The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread...

[John]

IIRC, "Things" is sorta-first hand info from David via Jon's book. He says Brian, Mike and Carl sang it while Dave and Denny goofed off.

[c-man]

Yes, definitely just Brian, Carl, and Mike on "Things". 

[pixletwin]

The biggest surprise to me was learning that in some songs I thought were Dennis were Mike with a cold. And some which I thought were Al were Brian. And some which I thought were Al were Mike. And some that I thought were Brian were Carl. And some that I thought were Carl were John Philipps...

 

[RONDEMON]

Hey look it's a new sticky on the front page!

[signum]

Yes, definitely just Brian, Carl, and Mike on "Things". 

But there are four harmony parts!

[signum]

Here's something:

Alan's first lead vocal:

Christmas Day, of course.
But has anyone noticed the short line in "Do you Remember?" that Al sings on his own? ? I wondered for a while who it was, because it doesn't come across very well- but it is Al.

But then listen to No-Go Showboat. After Brian's line, and Mike's line, there is a three part harmony line e.g. "When it comes to speed man I'm just out of luck, I'm even shut down by the ice-cream truck". The two lower parts are very quiet in comparison to the top part, which is Al. So it comes across almost as a lead vocal.

[signum]

"How She Boogalooed It" was Carl, as confirmed by Alan Boyd, who as I understand it, consulted Jardine to confirm it.  Don't know why the dueling Al comments, but I remember this having come up before.  It only sounds like Al to me in spots (perhaps the first two lines), otherwise it sounds totally consistent with Carl's other leads on the album.  Listen to the words "reelin'", "affection", etc., the distinctive "curl" to the end of the note.  Al never sang like that; his voice has a reedier texture.  Carl did.

The quote about Carl having Al sing it because it was too high for him doesn't make sense to me because (a) Al's name comes first as primary songwriter and (b) Carl's base vocal range was, if anything, higher than Al's (even though they both could hit pretty high notes...I'm referring to their comfort range.  Consider Carl's vocal on the first half of "Trader" which was, if anything, a little low for his voice in parts, even though he managed fine.  Now imagine Al singing it.  It's right smack in his natural register).  Now what makes more sense to me is that the vocal was too high for AL and he passed it on to CARL...since Al theoretically wrote most of it, he'd likely be the one to get first crack at singing it.  This also makes sense to me in that Al has more of a distinct crossover in his natural voice to his higher register than Carl did, so it would be easier for Carl to negotiate the top of his full voice range (though there's some overemoted notes on that tune, I grant you).  I can see Al having said that in the interview and either accidentally getting it backwards, having it transcribed backwards, or having remembered the interview backwards.

I've heard a live version of it from '67 and it's obviously Carl on that as well.  I hesitate to contradict my esteemed friend Mr. Doe, but...Carl.

I appreciate that this is extremely good work, Adamghost, and of course you, and others, may be totally right and "How she boogalooed it" may be all sung by Carl. You notice several lines that are clearly sung by Carl and I agree now I have listened a lot.

But, I've been working on a theory that some lines are Bruce and some Carl. I wonder if anyone else hears Bruce as a possibility?

I wondered too if Al sung any lines, but I now think probably not. It is not his texture of voice as you say.

The third and fourth lines in particular are very unusual sounding, and don't sound like Carl to me, but rather like Bruce. The lines also sound a bit like a relay in places because there is seemingly a change in voice and style quite often.

I have a guess at a possible Bruce-Carl relay but it is very unsure and I have changed it many times.

First verse: Bruce, Carl, Bruce, Bruce, Carl, Carl
Second: Bruce, Carl?, Bruce, Carl (with certainty), Carl, Bruce
Third: Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, Carl (with certainty), Bruce, Carl (again definitely), Bruce.

[Aegir]

It's definitely the same person singing every single line...

[signum]

Thanks Aegir. If you are right then I would be certain that its all Carl.

