BB members singing live leads on songs originally sung by other members

[CenturyDeprived]

Have all of the BBs, at some point over the years, sung lead vocals on a song that was originally sang by another member of the band on the final, released studio recording of the same song?

I can think of examples for everyone except Mike, but correct me if I'm wrong, and feel free to add more additions, as I'm sure there are tons more.

Bruce : Wendy, You're So Good to Me, Please Let Me Wonder

Carl: Sail on Sailor, Caroline No, Don't Talk

Brian: This Whole World, Sail on Sailor, GOK, Help Me Rhonda

Denny: Help Me Rhonda

Al: California Girls (during Mike's 1985 absence), Wouldn't it be Nice

Blondie: Wild Honey

[Mayoman]

Not a live version, but Mike does lead on "Ballad Of Ole Betsy" on the Nascar compilation. There's also a terrible studio version of "Do You Wanna Dance" with Mike on lead.

[stack-o-tracks]

The answer is yes, a lot of people sang lead on Beach Boys songs who originally didn't sing lead on Beach Boys songs.


It's what they get for trying to continue to be a real, relevant, touring entity after the screaming audiences got to be too loud to hear themselves over screaming teenage girls.


The Beatles may have "cemented their legacy" with their studio crap after giving up in a live setting after a certain point, but our Beach Boys never bitched out like those British four did once their music became "bigger than Jesus" and the teenage girls overcame them.

Imagine Alan Jardine
getting shot near apartments


And then some other words with equal/similar number of syllables/rhyme schemes about how if the Beach Boys lost a member in as  dramatic of a fashion as

[Mendota Heights]

Bruce has artistically interpreted Please Let Me Wonder.

Woops. Already mentioned.

Dennis sang Good Timin' live.

Scott Totten sings Ballad of Ol' Betsy. John Cowsill sings Darlin'.

[stack-o-tracks]

So in conclusion, the Beatless are George, John, Ringo & Paul...





































































...but the Beach Boys, with their wacky internal conflicts, and mental illness-having members, go on forever.

[Eric Aniversario]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has. I have at least one example for Mike: he sang lead on Good Timin on a tv special once. So that's a song that's been sung by Carl/Brian, Dennis/Carl, Mike/Carl, Brian/Al live. Oh yeah and John Stamos.

[Mendota Heights]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has.

You've been missing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3-QFEUMCc

[Eric Aniversario]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has.

You've been missing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3-QFEUMCc

Wow, that beginning was rough, as were the verses as sung by Bruce. Timing and diction were extremely off. The last half was good though. This sounds like it wasn't quite ready to go live yet (to my ears), but with some more practice it should be good.

[stack-o-tracks]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has.

You've been missing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3-QFEUMCc

HAH. It's like finding out/hearing a loved one suffer a terrible stroke.

And by "HAH", I mean, wow, I'm questioning everything good in my life that I have ever experienced.

[SinisterSmile]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has.

You've been missing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3-QFEUMCc

I have huge respect for Bruce, but his singing here sounds like someone offstage has a gun pointed at him.

[Sjöman]

David: Getcha Back – was that his only lead vocal on the C50 tour?

[filledeplage]

I don't recall Bruce singing You're So Good To Me live, but Al has.

You've been missing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3-QFEUMCc

I have huge respect for Bruce, but his singing here sounds like someone offstage has a gun pointed at him.

Sounds more like a sore throat.

Teachers and moms know that rasp...kids are germ bombs.

Then we try not to get sneezed on or coughed on...usually in vain. 

[filledeplage]

Have all of the BBs, at some point over the years, sung lead vocals on a song that was originally sang by another member of the band on the final, released studio recording of the same song?
I can think of examples for everyone except Mike, but correct me if I'm wrong, and feel free to add more additions, as I'm sure there are tons more.

Bruce : Wendy, You're So Good to Me, Please Let Me Wonder

Carl: Sail on Sailor, Caroline No, Don't Talk

Brian: This Whole World, Sail on Sailor, GOK, Help Me Rhonda

Denny: Help Me Rhonda

Al: California Girls (during Mike's 1985 absence), Wouldn't it be Nice

Blondie: Wild Honey

They've always switched off with a lot of leads. I've seen clips of Carl doing Rhonda.  Dennis' version is great on MIC.  I think Carl could sing almost anything. 

Al has a great voice as well.  Do you have his Postcard from California?  It is a great and well thought out album.  Carl does a section on "Don't Fight the Sea" which nearly stopped my heart.  Just magnificent.

[gfac22]

David: Getcha Back – was that his only lead vocal on the C50 tour?

He also sang Hawaii at some shows.

You can add Carl doing Wouldn't It Be Nice to the list as well.

[Gerry]

Al  You Still Believe in Me

[Gerry]

Once again Al- Don't Worry Baby

[Mike's Beard]

It's a large list when you consider Al and Carl took all Brian's leads from 1965 onwards.
One that just popped into my head was Carl singing full lead on Let The Wind Blow.

[filledeplage]

It's a large list when you consider Al and Carl took all Brian's leads from 1965 onwards.
One that just popped into my head was Carl singing full lead on Let The Wind Blow.

Exactly.  Once Brian was off the road, they needed to substitute vocalists from the studio versions, at least with
Brian on lead, to perform live.  And beyond that, they did a lot of switching.  But "live" was about a dozen songs, in the 60's, not the forty plus song setlist we have now. 

So the sheer volume of songs is a bigger voice stressor, coupled with the human voice wear and tear over time.  This is a double factored issue.  First, the studio versions in the early days, performed life, and second, the increase in setlist numbers, usually (Thank God) without some "warm up" act. 

[J.G. Dev]

David has done Forever and Little Bird

[Autotune]

Question: of all the BB songs Brian sings live these days... on how many does he sing his original lead/part?

[Nicko1234]

Question: of all the BB songs Brian sings live these days... on how many does he sing his original lead/part?

At the greatest hits shows last year Heroes and Villains and Sloop John B I guess.

Plus Surfer Girl (partly).

[Emdeeh]

Bruce: "Do You Wanna Dance"

[CenturyDeprived]

So it seems that Denny and Mike are the members with the least amount of vocals of this type.

Denny: Good Timin', Help Me Rhonda
Mike: Good Timin'

any others for them?

[Mayoman]

Carl on Don't Worry Baby as well.

[TommyPlural]

By the way, when did Carl take over "Wouldn't It Be Nice" from Al in the 80s?