Wouldn't It Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds

by Charles L. Granata, Tony Asher (Foreword by)

Overview

When he first started working on Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson said that he was going to write "the greatest rock album ever made." That album, released in 1966, fifty years ago, changed the face of popular music.

From conception and composition to arrangement and production, Pet Sounds was the work of one extraordinary man. Turning his back on the protest songs and folk rock of his contemporaries and even on the bright surf sound of his own creation, Brian Wilson reached deep within himself to make music that struck an emotional chord and touched people's souls. Embracing the rapidly advancing recording technology of the time, he expertly created an original studio sound that would inspire generations of listeners and musicians.

Featuring a detailed track-by-track analysis of the songs and extensive interviews with key personalities, Wouldn't It Be Nice reveals the influences—musical, personal, and professional—that together created this groundbreaking album. Now revised to include new information and recent developments, this is the definitive book on one of the greatest albums ever made.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613738375
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/01/2016
Edition description:	Revised edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	437,995
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Charles L. Granata is a record and radio producer, music historian, and author of the award-winning Sessions with Sinatra as well as numerous essays on popular music and the history of sound recording. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Livingston, New Jersey. Tony Asher is a lyricist who collaborated with Brian Wilson on Pet Sounds. He lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Revised Edition vi

Foreword Tony Asher xiii

Preface xviii

Early History 1

Fresh Sounds 14

Turning Points 24

Writing the Album 49

The Making of Pet Sounds 93

Pet Sounds Arrives 167

Brian's In-Between Years (1967-1990) 186

Small Steps (The 1990s) 201

Pet Sounds Revisited (1990-2002) 205

The Legend Lives On 219

Epilogue 224

An Interview Mark Linett 230

Acknowledgments 244

Selected Bibliography 251

Lyric Credits and Permissions 254

Index 256

Editorial Reviews

"Intelligently researched and beautifully written. This books reminds me how remarkably fortunate I am that Brian, Mike, Carl, Dennis, and Al shared with me the opportunity to be part of the greatest recorded achievements in pop music history.” —Bruce Johnston, former member of The Beach Boys




"A behind-the-scenes glimpse you won't find anywhere else, including some background on what made Brian Wilson the mad genius he was." —Contra Costa Times




"Granata's book is a simple masterpiece that does justice to the album—dissecting clearly all the complex factors involved while capturing Wilson's amazing inner strength, as well as his turmoil." —Q magazine




“As a musician who was there at the creation, I can assure you that this is the book to read if you want to understand Brian Wilson and the making of Pet Sounds. Chuck Granata has deftly painted this monumental story with the respect, passion and vibrancy of his subject's greatest music.” —Carol Kaye, Pet Sounds bassist


"Edifying without being sycophantic." —The Observer


"Chuck Granata has the exquisite wisdom to understand that the real wonder of Brian Wilson is not to be found within the headline-grabbing antics, the legendary lawsuits, or even the classic functionality of either his private or public families, but simply in his music." —Tony Asher, Pet Sounds cowriter 

From the Publisher

Applies close musical and cultural analysis to the Beach Boys' 1966 masterpiece . . . as heartbreaking as the songs on Pet Sounds.

Blender

Granata's book is a simple masterpiece that does justice to the album.

Q Magazine

Painstakingly researched.

Relix

In 1966, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys released a revolutionary rock album that would influence the Beatles' Rubber Soul as well as the music of the Who, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. As music historian Granata points out in this often passionate, sometimes pedantic history of Pet Sounds, U.S. audiences turned a cold shoulder to this album because it represented such a departure from the pleasing surf melodies that had made the Beach Boys famous. In spite of such a reception, the album showcases the soaring musical genius of Wilson, argues Granata, in what was perhaps truly the first ever "concept album." The innovative combination of folk, blues and jazz blended into the gorgeous harmonies of the Beach Boys. Granata traces the evolution of the album from its writing, mostly by Wilson and Tony Asher, to the long nights of production in the studio. He analyzes dispassionately each song on the album, from the jangly 12-string guitar chords of "Wouldn't It Be Nice?," which open the album, to the closing harmonies of "Caroline, No" that close it. Granata chronicles Wilson's well-known disappearance from the musical scene not long after the album's release to battle the demons of paranoid schizophrenia, as well as his recent solo appearances performing the songs from Pet Sounds. Granata devotedly tells a story whose contours are already well known, so the book at times appears to be a set of liner notes allowed to grow too large. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly