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Brian Wilson (album)

Brian Wilson is the first solo album by American musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, released July 12, 1988 by Sire and Reprise Records. Promoted as a spiritual successor to his band's 1966 release Pet Sounds, the album is characterized for its rich, synthesizer-heavy orchestrations. It cost over $1 million to record and was the first album produced by Wilson since The Beach Boys Love You (1977). His former psychologist, Eugene Landy, was credited as "executive producer".

Brian Wilson
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 12, 1988 (1988-07-12)
RecordedApril 1987 – May 5, 1988[1]
Studio
  • Ground Control (Santa Monica)
  • Village
  • Suma
  • Soundcastle (Los Angeles)
  • Larabee and Smoke Tree Ranch (Palm Springs)
  • Hit Factory (New York City)
  • Dolphin Sound (Honolulu)
  • Twilight Sound (Boston)[2]
GenreProgressive pop
Length37:20
LabelSire/Reprise
Producer
Brian Wilson chronology
Brian Wilson
(1988)
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
(1995)
Singles from Brian Wilson
  1. "Love and Mercy"
    Released: July 1, 1988
  2. "Melt Away"
    Released: January 19, 1989

The album was recorded over the course of a year across 11 studios. It was written and produced mainly by Wilson, Landy, and Sire staff producers Andy Paley and Russ Titelman. Landy was a constant disruptive presence, and creative differences between him and the rest of the production team occurred throughout the album's making. The record includes the eight-minute closing track "Rio Grande", which saw Wilson revisiting a more experimental approach in the form of an Old West-themed suite. Among the album's guest contributors were Nick Laird-Clowes, Jeff Lynne, Elliot Easton, Philippe Saisse, Christopher Cross, and Terence Trent D'Arby. Two singles were issued: "Love and Mercy" and "Melt Away".

Brian Wilson was critically acclaimed but sold moderately, reaching number 54 in the U.S. and failing to chart in the UK. The LP's release was largely overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Landy's therapeutic practice and the success of the Beach Boys' "Kokomo", released the same month. In later years, detractors have criticized the album's reliance on synthesizers and drum machines. A follow-up, Sweet Insanity, was co-produced with Landy but never officially released. Wilson continued recording with Paley after disassociating from Landy in 1991, but did not release another solo album consisting of new original material until Imagination (1998).

Background edit

Wilson stated in a 1976 interview that he had considered the Beach Boys' albums Pet Sounds (1966) and Friends (1968) to be his first solo albums.[3] Officially, he had one solo record to his name, the 1966 single "Caroline, No", which had sold poorly.[4] In the mid-1970s, he had approached Warner Bros. Records about producing a solo album, but it never happened, ostensibly because he had rejected the company's proposed budget.[5] His last released production effort was the 1977 album The Beach Boys Love You, which, despite being credited to the Beach Boys, was recorded and performed almost entirely by Wilson alone.[6][nb 1] During the recording of Love You, in December 1976, Wilson told a journalist that he had desired a solo career, but feared that "it would split the group up too much".[3] He stated in a 1988 interview that he "should have" recorded a true solo album long ago, but had lacked "the confidence or the discipline".[8]

 
Wilson performing with the Beach Boys in June 1983, several months after he had signed into psychologist Eugene Landy's rehabilitation program.

From 1977 to 1982, Wilson entered a period of regression marked by overeating, drug abuse, erratic behavior, and at least one extended stay at a psychiatric facility.[9][10] The group's efforts to keep Wilson at the production helm were unsuccessful,[11][12] and at the end of 1982, his family, bandmates, and management prevailed upon him to volunteer back into psychologist Eugene Landy's "24-hours-a-day" therapy program.[13][14] In short time, Landy's role extended to being Wilson's creative and financial partner.[15] As his recovery consolidated, Wilson actively participated in the recording of his band's self-titled 1985 album The Beach Boys, produced by Steve Levine.[16] Following this, Wilson, under Landy's auspices, stopped working with his bandmates on a regular basis in order to focus on launching a solo career.[17] According to Landy, this was because Wilson's bandmates "didn't appreciate his gift nor were they able to see that he was back and once again able to take over."[18]

At the suggestion of biographer David Leaf, in May 1986, Landy agreed to let Wilson's early songwriting partner Gary Usher collaborate on Wilson's planned solo album.[19] Wilson and Usher subsequently wrote and recorded demos at Usher's studio,[17] producing a collection of recordings that came to be known as "the Wilson Project".[20] They recorded about a dozen songs in varying stages of completion, most of which remain unreleased.[20] Due to Landy's persistent interference, which often involved revising the lyrics of their songs,[21] the project was abandoned after June 1987.[22]

In January 1987, Sire Records president Seymour Stein invited Wilson to act as a presenter for Leiber and Stoller's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[23] Impressed by Wilson's healthier demeanor and his onstage a cappella rendition of "On Broadway",[2] Stein met with Wilson during the ceremonial dinner and offered him a two-album solo deal.[23][24] Several weeks later, they reconvened at Wilson's Malibu home, where Stein was played "about sixty" of Wilson's new songs and decided on eighteen to record.[23] One of Stein's stipulations was to assign his own choice of co-producer for Wilson, and in turn, Landy negotiated to be allowed an "executive producer" credit.[25] Stein recruited staff producer Andy Paley, a Boston-based multi-instrumentalist and Beach Boys fanatic who had previously produced albums for Jonathan Richman.[25][26] Paley and Wilson immediately went to work.[25][26]

Production edit

Collaborators edit

 
Wilson in the studio, 1990

Paley, as he himself described, was assigned to the project "to kick [Brian] in the ass and get him going",[25] as well as to evaluate material for Stein and Lenny Waronker, the latter of whom being the president of Sire's distributor, Warner Bros. Records.[27] As was typical for Wilson's previous collaborators – namely, Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks – Paley usually met Wilson at his home and spent time together chatting or doing some other activity for inspiration before working on songs.[25] They were not composing together until, Paley said, "Brian realized I could play a number of instruments, [after which] we started jamming and then writing music together to flesh out the songs."[28]

Wilson recalled that, between 1982 and 1986, he had been unusually prolific as a songwriter and composed at his piano at least once a day. "We had 130 songs, then weeded it down to 20. We recorded 18 of those and chose 11 out of the 18".[29] He and Paley trawled through three briefcases filled with tapes containing nearly 170 mostly unrecorded songs he had written. By Paley's account, there was "great stuff", but also many songs that he termed "hamburger songs" in reference to stories about Dennis Wilson, in the early 1980s, enticing Brian to write songs with McDonald's hamburgers.[30] Paley said, "I could tell Brian if he was repeating himself in any of his stuff by incorporating some tiny thing from an obscure old tune. I kept him honest with himself as well as looking forward."[28] In turn, Wilson said of Paley, "He's a real swift guy. Real fast. A very brainy guy. He puts a lot behind it, let's put it that way. He's a scary guy when you get right down to it."[31]

Other producers, including Waronker and Russ Titelman, were soon involved.[32] Both of them had worked with Wilson in the past; in Titelman's case, he and Wilson had written the songs "Sherry She Needs Me" and "Guess I'm Dumb" in the mid-1960s before becoming a staff producer at Warner Bros.[28] According to Titelman, he got involved with the project after several months had passed and Wilson and Paley had produced only six "sloppy sketches" of incomplete songs.[30][nb 2] He said that Wilson "used to be a benevolent dictator in the studio; now, his ideas are great, but he needs someone to help organize those ideas."[18] Waronker stated, "Each song had moments, but they needed help. But Brian had all the inspiration. All Russ did was make it stand up, make it be a record."[30]

Waronker had been the Beach Boys' A&R representative at Warner–Reprise.[35] In the words of biographer Mark Dillon, the project was "so important to Sire" that Waronker got "hands-on".[36][nb 3] He implored Wilson to produce something akin to the extended, modular recording style that he had adopted with Smile in the late 1960s.[38] Waronker recalled, "I told Seymour that to not have Brian do one of the more experimental things he used to do before he went into hibernation would be, well, ridiculous."[28] However, Wilson had formed an aversion to this approach due to the fact that his personal decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s had coincided with the "diminishing commercial reception" to his more experimental recording output.[28] Waronker had initially envisioned the album as "a new age record [with] a bunch of things like 'Cool, Cool Water".[18][nb 4] Instead of forming the entire album around such a concept, they compromised with just one song of an extended length, "Rio Grande",[28] the only track on the album whose recording Waronker personally attended.[40]

The album featured a host of guest appearances from acts including the Cars' guitarist Elliot Easton, jazz keyboardist Philippe Saisse, singers Christopher Cross and Terence Trent D'Arby, among others.[41][nb 5] Following the release, some writers and fan publications implied that Wilson's songs were ghostwritten by the other producers and musicians, or that he was forced into writing the songs. In response to such accusations, Paley stated that the listed credits were indeed inaccurate, and that "there were a lot of people helping on that record", but that his and Wilson's writing was in no way contrived. Paley added, "the guy is always writing songs anyway, it's not like someone has to tell him to do it."[42]

Session difficulties and credits discrepancies edit

Landy was always checking in, phoning in directors, basically never wanting to give Brian any breathing room. It was a hassle and many times heart-breaking because we'd do something good, finally, and then Landy would swoop in and dive-bomb it.

—Co-producer Andy Paley[43]

Landy and his aides (nicknamed the "Surf Nazis"[44]) were a constant disruptive presence, and creative differences between him and the rest of the production team occurred throughout the album's making.[32][45][46] His assistant, Kevin Leslie, watched over Wilson at all times in the studio, while Landy himself regularly phoned to check on what track they were recording and to instruct Wilson to work on something else.[34] Landy would also frequently confiscate the master tapes once a day's work had been finished.[43] Stein, who characterized the album's recording as "hell on earth", said that Landy would then send back the wrong master tapes, "just to drive Russ crazy".[30]

Titelman said of Landy, "He kept Brian off guard all the time [...] interrupting the creative flow and it was unbelievably frustrating. I started to go out of my mind. It was so chaotic and unpleasant that it became rather untenable."[34] Landy acknowledged, "Titelman and I were always nose to nose, pushing, pushing, pushing. Russ Titelman is not my favorite person. But I must give him his honest due. [...] Russ has to be congratulated for having the balls to stand up to Brian and Dr. Landy [sic]."[30]

Biographer Peter Ames Carlin reported that Landy's meetings with Stein, Waronker, and Titelman had often "devolved into screaming matches".[43] During the vocal sessions to one song, one of Landy's aides bribed Wilson with a milkshake in exchange for him to sing alternate lyrics written by Landy and his girlfriend, Alexandra Morgan.[38] The team stopped communicating through the studio intercom system after it was discovered that Landy's aides were using it to eavesdrop on sessions from another room.[43] Paley remarked, "Anything good we got out of those sessions was done totally on stolen time."[43]

Paley indicated that the official writing and production credits for Brian Wilson are inaccurate.[47] Near the album's release, Landy had fought to be awarded songwriting credits on certain tracks while removing songwriting and production credits from others.[46] According to Paley, the musician, writing, and production credits became "all inaccurate", and he himself remains uncredited for several of the album's tracks.[47]

Recording edit

Brian Wilson was largely recorded at Ground Control Studios in Santa Monica[40] from April to late spring 1987.[18] After Titelman was recruited in June, the album was essentially completed by December.[18] The sessions were held across eleven studios[48] in Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, and Boston.[30] Mark Linett was recruited as engineer, a role he ultimately kept for Wilson's solo records through the present day.[49]

