Those who have long wondered by what unit of measure a pop song can be deemed extraordinary need only remember this simple test: If Brian Wilson hears it over his car radio and becomes so overwhelmed he has to pull off the road, someone has a very serious hit on their hands.

By Wilson’s own admission, the ’60s classic “Be My Baby” met this criteria hands-down nearly four decades ago. Today, in the estimation of many Wilson-admiring motorists, getting an automotive earful of Wilson’s take on this Phil Spector gem, or any of the other 25 tunes found on his latest disc, Brian Wilson Live at The Roxy Theatre, just may send them over the white line and skidding to a halt on the shoulder as well.

A double-CD of treasures, old and new, distributed via the Web (www.brianwilson.com) on Wilson’s own BriMel Records, Live at The Roxy was produced in such a way as to painstakingly recapture the authentic sound of Wilson’s studio efforts. As a rare moment of rock ’n’ roll history forged along the Sunset Strip, it won’t be forgotten soon, if ever. And, if, as the Barenaked Ladies have suggested, Wilson has been wondering where all the love has gone, he must have found out when audiences gathered to see him perform during the two shows in April of this year that provided raw material for the disc.

Before we go any further, perhaps it’s worth addressing the issue of why on earth Wilson would be doing a live record in the first place. This, after all, is the same Brian Wilson who served as an architect of the studio-mole lifestyle—the cloistered creator of self-described “pocket symphonies” (such as “Good Vibrations”) and Pet Sounds, an album considered by many to represent the apex of recording artistry.

Engineer Mark Linett ©Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc.

“I haven’t ever done a live album in my solo career,” Wilson simply explains in that unmistakable voice of his. “Actually, it was my wife Melinda’s idea. I didn’t think it would be a good thing at first. But then I thought about it some more and began to change my mind based upon the interaction available to me with the audience. Finally, I decided to do it, and it turned out fantastic. The album is great.”

On the heels of his marriage to Melinda Ledbetter in 1995, and with the critical and popular success of 1998’s solo effort Imagination, there is much optimism in Wilson’s life these days. This shot of light, where there was once darkness, is more than evident in the stage banter heard between tracks on Live at The Roxy. Laughing, joking and carrying on with the crowd like an overgrown kid with a wry sense of humor he continues to hold in his heart, Wilson exuberantly guides listeners down a path lined with surf and car culture hits (“Surfer Girl,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Fun, Fun, Fun”); introspective yearnings (“In My Room,” “Please Let Me Wonder,” “Lay Down Burden”); offerings from Pet Sounds (“Sloop John B.,” “God Only Knows,” “Caroline No”); some new material (“The First Time,” “This Isn’t Love”); rousing anthems (“Back Home,” “Add Some Music to Your Day”); and, as an ironic intro to the disc’s second set, even the aforementioned Barenaked Ladies ditty, “Brian Wilson.”

Beyond Wilson’s strong, rejuvenated presence, an equally vital part of Live at The Roxy is his backing band. As a group, the band is an amalgam of Chicagoans first introduced to Wilson while working with producer Joe Thomas on Imagination in St. Charles, Ill., and West Coast denizens including Darian Sahanaja (vibes, keyboards), Probyn Gregory (guitar, French horn, trumpet), Nick Walusko (guitar) and Mike D’Amico (percussion) of the L.A.-based Wondermints. The 10-piece ensemble additionally includes former Beach Boy Jeff Foskett (guitar), Chicago-based Poi Dog Pondering’s Paul Mertens (saxophone, flute), Bob Lizik (bass), Scott Bennett (keys, percussion), Jim Hines (drums) and Taylor Mills (vocals).

Given the legendary intricacies of Wilson’s music, with its complex voicings, harmonies and sinuously subtle melodic structures, the band members, by necessity, had to double up on many parts. Some play multiple instruments; everyone adds vocals to the process.

“It wasn’t always easy,” Wilson recalls of his band’s efforts to learn the music. “I had to keep drilling them until we got it right. Sometimes it was a weird trip. We just kept rehearsing and experimenting, using different instruments. Eventually, it all came together and sounded fantastic.”

Heard playing the live disc’s baritone and tenor sax, standard and alto flute and the solo harmonica part that serves as the bridge in “Good Vibrations,” Paul Mertens, like most members of the band, is a serious (okay, maybe even a touch obsessive) student of Wilson’s music. “We didn’t want to reinterpret the tracks,” he says of the band’s collective goal, “we set out to re-create the spirit and sound of the original recordings as much as would be humanly possible with a ten-piece band.”

Go to Page 2; Back to Recording Notes

Reprinted with permission from Magazine, September, 2000
© 2000, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved