Many will be happy to know that The Wrecking Crew aren’t ignored. A good chunk of the film takes place in the studio when Brian is working with the Crew. They really respected him.
Here’s the amazing instrumental version with the Crew, much of which is seen being worked out and recorded. The scene in the film with the cello players was short but it blew my mind. I hear this song in a whole new way now. Brilliant!
Just found this behind-the-scenes video of Brian and some of the Crew taking about the “Good Vibrations” recording sessions!
That makes me wonder if it was shown at multiplexes outside large metropolitan areas. I should have known better than to use film terminology without consulting my kids first.
The lack of audience had nothing to do with people not appreciateing their genius or the kids being too young to be interested, it was because around that time their live performances were terrible. They couldn’t harmonize anymore, and listening to them was painful. For several years they played on the DC Mall on July 4, and people moved away from them. Well, I did, at least.
I’m kinda sick of the Beach Boys music after all their years on oldies radio - but I’m very interested in this movie. I think Paul Dano is a very good, interesting actor and am looking forward to seeing him in this film.
They were the headliners at my very first rock convert in 1967. I couldn’t tell you how well they played because the girls were screaming too loudly.
But I saw them again in 1973, when they had the expanded band for the Holland album. That may have been as good as they ever sounded on stage. Plus, Brian himself were there and treated us to an introduction about the girl for whom he wrote “Caroline, No.” (One of my favorite “Beach Boys” songs, even though the original single was released as by Brian Wilson solo.)
I’ve seen them since as the truncated oldies group with varying results. They could have done better but in truth that’s all the audience wanted and Mike Love gave up resisting.
I saw the movie and it was amazing. Biography is not typically my thing, and the Cusack portion dealing with Dr. Landy was something of a standard biopic, but I always enjoy Cusack. The creative sessions with Dano just sparkled, though. One really felt his connection with the music, and the creation of Pet Sounds was both inspired and adorable. The other Beach Boys have little presence in the movie (I’m not sure Al Jardine ever speaks), but both versions of Wilson carry the film.
I really feel like this sets a new bar for music bio pics- and it’s a pretty high bar.
The Cusack segments did play more like standard music bio fare than the Dano segments, but not exactly like the standard convention. It was a fresh take to see it all through Melinda’s eyes which kept all the Landy stuff very mysterious and even scarier.
I loved the film. The only thing I had trouble with was that there was never a moment that I didn’t see John Cusack as John Cusack. Don’t get me wrong, I think he gave a great performance, I’ve just known him so well and for so very long that I had a hard time accepting him as another real life person. As fictional characters, no problem, I see John Cusack creating a character and making it his own. In this film, however, I kept seeing John Cusack when I was supposed to be seeing Brian Wilson. I couldn’t not see John Cusack.
Resisting? I don’t think Mike Love ever wanted to do anything other than what he thought the audience wanted.
I’ve heard good things about it. I missed it at SXSW but thought I might see it when it’s Houston theaters, or when it’s on Netflix.
But I am curious about the modern perception of the Beach Boys. I think for a significant number of 20 and 30somethings, they are that lame band that hung out with the dorky family on Full House and made also sang Kokomo, one of the worst songs ever made.
It has definitely become one of the go-to albums for the musically pretentious to name-check. This all started back in the 90s, I think, when Rolling Stone inexplicably started regularly featuring Pet Sounds in its “best albums of all time” lists. Then it got a visual nod in Almost Famous (2000).
For my money, the album is overrated. Wow, it features orchestral instruments. What unimaginable genius that took! Doesn’t take much to dazzle rock critics, I reckon.
I like Brian Wilson. He wrote some nice, catchy pop songs. But he ain’t Beethoven. (And don’t get me started on his plagiarisms of Chuck Berry.)
Also. the movie depicts the studio musicians as being awed by the genius of Brian Wilson. But if you look at actual studio footage, you’ll see some eye-rolling going on (at 0:35).
The Beatles were in awe of Brian Wilson’s talent. When Pet Sounds was released, they studied it and then got busy in the studio. A year after Pet Sounds came Sgt. Pepper.
I think it’s easy to poke holes in albums years after their release because the music industry has obviously continued to evolve, and retroactively judging albums is a difficult thing to do.
We all have a different perspective now than when the album was first released. I was born in 1962, but the first Beatles album I heard was Abbey Road. I started to dig into their catalogue and was underwhelmed by Sgt. Pepper’s. However, I realize now just how different and complex that album was upon its release.
It’s a bit like saying the Model T was the worst production car ever built. I mean, may be true but look what it did for future car production. That’s probably a poor analogy, but you get my point.