Critic David Fricke noted that "the rich, expansive arrangements echo the orchestral radiance of Wilson's spiritual mentor, Phil Spector."[50] Synthesizers are a major presence on the album, with Wilson employing samples, sound effects, keyboards, and percussion.[34] Wilson said of his recording process, "I would overdub, I'd play all the keyboard stuff, and then I'd have my right hand, my assistant producer Andy Paley, play the guitar, and bass, and drums–he can play four instruments, piano too. Which is great."[40] Programmer Michael Bernard was closely involved with some of the tracks.[41] Bernard recalled, "The way [Brian] would go about layering things, his choice of sounds and instrument was different from what I was used to, but it was really interesting to watch him work. Most people put down drums, bass and chords first, but Brian might go from the drums to horns to strings to a lead vocal."[18]

Production costs were reported to exceed $1 million (equivalent to $2.58 million in 2023).[51][52][53] However, it is unclear if that figure is truly accurate; in a contemporary article, Wilson mentioned that the cost was $800,000, while Paley cited $1 million. Waronker disputed both of those figures, saying that $1 million was "a tremendous overstatement".[40] Titelman blamed the overages on Landy's unusual practices.[52] Writing in his Beach Boys biography, Timothy White states that "Landy would change studios every few weeks so Brian would not, in the words of one production staff member, 'form any lasting new professional relationships.'"[48]

After an extended Christmas holiday,[18] the album was mixed by engineer Hugh Padgham of Peter Gabriel and the Police fame.[41] Landy then remixed the work, although Titelman stated that Waronker prevented Landy from making significant alterations, adding "It pretty much sounds the way the original mix sounded."[54] White reports that a discarded remix, arranged by Landy, had been "heavily accented by strings and other intensely lush touches à la Murry Wilson".[46] Brian Wilson took over a year to record – four times the span of time it took to record Pet Sounds.[52]

Content edit

Side one edit

"Love and Mercy" edit

"Love and Mercy", "an anthem about love and compassion", was inspired by the 1965 song "What the World Needs Now Is Love".[55] Wilson referred to the song as "probably the most spiritual" he had ever written.[2] He explained that the song "has a lot of intrinsic meaning in my personal life", because when he took LSD in the 1960s, he "developed a Jesus Christ complex", and "this song probably best exemplifies the Christ that's in me. The part that wants to give love to people".[56]

"Walkin' the Line" edit

"Walkin' the Line" is only track from the Wilson Project that made it onto Brian Wilson.[57][58] Wilson said that the song was built around an old bass line he had composed, and that the lyrics are about how he is "always walking over thin ice, could fall through at any minute. I tread lightly on everything I do, 'Walk The Line' so to speak. Not all the time, but it is one of my subtheme songs of my whole life, [but] it’s not a serious song."[2] Carlin describes it as "stompingly rhythmic" and "another of Brian's deceptively autobiographical songs, combining the percussive sound of footsteps, drums, sleigh bells, synth bass, synthesizer, electric guitars, and three layers of interlocking voices into a description of his own impossibly rigid life".[59]

Landy said the lyrics describe "walking the line between sanity and insanity, walking the line between wanting to talk to this girl and being too scared to."[60] Waronker had invited Nick Laird-Clowes, singer and guitarist of the Dream Academy, to work with Wilson on the album, but Laird-Clowes' contributions were ultimately limited to modifying the verse melody of "Walkin' the Line".[61]

"Melt Away" edit

"Melt Away", according to Wilson, is "about the identity crisis I have in my life – the way I see myself and the ‘me’ that everybody thinks I am."[2] The couplet "I feel just like an island / until I see you smilin'" was improvised by Wilson during the vocal session after Titelman had asked for a lyric revision to the song. Paley felt that the line is a highlight: "He was under pressure, but what he came up with was just such a beautiful, cool twist."[43]

The track recalls elements of the Pet Sounds track "God Only Knows".[59] Carlin explained that both songs contain sleigh bells and "percussive blasts of snare", however, "Melt Away" blends it "into an entirely different feeling, with words that emphasized the scars of experience while the interweaving paths of the bass and melody conspired with the billowing ooohs and aaahs to describe the soothing balm of love."[62]

"Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long" edit

"Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long" is a spiritual sequel to Wilson's "Caroline, No" that implores a woman to regain her innocence by growing out her hair.[63][64] Wilson called it a "romantic sexual song",[40] explaining that he had intended for it to be a love song, "but then I put in a couple of sexual lines."[2] Asked if he was singing to the same woman as in "Caroline, No", Wilson responded, "No, it’s still the same mood. That mood is sexual."[65]

Regarding the lyric "I can't wait to see that change in you / You can do it just the way you used to do", Carlin notes that Wilson sings the line in falsetto, "just the way he used to do".[63] Biographer David Leaf surmised that the line may have been inspired by "an old friend urging Brian to pick up his Fender bass, to 'do it the way you used to do.'"[2]

"Little Children" edit

"Little Children" was originally demoed during the sessions for The Beach Boys Love You in 1976.[58][nb 6] Wilson said that the song is "about how little children are marching along" and that it has "a playful sound to it, a background track of a youthful nature."[67] He goes on to say that he had intended for the song to convince listeners that "little kids are really cool .. there’s no responsibility when you’re a kid, and I admire the freedom from responsibility that kids have. I’m jealous of it … That track was done as an attempt to make people feel younger."[2]

According to Carlin, "Little Children" is a "calliope-like dash through Brian's dreamy/nightmarish reflections on childhood."[63] Fricke referred to the track as having a "bright, Spectoresque sparkle" likely influenced by "Da Doo Ron Ron" (1964) and "Mountain of Love" (1960).[50][nb 7]

"One for the Boys" edit

 
Wilson with his bandmates and Ronald and Nancy Reagan, 1983

"One for the Boys", originally titled "There We Were", is an a capella piece that was named as a gesture toward Wilson's bandmates.[2][68] Asked for his "intent" behind the piece, Wilson responded, "The intent was to bring a kind of harmonic beauty to it [...] to change it right in the middle of the album. To bring about a change of vibration. A change of sound. A prettier sound. Something more beautiful.""[67] On another occasion, he called the piece "a love song that has feminine characteristics", as well as "the feminine side of me".[65] Paley stated that he composed the "little movements in the middle" but his contributions were not honored with a writing credit.[47]

"There's So Many" edit

"There's So Many" has a similar celestial/romantic-themed focus as Wilson's "Solar System" from The Beach Boys Love You.[63] He described the song as "about this guy who has a lot of different girls he could think of [...] You wonder why you lose a girl and two months later you're with another girl and his girl got mad at you. And the guy gets all fucked up about it, and he winds up with an ego problem over it."[67][40]

Wilson felt that the "planets are spinning around" portion of the song was "probably the most spiritual part of the whole album".[2] Titelman remembered that after Wilson had overdubbed the backing vocals, "He leaned over to me and said, 'Yeah, who needs the fuckin' Beach Boys!'"[30] Bernard said, "On 'There's So Many,' the part where Brian sings 'The planets are spinning around.' He asked me 'What kind of sound could we put there to give you the feeling that the planets really are spinning around?' We came up with this light chime which sounds almost like a windchime; it gives a motion effect to the song when you hear it."[18]

Side two edit

"Night Time" edit

"Night Time" is a rock song.[63] Wilson told a journalist in 1987 that he had considered titling the album Nighttime, "which has always been the time of day I like best."[23] Paley stated that the song was a "50:50 collaboration" in which he wrote the verse and Wilson wrote the chorus.[47]

"Let It Shine" edit

 
Jeff Lynne produced and co-wrote "Let It Shine"

"Let It Shine" was written with Jeff Lynne, co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra. Wilson stated that his main writing contribution to the song was the intro[2] and some of the lyrics.[40] According to biographers Andrew Doe and John Tobler, Wilson "allegedly intensely disliked the track".[68] Carlin bemoaned that Lynne "dominated" the song so much that "it sounded more like an Electric Light Orchestra outtake than a new Brian Wilson tune."[63]

In a 2015 interview, Lynne explained, "I hadn't known him at all, but Brian asked me if I wanted to write a song and produce it with him. 'Yes, please – I’d love to.' [...] Despite our production backgrounds, there wasn’t a lot on it actually. It’s a nice tight-sounding record.[69] Lynne devised a bass line, he said, "which went from the highest letter on the grid right down to the bottom E or A string, and [Brian] walked in while I was doing it. He stared at me and said, 'That's the longest goddam bass string I’ve ever seen!' I was quite pleased with that!"[70]

"Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight" edit

"Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight" was co-credited to Andy Dean, one of Paley's acquaintances, although this credit elicited confusion from Paley,[71] who called it another "50:50 collaboration" between himself and Wilson.[47] Wilson supported, "Andy Paley and I wrote that one. It's a very special tune. It;s about a dream lover, a similar idea to the Bobby Darin song. It's about a guy and a girl who love each other on a certain level that’s higher than real life. A fantasy song … We wanted to get the sound like 'Sweet Talkin' Guy,' that kind of '60s feeling in a record in the '80s."[2]

Landy wrote an alternate lyric to the song that mentioned a "love attack", and commanded Wilson to record a vocal with those lyrics, but it was ultimately discarded.[38] According to Carlin, "Landy had forbidden the engineers from even mixing the original 'Meet Me in My Dreams,' but when he flew to Hawaii one morning for a vacation, they lured the day's bodyguard out of the studio for a Ping-Pong game, mixing the original lyrics into the tune when he was down the hall. Once that version made the rounds of the executives at Sire, Landy's 'love attack' was never heard from again."[38]

"Rio Grande" edit

"Rio Grande" is an eight-minute long Old West-themed suite, written by Wilson and Paley, that was inspired by the films Red River (1948) and Rio Grande (1950).[72] It presents a series of episodic music segments meant to illustrate a trip across an American frontier.[63] According to Paley, "Brian was really into writing this as a survival thing, the idea of a little man against the big men and making it on your own … the misunderstandings that must have happened between travelers on the same trail and how scary that must have been."[18]

Wilson's favorite part of the song was the "Take Me Home" section.[18] He explained that the narrator of the song "has so many obstacles that he just wants to go home. He wants to run away from all that stuff and go back to his home, wherever that might be, [like] in the sky. That’s symbolism, right? God cannot be conceived of, so therefore we give him a literal meaning that he’s in the sky, so that people can understand what is being said."[2]

The piece is the result of Waronker's efforts to get Wilson to produce something more experimental. Waronker remembered “literally begging him to forget the pop ditties and ‘song’ songs. There were different times I talked to Brian about this. Brian would say ‘OK,’ and he would have a concept, like 'California,' but when he played it for me, it always ended up being a conventional song.”[18] Landy acknowledged, "'Rio Grande' is 20% of the album, and it isn't something you can dance to. Lenny should be congratulated for pushing Brian in that direction."[18]

Non-album singles and unreleased songs edit

"Let's Go to Heaven in My Car", co-written with Usher, was issued as a single and appeared on the soundtrack of the film Police Academy 4 in March 1987.[20] "Doin' Time on Planet Earth" was written for the 1988 film of the same name, but the song was rejected; and subsequently issued as a B-side under the title "Being with the One You Love".[2]

