Comments on: Brian Wilson at 65 – not made for his times…

By: Dixie Miller

Dixie Miller — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:40:38 +0000

When I am in need of inspiration, I sometimes listen to “Feel Flows” over and over. It’s one of those songs that makes you feel like you could make a slide show comprised of pictures taken only at the happiest moments of your life and it would serve as the perfect soundtrack. I love the dreamy feel of the Beach Boys music in that phase of their career… dreamy, carefree. It’s like the songs just float around you like a cloud then wash over you gently, but completely. Very peaceful and melodic.

By: NoOneYouKnow

NoOneYouKnow — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:08:40 +0000

Uh… was that actually Brian Wilson at #11? If it was: Happy b-day, B. It’s so nice to have you back where you belong.
Dammit, now I’ve got Carol Channing in my head. Also, thanks to Jim for the Lewis Taylor nod — more people need to hear him. His album sounds like what Brian would have recorded after listening to a lot of Sly Stone.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:37:44 +0000

I wish everybody would stop slamming Mike. He sat there with me and helped me do the lyrics for all the big hits. He sang most of the big hits. He’s a hard worker and a clear thinker. When I could not function he and Carl carried the band. That was for several decades. When people sing the Beach Boys tunes they’re not singing the tunes from Smile or Surf’s Up – they’re singing the tunes that Mike sang – and composed the words to. I’m just somebody who likes music and the tunes that made the Beach Boys famous are the ones that Mike wrote the lyrics to and sang. What’s so hard for you all to understand about that?

By: Bellagio

Bellagio — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:16:55 +0000

“The piece was played in public for the first time at Royal Albert Hall with everyone from McCartney to Mick Jagger to the Queen herself there for it

By: Sam Smith

Sam Smith — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:45:01 +0000

Jim,

If we need proof on your last point, we need only listen to Brian’s solo work and compare it to what the rest of the band did on their own. It’s not PET SOUNDS, but the non-Brian Boys have never touched IMAGINATION, for instance…..

By: Ralph Noyes

Ralph Noyes — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:09:37 +0000

There’s the studio release, the one-disc “Smile”.

And it IS a great album!

And then …

And THEN … there is the two-disc bootleg — with Van Dyke Parks leading the orchestra — the world premiere of “Smile” on 2-20-04 at the Royal Festival Hall — with Sir Paul and Sir Mick and the Queen in attendance.

Yesss.

It was rumored that it would become a DVD. Not yet, AFAIK.

The bootleg is absolutely ASTONISHING, far better than the studio release.

Rock music would have taken a somewhat different course if “Smile” had been released around the time of “Sgt. Pepper’s”.

Hearing “Smile”, even 37 years late, is like discovering King Tut’s tomb.

Brian Wilson is GOD.

Happy Birthday, Brian!

By: Jim Booth

Jim Booth — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:55:35 +0000

VJ,

Sorry for the reversal – one of those brain ahead of fingers deals with Love and Jardine – thinking the right connections but typed them wrong.

Fixed the note on “Surfin.” Too many surfin’ songs…and I actually only listen to the stuff from “Pet Sounds” on these days, so that early stuff’s gottten misty in the memory banks. Thanks for the catch….

Love may have been the businessman of the group, but he was a creative wet blanket. I stand by that. And see my note about Brian’s take on “California Girls.” It was the first of the songs that Love dragged Brian through the “group discussion” process on. I’m glad he made them some money, but he more than anyone else drove Brian from the band – and the Beach Boys never became the greater band they could have become with Brian at the helm….

By: Mike Sheehan

Mike Sheehan — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:49:42 +0000

The brilliant Andy Partridge & XTC regularly did vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys. Thanks Jim for a fantastic post on a true genius. Gonna listen to PS and “Smile” (my boots *and* the legit release) tonight and drink a beer for Mr. Wilson.

By: Studio Dave

Studio Dave — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:25:34 +0000

Great article but one thing has been forgotten which is Brian Wilson finally finished the long lost Smile record. The piece was played in public for the first time at Royal Albert Hall with everyone from McCartney to Mick Jagger to the Queen herself there for it’s debut. The record/CD was a major hit on college radio for months, proving that when it comes to quality ‘the kids’ can still tell what is good and what is not. From articles I have read Smile has become to college kids what Dark Side of the Moon has been for the rest of us for years, the ultimate headphone record. I recently witnessed Brian Wilson along with his band and guest Al Jardine perform Pet Sounds and it was an experience I will never forget. Brian Still has it, period.

By: vj

vj — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:21:23 +0000

Nice article, but you need to get some facts straight. First, Mike Love was the cousin and Al Jardine the neighbor – you have it the other way around. Second, it wasn’t Brian who was fascinated by surfing, it was Dennis, who actually *was* a surfer. Third, ‘Surfin’ wasn’t based on the Chuck Berry riff, it was ‘Surfin USA’, and he actually ‘borrowed’ the whole song, not just the riff (the Chuck Berry song was ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ – listen to the verse of ‘Surfin USA’ and the chorus of ‘Sixteen – the melodies are exactly the same). In addition, although I’m no big fan of his, I wouldn’t consider Mike Love a minor talent, at least as far as his contributions to the band are concerned. He was the lead singer on a lot of the hits (‘California Girls’, for example), he wrote a lot of lyrics for the early hits, and he was the one guy keeping track of the business side of the music ‘business’. Their resurgence in the late seventies-early eighties can be attributed to him.

Again, nice article, but please do some fact checking…

By: lostgirlfound

lostgirlfound — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:16:56 +0000

Most “great geniuses” are not made for this world — usually misunderstood, mostly far ahead of their time … Brian is one of those. Back to your Hendrix/McCartney post — history will recognize Brian Wilson as the innovator he was and is. But unfortunately, it will probably be ala’ Van Gogh.
Good job, Jim.

By: Sam Smith

Sam Smith — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:49:30 +0000

Thanks for noting the Taylor influence here. One of the most important marks of genius is that your work inspires genius in those who come after you, and The Lost Album is, at the halfway point of 2007, one of the best three CDs of the year and a strong candidate for album of the year.

Taylor was born brilliant, period, but Wilson’s influence allowed him to do something transcendent here….

By: Elaine

Elaine — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:43:53 +0000

Great post.

I’ve always enjoyed the Beach Boys sound and knew a little bit about the band but not much.

I knew Brian Wilson was a musical genius, so to speak, and it is sad that he became one of the lost boys – so many of them do become lost or die young.