RIP Brian Wilson. Loved Beach boys music from back in the day. IIRC, Brian Wilson was friends with Charles Manson when manson was a bit sane and was trying to be “talented” and set him up with an agent (Doris days son?) who didn’t think Manson was talented enough. This agent was a previous owner of the ill fated Tate/polanski house.
A few weeks back I listened to Everyday People and Sloop John B for the first time in years. I’m going to have to stop listening to old songs I haven’t heard in a while.
Especially if Elon has his way and sends all of the old people to Mars…
That was brother Dennis.
Oh man. First Sly and now Brian. It wasn’t just the songwriting talents of Wilson, but the amazing harmonizing of the group. Living in Alaska, we had no idea what surfing even was, let alone why anyone was singing about it, but the songs were catchy and fun.
Brian was never the same after his breakdown. I’m glad his later years were much better.
I never listened to the beach boys regularly. Never bought the albums. Only heard the hits when they randomly played on Oldies radio. Beach Boys had great harmonies.
RIP
I grew up in Florida and have no idea why, but Californians were considered rivals and maybe that’s why I was never a fan of The Beach Boys music. I didn’t dislike the music really, but never went out of my way to listen to them and never bought any of their music.
But I can certainly recognize that they were very talented. I hope Brian is resting in peace, especially from the demons he fought in life.
Can’t go wrong with the Endless Summer double album.
I kinda prefer the 1916 transcription by Richard Le Gallienne and like the 1959 Johnny Cash version; that chunky Cash sound sorta hints at the original calypso beat.
Unfamiliar with those. Might check them out, thanks.
Thanks for the recommendation. Nice selection of Beach Boys hits.
True, but it was kind of tacked on to that album when Smile collapsed. It was originally an album-less single. I kind of think of it as existing alone. It doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the lo(wer)-fi aesthetic on that album, but it is on there. It does feel more like an extension of Pet Sounds in spirit.
One of Honda’s more disreputable offerings. But hey, if it worked for you… 
The Beach Boys were the soundtrack of my childhood. My sister is 9 years older and was a huge fan, still is. I have a lot of BB music downloaded from AppleMusic. Their songs never fail to move me, happy or sad or nostalgic. R.I.P Brian Wilson. You made beautiful art.
And his daughters are two thirds of Wilson Phillips, which did my favorite album since 1990.
I’m not sure. It should be paired with “Heroes and Villains,” the other Van Dyke Parks collaboration with a troubled recording history. And that did appear on Smiley Smile. Pairing it with “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Sloop John B” would have been jarring.
Speaking of “Good Vibrations,” I saw on Wikipedia that the song did not make Billboard’s list of the top 100 hit songs of 1966. How can that be possible? It was a no. 1 song that stayed in the top five for six weeks and was certified as a million seller on the Dec. 31 list, its eleventh week and still ranked no. 13.
Both “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Sloop John B” made the list. Neither did nearly as well. WIBN barely cracked the top ten and lasted only seven weeks in the top 40. SJB had three weeks in the top 5, peaking at 3, and 10 weeks in the top 40. Brian got robbed. I know Billboard mixed in airplay with sales but that doesn’t seem at all explanatory.
Just so you don’t have to click, the no. 1 song of 1966 was the obviously worthy “California Dreaming.” Except that its chart history was far poorer than “Monday, Monday,” which came in at no. 24. Weirdness, Weirdness.
Parks was only a musician on “Good Vibrations”. Tony Asher was the first lyricist to take a crack at it, but the lyrics on the record are Mike Love’s. He might not be the most likable person, but Mike contributed some first rate lyrics to the Beach Boys canon. “Good Vibrations” was developed during the Pet Sounds sessions and wasn’t finished in time to be included on that album. It was released as a single first. It was only put on Smiley Smile to boost sales; not because it was part of that album’s concept.
If we’re talking about Smile - it was a loose concept album in three movements, which have the linchpins:
Heroes and Villians
Surf’s Up
Good Vibrations
“Good Vibrations” didn’t place in Billboard’s list of top singles of 1966 because Billboard doesn’t follow the same calendar as everyone else. Usually, their calendar year starts and ends around mid-October or early November (it varies) so that they can tabulate and release their final results in time for their special year-end issue in December. “Good Vibrations” was released in October 1966 during that awkward period when Billboard’s chart calendars changed from 1966 to 1967. As a result, part of its chart run fell during 1966 and another part fell during 1967. If the single had been released earlier or later, it would’ve appeared on Billboard’s Top 100 singles chart for one of those years.