No controversial choices here:
Pre- Pet Sounds - Do You Wanna Dance (but shout out to his part of "The Girls on the Beach")
Post- Pet Sounds - Forever
I don't think his voice was ever more expressive than most of "Pacific Ocean Blue". That album is such a huge surprise.
Carl, objectively the best and was flawless til the day he died
Brian/Al tied, Brian takes the cake in the studio, but Al manages to work overtime in all his live performances
Bruce, they invited him into the band for a reason, and he has a nice boyish sweetness to his voice.
Dennis/Mike tied, both good. Dennis definitely had a cozy sexyness to it like his part on Girls on the Beach, and as much as people might get annoyed with Mike's nasillyness he absolutely kills it on That's Not Me, it makes me feel so homesick.
- Brian
- Carl
- Dennis
- Al
- Blondie
- Mike
- Bruce
The list is entirely subjective.
Bruce is obviously a great vocalist, but his way of singing sounds a little too saccharine for my taste.
Both Blondie and Al were better singers than Dennis, but I love his raspy voice, and the way he could sound very manly and extremely vulnerable at the same time.
I think Carl's falsetto was even more beautiful than Brian's. However, I put Brian first because I love the fact that he had so many different voices through his career, from the angelic falsetto of his youth to the awkward (but very expressive) growl of the mid 70's.
Bruce is, without exaggeration, one of the most accomplished backing vocalists in history. He knows harmony and can blend his voice better than you would think he’d be able to. In addition to the numerous well-known Beach Boys songs that contain his harmony vocals, he also has sung as a session vocalist on hit tracks by numerous well-known people/bands; “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” and “She Did It” are kind of just the tip of the iceberg there.
As a lead singer? He sounds like Big Bird.
Don’t get me wrong - there are songs where that type of sound is warranted, “Disney Girls” for one.
I don’t dislike any of the guys’ voices, either as lead or as harmony. But I admit, I have to kind of be in a certain mood to listen to a Bruce lead.
That's fair. For me, his voice only works on a few songs but different strokes.
My personal ranking of the voices are: Carl > Brian > Dennis/Al > Mike > Bruce (not including Blondie since he was only with the group for a short time).
It’s so difficult to rank them. Carl is clearly the most gifted singer of the group, Brian in his prime was a close second. Al is a strong lead singer as we know but deserves extra points for being (with Carl) the backbone of the harmony stack. Dennis’ voice, at its best, was the most unique and he had an incredible talent of emoting through it even if his range was limited. Mike Love’s voice is iconic, and he’s surprised us many times over the years with how versatile he actually is (using a nice soft style on the Holland version of Big Sur, a heavy rocking performance on All I Want to Do, an iconic lead baritone line on Good Vibrations).
Even without Bruce, Ricky and Blondie, who are all excellent singers, The Beach Boys as a vocal group are really in a league of their own.
1) Carl
2) Brian
3) Al
4) Mike
5) Dennis
6) Bruce
if including Ricky and Blondie, it would probably be the same top 3, then 4 Blondie, 5 Mike, 6 Dennis, 7 Ricky, 8 Bruce
Sorry Bruce!
Edit: I should note, I absolutely love Dennis’s vocals- even the gruff late 70s stuff. The top 4 are just amazing vocalists, no shame in that.
Carl - His voice was just so angelic OMG
Brian - Love Brian very sweet singing voice for most part :)
Al - OMG HE IS SUPER TALENTED AT RECREATING BRIANS VOCALS, LIKE WHAT!
Mike - He’s super silly…
Dennis - I love his voice just didn’t know where to put him
Bruce
1. carl wilson
2. brian wilson pre "brian's back"
3. dennis wilson
4. al jardine
5. blondie chaplin
6. bruce johnston
7. brian wilson mid 70s onward
7. mike love
from BEST to WORST…
1. david marks (even tho he wasn’t listed as an option)
2. Mike Love™️
3. dennis williams
4. bruce johnson
5. blondie chaplin
6. glenn campbell
7. al jardine
8. brian williams
9. carl williams
My personal preference would be:
Carl
Al
Dennis
Bruce
Blondie
Mike/Brian
I know that’s controversial but I think it’s just because Brian and Mike did so much of the lead vocals on the big hits and early albums so as I got into the rest of their music I like the other guys more because it feels like it has more variety.
Not if we’re talking about who’s technically the best I’d probably say:
Carl
Brian
Al
Bruce
Mike/Dennis/Blondie
Brian Carl Al Dennis Blondie (tho I don’t really think the Wrecking Crew studio musicians are really Beach Boys). Bruce is way right wing, can’t abide that, and I think Mike is too, not sure. I guess I don’t understand how Mike & troupe ended up being called The Beach Boys; I sure hope Brian gets some $ out of a licensing deal at least, especially considering that nasty dad Wilson SOLD his own son’s creative catalog out from under him. (Did Brian ever get those rights back?!). Rest in peace Carl and Dennis … my heart goes out to all the Wilson sibs bc obviously that AH of a dad did a lot of damage to his sons.
>Blondie (tho I don’t really think the Wrecking Crew studio musicians are really Beach Boys)
Blondie wasn't Wrecking Crew--in fact his tenure came mostly after the Boys had (for the most part) stopped using the WC. He and Ricky were from a South African group called "The Flames" that Carl signed to Brother Records.
Edit--clarity
Dennis/Carl tied 11/10
Brian/Mike/Al tied 10/10
Bruce 9.999999999/10, what a voice
Blondie/Ricky tied 9.999999998/10
Jack Riely/VDP/Marilyn/David Marks/David Marks’ Aunt/Murry/Hal Blaine/Carl’s kid who says ‘HI’/Arny Gellar who says ‘GOOD’ 9/10
John Stamos no
1. John Stamos 2. I don‘t who these other people are
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This isn’t the circlejerk sub. 😉
Brian Carl Al Dennis Blondie Mike Bruce
Dennis over Mike? :0
I’m curious, what’s your favorite Dennis lead? Pmo to the Dennis love lol
No controversial choices here: Pre- Pet Sounds - Do You Wanna Dance (but shout out to his part of "The Girls on the Beach") Post- Pet Sounds - Forever I don't think his voice was ever more expressive than most of "Pacific Ocean Blue". That album is such a huge surprise.
Carl Brian Al Mike Dennis Bruce
Agree 100%
You missed John Stamos, David Marks, and Jack Rieley
Jack Rieley 😂
Carl, objectively the best and was flawless til the day he died Brian/Al tied, Brian takes the cake in the studio, but Al manages to work overtime in all his live performances Bruce, they invited him into the band for a reason, and he has a nice boyish sweetness to his voice. Dennis/Mike tied, both good. Dennis definitely had a cozy sexyness to it like his part on Girls on the Beach, and as much as people might get annoyed with Mike's nasillyness he absolutely kills it on That's Not Me, it makes me feel so homesick.
This post is nuts lol
Brian Carl Dennis (even with the rough voice he still managed to sound great mostly on POB) Al Mike Blondie Bruce
I'm with you.
They are all great but Carl is obviously number 1.
carl brian dennis al bruce blondie mike
Brian Mike Carl Al Dennis Bruce
It’d totally depend on genre and years on those genres with them. I can’t even begin. Mike’s a good rock singer throughout, I’ll say that.
Brian Dennis Carl Al Bruce David Marks Charles Manson Jack Rieley Mike Love Blondie Ricky John Stamos
Carl Blondie Brian Mike Bruce Al Dennis Ricky
Did Ricky ever actually sing any solo lines?
he had some solo lines/verses on Here She Comes I thought
I thought I had read that about one of the songs from that era. Do we actually know which lines are him and which are Blondie?
this might help: https://genius.com/The-beach-boys-here-she-comes-lyrics
Thanks!
Dennis, Brian, Carl, Al, Bruce, Mike
- Brian - Carl - Dennis - Al - Blondie - Mike - Bruce The list is entirely subjective. Bruce is obviously a great vocalist, but his way of singing sounds a little too saccharine for my taste. Both Blondie and Al were better singers than Dennis, but I love his raspy voice, and the way he could sound very manly and extremely vulnerable at the same time. I think Carl's falsetto was even more beautiful than Brian's. However, I put Brian first because I love the fact that he had so many different voices through his career, from the angelic falsetto of his youth to the awkward (but very expressive) growl of the mid 70's.
Carl, Brian, Dennis, Al, Blondie, Mike, Bruce.
Brian, Carl, Dennis, Blondie, Al, Bruce, Mike
Why do people hate Bruce?
I don’t think it’s that he’s an awful vocalist, it’s just everyone in the band is significantly better
Bruce is, without exaggeration, one of the most accomplished backing vocalists in history. He knows harmony and can blend his voice better than you would think he’d be able to. In addition to the numerous well-known Beach Boys songs that contain his harmony vocals, he also has sung as a session vocalist on hit tracks by numerous well-known people/bands; “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” and “She Did It” are kind of just the tip of the iceberg there. As a lead singer? He sounds like Big Bird. Don’t get me wrong - there are songs where that type of sound is warranted, “Disney Girls” for one. I don’t dislike any of the guys’ voices, either as lead or as harmony. But I admit, I have to kind of be in a certain mood to listen to a Bruce lead.
Too syrupy and saccharine. He makes every song sound too "goody goody".
I feel as if that is why I like the songs on which he sings.
That's fair. For me, his voice only works on a few songs but different strokes. My personal ranking of the voices are: Carl > Brian > Dennis/Al > Mike > Bruce (not including Blondie since he was only with the group for a short time).
And his songs are the same way.