"He Couldn't Get His Old Body to Move" was co-written and co-produced by Lindsey Buckingham, but ultimately relegated as the B-side to the "Love and Mercy" single.[41] Wilson called it "an exercise message song [...] all about how you can exercise because you can stay alive longer and how you should move around instead of sitting in a chair feeling hypnotized."[67] Landy said that the song "came out of [Brian] sending me tapes about how you’ve got to get your body to move" at a time when Wilson could only communicate to him via recorded cassette tapes.[60] "Too Much Sugar", the B-side of "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car",[20] is another song that was based around the idea of physical health. Wilson remarked that the two songs were "way ahead of their time, lyrically. You would think people would write more about health."[2][nb 8]

All four outtakes mentioned above were included as bonus tracks on the album's 2000 CD reissue.[2] John Sebastian was tapped to co-write a song with Wilson, but it was never completed due to a lyrical dispute from Landy and Morgan.[41] "Terri, She Needs Me", co-produced by Titelman, was similarly left unfinished due to Landy's interference.[41] "Let's Do It Again" was described by Wilson as "a semi-commercial kind of song, a nowadays kind of song".[40] It was included on an early assembly of the album.[73] In 2021, "Terri, She Needs Me", "Let's Do It Again", "So Long" (also known as "Angel"), and "I Feel This Love" were released as free downloadable tracks on Wilson's website.[74]

Other still-unreleased recordings from the album's sessions include "Heavenly Lover", "Love Ya", "Saturday Evening in the City", "Tiger's Eye", and "Hotter".[75] "Heavenly Lover" originated as an unused section of "Rio Grande".[76] "Tiger's Eye", according to Paley, is "about a guy who's worried about his girlfriend in the jungle and he's trying to find her; it's got a scary mood to it, but it's got a Motown feel, and a nice climbing bass line in the bridge that I remember. It's spooky, but he's saying 'Don't Worry'. It's like 'Running Bear and Little White Dove'."[76]

Release edit

There's always a craziness surrounding the recording and release of an important new album by a big-name artist. But in nearly 20 years of writing about such things I have never witnessed or heard of anything quite like this. [...] A lot of people are very nuts over this event.

Contrast magazine, 1988[40]

Music journalist David Cavanagh characterized Brian Wilson as "one of the longest awaited [albums] in rock 'n' roll history". He wrote that, for people unfamiliar with Wilson, the album's release was not particularly noteworthy, but for Beach Boys fans, it was on the level of John Lennon's 1980 comeback.[77] Lead single "Love and Mercy" was issued on July 1, 1988 and failed to chart.[78] The album was released on July 12[79] and reached number 54 in the U.S. while failing to chart in the UK.[52] In its first week of release, Brian Wilson sold 250,000 copies and had 7,500 orders unfulfilled. According to the Los Angeles Times, the album had sold "too well", as demand had outpaced supply.[80] It ultimately sold about 480,000 copies, just 20,000 short of a gold record certification.[73]

To promote the album, an extraordinarily elaborate press kit containing historical summaries of the album's making and Wilson's life was mailed to various entertainment media outlets.[37] Landy arranged for Wilson to appear on television programs, including Late Night with David Letterman, where he performed "Night Time". Carlin describes Wilson as having performed "in tight leather pants, lurching across the stage with all the grace of a traffic cop whose jockey shorts have caught on fire."[81] There, and in his other public appearances, Carlin states that Wilson was "too obviously terrified, his hands shaking, and his eyes darting around like a guy with fear in his heart and ghosts on his mind."[81]

The album's release was largely overshadowed by the controversies surrounding Landy,[52][82] coupled with the surprise success of the Beach Boys' single "Kokomo", released that same month.[82] Several months earlier, the California Attorney General's office had filed suit against Landy with regards to the overlap between his therapeutic services and business interests.[51] Carlin states that it is uncertain whether "the thrum of controversy helped or hindered the buzz surrounding the album",[83] although Stein and Waronker believed that it did.[84] Dillon attributed the album's commercial failure partly to the lack of a music video for the lead single.[52]

In August 1988, Rolling Stone reported that Wilson had "half of a second album written" and that there were discussions about "producing both The Beach Boys and the Ramones", as well as a solo tour.[30] In September, Wilson, accompanied by Landy, appeared at that year's Beach Boy Stomp fan convention, held at a church hall in Greenford, a West London suburb. Wilson sang and performed three songs on an electric piano, after which he sat at a table and signed autographs for the attendees. Cavanagh wrote, "He arrived and the audience of 250 Beach Boys disciples behaved as if the Second Coming had taken place [...] Attempts to engage him in meaningful conversation were mostly a failure, but he sat there for over an hour signing his name."[85] The album's second single, "Melt Away", was issued in January 1989 and also failed to chart.[20]

Contemporary reviews edit

Contemporary professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Los Angeles Times    [86]
Rolling Stone     [50]

Brian Wilson was critically acclaimed[84] and had a near-unanimous positive reception.[73] Titelman touted the album as Pet Sounds '88,[52] which Carlin states "didn't seem terribly outlandish [...] to everyone who had heard the album".[37] In Stereo Review, the writer stated that Brian Wilson confirmed that the artist had successfully delivered "Pet Sounds II" and was "clearly at work again with talent intact".[87] Rolling Stone's David Fricke concurred and wrote, "Brian Wilson is a stunning reminder of what pop's been missing all these years [and] the best Beach Boys long player since 1970's Sunflower", with his only criticism being that the LP appeared to lack "a real statement of direction or purpose".[50] The magazine named Wilson the "comeback artist of the year".[52] NME's year-end lists ranked Brian Wilson and "Love and Mercy" among the best albums and tracks of 1988.[88]

Los Angeles Times' Paul Grein wrote that Brian Wilson makes "a strong case for the argument that genius isn’t a perishable commodity".[86] Sun-Sentinel's Deborah Wilker rued: "Wilson's clever, mostly upbeat ideas flow magnificently throughout the record, easily transcending his emotional madness."[89] Less favorably, the Associated Press's David Bauder wrote that "Brian Wilson can't compare with any of the early '60s Beach Boys classics", while People's Ralph Novak described the record as "often appalling".[90]

Retrospective assessments edit

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [79]
Robert ChristgauB−[91]
Entertainment WeeklyA[92]
MusicHound3.5/5[93]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [94]

MusicHound contributor Gary Pig Gold felt that the album would disappoint listeners expecting a Pet Sounds-quality masterpiece, however, "That is not to say Wilson isn't still capable of producing works of true beauty; his flar for both vocal and instrumental arrangement remains unparalleled, his voice is now more mature but still as achingly expressive as it was in its prime, and magnificent melodies still seem to spill from him with impossible ease."[93] Conversely, Robert Christgau wrote that Wilson sounds too much "like the sincere, talented, mildly pretentious nut he is" to convince the listener of "the pain in his voice". Furthermore, he believed the record suffered from "a collective Phil Spector obsession [that] comes off incredibly labored."[91]

Common criticisms against the album relate to the predominant use of "synthesizers and drum machines dated even for its time".[52] Writing in AllMusic, Richie Unterberger referred to the album's use of the Yamaha DX7 in particular. Unterberger elaborated, "While he retained his gift for catchy melodies and dense, symphonic production, there was a forced stiffness to both the songwriting and execution. Much of the blame for the album's mixed success can be laid upon its sterile, synthesizer-laden arrangements and echoing percussion, which epitomized some of the less attractive aspects of late-1980s production."[79] The Rolling Stone Album Guide concurred that the "dated synth-heavy production makes the album almost unlistenable", but evidence for the fact "that his songwriting muse has not abandoned him completely" can be found in "Love and Mercy", "Melt Away", and "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long".[94]

Among Wilson's biographers, Carlin writes that the album occupies a space "between moments of sweet, redemptive beauty and songs that were overwhelmed by their own ambition, to some that actually did combine the tacts of the past with the tools of the present into a wholly new sound. And then there were a few that seemed either so out of character or so desperate to be in character that they sounded like the product of extremely talented forgers."[59] Dillon writes that "The vocal arrangements are at times overhwhelming, the changes startling. It ranks among Brian's most ambitious works, recalling past glories without recycling them."[52] Jon Stebbins wrote, "After the initial euphoria had subsided [...] most realized that the album was a somewhat stilted and mechanical effort."[95]

Aftermath and legacy edit

[The album] succeeded at giving Brian Wilson the forward-looking perspective of a legitimate comeback. Brian had finally delivered on his oft-given promise to "really stretch out and blow some minds" with his sheer ambition. When the needle finally lifted at the end of side two, it was easy to imagine that he really might be back on his journey to the distant frontier.

—Biographer Peter Ames Carlin[43]

Among the other members of the Beach Boys, their manager Tom Hulett reported in a 1988 interview that Wilson's bandmates had been supportive of his endeavor. "I gave the album to each of them, and they were tickled to hear it. They were all positive about it."[30] Asked about the album in a 1992 interview, Wilson's bandmate and cousin Mike Love stated that he did not like it because of the lyrics, the non-"commercial" arrangements, and his opinion that "it sounded like shit compared to what [Brian] could sound like."[96][nb 9]

Reflecting on Brian Wilson, in a 1997 interview, Paley called it "a pretty good record [but] there were too many cooks and Brian wasn't really calling the shots."[98] In Wilson's 2016 memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, it states, "I liked that record even though I didn’t like the circumstances of making it. It had some really great songs on it."[99] A follow-up album, Sweet Insanity, was co-produced with Landy but never officially released.[100] Wilson continued recording with Paley after disassociating from Landy in 1991, but did not release another solo album that consisted of new original material until Imagination (1998).[101]

Wilson rerecorded "Love and Mercy" and "Melt Away" for the soundtrack to the 1995 documentary Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times. After he began touring regularly at the end of the 1990s, he adopted a stripped-down version of "Love and Mercy" as his signature closing number at live concerts.[102]

Reissues and remix edit

In 2000, Sire reissued the album through Rhino/Atlantic Records. This edition of the album contained several remixes of the original tracks.[103] It also included the addition of two non-album single tracks, two non-album B-sides, four demos, two alternate mixes, one instrumental, and four interview clips. A similar track listing was adopted for their 2015 reissue, with the only difference being that the "hidden track" was given dedicated space as track 26, "Brian Fan Club X-Mas Message".[104]

Influence edit

Japanese composers Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki cited Brian Wilson as a major influence on their soundtracks for the video game Mother (1989) and its sequel EarthBound (1994). Tanaka recalled repeatedly listening to the album during his commute to Suzuki's home. "If I arrived a little early, I'd wander around the area listening to it. Personally, I think of MOTHER when I listen to this album".[105]

Track listing edit

Many of these writing and production credits have been disputed,[47] and, following the album's 2000 reissue, credits to Landy and Morgan were removed.[52] For historical purposes, all tracks are as they were originally credited, albeit with a strikethrough for credits that are no longer officially recognized.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love and Mercy"Brian Wilson, Eugene E. Landy, Alexandra MorganBrian Wilson, Russ Titelman2:52
2."Walkin' the Line"Wilson, Landy, Morgan, Nick Laird-ClowesWilson2:37
3."Melt Away"Wilson, LandyWilson, Titelman2:58
4."Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long"WilsonWilson, Titelman3:15
5."Little Children"WilsonWilson, Titelman1:48
6."One for the Boys"WilsonWilson1:47
7."There's So Many"Wilson, Landy, MorganWilson, Titelman2:46
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Night Time"Wilson, Landy, Morgan, Andy PaleyWilson, Titelman3:34
2."Let it Shine"Wilson, Jeff LynneWilson, Jeff Lynne3:57
3."Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight"Wilson, Paley, Andy DeanWilson, Andy Paley3:05
4."Rio Grande"Wilson, PaleyWilson, Lenny Waronker, Paley8:12
Total length:37:20
2000 CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Brian on "Love and Mercy""  2:23
13."He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body to Move"Lindsey Buckingham, WilsonWilson, Buckingham2:36
14."Being with the One You Love"WilsonWilson2:36
15."Let's Go to Heaven in My Car"Gary Usher, WilsonWilson3:40
16."Too Much Sugar"WilsonWilson2:38
17."There's So Many" (demo)WilsonWilson, Titelman1:53
18."Walkin' the Line" (demo)WilsonWilson, Usher2:51
19."Melt Away" (early version – alternate vocal)WilsonWilson, Titelman2:03
20."Night Time" (instrumental track)Paley, WilsonWilson, Titelman4:05
21."Little Children" (demo)WilsonWilson, Titelman2:01
22."Night Bloomin' Jasmine" (demo)WilsonWilson2:20
23."Rio Grande" (early version – compiled rough mixes)Paley, WilsonWilson, Paley, Waronker6:07
24."Brian on "Rio Grande""  1:20
25."Brian on the Source" (includes hidden track)  1:59

