Roller Skating Child vocals

[CenturyDeprived]

For years I thought Mike was singing the lead vocals on the verses... then group vocals on the choruses, and Al on the bridge.

Then I heard the alternate early version of the song which I believe has Al singing lead on the verses in a somewhat more identifiable-as-being-Al type of way.

But this also made me wonder if perhaps some of the verse lead vocals are potentially Al on the final released version?

Al had the uncanny ability to sound like other band members' voices at times, and it wouldn't be the first time that I mistook who sung what. The final version - to my ears - sounds like a very good Mike vocal on the verses, but some words are just annunciatied with a hint of it sounding not like Mike. And maybe sounding like a touch of Al. It's been driving me crazy trying to figure it out...

For example on the final released version,"She gets my heart to beating When I see her there" sounds very much like Mike to me, while "She's such an angel I bet she's got wings" seems like it could maybe be Al. But maybe just my mind playing tricks on me after hearing the alternate early version.

Does anyone have any clarity on this?

[HeyJude]

I don't recall any alternate versions with Al singing the lead. There is an alternate mix or two, which are essentially "underdub" mixes with some stuff missing. But I think it's Mike singing those verse leads on all the versions; sounds like the same vocal take if I'm recalling correctly. But it has been awhile since I listened.

There's other stuff from that era with alternate Al leads, like "Love is a Woman"

[CenturyDeprived]

I don't recall any alternate versions with Al singing the lead. There is an alternate mix or two, which are essentially "underdub" mixes with some stuff missing. But I think it's Mike singing those verse leads on all the versions; sounds like the same vocal take if I'm recalling correctly. But it has been awhile since I listened.

There's other stuff from that era with alternate Al leads, like "Love is a Woman"

Hi HJ! Jump to 7:11 for the alternate version of Roller Skating Child:

https://youtu.be/5E7y_TRkX1M?si=vzNf29P2bSe7NkJ6

There are bits of phrasing at the end of the vocal lines on verse 1 that are clearly Al Jardine to my ears.

Yet much of the rest of the Mike-esque verse vocal phrasings on this alternate version sound almost exactly like they do on the released version - which is what is tripping me out.

I don't think any of the vocal takes are the same between versions, but much of the early version vocals sound very very similarly sung between both versions, where it makes me think it's the same person singing both versions of the song.

The final version cut out some undeniably Al-esque verse vocalizings that were on the earlier version. Listen to both versions back to back and see what you think?

I'm having a similar whoah type of reaction that I did when I found out that Brian sang those high falsetto lead parts in Good Vibrations where Brian's vocals were spliced into the middle of Carl's lead. I'm pretty sure it was many decades before people really realized that. Or the few lead vocal parts in I Just Wasn't Made For These Times that are believed to be remnants of Dennis' voice.

I'm wondering if we might have a similar situation here with Mike/Al or if it's just my imagination.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

It's just your imagination.

Also, to be clear, no Dennis on IJWMFTT.  He did try it but was taped over.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

https://youtu.be/5E7y_TRkX1M?si=vzNf29P2bSe7NkJ6

OT, but this whole compilation at the link is great. We need a Love You box set yesterday!

[HeyJude]

I don't recall any alternate versions with Al singing the lead. There is an alternate mix or two, which are essentially "underdub" mixes with some stuff missing. But I think it's Mike singing those verse leads on all the versions; sounds like the same vocal take if I'm recalling correctly. But it has been awhile since I listened.

There's other stuff from that era with alternate Al leads, like "Love is a Woman"

Hi HJ! Jump to 7:11 for the alternate version of Roller Skating Child:

https://youtu.be/5E7y_TRkX1M?si=vzNf29P2bSe7NkJ6

There are bits of phrasing at the end of the vocal lines on verse 1 that are clearly Al Jardine to my ears.

Yet much of the rest of the Mike-esque verse vocal phrasings on this alternate version sound almost exactly like they do on the released version - which is what is tripping me out.

I don't think any of the vocal takes are the same between versions, but much of the early version vocals sound very very similarly sung between both versions, where it makes me think it's the same person singing both versions of the song.

The final version cut out some undeniably Al-esque verse vocalizings that were on the earlier version. Listen to both versions back to back and see what you think?

I'm having a similar whoah type of reaction that I did when I found out that Brian sang those high falsetto lead parts in Good Vibrations where Brian's vocals were spliced into the middle of Carl's lead. I'm pretty sure it was many decades before people really realized that. Or the few lead vocal parts in I Just Wasn't Made For These Times that are believed to be remnants of Dennis' voice.

I'm wondering if we might have a similar situation here with Mike/Al or if it's just my imagination.

