Brian Wilson

David Rothon · Post by **David Rothon** » 23 Feb 2004 7:38 am

I'm sure there must be a fair few people here who are fans of Mr Wilson. As you'll probably be aware, this weekend saw the world premiere - after 37 years - of Smile. I went last night and I have to say it was utterly brilliant - everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I'd heard a lot of the music before as disparate fragments on bootlegs, etc, but to hear it all brought together as a whole was an amazing experience. The band (The Wondermints plus the Stockholm Strings) did him proud. All the instrumentation and harmonies were spot-on. In short, timeless, genius music. I assume they will be doing some dates in the US... don't miss!!

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 23 Feb 2004 7:48 am

Brian was way ahead of his time for sure.
What he could do in mono puts to shame much that has come since.
Nice to hear he is in good form.

Brian Davis · Post by **Brian Davis** » 23 Feb 2004 8:39 am

I am insanely jealous. Please please please let there be an live album scheduled for release. If only there was a live Pet Sounds record out there somewhere...Brian is a true genius of western harmony. His arrangements simultaneously set the bar yet defy comparison. The accapella disc from the PetSounds box set always puts a *Smile* on this face.

As a side note, fans of the BeachBoys vocal stylings should pickup some old Four Freshman records...extremely derivative.

David Rothon · Post by **David Rothon** » 23 Feb 2004 8:52 am

Brian, there is a live CD available of the Pet Sounds tour. I haven't heard it, but if the gigs were anything to go by....
Anyway, for more info: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000067OYY/qid=1077554147/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/102-6517607-6037743?v=glance&s=music

I'm sure there'll be one of the Smile tour, as well - and you never know... they might even get around to piecing together and releasing the studio version. I've got a feeling it will happen.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 23 Feb 2004 11:56 am

Brian and Marilyn keep horses at the Burbank Equestrian Center right adjacent to Viva Cantina where I play 3 nights a week and stop in frequently for lunch or dinner.I must tell you it's nervewracking to have Brian Wilson sitting at the first table eating a chile burrito and checking you out while you're playing steel and trying to sing harmony. He likes classic country music though and especially Western Swing and 40s cowboy stuff with lots of harmony. -MJ-

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 23 Feb 2004 1:51 pm

This is wonderful. I didn't realize THIS was the weekend, or I'd have been checking out the Pet Sounds mailing list already! And Michael, how cool. BTW, just in case they come up to say Hi, she's Melinda. Marilyn is Brian's former wife.

Jack Francis · Post by **Jack Francis** » 23 Feb 2004 7:41 pm

AAAHHH the great harmonies.

My cousin gave me the CD, Al Jardin, Family and Friends. It features Al, his 2 sons and Brian Wilsons daughters doing the old Beac Boys hits, recorded live in Las Vegas.

Great harmonies of some great tunes...I believe to be better than any live stuff done by the Beach Boys. IMHO

At least it doesn't have Mike love's ego screwing it up!!

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 25 Feb 2004 7:30 pm

I saw Brian do Pet Sounds 'Live' with an orchestra at teh Garden State Arts Center about three years ago on his first real tour in years. Awesome, his backing band plays everything like the records.

Saw the tribute to him at Radio City Music Hall a year later and is available on DVD. What another great show.

Then two years ago saw him and his band at a small place in Philly doing lots of great songs he hadn't played live much. He did alot of 'Smile' in all three shows too.

He did have a few great Steel songs over the years, I especially like Diamondhead, featuring Forumite Al Vescovo.

From what I hear Brian is fairly lazy about touring, but his wife has pushed him out and gotten him to be fairly active.

His 'Live at the Roxy' double CD is real good.

His voice has really gotten better in the last few years, and has help on the high parts that he can't reach so the show sounds good even if there is augmentation.

Jim Cohen has a great rendition of ,Surfer Girl, on his latest CD and Chuck Lettes has sent me some great versions of BB hits.

-craig

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 26 Feb 2004 9:25 pm

Being from England, I could never quite fathom why American music fans seemed to get more excited about the Beatles than they did about Brian Wilson - he's a musical giant!

Who's heard Brian's back-up vocal track on Linda Ronstadt's "Adios"? It'll bring a tear to your eye!

My pop-music heroes are (in no particular order): Brian W., Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Lonnie Donegan and Buddy Emmons (with a very high regard for Richard Carpenter)

RR

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 27 Feb 2004 1:36 am

Who's heard Brian's back-up vocal track on Linda Ronstadt's "Adios"? It'll bring a tear to your eye!

OK, I just found that and it is very nice indeed. The original is from one of my favorite CDs "Suspending Disbelief" by Jimmy Webb.[This message was edited by Earnest Bovine on 27 February 2004 at 02:37 PM.]

