This edition of AGTAT is dedicated to The Beach Boys. It saddens me deeply that The Boys’ catalogue has been raped and pillaged by advertising agencies. This is mainly due to Brian Wilson, the driving creative force and leader of the band, signing away the rights to their songs to his manipulating and money-hungry father.
However, what most people in our generation don’t realise though is that The Boys’, and Brian Wilson in particular, were pioneers and innovators who greatly influenced the direction of rock and pop music in the late 60s and early 70s. Their album Pet Sounds, which was created almost single-handedly by Brian Wilson, is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, albums of all time. At the time of its creation there was nothing else like it; it was the first piece to successfully utilise multiple layers of instruments and vocals to produce music with real depth. It was also the major influence for The Beatles to produce Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – another album widely regarded as the best of all time. Further, Paul McCartney was quoted saying that the track God Only Knows is his favourite song of all-time.
My favourite songs from the album are:
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
The Beach Boys – I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
The Beach Boys – I Know There’s An Answer
Now for something a little more Gen-Y. A British producer that goes by the name of Bullion has, for lack of a better word, remixed the entire Pet Sounds album. I am reluctant to use the word remix because I think the guy has managed to produce something truly original that could stand alone as its own piece of music. The style he uses is comparable to that of hip hop producer J Dilla’s, whereby he takes small samples and chops and screws them to create new melodies and vocal hooks.
With no song running over 2 ½ minutes and mostly seamless transitions between tracks, this album plays like a mixtape that someone like GirlTalk would make. I think this album will naturally appeal much more to the readers of this blog than The Boys’ original music. Have a go at these two tracks and if you like them get the whole album which Bullion kindly offers for free.
Bullion – You Still Believe In Dee
The Full Album (Rapidshare link – open in new window and click ‘free user’ then wait for the download button to appear): Bullion – Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee
