Brian bgs on BABY BLUE

[Steve Latshaw]

Another LA track that I forgot to mention after listening to this album again.

I'm hearing Carl and Dennis sharing the lead vocal on the baby Blue chorus.  The middle verse ("Late at night... when the whole world's sleeping...") is obviously Dennis.  But the background falsetto at the end of this section, ala Forever, is, again, is unmistakably Brian.  By the last section, falsetto is back to Bruce, I believe.  At least that's my take on it.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I always thought that middle verse falsetto was Carl.

[Jim V.]

Brian's not on this one. Nor is he vocally on "Good Timin'". He does play keys on "Good Timin'" though.

[job]

I think you should start a new thread every time you have a new thought about the same subject.

[Jon Stebbins]

Carl is the falsetto on the vocal in question, not Brian.

[Loaf]

I've always heard Brian singing that higher part from around 1:44 onwards ("Ooooh, ah ha"). Could be Carl, i guess, but sounds more like Brian to me. Though i have no evidence other than my own ears listening to this track.

Anyone have any proof either way?

[Jim V.]

I've always heard Brian singing that higher part from around 1:44 onwards ("Ooooh, ah ha"). Could be Carl, i guess, but sounds more like Brian to me. Though i have no evidence other than my own ears listening to this track.

Anyone have any proof either way?

Probably c-man. He probably has had access to the tracking sheets.

[Micha]

There's a vocal part on Santa Ana Winds that I always thought was Brian until I was told it's actually Carl, which disappointed me. Funny, it's like we're trying to spot the Yeti, isn't it? "Look! It's Brian! On there!!!" We just want to have him on there, do we?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

[Jon Stebbins]

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

The basic track was cut in the fall of '74 at Caribou with Brian (keyboard), Carl (guitar), Dennis (drums) and Jim Guercio (bass). Brian and Carl later overdubbed more keyboard and guitar most likely at Brother. A Carl lead vocal and Bruce harmony arrangement, plus Bruce keyboards were added in '78 to create the L.A. Light version. Thanks to C-Man and Jim Guercio for the info.

[Sheriff John Stone]

There's a vocal part on Santa Ana Winds that I always thought was Brian until I was told it's actually Carl, which disappointed me. Funny, it's like we're trying to spot the Yeti, isn't it? "Look! It's Brian! On there!!!" We just want to have him on there, do we?

There is a vocal part - a whole one second - where I think it's Brian. At the 2:37 mark, it sounds like Brian singing "oh the". He may be buried in the harmonies somewhere, too. Who knows...

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

The basic track was cut in the fall of '74 at Caribou with Brian (keyboard), Carl (guitar), Dennis (drums) and Jim Guercio (bass). Brian and Carl later overdubbed more keyboard and guitar most likely at Brother. A Carl lead vocal and Bruce harmony arrangement, plus Bruce keyboards were added in '78 to create the L.A. Light version. Thanks to C-Man and Jim Guercio for the info.

Thanks! ..... That album is one of my faves, so I love this kind of info.

[Micha]

There's a vocal part on Santa Ana Winds that I always thought was Brian until I was told it's actually Carl, which disappointed me. Funny, it's like we're trying to spot the Yeti, isn't it? "Look! It's Brian! On there!!!" We just want to have him on there, do we?

There is a vocal part - a whole one second - where I think it's Brian. At the 2:37 mark, it sounds like Brian singing "oh the". He may be buried in the harmonies somewhere, too. Who knows...

Could be...

[c-man]

I've always heard Brian singing that higher part from around 1:44 onwards ("Ooooh, ah ha"). Could be Carl, i guess, but sounds more like Brian to me. Though i have no evidence other than my own ears listening to this track.

Anyone have any proof either way?

Probably c-man. He probably has had access to the tracking sheets.

