The Beach Boys - Wouldn't it be nice live 1971

[bucamike]

so much better than todays talkin rap,this was singing

[wrsmith711]

that was my comment...  the opening line of the song was wrong...

[christophj87]

@SkyHbr Simple answer: Al made a mistake with the first line. Plus different instrumentation and (lead) singers, so what do you mean with "sound like them". Take the album version, a live version from the 60s, 70s, 80s... they all sound different, from the same band. So no reason for wrong accusations.

[EnokiSkai]

@SkyHbr lol...it is the beach boys

[denniswilsonfan]

Al and Carl used to switch back and forth lead vocal on several songs including this one I believe.

[jwjeffrey]

I would had thought Carl would had sang this in Brian place,since Carl and Brian had similar vocal styles.Maybe Al sang it to give him more lead vocals.

[SmexyTrailerz]

I think he fucked up the first line

[David44763]

@1shnookste Hear Hear! But Ringo wasn't the best drummer in the Beatles. Regardless, I love the BBs and the Beatles. The first album I ever bought was the Essential Beatles; followed by BBs Summer ..... Something

[G8GT364CI]

I hate to say it but Mike Love looked like a deranged lunatic with that beard.

[PacificRunaway]

Genius songwriting.

Outstanding performance.

[rdkirley]

I think Al does a solid job of performing Brian's lead vocal on this song. BTW, happy birthday Carl. RIP

[gimpyjwilliams]

@rdkirley i always thought carl did the lead in thsi song

[hfelton]

 The beach Boys just were never the same after Brian's crack-up.

[feldspar30]

Learn the lyrics, Al.

[TheBoldImperator]

@1shnookste I wouldn't say he's as good as Ringo, but he is criminally underrated thanks to a mistaken belief that Brian used the Wrecking Crew on anything and everything - a myth that they themselves aren't particularly trying to debunk.

[Meth66head]

Carl never "fit" well in that beard

[fumetti]

@Meth66head all the Beach Boys shaved off their beards eventually except Carl (except for a brief period in 1976).

[dannybighair]

groove dennis!

[cripitsacrapple]

65 million records? musicians cant even imagine those figures :( sad times for the music industry

[TheBKnab]

I love Mike's "ZZ Top" getup. No I don't. 

[fugitive1201]

I know Al got some lyrics wrong in the beginning but I think he actually did a good job on this. I think a big part of the Beach Boys sound are those strained sounding vocals.

[jackhillty1]

beards

[vagabondrecon]

yup, love was always a jerk, the beard didn't help like it with would most ppl

[pykkervots]

Perhaps longtime Beach Boy fans can help me out here. Was Mike Love an arrogant asshole from the very beginning or was it something he had to work hard on to perfect. He must have been owed some back dated Karma to get this sort of geneological luck.

[WallOfSound1990]

@1shnookste But thats the trouble. Ringo isn't applauded. Everyone says he was shit. he was fucking awesome and so was Dennis

[neostriderbzk]

Mike looks creepy!

[64downtown]

mustve been the grow your whiskers period

[SCBianchi]

Mike Love of ZZ Top lol

[rouens]

i must admit this is not in Al's keys\ also arent the lyrics wouldt it be nice it we older and al sing we were closer?

[rouens]

i must admit this is not in Al's keys\

[phillytothemax]

420p we meet again.

[OriginalMindTrick]

@phillytothemax

Fail

[Benefit1970]

Mike Love is a cunt.

[CharlieMoher]

@Benefit1970 Wouldn't he give you a kiss at the concert ? Maybe he's shy and doesn't like public shows of affection.

[CharlieMoher]

@Benefit1970 By the way, I don't mean to be anal, but guys are pricks, women are cunts.

[Benefit1970]

@CharlieMoher In this case, since Mike Love single handedly changed the course of music for the worse, he thus is qualified to be a cunt.

[CharlieMoher]

@Benefit1970 Single handedly changing music either way makes him a musical God IMHO.

