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Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds & Smile (1 Viewer)

Saw this a few months back. Cusack was really good.

FWIW, Wilson and the Beach Boys (excluding Mike Love, of course) are on tour this year and will be doing Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary.

 
The above is the trailer for Love & Mercy, the Brian Wilson biopic (played by Paul Dano and John Cusack).

Below are video docs on Pet Sounds and Smile, respectively.





 
zamboni said:
Saw this a few months back. Cusack was really good.

FWIW, Wilson and the Beach Boys (excluding Mike Love, of course) are on tour this year and will be doing Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary.
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Wow.  Really?  One of the best albums ever.  To be listened to in perfect silence or with high end headphones only.

I'm in for this for sure.

 
zamboni said:
Saw this a few months back. Cusack was really good.

FWIW, Wilson and the Beach Boys (excluding Mike Love, of course) are on tour this year and will be doing Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary.
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Going to the show in Detroit on September 9 at the Fox Theater.  Cant wait.

ETA: meant Sept. 30th.

 
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I might see this at the Hollywood Bowl this Summer, sure it will be the last chance.

Same with David Gilmour at the Bowl in March. Some great shows there this year, also Jeff Beck with Buddy Guy and Herbie Hancock/Wayne Shorter with Carlos Santana. 

 
Behind The Sounds: Let's Go Away For A While (includes studio breakdowns and Wilson instructions to the Wrecking Crew with in progress multi-tracks), one of my favorite songs from Pet Sounds



 
Brian Wilson solo '67 (piano with self-accompanied vocal) rendition of Surf's Up, originally intended for the aborted Pet Sounds follow up, Smile, dude had an angelic voice and ability to hear vocal harmonies with Bach fugue-like counterpoint nobody else ever has before or since



 
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Cool. I really like SMiLE (2004), and the story of how that album came to be. Brian Wilson, along with his brothers and father, are quite a fascinating family. Carl's voice, though.  :wub:

 
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zamboni said:
Saw this a few months back. Cusack was really good.

FWIW, Wilson and the Beach Boys (excluding Mike Love, of course) are on tour this year and will be doing Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary.
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Is Stamos going to do some drumming?

 
John Bender said:
Wow.  Really?  One of the best albums ever.  To be listened to in perfect silence or with high end headphones only.

I'm in for this for sure.
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Sure you know this already, but for the benefit of the thread:

The excellent Beatles thread breaks down the chronology in which Wilson was inspired by Rubber Soul to create Pet Sounds, which in turn spurred on the Beatles to their masterpieces Revolver and Sgt. Peppers. Maybe it isn't entirely an accident but partly a product of that friendly rivalry and dynamic interplay between geniuses that on many polls Pet Sounds or Sgt Peppers are ranked as the #1 & #2 greatest albums in pop/rock history - Rolling Stone has SP #1 & PS #2, many UK publications like MOJO and Uncut have the reverse order (Rolling Stone had Good Vibrations #6 on their GOAT song list, MOJO #1).

Wilson seems to have suffered from some form of mental illness (schizophrenia, he reportedly heard voices?), which also claimed Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Unlike Barrett, Wilson was eventually able to return to productivity, helped in a huge way by his eventual second wife, who extricated him from a nightmarish relationship of dependence on an unorthodox, abusive psychotherapist. As with Barrett, heavy drug use may not have been the ultimate root cause of his primary issues, but may have hastened the process of breakdown. Due to a combination of these factors, and perhaps band member Mike Love lacking the ability to appreciate what a visionary work of art Smile could have been, it was shelved for many years, until being reconstituted decades later with assistance from others. Smile was to be Wilson's answer to Revolver and Sgt. Peppers. If it had come out as intended and in a timely manner, we can only speculate about whether that would have ratcheted up the figurative call and response rivalry between Wilson and The Beatles, and something even greater than Magical Mystery Tour might have emerged. We'll never know, maybe in a parallel universe?

BTW, drummer Hal Blaine, the informal leader of The Wrecking Crew, which also featured bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who all worked on literally hundreds of hits in every conceivable genre (well, maybe not Tuvan throat singing :) ), and worked with countless brilliant artists, I think claimed Brian Wilson was special and on a completely different level even by these rarified standards, and the greatest musical genius he ever encountered. Similarly, the great Beatles producer George Martin was in awe of Wilson. He claimed that Wilson, basically BY HIMSELF (of course he needed The Wrecking Crew's brilliant instrumentalists and musicianship and the Beach Boys vocal harmonies to help flesh out and realize the music in his head) was able to accomplish what it took Martin's production expertise in his domain, the song writing genius of Lennon/McCartney and the musical ability of all four Beatles, the greatest band ever, to match. Like Martin and the Beatles, and Phil Spector in the US, Wilson was a pioneer in the art of record production, engineering and the concept of STUDIO AS INSTRUMENT (in a different way, the orchestra was Duke Ellington's instrument, he shaped and sculpted his songs and composed with them in mind AS INDIVIDUALS, not just generic instrumental passages, but accounting for their strengths and weaknesses, and unique voices and TONAL CHARACTERISTICS). 

Martin on Wilson









 
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zamboni said:
Bob - thanks for reminding me about that Wrecking Crew doc - never got around to seeing it but now I need to.

Did you ever read the bio on them - just finished it a few months ago: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wrecking-Crew-Inside-Best-Kept/dp/1250030463
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De nada, zamboni.

Sure you'll like it, it was well done.

No, but thanks for the heads up, I'll try to check it out. Currently reading some production books, Emerick on the Beatles, Ken Scott and Visconti about their Bowie stints (among others). Also Nic Roeg's autobiography, and a few on Bowie.

 
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zamboni said:
Here you go, GB: http://www.brianwilson.com/tour

Only Brian and Al Jardine from the original Boys seem to be playing. Bruce Johnston and David Marks had also been playing with Brian in recent years, but I guess are not part of this tour.
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Blondie Chapin is listed. He was lead singer on a song I like, Sail On Sailor from the album Holland (single '73 and again in '75, where it charted #79 and #49, respectively).



 
Sail On Sailor Live Concert Footage with Brian Wilson, from the 50th Anniversary Tour in '12 (Mike Love, Johnston and Marks were all on board for that).

From wiki - "The 50th Reunion Tour was a 2012 world concert tour by The Beach Boys, an American rock band. The tour marked the first time since 1965 that founding member Brian Wilson had performed on a full tour with the band, although from 1965 to 1996 he did join them in select shows and appearances. The tour also marked the first time that The Beach Boys had played at the Hollywood Bowl since 1967, having sold it out both times. Brian Wilson stated that this Beach Boys tour, and the album associated with it, That's Why God Made the Radio, which was released in June 2012, is dedicated to the memory of his two brothers: Carl who died of cancer in 1998, and Dennis, who drowned in 1983."





 
Bambu, Dennis Wilson's unfinished album at the time of his drowning in '83 (included as a second bonus disc on a recent CD version of Pacific Ocean Blue)



 
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16 minutes ago, Bob Magaw said:

I forgot Dennis Wilson was in Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop '71 (also James Taylor, in their only acting appearances, and the great character actor Warren Oates in a rare leading role - in addition to Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia), one of the greatest '70s road/car movies, with Vanishing Point.

Background

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Lane_Blacktop

Criterion Edition

https://www.criterion.com/films/847-two-lane-blacktop

Trailer

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Two Lane Blacktop was a great flick.

 
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The title song from Pet Sounds (one of two instrumentals on the album, with the wistfully beautiful Let's Go Away For Awhile). Listen to how well this was recorded and engineered, you can hear all the instruments in the mix. Brian Wilson, like his mentor Phil Spector, mixed down to mono. Reportedly he felt it gave him the most control in shaping the ultimate instrumental balance and end listener experience (independent of factors out of his control such as variances in the quality of home audio equipment and indifferent speaker placement). The fact that he was nearly deaf in one ear (possibly from a beating by his father?) may also have played into his preference for and decision to employ mono*. The below is a stereo version reconstructed from the multi-track master tapes. 

* Of course Wilson (and Spector) weren't alone in this. George Martin and The Beatles focused most of their attention on mono mixes for much of the '60s, as that is how most listeners heard them, whether at home or in the car (with the exception of a few "audiophiles" that were early adopters of stereo technology).   



 
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Was Musical Memory A Secret To Brian Wilson's Genius?

I think it was in the Pet Stories doc, or one of the brief videos with George Martin, in which he talked about going to different studios for different sounds. I have heard of a musician trying to capture a certain overall sound due to a characteristic room ambience of a studio (size can play into it in part, as well as other acoustic properties, such as the materials it is made out of, including the floor, walls and ceiling, its shape - Columbia's famed NY studio was a converted cathedral, and Rudy Van Gelder took a cue in how he designed his home studio which captured over a thousand Blue Note and Prestige jazz classics, etc.), or maybe differences between custom engineering consoles, and whether they were tube or solid state circuitry based. Mike Johnson called Wilson "Dog Ears" because he could hear things ordinary humans couldn't. Wilson, in the above doc, talked about how he would go to 4-5 different studios for a single SONG, by layering in the sound he favored for capturing certain studio/instruments marriages, such as drums, piano, etc. I don't know of any musicians who took things to that level, or would even be capable of hearing that many subtle acoustic property distinctions.    

