Favorite Mike lead vocals

[elnombre]

Thoughts anyone?

Meant For You immediately springs to mind. Proof that Mike can be a genuinely soulful singer. He really carries this one off and it's quite affecting. That said I for some reason do prefer the abridged Friends version over the MIC version. I'm not sure why. It just works better as a prelude I guess. Maybe the lyrics in the second half let it down a tad. It's certainly one of my favorite album opening tracks though.

It's OK only just occurred to me as one of my favorite Mike leads. Of course it is a self-conscious throwback to the early hits, but it succeeds in being just that so very well. A reminder of how much that nasally jagged tone is actually a key part of the band and hugely characteristic of its formulative sound. Setting aside familiarity with the hits and so on, I think you could play this for anyone and it would be one of the songs they found most instantly recognizable as The Beach Boys. This deserves a permanent place in the M&B setlist. Would make a great opener.

Everyone's In Love With You. I really do think this is a sweet song and a great vocal. Despite meditating myself I did kind of prefer thinking of it as a straight-ahead love song before I knew of the Maharishi connection, but then again I think the lyric deliberately treads that line for accessibility. And we've all known a girl like that.

Student Demonstration Time. Not a well loved cut around here but I really enjoy it. And who knew Mike could do bluesy rabble-rousing grit?

I'll add more as I think of 'em. Hope some others will chime in.

[ForHerCryingSoul]

How about Mike's vocals in The Man With All the Toys?  I think they fit the production perfectly, better than Brian's does.

 

[elnombre]

How about Mike's vocals in The Man With All the Toys?  I think they fit the production perfectly, better than Brian's does.

 
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Ideally I'd take Brian's punchier recent arrangement with Mike's vocal.

[ForHerCryingSoul]

I also like Mike's vocals in All I Wanna Do.  They fit right in with Brian's refrain.

[elnombre]

Definitely a great one. The effect on Mike's voice there takes the harder edges off and gives it a great dreamy, ethereal quality that works brilliantly.

[halblaineisgood]

I get around. Surfin this and that etc ..
listing anything but the basics in a "whats your favorite mike love" thread just indicates icky reparations. Like, I'm not even sure we take the basics for granted anymore, so it's especially egregious ...  no need to go off and claim Everyone's and love with you is a great thing, when there's perfectly good hit material that Mike Love sings lead on . But then again you didn't say that it was great, you just said it was a "favorite"

[elnombre]

I get around. Surfin this and that etc ..
listing anything but the basics in a "whats your favorite mike love" thread just indicates icky reparations. Like, I'm not even sure we take the basics for granted anymore, so it's especially egregious ...  no need to go off and claim Everyone's and love with you is a great thing, when there's perfectly good hit material that Mike Love has sang lead on . But then again you didn't say that it was great, you just said it was a "favorite"

Like you say, the hits are ubiquitous and easy to take for granted - that said the touring Beach Boys show is mostly about addressing that to some degree: "Here's the lead singer with all the old hits" so it's all gravy.

And yeah, I'm talking favorites and not even necessarily favorite songs - just specifically favorite Mike lead vocals. I love the way he sings Everyones In Love With You. There's a clear affection and authenticity there.

Not a lead per se, but the bridge of It's About Time is another one that just sprang to mind.

[DonnyL]

"That's Not Me" ...

One of Mike's best moments, that I think exemplifies a lot of what makes him important to the group's sound is his doubling of Carl's voice on the first line in 'This Whole World' (listen closely ... in the left channel). If you 'OOPS' the track, you can hear just Mike.

[Mikie]

"Everyone's In Love With You". I bought 15 Big Ones the day it came out. I think I've played the whole song about 4 or 5 times all the way through since then. And that was by accident - when I couldn't make it back to the turntable fast enough to lift the needle off the record or couldn't reach the "skip" button on the CD player. The instrumental track and backing vocals sounded fine, but the song itself shouldn't have even been a B side on a single. Wimpy and as embarrassing as hell cut for a major Rock & Roll group. The Maharishi had run his course long before 1976, but evidently not for Mike to pay tribute to him with this thing. He even trotted it out during a few live shows in 1978, forcing the audience into submission. Can't believe he polished this turd with a re-make of it in 2004.

[elnombre]

"Everyone's In Love With You". I bought 15 Big Ones the day it came out. I think I've played the whole song about 4 or 5 times all the way through since then. And that was by accident - when I couldn't make back to the turntable fast enough to lift the needle off the record or couldn't reach the "skip" button on the CD player. The instrumental track and backing vocals sounded fine, but the song itself shouldn't have even been a B side on a single. Wimpy and as embarrassing as hell cut for a major Rock & Roll group. The Maharishi had run his course long before 1976, but evidently not for Mike to pay tribute to him with this thing. He even trotted it out during a few live shows in 1978, forcing the audience into submission. Can't believe he polished this turd with a re-make of it in 2004.

