The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread...

[John]

Right, so we have California Dreamin', Chasin' The Sky and East Meets West then. Can anyone give me the full info on those please? Thanks.

[Andrew G. Doe]

California Dreamin' #1 - 1st verse - Mike/2nd verse - Carl/3rd verse - Alan (yes, I got it wrong earlier)

note on choruses - "California dreamin'" - Alan

East Meets West - easiest way to do it is this:

[?Mike]East meets west, different drummers side by side
When east meets west, [Alan]the best of both survive

[Carl]From the nights in Hollywood, [Frankie]to the lights on Broadway
Some said we never could ever cross that line

I remember hanging out in sixty-two
Down at the diner scorin' all the time
[Mike]When out in California where the surf was up
[both]You had a woodie and the girls would stand in line
We were the kings of the things we liked to do
A game of rivalry comparing me and you, me and you

[Frankie]Drivin' down the Jersey shore, [Carl]riding 'round La Jolla
[both]Top Forty evermore on the radio
[Alan]Got the rhythm of the breakers in my blood
I take it with me everywhere I go
[Frankie]I need to feel the inner city energy
Can't do without it it's the only way I know
There's no goodbye to all the ties that bind us to
The way we'll always be, me and you, me and you

[Brian] Two different drummers playing side by side
You know the best of bets will survive

That's how it sound to my ears from a clean 45, but I know bits are debatable. BTW, gotta love any song that has the like "you had a woody". 

Chasin' The Sky - Carl (Mike - prominent bass vocal)

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Well, fwiw, Bruce, who was there, says not. Brian says he wasn't there but that has to be taken in context, and in 1982 I think he'd have had a hard time telling you what planet he was on. I'd lean towards not, but will readily revise my stance if definitive evidence is forthcoming.

That high part where the lyrics go "I went for a walk" right after  the sax break (in the 1986 version) sounds a hell of a lot like Brian....but if that part was recorded in 1982, then there's no way in hell that COULD have been Brian, as that sounds more like him around the mid-80s than in 82. So yeah, I'd put my money on it being Foskett.

[MBE]

If you are going by the 1986 version Brian may have overdubbed a few parts. I remember reading The Wilson Project book which is Gary Usher's diary's of the period and Brian told him he didn't have "much" to do with it. So taht tells me he did something in 1982 or 86.

[donutbandit]

East Meets West - that's a toughie, because of the (intentional?) relative poor quality of the mix. I've always felt the mix was rather low fidelity to keep the Beach Boys from showing up Valli on vocals. It was primarily a 4 Seasons record with the Boys as guests.

I don't hear Mike anywhere in this song except for the low notes. Parts you have ascribed to Mike, I hear as Valli.

It's pretty hard to tell Al from Frankie at any point, except that Frankie has a bit of a whine in his voice that Alan doesn't.

Good job on spotting Brian - I hadn't heard him in this before.

[donutbandit]

Bit of a funny note - originally, I did not realize California Dreamin' was the Beach Boys. I'd heard it on the radio a few times, and thought "I like the way these kids sound!" LOL!

About the third time I heard it, I heard Carl, and was flabbergasted. A fan since 1965, and they fooled me.  A sardonic DJ on my local station remarked, "just goes to show - a good song is a good song, no matter who records it."

First stanza - Alan (hard to tell from Bruce, but "wuz" is a giveaway.)
Second - Carl
Third - Alan

[Sheriff John Stone]

Re "California Dreamin", I was always curious why they left out the line "if I didn't tell her, I could leave today", and repeated the line "I'd be safe and warm, if I was in L.A.".

Did it have to do with trying to associate the group with L.A./California/warm/etc as much as they could?

[Glenn Greenberg]

My thoughts exactly.  By '82, the poor guy could barely speak, let alone sing.

Really?  No exaggeration?

Wow...

[Andrew G. Doe]

First stanza - Alan (hard to tell from Bruce, but "wuz" is a giveaway.)

The 1986 revision, yes, but the original recording is clearly Mike.

[Jay]

My thoughts exactly.  By '82, the poor guy could barely speak, let alone sing.

