Brian Wilson is the Marlon Brando or Orson Welles of pop music. I mean I’m of course glad he didn’t die at his peak (that’s silly) but I think The Beach Boys would be remembered differently if he had.Heroes and Villains” is one of the smartest, eeriest pop songs ever recorded, easily matching anything on Sgt. Pepper’s. Could we have Steely Dan without them? John Cale?
Yes, I could see the Beach Boys being viewed differently if they dissolved in the late 60s. They would've been a lot poorer but more mystique may have been attached to them. I'm a big Heroes and Villains fan and I enjoy both the version released and the longer cut off Smile
I should've noted more that Brian actually repudiated acid by Pet Sounds and "I Know There's an Answer" (once called "Hang on to your Ego" was supposed to be a song knocking the LSD crowd. I do believe it drove his psychosis further and triggered him in terrible ways. He was talented enough where he probably could've pulled off Pet Sounds anyway, having never dropped acid.
Superb essay - I’ll check out some of those obscure albums you recommend.
Yes, their catalog is so deep
I saw Mike Love perform at Pyro Festival this summer.50 years of thinking Brian was the only Beachboy...down the tubes.
Brian Wilson is the Marlon Brando or Orson Welles of pop music. I mean I’m of course glad he didn’t die at his peak (that’s silly) but I think The Beach Boys would be remembered differently if he had.Heroes and Villains” is one of the smartest, eeriest pop songs ever recorded, easily matching anything on Sgt. Pepper’s. Could we have Steely Dan without them? John Cale?
Yes, I could see the Beach Boys being viewed differently if they dissolved in the late 60s. They would've been a lot poorer but more mystique may have been attached to them. I'm a big Heroes and Villains fan and I enjoy both the version released and the longer cut off Smile
I should've noted more that Brian actually repudiated acid by Pet Sounds and "I Know There's an Answer" (once called "Hang on to your Ego" was supposed to be a song knocking the LSD crowd. I do believe it drove his psychosis further and triggered him in terrible ways. He was talented enough where he probably could've pulled off Pet Sounds anyway, having never dropped acid.