Tongal Contests: California Feelin' & Goin' to the Beach

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I did a pretty good job playing along, but I was actually telling the truth about not hearing that particular clip... mine is in better sound

[Daniel]

very very nice!

[Sheriff John Stone]

What grown man decides to go by "Rocky", anyway?

A grown man whose real first name is Rushton?

If it WAS Brian's vocal instead of Rocky's, we would be crying - crying tears of joy!

[pixletwin]

If it WAS Brian's vocal instead of Rocky's, we would be crying - crying tears of joy!

Not me. For the bit I believed it was legit I was super disappointed.

[Vegetable Man]

I'd just like to say that the first 15 seconds or so of this song now rank in my top 10 favorite Beach Boy moments. Can't wait for the Brian/Piano version.

[drbeachboy]

I'd just like to say that the first 15 seconds or so of this song now rank in my top 10 favorite Beach Boy moments. Can't wait for the Brian/Piano version.

A shame they messed up Carl's vocal on it, though. That 2% increase in speed makes his vocal on it just about perfect. I really hate that they sacrifice one person's vocal to save/add another.

[Vegetable Man]

I'd just like to say that the first 15 seconds or so of this song now rank in my top 10 favorite Beach Boy moments. Can't wait for the Brian/Piano version.

A shame they messed up Carl's vocal on it, though. That 2% increase in speed makes his vocal on it just about perfect. I really hate that they sacrifice one person's vocal to save/add another.

I agree. I might be wrong in saying this, but I think it's the same way on "It's Over Now". Two great songs now ("California Feelin'" included) that I find hard to listen to because of a slowed Carl Wilson vocal. A voice like his should never be tampered with.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I'd just like to say that the first 15 seconds or so of this song now rank in my top 10 favorite Beach Boy moments. Can't wait for the Brian/Piano version.

A shame they messed up Carl's vocal on it, though. That 2% increase in speed makes his vocal on it just about perfect. I really hate that they sacrifice one person's vocal to save/add another.

I agree. I might be wrong in saying this, but I think it's the same way on "It's Over Now". Two great songs now ("California Feelin'" included) that I find hard to listen to because of a slowed Carl Wilson vocal. A voice like his should never be tampered with.

I also agree. I keep asking myself - and did since "It's Over Now" was ruined - if we can hear it, why can't the people in charge?

[DonnyL]

I can't hear the difference in speed here ! I understand the difference is there, but that original tape on the boot has wonky speed !

PS - tape damage won't cause a consistent speed change ... tape stretch can cause fluctuations, but it would be across the board, not just on one discrete element of the multi-track.

[seltaeb1012002]

I can't hear the difference in speed here ! I understand the difference is there, but that original tape on the boot has wonky speed !

PS - tape damage won't cause a consistent speed change ... tape stretch can cause fluctuations, but it would be across the board, not just on one discrete element of the multi-track.

So weird. Wonder what the heck it is then. The pitch is definitely lower. On Carl's vocal only. I'd love to understand this.

For anyone who missed it, I ran the boot version at the same speed as the new mix (it was already pretty much the same speed, btw). Carl's vocal is clearly out of tune on the new mix - yet runs at the right speed. You can hear the pitch clashing creating a chorus effect. The boot version can't be TOO wonky, because it synchs up perfectly until the edits in the new version start happening.

https://soundcloud.com/smile-a-d/calfeel

[monicker]

This is a great mix. I didn’t care much for the '78 booted version before, but i find myself really loving it now. Quite an odd little song. Carl sounds drunk and about to fall over, Brian sounds nice, and Bruce sounds GOLDEN. Really cool, sparse arrangement, lots of space. I really love the drums coming in and out throughout the song and how a "beat" is mostly avoided -- this is precisely what i love about drums on Beach Boys records. No one else really does it like that. Oh, and i don’t see in what universe this could’ve been a hit.

Also, i can’t believe how much Rocky Pamplin sounds like Brian  . By the way, my uncle, in his late 60s now, goes by the name Rocky.

Anyone have a link to the Honeys version that isn’t Spotify?

[JohnMill]

By the way, my uncle, in his late 60s now, goes by the name Rocky.

Did he and Daniel ever get back on good terms?

And on a slightly related topic why did that chick have so many different names in the first place?

[Wah Wah Wah Ooooo]

I just listened to CF for the first time...gotta say, I'm not anywhere near as impressed with it as a lot of people. The harmonies are really nice and Bruce sounds good, but I really don't care for Brian on this, and honestly, Carl sounds terrible on this.

It is still better than the Classics version...I don't know that I rate it any higher than Al's Postcard version. Al's voice is really strong on that, the BGVs are solid and the gospel piano is rocking....

Just not overwhelmed with this version.

[runnersdialzero]

I hate to bring up the "A" word, but there's some obvious digital tuning on Brian's vocal in two spots. I have no idea why doing the same to Carl's vocals would flat the entire thing, but I've heard it happen before and accidentally did so myself a couple times when I was less experienced with the software.

The flat vocal is one of the most subtle examples I've ever heard (but is indeed there) and likely sounded just fine to whoever mixed it. Everyone's ears are slightly different and occasionally what sounds too sharp or too flat to one person will sound just fine to another (and vice versa, too). Still, it's kind of odd.

[DonnyL]

I can't hear the difference in speed here ! I understand the difference is there, but that original tape on the boot has wonky speed !

PS - tape damage won't cause a consistent speed change ... tape stretch can cause fluctuations, but it would be across the board, not just on one discrete element of the multi-track.

So weird. Wonder what the heck it is then. The pitch is definitely lower. On Carl's vocal only. I'd love to understand this.