Analysing the reasons in favour of the opinion its all Carl:

1. There is something very constant about the voice singing on all the lines: a tone or timbre or something. It's obviously not Mike, Brian or Dennis, and also too high pitched for Mike and Dennis. It is not Al's clearer timbre. It is like enough to Carl. I'm not sure enough what Bruce would sound like singing in that pitch and that fast, although I thought it was possibly him.

2. Some times where I've noted a change from one voice to another, the second voice seems to become indistinguishable from the original voice later on, for example, for the fourth line I've put Bruce because it seems to carry on from the third line which sounds like Bruce. But then it sounds pretty much the same as the fifth and sixth lines, and for that matter, like the seventh line too. Moreover, I have changed around some lines many times. So sometimes I think the high second lines of the verses are Carl or Bruce interchangeably.

3. Sometimes even within one line the singer seems to change. "The walls are movin" sounds like what I think of as Bruce and "the ceilin's a-reeling" like Carl. "Gotta girl givin' me some lessons" even sounds like it blends seamlessly from the Bruce voice to the Carl voice. I wondered if some sort of editing of takes had done that, but perhaps it is simply because the "Bruce voice" is Carl.

4. I only started to guess it was Bruce because I sometimes couldn't hear it clearly enough as Carl, and because Bruce obviously wrote a major part of it (By the way does anyone know who wrote what in terms of words and music: that would be really interesting). Carl definitely sings some bits, for example "Come on, sockit, sockit to me".

So it could easily be all Carl.

The reasons against seem to be:

1. The lines vary so much in approach and loudness, that it almost sounds as if each line was recorded separately: There is a such a lack of continuity.

2. The vocal often sounds very strange and unlike Carl, whereas on the rest of the album I find Carl is clearly distinguishable and constant over a whole song. On this song I seem to hear a more resonant voice and a flatter, gentler voice for parts of it: the latter one I thought was Bruce. If it is all Carl, he seems to vary the amount of resonance in his voice. He also sounds unlike himself for these parts. Perhaps it is because the singing is so fast, but I think this is the best part of the argument for Bruce.

3. It almost seems like a put-on, an impression of someone, maybe of Al. I suppose that could actually be the case though, whoever is singing.

4. It is arguably a lot less great than Carl's other leads on the album, because it is so rough and unpolished. On the other hand it can easily be argued it is deliberately meant to be like that, and that "Wild Honey" (the song) is rather rough and unpolished too (as of course the whole album is in a sense).

On balance now I would guess it is probably all Carl, although it is still enjoyable to listen again and try to distinguish the voice(s) more clearly.

What a strange but enjoyable song!

[John]

I think it's Carl, singing from a guide vocal by Al, and he's taking on those characteristics. Sometimes that happens: check out Daltrey's Entwistle like phrasing of The Ox's "Someone's Coming" or Jagger's Wyman-alike reading of Bill's "Downtown Suzie". Sometimes when someone sings a song they didn't write which isn't a cover, it happens, causing a weird amalgam of styles and phrasing. I bet Carl either learned it from Al or Al sang the guide track.

[Aegir]

Who sang what on the 1966 live version of Good Vibrations from the boxset?

[John]

Carl, Mike, and Bruce on the highs in the chorus, IIRC.

[adamghost]

I think it's Carl, singing from a guide vocal by Al, and he's taking on those characteristics. Sometimes that happens: check out Daltrey's Entwistle like phrasing of The Ox's "Someone's Coming" or Jagger's Wyman-alike reading of Bill's "Downtown Suzie". Sometimes when someone sings a song they didn't write which isn't a cover, it happens, causing a weird amalgam of styles and phrasing. I bet Carl either learned it from Al or Al sang the guide track.

Could be, although on the live version from Dec. '67, Carl is singing the whole thing with no help from Al (reading the lyrics off a sheet on the mic stand).

[Aegir]

Yeah, but if he learned to sing like Al, it doesn't matter if Al's not singing it live when Carl is. If you know how a song (especially one by your band, in which you sing the lead) goes, you don't just start singing it another way.