Personnel edit

Adapted from the 2000 CD deluxe edition liner notes.[2]

Guests

Additional players and session musicians

Charts edit

Chart performance for Brian Wilson
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[106] 39
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[107] 23
US Billboard Top Pop Albums[20] 54

Notes edit

  1. ^ In 1977, Wilson produced Adult/Child, the intended follow-up to Love You, but it was never released.[7]
  2. ^ Landy stated that Titelman was recruited after Wilson had complained that the album did not sound "modern" enough".[18] White identifies Titelman's role in the album as ensuring "technical excellence in the CD age".[33] Titelman told Mark Dillon that his role in the project was to maintain a positive, creative, and focused atmosphere in the studio.[34]
  3. ^ Carlin writes that Stein and Waronker were "so wrapped up in the micro-details of Brian's recording sessions that many of their other tasks [were] left undone for months."[37] A Warner executive told Rolling Stone during the album's making, "For the past six months, we've practically been a record company without a president. Lenny has been so preoccupied with the Brian Wilson album."[30]
  4. ^ This had been a longtime dream for Waronker, as he had once remarked, "If I ever get the opportunity to produce Brian, I'd encourage him to do something that combined the vividness of 'Good Vibrations' with the non-commercial gentleness of 'Cool, Cool Water'.[39]
  5. ^ As reported in a contemporary article from Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan, Van Dyke Parks, and Harry Nilsson were additionally discussed as potential collaborators.[41]
  6. ^ A recording of the Love You demo of "Little Children" was released as a downloadable track on Wilson's website in 2021.[66]
  7. ^ "Mountain of Love" was one of the songs recorded for Beach Boys' Party! (1965).[63]
  8. ^ Wilson had previously written numerous songs on that theme, including "Vegetables, "H.E.L.P. Is On the Way", and "Life Is for the Living".[2]
  9. ^ Love saw the album as part of Landy's over-arching plan to "destroy" the Beach Boys and become "the sole custodian of Brian's career and legacy", as Love explained in his memoir, "Why would anyone bother with us, [Landy's] thinking apparently went, when the only Beach Boy who mattered was recording and performing on his own?"[53] During a Beach Boys band meeting in August 1988, Love opined to Wilson, "I think I could have done a better job with you than Gene or anybody else on [the album's] concepts and lyrics".[97]

References edit

  1. ^ Doe., Andrew G. "GIGS88". Bellagio 10452. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Leaf, David (2000). Brian Wilson (Liner notes). Brian Wilson. Rhino/Atlantic.
  3. ^ a b Rensin, David (December 1976). "A Conversation With Brian Wilson". Oui.
  4. ^ Badman 2004, p. 121.
  5. ^ White 1996, pp. 313–314.
  6. ^ Carlin 2006, p. 212.
  7. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 222–223.
  8. ^ White 1996, pp. 339–340.
  9. ^ Badman 2004, p. 370.
  10. ^ Gaines 1986, pp. 317–340.
  11. ^ Gaines 1986, p. 337.
  12. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 231–232.
  13. ^ Gaines 1986, pp. 338–339.
  14. ^ Carlin 2006, p. 243.
  15. ^ Carlin 2006, p. 256.
  16. ^ White 1996, p. 338.
  17. ^ a b Carlin 2006, p. 257.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Making the Album" (Press release). Sire Records. 1988.
  19. ^ Abbott 1997, p. 181.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Badman 2004, p. 374.
  21. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 257–258.
  22. ^ Abbott 1997, p. 180.
  23. ^ a b c d White 1996, p. 340.
  24. ^ Dillon 2012, p. 255.
  25. ^ a b c d e Carlin 2006, p. 259.
  26. ^ a b White 1996, p. 341.
  27. ^ White 1996, pp. 340, 342.
  28. ^ a b c d e f White 1996, p. 342.
  29. ^ McCulley 1997, p. 192.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Goldberg, Michael (August 11, 1988). "God Only Knows". Rolling Stone. (PDF) from the original on June 30, 1998.
  31. ^ McCulley 1997, p. 189.
  32. ^ a b Carlin 2006, pp. 260–262.
  33. ^ White 1996, p. 343.
  34. ^ a b c d Dillon 2012, p. 257.
  35. ^ White 1996, pp. 283, 313.
  36. ^ Dillon 2012, p. 282.
  37. ^ a b c Carlin 2006, p. 262.
  38. ^ a b c d Carlin 2006, p. 260.
  39. ^ White 1996, p. 313.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i (PDF). Contrast. 1988. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 1998 – via petsounds.com.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g Dillon 2012, p. 258.
  42. ^ Priore 1997, pp. 227–228.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g Carlin 2006, p. 261.
  44. ^ Carlin 2006, p. 271.
  45. ^ Dillon 2012, pp. 257–259.
  46. ^ a b c White 1996, p. 346.
  47. ^ a b c d e f Priore 1997, p. 227.
  48. ^ a b White 1996, p. 344.
  49. ^ Dillon 2012, pp. 145, 282.
  50. ^ a b c d Fricke, David (July 14, 1988). "Review: Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  51. ^ a b McCulley 1997, p. 188.
  52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dillon 2012, p. 259.
  53. ^ a b Love 2016, p. 524.
  54. ^ Dillon 2012, pp. 258–259.
  55. ^ Dillon 2012, p. 256.
  56. ^ Holdship 1997, p. 212.
  57. ^ Abbott 1997, p. 184.
  58. ^ a b Doe & Tobler 2004, p. 154.
  59. ^ a b c Carlin 2006, p. 264.
  60. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (July 10, 1988). "Brian Wilson--Back From the Twilight Zone: His Remarkable Solo LP Recalls the Exhilarating Sweep of the Beach Boys' Most Endearing Hits". Los Angeles Times.
  61. ^ Harris, Will (July 7, 2015). "Interview: Nick Laird-Clowes of The Dream Academy". Rhino. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  62. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 264–265.
  63. ^ a b c d e f g h Carlin 2006, p. 265.
  64. ^ Dillon 2012, p. 98.
  65. ^ a b Leaf, David (1988). "A Conversation With Brian Wilson" (Press release). Sire Records – via albumlinernotes.com.
  66. ^ "1970s". brianwilson.com. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  67. ^ a b c d McCulley 1997, p. 203.
  68. ^ a b Doe & Tobler 2004, p. 155.
  69. ^ "Jeff Lynne Speaks". Mojo. No. 265. December 2015.
  70. ^ Bonner, Michael (April 2016). "An Audience with... Jeff Lynne". Uncut. 15.
  71. ^ Doe & Tobler 2004, p. 156.
  72. ^ White 1996, pp. 342–343.
  73. ^ a b c Doe & Tobler 2004, p. 153.
  74. ^ "1980s". brianwilson.com. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  75. ^ Doe, Andrew G. "From The Vaults..." Endless Summer Quarterly. Bellagio 10452. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  76. ^ a b Priore 1997, p. 228.
  77. ^ Cavanagh 1989, pp. 142, 148.
  78. ^ Dillon 2012, pp. 256, 259.
  79. ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "Review: Brian Wilson". AllMusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  80. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (July 24, 1988). "Rush Job". Los Angeles Times.
  81. ^ a b Carlin 2006, p. 266.
  82. ^ a b Carlin 2006, pp. 262–263, 266–267.
  83. ^ Carlin 2006, p. 263.
  84. ^ a b White 1996, p. 347.
  85. ^ Cavanagh 1989, p. 148.
  86. ^ a b Grein, Paul (July 10, 1988). "The Album: Really Good Vibrations". Los Angeles Times.
  87. ^ "The Memorable Brian Wilson". Stereo Review. Vol. 53. 1988. p. 101.
  88. ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. October 10, 2016.
  89. ^ Wilker, Deborah (July 29, 1988). . Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
  90. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 263–264.
  91. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Review: Brian Wilson (Sire, 1988)". Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  92. ^ Willman, Chris (September 8, 2000). "Music Review: 'Brian Wilson'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  93. ^ a b Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1233. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  94. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 880. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  95. ^ Stebbins 2000, p. 232.
  96. ^ "Good Vibrations? The Beach Boys' Mike Love gets his turn". Goldmine. September 18, 1992.
  97. ^ Love 2016, p. 533.
  98. ^ Crisafulli, Chuck (June 1997). (PDF). Request. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 1998 – via petsounds.com.
  99. ^ Wilson & Greenman 2016, p. 108.
  100. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 269–270.
  101. ^ Carlin 2006, pp. 274, 281, 284, 292.
  102. ^ Dillon 2012, p. 260.
  103. ^ Doe & Tobler 2004, pp. 153–154.
  104. ^ "Now Available: Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson". Rhino. May 19, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  105. ^ Itoi, Shigesato (June 16, 2003). "『MOTHER』の音楽は鬼だった。" [Music of "MOTHER" was a demon]. 1101.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
    • Translation: . Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  106. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Brian Wilson – Brian Wilson". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  107. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Brian Wilson – Brian Wilson". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2022.

Bibliography edit

  • Abbott, Kingsley (1997). "Two Soulmates Touching in the Dark: Brian Wilson, Gary Usher and the Wilson Project". In Abbott, Kingsley (ed.). Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (1st ed.). London: Helter Skelter. pp. 180–186. ISBN 978-1-900924-02-3.
  • Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6.
  • Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
  • Cavanagh, David (1989). The World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Scandals. London: Octopus Books. ISBN 0-7064-3878-7.
  • Dillon, Mark (2012). Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77090-198-8.
  • Doe, Andrew; Tobler, John (2004). Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to Their Music. ISBN 9781844494262.
  • Gaines, Steven (1986). Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80647-9.
  • Holdship, Bill (1997) [1991]. "Bittersweet Insanity: The Fight for Brian Wilson's Soul". In Abbott, Kingsley (ed.). Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (1st ed.). London: Helter Skelter. pp. 205–212. ISBN 978-1-900924-02-3.
  • Love, Mike (2016). Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-698-40886-9.
  • McCulley, Jerry (1997) [1988]. "Trouble in Mind – A Revealing Interview with Brian Wilson". In Abbott, Kingsley (ed.). Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (1st ed.). London: Helter Skelter. pp. 187–204. ISBN 978-1-900924-02-3.
  • Priore, Domenic (1997). "What It's Really Like to Collaborate with Brian Wilson, Today! An Interview with Andy Paley". In Abbott, Kingsley (ed.). Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (1st ed.). London: Helter Skelter. pp. 227–228. ISBN 978-1-900924-02-3.
  • Stebbins, Jon (2000). Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-404-7.
  • White, Timothy (1996). The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern Californian Experience. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-64937-0.
  • Wilson, Brian; Greenman, Ben (2016). I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82307-7.

