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Wed 27th Sep |
John Mayall and Peter Green @ The Fillmore, San Francisco
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Sun 24th Sep |
Alice 97.3 Now and Zen Festival @ Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
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Wed 20th Sep |
Brian Wilson @ Villa Montalvo, Saratoga Ever had an album by one of your favourite bands, and wished they would perform the whole thing in concert, start to finish, with all the bells and whistles? Sort of like a private performance, just for you, their biggest fan. Well, that's exactly what Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind the Beach Boys, has been doing on his first-ever solo tour. In Brian's own words, from an interview I recently conducted during the break between shows, the US-wide tour is "like a new way of life, a lifestyle which I like, keeping my name circulated, and keeps love alive, you know?" Supported by various session musicians, and LA band the "Wondermints", the "Pet Sounds" tour showcases the 1966 classic album from Wilson's old group, the rest of the show comprising oft unheard tracks from the Beach Boys classic mid-to-late 60's era and Wilson's infrequent solo efforts, 1988's self-titled "comeback" and 1998's "Imagination". And yes, the performances include the aforementioned bells and whistles, from the opening vibes of "Wouldn't it be Nice", through bicycle horns on the title track, to the recordings of Brian's dogs and a train whistle that closed out "Caroline, No" at the end of "Pet Sounds". In what would have been almost unbelievable only a few years ago, the tour is just the latest in a series of happenings that declares, as the ill-fated Beach Boys promotional campaign of 1977 stated, "Brian is back!". This comes on the heels of a few one-off performances over the last couple of years, and the moving documentary "I Just Wasn't Made for these Times". Combine this with a comprehensive website, www.brianwilson.com, and an internet-sale-only double CD "Live at the Roxy" recorded earlier this year, and you've got more Brian Wilson exposure than almost anytime since the Beach Boys mid 60's heyday. So what brought all this about? Well, it's been a while since Brian has been under the care of Eugene Landy and his admittedly life-saving treatment. Before it, Wilson was literally a beached whale, dependent on various addictive substances and bloated almost beyond recognition by overeating. Afterwards, he was arguably brainwashed, although fitter than he had ever been, and producing music again. Various legal battles ensued between Landy and Brian's extended family, the end result being Brian given back ownership of his day-to-day life. The release of 1988's eponymously titled album, never a huge seller but critically-acclaimed and a worthy listen, was lapped up by fans old and new, helped along by the single "Love and Mercy", a theme Brian preaches to this day. Recorded while Wilson was still under the care of Landy, "Brian Wilson" featured some of the best material Brian had written since the 60's, helped along by various high-powered collaborators and producers. Collaboration with old friend and "Smile" accomplice Van Dyke Parks produced "Orange Crate Art" in the mid 90's, and by 1998 another solo album, "Imagination", had been released, although an earlier follow-up to "Brian Wilson", titled "Sweet Insanity", was rejected by Wilson's record company. Cut to this year, and Brian, since remarried with a young family, performs 2 instantly sold out shows at the Roxy in Los Angeles for friends, family, and fans. Performances from the weekend engagement appear on the afore-mentioned "Live at the Roxy", available only at www.brianwilson.com. But this is just a taster for the main event - a nationwide tour of Brian's masterpiece recording from 1966, "Pet Sounds". The website, an idea suggested by wife Melinda, features a message board where fans post comments ranging from questions about the abandoned "Smile" project from 1967 - Brian: "I've got a master plan for that, maybe for next year" - to adoration and hero worship tending towards religious intensity. And what keeps them coming back, amongst the repetitiveness of many posts, is that Brian himself replies as often as his current touring schedule allows, signing off with L&M, or Love and Mercy. And the shows themselves? How, you ask, can live performance possibly do justice to the subtle beauty of what has become arguably the most perfect rock recording of all time? Well, the right combination of musicians has contributed to an almost flawless aural rendition of "Pet Sounds". What Brian himself lacks in vocal range is made up for by a passionate and heartfelt attempt, with angelic harmonizing from various band members and dedicated backup vocalist Taylor Mills. As for the performances themselves, Brian: "we keep improving - whenever we make mistakes, we go back and correct them", to the point where Wilson himself pulls a song to a halt, self-effacingly joking to the audience "I goofed on that one!" before winding back to start again. A few dates on the tour include an accompanying orchestra, with a Brian Wilson overture arranged by none other than Van Dyke Parks, but the show at the Historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga, high in the hills above Silicon Valley in Northern California, "just" featured the 11-piece group of musicians that juggle duties between various keyboards, woodwind and brass instruments, twin drum kits and assorted percussion instruments such as chimes, tambourines, and triangles. Why a new band and not one featuring the only surviving Beach Boys, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnson? "I like my own band, and the orchestra adds a nice touch to it" was all Brian had to say on the matter. The other Wilson brothers, original Beach Boys Carl and Dennis, are both dead - Dennis from accidental drowning two decades ago, and Carl from throat cancer more recently. It was Carl who provided the perfect lead vocal on "God Only Knows", the "Pet Sounds" track one Paul McCartney has been quoted as saying is possibly "the best song ever". Brian: "It's a wonderful song". A quick glance through the set list