What if the Beach Boys had fired Mike Love?

[GhostyTMRS]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

[CenturyDeprived]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

Brian is very kind, and he also misses the days when he didn't have to deal with being the MC, or even hardly had to say a word to the audience. In that respect, I'm sure he enjoys Mike being there to do that. Mike picks up the slack there, and unlike Brian, Mike seems to actively enjoy being the MC. Brian also enjoys and misses being in a band called The Beach Boys.

[bossaroo]

Brian really has nothing unkind to say about anyone these days... Mr. Positivity could take a pointer there.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Mike Love's role as a "front man" is an important one, but it is a distant second to Mike's most valuable role in the group - that of the lead singer of most of The Beach Boys' early recordings, and the recordings for which the group is mostly known for (i.e. the hit records). Not only was Mike the best singer in the group for Brian's rock and roll songs, he was one of the best singers in rock and roll at that time. His distinctive voice was a key ingredient in the records' success(es).

Earlier in this thread or another thread, somebody noted that other bands' versions of Beach Boys' songs don't match the sound or the greatness of the originals. I agree, and I believe that's because of the superior vocals of The Beach Boys. You could take almost the identical backing tracks of Beach Boys' songs and substitute other bands' vocals and they would be inferior. And, I believe that Mike Love's distinctive voice is a perfect example of this. I think Brian knew - and knows - that, too.

[SenorPotatoHead]

The emcee thing though, really?  Was/Is it really that important?  I mean, you're a musical group - shut up and play yer songs already!  Yeah yeah, someone breaks a string and somebody has to babble through that, I guess, or maybe they just switch to a fresh guitar and keep going, or damn the torpedoes and just play with the same broken string guitar.  Personally, I don't need an emcee when I hear live music - what I want is the band/performer to play their songs.  Sure, it's nice when a performer has something interesting/clever/witty to say between some songs, but overall it isn't important.  However, if Mike really is/was such a bright light of emceeing, than perhaps instead of firing him, they could have just made him the emcee - the guy who comes on and does 10 minutes of patter before saying, "And now, my cousins and their friend, The Beach Boys!"  And then he hustles off the stage until such time as there is an intermission or a broken string (or some other such technical snafu), which requires him to come back on to patter some more.    

[ontor pertawst]

You never really get many people calling Mike Love "one of the best singers in rock and roll." No journalists or magazines stick him on a list of great singers or great lyricists for some reason, why is that? It can't be the irrational hatred of baseball caps that plagues the music press.

[Emily]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

I gotta say, to me, Brian Wilson is the best songwriter of the last century, but he's never had any taste that I've seen outside of that and clothes, and he has no idea whatsoever how to entertain a crowd outside of playing his brilliant music. So I wouldn't go to him when needing recommendations for emcees.

[Cyncie]

Mike Love's role as a "front man" is an important one, but it is a distant second to Mike's most valuable role in the group - that of the lead singer of most of The Beach Boys' early recordings, and the recordings for which the group is mostly known for (i.e. the hit records). Not only was Mike the best singer in the group for Brian's rock and roll songs, he was one of the best singers in rock and roll at that time. His distinctive voice was a key ingredient in the records' success(es).

Earlier in this thread or another thread, somebody noted that other bands' versions of Beach Boys' songs don't match the sound or the greatness of the originals. I agree, and I believe that's because of the superior vocals of The Beach Boys. You could take almost the identical backing tracks of Beach Boys' songs and substitute other bands' vocals and they would be inferior. And, I believe that Mike Love's distinctive voice is a perfect example of this. I think Brian knew - and knows - that, too.

The uniqueness of The Beach Boys sound is definitely where Mike's talents are indispensable. In the early days, his more earthy lead contrasted with Brian's soaring falsetto in a way that was hard to duplicate. You can listen to any of the imitators from that time and know immediately that they are definitely not The Beach Boys. Even on a Beach Boys song, like Little Honda, or a Brian collaboration like Surf City, you know that the guys singing are not of the same calibre. Taken separately, the Boys may not have had the best solo voices. But blended, no one else sounded like them.  Mike's voice was unique and most of the Brian falsetto imitators are screechy and shrill. Lose any of those voices, including Mike's, and you lose what made The Beach Boys sound.

[GhostyTMRS]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

I gotta say, to me, Brian Wilson is the best songwriter of the last century, but he's never had any taste that I've seen outside of that and clothes, and he has no idea whatsoever how to entertain a crowd outside of playing his brilliant music. So I wouldn't go to him when needing recommendations for emcees.

I have to diasgree. I identify a lot with Brian's tastes. He's a guy who's hip enough to dig the Del Close and John Brent record "How To Speak Hip" from 1959 but he also really enjoyed watching a TV show as saccharine as "Fipper"....and he's unapologetic about it! (which makes him the coolest guy on the planet in my book). I'm always reminded of (I think?) Paul William's claim that Brian was 'counter-hip', meaning he'd be more into a Four Preps record than the latest Jimi Hendrix album. I totally get that.  

As for Mike's MC skills, I can't speak for how Mike is on stage today but his early stage patter was modeled on what Dave Guard used to do with The Kingston Trio. Same tone and delivery. All the guys were into the Trio (as was most of America for a time). It would makes sense that Brian would enjoy that. That sort of thing is right in his wheelhouse.

[Cyncie]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

I gotta say, to me, Brian Wilson is the best songwriter of the last century, but he's never had any taste that I've seen outside of that and clothes, and he has no idea whatsoever how to entertain a crowd outside of playing his brilliant music. So I wouldn't go to him when needing recommendations for emcees.

Pet Sounds era Brian was a snappy looking, trendy kind of guy. I love his tastes in clothes from that period. I think, being the introvert that he is, Brian admires Mike's lack on inhibition on stage. But, yeah. He's probably not that good at gauging the quality of the chatter.

[Cyncie]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

Brian is very kind… snip... Brian also enjoys and misses being in a band called The Beach Boys.

And that's a damn shame.

[Emily]

In a freaky bit of synergy, Brian just talked about enjoying Mike as an emcee on stage in this interview..

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/brian-wilson-talks-50-years-beach-boys/75058352/

Sounds like he's leaving the door open for another record too.

I gotta say, to me, Brian Wilson is the best songwriter of the last century, but he's never had any taste that I've seen outside of that and clothes, and he has no idea whatsoever how to entertain a crowd outside of playing his brilliant music. So I wouldn't go to him when needing recommendations for emcees.

Pet Sounds era Brian was a snappy looking, trendy kind of guy. I love his tastes in clothes from that period. I think, being the introvert that he is, Brian admires Mike's lack on inhibition on stage. But, yeah. He's probably not that good at gauging the quality of the chatter.

His clothes were perfect from the earliest post-high school photos up until about 1980. He had some good things going in the 90's too. So, I agree that he dressed very well. His taste in home-furnishings, literature and philosophy, food and friends seems to be somewhat lacking, though.

[Micha]

Brian really has nothing unkind to say about anyone these days... Mr. Positivity could take a pointer there.

To say it with Mike's words, Brian doesn't have an evil bone in his body.