Brian Wilson: The forever young Beach Boy offers a stunning live set
Written: Sep 18 '01 (Updated Oct 07 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Brian Wilson performs his Beach Boys' classics and songs from his solo career.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Live sets are a mixed bag usually due to the problems connected with recording live performances, but Brian Wilson, as producer, has recorded a near-perfect live album with this effort.
Don_Krider's Full Review: Live at the Roxy Theatre by Brian Wilson (Pop)
The Beach Boys scored more than four dozen Hot 100 singles since forming in 1961. Led by primary songwriter and producer Brian Wilson, the band created melodic rock and sweet harmonies that most bands can only dream of.
Brian Wilson, a sometimes troubled human being, has been solo, for the most part, since the '80s. His current album chronicles Brian's most-welcome return to touring, something he had largely abandoned in the mid-'60s when he stopped enjoying being on stage.
Brian and band are in fine form on this 2-CD set culled from his sell-out shows at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California, in 2000. The handful of shows at the 500-seat venue were instant sellouts: among those quickly grabbing the few tickets were Bette Midler, Doug Feiger of The Knack, Jackie DeShannon, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Nancy Sinatra, John Waite of The Babys, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Jon Bon Jovi and many more music stars, along with some lucky fans.
Brian's outstanding band includes members of The Wondermints (a great power pop band once managed by Eric Carmen), former Beach Boy sideman Jeff Foskett (guitar, vocals), Poi Dog Pondering's Paul Mertens (saxophone, flute, vocals), and Bob Lizik (bass, vocals), Scott Bennett (keyboards, percussion, vocals), Jim Hines (drums, vocals) and Taylor Mills (vocals).
The 2000 shows found Brian loving to perform live again. They led to a successful tour with Paul Simon in the summer of 2001 (he was scheduled to perform in Japan in September 2001, but the recent terrorist actions in the United States have postponed those appearances), a Turner Broadcasting tribute special, a VH-1 movie about the band and, with The Beach Boys, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The Beach Boys were also among the first inductees into the Rock and Rock Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Beach Boys may be gone forever: Brian has suffered the loss of two brothers in the band, Dennis Wilson to drowning in 1983 and Carl Wilson to cancer in 1998; band member and cousin Mike Love sued Brian over songwriting credits; and Mike has an on-going legal battle with Wilson family friend and Beach Boy Al Jardine over who currently has the right to use any name with "Beach Boy" in it.
The Beach Boys may be gone, but thank goodness Brian Wilson, at 59, is still around and continuing to make music.
The best of the band's hits and Brian's solo work are reproduced in solid form on "Live At The Roxy Theatre." It's truly remarkable, and something to be very thankful for, that Wilson can still produce that classic high falsetto from his youth. I'm also gald to see Brian producing this album --- no one produces a Wilson song better than the man himself.
The album kicks into high gear with "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (which reached # 20 in 1965 on the Billboard charts), a glorious tribute to a young man discovering that the girl he overlooked in his youth grew up to be very desireable:
"We met when she was younger / man I had no eyes for her / a few years went by and I saw her / now I'm going to try for her / she's not the little girl I once knew..."
Perhaps the most romantic songwriter of the glorious '60s pop scene, another Wilson gem pounces from the your stereo's speakers as "Don't Worry Baby" fills your ears:
"...when she makes love to me / and she says / don't worry baby / everything will turn out all right..."
Why it peaked at # 24 in 1964 is a mystery to me (B. J. Thomas covered the song in 1977 for a # 17 chart hit). This was Brian's attempt to write a song to match one of his favorites, The Ronettes' # 2 hit from 1963, "Be My Baby." I think he achieved his goal quite well.
It is then stunning to hear Brian actually covering "Be My Baby" --- and doing a wonderful version of that Phil Spector-produced classic, full of spirit and soaring harmonies:
"The night we met / I knew I needed you so / and if I had the chance / I'd never let you go / so won't you say you love me / I'll make you so proud of me / we'll make them turn their heads / everywhere we go / so won't you please / (be my, be my) be my little baby..."
