【輸入盤】Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
仕様 | 価格 | 新品 | 中古品 |
CD, CD, インポート, 2010/9/14
"もう一度試してください。" | CD, インポート |
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| ¥6,783 | ¥5,826 |
CD, インポート, 1988/7/12
"もう一度試してください。" | インポート |
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| ¥12,570 | — |
商品の説明
内容紹介
In 2009, Pioneering musical genius, Brian Wilson, announced his next project, a groundbreaking collaboration with one of his musical heroes George Gershwin. Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has teamed up with George Gershwin, in Wilson's latest album release, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin. Featuring timeless classics like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime,". The album makes history with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love" - two new songs Wilson crafted from never-before-published music by Gershwin. Produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy winner Al Schmitt and joined by his longtime acclaimed band, the new album features the trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a towering and revered figure in popular music.
メディア掲載レビューほか
"The Like in I Love You' is a stunning love song to love and music themselves -- `the muse in music' as Wilson sings. `Nothing But Love' is similarly a gorgeous musical expression about the timelessness and power of love itself." -- David Wild
アーティストについて
He is one of popular music's most deeply revered figures, the main creative force behind some of the most cherished recordings in rock history. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Brian Wilson one of the most influential composers of the last century.
Wilson's remarkable journey began in a modest Hawthorne, California home that was filled with music. His mom and dad both played piano, and as a young "boy soprano," Brian's vocal gift was immediately evident. He had also started singing harmonies...literally "in their room"...with his two younger brothers (Dennis and Carl). As a teen in the 1950s, he became obsessed with the harmonic blend of groups like the Four Freshmen, and then, in the early 1960s, inspired to combine multi-part vocal harmony with the rock rhythms of Chuck Berry, Brian found his place in the musical sun. He was barely out of his teens when he began to create some of the most beloved records ever... nine consecutive "gold" albums that featured such classics as "Surfer Girl," "In My Room," "I Get Around," "Don't Worry Baby," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls"...just to name a handful of the more than two dozen Top 40 hits Brian co-wrote, arranged, produced and performed on with his family band, the Beach Boys.
By 1966, though, glorious harmonies, ingenious hooks and four years of virtually uninterrupted creative growth and commercial success was no longer enough to satisfy Wilson, and as his artistic horizons expanded dramatically, he produced three records in that landmark year that forever changed the course of popular music.
The first was Pet Sounds; the emotional autobiography of its 23-year old "auteur," it is considered by many to be one of the greatest albums ever made. In the process of bringing it to life, its composer, arranger and producer (that is, Mr. Wilson) rewrote all the rules of what a record could be; as one observer noted, its release was "Independence Day" for rock `n' roll. Primarily working with a new collaborator (lyricist and songwriter Tony Asher), the album featured a dozen originals (including two astounding instrumentals); Pet Sounds was a musical canvas as boundless as Brian's heart. (Ironically, when you hear the lost innocence in the wail of "Caroline No," you realize that Pet Sounds not only heals our broken heart but Brian's too.)
On the charts in America, the album reached #10 and featured four hit singles (including two Top 10 hits, a reworking of the folk standard "Sloop John B" [#3] and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" [#8] as well as two others that cracked the Top 40---"God Only Knows" and "Caroline No"). The former is considered by many, including Sir Paul McCartney, to be one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded; the latter was released as a solo single under the name "Brian Wilson". (NOTE: It would be twenty years before there would be another Brian Wilson solo single.)
Brian's second studio masterpiece in 1966 was a track that he first cut during the Pet Sounds session, but it wasn't included on the album because it was not only unfinished but destined for a different kind of greatness. As spring turned to summer, as Brian repeatedly "tracked" different arrangements and pieces of it, he began to close in on completing what he once called "the biggest production of our lives."
Over more than a dozen sessions, the Pet Sounds outtake began to take shape as the next Beach Boys single, and when it was unleashed on the world forty years ago in the fall of '66, it stunned everybody. It was not just the Beach Boys' first million-selling, worldwide #1 but an absolute milestone in recording history. "Good Vibrations" was a record that the legendary publicist Derek Taylor called a "pocket symphony"; given its kaleidoscopic movements, it was an apt description, as Wilson demonstrated the breadth of his musical vision as well as how the recording studio could be both an artist's garret and a key instrument in creating his art.
Everybody in the industry was asking "How did he do it?" and "What is he going to do next?" The answer would take shape through a new collaboration, this time with an inspired poet, a young studio musician and burgeoning songwriter, Van Dyke Parks.