For anyone who missed it, I ran the boot version at the same speed as the new mix (it was already pretty much the same speed, btw). Carl's vocal is clearly out of tune on the new mix - yet runs at the right speed. You can hear the pitch clashing creating a chorus effect. The boot version can't be TOO wonky, because it synchs up perfectly until the edits in the new version start happening.

https://soundcloud.com/smile-a-d/calfeel

I'm deleting my post because I just listened to the two side-by-side, and you guys are right! -- Carl's vocal specifically is slower on the new version. Bruce's vocal is not ... in fact, on the boot version the vocals almost sound LOWER pitched on Bruce and the others.

I really can't think of a scenario where this could have happened. I mean, unless somehow the multi-track w/ Carl's vocal is a different reel than the one with everything else. Even then, the speed variances in the tapes could have been corrected digitally, since this is an obvious digital mix/edit. If this is an intentional choice, why? to match Brian's vocal? wouldn't it have been better to change Brian's vocal to be slightly higher in pitch?

In the case of 'It's Over Now' on the '93 box, the original track was sped-up slightly when Carl's vocal was recorded (and apparently the tape box was not noted), then it was played back at standard speed, creating the slow vocal.

(and PS, I really love this new version overall -- killer !)

[DonnyL]

(double post)

[Wrightfan]

The Rocky Pamplin version actually used to be one of my favs...but on second hearing...yeah, no 

[seltaeb1012002]

I hate to bring up the "A" word, but there's some obvious digital tuning on Brian's vocal in two spots. I have no idea why doing the same to Carl's vocals would flat the entire thing, but I've heard it happen before and accidentally did so myself a couple times when I was less experienced with the software.

The flat vocal is one of the most subtle examples I've ever heard (but is indeed there) and likely sounded just fine to whoever mixed it. Everyone's ears are slightly different and occasionally what sounds too sharp or too flat to one person will sound just fine to another (and vice versa, too). Still, it's kind of odd.

Glad I'm not the only one who hears how flat it is! It's night and day to me.. just listen to the boot version, Carl's pitch is on point. Here's its... flat. Almost a half pitch at times, feels like. Though it's probably closer to a quarter pitch off.

And I agree, sometimes when you're the one at the controls, you miss things like this. It's easy to have an objective ear after someone else put in a ton of work on the project.

On another note.. I didn't catch the autotune! Where at?

[Shady]

California Feelin' just cracked my top 50 Beach Boys songs list.....and rising fast.

[seltaeb1012002]

I can't hear the difference in speed here ! I understand the difference is there, but that original tape on the boot has wonky speed !

PS - tape damage won't cause a consistent speed change ... tape stretch can cause fluctuations, but it would be across the board, not just on one discrete element of the multi-track.

So weird. Wonder what the heck it is then. The pitch is definitely lower. On Carl's vocal only. I'd love to understand this.

For anyone who missed it, I ran the boot version at the same speed as the new mix (it was already pretty much the same speed, btw). Carl's vocal is clearly out of tune on the new mix - yet runs at the right speed. You can hear the pitch clashing creating a chorus effect. The boot version can't be TOO wonky, because it synchs up perfectly until the edits in the new version start happening.

https://soundcloud.com/smile-a-d/calfeel

I'm deleting my post because I just listened to the two side-by-side, and you guys are right! -- Carl's vocal specifically is slower on the new version. Bruce's vocal is not ... in fact, on the boot version the vocals almost sound LOWER pitched on Bruce and the others.

I really can't think of a scenario where this should have happened. I mean, unless somehow the multi-track w/ Carl's vocal is a different reel than the one with everything else. Even then, the speed variances in the tapes could have been corrected digitally, since this is an obvious digital mix/edit.

In the case of 'It's Over Now' on the '93 box, the original track was sped-up slightly when Carl's vocal was recorded (and apparently the tape box was not noted), then it was played back at standard speed, creating the slow vocal.

(and PS, I really love this new version overall -- killer !)

Crazy, right?? Mind blower, for sure.

I noted earlier that I heard an example of this on TSS. The "Wonderful" background vocals were in the right pitch, but somehow they were quite a bit slower than the way they are on the master. And yeah, they are the same exact vox!

[Quzi]

Had me going for the first few seconds.. I haven't been trolled so hard since the first time I was Rick Roll'd. 

I was fooled into thinking it was Brian too, I thought the way he enunciated "hair" at 16 seconds was 15 Big Ones Brian coming out for one more show. I was so convinced  I hate to say it, but I think this is a better vocal than Carl's attempt. Damn you Rocky. Also, I thought the background vocals was a stack of Bruce, not American Spring. Now it's pretty clear it's the latter but I canforgive myself, it does have that "sugary" Bruce quality to it and they're buried under quite a bit of hiss.

[Jay]

Geez guys, I only heard the words "I was walkin", and knew the voice didn't belong to any member of the Beach Boys. 

In regard to what runnersdialzero said about no two people having the same ears, for the life of me I can't hear a problem with Carl's voice on the new CF mix, but to me the way Brian sings "beach" in the opening line is so off key it nearly hurts.

[DonnyL]

Geez guys, I only heard the words "I was walkin", and knew the voice didn't belong to any member of the Beach Boys. 

In regard to what runnersdialzero said about no two people having the same ears, for the life of me I can't hear a problem with Carl's voice on the new CF mix, but to me the way Brian sings "beach" in the opening line is so off key it nearly hurts.

yeh i couldn't hear a problem either, unless you listen side-by-side to the boot version. It doesn't specifically sound off-key to me, it just sounds kind of 'slow' compared to the peppier speed vocal on the boot version.

[Jay]

Actually, upon further listening to it to me Carl's voice on this new mix sounds slightly fast, or higher pitched.