To what extent did Brian write and produceTWGMTR

[Theydon Bois]

But yes, I agree Brian hasn't shown a big propensity for very obvious use of Autotune

I don't know, it's pretty apparent on Pet Sounds Live.  Though whether that was Brian's decision is not specified.

That's used to tune the vocal, though, not as an effect in itself.

I'd assumed that the heavy-handedness of the Autotune on TWGMTR was simply a result of an aesthetic judgement call not to let any (even tiny, or perceived) intonation issues "mar" the record, rather than a conscious artistic decision to replace the Beach Boys with robots.  The latter idea is currently putting me off my dessert.

[phirnis]

AndrewHickey, thanks for the hint re: TPLOB&S / Mary's Boy Child. Didn't know that song and the verses are indeed very similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kxr7WwPSMM

I still like Bill + Sue very much, mind you! 

[AndrewHickey]

AndrewHickey, thanks for the hint re: TPLOB&S / Mary's Boy Child. Didn't know that song and the verses are indeed very similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kxr7WwPSMM

I still like Bill + Sue very much, mind you! 

So do I -- it's one of my favourites on the album.

[KittyKat]

Joe Thomas likes using autotune to make things sound "modern," as though he were producing Katy Perry. It wouldn't surprise me if autotune or an equivalent was used on other Brian recordings, but not in that distinct way. BTW,  did Scott Bennett produce TLOS? I don't have the CD handy and haven't listened to it much since it came out, so I don't recall what the credits are listed as. I'd have to believe if Brian can't produce a solo album that he has claimed to be proud of and was well-received, then chances are he didn't have much to do with producing TWGMTR, either. I don't know or care what Joe Thomas may have claimed in any interviews, because the guy isn't believable. Besides, he once had to defend himself in a lawsuit that claimed he was trying to make a name for himself off of Brian Wilson, so I think now he's extra careful to deny his own work and perhaps give extra credit to Brian even when it's not due.

[AndrewHickey]

BTW,  did Scott Bennett produce TLOS? I don't have the CD handy and haven't listened to it much since it came out, so I don't recall what the credits are listed as. I'd have to believe if Brian can't produce a solo album that he has claimed to be proud of and was well-received, then chances are he didn't have much to do with producing TWGMTR, either.

Brian is credited as producer on That Lucky Old Sun.

[Wirestone]

Scott receives an "additional production by" credit.

[absinthe_boy]

Brian is "credited as produce of TLOS" but if he actually produced it then his one good ear has gone bad. It's atrociously produced. The CD is completely unlistenable and while demonstrably better the vinyl is still pretty bad - some members might remember the graphs I posted back in 2008 to prove the fact. I think it was AGD who said that something odd happened when he ripped the CD for his iPod it actually sounded much better. Or maybe it's the mastering engineer who is deaf. Such a shame because the music is 10/10 material.

TWGMTR, aside from the autotune, is actually well produced. It has a good dynamic range, the instruments and voices are not fighting to be heard at any time - they are all at a pleasing level. It is easy on the ear and comfortable to listen from start to finish even at high volume levels. The vocal processing isn't great in a lot of places. Has Autotune been used with Brian before? Oh yes, certainly since BWPS...but it is used very sparingly on BWPS and TLOS, just here and there on longer notes where perhaps he wavered. It's not always noticable on first listen.

[hypehat]

That's the mastering. It's pretty brickwalled, but Brian or Scott or Mark Linett would have nothing to do with that.

[Micha]

AndrewHickey, thanks for the hint re: TPLOB&S / Mary's Boy Child. Didn't know that song and the verses are indeed very similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kxr7WwPSMM

I still like Bill + Sue very much, mind you! 

So do I -- it's one of my favourites on the album.

Thank You, now I finally know why I hate TPLOBAS so much...

[Emdeeh]

Joe Thomas likes using autotune to make things sound "modern," as though he were producing Katy Perry.

Autotune is one of the main reasons I no longer listen to current "pop" music on the radio. Those robotic voices send me running to change the channel as quickly as possible. I'd rather hear a natural voice, flaws and all.

[Generation42]

We all know that Brian didn't write the title song;

Yes, he did.  And has been pointed out, if you're really curious to learn more about the songwriting process for the album, there's a great Joe Thomas interview or two where he goes into quite nice depths describing said process.