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Feb 2004 3:38 am

Brian is just brilliant; one of my all-time favorites. Check out the Hi-Lo's - they were a huge influence on him. Also check out Bassist Rob Wasserman's Trios album for a killer version of Brian's little-known tune "Bells of Madness". amazon has it for $2 bucks! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000008CIZ/qid=1077881855/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/104-2220517-6309556?v=glance&s=music. Joe Goldmark did a fantastic cover of this tune on pedal steel on his CD Strong like Bull, Sensitive Like Squirrel. Not to forget Jim Cohen's beautiful rendition of Surfer Girl from Four To The Bar.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 27 Feb 2004 6:38 am

This is a little off the topic, but, as Earnest has mentioned Jimmy Webb, allow me to recommend 'Reunion' - it's a collaborative album featuring Glen Campbell and some of Jimmy's lesser-known compositions.

Webb is, of course, a writer of the very highest calibre, but this is also Glen's 'finest hour' as a singer.

RR

A PS!!!! I can't believe that I've been unaware that Jimmy Webb wrote "Adios" - I just checked the credits on the track. It also features the late - and great - Don Grolnick (JT's friend and MD for so many years) along with Carlos Vega and Mike Landau; add Brian Wilson to the mix, and it's little wonder that the track is so special....[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 27 February 2004 at 06:47 AM.]

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Feb 2004 7:45 am

Webb's album Ten Easy Pieces - mostly just him and his piano is very nice too. I can almost forgive him including McArthur Park.

Kevin Macneil Brown · Post by **Kevin Macneil Brown** » 27 Feb 2004 8:14 am

Whew, Jimmy Webb and Brian Wilson all in one breath.. I've always thought that Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman " and The Beach Boy's "God Only Knows", with Carl Wilson's amazing lead vocal, are two of the greatest pop singles of all time. I'm getting the chills now!!!

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 27 Feb 2004 10:56 am

...McCartney says he used to listen to Brian Wilson and say something to the effect of "rats, I wish I had thought of that first!"...

.."Don't Worry Baby" has awesome harmonies and a vaguely haunting melody as well...

...if there is such a thing as a musical genious, Brian Wilson is one of them..

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 27 Feb 2004 11:03 am

There's also some nice steel work courtesy of Steve Smith on "Ten Easy Pieces"

------------------
Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 27 Feb 2004 1:53 pm

Well said, Kevin - they're two of my very favourite tracks, too.

I know I'm in grave danger of sounding like a disillusioned old codger here, but with all the music we're discussing on this thread, along with the wealth of wonderful Tamla songs from various of their artistes in the 60s/70s, I'm darn' sure there was simply more melody around in those days....

Of course, that didn';t stop my Dad grousing about noisy pop music at the time.....

RR

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 27 Feb 2004 5:51 pm

One of my favorite Beach Boys' songs was "Their Hearts Were Filled With Spring". I believe it was a filler song on their album "The Beach Boys Today" (about 1965). It was done acappella, so you really get to hear their harmonies!

I've also got a lot of their 45's, and among them is the original version of "I Get Around"...complete with the (engineers?) yelling of "okay" near the end where the song fades out.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 27 Feb 2004 8:22 pm

OK, so I'm at work, singing to myself, like we all do, and it's REALLY LOUD where I work, so I'm singing "Surfer Girl," got it going on, and somehow, around 10 AM, it morphs into "Rubber Ducky!"
I know, man, I know...

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 1 Mar 2004 8:57 am

so I'm singing "Surfer Girl," got it going on, and somehow, around 10 AM, it morphs into "Rubber Ducky!"

...the Shirelles successfully sued George Harrison for "He's So Fine/My Sweet Lord"...

...do you suppose Brian Wilson will give Bert and Ernie a pass?...

..(LOL, Stephen!)

Dale Hopkins · Post by **Dale Hopkins** » 1 Mar 2004 10:21 pm

Has anyone heard the what they use to call the black market tapes that was taken from the vault, in which brian was showing parts to 'help me rhonda, and some voicings as well?

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 4 Mar 2004 8:51 am

My buddy was playing some bootleg studio stuff of Brian and the Boys, very interesting to see what something started out as and how it morphed into a Gem. There is also a boxset 'Pet Sounds Sessions' available.

Over the past few years I bought all of the BB's past catalog on CD mostly 2fers and they include lots of Bonus material. The Box Set has alot of unreleased material and another great one is the 2 CD set, 'Hawthorn California', that has a great alternate version of 'Breakaway' along with other great versions and outtakes. 'Breakaway', I thought should have been a hugh hit, but the Record Company pretty much buried it as the BB's were leaving the label at the time.

The amazing thing is that there are so many great songs on all the records, and most are better than anything lots of others ever achieved.. -craig[This message was edited by Craig Stock on 04 March 2004 at 08:53 AM.]

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 4 Mar 2004 12:22 pm

Dale (if you're referring to the Murry tapes)--
You gotta SYN-CA-PATE IT, man! "Brian, I've been protecting you for 22 years, but I cannot continue to do so if you won't listen to an intelligent man."

For those of you who are now lost, contained on the session tapes for "Help Me, Rhonda" (or is this one "Ronda"?) is an episode where a drunken Murry Wilson (Brian, Carl, and Dennis's dad) comes in and tries to teach Brian how to make a record--"From the heart!"