The Beach Boys were seen as a dreamy vision of the life in the sunny state of California. They created the surf sound that held most of the 60’s rock scene. There was mild competition between them and the Beatles. They were neck and neck for number one hits. With lush, full, layered, lyrics, intriquetely woven in a music theory masterpiece, each song had a blend of sound unparalleled by any other band prior to that time.
Brian Wilson along with two brothers (Carl and Dennis), a cousin (Mike Love), and a neighbor made up the Beach Boys.*1Brian was the founder, producer, songwriter, and arranger of the Beach Boys. Influenced initially by The Four Freshman, Brian was in awe of the thick four-part harmonies. He and friends collaborated with unique ideas to develop sounds that had never been recorded. They learned how to incorporate them into music. Using multiple extension cords strung out in the middle of the night, they recorded a car starting and revving. *2 They also borrowed power from a stranger’s beach house to record ocean waves.*3 Brian was very gifted vocally and had an ear for pitch. Having a very strictly structured home life helped him learn how to do multiple roles behind the music.
Murry Wilson was Brian’s father. He was a control freak. He was fired in 1966 from being the band’s manager. Brian was free to collaborate with an old friend, Gary Usher and able to make the most complex sounds of his career. His dad was against anything that would look to difficult to market.*4
Phil Spector was influencing Brian to work with lots of instrumentation, creating a "wall of sound." Many of Phil's albums were created right in front of Brian. He sat in the studio and watched him make decisions about the production of each band that he worked with. Phil Spector influenced the album Pet Sounds. Brian did veer away from Phil, bringing in interesting sounds of instruments that were very outlandish. Most percussion on the album was purely for decoration and not to hold the song together structurally. It was rhythmically controlled mostly with instrumentation. The entire album was recorded by studio musicians, except for the Beach Boys’ vocals. The Beach Boys also didn’t write or give any creative input to the way the album sounded. It was very well regarded by peers, but not very commercially viable. It didn’t seem to fit the public’s image of entertainment, as far as the expected Beach Boys’ sound. “In much the same way Rubber Soul blew Brian’s mind, Pet Sounds had a galvanizing affect on Paul McCartney, who has often cited it as his all-time favorite album.” *5
Personally, I like a couple of songs off Pet Sounds, however, most of the California sunshine pop that I like is scattered throughout the other Beach boy albums and other bands that had similar sounds. I can respect the lush vocals and the effect it has on the overall sound. It is truly great. Professionally, I can relate to Brian Wilson's frustration with piecing together ideas out of sounds of the world that I love. I can also appreciate the depth to which he went to obtain the perfect sound desired. I have also found myself listening to the same thing a million times to drive a sound into my mind.
Personally, I like a couple of songs off Pet Sounds, however, most of the California sunshine pop that I like is scattered throughout the other Beach boy albums and other bands that had similar sounds. I can respect the lush vocals and the effect it has on the overall sound. It is truly great. Professionally, I can relate to Brian Wilson's frustration with piecing together ideas out of sounds of the world that I love. I can also appreciate the depth to which he went to obtain the perfect sound desired. I have also found myself listening to the same thing a million times to drive a sound into my mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment