The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread...

[tpesky]

One more thing and its not a correction, but I personally hated Mike singing the first verse of Rhonda with Al. He pulled that in the late 70's and early 80's, and I never liked the sound of it. I just needed to vent about that!

[adamghost]

One more thing and its not a correction, but I personally hated Mike singing the first verse of Rhonda with Al. He pulled that in the late 70's and early 80's, and I never liked the sound of it. I just needed to vent about that!

This has nothing to do with anything, but what was with Carl and then Dennis taking over the lead on this from Al in the early '70s?  I would think politically this was kind of messed up, as it was Al's one big hit as a lead vocalist.  Granted, he was singing most of Brian's leads at the time, but it seems not very nice to take away Al's star turn when Carl was essentially fronting the band at that point and was singing the lion's share of the leads.  Or was Al sick of the vocal or didn't like the updated "hip" version of the song and asked Carl to sing it?

[c-man]

One more thing and its not a correction, but I personally hated Mike singing the first verse of Rhonda with Al. He pulled that in the late 70's and early 80's, and I never liked the sound of it. I just needed to vent about that!

This has nothing to do with anything, but what was with Carl and then Dennis taking over the lead on this from Al in the early '70s?  I would think politically this was kind of messed up, as it was Al's one big hit as a lead vocalist.  Granted, he was singing most of Brian's leads at the time, but it seems not very nice to take away Al's star turn when Carl was essentially fronting the band at that point and was singing the lion's share of the leads.  Or was Al sick of the vocal or didn't like the updated "hip" version of the song and asked Carl to sing it?

My guess is Carl had the idea to do it as a slow boogie-blues and demonstrated it to the rest of the band, and Al just said go ahead & do it.  Then later Carl decided Dennis needed to be more a part of the show, so it got handed to him.  But that's just guessing...

[Aegir]

Carl's voice fits the 70s arrangement better.

[John]

No "group" credits unless Brian and Dennis are singing...

As for the rest, I'll take another look. Mike's credited with Surfer Girl because he sounded really prominent on the DVS mix on my TV.

[Beach Boy]

And what about Mike on Cottonfields? And Al sings throughout GV Mike's part sometimes, you can hear him hardly but you can hear him!

[donutbandit]

I know I'm coming very late into this thread, and maybe someone has since pointed this out, but:

4.   Chapel Of Love                    - Brian

Sorry, guys, but that's Al.

[donutbandit]

"I am even starting to wonder if Brian couldn't and didn't sing any falsetto on "15 Big Ones", except that "In The Still Of The Night" sounds like Brian's falsetto. Perhaps it suggests that if he really tried he could omit the roughness in his voice?"

Al again. Brian never had such a thin, silly sounding falsetto. Listen to the first 2 lines of "Loop de Loop" and you'll hear exactly the same squeaky, thin voice.

[donutbandit]

"Girl From NYC is definitely Bruce."

I have never heard Bruce come anywhere near that range on any recording he has ever done. However, if you listen to the "Rhonda" session tapes, you can hear Brian at one point just playing around in that range, and then going up to mezzo-soprano range just to fool around.

That is Brian. Bruce couldn't have sung that high if he inhaled a feather duster. The only time he even came close was at the end of "Endless Harmony" and that was with a lot of of aural enhancement.

If you listen to him sing falsetto live, he can't even get as high as Al can.

[Ebb and Flow]

The problem there is that you can clearly hear Brian singing with the group while the Falsetto wail is in the BG.  Who's to say he couldn't hit that range in 1965?  He was hired as Brian's replacement for a reason.

[c-man]

Al's and Brian's voices sometimes do sound a lot alike, but I bet my bottom dollar it is Brian singing falsetto on "Chapel Of Love" and "In The Still Of The Night".  It's a different sounding falsetto than what he was capable of a decade earlier, kindy shakey & wobbly, and in the case of "Chapel" downright silly.  But it's Brian.  Compare that to some of the live falsettos he's attempted since that time, and you can tell. 

And "Girl From NYC" is Bruce.

The highest-ever falsetto I can remember on a Beach Boys track is the one in the middle of "Love Surrounds Me".  It's definitely not Brian, it might possibly be Bobby Figueroa, but it sounds so much like the one at the end of "Endless Harmony" that to my ears it could quite possibly be Bruce.  Jeepers, it's high. 

[tpesky]

Bruce has a very high falsetto, well maybe had is a better word.  His voice isn't/wasn't powerful enough as Brian's or even Al's to sustain it to sing a song or verse in falsetto like that. Bruce does a good job singing  ooooooh's and ahhhhh's in falsetto or hitting a note like I Write the Songs thats really high. It's just he can't sustain it or make it powerful enough for a falsetto lead . For instance a song like Cal Girls on the tag, Barbara Ann or Catch A Wave, or Hawaii  with falsetto leads Bruce would be very weak on.  In the early 70s when he was singing falsetto on I Get Around you cant even hear it on some of the decent recordings I have heard. I am thinking that Central Park Special 71.

