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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2021 12:28:11 GMT
I thought the performance was fine. As noted, the mix was a little off, most noticeable on the into to WIBN. At least it was live, unlike some of those mimed performances they did at the Capitol Fourth in recent years.
I DVRed the CNN program. I honestly feel for anybody who might've attempted to watch in real time with all the talk, commercials, and Black Eyed Peas (they're still around?).
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 6, 2021 12:56:02 GMT
I thought the performance was fine. As noted, the mix was a little off, most noticeable on the into to WIBN. At least it was live, unlike some of those mimed performances they did at the Capitol Fourth in recent years. I DVRed the CNN program. I honestly feel for anybody who might've attempted to watch in real time with all the talk, commercials, and Black Eyed Peas (they're still around?). I agree. On some Beach Boys' message boards (of all places ), Mike and others in the band are getting hammered. As I posted above, I didn't think he/they were THAT bad. It's not like we woke up and Mike was this 80-year-old man who sounded weak. He's sounded like this for several years now, and as you say, this was a live vocal, not an autotuned recorded vocal.
And, yes, I sat through the broadcast in real time. I had to force myself to stomach Don Lemon. I'm not a Dana Bash fan either but she was better on that broadcast. I was shocked that they didn't somehow insert some Donald Trump criticism. Maybe they did and it slipped by me.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2021 13:07:44 GMT
I thought the performance was fine. As noted, the mix was a little off, most noticeable on the into to WIBN. At least it was live, unlike some of those mimed performances they did at the Capitol Fourth in recent years. I DVRed the CNN program. I honestly feel for anybody who might've attempted to watch in real time with all the talk, commercials, and Black Eyed Peas (they're still around?). I agree. On some Beach Boys' message boards (of all places ), Mike and others in the band are getting hammered. As I posted above, I didn't think he/they were THAT bad. It's not like we woke up and Mike was this 80-year-old man who sounded weak. He's sounded like this for several years now, and as you say, this was a live vocal, not an autotuned recorded vocal.
And, yes, I sat through the broadcast in real time. I had to force myself to stomach Don Lemon. I'm not a Dana bash fan either but she was better on that broadcast. I was shocked that they didn't somehow insert some Donald Trump criticism. Maybe they did and it slipped by me.
I agree about Mike's vocals. You're a more patient man than I to sit through that mess.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2021 13:35:24 GMT
Watching it now, just getting to the end of "God Only Knows." I must say, this is the least impressed I've ever been with Christian Love, whose voice I usually like a lot. Here it is very soft, not in a "Carl being emotive" kind of way, but just weak. And what's more, I have some questions as to what he was doing with that guitar. For the first half of the song, he seems to be fingering (but not playing) a G major chord, a chord which never occurs in the song. Then toward the end, he has an A major chord going, which at least is prominent in the song ... but he's fingering (and not seeming to play) it through chord after chord, not just the A chords. Does he always just use his guitar as a prop?
The mix was again not great.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2021 13:37:35 GMT
"California Girls" shows that Mike's voice ain't what it used to be. As Sheriff John Stone said, this ought not be news to anybody. But it is clearly audible here.
Bruce isn't exactly on top of his game, either.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 6, 2021 13:42:19 GMT
Watching it now, just getting to the end of "God Only Knows." I must say, this is the least impressed I've ever been with Christian Love, whose voice I usually like a lot. Here it is very soft, not in a "Carl being emotive" kind of way, but just weak. And what's more, I have some questions as to what he was doing with that guitar. For the first half of the song, he seems to be fingering (but not playing) a G major chord, a chord which never occurs in the song. Then toward the end, he has an A major chord going, which at least is prominent in the song ... but he's fingering (and not seeming to play) it through chord after chord, not just the A chords. Does he always just use his guitar as a prop?
The mix was again not great.
That's interesting because I was fairly impressed with Christian's vocal on "God Only Knows" (though it was awkward opening the broadcast with it). Yes, he/it was subdued, maybe a little too subdued, but he clearly hit all of the notes, and I thought his vocal was...fine. He did LOOK a little rough, though.
Good pick up on the guitar as a prop. Again, I've been reading some reviews of the show and that's the first time I've read that. Maybe he learned it from Brian.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2021 13:55:17 GMT
He did hit the notes, which puts him in a different category than Mike or Bruce. But he wasn't performing, at least as I heard it. He was sleepwalking. (Sleepsinging?)
For my unpopular take of the day, these songs make me think that while some (many?) fans want the originals back together singing live, I think the fewer Beach Boys singing, the better. None of Mike, Bruce, or Brian are very good singers anymore, and even Al is aging. For a band known for tight, complex harmonies, this is a bad recipe. It will not sound good without other singers doing all the heavy lifting.
I realize people like the feeling they get when they see those guys together, and maybe people can fool themselves into hearing something good. But I struggle to imagine how they would sound good. Maybe tribute shows are the way to go for the very practical reason of the band's principals not being able to really carry their weight.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2021 14:55:45 GMT
He did hit the notes, which puts him in a different category than Mike or Bruce. But he wasn't performing, at least as I heard it. He was sleepwalking. (Sleepsinging?)