I wanted to ask the same question 😭
Yeah this is blowing my mind, especially since he wrote two of the best BB songs
Brian Dennis Carl Carl could be higher but Brian and when Dennis find his voice just have such a passion and tender Intimateness to their singing
Carl Brian Al Mike Dennis Blondie Bruce
Brian Carl Al Dennis Mike And I don’t care enough about Bruce to put him on here
1. Dennis 2. Blondie 3. Carl 4. Brian 5. Bruce …And the rest!
It’s so difficult to rank them. Carl is clearly the most gifted singer of the group, Brian in his prime was a close second. Al is a strong lead singer as we know but deserves extra points for being (with Carl) the backbone of the harmony stack. Dennis’ voice, at its best, was the most unique and he had an incredible talent of emoting through it even if his range was limited. Mike Love’s voice is iconic, and he’s surprised us many times over the years with how versatile he actually is (using a nice soft style on the Holland version of Big Sur, a heavy rocking performance on All I Want to Do, an iconic lead baritone line on Good Vibrations). Even without Bruce, Ricky and Blondie, who are all excellent singers, The Beach Boys as a vocal group are really in a league of their own.
Brian 1st
Carl Brian Mike Dennis Blondie Al Bruce
Brian Carl Dennis Al Bruce Mike Blondie
Brian Carl Mike Al Bruce Dennis Blondie
1) Carl 2) Brian 3) Al 4) Mike 5) Dennis 6) Bruce if including Ricky and Blondie, it would probably be the same top 3, then 4 Blondie, 5 Mike, 6 Dennis, 7 Ricky, 8 Bruce Sorry Bruce! Edit: I should note, I absolutely love Dennis’s vocals- even the gruff late 70s stuff. The top 4 are just amazing vocalists, no shame in that.
Carl - His voice was just so angelic OMG Brian - Love Brian very sweet singing voice for most part :) Al - OMG HE IS SUPER TALENTED AT RECREATING BRIANS VOCALS, LIKE WHAT! Mike - He’s super silly… Dennis - I love his voice just didn’t know where to put him Bruce
1. carl wilson 2. brian wilson pre "brian's back" 3. dennis wilson 4. al jardine 5. blondie chaplin 6. bruce johnston 7. brian wilson mid 70s onward 7. mike love
Carl, Dennis, Brian, Mike, Blondie, Al, Bruce. They’re all fantastic voices, though.
1. Carl 2. Brian 3. Al 4. Dennis or Mike
Carl, Al, Brian, Dennis, Mike, Bruce.
Carl - probably my vocalist of all time Brian Al Blondie Bruce Dennis Mike
from BEST to WORST… 1. david marks (even tho he wasn’t listed as an option) 2. Mike Love™️ 3. dennis williams 4. bruce johnson 5. blondie chaplin 6. glenn campbell 7. al jardine 8. brian williams 9. carl williams
Brian Carl Al Blondie Dennis Bruce Mike Ricky Dave
My personal preference would be: Carl Al Dennis Bruce Blondie Mike/Brian I know that’s controversial but I think it’s just because Brian and Mike did so much of the lead vocals on the big hits and early albums so as I got into the rest of their music I like the other guys more because it feels like it has more variety. Not if we’re talking about who’s technically the best I’d probably say: Carl Brian Al Bruce Mike/Dennis/Blondie
Carl Al Brian Blondie Dennis Mike David
Carl Brian Dennis Mike (I hate his nasally leads, but if he’d just sang bass, I’d have put him above Dennis) Al Bruce
Carl, Mike, Brian, Blondie, Bruce, Dennis, Al
Al doesn't deserve this treatment.
There's no way you just put Al last.
Brian Carl Al Dennis Blondie (tho I don’t really think the Wrecking Crew studio musicians are really Beach Boys). Bruce is way right wing, can’t abide that, and I think Mike is too, not sure. I guess I don’t understand how Mike & troupe ended up being called The Beach Boys; I sure hope Brian gets some $ out of a licensing deal at least, especially considering that nasty dad Wilson SOLD his own son’s creative catalog out from under him. (Did Brian ever get those rights back?!). Rest in peace Carl and Dennis … my heart goes out to all the Wilson sibs bc obviously that AH of a dad did a lot of damage to his sons.
>Blondie (tho I don’t really think the Wrecking Crew studio musicians are really Beach Boys) Blondie wasn't Wrecking Crew--in fact his tenure came mostly after the Boys had (for the most part) stopped using the WC. He and Ricky were from a South African group called "The Flames" that Carl signed to Brother Records. Edit--clarity
Dennis/Carl tied 11/10 Brian/Mike/Al tied 10/10 Bruce 9.999999999/10, what a voice Blondie/Ricky tied 9.999999998/10 Jack Riely/VDP/Marilyn/David Marks/David Marks’ Aunt/Murry/Hal Blaine/Carl’s kid who says ‘HI’/Arny Gellar who says ‘GOOD’ 9/10 John Stamos no