And so as "Good Vibrations" headed from final mix to master to pressing plant, Brian and Van Dyke began work on his third major production of `66, an album Brian believed would be "a teenage symphony to God." Smile was to feature such Wilson/Parks songs as "Heroes & Villains," "Surf's Up," "Wonderful," "Cabin Essence" and the wordless a cappella marvel, "Our Prayer." Those who heard the "work in progress" were hailing it as the cutting edge of a "new" sound. A suite of songs that combined classical composition, multi-part harmonies, rock rhythms, wondrous wordplay and an avant-garde sensibility, it was somehow going to be both ahead of its time and timeless. Smile quickly became one of the most anticipated works of the rock era.
In the meantime, the 1966 combination of Pet Sounds [which reached #2 on the UK chart] and "Good Vibrations" [#1 both stateside and in England] was so potent that when the Beach Boys arrived in London for a fall tour, they were greeted with a mania worthy of England's most famous musical export. And from London to Los Angeles, those two records...one a "long-player" that lasted less than 40 minutes, the other a single that at the time of its release was one of the longest #1 hits ever...set the stage for what was seen by Brian as "the next step."
In late 1966, the music world and such iconic figures as Leonard Bernstein (who featured Brian playing "Surf's Up" on a 1967 CBS news special about the musical revolution that Brian was leading) believed that Wilson was, for the third time in one year, again rewriting the "rulebook" on what a pop record could be.
Having just succeeded with "Good Vibrations," Smile was to be an entire album written and recorded in that same style...what might be called "modular" music. Brian was nearly done with Smile when a combination of circumstances (record industry pressure, technical challenges, personal issues, internal group dynamics, etc.) forced him to shelve it.
Everybody, especially the Beatles, had been watching and waiting to hear how Brian would follow-up "Good Vibrations." As their producer Sir George Martin regretfully noted, "We waited in vain." During the subsequent 37 years, Smile became the most famous unfinished, unreleased album ever.
Yet, throughout the years, even as Wilson battled his personal demons and rode the roller coaster of professional ups and downs, he continued to produce intimate musical gems, continued to make beautiful music. There were entire albums (1968's jazzy Friends, 1977's cult favorite Love You) and tracks ("Time To Get Alone", "This Whole World", "Add Some Music To Your Day", "'Til I Die", "Marcella" and "Sail On Sailor") that let us know that his compositional and arranging magic was still intact. Extended pieces such as 1973's "Mt. Vernon & Fairway" indicated that the quirky brilliance that had been at the hallmark of SMiLE was still in play.
Sadly, for a long while the music took a back seat as Wilson struggled, in the words of the Pet Sounds song "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," to find a place to fit in, to survive. His journey back to music took place in fits and starts.
In 1988, Wilson finally released his first solo album, which featured "Love and Mercy," the beautiful "message" song that often ends his concerts, vintage compositions (e.g. "Melt Away," "There's So Many," "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long") as well as his first extended piece since the SMiLE era, a "modular" suite called "Rio Grande".
In 1990, the reissue of Wilson's glorious 1960s Beach Boys productions was highlighted by the debut of Pet Sounds on CD, earning that album the recognition that had often eluded it, bringing a new generation to the music and pushing it to gold and then platinum status. 1993's "Good Vibrations" 5-CD collection (which included the first official release of outtakes from the SMiLE sessions) was a stunning career overview and 1997's The Pet Sounds Sessions box set earned Wilson a Grammy nomination, his first since "Good Vibrations." Those retrospectives fueled a major reassessment of Wilson's artistic contribution.
In 1995, after Brian married Melinda Ledbetter, he at last had what he called "emotional security," which gave him the confidence to return full-time to music. Reuniting with his old friend, SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Brian sang the lead vocals and multi-part background harmonies for the acclaimed Orange Crate Art. Next, in 1998, came his second solo album, Imagination. Filled with solid Wilson originals and extraordinary layered harmonies, Wilson's shockingly strong vocals were, for many, the highlight of Imagination.
As the 20th century came to a close, one of its most beloved composers began one of the most improbable artistic reinventions ever---Brian became a concert performer. Conquering his legendary stage-fright, Wilson went on his first solo tour in 1999, taking center stage at a series of concerts which finally gave his fans the opportunity to return the love they'd received from his music.
In the summer of 2000, Wilson began a series of "dreams come true" events when he kicked off his acclaimed Pet Sounds symphonic tour, taking that studio creation to concert halls around the world (from the Hollywood Bowl to London's Royal Festival Hall to the Sydney Opera House), giving audiences the opportunity to experience Wilson's production masterpiece as a living, breathing work of art. Those shows received more than a few reviews calling it "the best concert ever". With good reason. Few had believed that Pet Sounds would ever be performed live, let alone with its creator infusing compositions like "Don't Talk" and "Caroline No" with the kind of passionate performances that on some nights actually exceeded the record.
