Brian Wilson Turns 66

2 days after fellow ’60s bass playing songwriting genius Paul McCartney turned 66, Brian Wilson does as well.

Wilson was born on June 20, 1942.

He wrote almost all of The Beach Boys songs, and certainly all of their greatest songs. (And no, 1988’s #1 hit “Kokomo” is not among their greatest songs.)

Incredibly enough, “Kokomo” went to #1 22 years after their previous #1, 1966’s “Good Vibrations” which is course about 17.4 million times the song that “Kokomo” is.

1966’s Pet Sounds, although it was somewhat of a commercial flop at the time, is now considered by most to be the pinnacle of The Beach Boys career and in fact one of the greatest albums by any band of the time (and to many, of all time.) Pet Sounds was very much Brian Wilson’s creation from the songwriting to the arrangements. Wilson chose Tony Asher to write the lyrics for his songs although Asher said that he was “Wilson’s interpreter” and that the general feel of the lyrics were Wilson’s.

Many other musicians were very impressed by Pet Sounds and it was extremely influential. Paul McCartney has said that Pet Sounds was a large influence on The Beatles 1967 album Sgt. Pepper. The Beatles producer George Martin said that “Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn’t have happened.”

Eric Clapton said “I consider Pet Sounds to be one of the greatest pop LPs of all time.”

Elton John said about Pet Sounds; “For me to say that I was enthralled would be an understatement. I had never heard such magical sounds, so amazingly recorded. It undoubtedly changed the way that I, and countless others, approached recording. It is a timeless and amazing recording of incredible genius and beauty.”

In 1967, Brian Wilson famously planned a followup to Pet Sounds that was to be even more ambitious. It was to be called Smile and much of the songwriting and recording was done for it but it was never completed. “Good Vibrations” was released as a single and hit #1. It was to be a template for the album. It was to be a very experimental double album that pushed the boundaries of pop music at the time. Unfortunately Wilson was met with much opposition from his less imaginative band mates, in particular Mike Love. Wilson also began to experience psychological breakdowns triggered by massive drug use during this time. Because of all of these factors, Smile was never released in it’s intended format.

Brian Wilson finally recorded the songs that were to be the Smile album as a solo artist 37 years later. Brian Wilson’s Smile was released in 2004. The album received very positive reviews and is thought by many to be one of the best albums of 2004.

The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, June 20, 1942

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