Why was Dennis left of Pet Sounds

[John]

To the best of my knowledge, Dennis was supposed to sing:

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of. In a Record Collector UK interview in the 90s, Brian actually thought that Denny HAD sung it.

You're So Good To Me; this is the song where he fell asleep, right?

Sloop John B. (with Carl) and IJWMFTT. I think IJWMFTT suits Denny, to be honest.

Good Vibes and  Sail On, Sailor.

There might be others.

[adamghost]

During a conversation, Mark Linett asked Al (Jardine, of course) if he knew anything about Dennis being slated to sing IJWMFTT.  Because there is documentation to suggest that he was considered, plus if you listen to the vocal overdub tracks on the appropriate UM SOT, it sounds as though Dennis may have even given it a go and then been recorded over.

Anyway, Al said that he didn't know anything about it, but he thought it was perfect for Dennis.  And then he genuinely looked sad, like he missed Dennis.  He then expressed some regret that Dennis didn't get to sing it.

Yes!  I was there when that question was asked, too.  That's exactly what Al's reaction was.

[Rocker]

To the best of my knowledge, Dennis was supposed to sing:

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of. In a Record Collector UK interview in the 90s, Brian actually thought that Denny HAD sung it.

I can hear Dennis in the background too...

[Aegir]

Damn sleepy Dennis, You're So Good to Me with a Dennis lead would've been so cool

[John]

To the best of my knowledge, Dennis was supposed to sing:

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of. In a Record Collector UK interview in the 90s, Brian actually thought that Denny HAD sung it.

I can hear Dennis in the background too...

That's why I qualified it, with "not unheard of". For example, Brian is back-ups on Don't Worry Baby too. Denny may have been at the session but unable to nail the lead, or may have left early. The lead may have been done another day. Car Crazy Cutie you can tell, I think, was intended as a Denny song, if only because it has the Dionesque vocals and because otherwise it's a normal register uptempo Brian lead, also pretty rare in those days.

[Chris Brown]

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of.

Brian singing backgrounds wasn't rare at all...not really sure what you're getting at.

[Bicyclerider]

Dennis was supposed to sing Cabinessence lead (not just the Truck Drivin' Man part) according to Mike Vosse.

He may have sung lead on the missing vocals to I'm in Great Shape!

[Howie Edelson]

For what it's worth, I asked Brian if he ever had any intention of Dennis singing lead on IJWMFTT -- he said. "No." I asked again, "You always intended to sing the lead on 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times?" -- he answered, "Yes."

[Dancing Bear]

Damn sleepy Dennis, You're So Good to Me with a Dennis lead would've been so cool

Or Al... Brian's lead vocals in this track kind of suck.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Damn sleepy Dennis, You're So Good to Me with a Dennis lead would've been so cool

Or Al... Brian's lead vocals in this track kind of suck.

D.B., I'm usually right with you on your posts, but I gotta go the other way on this one. I think Brian's lead vocal on "You're So Good To Me" is one of his best. I can almost see the (happy) emotion on his face, and when he sings, "You're kinda small and you're such a doll", I can almost see Marilyn standing right next to him. To me, this song is a perfect example how a great BB/BW vocal could make a good song great, or take it to the next level, something that is desperately missing in Brian's solo recordings.

BTW, regarding "I Just Wasn't made For These Times"....I can see nobody but Brian singing that. It is the one song (although there are a few others) from Pet Sounds that is usually singled out as being the most "biographical" to Brian Wilson, and, of course, was chosen as a title for a Brian Wilson documentary.

The one song from Pet Sounds that, lyrically, would fit Dennis, would be "Sloop John B". Think about it...

[Dancing Bear]

I love the song. Relistening to the track, Brian delivers it quite well, but some lines with high notes have some whine in his voice... And I don't like the "And I love it, love it" part at all. All in my opinion, of course.

[Aegir]

Dennis wouldn't've been able to sing lead on I'm in Great Shape, unless it was the way they did it in BWPS, with three different vocalists, which, by the way, is why I hate the BWPS version of I'm in Great Shape.

Brian's lead on You're So Good to Me is probably my least favorite Brian lead, except the "And I love it, love it". But I think he would've sung that part even if Dennis had sung the rest of the words.

[Ebb and Flow]

Man, Dennis singing "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" would've been great.  It's actually pretty perplexing how absent Dennis is on Pet Sounds, even in the background vocals, where you can usually pick him out.  I wonder how many sessions he actually showed up for during this period?

And without the session tapes it's hard to know this for sure, but I'm pretty positive Brian isn't singing anything but the lead vocal tracks for Car Crazy Cutie, as in 1963 they were still doing vocals in just two separate overdubs, no more than that.  The first time Brian would sing both lead and on background vocals would be on tracks like "The Warmth Of The Sun", "Don't Worry Baby" and "Keep An Eye On Summer", where even without session tapes it's pretty clear that some bouncing was done and that Brian is audible everywhere.

[pixletwin]

Dennis wouldn't've been able to sing lead on I'm in Great Shape, unless it was the way they did it in BWPS, with three different vocalists, which, by the way, is why I hate the BWPS version of I'm in Great Shape.

Brian's lead on You're So Good to Me is probably my least favorite Brian lead, except the "And I love it, love it". But I think he would've sung that part even if Dennis had sung the rest of the words.

"Fresh clean air around my head" could have been Brian

"Morning tumble out of bed" could have been Dennis

"Eggs and grits...etc" could have easily been Al or Mike.

[signum]

Man, Dennis singing "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" would've been great.  It's actually pretty perplexing how absent Dennis is on Pet Sounds, even in the background vocals, where you can usually pick him out.  I wonder how many sessions he actually showed up for during this period?

And without the session tapes it's hard to know this for sure, but I'm pretty positive Brian isn't singing anything but the lead vocal tracks for Car Crazy Cutie, as in 1963 they were still doing vocals in just two separate overdubs, no more than that.  The first time Brian would sing both lead and on background vocals would be on tracks like "The Warmth Of The Sun", "Don't Worry Baby" and "Keep An Eye On Summer", where even without session tapes it's pretty clear that some bouncing was done and that Brian is audible everywhere.

I can't hear Brian either on the backgrounds to "Car Crazy Cutie": It seems to be Mike, Dennis and Carl only.

But perhaps Brian did sometimes join the backing vocals when he sang early leads: on "Lonely Sea" aren't Mike, Carl, Dennis and Brian on backing vocals, as Adamghost worked out on the "Definitive vocal credits" thread?

[John]

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of.

Brian singing backgrounds wasn't rare at all...not really sure what you're getting at.

...as well as singing the lead (although he might not have been singing bvs after all, judging by the rest of this thread.), that's why I said "also".

[Chris Brown]

Car Crazy Cutie; which is why a) it sounds Dion-esque and b) why Brian can also be heard in the backgrounds, which was rare, but not unheard of.

Brian singing backgrounds wasn't rare at all...not really sure what you're getting at.

...as well as singing the lead (although he might not have been singing bvs after all, judging by the rest of this thread.), that's why I said "also".

Yeah, he sang lead and background vocals on plenty of songs...Don't Worry Baby, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Warmth of the Sun, She Knows Me Too Well, You're So Good to Me, Sloop John B (last verse), I'm Waiting For the Day, Til' I Die.  I'm sure there are more that I can't think of now.  The only times he wasn't in the background while doing a lead was when everything came together, and the vocals were just the group all together (with a few exceptions, like Surfer Girl).