Andreas wrote:About Brian "doing better than last year or ten year ago"....
Brian is very inconsistent. I saw the Pet Sounds tour 2002 in Berlin, and he was very shaky and insecure. Many missed vocals, no energy, no feeling. Then I saw the Smile show last year in Frankfurt, and he was phenomenal, especially during the Smile part. So has he so much improved from 2002 to 2004? No, just an example for his inconsistency. But it is true that one of his worst live performances were done around 1998/1999, so he generally has improved since then; excpetions confirm the rule.
I am of the opinion that Brian's best vocals since 1971 were recorded in 1989/1990 for the (musically mediocre, heavily Landy-influenced) Sweet Insanity album. Supposedly during his worst time. And his voice was much stronger around 1995 (Orange Crate Art, Wilson-Paley sessions) than now.
I think in the studio he listenable at best if one doesn't mind the general slurry and shouty sound of his "modern" voice - which has been pretty much in the same ballpark since the mid-80's. Sure, different production yields different results...the multi-tracked, auto-tuned monstrosity that is "Imagination" being just one example. Perhaps, GIOMH from Sweet Insanity being the flipside - an example of a decent finshed product. I also think some of the background vocals he's done for other artists can sometimes yield a pleasing result.
Live it's another story. I've seen him twice in the 70's, and twice since his return to touring. In the 70's, he really didn't do much except "sing" a couple lines of "Sloop John B," wander on and off the stage during the show, and chain-smoke at the piano. So, there's not much to comment on there except to say that he was in a bad way. Obviously, the '81 Long Beach "BB's minus Carl show" was the absolute low-point of that era...the less said the better.
The '98 Farm Aid show (which I'd assume is the show that Andreas is referencing) was another obvious vocal disaster. Who's idea was it to have him stand out in the front by himself when he certainly wasn't up to the task...his off-key voice mixed up-front and naked? I won't even count this performance from the Thomas era...
The thing that I find most disturbing about the current go-arounds with the 'Mints is just how much effort there is to *cover* his voice in a live setting. Whether it's riding his voice up and down in the mix, or simply having his "human eraser" Jeff Foskett double for him, it's a tell-tale sign that Brian still isn't really *that* much better then a few years back. Yes, there are some numbers that he pulls of better than others ("L&M" "GOK"), but there are others that he's just not up to the task for IMO.
When I saw him in 01 and 02, he's was woefully flat and monotone both nights with his eyes firmly glued to that teleprompter...when he actually was singing by *himself*. Recently, during Live 8, everything was done to cover his voice up with the other 'Mints...and he still managed to lose his place a few times and had to drop out completely. The Bridge show a few years back...pretty much consistently flat.
So does he have "good nights?" I haven't seen one yet (though the overall performances were enjoyable). I'll just have to take the words of those who say that he does.