Further reading edit

External links edit

  • "Love and Mercy" official music video on YouTube
  • Brian Wilson and Andy Paley discussing Brian Wilson on YouTube

brian, wilson, album, brian, wilson, first, solo, album, american, musician, brian, wilson, beach, boys, released, july, 1988, sire, reprise, records, promoted, spiritual, successor, band, 1966, release, sounds, album, characterized, rich, synthesizer, heavy, . Brian Wilson is the first solo album by American musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys released July 12 1988 by Sire and Reprise Records Promoted as a spiritual successor to his band s 1966 release Pet Sounds the album is characterized for its rich synthesizer heavy orchestrations It cost over 1 million to record and was the first album produced by Wilson since The Beach Boys Love You 1977 His former psychologist Eugene Landy was credited as executive producer Brian WilsonStudio album by Brian WilsonReleasedJuly 12 1988 1988 07 12 RecordedApril 1987 May 5 1988 1 StudioGround Control Santa Monica VillageSumaSoundcastle Los Angeles Larabee and Smoke Tree Ranch Palm Springs Hit Factory New York City Dolphin Sound Honolulu Twilight Sound Boston 2 GenreProgressive popLength37 20LabelSire RepriseProducerBrian WilsonAndy PaleyRuss TitelmanLenny WaronkerJeff LynneBrian Wilson chronologyBrian Wilson 1988 I Just Wasn t Made for These Times 1995 Singles from Brian Wilson Love and Mercy Released July 1 1988 Melt Away Released January 19 1989 The album was recorded over the course of a year across 11 studios It was written and produced mainly by Wilson Landy and Sire staff producers Andy Paley and Russ Titelman Landy was a constant disruptive presence and creative differences between him and the rest of the production team occurred throughout the album s making The record includes the eight minute closing track Rio Grande which saw Wilson revisiting a more experimental approach in the form of an Old West themed suite Among the album s guest contributors were Nick Laird Clowes Jeff Lynne Elliot Easton Philippe Saisse Christopher Cross and Terence Trent D Arby Two singles were issued Love and Mercy and Melt Away Brian Wilson was critically acclaimed but sold moderately reaching number 54 in the U S and failing to chart in the UK The LP s release was largely overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Landy s therapeutic practice and the success of the Beach Boys Kokomo released the same month In later years detractors have criticized the album s reliance on synthesizers and drum machines A follow up Sweet Insanity was co produced with Landy but never officially released Wilson continued recording with Paley after disassociating from Landy in 1991 but did not release another solo album consisting of new original material until Imagination 1998 Contents 1 Background 2 Production 2 1 Collaborators 2 2 Session difficulties and credits discrepancies 2 3 Recording 3 Content 3 1 Side one 3 1 1 Love and Mercy 3 1 2 Walkin the Line 3 1 3 Melt Away 3 1 4 Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long 3 1 5 Little Children 3 1 6 One for the Boys 3 1 7 There s So Many 3 2 Side two 3 2 1 Night Time 3 2 2 Let It Shine 3 2 3 Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight 3 2 4 Rio Grande 3 3 Non album singles and unreleased songs 4 Release 5 Contemporary reviews 6 Retrospective assessments 7 Aftermath and legacy 8 Reissues and remix 9 Influence 10 Track listing 11 Personnel 12 Charts 13 Notes 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 Further reading 17 External linksBackground editWilson stated in a 1976 interview that he had considered the Beach Boys albums Pet Sounds 1966 and Friends 1968 to be his first solo albums 3 Officially he had one solo record to his name the 1966 single Caroline No which had sold poorly 4 In the mid 1970s he had approached Warner Bros Records about producing a solo album but it never happened ostensibly because he had rejected the company s proposed budget 5 His last released production effort was the 1977 album The Beach Boys Love You which despite being credited to the Beach Boys was recorded and performed almost entirely by Wilson alone 6 nb 1 During the recording of Love You in December 1976 Wilson told a journalist that he had desired a solo career but feared that it would split the group up too much 3 He stated in a 1988 interview that he should have recorded a true solo album long ago but had lacked the confidence or the discipline 8 nbsp Wilson performing with the Beach Boys in June 1983 several months after he had signed into psychologist Eugene Landy s rehabilitation program From 1977 to 1982 Wilson entered a period of regression marked by overeating drug abuse erratic behavior and at least one extended stay at a psychiatric facility 9 10 The group s efforts to keep Wilson at the production helm were unsuccessful 11 12 and at the end of 1982 his family bandmates and management prevailed upon him to volunteer back into psychologist Eugene Landy s 24 hours a day therapy program 13 14 In short time Landy s role extended to being Wilson s creative and financial partner 15 As his recovery consolidated Wilson actively participated in the recording of his band s self titled 1985 album The Beach Boys produced by Steve Levine 16 Following this Wilson under Landy s auspices stopped working with his bandmates on a regular basis in order to focus on launching a solo career 17 According to Landy this was because Wilson s bandmates didn t appreciate his gift nor were they able to see that he was back and once again able to take over 18 At the suggestion of biographer David Leaf in May 1986 Landy agreed to let Wilson s early songwriting partner Gary Usher collaborate on Wilson s planned solo album 19 Wilson and Usher subsequently wrote and recorded demos at Usher s studio 17 producing a collection of recordings that came to be known as the Wilson Project 20 They recorded about a dozen songs in varying stages of completion most of which remain unreleased 20 Due to Landy s persistent interference which often involved revising the lyrics of their songs 21 the project was abandoned after June 1987 22 In January 1987 Sire Records president Seymour Stein invited Wilson to act as a presenter for Leiber and Stoller s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 23 Impressed by Wilson s healthier demeanor and his onstage a cappella rendition of On Broadway 2 Stein met with Wilson during the ceremonial dinner and offered him a two album solo deal 23 24 Several weeks later they reconvened at Wilson s Malibu home where Stein was played about sixty of Wilson s new songs and decided on eighteen to record 23 One of Stein s stipulations was to assign his own choice of co producer for Wilson and in turn Landy negotiated to be allowed an executive producer credit 25 Stein recruited staff producer Andy Paley a Boston based multi instrumentalist and Beach Boys fanatic who had previously produced albums for Jonathan Richman 25 26 Paley and Wilson immediately went to work 25 26 Production editCollaborators edit nbsp Wilson in the studio 1990 Paley as he himself described was assigned to the project to kick Brian in the ass and get him going 25 as well as to evaluate material for Stein and Lenny Waronker the latter of whom being the president of Sire s distributor Warner Bros Records 27 As was typical for Wilson s previous collaborators namely Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks Paley usually met Wilson at his home and spent time together chatting or doing some other activity for inspiration before working on songs 25 They were not composing together until Paley said Brian realized I could play a number of instruments after which we started jamming and then writing music together to flesh out the songs 28 Wilson recalled that between 1982 and 1986 he had been unusually prolific as a songwriter and composed at his piano at least once a day We had 130 songs then weeded it down to 20 We recorded 18 of those and chose 11 out of the 18 29 He and Paley trawled through three briefcases filled with tapes containing nearly 170 mostly unrecorded songs he had written By Paley s account there was great stuff but also many songs that he termed hamburger songs in reference to stories about Dennis Wilson in the early 1980s enticing Brian to write songs with McDonald s hamburgers 30 Paley said I could tell Brian if he was repeating himself in any of his stuff by incorporating some tiny thing from an obscure old tune I kept him honest with himself as well as looking forward 28 In turn Wilson said of Paley He s a real swift guy Real fast A very brainy guy He puts a lot behind it let s put it that way He s a scary guy when you get right down to it 31 Other producers including Waronker and Russ Titelman were soon involved 32 Both of them had worked with Wilson in the past in Titelman s case he and Wilson had written the songs Sherry She Needs Me and Guess I m Dumb in the mid 1960s before becoming a staff producer at Warner Bros 28 According to Titelman he got involved with the project after several months had passed and Wilson and Paley had produced only six sloppy sketches of incomplete songs 30 nb 2 He said that Wilson used to be a benevolent dictator in the studio now his ideas are great but he needs someone to help organize those ideas 18 Waronker stated Each song had moments but they needed help But Brian had all the inspiration All Russ did was make it stand up make it be a record 30 Waronker had been the Beach Boys A amp R representative at Warner Reprise 35 In the words of biographer Mark Dillon the project was so important to Sire that Waronker got hands on 36 nb 3 He implored Wilson to produce something akin to the extended modular recording style that he had adopted with Smile in the late 1960s 38 Waronker recalled I told Seymour that to not have Brian do one of the more experimental things he used to do before he went into hibernation would be well ridiculous 28 However Wilson had formed an aversion to this approach due to the fact that his personal decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s had coincided with the diminishing commercial reception to his more experimental recording output 28 Waronker had initially envisioned the album as a new age record with a bunch of things like Cool Cool Water 18 nb 4 Instead of forming the entire album around such a concept they compromised with just one song of an extended length Rio Grande 28 the only track on the album whose recording Waronker personally attended 40 The album featured a host of guest appearances from acts including the Cars guitarist Elliot Easton jazz keyboardist Philippe Saisse singers Christopher Cross and Terence Trent D Arby among others 41 nb 5 Following the release some writers and fan publications implied that Wilson s songs were ghostwritten by the other producers and musicians or that he was forced into writing the songs In response to such accusations Paley stated that the listed credits were indeed inaccurate and that there were a lot of people helping on that record but that his and Wilson s writing was in no way contrived Paley added the guy is always writing songs anyway it s not like someone has to tell him to do it 42 Session difficulties and credits discrepancies edit Landy was always checking in phoning in directors basically never wanting to give Brian any breathing room It was a hassle and many times heart breaking because we d do something good finally and then Landy would swoop in and dive bomb it Co producer Andy Paley 43 Landy and his aides nicknamed the Surf Nazis 44 were a constant disruptive presence and creative differences between him and the rest of the production team occurred throughout the album s making 32 45 46 His assistant Kevin Leslie watched over Wilson at all times in the studio while Landy himself regularly phoned to check on what track they were recording and to instruct Wilson to work on something else 34 Landy would also frequently confiscate the master tapes once a day s work had been finished 43 Stein who characterized the album s recording as hell on earth said that Landy would then send back the wrong master tapes just to drive Russ crazy 30 Titelman said of Landy He kept Brian off guard all the time interrupting the creative flow and it was unbelievably frustrating I started to go out of my mind It was so chaotic and unpleasant that it became rather untenable 34 Landy acknowledged Titelman and I were always nose to nose pushing pushing pushing Russ Titelman is not my favorite person But I must give him his honest due Russ has to be congratulated for having the balls to stand up to Brian and Dr Landy sic 30 Biographer Peter Ames Carlin reported that Landy s meetings with Stein Waronker and Titelman had often devolved into screaming matches 43 During the vocal sessions to one song one of Landy s aides bribed Wilson with a milkshake in exchange for him to sing alternate lyrics written by Landy and his girlfriend Alexandra Morgan 38 The team stopped communicating through the studio intercom system after it was discovered that Landy s aides were using it to eavesdrop on sessions from another room 43 Paley remarked Anything good we got out of those sessions was done totally on stolen time 43 Paley indicated that the official writing and production credits for Brian Wilson are inaccurate 47 Near the album s release Landy had fought to be awarded songwriting credits on certain tracks while removing songwriting and production credits from others 46 According to Paley the musician writing and production credits became all inaccurate and he himself remains uncredited for several of the album s tracks 47 Recording edit Brian Wilson was largely recorded at Ground Control Studios in Santa Monica 40 from April to late spring 1987 18 After Titelman was recruited in June the album was essentially completed by December 18 The sessions were held across eleven studios 48 in Los Angeles New York Honolulu and Boston 30 Mark Linett was recruited as engineer a role he ultimately kept for Wilson s solo records through the present day 49 Critic David Fricke noted that the rich expansive arrangements echo the orchestral radiance of Wilson s spiritual mentor Phil Spector 50 Synthesizers are a major presence on the album with Wilson employing samples sound effects keyboards and percussion 34 Wilson said of his recording process I would overdub I d play all the keyboard stuff and then I d have my right hand my assistant producer Andy Paley play the guitar and bass and drums he can play four instruments piano too Which is great 40 Programmer Michael Bernard was closely involved with some of the tracks 41 Bernard recalled The way Brian would go about layering things his choice of sounds and instrument was different from what I was used to but it was really interesting to watch him work Most people put down drums bass and chords first but Brian might go from the drums to horns to strings to a lead vocal 18 Production costs were reported to exceed 1 million equivalent to 2 58 million in 2023 51 52 53 However it is unclear if that figure is truly accurate in a contemporary article Wilson mentioned that the cost was 800 000 while Paley cited 1 million Waronker disputed both of those figures saying that 1 million was a tremendous overstatement 40 Titelman blamed the overages on Landy s unusual practices 52 Writing in his Beach Boys biography Timothy White states that Landy would change studios every few weeks so Brian would not in the words of one production staff member form any lasting new professional relationships 48 After an extended Christmas holiday 18 the album was mixed by engineer Hugh Padgham of Peter Gabriel and the Police fame 41 Landy then remixed the work although Titelman stated that Waronker prevented Landy from making significant alterations adding It pretty much sounds the way the original mix sounded 54 White reports that a discarded remix arranged by Landy had been heavily accented by strings and other intensely lush touches a la Murry Wilson 46 Brian Wilson took over a year to record four times the span of time it took to record Pet Sounds 52 Content editSide one edit Love and Mercy edit nbsp Beginning of Love and Mercy source source Sample of Love and Mercy Problems playing this file See media help Love and Mercy an anthem about love and compassion was inspired by the 1965 song What the World Needs Now Is Love 55 Wilson referred to the song as probably the most spiritual he had ever written 2 He explained that the song has a lot of intrinsic meaning in my personal life because when he took LSD in the 1960s he developed a Jesus Christ complex and this song probably best exemplifies the Christ that s in me The part that wants to give love to people 56 Walkin the Line edit Walkin the Line is only track from the Wilson Project that made it onto Brian Wilson 57 58 Wilson said that the song was built around an old bass line he had composed and that the lyrics are about how he is always walking over thin ice could fall through at any minute I tread lightly on everything I do Walk The Line so to speak Not all the time but it is one of my subtheme songs of my whole life but it s not a serious song 2 Carlin describes it as stompingly rhythmic and another of Brian s deceptively autobiographical songs combining the percussive sound of footsteps drums sleigh bells synth bass synthesizer electric guitars and three layers of interlocking voices into a description of his own impossibly rigid life 59 Landy said the lyrics describe walking the line between sanity and insanity walking the line between wanting to talk to this girl and being too scared to 60 Waronker had invited Nick Laird Clowes singer and guitarist of the Dream Academy to work with Wilson on the album but Laird Clowes contributions were ultimately limited to modifying the verse melody of Walkin the Line 61 Melt Away edit nbsp Verse and bridge of Melt Away source source Sample of Melt Away Problems playing this file See media help Melt Away according to Wilson is about the identity crisis I have in my life the way I see myself and the me that everybody thinks I am 2 The couplet I feel just like an island until I see you smilin was improvised by Wilson during the vocal session after Titelman had asked for a lyric revision to the song Paley felt that the line is a highlight He was under pressure but what he came up with was just such a beautiful cool twist 43 The track recalls elements of the Pet Sounds track God Only Knows 59 Carlin explained that both songs contain sleigh bells and percussive blasts of snare however Melt Away blends it into an entirely different feeling with words that emphasized the scars of experience while the interweaving paths of the bass and melody conspired with the billowing ooohs and aaahs to describe the soothing balm of love 62 Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long edit Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long is a spiritual sequel to Wilson s Caroline No that implores a woman to regain her innocence by growing out her hair 63 64 Wilson called it a romantic sexual song 40 explaining that he had intended for it to be a love song but then I put in a couple of sexual lines 2 Asked if he was singing to the same woman as in Caroline No Wilson responded No it s still the same mood That mood is sexual 65 Regarding the lyric I can t wait to see that change in you You can do it just the way you used to do Carlin notes that Wilson sings the line in falsetto just the way he used to do 63 Biographer David Leaf surmised that the line may have been inspired by an old friend urging Brian to pick up his Fender bass to do it the way you used to do 2 Little Children edit Little Children was originally demoed during the sessions for The Beach Boys Love You in 1976 58 nb 6 Wilson said that the song is about how little children are marching along and that it has a playful sound to it a background track of a youthful nature 67 He goes on to say that he had intended for the song to convince listeners that little kids are really cool there s no responsibility when you re a kid and I admire the freedom from responsibility that kids have I m jealous of it That track was done as an attempt to make people feel younger 2 According to Carlin Little Children is a calliope like dash through Brian s dreamy nightmarish reflections on childhood 63 Fricke referred to the track as having a bright Spectoresque sparkle likely influenced by Da Doo Ron Ron 1964 and Mountain of Love 1960 50 nb 7 One for the Boys edit nbsp Wilson with his bandmates and Ronald and Nancy Reagan 1983 One for the Boys originally titled There We Were is an a capella piece that was named as a gesture toward Wilson s bandmates 2 68 Asked for his intent behind the piece Wilson responded The intent was to bring a kind of harmonic beauty to it to change it right in the middle of the album To bring about a change of vibration A change of sound A prettier sound Something more beautiful 67 On another occasion he called the piece a love song that has feminine characteristics as well as the feminine side of me 65 Paley stated that he composed the little movements in the middle but his contributions were not honored with a writing credit 47 There s So Many edit There s So Many has a similar celestial romantic themed focus as Wilson s Solar System from The Beach Boys Love You 63 He described the song as about this guy who has a lot of different girls he could think of You wonder why you lose a girl and two months later you re with another girl and his girl got mad at you And the guy gets all fucked up about it and he winds up with an ego problem over it 67 40 Wilson felt that the planets are spinning around portion of the song was probably the most spiritual part of the whole album 2 Titelman remembered that after Wilson had overdubbed the backing vocals He leaned over to me and said Yeah who needs the fuckin Beach Boys 30 Bernard said On There s So Many the part where Brian sings The planets are spinning around He asked me What kind of sound could we put there to give you the feeling that the planets really are spinning around We came up with this light chime which sounds almost like a windchime it gives a motion effect to the song when you hear it 18 Side two edit Night Time edit Night Time is a rock song 63 Wilson told a journalist in 1987 that he had considered titling the album Nighttime which has always been the time of day I like best 23 Paley stated that the song was a 50 50 collaboration in which he wrote the verse and Wilson wrote the chorus 47 Let It Shine edit nbsp Jeff Lynne produced and co wrote Let It Shine Let It Shine was written with Jeff Lynne co founder of the Electric Light Orchestra Wilson stated that his main writing contribution to the song was the intro 2 and some of the lyrics 40 According to biographers Andrew Doe and John Tobler Wilson allegedly intensely disliked the track 68 Carlin bemoaned that Lynne dominated the song so much that it sounded more like an Electric Light Orchestra outtake than a new Brian Wilson tune 63 In a 2015 interview Lynne explained I hadn t known him at all but Brian asked me if I wanted to write a song and produce it with him Yes please I d love to Despite our production backgrounds there wasn t a lot on it actually It s a nice tight sounding record 69 Lynne devised a bass line he said which went from the highest letter on the grid right down to the bottom E or A string and Brian walked in while I was doing it He stared at me and said That s the longest goddam bass string I ve ever seen I was quite pleased with that 70 Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight edit Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight was co credited to Andy Dean one of Paley s acquaintances although this credit elicited confusion from Paley 71 who called it another 50 50 collaboration between himself and Wilson 47 Wilson supported Andy Paley and I wrote that one It s a very special tune It s about a dream lover a similar idea to the Bobby Darin song It s about a guy and a girl who love each other on a certain level that s higher than real life A fantasy song We wanted to get the sound like Sweet Talkin Guy that kind of 60s feeling in a record in the 80s 2 Landy wrote an alternate lyric to the song that mentioned a love attack and commanded Wilson to record a vocal with those lyrics but it was ultimately discarded 38 According to Carlin Landy had forbidden the engineers from even mixing the original Meet Me in My Dreams but when he flew to Hawaii one morning for a vacation they lured the day s bodyguard out of the studio for a Ping Pong game mixing the original lyrics into the tune when he was down the hall Once that version made the rounds of the executives at Sire Landy s love attack was never heard from again 38 Rio Grande edit nbsp Take Me Home excerpt from Rio Grande source source Wilson said of Rio Grande Lenny wanted me to get a little bit into that kind of Smile bag and I did 18 Problems playing this file See media help Rio Grande is an eight minute long Old West themed suite written by Wilson and Paley that was inspired by the films Red River 1948 and Rio Grande 1950 72 It presents a series of episodic music segments meant to illustrate a trip across an American frontier 63 According to Paley Brian was really into writing this as a survival thing the idea of a little man against the big men and making it on your own the misunderstandings that must have happened between travelers on the same trail and how scary that must have been 18 Wilson s favorite part of the song was the Take Me Home section 18 He explained that the narrator of the song has so many obstacles that he just wants to go home He wants to run away from all that stuff and go back to his home wherever that might be like in the sky That s symbolism right God cannot be conceived of so therefore we give him a literal meaning that he s in the sky so that people can understand what is being said 2 The piece is the result of Waronker s efforts to get Wilson to produce something more experimental Waronker remembered literally begging him to forget the pop ditties and song songs There were different times I talked to Brian about this Brian would say OK and he would have a concept like