Brian's shouty vocals

[punkinhead]

When did this start?

People have always said his vocals on GIOMH are shouty, especially his new vocals on Soul Searchin'.
But I've also read where people think Orange Crate Art's vocals have his shouting characteristics.

I myself would like to note Water Builds Up and Drip Drop as shouty vocals in my book; but I find nothing wrong with them.

[Mike's Beard]

The shouty voice made it's first tentative appearances back on BB85 and has been in vogue ever since.

[punkinhead]

The shouty voice made it's first tentative appearances back on BB85 and has been in vogue ever since.

good call...Male Ego comes to mind

[phirnis]

He sounds quite shouty on the Knebworth DVD.

[Andrew G. Doe]

When did this start?

People have always said his vocals on GIOMH are shouty, especially his new vocals on Soul Searchin'.
But I've also read where people think Orange Crate Art's vocals have his shouting characteristics.

I myself would like to note Water Builds Up and Drip Drop as shouty vocals in my book; but I find nothing wrong with them.

First shouty vocal I know of is "Lucy Jones", 11/12/74. It got a whole lot worse, but that's the earliest one I've heard.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I REALLY gotta hear that one

[Myk Luhv]

I wish every Beach Boys song had a shouty-vocal counterpart!

[Andrew G. Doe]

I REALLY gotta hear that one

It ain't that good. There's a reason why some unreleased stuff is unreleased. 

[bgas]

I REALLY gotta hear that one

It ain't that good. There's a reason why some unreleased stuff is unreleased. 

Sure, sure, But you've heard it. I think it should all be available for everyone to listen and decide for themselves.

Please, make it so.

[Bicyclerider]

I wish every Beach Boys song had a shouty-vocal counterpart!

I think every Beach Boys song should alternate verses between non shouty and shouty!!

[Pretty Funky]

My definition of 'shouty' must be different to everyone else. I hear it in the bulk of 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' from 66.

[Fall Breaks]

Yea but that's good shouty...   

[Pretty Funky]

Yeah...But strip away the instruments and vocals surrounding it and he really is goin to town!

[rab2591]

My definition of 'shouty' must be different to everyone else. I hear it in the bulk of 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' from 66.

I can see it being shouty in some of the alternate versions...

Eh, I'd base my definition of BW's shoutiness off of his singing on the album 'Orange Crate Art'. Parts of 'Sail Away' and 'Wings of a Dove' are somewhat shouty.

[Andrew G. Doe]

My definition of 'shouty' must be different to everyone else. I hear it in the bulk of 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' from 66.

I can see it being shouty in some of the alternate versions...

Eh, I'd base my definition of BW's shoutiness off of his singing on the album 'Orange Crate Art'. Parts of 'Sail Away' and 'Wings of a Dove' are somewhat shouty.

'shouty' = "Male Ego"

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I REALLY gotta hear that one

It ain't that good. There's a reason why some unreleased stuff is unreleased.  

Ja, but I'm a completist who must have/hear everything. That and '74 California Feelin' are my two holy grails of BW vocals.

 Rather surprised they haven't leaked, considering some of the things that have been booted (like Fig Plucker).


Also, Male Ego is a great example, Andrew. Maybe "shouty" isn't the word, but it's when he actually pushes the vocals out rather than sing them.  To be honest, you know what actually qualifies under that criteria? Even though he was in good voice at the time, the way he sang it....You're So Good to Me.

[Mike's Beard]

I'm surprised Male Ego was only released as the CD bonus track. Yeah it's fluff, but it's still much better than most of BB85.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I think the fact it sounds like a demo kept it from being on the album proper. It has that "Too Much Sugar" half-assed Landy quality to it.

Fun song though. Really, if anything should've been cut, it should've been "It's Just a Matter of Time".

[Pretty Funky]

The reason the music means different things to different people I guess. I love Brians vocal on 'Male Ego' as a counter to Mikes. Works for me.

[TdHabib]

I've heard a good portion of BW88 been called "shouty," but I still think he held pitch very well on that album, and sounded confident. "Melt Away" is one of his best vocals of the solo period imho and "Let it Shine" is even better...even if his production techniques may have been in the cheezy department sometimes I believed Jeff Lynne coaxed amazing vocals out of him and he would've served the album well. Generally, I think the better the material the better the vocals for Brian...the exception being something like "Grief Never Grows Old" where he sounds terrific and the song is weak and "California Feelin'" 2002 where it's a classic song but a plodding vocal.

I always liked "Male Ego" as a vocal, it's a decent tune but not a classic. It's the best of Brian's material on the album imho, "I'm So Lonely" is an example of a bad shouty vocal.

[Runaways]

i feel like "melt away" is waaaay shouty

[Jay]

When did this start?

People have always said his vocals on GIOMH are shouty, especially his new vocals on Soul Searchin'.
But I've also read where people think Orange Crate Art's vocals have his shouting characteristics.

I myself would like to note Water Builds Up and Drip Drop as shouty vocals in my book; but I find nothing wrong with them.

First shouty vocal I know of is "Lucy Jones", 11/12/74. It got a whole lot worse, but that's the earliest one I've heard.

By the time Lucy Jones was recorded, was his voice already hoarse? Did his voice still have any of the "classic Brian" sound?

[rab2591]

i feel like "melt away" is waaaay shouty

I think slurred is more like it. There are a few shouty parts in that one. I swear there is another on BW88 that is shouty that I can't place......

checking itunes;

'Walking The Line' - 'Walk Walk Walk, I keep on walking the line' - more like shouting the line  

Yeah, not a fan of his solo shouting songs.

[summerinparadise.flac]

How about Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight for shouty.

[Jim V.]

When did this start?

People have always said his vocals on GIOMH are shouty, especially his new vocals on Soul Searchin'.
But I've also read where people think Orange Crate Art's vocals have his shouting characteristics.

I myself would like to note Water Builds Up and Drip Drop as shouty vocals in my book; but I find nothing wrong with them.

First shouty vocal I know of is "Lucy Jones", 11/12/74. It got a whole lot worse, but that's the earliest one I've heard.

By the time Lucy Jones was recorded, was his voice already hoarse? Did his voice still have any of the "classic Brian" sound?

I just wonder what Brian vocal of that era it would best compare to. I think AGD may have said the vocals were most comparable to "Chapel of Love", which wasn't very good, per se, but it was fun. But if he was sounding supposedly "young" on "California Feelin'" a few weeks before, I'm confused. Although I'm sure this was probably right near the middle of the period of losing his voice.

I have to ask though, why did Brian's voice basically go from sounding like one person to sounding like an entirely different person? I mean, Nilsson went from A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night to P**** Cats vocally in one year. But he still sounded like the same person, and his vocals thereafter, while a little bit different, sounded like Harry Nilsson.

I do hear the young Brian in the performance of "God Only Knows" from the clip on YouTube that Paul Reiser introduces. Is it possible that this was always going to be Brian's "mature" voice, or do you think if he took better care we'd have ended up with a more Carl-like sound but just a bit shriller?