OT: RIP Brian Wilson

Genius is a word that is thrown around too much, especially in rock and roll. But in this case, it's deserved.

MaroonBells wrote:
Genius is a word that is thrown around too much, especially in rock and roll. But in this case, it's deserved.

Agreed...

Over the decades, many have revered his genius. “I don’t think you’d be out of line comparing him to Beethoven,” Tom Petty once said.

The impact of Brian and the Beach Boys gets overshadowed by Beatlemania, the British Invasion, and the huge leaps recording tech took seemingly every hour since the mid-60s. "Pet Sounds" is an absolute changing point in music, and Brian Wilson was an absolute genius (albeit a tortured one, as most are) in shaking up the establishment of music production.

It never surprises me that, even in this age of auto-tuned "perfection" and other production tools, great songs from times when artists had to be smarter, more rehearsed, and fiercely talented still inspire new generations.

During a concert in Germany on June 11th, Sting honoured the late Brian Wilson by covering The Beach Boys’ classic ‘God Only Knows’.⁠pic.twitter.com/V7FiIKoVpS

— Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMag) June 12, 2025

The Beach Boys was my first live concert that I can remember back in the early 80s. Even though I ended up getting into more hard rock and metal, I never stopped enjoying the Beach Boys music.

( my mixed tapes were a bit fucked up back in the days... could go from Metallica to Tears for Fears or Katrina and the Waves, I still crank up the GO GOs.)

Rest in Piece Mr. Wilson

JimmyinSD wrote:
The Beach Boys was my first live concert that I can remember back in the early 80s.  Even though I ended up getting into more hard rock and metal,  I never stopped enjoying the Beach Boys music.

( my mixed tapes were a bit fucked up back in the days... could go from Metallica to Tears for Fears or Katrina and the Waves,  I still crank up the GO GOs.)

Rest in Piece Mr. Wilson

Ditto, and I think it came from a time when so much transition was happening in music. Punk was fading, but New Wave was coming on...straight up rock acts like Night Ranger and others still had plenty to say...metal, whether "NWOBHM" or American thrash got airplay, recording tech marched along as well, and hundreds of wannabe Eddie Van Halen imitators kept not sounding as good as the real thing.

My own mix tapes from back then had Duran Duran, Metal Church, old tracks from Heart and Aerosmith, Chicago, and the Bangles.

In high school my best friend listened to his parents music. Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys. I was listening to punk and new wave--the Clash and the Police. Beach Boys were dad rock, especially at the time. Overweight, Hawaiian shirts. I hated them and gave my friend shit about it. I didn't really "get" the Beach Boys and the genius of Brian Wilson's arrangements until much later when some of my heroes began talking about how much they respected them.  

So it's ironic to see one of my heroes, Sting, sing a Beach Boys song. In 1980 that would've been career suicide for a "cool" band. Also ironic that I now consider Buddy Holly the first "punk" in how he rebelled against producers and record companies who wanted him to do it their way and not his.

Lol...

London Calling rocked my world and I loved Debra Harry, Elvis Costello. I was a child of Zeppelin, Skynrd, 10 years After and Stones too, just that blending of era's.

Like others here, I did not appreciate the BB in my youth. Now songs like "Wouldnt it be nice" and "God Only Knows" are as wistful to me as "Going to California" and "When the Levee Breaks"

RIP Brian W.

Fan since the '60's. My first concert as well, in 1975. Billy Joel opened for them. My opinion, apart from the Beatles canon there is no better LP than Pet Sounds.

Rigby wrote:
Fan since the '60's. My first concert as well, in 1975. Billy Joel opened for them. My opinion, apart from the Beatles canon there is no better LP than Pet Sounds.

Thats a hell of a concert...

My first ever was Jonny Winter and REO Speedwagon lol!  An odd pairing in retrospect.

Saw REO on their High Infidelity tour. Gary Richrath is missed...