Welcomed back to the world of music (through such honors as induction into the "Songwriters Hall of Fame"), Wilson was feted in 2001 at "An All Star Tribute" at Radio City Music Hall. Sir Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, David Crosby, Vince Gill, Jimmy Webb and Sir George Martin were some of the greats who assembled to honor Brian on that rainy March night. In addition to a generous sampling of Wilson's Beach Boys song catalogue, the evening included a start-to-finish performance of the entire Pet Sounds album by the assembled cast.
The following year, Wilson was the only American rocker at the Queen's Jubilee, sharing the backyard stage at Buckingham Palace with, among so many others, Sir Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton. These events led to a series of appearances at charity concerts (Brian joined Sir Paul for a landmine benefit; Mr. Clapton took to the stage with Brian at a concert that raised money for cancer research) and studio collaborations that were featured on Wilson's third solo album, 2004's Gettin' In Over My Head.
Yet, throughout all of this, Brian never lost sight of the music that had become "the holy grail" of pop---SMiLE. Inspired by the Radio City tribute, where he performed "Heroes & Villains" for the first time in decades, Wilson began to add SMiLE songs to his live sets. Then, in 2003, the day after receiving the UK's prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, Wilson announced the impossible. Against all odds and in the face of enormous expectation, Wilson and Van Dyke Parks reunited and with the able assistance of key band member Darian Sahanaja, set out do a version of SMiLE.
Adding a new layer of surprise to the SMiLE story, SMiLE, which had been conceived as a revolutionary studio record, would come to life "live on stage." In February 2004, Brian Wilson's version of SMiLE was revealed to the world in a week of dramatic "dream-fulfilling" SRO concerts at London's Royal Festival Hall, where it was greeted with ecstatic response from fans, rock royalty and assembled music media from around the globe.
After an extended tour of the UK and Europe, Brian and his band recorded an all-new studio version of SMiLE, and completed an acclaimed U.S. tour (which included two-night stands at America's twin peaks of concert stages, Carnegie Hall in New York and Disney Hall in Los Angeles). BRIAN WILSON presents SMiLE was released in September, 2004. Like the concerts, the album exceeded expectations and was received with unbridled joy and thrilling reviews. It topped many "Album of The Year" lists, went "gold" in the UK and earned Wilson his first Grammy Award. A two-disc Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE DVD set, released in 2005, garnered Wilson yet another Grammy nomination.
In the midst of all the Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE success, Wilson was honored by his peers in 2005 at a NARAS' "MusiCares Person of the Year" tribute featuring Barenaked Ladies, Jeff Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Legend, Darlene Love, Michael McDonald, Billy Preston and Neil Young. Later that year, Brian and his band were among the headliners at the legendary Glastonbury Festival and also played at "Live Eight," making Brian one of the very few artists to appear at both that event and "Live Aid."
In the fall of 2005, What I Really Want For Christmas, Brian's first solo album of holiday music, was released by Clive Davis' Arista label. And in the fall of 2006, Wilson took time out from his composing work to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Pet Sounds with complete performances of the album at a handful of concerts. Then, it was back to the piano, to put the finishing touches on his first all-new full-length work in years. "That Lucky Old' Sun," his musical tribute to California, premiered in London last September at a series of sold-out concerts at Royal Festival Hall, the venue that had commissioned the piece as part of the celebration of its grand re-opening.
At the same time London critics and audiences were being thrilled by these new sounds, Wilson was receiving word that he was going to receive America's highest artistic tribute---The Kennedy Center Honor. In December, 2007, Wilson, his family and friends gathered in Washington, D.C. where he joined fellow honorees including Martin Scorcese and Diana Ross at a gala event at the Kennedy Center.
Wilson, the father of seven, including daughters Carnie and Wendy from a previous marriage and Daria, Delanie, Dylan, Dash and Dakota Rose spends his time juggling activities with his kids while jumping back into the studio. In 2008 Wilson returned to Capitol Records and released the critically acclaimed "That Lucky Old' Sun" that Rolling Stone Magazine praised as "Brian's strongest new work in years." Brian and his band toured the album of what many are proclaiming his latest...and perhaps most joyous...masterpiece.
In 2009 Wilson announced his next project, a groundbreaking collaboration with one of his musical heroes George Gershwin. With the blessing of the Gershwin estate he was able to complete 2 unfinished fragments of music by the late composer. This historical moment in music history will be released in 2010 on Walt Disney Records. The album will also include Wilson's versions of his all time favorite Gershwin tunes.
If you've seen Brian in concert, you've already witnessed the magic and the celebration. If you've heard his records, you know why he's been called the Mozart of Rock, the Gershwin of his generation. In a culture where trends change overnight, Wilson has gone the distance. It's been said that if music is math, then Wilson just might be Einstein. But no comparisons are really necessary; he's Brian Wilson, an American composer, arranger and producer whose work has proved to be as powerful as faith, as timeless as love and as heartfelt as mercy.
