Brian Wilson was labeled the creative genius. Mike Love was the showman. But you could argue that Carl Wilson provided the soul for The Beach Boys with his vocals, both within the group’s ornate harmonies and on lead (as on “God Only Knows”).
Over the years, Carl brought his vocal skills to many other unforgettable songs. Here are four of the best of them.
“Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” by Elton John
Elton John has never been one to mince words about the quality of other people’s songs. As it turns out, he’s equally as candid about his own stuff. And he’s always been open that he intensely disliked “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” as he recorded it. The moral is that an artist can sometimes be the worst judge of their own material. Emotions just spill forth from this song, thanks to the towering melody and John’s gospel-flavored vocal performance. You can hear those backing vocalists heading to the skies in the refrains. In addition to Carl Wilson and his fellow Beach Boy buddy Bruce Johnson, Toni Tennille, of Captain & Tennille fame, helps out with those parts.
“Desperados Under The Eaves” by Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon came into his 1976 self-titled album with one previous LP under his belt, and it was a flop. It says something about the respect that he garnered in the industry that the Warren Zevon LP was filled with one of the finest lineups of guest musicians West Coast rock has ever witnessed. Then again, once anybody heard songs like “Desperados Under The Eaves”, the majestic album-closer, why wouldn’t they want to participate? In the song’s outro refrain, Zevon leads an all-star cast of backing singers, including luminaries like JD Souther and Jackson Browne. But it was Carl Wilson who, in addition to performing them, arranged the backing vocals that push the song to another level.
“Baby, What A Big Surprise” by Chicago
Many people know the story about how Chicago connected with David Foster and changed the way they did things in the 80s. They relied heavily on power ballads, shunning the horn-heavy song suites that once made them famous. But the band understood the power of the slow stuff, especially as sung by golden-voiced Peter Cetera, well before that. Many of the band’s biggest chart successes in the 70s featured Cetera out in front singing songs of love found and lost. “Baby, What A Big Surprise”, a No. 4 hit in 1977 for the band, flashed some Beatlesque touches in the orchestration. Meanwhile, Carl Wilson is there chipping in with the backing vocals to add a little something extra.
“California Girls” by David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth hadn’t yet announced his departure from Van Halen when he released the EP Crazy From The Heat. On the record, instead of trying to shore up his rock credibility, Roth concentrated on being a showman. He recorded four cover songs that seemed chosen so that it could put a spotlight not so much on his vocals but on his charisma. He remembered “California Girls” as a song that Van Halen used to perform in their pre-fame, house party days, so that was a natural choice. It also allowed him the perfect vehicle for a gaudy video that would turn heads at MTV. And if there were any doubt about how The Beach Boys might have felt about it, Carl Wilson turned up to sing backing vocals.
(Photo by TPLP/Getty Images)
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Go To Source | Author: Jim Beviglia