[CharlieMoher]

@Benefit1970 how did accomplish such a feat, by the way ?

[morninggloryseed]

@Benefit1970

One of these in every Beach Boy thread! Tool.

[crankdat78]

They loook hot. <3

[SuperOzzilla]

Wouldn't it be nice if Brian wasn't tripping balls at the moment?

[CharlieMoher]

@SuperOzzilla tripping balls ????? hmmmm must be newspeak.



[bloodtimer]

@1shnookste Both are underrated.

[BrianandLynFroggatt]

I was less than a year old! I love the beach boys!

[mckstho]

50first dates! :)

[Adema1226]

@1shnookste

He played on "That's Not Me", while Brian played bass and Carl played 12 string guitar. I read that's the only song Pet Sounds that all three brothers played instruments together. Not sure why Brian didn't hire the wrecking crew for that song, maybe the instrumentation was simple enough he didn't waste money on it (though that shouldn't have been a problem for him).

[rickplic]

80's

[wajimataka]

(;´д｀)

[randagiove]

I am a man on a flaming pie...

[BALLYJUNKIE]

@1shnookste your insane dennis wilson timing is terrible ,the guy couldnt play a decent fill to save his life ..ringob was and is way better .dennis was sub -par 

[TheCozmister]

Mike Love looks like one of ZZ Top.... :S

[RankielGuitar]

al fucked up at 0:42 haha

[doorsfan48]

wouldn't it be nice...if Al knew the lyrics

[Regajde]

@doorsfan48 lol yeah true

[94981745]

@doorsfan48 agreed. why the hell would he change the lyrics? this is a sub-par performance from the beach boys they played better in 65/66

[RankielGuitar]

better that Wilson, Al is such a good singer

[EuphratTigris]

@1shnookste Still, other than Dennis, Ringo plays 99% of the drums you hear on Beatles recordings (session man Andy White played on the LP Version of Love Me Do, Paul played the drums on Back In The U.S.S.R., Ballad Of John & Yoko and maybe 2-3 other songs, but that's about it).

[sydneythi]

50 first dates.!

[byron151227]

The beach boys are beast

[23olympics]

Al sings really good

[Okiemom50]

@23olympics I agree. There have been times in the past where I really had to listen close because at first I thought it was Brian! LOL

[normswwworld]

Dennis was a hard hitting great rock drummer totally in tune with the Beach Boys sound..

[ericebryan]

@normswwworld Amen, and bless you for saying that.

[TheVoid47]

Very good song. Better than a lot of songs today.

[hellomcflyy]

there are no 1966-68 Beach Boys tv appearances of them doing anything from Pet Sounds (well - you get God Only Knows on the Unicef special in 67- which is like the ONLY tv gig they did at all during 66/67) - is that all because of the litagation they were going through and nobody wanted to put them on - you don't even get them doing Good Vibrations until mid-68 on Ed Sullivan - a year and a half after the fact

[ph4455]

It hurts these days are gone forever with such good music

[armandbourgoignie]

Perhaps they weren't very close at the time...? LOL

[PackfaninTx]

Then I screw up my post, lol. I meant "at least get the words right".

[PackfaninTx]

Wouldn't it be nice if we were closer? Were they all stoned? Sheesh, at least get the words rifgt.

[Paintinprettypicture]

AL and Carl really stepped up after brian refused to play live

[deweypug]

Beach Boys without Brian = nothing

[motownnewbery]

Beach boys awesome

Tamla Tom

[getyerkix]

what happened to the lyrics?  looks like Al got mixed up a litte.

[alexandertarangerkin]

Haha, Al keeps forgetting text all the time ^^^he even repeats the same on several occasions, but great performance nonetheless!!

[jctorontojctoronto]

spectacular.....period.

my all time favorite.....chokes me up every time...

jctoronto

[asr53]

They did some great live shows back in the early 70's. Not too long after this clip, Dennis hurt his hand, Bruce was out and Blondie & Ricky came on board.

[JoeGancher]

Who's on bass ?

