Sunday August 23, 2020 “Good Vibrations” Beach Boys
As summer winds down I thought we should celebrate the season with a beach blanket full of summer songs this week and can it be summer without revisiting the Wilson Brothers, Mike Love and Al Jardine?
Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind the Beach Boys, wrote and produced "Good Vibrations" which he called a ‘pocket symphony’ a term that he may have borrowed from producer Phil Spector who once referred to the records that he produced as ‘little symphonies for the kids’. “Good Vibrations” was, according to Brian “the summation of my musical vision. A harmonic convergence of imagination and talent, production values and craft, songwriting and spirituality.”
It would take over ninety hours of studio time, unheard of at that time, and at least twelve musicians just to lay down the music track before the Beach Boys did their vocals. It would be the most expensive recording of its time, and the label refused to release it as a single.
Stylistically it was completely different from any previous Beach Boys single and nearly four minutes long so not radio friendly, but Brain insisted it was the next Beach Boys single and once it was released it was an immediate critical and commercial hit racing to the top of international charts and staying there for several weeks. It is the number six song on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
It’s remarkable to think with all the layered sounds and vocals in “Good Vibrations” that Brian Wilson, who wrote the music, completely managed all production details and instrumentation was deaf in one ear.
Stay safe and well...and hit the beach while the surf's still up.
