Wouldn't It Be Nice
Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
When he first started working on Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson said that he was going to write "the greatest rock album ever made." That album, released in 1966, fifty years ago, changed the face of popular music.
From conception and composition to arrangement and production, Pet Sounds was the work of one extraordinary man. Turning his back on the protest songs and folk rock of his contemporaries and even on the bright surf sound of his own creation, Brian Wilson reached deep within himself to make music that struck an emotional chord and touched people's souls. Embracing the rapidly advancing recording technology of the time, he expertly created an original studio sound that would inspire generations of listeners and musicians.
Featuring a detailed track-by-track analysis of the songs and extensive interviews with key personalities, this unique book reveals the influences--musical, personal, and professional--that together created this groundbreaking album. Now revised to include new information and recent developments, this is the definitive book on one of the greatest albums ever made.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1966, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys released a revolutionary rock album that would influence the Beatles' Rubber Soul as well as the music of the Who, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. As music historian Granata points out in this often passionate, sometimes pedantic history of Pet Sounds, U.S. audiences turned a cold shoulder to this album because it represented such a departure from the pleasing surf melodies that had made the Beach Boys famous. In spite of such a reception, the album showcases the soaring musical genius of Wilson, argues Granata, in what was perhaps truly the first ever "concept album." The innovative combination of folk, blues and jazz blended into the gorgeous harmonies of the Beach Boys. Granata traces the evolution of the album from its writing, mostly by Wilson and Tony Asher, to the long nights of production in the studio. He analyzes dispassionately each song on the album, from the jangly 12-string guitar chords of "Wouldn't It Be Nice?," which open the album, to the closing harmonies of "Caroline, No" that close it. Granata chronicles Wilson's well-known disappearance from the musical scene not long after the album's release to battle the demons of paranoid schizophrenia, as well as his recent solo appearances performing the songs from Pet Sounds. Granata devotedly tells a story whose contours are already well known, so the book at times appears to be a set of liner notes allowed to grow too large.
Customer Reviews
Great interviews, but...
The interviews with those in Brian’s orbit at this time are what make this a worthwhile read for fan’s of The Beach Boys and Pet Sounds. But the book has some factual flaws and omissions, as well as the musical analysis being a little off... for example, notes and chords are cited in certain places in the music, but are incorrectly identified - the author’s lack of fluency with the finer points of music theory quickly becomes apparent.
More than that, the near-hagiographic gushing about Brian’s musical “genius,” which permeates a good portion of the book, becomes a little off-putting after a while. Brian himself has expressed discomfort with the burden of that label, and not out of any sense of false modesty... in interviews I’ve seen with Brian, he seems very aware of a whole world of musical sophistication out there that far eclipses his efforts on Pet Sounds in the grander scheme of things, as does any half-serious student of Music (of which Brian is one). But after reading this book, one wonders if the author has that same awareness...
I say all this as a huge fan of The Beach Boys and Pet Sounds, and as a formally trained musician.
That being said, the book is still recommended for fans of this music. Just take some of what it says with a grain of salt.