[christophj87]

@JoeGancher Bruce Johnston

[karmafrog1]

@christophj87 AND, if you look carefully Ed Carter too. Apparently two bass players here. Hmm!

[000PetSounds000]

@JoeGancher at that time, brian have a sick because drug..

[keaton1895]

@JoeGancher Bruce Johnson

[Wolfsky9]

@JoeGancher Sir, When BW stopped touring & performing onstage with the guys, the issue of who would sing his parts--the high falsetto &/or any of his leads--became all too real. Al did almost all falsett parts, & he did them well, until Jeff Foskett started with the group in '81. The leads however, were shared by both Carl & Al, depending on the song, & who could--would--do it best. Bruce left the group in Late '72 because of their manager, Jack Reilly, only to be asked back in '79. Wolfsky9

[petephils]

Classic Dennis Wilson drumplay...!

[ainsliebrockett]

@petephils as a drummer of 30 years, dennis i think is the most under rated drummer apart from karen carpenter. he was ambidextrice--brilliant talent

[OropherThranduil]

@ainsliebrockett

probably because he almost never drummed in the studio and got backed up by another drummer from the late 60s onwards, but that's nothing against him.

[level242]

look at Al's haircut...he looks like Dick Cavett

[ottawangel]

Ew Al shouldn't do lead.

[rwk1983]

@ottawangel your nuts, he did a great job for this being live

[Ricardodelamuerte]

al is singing!!! awesome, shows how this band adapted and pulled through Brian's absence, poor guy dealing with drugs and mental health issues: genius syndrome.

[betwes]

After having heard a song we like over and over, we get used to the sounds and voices, and it´s difficult to get used to other people singing it... If we heard another beach boy singing Help Me Rhonda, we wouldn´t like it as much, whereas, if Al hadn´t recorded it, we would have liked any other BB singing it.... But he did miss some lines... Anyway, the Beach Boys will always be the best!!!

[cholocharile]

Why is Al singing? Just wondering, Brian usually does lead vocals on this.

[christophj87]

@cholocharile Brian didn't go on stage with them at that time, so Al took over the lead. Sometimes Carl sang the song, too.

[AllenOption8]

@christophj87 Al handled most of the Brian vocals and very well. Really not so good on this one but he delivered oh so well most of the vocals.

[GaryJohnsonMusic]

@cholocharile - Al is Murdering the Lyrics... ugh.

[BeachBoysGuy1]

@cholocharile because he wasn't there

[keaton1895]

@cholocharile brian was not performing with them at this period

[misstsarina]

@cholocharile I was wondering the same thing and I remembered that Brian worked a lot in the studio at this time and he hated go on stage. Al has a nice voice, but the rhythm is way too FAST. It's as if they were running after some Beach Girls ;=)

[relimes]

Who the hell's the guy in the big beard and hat?

[Mattzee91]

@relimes Mike Love after he became a Trascendental Meditation follower

[MrAndiamo7]

Whoever was singing lead on this (looks like Jardine) was missing badly. The first line is wrong, he sings "wouldn't it be nice if we were CLOSER," instead of OLDER. Then, in the second verse, he sings "wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up," (correct) but instead of singing "in the morning when the day is new," he sings again, instead, the last line of the first verse, "in the kind of world where we belong." Good to know it's definitely LIVE!! though. LOL

[aftershock71]

awesome...the year I was born!

[relimes]

Hold on, didnt bruce johnston leave the beach boys in 1969 and then returned in 79? why is he in this video?

[christophj87]

@relimes He left in 1972

[johnmusk]

Was forced out by Jack Rieley is more like it.

[who27moon]

@relimes why not? lol just kidding haha but i was thinkin the same thing.

[fishdog666]

Wait a second! Couldn't Carl have handled all of the Brian vocals??? Through the 60's he sounded just like Brian, minus some of the higher register.

[BeachBoysGuy1]

@fishdog666 Carl could def have handled it, BUT Brian's voice has more trewble/edge to it, whereas Carl's tone was more round.

