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Post by Kapitan on Dec 14, 2022 12:27:07 GMT
I think lonelysummer is exactly right about Brian's shouty vocals, more than B.E. seems to think. I think his diminished range and vocal power absolutely is why he increasingly shouted out higher parts once he got into his solo career.
I partly agree with BE that he could always choose to go falsetto instead, but I think there is a little more to it. Any passage that would require switching into and out of falsetto could be really hard to do. That's something Brian was great at in his younger days (think "Don't Worry Baby"), but I haven't seen evidence of that in a long time, either. Plus, his falsetto used to be clear and piercing, in some ways not that different than his regular voice except higher. If you listen to his (usually quadruple-tracked...) falsetto in the past couple decades, it's more...grainy? Breathy? I'm not sure the right word, but it's a different timbre that I don't think has that same clarity at all. So even if he could pull off the switching back and forth, the tone would be quite different, and weaker.
The shouty vocal keeps some of that clarity and extends the range upward. But it sounds, well, shouty. Sometimes it works pretty well. But sometimes it's pretty rough and abrasive. Just depends on the song/part.
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Post by kds on Dec 14, 2022 13:48:29 GMT
Not being as familiar with other versions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", I never thought anything was amiss! Now that I know, I'm not quite convinced it wasn't - at least, in part - a creative decision. I like the effect. It's actually one of my favorite traditional carols, but it's typically a more somber, sometimes almost dirge like, arrangement, so I think it's cool that Brian and the Wondermints did something different with it.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 14, 2022 21:51:21 GMT
I hate when hymns and carols are overly slow, including that one. Yes, it's in a minor key, but I think it works best as an almost jaunty little tune, erring on the side of too fast over too slow. I thought the arrangement on Brian's album was pretty good.
Overall, in fact, I think they did a better job of avoiding the super-obvious Brianisms in the arrangements on that album, as opposed to, say, the Disney or even Gershwin albums at times. (The plucked piano strings in "The First Noel" are an exception, though I still do like that one a lot, anyway.)
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Post by kds on Dec 15, 2022 16:03:37 GMT
We had five voters for Brian Wilson's What I Really Want for Christmas, although one abstained from selecting a Worst, so here are the results
Best
What I Really Want For Christmas - 3 The First Noel - 1 On Christmas Day - 1
Worst
Little Saint Nick - 2 Silent Night - 2
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Post by kds on Dec 15, 2022 16:05:46 GMT
The next solo album is Mike Love's 2018 Christmas offering - Reason for the Season. Voting will wrap on Thursday, December 22, at 11am EST.
Mike Love - Reason for the Season (2018)
Best Worst Celestial Celebration 1 1 Finally It's Christmas (feat. Hanson) Little St. Nick 2 Must Be Christmas (with Ambha Love & Christian Love) 1 Jingle Bell Rock 1 Alone On Christmas Day Reason For The Season 1 2 Do You Hear What I Hear (with All Love) 1 Away in a Manger (with All Love) Bring a Torch (feat. Hayleigh Love & Brian Love) 2 O Come All Ye Faithful (with All Love) O Holy Night (with All Love)
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Post by kds on Dec 15, 2022 17:15:57 GMT
I'm not piling on Mike here, but Mike's Christmas album is predictably a pretty big step down quality wise from Brian's Christmas album. I still find it enjoyable this time of year, but I don't play it nearly as much as The Beach Boys or Brian's albums. I feel like it's less distinctive, and by the end of the album, it's easy to forget you're listening to a BB related album at all.
Best - Bring a Torch - Unlike the BB or BW Christmas albums, the originals don't do a lot for me, with the possible exception of Alone on Christmas Day, which of course, dates back to about 1977. But, I chose Bring a Torch because I like Hayleigh's vocals, and unlike the other carols selected, there aren't dozens are other versions I prefer to listen to.
Worst - Celestial Celebration - I almost went with Little Saint Nick for the second album in a row, for yet another unnecessary remake, which is similar to the BB classics on Unleash the Love. But, I find the chorus of the opener extremely annoying. To quote the Grinch, it sounds very much like "noise....noise.....noise." I'm sure Kap can probably explain it better than I can, but it just sounds like a wall of muck, with almost unintelligible (other than "Christmas") vocals and a mess of instruments.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 15, 2022 17:35:59 GMT
I hate to admit this, because I also really don't mean to pile on Mike, but when this was posted, my first thought was, "wait, I have to listen to this again? I already listened to it!" And I mean, I listened to it, like, once. Twice. Something like that, back when we reviewed it. That's it. It didn't leave a great taste in my mouth. But a job's a job! I'll cue it up and do my duty.
