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Post by Kapitan on Jan 24, 2020 14:49:06 GMT
Some of SJS's and KDS's posts made me think this might deserve a thread. Feel free to meander from the initial, specific question if you'd prefer. But taking up KDS's hypothetical:
If you were given one chance--one song--to demonstrate the musical genius of Brian Wilson to someone, what would you pick, and why? What about that song is genius?
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
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Post by bellbottoms on Jan 24, 2020 17:07:41 GMT
I think Good Vibrations is probably the number one example of Brian’s genius. It was the culmination of everything he had learned and tried up to that point and then pushed the envelope even further. He broke new ground in terms of recording techniques and originality, and what a pop song could sound like.
His use of mutliple studios to achieve specific sounds for each section of a single song seems like something so uniquely Brian because of his own particular understanding and knowledge of each studio and how it would affect the sound. I’m not sure if he was the absolute first, but he certainly is considered a pioneer in that regard.
He was thinking way ahead of his time with the modular structure, doing something with tactile components (scissors and tape!) that in the future would become a no-brainer and commonplace with computer technology. There was no “undo” button with what he was doing. He had to be meticulous and know exactly what he wanted. And he had to have it all in his head to do it. The idea of putting a musical jigsaw puzzle together is absolutely a work of creative genius - a completely different way of thinking about music at the time. Or so I understand, having not been there to witness it.
And the result of all of that was a song that doesn’t sound like anything else. A magical blossom world of a song that is a true embodiment of its name and meaning. Good Vibrations transformed what a pop song could sound like. It has always existed in my lifetime, so I’ll never know life without it. I often imagine what it would have been like to hear that song upon its release in 1966, when nothing like it had ever been done before. I think I remember JK giving an account of it someplace. I get chills thinking about it.
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Post by kds on Jan 24, 2020 17:14:35 GMT
Good Vibrations is a good one.
I think I might go Kiss Me Baby. In that track, he perfectly selects how to use the Boys' voices, with alternating leads with him and Mike, as well as the chorus with "Kiss Me Baby, Love You Always" and "Kiss a little bit, fight a little bit" underneath. The backing track perfectly blends with the vocals, with neither stepping on the other. The melody is beautiful as well.
I'd also consider The Little Girl I Once Knew, California Girls, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Surf's Up, and The Warmth of the Sun.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 24, 2020 17:36:07 GMT
My evidence for the genius of Brian Wilson, if that’s the way to best describe highest-level work in his fields, is “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”
“His fields” in my argument are songwriting (the music component) and arranging. (Production and arrangement aren’t always easy to tease apart, but my definition here of “arranging” would include some production aspects. What I mean is, being responsible for how the recording of the song sounds. Because the term also has business and logistical aspects, I didn’t use that term … but I could have, for its musical aspects.)
The argument would be: Brian Wilson was a genius in pop songcraft because of his ability to take simultaneously very simple (and very memorable) musical elements and blend in complex or unexpected elements in a way that sounds very natural.
The opening arpeggios last only about five seconds, but they perfectly set the stage for several reasons. One, the almost harp-like, high-registered tones call to mind heaven, angels, which is to say a dream world. Two, the slightly detuned nature and the tone of the strings themselves calls to mind a child’s toy ukelele or some other toy instrument, calling to mind childhood. Three, in the popular music or rock and roll world, the introduction is jarring because of its difference from more typical instrumentation.
BAM! goes the snare drum, ending the dream, ending childhood, and bringing us back into the world of rock and roll. Six seconds. It’s already brilliant.
The song moves in some ways directly into rock and roll. The verse chord structure is typical: I-IV-ii-V7. There is a strong backbeat and bass, and a hint of a shuffle beat (more in the other instruments than the drums). But the instrumentation is not remotely typical for rock and roll: in addition to drums, piano, bass, and guitar, there are accordions, trumpet, saxophone, mandolin, double bass…
It also is in a different key from the introduction, which was in A; the verse is in F. The change of a major third is a startling one—appropriately startling, a perfect fit to follow the sudden and dramatic snare drum’s turning point.
