On Thu, 31 Dec 1998 15:35:17 -0500 Steven Matthews <steve at panix.com>
writes:
>>A propos of absolutely nothing, can anyone tell what was the big deal
>>about the Beach Boys, and the cult of Brian Wilson in particular? I
>hear
>>them on the radio, and always try to reconcile what I am hearing with
>what
>>I hear about Brian Wilson being mind bogglingly brilliant, but I
>can't.
>>What am I missing?
>
>
>I always wondered this myself, so I asked a friend of mine once, who
>is
>both a fan and a musician, and this is what I was told--
>
>1. Their harmonies. Not so much that they used harmony, but the
>specific
>harmonies used were unique.
>
>2. Their modulations (changing from one key to another), both with
>regard
>to the timing of the modulations and the specific chords changed from
>and
>to. Many of Brian Wilson's chords were complex and not used by other
>pop
>musicians.
>
>The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" heavily influenced the Beatles' "Sgt.
>Pepper". Brian Wilson was pretty bitter about not receiving proper
>recognition for this, at least not by those who were *buying* the
>records.
The Beatles' song "Back in the USSR" in the "Sgt. Pepper" album was a tribute to the Beach Boys.
Jim Farmelant
>
>I'm still not so crazy about them, but this is what I understand to be
>the
>reasons why some people are.
>
>
>Steven Matthews
>
>
>
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