Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankHudson
Lastly there's the "I heard Shakespeare was this great and original writer, and then I went to see one of his plays and it was full of clichés!" factor. The Brian Wilson style was influential and was copied widely, so it seems less fresh and original to later listeners, proof of it's impact.
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That's a GREAT quote that I shall attempt to remember, and very apt!
"Pet Sounds" was the first album I brought home and fell in love with. Whether or not it was "Rock" was the least of my concerns. Brian's songs spoke to those so well. I was 13, sensitive and lonely and drawn towards the idea of romance. This wasn't happy dance music or steadfast folk music or cocky rockabilly. More like doo-wop, with depth. Compared to the records with my limited listening, the sound of "Pet Sounds" was closer to Johnny Mathis, but with much darker lyrics and confessions. A completely first-person document, stripped of the stylized theatricality of "Sgt. Pepper."
Yes, one masterwork inspired the other. Both shared a new ambition for studio production innovations. But they were quite different projects.
"Pet Sounds" closes with the ambient sound of a dog barking at a train bell trails off into the distance. I knew just what that meant, as did a young Johnny Cash. Interestingly, the latest album from my favorite jazzer, Pat Metheny, winds down with a moment of train noise...