The vocal melody ties them together, with the opening note being the third in the F major triad, which is A (the root of the introduction). It is a high melody, one that lays bare the slight strain in a reaching, striving singer whose lyrics are about transition from childhood to sexual maturity. Wilson didn’t write the lyrics, but he wrote music that fit them well. Even the slight scoop to hit that first note of the melody is perfect for the sentiment: it is ambitious, almost desperate.
The second half of the verses brings a dramatically different tone and rhythm, with the chords sliding out of a pure F major. They are Dmin7/A (the vi in second inversion, implying a iiisus), Cmin7/F (taking us outside the key, as a C chord in F major would be C major; this almost implies a I7sus), Dmin7/A again, Amin7 (the iii chord in the key of F), Gmin7 (ii7 in F), C7 (V7, or “the dominant” in F—the chord you would expect to bring you back, or “resolve” to F).
A less technical way to talk about those chords is to say that they bring a sense of motion and, by way of the real or implied suspensions, a need to go somewhere, to resolve. But by meandering within and outside of the key, at least the first two chords are surprising before, the second time through, they go a more typical route to resolution. It is delayed gratification. It is what the entirety of baroque music, or you could argue Western music, was built on. Wilson has somehow offered up 30 seconds of music that has one clear key change and at least one implied one, and created a sense of longing and delayed resolution. That’s a lot to accomplish in 30 seconds.
This section also introduces the background vocals, building up off of the lead vocal’s melody so that each phrase expands outward. (“You know it’s gonna make it that…”) The effect, fittingly and calling back to mind the introduction, is angelic. It is also ecstatic, fitting to the sexual frustration and desire.
The second verse repeats the above, but with background vocals throughout. It builds on the sound, for me making this the high point of the song. This is cruising altitude, the fever pitch.
There is really only one other section to the song, the bridge. It is brilliant as well. The intensity drops significantly, almost as if a voice of reason from Mr. Love (ironically, then, cued up in part by a figure played by sax, among others). This isn’t the dream itself, but the path to the dream. The reason speaking to the heart (or to a point further south…). “Maybe if we think, and wish, and hope, and pray, it might come true!” The background vocals in effect assent: “run run wee-oooh” may as well be “yeah, yeah, that makes sense!” And their ooohs build the intensity as Mike continues “maybe then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do!” This is what happens when adolescents get to dreaming together. The voices here feed off one another, amping one another up. “We could be married?” “Yeah, yeah! We COULD be married!”
Musically, it is also remarkable. This section is in D major, which is another third down from the primary key of F (which was also a third down from the introductory figure in A). First and foremost, we continue that excited, heavenly dream state from the introductory figure by playing the introductory figure again: it works despite being in another key.
The chords here are interesting in that they linger in uncertainty, avoiding resolution again. Dmaj7, Gmaj7, F#min7, Bmin7…major sevenths are typically associated with bliss, while minor sevenths are somewhat ambivalent but leaning toward darkness…I’d say both chord types are rudderless without resolution especially through dominants. (In this case, a dominant in D is A7; the dominant in the song’s primary key, F, is C7.)
We cycle through those chords twice before slightly changing it up to F#min7, Bmin7, F#min7, C7…that dominant chord not present in the key of D, but that naturally takes us back through a traditional resolution to the song’s primary key of F.
The material from here on out isn’t really new, but it is a creative way to recycle. We slow down for the grand effect, repeating “you know it seems…” before kicking it back in for the outro.
Nearly everyone in the western world knows this song. And in some ways, it is a very basic I-IV-ii-V song about boy-girl longing. Yet it has so many inventive background vocal parts and chordal twists, to say nothing of creative instrumentation and arrangements, that it is miles and miles above the typical rock and roll fare that it could have easily been.
That is the genius of Brian Wilson.