Really?  No exaggeration?

Wow...

Have you heard Dennis sing "You Are So Beautiful" from the American Band video?

[Glenn Greenberg]

My thoughts exactly.  By '82, the poor guy could barely speak, let alone sing.

Really?  No exaggeration?

Wow...

Have you heard Dennis sing "You Are So Beautiful" from the American Band video?

Yeah, actually I have.  But I thought that was just a one-time thing, that maybe he was "off" that day or just hoarse.  Didn't realize it was a permanent thing.

[Jay]

The story goes that Dennis was punched in the throat, and it ruined his vocal chords. You'e got to love that fact that Dennis would still try to sing though. Think about how it would feel to be punched in the throat hard enough to affect your voice. Ouch. It had to have hurt like hell for him to even TRY to sing. But the fact that he would still do it for his audience, says a lot about his charactor.

[Glenn Greenberg]

The story goes that Dennis was punched in the throat, and it ruined his vocal chords. You'e got to love that fact that Dennis would still try to sing though. Think about how it would feel to be punched in the throat hard enough to affect your voice. Ouch. It had to have hurt like hell for him to even TRY to sing. But the fact that he would still do it for his audience, says a lot about his charactor.

Hmmmm... was it Stan Love and Rocky Pamplin who allegedly did the punching?  I read about that incident.

I also read about Dennis walking in on his last wife, Shawn, sleeping in bed with two of her male friends, and he threw a fit, and the two guys beat him up.

Geez, when you take all this into account, it apparently could have been ANYONE, at ANYTIME, who did it to the poor guy.

[MBE]

It happened in 1974 too which is why he sounds so different after that. Steve Love apparently did it that time.

[Smilin Ed H]

Wasn't it Steve who thumped Blondie too?

[Mr. Wilson]

Love clan has alot of anger issues...!!

[John]

Thanks for the info, AGD.
Beach Boys '85, soon. Christmas is pretty hectic...!

[pixletwin]

I can't wait till all these get done so I can edit the info into my BB mp3's. Too cool. 

[Jon Stebbins]

It happened in 1974 too which is why he sounds so different after that. Steve Love apparently did it that time.

There are two different incidents. The Stan Love/Pamplin beating came in '81 and that one was very severe. The earlier incident in '74 was just a stray blow from Steve Love that messed up his wind pipe. Although DW has told this several different ways.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Why did Rocky Pamplin and Stan Love Love punch out Dennis? What was the outcome when Dennis filed charges against them?

[John]

Thanks again to AGD for the East meets West close-up.

[No. Fourteen]

Isn't Brian in the chorus echoing the "California Callin'" refrain on that track?  Worth an asterisk?

[shelter]

1.    Getcha Back                            - Mike, with Brian on the choruses / fade counter-melody

I remember that in an earlier topic on this board someone claimed that the falsetto on Getcha Back wasn't Brian but someone else, maybe Jeff Foskett. Anyone know if that could be true?

[c-man]

Why did Rocky Pamplin and Stan Love Love punch out Dennis? What was the outcome when Dennis filed charges against them?

'Cause they were high on Super Bowl Sunday and decided to go "get him" for contibuting to Brian's problems by supplying him with drugs (note the irony).  According to the Gaines book, Carolyn Williams (Brian's live-in nurse/girlfriend) and Janet Lent-Coop (who worked for the Beach Boys/Brother Records) called Stanley and told him that Brian was in terrible condition and "needed somebody to protect him from Dennis".  This was their way of doing that.  

According to Gaines, Stan was fined $750 and Rocky $250.  Stan claimed his legal fees and airfare back & forth from Hawaii, where he was staying, amounted to $10,000.  They were both placed on six months probation.    

[c-man]

1.    Getcha Back                            - Mike, with Brian on the choruses / fade counter-melody

I remember that in an earlier topic on this board someone claimed that the falsetto on Getcha Back wasn't Brian but someone else, maybe Jeff Foskett. Anyone know if that could be true?

It's Brian.  No doubt about it.  Foskett reportedly sings on about half the album, but that falsetto is BW.