The Beach Boys -- Good Vibrations

Wikimedia Commons
J-Ham2000

 

The news came here just within the last hour, but unfortunately, Brian Wilson, one of the co-founders of the legendary band The Beach Boys, passed away today at the age of 82, just nine days shy of his next birthday.

As a kid, I knew The Beach Boys as this summer-loving group with this distinct sound due to their harmonies. They were popping up on talk shows and their records and songs regularly appeared in TV commercials. I hadn't realized how influential they and their sound were becoming at the time but my growing impression was that Wilson, Mike Love and the rest of the band were seen as mercurial musical gods, suffused with incredible talent. Their Wikipedia page mentions how much they inspired future artists and genres, and within the Japanese sphere of things, The Beach Boys influenced Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）and indirectly Junk Fujiyama（ジャンク藤山）, Bread & Butter（ブレッド＆バッター）and to a certain extent, Kazuhito Murata（村田和人）, among other singers and bands. Perhaps they also had a hand in the whole Group Sounds genre which was popular in the late 1960s.

For me, The Beach Boys' most representative song is "Good Vibrations" which came out in October 1966, a few days shy of my first birthday. The way it's set out in its own Wikipedia page, it seems as if it's been described as a truly hallowed piece of art, and therefore, I can't really add any further insights to it aside from providing a passage from that page:

One of the most influential pop recordings in history, "Good Vibrations" advanced the role of the studio as an instrument and effectively launched the progressive pop genre, heralding a wave of pop experimentation and the onset of psychedelic and progressive rock. The track incorporated a novel mix of instruments, including cello and Electro-Theremin; although the latter is not a true theremin, the song's use of the instrument spurred renewed interest in theremins and synthesizers. The flower power-inspired lyrics reinforced the Beach Boys' association with the 1960s counterculture, while the phrase "good vibes", originally a niche slang term, entered mainstream usage.

I didn't even know about the Electro-Theremin. All this time, I'd assumed it was one of the band members' vocal abilities which was responsible. These guys were truly progressive and revolutionary. I can't really write on the complexity of its structure. "Good Vibrations", true to its title, just struck me over the years as this good-time tune on the beach with all of the happy and shining young folks frolicking as if there were no tomorrow.

Not surprisingly, all of the most recent comments under the two YouTube videos for "Good Vibrations" have been in mourning for the loss of Brian Wilson. All of my condolences to the Beach Boys, their families, their friends and their fans.

What were some of the big hits coming out in 1966?

Jackey Yoshikawa & His Blue Comets -- Aoi Hitomi（青い瞳）

The Spiders -- Yuuhi ga Naiteiru (夕陽が泣いている）

Akira Kurosawa & Los Primos -- Love You, Tokyo (ラブユー東京）