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Post by kds on Jan 24, 2020 18:37:42 GMT
^^^^^^^ What he said.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 25, 2020 0:58:39 GMT
I'm gonna cheat and pick two. That's because there were two "genius" songs that hit me the same time and blew me away a long time ago. But first the album. In 1976, I was a fresh-faced newbie and purchasing every Beach Boys' album I could find. And, that wasn't an easy task because several of the Beach Boys' catalogue were already out of print. One productive day at the record store, I found this vinyl 2fer in a cutout bin:
Now, why Reprise packaged Smiley Smile with Friends and Wild Honey with 20/20 is beyond me. It would make too much sense to package them in sequence, or the order in which they were released. Anyway, it was one of my first listening experiences I had with Beach Boys' music that was post-Pet Sounds. And what an experience it was! At the end of two entire albums, and some eye-opening and mind-blowing music, came two of the most unbelievable songs I ever heard - "Our Prayer" and "Cabin Essence". These two songs easily fell into my newly-christened Brian Wilson category of "How in the hell did he come up with something like that?" With "Our Prayer", he wrote a damn hymn. This was as good as anything I ever heard in church. "Our Prayer" could fit comfortably in a church hymnal. And this wasn't just showing off or stringing a bunch of notes and voices together (like "One For The Boys" on BW 1988). This was a real prayer, a prayer-song. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end - all in 1:07. How did he write that? How did he work in those voices so perfectly? How did he achieve that sound? This was 1966 with what, a single microphone? Pure genius.
The other song, "Cabin Essence", well, what hasn't been said about that song. The melody, the arrangements, the instruments used, the sound that Brian achieved. It takes you right back to the Old West. Banjo, harmonica, fuzz bass (where did that come from?), cello, trumpet, accordian, and more. He threw in that Oriental touch. The movement of the train, that hammering of the spikes. And just when you think you heard it all, he goes into the Grand Coulee segment. Unbelievable. The way Brian used the voices. Carl's timeless lead vocal. Mike singing the very part he objected to. Brian's high vocal part weaving in and out. All of it coming together, and the song ends with the train chugging over the horizon. What a fade! Genius again.
It's hard to believe how under the radar those two songs went for years. I don't know how many people bought and/or heard 20/20, but for several years, those two songs, "Our Prayer" and "Cabin Essence", took somewhat of a backseat to the hits. Only in the last decade or so did those two songs finally get the credit they deserve.
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Post by B.E. on Jan 25, 2020 1:28:41 GMT
Now, why Reprise packaged Smiley Smile with Friends and Wild Honey with 20/20 is beyond me. It would make too much sense to package them in sequence, or the order in which they were released.
I agree that it's odd, but maybe their reasoning was to balance out the production values. ... "Our Prayer" and "Cabin Essence". These two songs easily fell into my newly-christened Brian Wilson category of "How in the hell did he come up with something like that?" With "Our Prayer", he wrote a damn hymn. This was as good as anything I ever heard in church. "Our Prayer" could fit comfortably in a church hymnal. And this wasn't just showing off or stringing a bunch of notes and voices together (like "One For The Boys" on BW 1988). This was a real prayer, a prayer-song. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end - all in 1:07. How did he write that? How did he work in those voices so perfectly? How did he achieve that sound? This was 1966 with what, a single microphone? Pure genius. Some of Brian's music truly feels "otherworldly" to me. "Our Prayer" is probably the epitome of that. I slightly disagree about "One For The Boys". I think it's well-structured and I have no reason to question its inspiration or motivation. I might even go as far to say that the ending of "One For The Boys" is more exciting than the ending of "Our Prayer".
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 25, 2020 17:57:19 GMT
... "Our Prayer" and "Cabin Essence". These two songs easily fell into my newly-christened Brian Wilson category of "How in the hell did he come up with something like that?" With "Our Prayer", he wrote a damn hymn. This was as good as anything I ever heard in church. "Our Prayer" could fit comfortably in a church hymnal. And this wasn't just showing off or stringing a bunch of notes and voices together (like "One For The Boys" on BW 1988). This was a real prayer, a prayer-song. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end - all in 1:07. How did he write that? How did he work in those voices so perfectly? How did he achieve that sound? This was 1966 with what, a single microphone? Pure genius. Some of Brian's music truly feels "otherworldly" to me. "Our Prayer" is probably the epitome of that. I slightly disagree about "One For The Boys". I think it's well-structured and I have no reason to question its inspiration or motivation. I might even go as far to say that the ending of "One For The Boys" is more exciting than the ending of "Our Prayer". I always thought that the title, "One For The Boys", was influenced either directly by Landy (for obvious reasons) or indirectly through Brian in the way Landy was trying to make Brian stand up for himself, praise himself, and even downplay his need for The Beach Boys. Did you ever notice in the interviews around that time how Brian's personality started to change. He went from the somewhat laid back, humble, and unassuming nice guy into this almost outspoken, bragging character, actually predicting how his record(s) were going to achieve great numbers (which, sadly they didn't). Anyway, I think "One For The Boys" lacks substance. It doesn't really go anywhere. It doesn't seem to actually be a "song" or a complete piece, a composition if you will. And, I guess it really doesn't have to. But it always sounded to me as Brian just throwing out some vocal parts - actually shouting - that don't go anywhere or lead to anything. It's almost like Vocal Stacking 101. I don't mean to demean Brian, but I also sometimes think that anybody with some musical and studio background could, in a couple of hours, go in and knock something out like "One For The Boys".
