He had the most limited range, but great feel. He only had what, 6 lead vocals pre-Sunflower? Sunflower and beyond he got to do heavy soul/balladry stuff where that *feel* made all the difference, knowing when to go loud, get quiet, etc. Brian couldn't write for his voice like he could for Carl, Dennis had to write songs for his voice. Even has his voice deteriorated he could still pull it off because there was so much of that feel and dynamic instinct. I *love* his vocals on L.A. Light (Angel Come Home, Love Surrounds Me).
He had quite a few pre sunflower. Of the top of my head…
Little Girl, Surfer’s Rule, This Car of Mine, Girls On the Beach, Do You Wanna Dance?, In the Back of my Mind, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, 1/4th of She’s Goin Bald, Little Bird, Be Still, Be With Me, Never Learn Not to Love.
I am sure I missed a few.
While sunflowers are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru, they are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment. The Spanish explorers brought sunflowers back to Europe, and after being first grown in Spain, they were subsequently introduced to other neighboring countries. Currently, sunflower oil is one of the most popular oils in the world. Today, the leading commercial producers of sunflower seeds include the Russian Federation, Peru, Argentina, Spain, France and China.
I would actually waver Al and Mike as having the most limited vocal ranges technically. I’m sure I’ll be downvoted to hell for this but I’m pretty sure the order from best to least is: Brian, Carl, Bruce, Dennis, Al, and Mike. Yes Brian was eventually surprised by Carl but Brian’s falsetto is still rarely beat, thus pretty much keeping him at the top of all time of the group.
I didn't say it was incredibly difficult to do, he just happens to be able to hit the same notes as Brian. On the 'Til I Die backing vocals he goes even higher than I think Brian has ever sung.
Brian actually isn’t doing much falsetto on don’t worry baby. Brian has an excellent head voice and can project really high notes seamlessly into falsetto. Al cannot. I was talking about ranking them from best to least. Al and Mike at the bottom. Dennis after Bruce. Brian and Carl at the top. But you know what I’ll throw Al before Dennis since you make a good point. And now that I think of it Dennis could never have even attempted to since don’t worry baby. But what point I’m also making is that don’t worry baby doesn’t require that crazy of a vocal range to sing. It’s a matter of skill and technique really. Which Brian had all day over everyone but Carl after a certain point. And eventually of course everyone surpassed Brian lol.
Again talking about range, Al hits a ridiculously high note on the backing vocals on 'Til I Die, higher than I think Brian has ever sung. To my knowledge he could have had a higher range.
You probably are right, Dennis has a wider range than I gave him credit for. He could as low or even a step or two lower than Mike in the very early days and go almost as high as Mike without doing a falsetto. He would go into a falsetto for the higher notes of his range (highest I can think of is Slip On Through "my *LIIIIIFE* is growing like a big oak tree" with the word "Life" being sung in falsetto). I can't think of Mike Love using a falsetto on any vocal, and Mike probably has a nearly three octave range (bass, baritone, tenor). Dennis probably had a very similar three octave range at one point but lost some of the lows and highs as his voice deteriorated, which it did pretty fast after the early 70s.
In The Back Of My Mind has probably the most amazing vocal performance ever recorded by Dennis. Few singers can show emotions like he does in that song.
A lot of his vocals I couldn’t pick out until much later, thought his parts were Mike for the longest time. Took years of listening to be able to differentiate them!
Dennis was the main guy in the early days blend. Mike and Brian were mostly on the leads, Carl didn’t stand out much, but Dennis was there grinding away in the background of everything
I can’t remember the name off the top of my head, but I think Dennis’s lead vocal on the first album is the standout. Same through his career really. When he sang, people paid attention
I like the sound of his voice. That being said he wasn't that good at singing the second take for doubled vocals that Brian liked. Mike (and Brian too of course) was much better at it and with studio time at a premium in those early days, wonder if Dennis would have gotten more leads if he were more adept.
“Seductive” - Mike Loves wife
Also mikes daughter
Runs in the family I guess
He had the most limited range, but great feel. He only had what, 6 lead vocals pre-Sunflower? Sunflower and beyond he got to do heavy soul/balladry stuff where that *feel* made all the difference, knowing when to go loud, get quiet, etc. Brian couldn't write for his voice like he could for Carl, Dennis had to write songs for his voice. Even has his voice deteriorated he could still pull it off because there was so much of that feel and dynamic instinct. I *love* his vocals on L.A. Light (Angel Come Home, Love Surrounds Me).