For my unpopular take of the day, these songs make me think that while some (many?) fans want the originals back together singing live, I think the fewer Beach Boys singing, the better. None of Mike, Bruce, or Brian are very good singers anymore, and even Al is aging. For a band known for tight, complex harmonies, this is a bad recipe. It will not sound good without other singers doing all the heavy lifting.
I realize people like the feeling they get when they see those guys together, and maybe people can fool themselves into hearing something good. But I struggle to imagine how they would sound good. Maybe tribute shows are the way to go for the very practical reason of the band's principals not being able to really carry their weight.
When it comes to the higher or more challenging vocals, I'd agree with that. But, for the more manageable vocal lines, I'd have no problem with an aging Mike, Brian, Al, and Bruce to continue to handle them.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2021 14:59:46 GMT
I agree with you: of course, not all the vocals are out of reach anymore. But it does seem true that more and more of them are. And it's not just high-register ones (of which there are plenty already, hence the band handing off leads for decades), but also the sustained singing, lines that require more breath support, even in the more comfortable registers. A lot of Brian's sing-speaking through Pet Sounds shows seems to me as a way to cope with that challenge.
Not trying to be an uber-pessimist or alarmist or anything. It just seems to me that the product will only get worse, and may be at a point where it's pretty bad already without increasing amounts of help. A "Beach Boys only" approach would be terrible, in my opinion.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2021 15:26:23 GMT
I agree with you: of course, not all the vocals are out of reach anymore. But it does seem true that more and more of them are. And it's not just high-register ones (of which there are plenty already, hence the band handing off leads for decades), but also the sustained singing, lines that require more breath support, even in the more comfortable registers. A lot of Brian's sing-speaking through Pet Sounds shows seems to me as a way to cope with that challenge.
Not trying to be an uber-pessimist or alarmist or anything. It just seems to me that the product will only get worse, and may be at a point where it's pretty bad already without increasing amounts of help. A "Beach Boys only" approach would be terrible, in my opinion.
I'd agree with that, with Heroes and Villains in particular. At the least, I think Brian should hand the vocals off to Al.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jul 7, 2021 13:01:32 GMT
Mike sounded weaker than usual, but the mix was pretty poor as others have mentioned. Stamos posted a video on Instagram and it sounded way better. Elora posted a video of a full show in May and the band sounds great.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2021 14:14:24 GMT
The band certainly sounds good generally, and that's something I'd expect: no quibbles with them as a whole on my part, anyway. (That was the mix on the 4th, which was obvious. It's not like the guys forgot how to play!)
One thing this show shows me is, maybe I just don't like Christian's voice as much as I used to. He sounds similar here, and not in a way I enjoy. There is just something lethargic about him, or at least that's how I'm hearing it.
As for the principals' voices, I don't mean to bring it up again, so I won't other than to say this: as they age, their voice have weakened and will continue to do so; there will be good days and bad, and there will be more bad as time goes on unless time goes in reverse. I don't mean there is no way they will ever sound good again. Far from it. But what I've heard in the past few years makes me sad and less optimistic for any future work, particularly live, without serious assistance from the band.
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Post by kds on Jul 7, 2021 14:30:55 GMT
Yeah, some of the leads, particularly from Mike and Brian, will have good and bad days, but as we saw in 2012, and over the last almost decade with Mike's and Brian's respective bands, having a band full of capable vocalists can really help, especially when it comes to harmonies.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2021 14:40:17 GMT
Yeah, some of the leads, particularly from Mike and Brian, will have good and bad days, but as we saw in 2012, and over the last almost decade with Mike's and Brian's respective bands, having a band full of capable vocalists can really help, especially when it comes to harmonies. Absolutely. And that's why I am hesitant (at best) to push for a more "principals-only" approach. But a "yes, and" approach? Sure.
And while we know (or at least suspect) that isn't where their interests lie on any grand scale, it's also why a studio effort has more promise than, say, a 100-city tour. Alas, I suspect we'll be looking at a little studio content to supplement the other anniversary activities as opposed to the other way around.
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Post by kds on Jul 7, 2021 14:50:38 GMT
Yeah, some of the leads, particularly from Mike and Brian, will have good and bad days, but as we saw in 2012, and over the last almost decade with Mike's and Brian's respective bands, having a band full of capable vocalists can really help, especially when it comes to harmonies. Absolutely. And that's why I am hesitant (at best) to push for a more "principals-only" approach. But a "yes, and" approach? Sure.
And while we know (or at least suspect) that isn't where their interests lie on any grand scale, it's also why a studio effort has more promise than, say, a 100-city tour. Alas, I suspect we'll be looking at a little studio content to supplement the other anniversary activities as opposed to the other way around.
I think a "principals-only" approach isn't even a possibility. In 2012, Jeff, Totten, and Darian carried quite a few lead vocals. It's a real pity that Jeff likely wouldn't be involved as he's been such a big part of the Beach Boys live extended universe for the better part of 40 years. On his own tours, it seems like Brian has started relinquishing more lead vocals. I think a tour is more likely as this point, frankly because I don't think they'd be able to cobble together enough material for a studio album.
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