But this only makes sense if Carl sings it the same way live that he does in the recording. Actually, either way would be inconclusive, for if he sang it differently live, than that could also mean that on the recording he was singing to Al's guide vocal.

So I guess this post means nothing.

[Jonathan Blum]

This is more of a backing-vocals question than a lead-vocals one, but this seems to be where the braintrust hangs out...

I'm putting together a collection of Carl and Dennis material for a friend (calling it "Brother Act", natch), and wanted to focus on songs which involved both of them.  So, just for nitpickiness' sake:  is Carl in the backing vocals on the Beach Boys version of "Love Surrounds Me"?  How about "Cuddle Up"?  And did Dennis sing backup on any of Carl's songs (other than "Angel Come Home")?

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[c-man]

This is more of a backing-vocals question than a lead-vocals one, but this seems to be where the braintrust hangs out...

I'm putting together a collection of Carl and Dennis material for a friend (calling it "Brother Act", natch), and wanted to focus on songs which involved both of them.  So, just for nitpickiness' sake:  is Carl in the backing vocals on the Beach Boys version of "Love Surrounds Me"?  How about "Cuddle Up"?  And did Dennis sing backup on any of Carl's songs (other than "Angel Come Home")?

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Yes, Carl is quite prominent in the background vocals on "Love Surrounds Me" (L.A. Light version).  I think I can hear Dennis in the backgrounds on "The Trader", but not any of Carl's other songs. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

What other songs do you have on your list ?

[adamghost]

Don't forget "Celebrate the News" -- that's one that's almost a duet.

[MBE]

Yeah but Celebrate has every Beach Boy pretty upfront. I hear all of them.

[adamghost]

Yeah, but Carl and Dennis pretty much sing all the lead vocals together.  I can't think of another time that happened.  There's a Carl-Dennis track, and then a group track.

[MBE]

I hear a lot more Dennis myself. It's voiced very well I think, but I wouldn't say Carl's on lead exactly.

[Jonathan Blum]

What other songs do you have on your list ?

Just got back from a weekend away!

I was going for 20 tracks -- here's a rough list, after hearing the comments above...

Celebrate The News
Slip On Through
Forever (acapella version from Hawthorne, CA)
Got To Know The Woman
It's About Time
Fourth Of July
Long Promised Road (live version from Endless Harmony -- Dennis is on that, he introduces Carl)
Cuddle Up
Steamboat
Trader
Only With You
River Song
Pacific Ocean Blues
Rainbows
Farewell My Friend
My Diane? (Is Carl on that, or is it just Brian and Dennis?)
Angel Come Home
It's Not Too Late
Love Surrounds Me
Baby Blue

Anything essential I missed?

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[John]

In the Back of My Mind has Carl singing unison with Denny on the middle-eight.

[Jonathan Blum]

In the Back of My Mind has Carl singing unison with Denny on the middle-eight.

Come to think of it, that would work really well as an opener...  sort of defining the emotive sweep of the whole thing!

Oh, and if I can ever find a clean copy of "Carry Me Home", I'd be seriously tempted to bend my rules for it!  Even though that was technically a Blondie lead...  wasn't it?  Lost my copy in a hard-drive crash years ago...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Andrew G. Doe]

What other songs do you have on your list ?

Just got back from a weekend away!

I was going for 20 tracks -- here's a rough list, after hearing the comments above...

Celebrate The News
Slip On Through
Forever (acapella version from Hawthorne, CA)
Got To Know The Woman
It's About Time
Fourth Of July
Long Promised Road (live version from Endless Harmony -- Dennis is on that, he introduces Carl)
Cuddle Up
Steamboat
Trader
Only With You
River Song
Pacific Ocean Blues
Rainbows
Farewell My Friend
My Diane? (Is Carl on that, or is it just Brian and Dennis?)
Angel Come Home
It's Not Too Late
Love Surrounds Me
Baby Blue

Anything essential I missed?

Cheers,
Jon Blum

"Wild Situation" - Carl (& Bruce) on bvs.