[SHOCKELECTRIK]

How could the hippy movement ever take this beach pop music seriously !

who whole image turn around was completely alien to the music...adding silly hippy "moments" to each surfing song wasn't credible either

thank God they're jumps never did disco additions - a band wagon jump to far I'd say.

the whole image change was as contrived as the Beatles one - they all looked silly when it was over.

they were Pop yes - rock no -

hippy disco anyone ?

[TheDaddyCokes]

@SHOCKELECTRIK Agree its kinda contrived and thats a shame, but I wouldnt call this "beach music". By the time Pet Sounds came around, or even just before, Brian Wilson's writing and producing was taking the music well beyond the "surfer music" tag, influencing so many incl. the Beatles. To me a song like this is totally Rock music, and probably a few others agree when you see Pet Sounds listed as the #1 rock album of all time on som many prominent lists.

[brooker712008]

@TheDaddyCokes The Surf music tag does seem rather odd considering the only albums to contain prominent songs about surfing were on the 1st 3 albums, after that it was either cars (409, Little Deuce Coupe etc) of summer/sun (All Summer Long, The Warmth Of The Sun etc), and that didn't last too long either. This seems to happen to a lot of groups though - The Beatles still have a 'loveable moptop' image with a lot of people while The Bee Gees are still regarded as a disco band by many.

[MarkFartman]

@brooker712008

Maybe it has something to do with the band's name....

[brooker712008]

@SHOCKELECTRIK The trouble is I think some people take music so seriously they actually forget to enjoy the records they are listening to. Who cares what the hippies may have thought about The Beach Boys? They are a great band whose music is mainly about having a good time, as far as I am concerned that is something to be applauded. Let's leave 'serious' out of it.

[SHOCKELECTRIK]

@brooker712008 Brian Wilson was so serious about the band's sound he had a nervous breakdown because of it.

[brooker712008]

@SHOCKELECTRIK A very good point, that is a real danger with being creative, it can overtake you as was the case with Brian which is a great shame, thankfully he was eventually able to overcome his problems. I do know he got rather upset having heard Sergeant Pepper, feeling as though he could never compete with such an album (which of course he could), and he was allegedly terrified of Phil Spector too.

[JoeGancher]

@brooker712008 It was actually the precise opposite. McCartney set Pet Sounds as the new standard that had to be beat and inspired him to do Sgt Pepper's...You can research that. It is well documented.

[BeachBoysGuy1]

Al mixed up the lyrics and you casn see Csrl notice it.

[fishdog666]

Al's singing Brian's part? Quite a range on that man!

[TheBradley911]

Al would sing Brian's leads on a lot of songs when Brian wasn't touring with them. On the Beach Boys in concert album, from 1973, he sang lead on six or seven songs, more than Mike did, because of all the songs of Brian he sang.

[fishdog666]

It would have been nice (pardon the pun) to hear Brian on the late 60's/early 70's live stuff. The dude was a fucking genius!

[The12aerosmith]

such a fantastic song, definately one of the best groups out there.....

but i'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but in all these live videos i've never been able to hear al's guitar...is he not playing?

[JoeGancher]

@The12aerosmith they had a "wall of sound" notion of production which basically says every instrument gets played at the same volume and is not discernible from any other.

[powerman2g]

It's so strange seeing them with all that hair. But when you watch the earlier performances they are so clean cut. This performance occurred the year I was born, so I have only videos to compare.

[Metrobilbao]

damn.. what a lyrical clusterfuck!!!!!

[HabibTh]

Dennis rocking on drums...just great and he was in his prime

[koa2341]

I beleive anyting without Brian is not Beach Boys. Love is dispeciable and Jardiene and Johnston don't help- This is emabarrasing

[1jimbones]

Poor Bruce Johnson finally got a chance to sing lead for a line or two "and we could be married" "and then we'd be happy" but the camera pans away from him. He must have left the band shortly after this preformance and replaced by Blondie and Rickie. Does anyone know why Bruce left the band during this period?