Yeah, that compilation is made up from that "Brother Proposed Bonus Tracks" comp that leaked however many years ago. "Roller Skating Child" does indeed have a different vocal take (I had remembered it just being a sort of "underdub" mix, which it also is, but it is a different vocal take on that lead), but that's all definitely Mike as far as I can tell just as it is on the finished mix.

Cool stuff, although that's a very weird mix of "Roller Skating Child", it's like they couldn't decide whether to do a stripped-down mix or a mix with just a few things isolated, so it's a weird half-measure between the two.

I've experienced moments where just about every BB has sounded like another BB at one point or another, including Mike and Al. But I don't really hear anything on that particular "Roller Skating Child" alternate that isn't Mike in the same spots as he always has been.

In way later years when they started kind of over-compressing and processing their vocals, it would occasionally be a bit difficult to pick apart who is singing what. Like, try to listen to that "East Meets West" and pinpoint every vocal switch-off and who it is. It takes a bit of work. Frankie Valli, Mike, and Al cut through with such a similar tone that it kind of seems to negate the purpose of doing a big vocal hand-off type track like that. Carl and Brian stand out more. But there are other examples like that.

[CenturyDeprived]

It's just your imagination.

Also, to be clear, no Dennis on IJWMFTT.  He did try it but was taped over.

Hi Joshilyn, I've been thinking all along that it might be my imagination, but the one nagging thing in particular is that "ribbon in her hair" vocal on the alternate version at 7:16 - The way the word "hair" is sung on the early version, I've never heard Mike sing like that ever, yet it's very much an Al type of phrasing. Don't you think?

Then again, Mike also surprised me with his Meant for You and Aren't You Glad lead vocals, where he showed other sides to his vocals that were otherwise rarely if ever shown on a lead.

RE: IJWMFTT, right on - I wasn't sure that experts analyzing it ever came to a consensus one way or another that it was in fact not Dennis singing in those bits. What a shame Denny's version was fully taped over.

[CenturyDeprived]

I don't recall any alternate versions with Al singing the lead. There is an alternate mix or two, which are essentially "underdub" mixes with some stuff missing. But I think it's Mike singing those verse leads on all the versions; sounds like the same vocal take if I'm recalling correctly. But it has been awhile since I listened.

There's other stuff from that era with alternate Al leads, like "Love is a Woman"

Hi HJ! Jump to 7:11 for the alternate version of Roller Skating Child:

https://youtu.be/5E7y_TRkX1M?si=vzNf29P2bSe7NkJ6

There are bits of phrasing at the end of the vocal lines on verse 1 that are clearly Al Jardine to my ears.

Yet much of the rest of the Mike-esque verse vocal phrasings on this alternate version sound almost exactly like they do on the released version - which is what is tripping me out.

I don't think any of the vocal takes are the same between versions, but much of the early version vocals sound very very similarly sung between both versions, where it makes me think it's the same person singing both versions of the song.

The final version cut out some undeniably Al-esque verse vocalizings that were on the earlier version. Listen to both versions back to back and see what you think?

I'm having a similar whoah type of reaction that I did when I found out that Brian sang those high falsetto lead parts in Good Vibrations where Brian's vocals were spliced into the middle of Carl's lead. I'm pretty sure it was many decades before people really realized that. Or the few lead vocal parts in I Just Wasn't Made For These Times that are believed to be remnants of Dennis' voice.

I'm wondering if we might have a similar situation here with Mike/Al or if it's just my imagination.

Yeah, that compilation is made up from that "Brother Proposed Bonus Tracks" comp that leaked however many years ago. "Roller Skating Child" does indeed have a different vocal take (I had remembered it just being a sort of "underdub" mix, which it also is, but it is a different vocal take on that lead), but that's all definitely Mike as far as I can tell just as it is on the finished mix.

Cool stuff, although that's a very weird mix of "Roller Skating Child", it's like they couldn't decide whether to do a stripped-down mix or a mix with just a few things isolated, so it's a weird half-measure between the two.

I've experienced moments where just about every BB has sounded like another BB at one point or another, including Mike and Al. But I don't really hear anything on that particular "Roller Skating Child" alternate that isn't Mike in the same spots as he always has been.

In way later years when they started kind of over-compressing and processing their vocals, it would occasionally be a bit difficult to pick apart who is singing what. Like, try to listen to that "East Meets West" and pinpoint every vocal switch-off and who it is. It takes a bit of work. Frankie Valli, Mike, and Al cut through with such a similar tone that it kind of seems to negate the purpose of doing a big vocal hand-off type track like that. Carl and Brian stand out more. But there are other examples like that.

The band's vocals truly are chameleon-like at times.  I could come up with quite a list of vocals where for years I used to mistake one member's vocals for another's.

[18thofMay]

It's Mike