Fair f**ks as we say here up North, I can imagine plenty feel that way about the song. Just hoping for one thread that doesn't dissolve into the usual negativity. So on the flipside what's your favorite Mike lead?

[Mikie]

"Fair F**ks"? What's that? Fair Fucks? Fair Folks? Why the asterisks?

But I'll play. There are quite a few very good leads by Mike Love. But let me pull just one of them out of my hat that isn't so obvious to many. A travesty that it wasn't released on "Made In California":

Big Sur (4/4).

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Kiss Me, Baby". One of Brian's more stellar efforts too.

[Micha]

He's great on many a song, many of them the obvious: Surfin' USA, I Get Around... hilarious on Monster Mash, astounding on All I Want To Do (It took me more than one listen to notice that's Mike), masterful on Here Today. I love his voice on both versions of Big Sur, and I wish it was Mike with his Big Sur voice who had sung the lines "Surf's Up...aboard a tidal wave, come about hard and join the young and often spring you gave".

Unfortunately, at the same time the Wilsons' voices became dark and gruff, Mike's became even more nasal, on the higher notes at least.

OK, count the 4/4 Big Sur as my favorite Mike lead vocal.

EDIT: While I was typing this, Mikie posted that one too. Synchronicity.

[elnombre]

"Fair F**ks"? What's that? Fair Fucks? Fair Folks? Why the asterisks?

But I'll play. There are quite a few very good leads by Mike Love. But let me pull just one of them out of my hat that isn't so obvious to many. A travesty that it wasn't released on "Made In California":

Big Sur (4/4).

Fair fucks indeed, hey, I don't know the boards sensitivities in such matters

Big Sur I have to take another listen to.

"Kiss Me, Baby". One of Brian's more stellar efforts too.

Absolutely. Kind of pissed at myself that that one slipped my mind. Mike can be very good at selling earnest romance. It's a shame he's known as the 'bravado' side of the group in some ways.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Not the greatest song ever written, but Mike sounds great on Pitter Patter..... He and Al sound fab or the verse they do together as well.

[Micha]

Not the greatest song ever written, but Mike sounds great on Pitter Patter..... He and Al sound fab or the verse they do together as well.

It's one of Mike's better post-1973 vocals, and if they had come up with a more imaginative chord structure in the refrain, it would have been a great song. The verses and the arrangement are pretty good.

[Lee Marshall]

Ya...I like Pitter Patter too.  Here Today is a Fav...and wait... ... ...let me find my full - metal, industrial-strength umbrella...I have always really enjoyed He Come Down.  THAT's spirituality.  It moves me.  YES I believe it.  Great job.  2nd last great album of new material until Smile finally got released and until year 50 gave us TWGMTR.

But anything after Pitter Patter?  That's a great big enn ohh --- NO.

[Please delete my account]

I like the husky sound of "Hawaii"and "Catch a Wave", and the dorkiness of "County Fair" is pretty charming.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Ya...I like Pitter Patter too.  Here Today is a Fav...and wait... ... ...let me find my full - metal, industrial-strength umbrella...I have always really enjoyed He Come Down.  THAT's spirituality.  It moves me.  YES I believe it.  Great job.  2nd last great album of new material until Smile finally got released and until year 50 gave us TWGMTR.

But anything after Pitter Patter?  That's a great big enn ohh --- NO.

I'd say Mike sounds great on Sumahama, Goin On, Getcha Back (OK, he doesn't sound that good on that track, but I sooo love the song), Somewhere Near Japan, Still Cruising, and like Kokomo or hate it, Mike sounds pretty smooth. I love him on Isn't It Time.

[Pet Sounder]

"All I Wanna Do" all the way.

[filledeplage]

"All I Wanna Do" all the way.

Pet Sounder - that is on my list, too!

And

Little St. Nick - when that pours out of some store speakers near Christmas, it is just the best!

Do It Again

Be True to your School

Brian's Back

Getcha Back

Summer in Paradise (MIC version, live)

Don't Go Near the Water

Salt Lake City

Mike has a ton of great leads!

[phirnis]

Catch a Wave
Big Sur (either version)
California Saga
California Girls
Aren't You Glad
All This Is That
Meant for You
Hawaii
Fun Fun Fun
All I Wanna Do
Airplane
Be True to Your School
Do It Again

...and of course, Can't Stop Talkin' About American Girls.

[Capitol Punishment]

All I Wanna Do
Had to Phone Ya
Big Sur 4/4
Add Some Music
Aren't You Glad

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

My favorite Mike Love leads:
All I Wanna Do
Meant For You
Big Sur (both versions)
California Girls
The Girl From New York City

[JK]

Another "All I Wanna Do" fan here. That was the one that "did it for me" in 2003...