Favorite Mike lead vocals

[Ron]

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.

So wait, what's the deal with the first line of TWW? Something about the quality of the vocal in that first line always left me a little uncertain, but i just always assumed it was Carl. Then, a few months ago, i was taken aback when i noticed that the consensus here says it's Brian. With a new perspective, i listened to that opening over and over and slowly i started hearing it as Brian. But then i returned to it after some time only to revert to my initial stance that it's Carl. However, since then i've (mostly) come around to accepting that it's Brian. But you say it's Carl and Mike doubling each other?? Why you do this to me, Donny?  

I was positive it was Brian, also near the end one of them does it again in the background "I'm Thinkin' Bout this whole world!" just before the doo-doo-dee-doo part and the big acapella break.  I always thought it was Brian....

Listened to it again a few weeks ago, though, and was suddenly certain that it was Mike.  Not sure...

[Andrew G. Doe]

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

It's hard for me to tell, is Brian singing with Mike on the verses, or is it just Mike doubletracked?

D/T

[Ron]

"In an ocean...or in a glass...cool water, is SUCH a gas."

Simple.  Perfect. Humorous.  Timeless.   Refreshingly right.

 [Yet...not that many seconds later..."cool water is such a groove" which is dated and therefore not a good idea to have included it.]

Yeah... that's another great one.  It sounds so relaxing, like you just want to mellow out with Mike luv.  It's another FANTASTIC example of how when Brian and Mike traded leads/vocals on songs it was really magic.  You take Mike calmly doing those lines, and then have Brian doing his usual soaring "Keeps On Cool-in Coolin' Me!" in the background, just a magical sound.  

[filledeplage]

Hmmm, by cracky I can't think of a single one outta the bunch. Oh well...

Come on OSD - I bet if you had some truth serum, you'd come clean with all those Mike leads you love...

Your bark is worse than your bite I bet! 

Could be, but I've been so over the nasal, teenage dronings of the luHvster for decades now. It was fun for awhile in high scholl and a few years after that but quite honestly, while growing up, I grew out of most of the sand, surf, and beach thing. Every fan ages to their own beat.

How nice to wake up to you're liking the early Mike stuff! How about Mike's bass skills?  When I watch Isn't it Time, from C50, I'm amazed with the way he swings from a melody line to a background bass line...It's all about that bass! 

[elnombre]

Hmmm, by cracky I can't think of a single one outta the bunch. Oh well...

Come on OSD - I bet if you had some truth serum, you'd come clean with all those Mike leads you love...

Your bark is worse than your bite I bet!  

Could be, but I've been so over the nasal, teenage dronings of the luHvster for decades now. It was fun for awhile in high scholl and a few years after that but quite honestly, while growing up, I grew out of most of the sand, surf, and beach thing. Every fan ages to their own beat.

Not even Here Today or That's Not Me?

Pet Sounds is da bomb-my favorite however, all they way back to the initial listening, I always wondered why Brian didn't use Al  or Carl instead of the luhvster on those tunes.  

Probably because Brian thinks/thought Mike had some vocal talent suited to the song.

I suspect you wonder that a lot to be honest. We could probably trace it all the way back to wondering why a different sperm didn't make it to Mike's mom's egg. Hey, I'm coming to a conclusion here....and I don't want to put words in your mouth but......I'm starting to think you don't like Mike?

Ya think???  

I'm not sure. Post about it another 200 times or so just for clarifications sake on your position?

Tell ya what son, let's make it an even 400 - if that doesn't get it done, we'll go the full 12 rounds. 

I imagine by the time you hit 400 your bitterness will have eaten you alive. Or if by then Mike's no longer around you'll have finally got around to picketing his funeral Westboro style with 'God Hates Mike' signs and got it out of your system.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

"In an ocean...or in a glass...cool water, is SUCH a gas."

Simple.  Perfect. Humorous.  Timeless.   Refreshingly right.

 [Yet...not that many seconds later..."cool water is such a groove" which is dated and therefore not a good idea to have included it.]

Yeah... that's another great one.  It sounds so relaxing, like you just want to mellow out with Mike luv.  It's another FANTASTIC example of how when Brian and Mike traded leads/vocals on songs it was really magic.  You take Mike calmly doing those lines, and then have Brian doing his usual soaring "Keeps On Cool-in Coolin' Me!" in the background, just a magical sound.  

For my money: "Devoted To You" is pure Brian/Mike magic... Their voices are just made for each other.

[Ron]

Little Deuce Coupe is a great example of the Mike/Brian trick too.  If you think about it, he's actually singing the verses in a pretty high voice, almost a tenor as crazy as that is (it's just a car song, dont' get cray cray on me now) but then in the chorus, he goes down to bass and Brian comes in with his falsetto.  Back and forth, over and over.  Fantastic style, it takes brilliance (on Brian's part, no doubt) to write and structure songs in that kind of a way. 

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Little Deuce Coupe is a great example of the Mike/Brian trick too.  If you think about it, he's actually singing the verses in a pretty high voice, almost a tenor as crazy as that is (it's just a car song, dont' get cray cray on me now) but then in the chorus, he goes down to bass and Brian comes in with his falsetto.  Back and forth, over and over.  Fantastic style, it takes brilliance (on Brian's part, no doubt) to write and structure songs in that kind of a way. 

Brian was also very clever in how he brings Dennis in to cover the bass parts while Mike does his twists n turns

[Ron]

I'll bet if he had Carl, Al, Dennis, and Mike standing in front of him, he could work all that brilliant sh*t into a song in 20 minutes or so... i'll bet over and over again near the beginning there, it was like in the "And Your Dreams Come True" outtakes where he's humming to each of them exactly what to sing.  