That being said, I do believe it deserved to be on the 1988 solo album, and not only that, it was a no-brainer as the album opener. And you thought you would get away without a sequencing comment!
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2020 18:03:19 GMT
I'm not a big fan of "One For the Boys." It's definitely not bad--not at all. There are some cool things going on in it. But...
First, Brian wasn't singing especially well on it. The reverb--lots of it--do a good job of helping those not always totally in-tune voices cohere (as reverb does). But more than that, I just don't think it's a good a cappella song; it's more a cool vocal arrangement to top something else, something that sadly doesn't exist.
I say that because it's a pretty slow tempo, but the vocal parts don't really keep up to fill space. There's a lot of silence and a lot of held chords that just beg for motion.
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Post by B.E. on Jan 25, 2020 18:15:20 GMT
I always thought that the title, "One For The Boys", was influenced either directly by Landy (for obvious reasons) or indirectly through Brian in the way Landy was trying to make Brian stand up for himself, praise himself, and even downplay his need for The Beach Boys. Did you ever notice in the interviews around that time how Brian's personality started to change. He went from the somewhat laid back, humble, and unassuming nice guy into this almost outspoken, bragging character, actually predicting how his record(s) were going to achieve great numbers (which, sadly they didn't). 1) I've had the opposite reaction. I always took "One For The Boys" as a nod to the Beach Boys. That he was acknowledging that this was the type of thing he (had) liked to do with the boys, and of all the songs on his debut solo album, probably most reminded him of the Beach Boys. 2) I noticed, but I never connected it to "One For The Boys" in any way.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 25, 2020 18:23:13 GMT
I always thought that the title, "One For The Boys", was influenced either directly by Landy (for obvious reasons) or indirectly through Brian in the way Landy was trying to make Brian stand up for himself, praise himself, and even downplay his need for The Beach Boys. Did you ever notice in the interviews around that time how Brian's personality started to change. He went from the somewhat laid back, humble, and unassuming nice guy into this almost outspoken, bragging character, actually predicting how his record(s) were going to achieve great numbers (which, sadly they didn't). 1) I've had the opposite reaction. I always took "One For The Boys" as a nod to the Beach Boys. That he was acknowledging that this was the type of thing he (had) liked to do with the boys, and of all the songs on his debut solo album, probably most reminded him of the Beach Boys. 2) I noticed, but I never connected it to "One For The Boys" in any way. And that's what's so great about message boards. It does make you think and consider other opinions. Now you're making me think and I would like to hear from other forum members about it. I guess I always thought of the song as "I'll show you guys what I can do by myself, without your voices".
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Post by kds on Jan 25, 2020 19:42:11 GMT
At the risk of taking this thread from its intended purpose, I think there is a certain amount of genius in the fact that Brian Wilson's team, along with various talking heads and writers, have managed to keep alive the myth that Brian was the be all / end all of The Beach Boys, and was never at fault when something negative happened artistically or commercially, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary - from the collaspe of Smile to the ending of the 2012 reunion.
While it may not have moved the needle significantly for solo album or ticket sales, thanks to some very good PR, Brian Wilson seems to be immune to criticism more than any other artist.
