Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His work is distinguished for its vocal harmonies, complex orchestrations, and introspective or ingenuous themes. Wilson is also known for his formerly high-ranged singing and for his lifelong struggles with mental illness.
The Pet Sounds Sessions is a 4-CD box set by the American rock band the Beach Boys. Released on November 4, 1997 by Capitol Records, it compiles tracks from the group's 11th studio album Pet Sounds (1966) and its 1965–66 recording sessions. The entire album is included in its original mono mix, as well as a specially-created digital stereo mix. The set also contains instrumental tracks, vocals-only tracks, alternate mixes, and edited highlights from the recording sessions for many of the album's songs, along with several tracks not included on the album.
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times is the second album by American musician Brian Wilson and the soundtrack to Don Was' documentary of the same name, released by MCA Records on August 15, 1995. It consists almost entirely of rerecordings of Wilson's past songs. The title is derived from the Beach Boys' 1966 song "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times".
"Caroline, No" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson that was released as his debut solo record on March 7, 1966. Written with Tony Asher, the lyrics describe a disillusioned man who reflects on his aged, former love interest and the loss of her innocence. Musically, it is distinguished for its jazz chords and unusual combination of instruments, including bass flutes, 12-string electric guitar, and muted harpsichord. It later appeared as the closing track on the Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds.
Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford is an American singer who is best known as the first wife of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Raised in Los Angeles, she started her singing career in the late 1950s, initially as part of a family singing trio, the Rovell Sisters, with her siblings Diane and Barbara. Through a mutual connection with musician Gary Usher, Marilyn met Brian at a Beach Boys concert in August 1962 when she was 14 and Brian was 20. Brian subsequently renamed the Rovell Sisters to "the Honeys" and wrote and produced several of their records in the 1960s.
"Do It Again" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was released as single on July 8, 1968. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love as a self-conscious callback to the group's earlier surf image, which they had not embraced since 1964. Love and Wilson also share the lead vocal on the song.
"'Til I Die" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album Surf's Up, subsequently issued as the B-side of the single "Long Promised Road". With autobiographical lyrics about death and hopelessness, it is one of the few songs in which both the words and music were written solely by Brian Wilson. An extended mix of the original recording, created by engineer Stephen Desper, was included on the 1998 Endless Harmony Soundtrack.
"Wonderful" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Smiley Smile and their unfinished Smile project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, the song tells the story of a young girl's sexual awakening and its disruption of her devotion to God and her parents. It was the only "boy-girl" song they wrote for Smile.
"Drive-In" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album All Summer Long. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, although Love was not originally credited until after a 1990s songwriting lawsuit. The song was recorded shortly after the release of Little Deuce Coupe in October 1963.
"Love and Mercy" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson and the opening track from his 1988 album Brian Wilson. Co-produced by Russ Titelman, the song was released as a single on July 1, 1988, but failed to chart. Psychologist Eugene Landy and his girlfriend Alexandra Morgan were formerly listed as co-writers. Wilson characterized "Love and Mercy" as a semi-autobiographical song that exemplifies his own "Jesus Christ complex", or in other words, his compulsion to "give love to people". The song was influenced by the 1965 hit "What the World Needs Now Is Love"
Making God Smile: An Artists' Tribute to the Songs of Beach Boy Brian Wilson is a tribute album featuring cover versions of songs by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys performed by Contemporary Christian musicians. Originally released as a single CD, a double album version was released for sale only on the Internet through pastestore.com, the retail website of Paste Music. According to Silent Planet Records' website, this double album quickly sold out. As a result, Silent Planet Records sells individual CD-R copies of the second disc on its website for people who missed their chance to buy the double album.
Darian Sahanaja is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and arranger who is best known for co-founding Wondermints in 1992 and playing with Brian Wilson's supporting band since 1999. He has also performed alongside the Zombies and Heart as a session musician.
Love & Mercy is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Bill Pohlad about the Beach Boys' co-founder and leader Brian Wilson and his struggles with mental illness during the 1960s and 1980s. It stars Paul Dano and John Cusack as the young and middle-aged Wilson, with Elizabeth Banks as his second wife Melinda Ledbetter and Paul Giamatti as his psychologist Dr. Eugene Landy. The title comes from Wilson's 1988 song.
"I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into society. Musically, it is distinguished for its melodic bass guitar, layered vocals, and Electro-Theremin solo, marking the first time the instrument was used in popular music and the first time theremin-like sounds were used on a rock record.
No Pier Pressure is the tenth studio album by American musician Brian Wilson, released April 7, 2015 on Capitol Records. Originally planned as a follow-up to the Beach Boys' 2012 reunion album That's Why God Made the Radio, No Pier Pressure is the first solo Wilson LP devoted primarily to new and original material since That Lucky Old Sun (2008). It features guest performances by contemporary artists Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves, She & Him, Nate Ruess of Fun and Peter Hollens. Original Beach Boys members Al Jardine and David Marks also feature alongside former band member Blondie Chaplin.
Melinda Kae Wilson is an American talent manager who is the second wife and longtime manager of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. She was formerly a model and car saleswoman. Ledbetter is credited with helping to initiate Wilson's court-ordered separation from his former psychologist, Eugene Landy, and leading Wilson to proper medical care. Her account of her early relationship with Wilson was dramatized for the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, in which Ledbetter is portrayed by Elizabeth Banks.
Music from Love and Mercy is the soundtrack album to Bill Pohlad's film of the same name about the Beach Boys' songwriter-musician-producer and co-founder Brian Wilson. The album was released by Capitol Records on August 14, 2015. Selections from Atticus Ross's original film score were included in addition to song performances featured in the film. The closing track, "One Kind of Love", was written by Wilson specially for the film.
The "Andy Paley sessions" is the unofficial name given to an unfinished recording project by American musicians Brian Wilson and Andy Paley. During the 1990s, the duo planned to record an album that would have comprised original material written and produced by themselves with participation from other members of the Beach Boys. It was the last time Brian worked with his bandmates before Carl Wilson's death in 1998.
"Brian Wilson is a genius" is a line that became part of a media campaign spearheaded by the Beatles' former press officer Derek Taylor in 1966, who was then employed as the Beach Boys' publicist. Although there are earlier documented expressions of the statement, Taylor frequently called Brian Wilson a "genius" as part of an effort to rebrand the Beach Boys and legitimize Wilson as a serious artist on par with the Beatles and Bob Dylan.
John Anderson is an Emmy award-winning and Grammy-nominated American documentary film director, producer, editor and writer whose primary subjects are rock, blues and folk musicians. Anderson often makes films about musicians he admires, such as Brian Wilson, the American singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded The Beach Boys. His interest in film-making began when he saw Richard Lester’s “A Hard Day's Night” at the age of 10. Some of Anderson's inspirations are the works of many filmmakers, including Michelangelo Antonioni, Murray Lerner and Jerry Lewis. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University School of Communication, where he studied Radio/TV/Film and Music Theory & Composition.
