The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread...

[MBE]

Bruce sang a solo line on Hot Fun.

[John]

I didn't see this listed back on page 26.   Who did the whistle for Time To Get Alone?

Also, It was a lotta paging to find that.  Any chance to compile the album detail to its own thread for the completed albums somewhere or has it been done already and I can't find it?  Thanks to all....

That's the plan, I hope the admin will split the topic up into albums only and discussion for easy access.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Hot Fun - "Hey we're out of school": Adrian Baker. No solo line from Bruce.

Island Fever [US] - "I got it bad": Alan

Still Surfin' - falsetto: Adrian Baker


Forever - "If every word I said could make you laugh/I'd talk forever": Stamos & Carl

[southbay]

Andrew nailed the needed corrections.  However, I contend that is not Carl, but a masked "Beach Boy" (Melcher?), on the "ooh I got it bad" line in the Euro Island Fever.  But, Carl is indeed present on that song in other places...

[adamghost]

OK, I have a good story about SIP that pretty much sums it up for that record, regardless of how individual BBs fans may feel.

Back when it came out I was working at a place that did a lot of tape duplications.  I had that cassette at my desk lying around and one day I came in and the head of AV (who was also a musician) said to me, "hey, I had to test out the new tape machine and so I borrowed that Beach Boys album you had."

"Yeah?  That's cool."

"Yeah...that album man...wow."  And he made a really stinky face, like he was disappointed in me that I would have something like that within a mile of any listening device.  And I was SO embarassed.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

How'd you respond?

[adamghost]

How'd you respond?

I think I fell through a crack in the floor and vanished.

[signum]

I've already said how I dislike SiP. This is due to it's reputation and a dream in which I listened to the first two tracks which in the dream sounded dismal and sad. I woke up before the third track significantly. Was that a warning not to buy the album I wonder?

Something completely different: The thread about "Good Vibrations" versions reminded me that the early version included on the "Smiley Smile/Wild Honey" twofer, I recently thought, must be sung by both Carl and Brian. The verses don't sound like Brian. They sound like Carl singing louder than on the originally released version (rather like the last version of "God Only Knows" on the "Pet Sounds Sessions"). But the choruses, after the "I hope it's" that leads into them, I suppose are Brian.

[mikeyj]

OK, I have a good story about SIP that pretty much sums it up for that record, regardless of how individual BBs fans may feel.

Back when it came out I was working at a place that did a lot of tape duplications.  I had that cassette at my desk lying around and one day I came in and the head of AV (who was also a musician) said to me, "hey, I had to test out the new tape machine and so I borrowed that Beach Boys album you had."

"Yeah?  That's cool."

"Yeah...that album man...wow."  And he made a really stinky face, like he was disappointed in me that I would have something like that within a mile of any listening device.  And I was SO embarassed.

I have had a similar experience when my friend was browsing through my iTunes and must have thought, "well I know Michael likes the Beach Boys so much, so I'll listen to one of their songs".. and so out of all the Beach Boys I have on my iTunes (well over a thousand files).. he clicks on "Summer Of Love".. and then I walked back in the room and thought "out of all the tracks why did he have to play that one?".. Probably just means that he will never become a Beach Boys fan now after hearing that one. Makes me wish I never bought Summer In Paradise in the first place or atleast didn't have it on my iTunes, although I like to have everything on there as like many others I'm a bit of a completist.

[adamghost]

OK, I have a good story about SIP that pretty much sums it up for that record, regardless of how individual BBs fans may feel.

Back when it came out I was working at a place that did a lot of tape duplications.  I had that cassette at my desk lying around and one day I came in and the head of AV (who was also a musician) said to me, "hey, I had to test out the new tape machine and so I borrowed that Beach Boys album you had."

"Yeah?  That's cool."

"Yeah...that album man...wow."  And he made a really stinky face, like he was disappointed in me that I would have something like that within a mile of any listening device.  And I was SO embarassed.

I have had a similar experience when my friend was browsing through my iTunes and must have thought, "well I know Michael likes the Beach Boys so much, so I'll listen to one of their songs".. and so out of all the Beach Boys I have on my iTunes (well over a thousand files).. he clicks on "Summer Of Love".. and then I walked back in the room and thought "out of all the tracks why did he have to play that one?".. Probably just means that he will never become a Beach Boys fan now after hearing that one. Makes me wish I never bought Summer In Paradise in the first place or atleast didn't have it on my iTunes, although I like to have everything on there as like many others I'm a bit of a completist.