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Post by B.E. on Jan 25, 2020 20:38:04 GMT
At the risk of taking this thread from its intended purpose, I think there is a certain amount of genius in the fact that Brian Wilson's team, along with various talking heads and writers, have managed to keep alive the myth that Brian was the be all / end all of The Beach Boys, and was never at fault when something negative happened artistically or commercially, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary - from the collaspe of Smile to the ending of the 2012 reunion. While it may not have moved the needle significantly for solo album or ticket sales, thanks to some very good PR, Brian Wilson seems to be immune to criticism more than any other artist. Bottom line, people with severe mental illness are treated differently. Look at John Lennon. He's revered, his death contributed to and shielded his legacy, but he is still extensively criticized for his personal flaws (and, prior to his death, his professional missteps). Despite suffering from mental illness during his life, John's problems simply aren't acknowledged or considered to have been as severe or debilitating as Brian's (which I'm not disputing). Maybe there are other examples that contradict me. Feel free to mention them.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2020 21:21:13 GMT
At the risk of taking this thread from its intended purpose, I think there is a certain amount of genius in the fact that Brian Wilson's team, along with various talking heads and writers, have managed to keep alive the myth that Brian was the be all / end all of The Beach Boys, and was never at fault when something negative happened artistically or commercially, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary - from the collaspe of Smile to the ending of the 2012 reunion. While it may not have moved the needle significantly for solo album or ticket sales, thanks to some very good PR, Brian Wilson seems to be immune to criticism more than any other artist. Bottom line, people with severe mental illness are treated differently. Look at John Lennon. He's revered, his death contributed to and shielded his legacy, but he is still extensively criticized for his personal flaws (and, prior to his death, his professional missteps). Despite suffering from mental illness during his life, John's problems simply aren't acknowledged or considered to have been as severe or debilitating as Brian's (which I'm not disputing). Maybe there are other examples that contradict me. Feel free to mention them. I think you're very right, B.E.: fans and the public are very inconsistent in how they treat people (in this case, celebs/musicians) with mental illness. Sometimes they are lovable victims deserving praise and sympathy, a la Brian. Other times they're targets for mockery, like Britney Spears's meltdown in the '00s, for example. (I realize her fans support her and are obsessed, but media in general had a fun time for a few years being cruel, actually.)
In Beach Boys world, I've heard people mock Mike's meltdown in the late 60s or early 70s; needless to say, Brian wasn't subject to the same.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 25, 2020 22:05:41 GMT
Brian Wilson's mental illness is certainly a factor in the equation, maybe even the biggest one. Back in the 1970's, when little about Brian's condition was disclosed, and before society's views on mental illness had evolved, Brian was just viewed as quirky, maybe a little "out there", and almost affectionately seen as the lovable nut. Much of that changed, first with the Landy exposure, and eventually - and most significantly - when Brian married Melinda and they would do interviews and openly discuss Brian's mental illness. Once that happened, and books were written, and documentaries were produced, and eventually movies were made, never again would Brian Wilson be accountable for...a lot of things.
I also believe in the "we love Brian so much because of all the happiness he has given us" theory. It is perfectly normal to appreciate, defend, advocate for, and love those who bring happiness and joy into our lives. Brian Wilson did it with his music. You wonder why people/fans let Brian off the hook, overly praise him, rationalize his behavior, or love him more than the other Beach Boys? I believe there is a direct relationship between the quantity and quality of musical contributions of each individual Beach Boy and the amount of love, affection, and "sticking up for" among the fans. And, Brian Wilson dwarfs the competition in this instance.
Finally, for whatever reasons, people have their agendas. People hate Mike Love and want to pay him back - by advocating for Brian Wilson. People think Dennis Wilson is sexy and feel sorry for him because he was abused as a child. People like Carl Wilson because he was the quiet, peace-keeping Beach Boy. Al was the nice, friendly clean-living short guy. People relate to Brian Wilson because he is shy and has a weight problem. Or is mentally ill. Or was abused by his father. Or was screwed by the record company and his bandmates (well, some of them). Or just because he seems like a nice guy, somebody who wouldn't hurt a fly. Fans latch on to these things, almost stereotypes, the way they THINK a particular Beach Boy really is. And, if another Beach Boy or record company or doctor or critic or message board poster poses a threat to their favorite Beach Boy - in this case Brian Wilson - those fans will get their dander up and do and say things, emotionally charged things. I know I've done it.
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