[tpesky]

Speaking of high parts in Beach Boy songs, Al Jardine gets pretty high on Be Here in The Mornin!

[Jay]

Good Timin': Live At Knebworth 1980:


1.   California Girls      - Mike (verses), with Carl, Bruce and Bobby Figueroa on the choruses
2.   Sloop John B.                        - Brian (1st verse), Mike (2nd verses), Carl (3rd verse) 1
3.   Darlin'                                    - Carl
4.   School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)      - Alan
5.   God Only Knows                    - Carl, with Bruce and Alan on the tag
6.   Be True To Your School          - Mike
7.   Do It Again                            - Mike (verses) and Carl (bridge)
8.   Little Deuce Coupe                - Mike
9.   Cottonfields                          - Alan
10. Heroes And Villains  - Alan (verses, coda), Carl (choruses) and Mike (1st verse, chorus bass counter)
11. Keepin' The Summer Alive    - Carl
12. Lady Lynda                          - Alan
13. Surfer Girl            - Brian (bridge), Alan (verses) with Mike (verse low harmony)
14. Help Me Rhonda     - Alan (verses, chorus) with Carl (choruses), Mike (1st verse, bass vocal) 2
15. Rock And Roll Music              - Mike
16. I Get Around                        - Mike and Bobby Figueroa
17. Surfin' USA                            - Mike 3
18. You Are So Beautiful            - Dennis
19. Good Vibrations                    - Carl and Mike
20. Barbara-Ann                        - Alan, with Mike
21. Fun, Fun, Fun                        - Mike

Bonus Tracks:

22. Runaway (Live 1981)          - Alan

1 Prominent harmony vocal: Alan on the first chorus.
2 Prominent vocal: Dennis on chorus descants (and good natured irritant!).
3 Prominent vocal: Alan performs the "Everybody's gone surfin'" line.

I'm not sure if you would count this or not, but Brian originally sang "Girls, girls, girls, yeah I dig the girls" during California Girls at the concert. He was mixed out of the official DVD/CD release.

[Beach Boy]

Bruce has a very high falsetto, well maybe had is a better word.  His voice isn't/wasn't powerful enough as Brian's or even Al's to sustain it to sing a song or verse in falsetto like that. Bruce does a good job singing  ooooooh's and ahhhhh's in falsetto or hitting a note like I Write the Songs thats really high. It's just he can't sustain it or make it powerful enough for a falsetto lead . For instance a song like Cal Girls on the tag, Barbara Ann or Catch A Wave, or Hawaii  with falsetto leads Bruce would be very weak on.  In the early 70s when he was singing falsetto on I Get Around you cant even hear it on some of the decent recordings I have heard. I am thinking that Central Park Special 71.

Bruce sang (with Bobby) the falsetto on "Hawaii" in 79/80.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"I am even starting to wonder if Brian couldn't and didn't sing any falsetto on "15 Big Ones", except that "In The Still Of The Night" sounds like Brian's falsetto. Perhaps it suggests that if he really tried he could omit the roughness in his voice?"

Al again. Brian never had such a thin, silly sounding falsetto. Listen to the first 2 lines of "Loop de Loop" and you'll hear exactly the same squeaky, thin voice.

Er... the falsetto vocal on "ITSOTN" is indeed Brian.  Brian's falsetto has always had a certain quality, even at his lowest point.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I know I'm coming very late into this thread, and maybe someone has since pointed this out, but:

4.   Chapel Of Love                    - Brian

Sorry, guys, but that's Al.

The gruff, 4-packs-a-day, I-hate-my-falsetto, main vocal ?  You're kidding, right ?  Alan couldn't sing like that ifn he had laryngitis.

[Andrew G. Doe]

BTW, there's a song missing from the Knebworth credits. On the CD but not the DVD. 

[Beach Boy]

Happy Birthday - group vocal   

[Andrew G. Doe]

... with crowd. 

[Beach Boy]

... with crowd. 

So "Good Vibrations".   

BTW It's interesting that Carl sings the 3rd verse on "Sloop John B", though I have recordings from 1980 where Brian sings it.

[John]

I know I'm coming very late into this thread, and maybe someone has since pointed this out, but:

4.   Chapel Of Love                    - Brian

Sorry, guys, but that's Al.

Say wha?
That could not be more Brian.

[John]

I'm not sure if you would count this or not, but Brian originally sang "Girls, girls, girls, yeah I dig the girls" during California Girls at the concert. He was mixed out of the official DVD/CD release.

Not if it was mixed out...

[donutbandit]

"That could not be more Brian."

Of course. Don't know where my brain was, but I was talking about the falsetto, not the lead. I don't even have a clue now where that was discussed to see who was creditied with the falsetto.

[adamghost]

That is Brian. Bruce couldn't have sung that high if he inhaled a feather duster. The only time he even came close was at the end of "Endless Harmony" and that was with a lot of of aural enhancement.

If you listen to him sing falsetto live, he can't even get as high as Al can.

Nonsense.  Ever hear the stuff he did with Bruce & Terry, e.g. "The Hamptons?"  The guy could hit stupid high notes.