“Before Brian passed, I suggested we get the Brian Wilson band back together, as a tribute to Brian, and call it The Pet Sounds Band. I had no idea he would not be there to enjoy it. I’m still sorting it out, deciding what songs to do. Each has a story, it’s so emotionally charged. We’re particularly taking from [1977’s] The Beach Boys Love You, that has some of Brian’s quirkiest and most uplifting songs, from [1976’s] 15 Big Ones, and Brian’s unreleased Adult/Child material. It’s all going to be on a new Beach Boys box set.
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READ MORE: The Beach Boys’ 50 Greatest Songs
“In the studio, Brian was very dynamic and sure of himself. He was a man of action, and he could deliver a part from heaven, just pull it out of the air. When it all came together, it was like a miracle. Heroes And Villains, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, Wouldn’t It Be Nice – holy mackerel! He’d sit down at the piano, next to the microphone, and we’d gather around. He was like a card dealer, doling us each a part, right off the piano. He was a man of the moment. He was extremely impatient to get the vision out of his head and onto tape, and we were up to the task. We were really good! Hear the a cappella versions of Pet Sounds and Smile, boy oh boy.
“Brian was a taskmaster, cracking the whip, but he was open to feedback. Like, on Surfin’ USA, I suggested we put a seventh chord on the keys, and Brian said, ‘Well, OK.’ Carl or Dennis suggested using a cello on Good Vibrations, and Dennis played an organ part that he’d thought up, stuff like that. Brian was always open to ideas that might work, and you’d try it out.
“He didn’t like it if you were sharp or flat, that was inexcusable! We were very careful not to flat our notes. But he was one of those specific singers who could sing sharp but still sound good; he had a way of bending the notes in a certain way. He was a great vocalist, an instrument unto itself, and pretty much his brothers copied Brian’s voice, but a little lower. I was a higher-pitched tenor, Carl was in the middle and Dennis would sandwich somewhere in between, and Brian on falsetto above us. Mike’s baritone complemented Brian’s alto voice – it was really a perfect blend. Check out Surfer Girl, sheesh. Then Bruce sung a lot of the alto parts when Brian didn’t feel like it, which gave Brian the chance to get behind the glass in the control room and he could hear all the parts come together. We’d double-track harmonies too. Most bands would do harmonies and go to the next verse, but we’d overdub the same parts, and you wouldn’t believe how big it sounded. Wouldn’t It Be Nice was a wall of sound.
Covid saw Brian slipping away. He had long Covid in my opinion. He wasn’t making music anymore, but he was always listening. His band would go to his house, every Tuesday, and sing for him, anything he’d like to hear in the catalogue, and Brian might join in, which he enjoyed a lot. If I was in town, I’d go too. The last time I sang for Brian was my new single, Islands In The Sun. He looked at me, and said, ‘Al, you started the band.’ I said, ‘Come on, I think you had something to do with it too.’ He was such a humble guy. The humble giant has passed, he graced us with his presence and he’s now gone. I’m getting tearful now – I better go.”
As told to Martin Aston
“Brian was intensely competitive. But so civilised…”
Van Dyke Parks, Lyndsey Buckingham, and Brian’s 21st Century right-hand man Darian Sahanaja join the all-star tribute to The Beach’s Boys creative genius in the latest issue of MOJO. More info and to order a copy HERE.
Photo: Brian Wilson and Al Jardine perform at the Vibrato Jazz Club, Los Angeles, October 12, 2015 (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images).