[TVBasicallyBasicB2B]

This was a few months before he left, it depends, Ricky joined when Dennis fractured his hand and couldn't play drums and that was late 71 (November ish) and Blondie joined in about December 71. But Bruce was kicked out for two reasons. 1) He was making fun of Brian's mental illness behind his back and it bothered people who thought Brian deserved respect. 2) They thought Bruce wrote too many slow songs, and Blondie wrote more Hard Rock R&B Soul flavored tunes that could sell more

[brooker712008]

@TVBasicallyBasicB2B I wasn't aware of Bruce being kicked out of the band, I always understood he left of his own accord, and was he really in the habit of taking the mick out of Brian's fragile mental state? That is quite a surprise to me.

[4578a]

This is their best period as a band,i think.

[misterslaughter]

Sang one of the verses the wrong way round.

[AcrossfromtheAlamo]

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.......you sing it Al, whatever lyircs you like... I can dig it!

[BeachBoysGuy1]

just before the bridge ("Maybe if we ...."), Carl turns his head toward Mike to help him stay in key. Mike used to sound awful on that part years agao ( he has since learned it). Watch Carl closely at about 1:12. Carl RULED

[thefootballfan007]

I don't think carl was lookin at him for that.. Carl was just following along with the song.. as long as mike and everyone was in the ball park they were happy.. That's a very hard song to do live.

[BeachBoysGuy1]

Mayne you're right, but having heard absolutely butcher that part so many times, I think Carl tried to keey him in pitch.

[thefootballfan007]

yeah.. no wonder brian's dad was so hard on them in the beginning.. mike love isn't the best vocalist in the world. He's the most unlikely rock star in the world.. But a cool guy.. All of them together, when they are on.. it's amazing..

[1jimbones]

I did look at the video at the 1:12 mark and you can see Carl mouthing the words to Mike so I agree with you that he was keeping Mike in key. Its just great to hear live music as opposed to lip synching

[Sincopare]

@1jimbones VERY revealing...i believe Carl had perfect pitch ability

[gittahfiend]

Yes,He certainly did !

[eri06]

Actually, Carl was directing every movement, he turns and yells "Dennis " in 1:37, and at the end turns again to mark the final

[BeachBoysGuy1]

@eri06 thanks you're right. Carl was THE man !!

John

[JoeGancher]

@eri06 They all turned for the gradual time change as everyone gets their timing off the drummer and these timing changes, the gradual ones, are very hard to pull off. You will also see Mike Love snapping his finger according to what he sees and hears Dennis doing on drums at that point.

[shellzay]

@BeachBoysGuy1 Oh, my goodness, you're right! Carl does it so unobtrusively it is barely noticeable, bless his heart. What a true professional.

I've only become more acquainted with the BB's music and their history in the last several weeks or so. I've read that Carl was a gem. That beautiful, ethereal voice and instrumental ability enveloped in a gentle and loving soul: Stellar. :o)

[weezurblue]

hahaha dennis wasnt originaly plannd for the band untill there mother told brian to let him be a part of the group, and without being able to play anything he became there drummer :D thx for the video

[nightfly776]

Not the best performance. Harmonies are shoddy, and Al's lyrics were all over the place. How much dope were the Beach Men smoking before this performance?

[BeachBoysGuy1]

I used to wonder what Al was up to when he sang lead in pconcert on this great tune, but then I listened to the various versions that Brian produced before he made the final cut. The second verse wasw the first for a while

jh

[spacepatrolman]

there is a beach boys song book were the chords were differant from the record

[spacepatrolman]

Come to think of it the lyrics were differant in this early version of wouldnt it be nice in the songbook .

[BeachBoysGuy1]

The most exact explanation of the chords and bass parts are to be found on the Billy Hinsche instruction video on how to play Beach Boys songs. He ought to know. try his website

JHP

[Bumbajam]

Stunning... What. A. Band.

[HabibTh]

Dennis Wilson at his finest on the drums!