Confession time: I'm a huge Brian Wilson fan. I love almost everything the man has ever written or performed. Which is why the latest news about his new album has confused me. The celebrated composer, arranger, singer, keyboardist, bass player and very interesting (to say the least) man Brian Wilson has decided his next album will be a cover album where he covers nothing but hits from Disney's past. This may seem incredibly bizarre for such a celebrated man and may even seem like a cheap money making maneuver (he's on Disney's label) but to me, I can't imagine anybody else pulling this off except for Brian Wilson.
Let me explain. Brian Wilson is a legendary musician who almost needs no introduction. However, one should never assume anything, so I'll give a very brief introduction. Brian was the writer, arranger, producer and bass player for the Beach Boys for almost their entire career. The band started out with "fun in the sun" hits like "Surfing Safari" and "Fun Fun Fun" songs that featured rudimentary playing but complex chord structures and melodies. They also featured incredibly complex (for the time) vocal harmonies that seemed simple. Brian was hailed as a genius.
Naturally, Brian had to expand and he ended up moving past surf and sun. He created the ultimate surf pop album (All Summer Long) and moved on to adult oriented, orchestrated rock and roll that featured arrangements well in advance of anybody else at the time (including the Beatles, frankly). "Today!" and "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!)" were incredibly rich and fulfilling albums musically.
However, these albums could be seen as a warm up for Brian's masterpiece, the much ballyhooed and imitated but never bettered "Pet Sounds." "Pet Sounds" featured unheard of complexity in the song structures, melodies and arrangements. The complexity was nearly classical. However, Brian had the unique ability to make this complexity simple and catchy. The album wasn't as big of a success as the earlier Beach Boys albums but it did well and was a critical smash.
Brian's attempted follow up "Smile" would have been even better but he crashed and burned in making it. However, he did release a finished version in 2004 that was completely stunning. And he could pull "Pet Sounds" AND "Smile" off live. The shows are amazing: I own the DVDs. But I am becoming a drooling fan boy here. Lets move on.
Since "Smile" Brian has released an enjoyable Christmas album, the acclaimed "That Lucky Old Sun," a song suite of original songs as well as the critically adored "Reimagines Gershwin" wherein Brian played new arrangements of George Gershwin favorites. In fact, it is "Reimagines Gershwin" that makes me think Brian can pull of a Disney album.
I'm going to come right out and say it: I don't like Disney much. I like a few of the movies but find a lot of it unbearably schmaltzy and contrived. However, this is what I think will make Brian such a perfect fit for the project. Brian the Gershwin project has already shown that he has a way of getting inside of other composers music and making it his own while honoring the original. I think he'll be able to bring a little dimension to the songs that will help make them more palpable for me, anyways.
Most importantly, Brian is one of the most sincere musicians in the industry. He has a child like (but not childish) sensibility and personality that commits him completely to every project he undertakes. Any interview I've ever watched with him makes him seem like he has not one ounce of guile or deceit in him. Of course, he naturally does have guile or deceit in his bones but his childlike intensity of purpose makes him perfect for such a potentially ludicrious concepts.
Plus, Brian has already adapted Disney music: the first song he ever wrote, "Surfer Girl" featured an adapted melody VERY similar to "When You Wish Upon a Star." In typical Brian fashion, he readily admits this and has even pointed it out to people who didn't catch it. I will be very interested in picking up this album when it comes out. Don't be surprised if I post a review of this or other Wilson related albums on this blog.
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