“For Brian Wilson, the musician, the word that applies throughout his existence is ‘vision’. Once he gets his vision – which arrived after he’d already had considerable success – it’s the thing he holds on to through everything – confusion, dysfunction, soap opera, insanity – and for all the intensity and infinite possibilities and aspiration and ultra-conceptualisation his vision is made up of, he never regards pop as too limiting to carry it.
“There’s no avoiding the influence of Phil Spector, and Don’t Worry Baby is just The Ronettes’ Be My Baby rehashed (you can sing one song into the other) but the most important thing Phil Spector passed on to Brian Wilson was the ‘pocket symphony’. The Symphony is key. Brian realised early on that what he was already doing with tonality and vocals and his arrangement of instruments was symphonic by definition. If you then throw in the idealism of the times and the certainty of youth, all the elements of his future vision are right there.
“What is amazing is that he was able to hear it all in his head. He only needed the thread of a tune, a chord, a melody and he could hear where the horns and counter- point go and where to harmonise and layer in the studio. It’s great to hear him give instructions on outtakes – which for him are works-in-progress, not demos – as he’s so clear and precise, he’s not winging it; it’s there worked out already. I think getting his first celeste was key. It’s more otherworldly, less grounded than a regular piano, and as soon as Brian discovers it, it becomes the backbone of his music. It’s where each song starts.
What you hear in the greatest Beach Boys music is the crystallisation of otherworldliness, and a yearning, encapsulated on songs like In My Room and Caroline, No. There’s also an innocence. It’s not built on sexy guitar riffs; it’s very cerebral, vulnerable and emotional. With The Beach Boys, it’s all above the waist. The struggle is existential. Ultimately, The Beach Boys is the sound of a man striving to bring beauty into the entertainment business and, against all the odds, achieving it.”
As told to Lois Wilson.
This article originally appeared in MOJO 223
Pictures: Jon Shard/Getty/Michael Ochs