They talk about how he could hear all that in his head, but I'm of the impression that not only could he hear all the harmony lines, he would make them up on the spot, I don't think he pre thought any of that stuff out until he got in the studio...

You can hear what's left of that style in "Shelter" on the last BB's album, if you check out the background vocals.  They're doing similar stuff and you can't even make out everything's that going on..

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Hmmm, by cracky I can't think of a single one outta the bunch. Oh well...

Come on OSD - I bet if you had some truth serum, you'd come clean with all those Mike leads you love...

Your bark is worse than your bite I bet!  

Could be, but I've been so over the nasal, teenage dronings of the luHvster for decades now. It was fun for awhile in high scholl and a few years after that but quite honestly, while growing up, I grew out of most of the sand, surf, and beach thing. Every fan ages to their own beat.

Not even Here Today or That's Not Me?

Pet Sounds is da bomb-my favorite however, all they way back to the initial listening, I always wondered why Brian didn't use Al  or Carl instead of the luhvster on those tunes.  

Probably because Brian thinks/thought Mike had some vocal talent suited to the song.

I suspect you wonder that a lot to be honest. We could probably trace it all the way back to wondering why a different sperm didn't make it to Mike's mom's egg. Hey, I'm coming to a conclusion here....and I don't want to put words in your mouth but......I'm starting to think you don't like Mike?

Ya think???  

I'm not sure. Post about it another 200 times or so just for clarifications sake on your position?

Tell ya what son, let's make it an even 400 - if that doesn't get it done, we'll go the full 12 rounds.  

I imagine by the time you hit 400 your bitterness will have eaten you alive. Or if by then Mike's no longer around you'll have finally got around to picketing his funeral Westboro style with 'God Hates Mike' signs and got it out of your system.
[/quote}

Hmmm...not a bad idea at that! Know a good sign shop??  (psst...between you, me and all the emoticons...you take...you take yourself...well, you just take yourself wayyyyyyy too seriously.)  

[Micha]

For my money: "Devoted To You" is pure Brian/Mike magic... Their voices are just made for each other.

Probably my favorite recorded duet ever. It IS magic.

[rocksong.flac]

"hey, little tomboy"

[Cam Mott]

"In an ocean...or in a glass...cool water, is SUCH a gas."

Simple.  Perfect. Humorous.  Timeless.   Refreshingly right.

 [Yet...not that many seconds later..."cool water is such a groove" which is dated and therefore not a good idea to have included it.]

Yeah... that's another great one.  It sounds so relaxing, like you just want to mellow out with Mike luv.  It's another FANTASTIC example of how when Brian and Mike traded leads/vocals on songs it was really magic.  You take Mike calmly doing those lines, and then have Brian doing his usual soaring "Keeps On Cool-in Coolin' Me!" in the background, just a magical sound.  

For my money: "Devoted To You" is pure Brian/Mike magic... Their voices are just made for each other.

Ditto.

[DonnyL]

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.

So wait, what's the deal with the first line of TWW? Something about the quality of the vocal in that first line always left me a little uncertain, but i just always assumed it was Carl. Then, a few months ago, i was taken aback when i noticed that the consensus here says it's Brian. With a new perspective, i listened to that opening over and over and slowly i started hearing it as Brian. But then i returned to it after some time only to revert to my initial stance that it's Carl. However, since then i've (mostly) come around to accepting that it's Brian. But you say it's Carl and Mike doubling each other?? Why you do this to me, Donny?  

I was positive it was Brian, also near the end one of them does it again in the background "I'm Thinkin' Bout this whole world!" just before the doo-doo-dee-doo part and the big acapella break.  I always thought it was Brian....

Listened to it again a few weeks ago, though, and was suddenly certain that it was Mike.  Not sure...

The second one in the middle is surely Brian ... the opening is Mike & Carl though, in my opinion.

[DonnyL]

"In an ocean...or in a glass...cool water, is SUCH a gas."

Simple.  Perfect. Humorous.  Timeless.   Refreshingly right.

 [Yet...not that many seconds later..."cool water is such a groove" which is dated and therefore not a good idea to have included it.]

Yeah... that's another great one.  It sounds so relaxing, like you just want to mellow out with Mike luv.  It's another FANTASTIC example of how when Brian and Mike traded leads/vocals on songs it was really magic.  You take Mike calmly doing those lines, and then have Brian doing his usual soaring "Keeps On Cool-in Coolin' Me!" in the background, just a magical sound.  

For my money: "Devoted To You" is pure Brian/Mike magic... Their voices are just made for each other.

Ditto.

"When Girls Get Together" is another one !

[Smile4ever]

Of course his voice is iconic on all of the early hits. Those are among my favorites. But I'll go with "Meant for You" and his part on "Sloop John B."

It's funny, because I never thought his voice fit well at all "That's Not Me." A lot of people consider it among his best, but I think it's among his worst vocals.

[Custom Machine]

For my money: "Devoted To You" is pure Brian/Mike magic... Their voices are just made for each other.

Probably my favorite recorded duet ever. It IS magic.

Gotta agree that Brian and Mike's duet on "Devoted to You" is pure magic.  An absolutely sublime melding of voices.

[Custom Machine]

As far as my favorite lead vocal by Mike, there are a whole bunch of songs that come to mind, but number 1 would be "Meant for You".