See?  That's just what I'm saying.  By acknowedging that album exists, we're doing the Beach Boys a disservice.  Maybe we could put that in a very poorly linked section that nobody can find.

[Aegir]

Geeze, you guys are so harsh.

[Chris Brown]

Something completely different: The thread about "Good Vibrations" versions reminded me that the early version included on the "Smiley Smile/Wild Honey" twofer, I recently thought, must be sung by both Carl and Brian. The verses don't sound like Brian. They sound like Carl singing louder than on the originally released version (rather like the last version of "God Only Knows" on the "Pet Sounds Sessions"). But the choruses, after the "I hope it's" that leads into them, I suppose are Brian.

I see what you're saying, but considering that it was just an early working version, I think its all Brian.  No reason for Carl to sing on something that was pretty clearly a demo vocal. 

I do hear a bit of Carl in the singing, that I'll give you.  I just don't think it is.

[Wilsonista]

OK, I have a good story about SIP that pretty much sums it up for that record, regardless of how individual BBs fans may feel.

Back when it came out I was working at a place that did a lot of tape duplications.  I had that cassette at my desk lying around and one day I came in and the head of AV (who was also a musician) said to me, "hey, I had to test out the new tape machine and so I borrowed that Beach Boys album you had."

"Yeah?  That's cool."

"Yeah...that album man...wow."  And he made a really stinky face, like he was disappointed in me that I would have something like that within a mile of any listening device.  And I was SO embarassed.

I have had a similar experience when my friend was browsing through my iTunes and must have thought, "well I know Michael likes the Beach Boys so much, so I'll listen to one of their songs".. and so out of all the Beach Boys I have on my iTunes (well over a thousand files).. he clicks on "Summer Of Love".. and then I walked back in the room and thought "out of all the tracks why did he have to play that one?".. Probably just means that he will never become a Beach Boys fan now after hearing that one. Makes me wish I never bought Summer In Paradise in the first place or atleast didn't have it on my iTunes, although I like to have everything on there as like many others I'm a bit of a completist.

I can top both of you and Adam, remembering T jokingly referring to Forever as "her favorite John Stamos song" reminded me of this.

I was working at a chain record store when SIP came out. I went into work the morning after the Stamos version of Forever had been featured on a Full House episode (it had been featured in a few episodes of that show). A middle-aged woman and her mentally challenged son came into the store. I go up to them and ask if I could help them find whatever they're looking for. The mom asks "do you have that song that Uncle Jesse from Full House sang?" I sing a few bars and they both go  "that's it!" I point them to a copy of SIP. The mom and the kid get into a heated (and I mean heated discussion". The kid practically throws a temper tanturm the size of China.
  "No!"
 "But the nice young man says that song is on here. He doesn't look like he could tell a lie."
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  (By this point people are staring at us).

She meekly hands the product back to me and apoloizes. "I' don't  think he wants it. It actually has to have his (Stamos')picture on the cover before he'd (the kid) would want it". With that Mom and kid left the store. Within a couple of weeks, I lost my job and within a month the store closed.

Depressing, huh?

[shelter]

DEnnis was horrible.
JOHN STAMOS SINGS FOREVER MUCH;MUCH BETTER!!!

A comment I found on YouTube under a video of the John Stamos version of Forever... 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Jeez...

[the captain]

I find Stamos the least offensive part of the Stamos version. Virtually anyone here given a chance to be a part of a Beach Boys recording would jump at it. The Beach Boys (meaning the corporate entity as much as, if not more than, the guys) are to blame for that piece of sh*t, just as they are for pretty much all of their garbage "new product" of the past 25-30 years.

Sorry. (Not sorry.) But I promise you, if someone calls me and says I can take time off my day job to record "Day in the Life of a Tree" with Mike & Bruce, I'm going to do it.

And I expect that call any time.

Gotta go--the phone's ringing!

[Chris Brown]

I find Stamos the least offensive part of the Stamos version. Virtually anyone here given a chance to be a part of a Beach Boys recording would jump at it. The Beach Boys (meaning the corporate entity as much as, if not more than, the guys) are to blame for that piece of merda, just as they are for pretty much all of their garbage "new product" of the past 25-30 years.