California but when he played it for me it always ended up being a conventional song 18 Landy acknowledged Rio Grande is 20 of the album and it isn t something you can dance to Lenny should be congratulated for pushing Brian in that direction 18 Non album singles and unreleased songs edit Let s Go to Heaven in My Car co written with Usher was issued as a single and appeared on the soundtrack of the film Police Academy 4 in March 1987 20 Doin Time on Planet Earth was written for the 1988 film of the same name but the song was rejected and subsequently issued as a B side under the title Being with the One You Love 2 He Couldn t Get His Old Body to Move was co written and co produced by Lindsey Buckingham but ultimately relegated as the B side to the Love and Mercy single 41 Wilson called it an exercise message song all about how you can exercise because you can stay alive longer and how you should move around instead of sitting in a chair feeling hypnotized 67 Landy said that the song came out of Brian sending me tapes about how you ve got to get your body to move at a time when Wilson could only communicate to him via recorded cassette tapes 60 Too Much Sugar the B side of Let s Go to Heaven in My Car 20 is another song that was based around the idea of physical health Wilson remarked that the two songs were way ahead of their time lyrically You would think people would write more about health 2 nb 8 All four outtakes mentioned above were included as bonus tracks on the album s 2000 CD reissue 2 John Sebastian was tapped to co write a song with Wilson but it was never completed due to a lyrical dispute from Landy and Morgan 41 Terri She Needs Me co produced by Titelman was similarly left unfinished due to Landy s interference 41 Let s Do It Again was described by Wilson as a semi commercial kind of song a nowadays kind of song 40 It was included on an early assembly of the album 73 In 2021 Terri She Needs Me Let s Do It Again So Long also known as Angel and I Feel This Love were released as free downloadable tracks on Wilson s website 74 Other still unreleased recordings from the album s sessions include Heavenly Lover Love Ya Saturday Evening in the City Tiger s Eye and Hotter 75 Heavenly Lover originated as an unused section of Rio Grande 76 Tiger s Eye according to Paley is about a guy who s worried about his girlfriend in the jungle and he s trying to find her it s got a scary mood to it but it s got a Motown feel and a nice climbing bass line in the bridge that I remember It s spooky but he s saying Don t Worry It s like Running Bear and Little White Dove 76 Release editThere s always a craziness surrounding the recording and release of an important new album by a big name artist But in nearly 20 years of writing about such things I have never witnessed or heard of anything quite like this A lot of people are very nuts over this event Contrast magazine 1988 40 Music journalist David Cavanagh characterized Brian Wilson as one of the longest awaited albums in rock n roll history He wrote that for people unfamiliar with Wilson the album s release was not particularly noteworthy but for Beach Boys fans it was on the level of John Lennon s 1980 comeback 77 Lead single Love and Mercy was issued on July 1 1988 and failed to chart 78 The album was released on July 12 79 and reached number 54 in the U S while failing to chart in the UK 52 In its first week of release Brian Wilson sold 250 000 copies and had 7 500 orders unfulfilled According to the Los Angeles Times the album had sold too well as demand had outpaced supply 80 It ultimately sold about 480 000 copies just 20 000 short of a gold record certification 73 To promote the album an extraordinarily elaborate press kit containing historical summaries of the album s making and Wilson s life was mailed to various entertainment media outlets 37 Landy arranged for Wilson to appear on television programs including Late Night with David Letterman where he performed Night Time Carlin describes Wilson as having performed in tight leather pants lurching across the stage with all the grace of a traffic cop whose jockey shorts have caught on fire 81 There and in his other public appearances Carlin states that Wilson was too obviously terrified his hands shaking and his eyes darting around like a guy with fear in his heart and ghosts on his mind 81 The album s release was largely overshadowed by the controversies surrounding Landy 52 82 coupled with the surprise success of the Beach Boys single Kokomo released that same month 82 Several months earlier the California Attorney General s office had filed suit against Landy with regards to the overlap between his therapeutic services and business interests 51 Carlin states that it is uncertain whether the thrum of controversy helped or hindered the buzz surrounding the album 83 although Stein and Waronker believed that it did 84 Dillon attributed the album s commercial failure partly to the lack of a music video for the lead single 52 In August 1988 Rolling Stone reported that Wilson had half of a second album written and that there were discussions about producing both The Beach Boys and the Ramones as well as a solo tour 30 In September Wilson accompanied by Landy appeared at that year s Beach Boy Stomp fan convention held at a church hall in Greenford a West London suburb Wilson sang and performed three songs on an electric piano after which he sat at a table and signed autographs for the attendees Cavanagh wrote He arrived and the audience of 250 Beach Boys disciples behaved as if the Second Coming had taken place Attempts to engage him in meaningful conversation were mostly a failure but he sat there for over an hour signing his name 85 The album s second single Melt Away was issued in January 1989 and also failed to chart 20 Contemporary reviews editContemporary professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingLos Angeles Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 86 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 50 Brian Wilson was critically acclaimed 84 and had a near unanimous positive reception 73 Titelman touted the album as Pet Sounds 88 52 which Carlin states didn t seem terribly outlandish to everyone who had heard the album 37 In Stereo Review the writer stated that Brian Wilson confirmed that the artist had successfully delivered Pet Sounds II and was clearly at work again with talent intact 87 Rolling Stone s David Fricke concurred and wrote Brian Wilson is a stunning reminder of what pop s been missing all these years and the best Beach Boys long player since 1970 s Sunflower with his only criticism being that the LP appeared to lack a real statement of direction or purpose 50 The magazine named Wilson the comeback artist of the year 52 NME s year end lists ranked Brian Wilson and Love and Mercy among the best albums and tracks of 1988 88 Los Angeles Times Paul Grein wrote that Brian Wilson makes a strong case for the argument that genius isn t a perishable commodity 86 Sun Sentinel s Deborah Wilker rued Wilson s clever mostly upbeat ideas flow magnificently throughout the record easily transcending his emotional madness 89 Less favorably the Associated Press s David Bauder wrote that Brian Wilson can t compare with any of the early 60s Beach Boys classics while People s Ralph Novak described the record as often appalling 90 Retrospective assessments editRetrospective professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 79 Robert ChristgauB 91 Entertainment WeeklyA 92 MusicHound3 5 5 93 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 94 MusicHound contributor Gary Pig Gold felt that the album would disappoint listeners expecting a Pet Sounds quality masterpiece however That is not to say Wilson isn t still capable of producing works of true beauty his flar for both vocal and instrumental arrangement remains unparalleled his voice is now more mature but still as achingly expressive as it was in its prime and magnificent melodies still seem to spill from him with impossible ease 93 Conversely Robert Christgau wrote that Wilson sounds too much like the sincere talented mildly pretentious nut he is to convince the listener of the pain in his voice Furthermore he believed the record suffered from a collective Phil Spector obsession that comes off incredibly labored 91 Common criticisms against the album relate to the predominant use of synthesizers and drum machines dated even for its time 52 Writing in AllMusic Richie Unterberger referred to the album s use of the Yamaha DX7 in particular Unterberger elaborated While he retained his gift for catchy melodies and dense symphonic production there was a forced stiffness to both the songwriting and execution Much of the blame for the album s mixed success can be laid upon its sterile synthesizer laden arrangements and echoing percussion which epitomized some of the less attractive aspects of late 1980s production 79 The Rolling Stone Album Guide concurred that the dated synth heavy production makes the album almost unlistenable but evidence for the fact that his songwriting muse has not abandoned him completely can be found in Love and Mercy Melt Away and Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long 94 Among Wilson s biographers Carlin writes that the album occupies a space between moments of sweet redemptive beauty and songs that were overwhelmed by their own ambition to some that actually did combine the tacts of the past with the tools of the present into a wholly new sound And then there were a few that seemed either so out of character or so desperate to be in character that they sounded like the product of extremely talented forgers 59 Dillon writes that The vocal arrangements are at times overhwhelming the changes startling It ranks among Brian s most ambitious works recalling past glories without recycling them 52 Jon Stebbins wrote After the initial euphoria had subsided most realized that the album was a somewhat stilted and mechanical effort 95 Aftermath and legacy edit The album succeeded at giving Brian Wilson the forward looking perspective of a legitimate comeback Brian had finally delivered on his oft given promise to really stretch out and blow some minds with his sheer ambition When the needle finally lifted at the end of side two it was easy to imagine that he really might be back on his journey to the distant frontier Biographer Peter Ames Carlin 43 Among the other members of the Beach Boys their manager Tom Hulett reported in a 1988 interview that Wilson s bandmates had been supportive of his endeavor I gave the album to each of them and they were tickled to hear it They were all positive about it 30 Asked about the album in a 1992 interview Wilson s bandmate and cousin Mike Love stated that he did not like it because of the lyrics the non commercial arrangements and his opinion that it sounded like shit compared to what Brian could sound like 96 nb 9 Reflecting on Brian Wilson in a 1997 interview Paley called it a pretty good record but there were too many cooks and Brian wasn t really calling the shots 98 In Wilson s 2016 memoir I Am Brian Wilson it states I liked that record even though I didn t like the circumstances of making it It had some really great songs on it 99 A follow up album Sweet Insanity was co produced with Landy but never officially released 100 Wilson continued recording with Paley after disassociating from Landy in 1991 but did not release another solo album that consisted of new original material until Imagination 1998 101 Wilson rerecorded Love and Mercy and Melt Away for the soundtrack to the 1995 documentary Brian Wilson I Just Wasn t Made for These Times After he began touring regularly at the end of the 1990s he adopted a stripped down version of Love and Mercy as his signature closing number at live concerts 102 Reissues and remix editIn 2000 Sire reissued the album through Rhino Atlantic Records This edition of the album contained several remixes of the original tracks 103 It also included the addition of two non album single tracks two non album B sides four demos two alternate mixes one instrumental and four interview clips A similar track listing was adopted for their 2015 reissue with the only difference being that the hidden track was given dedicated space as track 26 Brian Fan Club X Mas Message 104 Influence editJapanese composers Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki cited Brian Wilson as a major influence on their soundtracks for the video game Mother 1989 and its sequel EarthBound 1994 Tanaka recalled repeatedly listening to the album during his commute to Suzuki s home If I arrived a little early I d wander around the area listening to it Personally I think of MOTHER when I listen to this album 105 Track listing editMany of these writing and production credits have been disputed 47 and following the album s 2000 reissue credits to Landy and Morgan were removed 52 For historical purposes all tracks are as they were originally credited albeit with a strikethrough for credits that are no longer officially recognized Side oneNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Love and