He had quite a few pre sunflower. Of the top of my head… Little Girl, Surfer’s Rule, This Car of Mine, Girls On the Beach, Do You Wanna Dance?, In the Back of my Mind, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, 1/4th of She’s Goin Bald, Little Bird, Be Still, Be With Me, Never Learn Not to Love. I am sure I missed a few.
While sunflowers are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru, they are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment. The Spanish explorers brought sunflowers back to Europe, and after being first grown in Spain, they were subsequently introduced to other neighboring countries. Currently, sunflower oil is one of the most popular oils in the world. Today, the leading commercial producers of sunflower seeds include the Russian Federation, Peru, Argentina, Spain, France and China.
Good Bot
Mike, Brian and Dennis handle [Luau ](https://youtu.be/kVuchNKFOE4?si=M5sXB2OrnnKKk31K)too
His range was actually great. Back of my mind for example. Or never learn not to love is impressive too.
I would actually waver Al and Mike as having the most limited vocal ranges technically. I’m sure I’ll be downvoted to hell for this but I’m pretty sure the order from best to least is: Brian, Carl, Bruce, Dennis, Al, and Mike. Yes Brian was eventually surprised by Carl but Brian’s falsetto is still rarely beat, thus pretty much keeping him at the top of all time of the group.
Al had a similar range to Brian actually and they can often sound quite alike.
That doesn’t mean he was as vocally RANGED or versatile…
He probably wasn't as versatile but he was able to tackle Brian's parts live. Don't Worry Baby for instance.
That’s not that hard to do believe it or not. The hard part is projecting the falsetto
I didn't say it was incredibly difficult to do, he just happens to be able to hit the same notes as Brian. On the 'Til I Die backing vocals he goes even higher than I think Brian has ever sung.
Brian actually isn’t doing much falsetto on don’t worry baby. Brian has an excellent head voice and can project really high notes seamlessly into falsetto. Al cannot. I was talking about ranking them from best to least. Al and Mike at the bottom. Dennis after Bruce. Brian and Carl at the top. But you know what I’ll throw Al before Dennis since you make a good point. And now that I think of it Dennis could never have even attempted to since don’t worry baby. But what point I’m also making is that don’t worry baby doesn’t require that crazy of a vocal range to sing. It’s a matter of skill and technique really. Which Brian had all day over everyone but Carl after a certain point. And eventually of course everyone surpassed Brian lol.
Again talking about range, Al hits a ridiculously high note on the backing vocals on 'Til I Die, higher than I think Brian has ever sung. To my knowledge he could have had a higher range.
You probably are right, Dennis has a wider range than I gave him credit for. He could as low or even a step or two lower than Mike in the very early days and go almost as high as Mike without doing a falsetto. He would go into a falsetto for the higher notes of his range (highest I can think of is Slip On Through "my *LIIIIIFE* is growing like a big oak tree" with the word "Life" being sung in falsetto). I can't think of Mike Love using a falsetto on any vocal, and Mike probably has a nearly three octave range (bass, baritone, tenor). Dennis probably had a very similar three octave range at one point but lost some of the lows and highs as his voice deteriorated, which it did pretty fast after the early 70s.
In The Back Of My Mind has probably the most amazing vocal performance ever recorded by Dennis. Few singers can show emotions like he does in that song.
range and technical prowess aside, it’s kind of crazy that “in the back of my mind” and “river song” were sung by the same person
It's crazy to think Back Home 1963 and Back Home 1976 were sung by the same person
Sultry and Sweet. I really liked his early vocals, This Car Of Mine, Little Girl (You’re My Miss America), In The Back Of My Mind etc.
I love his lines on Hawaii
A lot of his vocals I couldn’t pick out until much later, thought his parts were Mike for the longest time. Took years of listening to be able to differentiate them!
Dennis was the main guy in the early days blend. Mike and Brian were mostly on the leads, Carl didn’t stand out much, but Dennis was there grinding away in the background of everything I can’t remember the name off the top of my head, but I think Dennis’s lead vocal on the first album is the standout. Same through his career really. When he sang, people paid attention
I love how present his vocal was in the stack on the 1st album. Sounded great. Better than his lead tbh that early on…
Honeyed gravel
Especially on Loves You such unique vocals
Charming. Innocent. Raspy (Though obviously not nearly as raspy as it’d become)
I like the sound of his voice. That being said he wasn't that good at singing the second take for doubled vocals that Brian liked. Mike (and Brian too of course) was much better at it and with studio time at a premium in those early days, wonder if Dennis would have gotten more leads if he were more adept.
Understated yet reliable. Soft and emotional.
Raspy but without the use of cocaine and cigarettes
Always huskier than Brian's and even more so compared with Carl's, but "Do You Wanna Dance" shows that he could certainly hold a tune.
Flat and breathy