I agree...Stamos takes a lot of the rap for it, but his singing didn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that they turned a sensitive, understated song into a "power ballad".  Had they stayed true to the original arrangement/production style, I don't think it would have been half bad.

[shelter]

Virtually anyone here given a chance to be a part of a Beach Boys recording would jump at it.

I agree, you can't really blame Stamos for anything. I even like his version of Forever. It probably just shouldn't have been released under the Beach Boys name. Cause now it's officially a 'remake' and people will always keep comparing it to the original. But I think it's good for what it really is - a cover version.

[John]

DEnnis was horrible.
JOHN STAMOS SINGS FOREVER MUCH;MUCH BETTER!!!

A comment I found on YouTube under a video of the John Stamos version of Forever... 

Youtube comments are the lowest on the foodchain, internet-comment-wise.

[tpesky]

John..just a question. I have enjoyed this thread so much and I know SIP is the last real album.  What do we do next? Do we do Stars and Stripes? Did we do all of the live albums yet? ( I can't remember)?

[John]

I think we should maybe do Stars And Stripes and then call it a day. We've done all the live albums, I think.

[Aegir]

Stars and Stripes is pretty obvious who's singing lead... right?

We can also do Songs From Here and Back.

[adamghost]

We could make up albums the Beach Boys should have done in the '90s.

[signum]

Stars and Stripes is pretty obvious who's singing lead... right?

We can also do Songs From Here and Back.

I vote to do that one too (I haven't got it but I'm interested).

The only other thing I can think of is that maybe some of the demos and alternate versions (e.g. on the "Pet Sounds Sessions") haven't been done. Is it worth doing them?

Something completely different: The thread about "Good Vibrations" versions reminded me that the early version included on the "Smiley Smile/Wild Honey" twofer, I recently thought, must be sung by both Carl and Brian. The verses don't sound like Brian. They sound like Carl singing louder than on the originally released version (rather like the last version of "God Only Knows" on the "Pet Sounds Sessions"). But the choruses, after the "I hope it's" that leads into them, I suppose are Brian.

I see what you're saying, but considering that it was just an early working version, I think its all Brian.  No reason for Carl to sing on something that was pretty clearly a demo vocal. 

I do hear a bit of Carl in the singing, that I'll give you.  I just don't think it is.

I see your point about it being a demo. But perhaps Carl was there too. I think there are other demos that feature more than just Brian singing. In fact I'm not sure if the "Little Deuce Coupe" demo has been mentioned, but that has several group members singing in unison.

Another (maybe) point in favour of Carl on GV, is that at one point in the first chorus Brian sings falsetto background while another part sings "Good, good, good, good vibrations" (although on this one bit I can't tell who sings it).

[Andrew G. Doe]

Stars and Stripes is pretty obvious who's singing lead... right?

We can also do Songs From Here and Back.

I vote to do that one too (I haven't got it but I'm interested).

The only other thing I can think of is that maybe some of the demos and alternate versions (e.g. on the "Pet Sounds Sessions") haven't been done. Is it worth doing them?

Something completely different: The thread about "Good Vibrations" versions reminded me that the early version included on the "Smiley Smile/Wild Honey" twofer, I recently thought, must be sung by both Carl and Brian. The verses don't sound like Brian. They sound like Carl singing louder than on the originally released version (rather like the last version of "God Only Knows" on the "Pet Sounds Sessions"). But the choruses, after the "I hope it's" that leads into them, I suppose are Brian.

I see what you're saying, but considering that it was just an early working version, I think its all Brian.  No reason for Carl to sing on something that was pretty clearly a demo vocal. 

I do hear a bit of Carl in the singing, that I'll give you.  I just don't think it is.

I see your point about it being a demo. But perhaps Carl was there too. I think there are other demos that feature more than just Brian singing. In fact I'm not sure if the "Little Deuce Coupe" demo has been mentioned, but that has several group members singing in unison.

Another (maybe) point in favour of Carl on GV, is that at one point in the first chorus Brian sings falsetto background while another part sings "Good, good, good, good vibrations" (although on this one bit I can't tell who sings it).

FWIW, the 2fer booklet says "all vocals by Brian Wilson", which is a very reasonable supposition as they're just scratch vocals. The source for this is apparently Chuck Britz.