Brian's voice

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I personally feel a lot of it is may be due to his hearing. I notice too that his ability to hit the higher notes live seems to change depending on Jeff's proximity to his good ear.  somethings that have impressed me though are: 1) On the recordings that have surfaced from this current tour, he has nailed the falsetto parts on Live and Let Die and Midnight's Another day each and every time, even when Jeff has missed them. and 2) On "I'd Love Just Once to See you", he sounds very much like he did in 1967, except for when he starts stumbling over the words.

[Jay]

Ummm....no. Sorry to disagree with you, but Brian has little to no trace of what I would call a "falsetto" voice today. Just go on YouTube, and watch the video of Brian and his backing band doing "When I Grow Up(To Be A Man)" from Norway, 2007. It's terrible.

Jay, you are absolutely wrong. And you did not read my full post. That irritates me.

I wrote: "Now, it's a more strained sound, and it certainly isn't at his beck and call in concert, but it still hangs around there (in the studio, at least)."

In other words, I said outright that Brian doesn't have easy access to that range in concert (he doesn't try to sing in it most times, anyway). What I said is that Brian does have a reasonable falsetto range when he sings in the controlled environment of a recording studio.

How do I know that? I listen. Brian sings in falsetto on all of his studio albums. Is it always great? No. Is it always there? Yes. And if you listen to the demos from TLOS on his website, he IS singing falsetto on them. So don't misrepresent me, and don't say things about Brian's range that are obviously wrong to anyone with ears.

Yes, I did read your full post. You assumed I didn't, without even asking me if I did. THAT annoys ME. i really don't think he has much of a falsetto in the studio either. At least not without the aid of processing. Listen to him try to sing Vegatables on the Beautiful Dreamer dvd. It comes out shrill, and loud. I don't think that many people here would say I'm wrong. I listened to the demos on his website too. With all due respect, if you think that sounds like a good "falsetto", then you need your ears checked. 

[Jay]

I'm not saying that Brian can't sing at all now. He can sing, quite well in fact. He just can't sing in falsetto.

[Chris Brown]

I'm not saying that Brian can't sing at all now. He can sing, quite well in fact. He just can't sing in falsetto.

In live performance, you are correct.  That's why he doesn't usually even attempt to, which I think is a smart thing.

But in the studio, he can still pass off something that sounds halfway decent.  I know everyone wasn't crazy about the song, but listen to the demo he released recently of "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl".  He sounds pretty darn good, even the falsetto parts.  I'm sure they were processed to some degree, and probably don't sound as good when isolated, but that doesn't matter.  It still sounds fantastic when everything is mixed, especially on the bridge.  So I don't think it's accurate to say that he can't do it, he just needs some help making it sound good.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Every once in a while, Brian WILL hit a high note - just a single note - that does contain that emotional quality of the 60's Brian. I'm thinking specifically of "The First Noel". When Brian hits that note (and you know the one I'm talking about), it gets to me every time. Same with "Joy To The World" from a few years earlier.   

[the captain]

He just can't sing in falsetto.

He can, just not well. It's a noteworthy distinction.

[Jay]

While we are on the subject of Brian's voice, I have a question. Is it true that Brian smoked even after the second Landy split? I read that he supposedly smoked and gained a ton of weight from around 1991 to 1995.

[c-man]

While we are on the subject of Brian's voice, I have a question. Is it true that Brian smoked even after the second Landy split? I read that he supposedly smoked and gained a ton of weight from around 1991 to 1995.

Yep, that's right.  There was even a rumor that he was doing "street drugs" again, to which when mentioned to him he replied:  "Oh God, I wish!".  I remember thinking, "Oh no, here we go again".  But he quit smoking and slimmed down by '97. 

[Jay]

I often wonder what made Brian stay "sober" after the second Landy split. Lady left the first time around 1978(?), and Brian hit rock bottom.  But something was different when Landy left the second time. Sure, Brian gained a lot of weight again, but he was in a lot better shape than say, 1981. Was he finally given proper medication to combat the voices in his head? It's been speculated that Brian tried drugs like cocaine to try to get away from the voices.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I've often wondered about that . There's been very little information about  the post Landy pre-Melinda time period.

About all I know that is fact is that Kevin Leslie stuck around for a year after Landy was canned, Brian smoked cigarettes until 1994 (which explains why his voice sounded so frail during that time), and Brian's conservator was somebody named Jerome Billett.

[pixletwin]

Has anyone watched that episode of George Martin's documentary where he interviews Brian? There is a segment where Brian is playing Good Vibrations on the piano where his voice sounds wonderful... He was very relaxed in the Martin's presence and his voice sounded wonderful, way better than on BWPS or any live performance I have seen.

[Amy B.]

George Martin's interview with Brian is on the Pet Sounds 40 anniversary DVD that came with the CD (but taped in 1997 or so). The part where they're in Brian's house is the most relaxed and natural I have ever seen modern-day Brian. It made me believe those who say that in private, Brian is very much his old self.

I wish someone would post that on YouTube.

[markwkidd]

I was just listening to the radio promo sessions included with the Sloop John B sessions, and the first track (KDWB) features several exchanges between Brian and Mike on the subject of Brian's voice that reveal a little of Brian's thinking. Brian insists several times that Mike be the one to perform the speaking parts because his voice is 'deeper' and 'bigger.' Mike doesn't want to do the speaking and says that Brian's voice is better, but Brian replies that his voice is too high and not big enough.