Well, the tracking sheets for this one simply indicate BG vox (across two tracks), Bass vox (one track), Lead vox (across two tracks), and Carl middle section (low trio tag) (one track). The last of these I would take to indicate Carl's high voice in the bridge (and a trio - almost certainly Carl, Bruce and Dennis - in the tag). Alan Boyd and Adam Marsland have heard the isolated vocals, and report that it's Carl on the Brian-y falsetto.

[Steve Latshaw]

<<I think you should start a new thread every time you have a new thought about the same subject.>>

Fantastic idea.  I will!  Thanks for suggesting!

[Steve Latshaw]

<<Well, the tracking sheets for this one simply indicate BG vox (across two tracks), Bass vox (one track), Lead vox (across two tracks), and Carl middle section (low trio tag) (one track). The last of these I would take to indicate Carl's high voice in the bridge (and a trio - almost certainly Carl, Bruce and Dennis - in the tag). Alan Boyd and Adam Marsland have heard the isolated vocals, and report that it's Carl on the Brian-y falsetto.>>

I would trust Alan and Mark's ears more than my own.  Thanks for the detail, c-man.  Solves a 34 year old mystery for me, albeit a tad bit OCD on my part.

[phirnis]

Carl and Dennis did some incredible work together at the time - Baby Blue, It's Not Too Late, Angel Come Home... all magnificent stuff!

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

[Jim V.]

To c-man, or anybody that could figure it out. I think this may have been answered before....but where exactly is Brian on L.A. (Light Album)? Here's what I have...

"Good Timin'": Piano? Harpsichord?
"Angel Come Home": Background vocals?
"Shortenin' Bread": Piano? Moog?

Is that correct?

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

Any anecdotes about Brian during this era? How involved do you feel he was with L.A.? I do remember him saying it some point, maybe the late '80s, saying that L.A. was a big album for them, I guess because it was their first for CBS or whatever. So even if he wasn't on it much, I'm sure he was still emotionally invested a bit.

[Micha]

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

"Not the whole time" - how much is that in percent?

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

"Not the whole time" - how much is that in percent?

Seriously? 48.7%  I calculated it to the minute.  Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  I'm really not one of the historians who is into the minutiae...I just remember there were sessions when he wasn't in the hospital.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

To c-man, or anybody that could figure it out. I think this may have been answered before....but where exactly is Brian on L.A. (Light Album)? Here's what I have...

"Good Timin'": Piano? Harpsichord?
"Angel Come Home": Background vocals?
"Shortenin' Bread": Piano? Moog?

Is that correct?

Wasn't Brian in the hospital during the making of basically all of LA?

Good Timing was tracked, at least basic tracks, earlier than the official album sessions, right?

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

Any anecdotes about Brian during this era? How involved do you feel he was with L.A.? I do remember him saying it some point, maybe the late '80s, saying that L.A. was a big album for them, I guess because it was their first for CBS or whatever. So even if he wasn't on it much, I'm sure he was still emotionally invested a bit.

I'd really have to leave it to Brian to say how invested he was emotionally in that album...so sorry.  I'm not trying to be snotty.  I just would be way out of line to speak for him about that.

[Micha]

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

"Not the whole time" - how much is that in percent?

Seriously? 48.7%  I calculated it to the minute. 

Half-seriously - like expecting a figure like "about one third" or "circa 80 percent of the time", but being aware of the wording of the question being a bit absurd.

[c-man]

To c-man, or anybody that could figure it out. I think this may have been answered before....but where exactly is Brian on L.A. (Light Album)? Here's what I have...

"Good Timin'": Piano? Harpsichord?
"Angel Come Home": Background vocals?
"Shortenin' Bread": Piano? Moog?

Is that correct?

I think that's pretty much it.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

No.  I was there.  He wasn't in the hospital the whole time.

"Not the whole time" - how much is that in percent?

Seriously? 48.7%  I calculated it to the minute. 

No problem Micha.  I just get like that sometimes...

Half-seriously - like expecting a figure like "about one third" or "circa 80 percent of the time", but being aware of the wording of the question being a bit absurd.