reveals more depth than the Mike Love-led Beach Boys performances, concentrating more on hidden gems than obvious singalongs, and the overall show is the better for it. These are the songs where Wilson honed his songwriting craft, and includes the Phil Spector written and produced "Be My Baby", made famous by the Ronettes in the early 60's, and what Brian openly claims as his "favourite song in the whole universe". The "Beach Boys Today" album features prominently, easy to understand when side 2 of the LP is often viewed as the precursor of and practice run for "Pet Sounds", where Brian stretched the concept of Rock music to an all-encompassing "feel" of music, vocal layers and lyrical content. "Please Let Me Wonder" especially stands up well in the company of the main event, along with the oft-overlooked "Til I Die" from arguably the last great Beach Boys album, 1971's "Surfs Up" - you can sense the tangibility of emotion from Brian during this performance, and wonder what might have been had he not been derailed creatively and socially from both within the Beach Boys and due to various substances in the late 60's. But that's another story. The second set features "Pet Sounds" in its entirety. One still has trouble realising that's Brian Wilson himself up there performing his masterpiece, even while sitting mere metres from the man, the enormity of his comeback requiring suspension of disbelief for the audience to actually sit back and enjoy the show. Brian has trouble nailing some of the high notes, but minor quibbles aside, the set passes all too quickly. During the two instrumental pieces, "Let's Go Away For a While" and the title track, Wilson faces away from the audience, and closes his eyes, possibly thinking back to the creation of these songs all those years ago, with the best session musicians money could buy, including Jazz guitarist Barney Kessell, who played with Billie Holiday on her Verve recordings; bassist Carol Kaye, still a close friend of Brian's; keyboard player Larry Knechtel, later to perform piano on Simon & Garfunkels swan song "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" before joining Bread, and Glen Campbell, then a session guitarist, who turned down a permanent spot in the Beach Boys to go solo to later become one of the 70's biggest Country stars. The live versions were at least the equal of the recorded ones. Brian on the recording of "Pet Sounds": "it was quite a thrill to see it all happen, the album and everything - it brings back memories of when I did it. I'm very fond of that album - it's a good album". Possibly one of the musical understatements of all time, Brian. There were some interesting rearrangements and segues of tracks, carried seamlessly by the band, with Brian often making comment between tracks, such as when "Side 2 of the album" would have started. For many, the highlights of the "Pet Sounds" portion of the show were "God Only Knows", Brian acknowledging brothers Carl and Dennis before affecting a more than passable rendition of Carl's original vocal, and the heartbreakingly beautiful "Caroline, No", extended from the familiar recorded version by repeating the bridge section "...break my heart, I wanna go and cry, it's so sad to watch a sweet thing die, oh Caroline, No..." before the recorded finale of barking dogs and train whistles. An encore featured the obligatory fun-in-the-sun Beach Boys tracks, and a couple from Brian's solo albums, closing out nearly 3 hours of performance. Future plans for Brian include a possible tour next year to Europe - "wouldn't that be great?" - and a back-to-the-roots "rock'n'roll" album. "Pet Sounds" itself has been the focus of an entire box set, featuring multitrack breakdowns of sessions, vocals, and the first ever true stereo remix of the album, possibly only with the advent of digital technology. Capitol records has recently reissued "Pet Sounds" with both the original Mono and new Stereo mixes on a single CD, along with two-fers (2 albums on a single CD) of virtually the entire 1970's Beach Boys catalog - the disc featuring "Sunflower" and "Surfs Up" is essential - while reissues of the deleted 1960's two-fers are due in 2001. Brian's self-titled 1988 solo album has also been remastered and re-released by Warners/Rhino, and features over a dozen bonus tracks, including alternate takes and segments of an interview with Brian on the album. Brian's final thoughts on performing, recording and actually still being around to do so? Does he feel lucky, as his English bass-playing counterpart Paul McCartney does, to have made it through the hard times, when so many peers have succumbed one way or the other? "I say that to myself all the time - I'm still here and I'm still doing it" Setlist: Set 1: The Little Girl I Once Knew/This Whole World/California Girls/In My Room/Kiss Me Baby/I Get Around/Brian Wilson/'Til I Die/The First Time/Darlin'/Lay Down Burden/Be My Baby/Let It Shine/Add Some Music To Your Day/Please Let Me Wonder/Back Home/Do It Again/Help Me RhondaSet 2:Wouldn't It Be Nice/You Still Believe In Me/That's Not Me/Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)/I'm Waiting For The Day/Let's Go Away For A While/Sloop John B/God Only Knows/I Know There's An Answer/Here Today/I Just Wasn't Made For These Times/Pet Sounds/Caroline, No/Good Vibrations Encores:Surfer Girl/Barbara Ann/All Summer LongSurfin' USA/Fun, Fun, Fun/Love and Mercy |
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Sun 17th Sep |
Moby @ The Warfield, San Francisco
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Sat 16th Sep |
Iron Maiden @ Shoreline, Mountain View
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Thu 14th Sep |
San Diego
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Wed 13th Sep |
Bangles @ 4th and B, San Diego
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Sat 9th Sep |
Red Hot Chili Peppers & Stone Temple Pilots @ Shoreline, Mountain View
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Sun 3rd Sep |
Labor Day Distraction w/Duran Duran and Motels @ Great America, Santa Clara
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Fri 1st Sep |
Jethro Tull @ Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael
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