And quite inaccurate depths if I recall correctly. Joe stated vehemently that it wasn't Foskett doing the the falsetto chorus in "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" when there's clearly a tradeoff between the two. If I'm proven wrong, I'll eat all of Mike's hats.

Be that as it may (or may not, it's been almost a year since I've read the articles, so I just don't recall), what I said was that Thomas went into detail describing the songwriting process.  Who eventually traded leads with whom on a recording speaks to production decisions made in the studio, not the level of involvement (or his suggested non-involvement) of Brian Wilson in writing the material.
 
Now, with all that said, if Thomas has been proven inaccurrate concerning the writing of the songs, that's a whole other matter.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Joe Thomas likes using autotune to make things sound "modern," as though he were producing Katy Perry.

Autotune is one of the main reasons I no longer listen to current "pop" music on the radio. Those robotic voices send me running to change the channel as quickly as possible. I'd rather hear a natural voice, flaws and all.

It can be a useful tool

It can be used transparently, to correct the odd flat note and leave all the intonation and naturalness intact.

And if, like me, you work alone, it can be invaluable with vocal arranging. Instead of having to lay down 5 parts to see if they work, you can mold your scratch parts on the fly, and then re-record them when you've got it. It's like having 5 guys round a mike who can respond instantly to changes.


On Radio though, as noted, it was used as an effect to make it sound current. Unfortunately for me I find the robot sound unbearable. Suffice to say this is not an album I own. Thanks JT!

[absinthe_boy]

Autotune *can* be used almost invisibly to correct an off-note. It's there on TLOS and BWPS but sparingly, only on a few long notes where Brian might have wavered and those making the decisions decided to use autotune rather than keep the original.

The way autotune is used routinely on pop records these days renders them pretty unlistenable to me. I caught an episode of Glee for the first time a couple of weeks ago and turned off after 10 minutes because I found the vocal processing so ****ing offensive to my ears. Anything that was supposed to be harmony sounded instead like a set of perfectly tuned car horns. Voices are not perfect, humans are not signal generators. That's the heart and soul of vocal pop music.....ripped out by autotune.

[Quzi]

I love autotune, I just hate the tasteless application of it. It has its place in music as does any production tool, but one must be clever about how they use it.

I constantly cite Kanye West's "Heartless" as being a great example of how even something bathed in autotune can benefit from it on an artistic level. The vocal on that song sounds so clinical and empty and it creatively reflects the emotion of song's narrator really effectively.

On the other end of the spectrum you have artists like Michael Buble who use autotune and it sounds like a steaming pile of dog sh*t. It's distracting, offensively out of place and embodies everything that's wrong with mainstream pop production today.

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[Mike's Beard]

Not so.  The last four tracks have Brian's "feel" all over them.

In arrangement, yes. Sonically, definitely not -- at least, I've never before heard a Brian production with RoboJardine on it...

Please, please, please can someone post a photoshop of Al's head on Robocop's body to acompany the above statement.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

You'd think that they/Thomas/whoever would have at least had the sense to realise that The frickin' Beach Boys should be comparing themselves to like, Fleet Foxes or something on a production level rather than Katy Perry. It's not 'modern' it's 'lowest common denominator music for idiots' that uses autotune that unsubtly

[Myk Luhv]

You guys sure do take music deadly seriously around here, holy sh*t.

[Mr. Cohen]

Well, you heard it from Mike. The BBs wanted/expected a top 20 hit despite being 70 bajillion years old. So of course they used autotune. Mike just wants to know why "That's Why God Made the Radio" wasn't produced exactly like a Bruno Mars record! And that's why he won't be working with Brian on a new BBs album, unless Brian is willing to sit work one on one with him to get things right.

[bossaroo]

Not so.  The last four tracks have Brian's "feel" all over them.

In arrangement, yes. Sonically, definitely not -- at least, I've never before heard a Brian production with RoboJardine on it...

Please, please, please can someone post a photoshop of Al's head on Robocop's body to acompany the above statement.

well this was fun

[bossaroo]

couldn't decide where to put his face





i definitely imagine him being too small for the suit 

[bossaroo]

last one

[Amazing Larry]

last one

I think I peed.

[Mike's Beard]

Thanks just made my morning!

[SMiLE Brian]

Genius