But it's The Beach Boys' songs that are the crowd pleasers here: a rocking version of "Do It Again" (# 20, 1968), a letter-perfect "California Girls" (# 3, 1965), a stirring "I Get Around" (#1 for two weeks in 1964) and a perfectly lovely, autobiographical "In My Room" (# 23, 1963):
"There's a world where I can go and / tell my secrets to / in my room..."
Equally loving is Wilson's performance of "Surfer Girl" (# 7, 1963), a flashback to a happily more innocent time --- in these troubled times we live in, there's something totally soothing to the heart and soul about listening to a Wilson ballad:
"So I say from me to you / I will make your dreams come true / do you love me / do you, surfer girl?"
Wilson's current single, "The First Time," appears here as well. Written in 1983 and forgotten in a briefcase all these year, is a sentimental remembrance of past love:
"Please don't ask me why / but it's something I / have so deep inside / but I can tell you now / that I saved it all away / through you..."
One of my favorite Beach Boys tunes, "Add Some Music To Your Day," a minor # 64 hit from 1970, is as peaceful and relaxing as sitting by a cool stream on a hot summer day with someone you love, with the piano and vocals caressing you like a mother's arms holding a newborn babe:
"The Sunday morning gospel goes good with the soul / there's blues, folk and country, and rock like a Rolling Stone / the world could come together as one / if everybody under the sun / would add some music to your day..."
And how many artists would record a song written about them? The Wilson group does a great reading of The Barenaked Ladies tune "Brian Wilson" that seques into Wilson's "'Til I Die," which shows Brian at his lyrical best:
"I'm a cork on the ocean, floating over the raging sea ... I'm a rock in a landslide, rolling over the mountain side ..."
Wilson's band shows its musical brilliance on the Wilson instrumentals "Let's Go Away For Awhile" and "Pet Sounds," which are sandwiched between The Beach Boys' classics "Darlin'" (# 19, 1967-68) and "God Only Knows" (# 39, 1966).
"God Only Knows" is simply one of the most romantic love songs ever written (ranking with Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" in my book), a spiritual look at being so in love that it hurts:
"I may not always love you / but long as there are stars above you / you never need to doubt it / I'll make you so sure about it / and God only knows what I'd be without you / if you should ever leave me / though life would still go on believe me / the world could show nothing to me / so what good would living do me / God only knows what I'd be without you..."
Wilson shines throughout the album's nearly two-hour length, whether doing Beach Boys classics ("Good Vibrations," "Caroline No" (recently covered for two different releases by Eric Carmen and Timothy B. Schidmt), "All Summer Long" and "Sloop John B.") or his solo tunes (most notably on "Love & Mercy").
Though I imagine actually being there to see the show would be the way to hear Brian live, this album will have to do for those of us who weren't there --- and this excellant album is a wonderful way to feel part of the crowd for nearly two hours.
The CD:
31 Tracks, including two short intros and a short interview with Brian. Total running time is just under 106 minutes. The illustrated CD booklet is only 6-pages but is more than adequate for a release of this type. The album was originally released in 2000 and available only from his official website. In June 2001, the album was commercially released to retail stores.
The songs:
"Little Girl" (Intro and band talk), "Little Girl I Once Knew," "This Whole World," "Don't Worry Baby," "Kiss Me Baby," "Do It Again," "California Girls," "I Get Around," "Back Home," "In My Room," "Surfer Girl," "The First Time," "This Isn't Love," "Add Some Music To Your Day" and "Please Let Me Wonder."
Also, an introduction of each band member followed by "Brian Wilson," "'Til I Die," "Darlin'," "Let's Go Away For Awhile," "Pet Sounds," "God Only Knows," "Lay Down Burden," "Be My Baby," "Good Vibrations," "Caroline No," "All Summer Long," "Love & Mercy," "Sloop John B.," "Barbara Ann" and an interview with Brian.
On the web:
Official Brian Wilson site: http://www.brianwilson.com/
Official Beach Boys Fan Club: http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/
Official Al Jardine site: http://www.aljardine.com/
Al's current band includes Brian's daughters, Wendy and Carnie (who had hits of their own as members of Wilson-Phillips).
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