Brian Wilson - "Awake" (Demo) - October 1971

[clibinarius]

@spicegirlsfan472 Brian Wilson also makes a lot of inaccurate statements. His whole autobiography was a fraud, for instance.

Also, on the live recordings of tree-despite the quality of the concerts being awful-Jardine wasn't singing but Wilson was.

I thought he said it was also that Lynda Jardine was on the record at the end in the background...I never heard about Al.

Carlin's bio also suggests that by Surf's Up Brian Wilson was definitely a baritone-baritones can sing falsetto.

[TheBoldImperator]

@clibinarius The only live recording (from '71) we have of Brian on "Tree", he's playing the organ, not singing. That myth was started on the old SmileShop board by someone who had misheard his tape. Jack Riley is the lead on that.

[clibinarius]

@spicegirlsfan472 Jack Rieley and Stephen Desper have made statements very much to the contrary.

[clibinarius]

@spicegirlsfan472

Have you listened to the ending tag of Surf's Up? Day in the Life of a Tree? Sounds pretty sped up. At least, very different.

This is what he sounded like without being sped up and singing straight. I think it sounds good. But it doesn't sound like classic Brian Wilson anymore. It sounds more like MIU album to me than Summer Days, sorry.

The voice decline took 10 years to hit rock bottom. The only difference is he's more hoarse on LY or 15BO.

[TheBoldImperator]

@clibinarius Brian doesn't sing on the ending tag to Surf's Up, sans the vocal that was already recorded in 1966 (and is available in its virgin form in a lot of places). If you're talking about the lead vocal on the tag - that's Al, and it's probably not sped up. Same story for ADITLOAT (though he /may/ be singing backups on that). Saying it sounds like MIU is a massive stretch, considering it's doubtful he could've even sung this high by that point.

[franhimself]

Beautiful,never heard this version before.Very moving.Thanks for sharing it with us.

[hellomcflyy]

is this the song they played in that A&E documentary several years ago - when they were talking about Brian's "Aesop phase".....

[clibinarius]

Its Brian. Compare to the ending vocals on "Til I Die"-same singer.

His voice was declining already in Pet Sounds if you listen to it single tracked. By 1968, it was obvious-just listen to Friends and compare it to Pet Sounds. It was the smoking, not the coke.

And have you heard the stuff from 1974? He sounds awful by that point. The change took 10 years, it was slow. It wasn't just five packs in the 70s.

I think its nice to hear him baritone before he sounds...well..76.

[Vincecouk]

@clibinarius you must have 'very' high standards. He sounds exceptional on Pet Sounds single track or not...! And have you heard the stuff he recorded for Smile shortly after> 'Wonderful' from 1966? Or even his demo of 'Surf's Up'? Likewise, I don't get your comments about 'Friends' at all... bizarre.

However, if you said he'd lost it by 1972/3 around the time of 'Holland' I'd agree with that. Certainly more nasal sounding by 1973, and then gruff and rough a little later after that....

[clibinarius]

@Vincecouk

I said declining-not lost. Compare him on Pet Sounds to "What is a Young Girl Made Of" or even just "Surfer Girl"-doesn't mean he lost it, he still sounds good, but you can hear his voice already going south.

He wasn't too much more nasal by 1973.  That was a result of his voice being sped up. It was just his voice got weaker and lower. Cigarettes will do that to you.

[TheBoldImperator]

@clibinarius What "stuff from 1974"? He doesn't sound anywhere near his 15 Big Ones voice on Rollin' Up to Heaven, and by all accounts, he doesn't on the unreleased California Feelin' demo or Lucy Jones.

The change was not a gradual decline as you seem to think (although only a fool would say there wasn't decline due to cigarettes and age).There's no other explaination as to why December 1974 has been described as "the last of the classic Brian vocals" when 15 BO was 1975.

[PoprocksCk]

Sounds like Brian to me... at least during the falsetto parts. The low part at the beginning is too muddy to tell who it is. But the falsetto part sounds very similar to Sunflower-era Brian.

[gjamieson78]

Brian wrote this with David Sandler. Sandler's is the voice you hear at the beginning of the demo.

[aftershock71]

WOW!! October 1971...the month and year of my birth!!

[dmcguire70]

i really don't think this sounds like Brian at all!!

[anothercountyheard]

thanks for sharing this !

[runnersdialzero33]

Brian singing and playing piano, but NOT written by Brian.

[JDrevolver66]

definitely Brian. beautiful too.

[shotdonkey]

are you sure this was recorded in october 1971? I thought all the original recordings for the SPRING album were made in 1970...with the album finally being released in july 1972.

october 1971 would seem a little late in my view...

[AGD55]

Brian didn't write this, people.

[Markgr122]

I know,person.

[Tazmantr]

Don't sound like Brian Wilson

[tehmaster690]

@Tazmantr By this point, his voice was starting to decline. The falsetto is still good, but you can hear wear on his modal voice. Still, he hits the notes well. His voice didn't really take a dive until 1975, when he smoked five packs a day, plus cocaine. Which resulted in his hoarse, stoner voice a la Love You

[timjmoran]

@Tazmantr Hmm.. I didn't think it was BW either at the beginning.. until he hits the

Falsetto part- then I thought it COULD be.... Possibly Kurt Boettcher?? didn't they

kinda run in the same circles- same producer ( Terry Melcher) ? Nice tune, in

any case...

[beofie]

Hey, a newfound! Great!

[bobufer]

Wow. When I woke up this morning I didn't know I'd hear a Brian classic today.

[fasterthanbolt]

Awesome!

Paolo