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August 01, 2007
Retrohump Night: Pet Sounds Sounds
Today we take a page (literally) from the Pet Sounds 33 1/3 book by Jim Fusilli. Fusilli argues the world shouldn't have been entirely shocked by the apparent left turn the Beach Boys took when the Brian Wilson masterpiece of Pet Sounds was released.
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Beach Boys - "Surfer Girl"
"Brian Wilson wrote "Surfer Girl," the title track of the group's third album, all by himself. He also arranged it, sang lead and, thanks to Murry's bullying of record company executives, Brian produced it too. This was highly unusual - at the time, few recording artists earned a producer's credit on their albums - but Brian knew what he wanted and Murry knew you could make more money if you produced the music without the aid of some record company schmo or an indepenent contractor."
Beach Boys - "Lonely Sea" homemade Youtube video
""Lonely Sea," written by Brian and Gary Usher, is a melancholy ballad,.. a sweet, ghostly lead vocal by Brian and harmonies led by Mike's bass that seems to suggest the ebb and flow of the ocean. Usher's lyrical theme, which keeps the Beach Boys near the water and yet moves them to a new, more mature setting, foreshadows other Brian Wilson classics. Brian pines for a woman who is like the sea, which "never stops" and "moves along from day to day."
"That's why, my love," he sings, "you'll never stay." Given the carefree attitude of the lyrics that precede it, "Lonely Sea" is completely unexpected and alarmingly affecting."
Updated with MP3
Beach Boys - "Lonely Sea"
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"By the way, Brian wrote "Surfer Girl" before "Lonely Sea." He said it was the first song he ever wrote and that he wrote it while driving around in his car on his way to a hot-dog stand. "When I got home that day, I finished the song, wrote the bridge, put the harmonies together and called it 'Surfer Girl,'" he said. He admitted it was inspired by "When You Wish Upon a Star.""
"When you wish upon a star" performed on a theremin
Here is Shirley Basset's take.
//33 1/3 - Pet Sounds by Jim Fusilli - buy book
Posted by Merry Swankster at August 1, 2007 11:45 PM
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