Just Like Brian Wilson Did
October 7th, 2004 by Sarin
Brian Wilson, the mastermind behind The Beach Boys finally completed SMiLE.
The proof is “Smile,” a 47-minute rock opera in three movements that, when the composer first envisioned it in 1966, was to have been a “teenage symphony to God.”
He was 24 then. He is 62 now. Except for a slight paunch and the gray overtaking his wavy brown hair, Wilson’s appearance has changed little from the gangly, cherubic-faced youth who captivated the world with such songs as “Surfin’ Safari,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Surfer Girl,” “Catch a Wave” and “Fun Fun Fun.”
Though much of the public may forever associate him with the Beach Boys’ three-minute odes to sand, girls and cars, Wilson grew to be one of pop music’s greatest composers.
After the Beatles stunned the pop music world with the release of the elaborately produced “Rubber Soul” in 1965, Wilson one-upped them with “Pet Sounds.” The Beatles, in turn, responded with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a work still regarded by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest rock album ever made (”Pet Sounds” is No. 2).
“‘Rubber Soul’ was such an experience for me to hear that I went to my piano and I started writing ‘Pet Sounds’ right away,” Wilson, dressed in blue jeans, a pullover shirt and tennis shoes, said recently during a break from rehearsing “Smile” for a concert tour.
It was while the Beatles were in the studio putting together “Sgt. Pepper” that he and longtime collaborator Van Dyke Parks were working on “Smile” for the Beach Boys.
Those who heard early tapes predicted it would be the greatest rock accomplishment ever. But it was not to be, and the reasons why quickly became the stuff of legend.
From the collected bootlegs that I have had over years, the sounds on SMiLE scared me. There were about 4 or 5 completed catchy songs that were on par with the songs on Pet Sounds, and alot of songs that just damn near needed alot of work. Most people would agree that “Good Vibrations” was already a great song, and you shouldn’t mess with perfection, but here it is anyway. The “most celebrated album never released” never caught my attention before but forget technology and embrace the fact for once, this stuff of genius is finally out and it’s damn good. I got my hands on it, and am now grateful that I can compare it side by side with the stuff that got recovered in the ’60s. Who knows what music it could and would have influenced if it had been released when it was supposed to.
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