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jan/21/brian-wilson-beach-boys-musical-mind-mental-condition-beethoven-psychology-love-and-mercy

 
Excerpt of Wilson playing Surf's Up solo on the '66 Leonard Bernstein doc, Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution



 
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zamboni said:
Saw this a few months back. Cusack was really good.

FWIW, Wilson and the Beach Boys (excluding Mike Love, of course) are on tour this year and will be doing Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary.
Click to expand...
Love & Mercy was Mojo Magazine's 2015 Film Of The Year, with circa Pet Sounds "Past" Brian Wilson actor Paul Dano interview  

http://www.mojo4music.com/22606/paul-dano-on-being-brian-wilson-it-felt-like-we-were-really-making-pet-sounds/

Another Paul Dano interview, from Rolling Stone

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/love-and-mercy-paul-dano-on-brian-wilson-20140913

Interview with Producer/Director Bill Pohlad (also produced Brokeback Mountain, The Tree Of Life and 12 Years A Slave)

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/love-mercy-brian-wilson-bill-pohlad-beach-boys-1201505018/

 
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Anyone else going to any dates for this?

VIP Packages look really affordable and worthwhile.  I have a free solo weekend from the lady from now through November and am debating between this or seeing Paul McCartney.  I've seen Paul recently and it was the best show I've been to but feel this would be a more once in a lifetime chance and I should take it.

If anyone is down for a brief cornhole, and interested in going let me know please as I'll be flying solo.

 
F it. Got me and the lady a VIP pair of tix for the Newport News concert. 

Comes w a front seat, signed stuff, meet and greet and photos. Over priced sell out stuff I'm sure but I'm a mark for the beach boys. 

The venue is a small amphitheater and hope it'll be worth it. 

 
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Getting pretty excited for this and getting to meet Mike Love. 

Has anyone gone?  Or know someone that's gone?  Would like to hear how it is.

Are there concert review sites out there?

 
John Bender said:
Getting pretty excited for this and getting to meet Mike Love. 

Has anyone gone?  Or know someone that's gone?  Would like to hear how it is.

Are there concert review sites out there?
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Looking forward to hearing how your performance turns out. I'm going in September in Detroit.

 
Bob Magaw said:
Was Musical Memory A Secret To Brian Wilson's Genius?

I think it was in the Pet Stories doc, or one of the brief videos with George Martin, in which he talked about going to different studios for different sounds. I have heard of a musician trying to capture a certain overall sound due to a characteristic room ambience of a studio (size can play into it in part, as well as other acoustic properties, such as the materials it is made out of, including the floor, walls and ceiling, its shape - Columbia's famed NY studio was a converted cathedral, and Rudy Van Gelder took a cue in how he designed his home studio which captured over a thousand Blue Note and Prestige jazz classics, etc.), or maybe differences between custom engineering consoles, and whether they were tube or solid state circuitry based. Mike Johnson called Wilson "Dog Ears" because he could hear things ordinary humans couldn't. Wilson, in the above doc, talked about how he would go to 4-5 different studios for a single SONG, by layering in the sound he favored for capturing certain studio/instruments marriages, such as drums, piano, etc. I don't know of any musicians who took things to that level, or would even be capable of hearing that many subtle acoustic property distinctions.    

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jan/21/brian-wilson-beach-boys-musical-mind-mental-condition-beethoven-psychology-love-and-mercy
Click to expand...
I think it was a Beatles doc or something I watched where they said the Beatles album inspired Wilson to go to such crazy lengths to try to make the perfect album.

 
John Bender said:
Getting pretty excited for this and getting to meet Mike Love. 

Has anyone gone?  Or know someone that's gone?  Would like to hear how it is.

Are there concert review sites out there?
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I hadn't heard of him being involved. Or is this something independent of the Brian show?

On another note, the size of this tour is crazy. The sheer number of shows he has played since his return back in '99 or so has been mind-boggling. I see him at times where he looks completely zooted or like he would rather be anywhere else, but then others where he's pretty engaged. It's odd, but I guess he wouldn't keep going if he didn't want to. Hopefully Melinda would put the kibosh on any arm twisting to get him to commit to these huge tours. Whatever the case, his band is lethal. Astonishingly good.

 
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