Brian Wilson: In Triple Time

[11.6.2025 - Wild Honey]

Not the first time I’ve written about the dearth of choice for background music in the Oxfam shop where I work, but yesterday morning, among the usual dross, I found a copy of the Beach Boys’ Wild Honey. The sun was shining, the Beach Boys seemed like an appropriate choice.

Released in 1967, Wild Honey might not be as well-known as the revolutionary Pet Sounds from two years earlier, but I absolutely love this album. It’s only 24 minutes long but from the crazed opening chords and hypnotic sound of the Electro-Theremin of the title track, it’s packed with every conceivable Beach Boys flavour. Side 2 kicks off with Darlin’, a song so simple, yet the harmonies are anything but, a song that brings a lump to my throat every time I hear it.

I was living like half a man
Then I couldn't love but now I can
You pick me up when I'm feeling sad
More soul than I ever had

Only a few hours later I heard that Brian Wilson, the creative force behind the Beach Boys had died aged 82. His family wrote: “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”  

[22.9.2007 - Sail On Sailor]

Ken Dodd, Julian Clary, Sigue Sigue Sputnik & a magician who managed who burn down the entire building ..... Just some of the famous names to grace the stage of Edinburgh's Festival Theatre (sadly, not on the same night). Last Saturday was the turn of Brian Wilson, ex-Beach Boy, who, with his 18-piece band, turned in a 5 star performance.

Just as I can never remember the name of goal scorers after watching a football match, I have always found it difficult to recall the name of any songs played even minutes after a concert ends. This could be a medical condition or simply a complete lack of interest. In any case, pretty much all of Brian Wilson's songs sound the same with the exception of Sail On, Sailor. Actually that one sounds the same as all the others too but it is a favourite of mine partly because of the sheer strangeness of its recording: the majority of the Beach Boys in Amsterdam, Brian Wilson holed up in Los Angeles going bonkers. Nice work if you can get it. A good review (or one which actually mentions more than one of the songs played) was published in The Scotsman.

Of far more interest was the stage presence of Brian Wilson and the goonish behaviour of the majority of the audience. Brian Wilson has an excuse viz well documented mental problems brought about by the pressure to top Pet Sounds. Anyone else who played a concert dressed as model for Cotton Traders and introduced Sloop John B as "a song about a ship ... A SHIP" would be ridiculed. The audience had no such excuse. There was the halfwit behind me who took advantage of every lull to shout "We love you, Brian", the bloke in front of me who spent the bulk of the show fiddling with his digital camera (as far as I could see he had only managed to take a photo of the pavement outside the theatre), an office Christmas party bouncing about at the front of the stage waving pints of beer at Brian Wilson (that's not going to help) and countless sad sacks wearing Hawaiian shirts (Cotton Traders next time, lads).

Brian Wilson's new song cycle That Lucky Old Sun is not his best but he can't be faulted for ambition and the lyric that said all that he ever wanted to do was to sing songs with his brothers, a moving testament to a troubled genius.

WE LOVE YOU, BRIAN!!!!!

Originally published on the Pilrig74 Arts Review 26.9.2007

[12.6.2002 - God Only Knows]

God Only Knows - written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher - is often praised as being the Beach Boys’ best song, if not simply the best song ever recorded by anyone. It’s Paul McCartney’s favourite, and in fairness, he’s got quite a few good ones of his own to choose from. Like every track on the Pet Sounds album, it broke the mould, for complexity, technological innovation and sophistication. Brian Wilson sought perfection and it took 27 recording sessions spread over 4 months to achieve. Worth it though.

It was only with Wilson’s passing yesterday that I recalled that I’d seen him in concert five years before that Festival Theatre performance. In the later 1990s, for the first time in decades, he had started to perform live again, and in the early 2000s he performed the entire Pet Sounds album live throughout the US. That show finally reached Edinburgh in June 2002 and - somehow - a bunch of us managed to get tickets in the front row of the stalls of the Playhouse.

OK, Brian looked a little frail even then but he’d put together a great band and what a show! As well as the whole of Pet Sounds, another 30 - yeah, three zero - songs including Darlin’ and Sail On Sailor, no Wild Honey, can’t have everything. And of course, God Only Knows, dedicated to his brother Carl, the original singer. Truly a privilege to have heard the man sing the best song ever recorded, his masterpiece.

And after the final song, Love & Mercy, did I shake his hand before he was gently huckled off stage? You know, I think I did, I think I did.

Love & Mercy
Brian Wilson
1942 - 2025