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Post by kds on Dec 15, 2022 17:53:14 GMT
I hate to admit this, because I also really don't mean to pile on Mike, but when this was posted, my first thought was, "wait, I have to listen to this again? I already listened to it!" And I mean, I listened to it, like, once. Twice. Something like that, back when we reviewed it. That's it. It didn't leave a great taste in my mouth. But a job's a job! I'll cue it up and do my duty. Silver lining, it's a pretty short album, especially by 2018 standards at about 38 minutes.
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Post by lonelysummer on Dec 16, 2022 7:21:55 GMT
I'm not piling on Mike here, but Mike's Christmas album is predictably a pretty big step down quality wise from Brian's Christmas album. I still find it enjoyable this time of year, but I don't play it nearly as much as The Beach Boys or Brian's albums. I feel like it's less distinctive, and by the end of the album, it's easy to forget you're listening to a BB related album at all. Best - Bring a Torch - Unlike the BB or BW Christmas albums, the originals don't do a lot for me, with the possible exception of Alone on Christmas Day, which of course, dates back to about 1977. But, I chose Bring a Torch because I like Hayleigh's vocals, and unlike the other carols selected, there aren't dozens are other versions I prefer to listen to. Worst - Celestial Celebration - I almost went with Little Saint Nick for the second album in a row, for yet another unnecessary remake, which is similar to the BB classics on Unleash the Love. But, I find the chorus of the opener extremely annoying. To quote the Grinch, it sounds very much like "noise....noise.....noise." I'm sure Kap can probably explain it better than I can, but it just sounds like a wall of muck, with almost unintelligible (other than "Christmas") vocals and a mess of instruments. Bring a Torch is my favorite, too. Least favorite is Jingle Bell Rock, just because it's been done so many times by different artists. But overall, I find it a very enjoyable holiday cd.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 17, 2022 0:28:24 GMT
I know I've been negative lately and I apologize, but the Beach Boys' solo albums, to me, are weak. With the exception of a few (Pacific Ocean Blue, Youngblood, and No Pier Pressure), almost all are disappointing. And, Reason For The Season falls right in line.
Simply, Mike waited too long to record his late-career flurry of solo albums and singles. His voice was noticeably thinner and raspier, and he lost most of the vocal charm and nuances that once made him an outstanding singer. Much like Brian, Mike didn't have the vocal chops to carry an entire solo album. This is going to sound contradictory, but even though Mike couldn't carry Reason For The Season, I believe it was also a mistake to bring in his children so substantially. Their voices aren't that good, they add little positives to the album, and despite some good choices of Christmas carols, the album just limps off into the sunset.
Reason For The Season fails in actually four distinct ways. First, on several of the songs, the production is so in-your-face and bombastic that it overpowers Mike's vocals. He actually sounds blown away in places. Second, the covers of the two BB songs are bad. There was no - zero - reason for covering "Little Saint Nick". There was no way to improve it and Mike does it no justice. He just couldn't let it be. The other cover, "Alone On Christmas Day" isn't a bad song; I actually like it. But Mike messed that one up, too. It's overproduced and the repetitive ending goes on way too long. It's like Mike is trying to milk that riff or hook, but he beats it into the ground. The only original song, "Reason For The Season", is annoying. It's not the type of song/arrangement/genre that you use to make a "message" about the meaning of Christmas. And, finally, I do not care for The Love Family Singers. Again, yes, Mike needed help, but I can think of other singers (and so could you! ) that he could've used. Yes, it's charming to bring in your children and make it a sentimental family affair. Except it didn't work. It has its moments, but there are too few.
As much as I like Christmas music, I can't see myself pulling out this one often. Even though it is a Beach Boy, there's so many other better Christmas songs and performances to be enjoyed.
BEST SONG: I guess "Celestial Celebration".
WORST SONG: "Reason For The Season". Ugh. And the sacrilgious remake of "Little Saint Nick" ain't far behind.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 19, 2022 15:52:00 GMT
I'm sorry, I tried. I really did. But I hate this album. It has a lot going against it. First, I'm not a big fan of Christmas music to begin with. Not that I don't enjoy some, sometimes. But it's not something I gravitate to. Second, Mike's taste tends not to be to my taste, it often comes across as corny, cheesy, cliched, etc. But third, his voice is so clearly in serious decline on these recordings! He really sounds old: thin and quavering, none of the brassy quality he once had. Sure, his kids and whoever else is helping with the vocals help in that respect, but if I'm not a big fan of the idea of a Beach Boy's Christmas album, then I'm less interested in a Beach Boy's daughter's album...
Best: Do You Hear What I Hear, I suppose. I like the song generally, and I like the singing here pretty well. I like the little grit in the male lead singer (is that Christian or someone else?) on the higher parts. I almost could have gone with Finally It's Christmas, but Mike's prominent lead parts are pretty bad for the reasons mentioned above.
Worst: so much competition! I'm going with Reason For the Season, but I really strongly dislike so much of this album, it's almost a toss-up.
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Post by kds on Dec 19, 2022 16:20:42 GMT
I'm sorry, I tried. I really did. But I hate this album. It has a lot going against it. First, I'm not a big fan of Christmas music to begin with. Not that I don't enjoy some, sometimes. But it's not something I gravitate to. Second, Mike's taste tends not to be to my taste, it often comes across as corny, cheesy, cliched, etc. But third, his voice is so clearly in serious decline on these recordings! He really sounds old: thin and quavering, none of the brassy quality he once had. Sure, his kids and whoever else is helping with the vocals help in that respect, but if I'm not a big fan of the idea of a Beach Boy's Christmas album, then I'm less interested in a Beach Boy's daughter's album...
Best: Do You Hear What I Hear, I suppose. I like the song generally, and I like the singing here pretty well. I like the little grit in the male lead singer (is that Christian or someone else?) on the higher parts. I almost could have gone with Finally It's Christmas, but Mike's prominent lead parts are pretty bad for the reasons mentioned above.
Worst: so much competition! I'm going with Reason For the Season, but I really strongly dislike so much of this album, it's almost a toss-up.
I will say that I prefer this version of Do You Hear What I Hear over many of the covers I've heard in recent memory. I believe Whitney Houston's version was the first to use a slower tempo, and her version was used as a template for covers by Carrie Underwood and Jordan Sparks.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 20, 2022 0:30:54 GMT
I'm sorry, I tried. I really did. But I hate this album. It has a lot going against it. First, I'm not a big fan of Christmas music to begin with. Not that I don't enjoy some, sometimes. But it's not something I gravitate to. Second, Mike's taste tends not to be to my taste, it often comes across as corny, cheesy, cliched, etc. But third, his voice is so clearly in serious decline on these recordings! He really sounds old: thin and quavering, none of the brassy quality he once had. Sure, his kids and whoever else is helping with the vocals help in that respect, but if I'm not a big fan of the idea of a Beach Boy's Christmas album, then I'm less interested in a Beach Boy's daughter's album...
Best: Do You Hear What I Hear, I suppose. I like the song generally, and I like the singing here pretty well. I like the little grit in the male lead singer (is that Christian or someone else?) on the higher parts. I almost could have gone with Finally It's Christmas, but Mike's prominent lead parts are pretty bad for the reasons mentioned above.
Worst: so much competition! I'm going with Reason For the Season, but I really strongly dislike so much of this album, it's almost a toss-up.
I will say that I prefer this version of Do You Hear What I Hear over many of the covers I've heard in recent memory. I believe Whitney Houston's version was the first to use a slower tempo, and her version was used as a template for covers by Carrie Underwood and Jordan Sparks. "Do You Hear What I Hear" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I particularly like Bing Crosby and Johnny Mathis's versions, but also check out Jack Jones and Perry Como's versions. I find those four to be incomparable. I have to admit, though, that Carrie Underwood does a fine interpretation, too.
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Post by lonelysummer on Dec 20, 2022 8:34:33 GMT
Mike also did Do You Hear What I Hear on one of those Radio Shack albums back in the 80's.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 20, 2022 13:07:55 GMT
Mike also did Do You Hear What I Hear on one of those Radio Shack albums back in the 80's. Yes, and he recorded/released "Jingle Bell Rock" in 1983. And, of course, with The Beach Boys he recorded "Little Saint Nick". Perplexing is the only word I can think of to describe Mike's...penchant...for wanting to cover songs, and in this case again, not just others' songs but his own. And with a Christmas album, of all the hundreds of songs he could've chosen. Same with Brian on What I Really Want For Christmas.
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