piss out of the song.

[seltaeb1012002]

Are there any interviews from this time period? I'd like to see how he improved from the previous year.

Nothing that I can recall. But this is from January '77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcHx2J3NkI

Seems like he was on an upswing up until the CBS show.

Was he clean throughout '77?

That was a perfect example of a 'put on' voice! He never sang like that before or since; comparing his voice to his SNL performance, he suddenly has more power and doesn't sound out of breath, but sounds like he's taking the piss out of the song.

I agree. I guess my point is, we have a BW in January '77 that doesn't give a f*ck, possibly coked up based on the footage. Yet, by July we have a professional, less croaky, much slimmer BW. Seems like he was really on a good path there for a minute.

Then again, this could've been a one-off incident. I'm pretty sure there's other shows from '77 where he's not into it & intentionally singing bad.

[Steve Mayo]

Are there any interviews from this time period? I'd like to see how he improved from the previous year.

a few.....from late 76 and 77 with brian....some of the ones i like...
 rock on with john tobler
 crawdaddy interview lp
 king bisquit flower hour
 krth interview

[Mr. Cohen]

Al during that January 1977 show: "Here's Brian coming in for a landing!"

Works on so many levels.

[pixletwin]

He seems to get really annoyed with Mike and has a weird (seemingly) facial tick just before he sings Back Home.

[EgoHanger1966]

He seems to get really annoyed with Mike and has a weird (seemingly) facial tick just before he sings Back Home.

Pretty sure he gets a (slight?) electrical shock from a 'live' mic right before he has to sing the vocal. To be fair, though, it seems that Mike warned him about it.

[Justin]

That sure is a keeper--thanks for posting this gem!

[18thofMay]

WOW is all I can say

[Micha]

Nothing that I can recall. But this is from January '77 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcHx2J3NkI

Imagine the surprise of the people who liked the full horns and flutes arrangement of Airplane they heard at that concert and then went and bought Love You!

[Chris Brown]

Wow - what a find!  I had no idea he still had that young voice in him at that point in time.  Especially that last verse on "round" and "fu-llll".  You listen to Love You and it doesn't even sound like the same guy, then to hear something like this...pretty unreal.  Thanks so much for sharing this!

[Shane]

Just found this on youtube.  A sort of history of the BB version of the song, musically speaking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtKpdLGMKQ8

[seltaeb1012002]

Just found this on youtube.  A sort of history of the BB version of the song, musically speaking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtKpdLGMKQ8

Great find! I had no clue that the BW band performed it semi-recently.

Love how Brian blames Mike for being the "sentimental" one in the '89 clip.

[SgtTimBob]

My mind has been blown! I guess this really shows that, at least up until this point, he still had the potential to recall a good deal of his angelic tone, when he really wanted it. I suppose this just adds more credibility to the theory that he was more or less playing up the croaky voice and out of tune live singing during tv appearances. I mean, sure he'd obviously done a lot of damage from smoking, but for whatever reason he seems to have just embraced the gruff vocal side effects that go with it.

Even today, though obviously time has brought with it more wear and damage, I reckon he could surprise a few people if he really wanted. You can see glimpses of it in live shows, where he momentarily seems to get a bit more into whats going on and you almost feel like he's going to soar into a high part (then Jeff takes over and the moment passes).

Obviously it ties into addiction and his unstable mental health, but I'll still never be able to grasp how he allowed himself to damage such an amazing voice. I don't think I've ever heard a male vocalist as amazing as the 60's Brian. Such a shame.

Anyway. This was amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[Awesoman]

Listening to Al's part in the harmonies--wow, that is really hard to sing!

[Jay]

Just found this on youtube.  A sort of history of the BB version of the song, musically speaking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtKpdLGMKQ8

Man, I'd LOVE to hear and see that 1980-ish version, where they are being interviewed. If you look and listen close, Brian seems to be really trying for the high notes. His voice is louder than God, though. 

[Wrightfan]

Holy cow 

[18thofMay]

Listening to Al's part in the harmonies--wow, that is really hard to sing!

He misses at the start

[Jay]

I just remembered something I read about this 1977 CBS Convention show. Wasn't this the show where Brian was so unfocused and spaced out that Mike supposedly shoved Brian's piano across the stage? If that story can be believed, it's interesting to note that Brian's condition could seemingly change in the middle of a concert, never mind a few weeks or months. It's kind of hard to believe though, that Brian could be out of it for most of the show, suddenly perk up for one song, then zone out again. 

[Pretty Funky]

Click on the picture with the link for a larger view. In front of Mike and Brian is both a ashtray and a t-cup. Maybe Brian was just tripping on Earl Grey?

[Jay]

You know, the more I listen to this the more I think that this just might be Brian's final truly GREAT performance. i mean, listen to when he sings "And they say violins grow there the whole year round". That last note could make your hair stand up. He never again sang a note quite like that. He came close in "Sherry She Needs Me". But even with al those really high notes, it's still fairly obvious in his voice that it's not the same Brian.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

You know, the more I listen to this the more I think that this just might be Brian's final truly GREAT performance. i mean, listen to when he sings "And they say violins grow there the whole year round". That last note could make your hair stand up. He never again sang a note quite like that. He came close in "Sherry She Needs Me". But even with al those really high notes, it's still fairly obvious in his voice that it's not the same Brian.

'Sherry' was recorded the year previous.

There were times towards the end of the C50 tour where Brian had moments where he sounded like an older version of this Brian, a few times even going into falsetto.  When he's feelin' it, he can still surprise...