Mercy Brian Wilson Eugene E Landy Alexandra MorganBrian Wilson Russ Titelman2 522 Walkin the Line Wilson Landy Morgan Nick Laird ClowesWilson2 373 Melt Away Wilson LandyWilson Titelman2 584 Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long WilsonWilson Titelman3 155 Little Children WilsonWilson Titelman1 486 One for the Boys WilsonWilson1 477 There s So Many Wilson Landy MorganWilson Titelman2 46 Side twoNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Night Time Wilson Landy Morgan Andy PaleyWilson Titelman3 342 Let it Shine Wilson Jeff LynneWilson Jeff Lynne3 573 Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight Wilson Paley Andy DeanWilson Andy Paley3 054 Rio Grande Wilson PaleyWilson Lenny Waronker Paley8 12Total length 37 20 2000 CD bonus tracksNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length12 Brian on Love and Mercy 2 2313 He Couldn t Get His Poor Old Body to Move Lindsey Buckingham WilsonWilson Buckingham2 3614 Being with the One You Love WilsonWilson2 3615 Let s Go to Heaven in My Car Gary Usher WilsonWilson3 4016 Too Much Sugar WilsonWilson2 3817 There s So Many demo WilsonWilson Titelman1 5318 Walkin the Line demo WilsonWilson Usher2 5119 Melt Away early version alternate vocal WilsonWilson Titelman2 0320 Night Time instrumental track Paley WilsonWilson Titelman4 0521 Little Children demo WilsonWilson Titelman2 0122 Night Bloomin Jasmine demo WilsonWilson2 2023 Rio Grande early version compiled rough mixes Paley WilsonWilson Paley Waronker6 0724 Brian on Rio Grande 1 2025 Brian on the Source includes hidden track 1 59Personnel editAdapted from the 2000 CD deluxe edition liner notes 2 Brian Wilson lead and backing vocals piano organ keyboards E mu Emulator vibraphone bells chimes glockenspiel percussion sound effects vocal arrangements Guests Christopher Cross additional backing vocals on Night Time Terence Trent D Arby additional backing vocals on Walkin the Line Elliot Easton guitar Kevin S Leslie footsteps Jeff Lynne keyboards bass six string bass guitar Andy Paley electric and acoustic guitars bass drums percussion keyboards harmonica additional backing vocals Philippe Saisse keyboards synthesizer programming Russ Titelman additional backing vocals on Walkin the Line Additional players and session musicians Michael Andreas flutes saxophones The Bayside Bluegrass Band mandolin banjo bass steel string acoustic guitar Michael Bernard computers synthesizer programming drums keyboards percussion Stuart Blumberg trumpet Jeff Bova keyboards programming Jimmy Bralower drum programming shaker Lance Buller trumpet Robbie Condor synthesizer programming additional keyboards Andrew Dean keyboards vibes percussion synthesizer programming jingle bells Todd Herreman Fairlight Tris Imboden drums hi hat cymbals Hymen Katz flute piccolo Robbie Kilgore keyboard programming Harry Kim trumpet Steve Lindsey synthesizer programming additional keyboards Jay Migliori baritone saxophone Frank Marocco accordion Rob Mounsey Emu tympani piano synth guitar Emulator cello Dean Parks guitar Bob Riley drum machine Tony Salvage violin saw Carol Steele percussion Larry Williams horn saxophone solo synthesizer programming additional keyboardsCharts editChart performance for Brian Wilson Chart 1988 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA 106 39 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 107 23 US Billboard Top Pop Albums 20 54Notes edit In 1977 Wilson produced Adult Child the intended follow up to Love You but it was never released 7 Landy stated that Titelman was recruited after Wilson had complained that the album did not sound modern enough 18 White identifies Titelman s role in the album as ensuring technical excellence in the CD age 33 Titelman told Mark Dillon that his role in the project was to maintain a positive creative and focused atmosphere in the studio 34 Carlin writes that Stein and Waronker were so wrapped up in the micro details of Brian s recording sessions that many of their other tasks were left undone for months 37 A Warner executive told Rolling Stone during the album s making For the past six months we ve practically been a record company without a president Lenny has been so preoccupied with the Brian Wilson album 30 This had been a longtime dream for Waronker as he had once remarked If I ever get the opportunity to produce Brian I d encourage him to do something that combined the vividness of Good Vibrations with the non commercial gentleness of Cool Cool Water 39 As reported in a contemporary article from Rolling Stone Bob Dylan Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson were additionally discussed as potential collaborators 41 A recording of the Love You demo of Little Children was released as a downloadable track on Wilson s website in 2021 66 Mountain of Love was one of the songs recorded for Beach Boys Party 1965 63 Wilson had previously written numerous songs on that theme including Vegetables H E L P Is On the Way and Life Is for the Living 2 Love saw the album as part of Landy s over arching plan to destroy the Beach Boys and become the sole custodian of Brian s career and legacy as Love explained in his memoir Why would anyone bother with us Landy s thinking apparently went when the only Beach Boy who mattered was recording and performing on his own 53 During a Beach Boys band meeting in August 1988 Love opined to Wilson I think I could have done a better job with you than Gene or anybody else on the album s concepts and lyrics 97 References edit Doe Andrew G GIGS88 Bellagio 10452 Retrieved March 24 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Leaf David 2000 Brian Wilson Liner notes Brian Wilson Rhino Atlantic a b Rensin David December 1976 A Conversation With Brian Wilson Oui Badman 2004 p 121 White 1996 pp 313 314 Carlin 2006 p 212 Carlin 2006 pp 222 223 White 1996 pp 339 340 Badman 2004 p 370 Gaines 1986 pp 317 340 Gaines 1986 p 337 Carlin 2006 pp 231 232 Gaines 1986 pp 338 339 Carlin 2006 p 243 Carlin 2006 p 256 White 1996 p 338 a b Carlin 2006 p 257 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Making the Album Press release Sire Records 1988 Abbott 1997 p 181 a b c d e f Badman 2004 p 374 Carlin 2006 pp 257 258 Abbott 1997 p 180 a b c d White 1996 p 340 Dillon 2012 p 255 a b c d e Carlin 2006 p 259 a b White 1996 p 341 White 1996 pp 340 342 a b c d e f White 1996 p 342 McCulley 1997 p 192 a b c d e f g h i j Goldberg Michael August 11 1988 God Only Knows Rolling Stone Archived PDF from the original on June 30 1998 McCulley 1997 p 189 a b Carlin 2006 pp 260 262 White 1996 p 343 a b c d Dillon 2012 p 257 White 1996 pp 283 313 Dillon 2012 p 282 a b c Carlin 2006 p 262 a b c d Carlin 2006 p 260 White 1996 p 313 a b c d e f g h i Brian Wilson and the Fine Art of Surfacing PDF Contrast 1988 Archived from the original PDF on June 30 1998 via petsounds com a b c d e f g Dillon 2012 p 258 Priore 1997 pp 227 228 a b c d e f g Carlin 2006 p 261 Carlin 2006 p 271 Dillon 2012 pp 257 259 a b c White 1996 p 346 a b c d e f Priore 1997 p 227 a b White 1996 p 344 Dillon 2012 pp 145 282 a b c d Fricke David July 14 1988 Review Brian Wilson Brian Wilson Rolling Stone Retrieved June 27 2011 a b McCulley 1997 p 188 a b c d e f g h i j k Dillon 2012 p 259 a b Love 2016 p 524 Dillon 2012 pp 258 259 Dillon 2012 p 256 Holdship 1997 p 212 Abbott 1997 p 184 a b Doe amp Tobler 2004 p 154 a b c Carlin 2006 p 264 a b Hilburn Robert July 10 1988 Brian Wilson Back From the Twilight Zone His Remarkable Solo LP Recalls the Exhilarating Sweep of the Beach Boys Most Endearing Hits Los Angeles Times Harris Will July 7 2015 Interview Nick Laird Clowes of The Dream Academy Rhino Retrieved March 19 2022 Carlin 2006 pp 264 265 a b c d e f g h Carlin 2006 p 265 Dillon 2012 p 98 a b Leaf David 1988 A Conversation With Brian Wilson Press release Sire Records via albumlinernotes com 1970s brianwilson com July 19 2021 Retrieved July 23 2021 a b c d McCulley 1997 p 203 a b Doe amp Tobler 2004 p 155 Jeff Lynne Speaks Mojo No 265 December 2015 Bonner Michael April 2016 An Audience with Jeff Lynne Uncut 15 Doe amp Tobler 2004 p 156 White 1996 pp 342 343 a b c Doe amp Tobler 2004 p 153 1980s brianwilson com July 19 2021 Retrieved July 23 2021 Doe Andrew G From The Vaults Endless Summer Quarterly Bellagio 10452 Retrieved March 24 2022 a b Priore 1997 p 228 Cavanagh 1989 pp 142 148 Dillon 2012 pp 256 259 a b c Unterberger Richie Review Brian Wilson AllMusic Macrovision Corporation Retrieved February 3 2010 Goldstein Patrick July 24 1988 Rush Job Los Angeles Times a b Carlin 2006 p 266 a b Carlin 2006 pp 262 263 266 267 Carlin 2006 p 263 a b White 1996 p 347 Cavanagh 1989 p 148 a b Grein Paul July 10 1988 The Album Really Good Vibrations Los Angeles Times The Memorable Brian Wilson Stereo Review Vol 53 1988 p 101 Albums and Tracks of the Year NME October 10 2016 Wilker Deborah July 29 1988 Brian Wilson s Album A Comeback Triumph Sun Sentinel Archived from the original on 2016 03 03 Retrieved 2014 11 22 Carlin 2006 pp 263 264 a b Christgau Robert Review Brian Wilson Sire 1988 Retrieved February 3 2010 Willman Chris September 8 2000 Music Review Brian Wilson Entertainment Weekly Retrieved September 12 2015 a b Graff Gary Durchholz Daniel eds 1999 MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide Farmington Hills MI Visible Ink Press p 1233 ISBN 1 57859 061 2 a b Brackett Nathan with Hoard Christian eds 2004 The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 4th ed New York NY Fireside Simon amp Schuster p 880 ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 Stebbins 2000 p 232 Good Vibrations The Beach Boys Mike Love gets his turn Goldmine September 18 1992 Love 2016 p 533 Crisafulli Chuck June 1997 Why Can t Brian Wilson Get a Record Deal PDF Request Archived from the original PDF on June 30 1998 via petsounds com Wilson amp Greenman 2016 p 108 Carlin 2006 pp 269 270 Carlin 2006 pp 274 281 284 292 Dillon 2012 p 260 Doe amp Tobler 2004 pp 153 154 Now Available Brian Wilson Brian Wilson Rhino May 19 2015 Retrieved June 27 2015 Itoi Shigesato June 16 2003 MOTHER の音楽は鬼だった Music of MOTHER was a demon 1101 com Archived from the original on July 6 2014 Retrieved July 5 2014 Translation The music for MOTHER was a real monster Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved January 10 2015 Australiancharts com Brian Wilson Brian Wilson Hung Medien Retrieved October 26 2022 Swedishcharts com Brian Wilson Brian Wilson Hung Medien Retrieved October 26 2022 Bibliography editAbbott Kingsley 1997 Two Soulmates Touching in the Dark Brian Wilson Gary Usher and the Wilson Project In Abbott Kingsley ed Back to the Beach A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader 1st ed London Helter Skelter pp 180 186 ISBN 978 1 900924 02 3 Badman Keith 2004 The Beach Boys The Definitive Diary of America s Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books ISBN 978 0 87930 818 6 Carlin Peter Ames 2006 Catch a Wave The Rise Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson Rodale ISBN 978 1 59486 320 2 Cavanagh David 1989 The World s Greatest Rock n Roll Scandals London Octopus Books ISBN 0 7064 3878 7 Dillon Mark 2012 Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys The Songs That Tell Their Story ECW Press ISBN 978 1 77090 198 8 Doe Andrew Tobler John 2004 Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys The Complete Guide to Their Music ISBN 9781844494262 Gaines Steven 1986 Heroes and Villains The True Story of The Beach Boys New York Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 80647 9 Holdship Bill 1997 1991 Bittersweet Insanity The Fight for Brian Wilson s Soul In Abbott Kingsley ed Back to the Beach A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader 1st ed London Helter Skelter pp 205 212 ISBN 978 1 900924 02 3 Love Mike 2016 Good Vibrations My Life as a Beach Boy Penguin Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 698 40886 9 McCulley Jerry 1997 1988 Trouble in Mind A Revealing Interview with Brian Wilson In Abbott Kingsley ed Back to the Beach A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader 1st ed London Helter Skelter pp 187 204 ISBN 978 1 900924 02 3 Priore Domenic 1997 What It s Really Like to Collaborate with Brian Wilson Today An Interview with Andy Paley In Abbott Kingsley ed Back to the Beach A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader 1st ed London Helter Skelter pp 227 228 ISBN 978 1 900924 02 3 Stebbins Jon 2000 Dennis Wilson The Real Beach Boy ECW Press ISBN 978 1 55022 404 7 White Timothy 1996 The Nearest Faraway Place Brian Wilson the Beach Boys and the Southern Californian Experience Macmillan ISBN 0 333 64937 0 Wilson Brian Greenman Ben 2016 I Am Brian Wilson A Memoir Da Capo Press ISBN 978 0 306 82307 7 Further reading editMcParland Stephen J 1991 The Wilson Project Berlot ISBN 978 2 9544834 0 5 External links edit Love and Mercy official music video on YouTube Brian Wilson and Andy Paley discussing Brian Wilson on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brian Wilson album amp oldid 1218431775, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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