登録情報
- メーカーにより製造中止になりました : いいえ
- 製品サイズ : 14.2 x 1 x 12.5 cm; 100 g
- メーカー : エイベックス・マーケティング・コミュニケーションズ株式会社
- EAN : 0050087146122
- 製造元リファレンス : 64 3 00428902
- レーベル : エイベックス・マーケティング・コミュニケーションズ株式会社
- ASIN : B002RWKSII
- ディスク枚数 : 1
- カスタマーレビュー:
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トップレビュー
上位レビュー、対象国: 日本
レビューのフィルタリング中に問題が発生しました。後でもう一度試してください。
まずい、、、ブライアンのソロ作で一番好きなアルバムになりそうです。
Gershwinの名曲をブライアンが素晴らしい解釈(歌唱・コーラス・プロダクション)をして、素晴らしいバンド・Musicianとアル・シュミット大先生(mix)が最高のポップスアルバムを届けてくれました。
Gershwinの名曲なのでジャズっぽくなるのかな?とか単純に思ってましたが、結局すべてBrian Wilson World(beach boys含め)です。アメリカーナな感じや50−60年代ポップス的なアレンジもありますし、ボサな'S Wonderfulも最高です。でも、今僕が好きなのは思いっきりjazzしてるLove Is Here to Stayかな。ビーチボーイズのクリスマスアルバムでの名唱を思い出します。シンプルなオーケストラアレンジもgreat !
あ、、でも、その次のI've got a crush on youも凄いや。一瞬jazzを感じさせた後は、50・60年代初めの素敵なポップスですね。。ベースのラインとかコーラス、それっぽいギターの音色など、全てが最高。(フランキー・アバロンあたりが唄いそうな。。)
ブライアン、今回はかなり抑えめに優しめに丁寧に歌っていることが多く、しかも彼の声へのサウンド処理もちょうど良い塩梅で、本当に全編素晴らしい歌唱です。
Brian's Signatureコーラスやちょっとひねったプロダクションなど、Pet Sounds/Smileが好きな方も思わず「二ヤリ」とするアルバムだと思いますよ。勿論、昔からの普通のbeach boysファンや、ポップスファンの方は大好き間違いなし、です。
ブライアンはGershwinと並べて言われることが多いのですが、確かに全く違和感なくハマりましたね。
しかし、昨今の創作欲と素晴らしいqualityにはびっくり&感激です。。
アル・シュミットの貢献がどのくらいなのか分かりかねますが、ブライアンの声だけではなく、コーラスの響きや楽曲のサウンドなど、僕は好きだな。今後も一緒に仕事してみて欲しい。
さあて、また聴こう。
と、この程度の私ですが、ブライアンの新作とあらば聴かない訳にはまいりません。
聴いて観ましたら、ブライアンの事を好きでよかったと心から思えるアルバムでした。
そして、ガーシュインさんゴメンナサイ。もの凄く素敵な曲ばかりでしたし、昔どこかで聴いた覚えのある曲が沢山あって、とても楽しめました。
あと、なんだかブライアンの声が少し若返った様に聞こえましたが、他のボーカルの方々のせいかしら?
私が購入したのは、ディズニー版のリミテッド・エディションのアナログ・レコードです。
CDには14曲収録と為っていますが、アナログのジャケ裏にはA面に4曲、B面に7曲と為っていて、アナログは曲数が少ないのかしら?と思ったら、
A面の3曲目がCDでの3〜6曲目をメドレーとして扱っていて1曲分とクレジットされておりまして心配無用でした。
ディスクの方はと申しますと、180gの重量盤です。
ジャケットは見開きのダブル・ジャケで、全体の黒い部分がツヤ消しになっていて、ピアノの鍵盤部分はツヤツヤに加工されて少し盛り上がった感じになっていて、とてもキレイです。
ジャケットの裏にはシリアル・ナンバーが入ってます。
ジャケット内側のブライアンの写真の笑顔がなんとも言えずいい感じです。
で、1回聴いての感想ですが、やはりジャズヴォーカルを聞き慣れた耳には、「あ〜こんな風にガーシュインの曲を歌うことができるんだ〜」という感じ。
アレンジもさることながら、特に後半の曲では、ジャージーな風情を全くみせないで、男性ヴォーカルがくるんですから。しかし、なじみの曲ばかりなので、ジャズの世界では聴けない歌い方で、結構新鮮な感じもしました。まさに、洋楽っていう感じです。
昔、ボビー・シャーマンというアメリカンポップスのアイドルがいましたが、僕の中では彼の歌のような、明るいカリフォルニアのイメージの歌曲集という感じでした。
晴れた日に車の中で聴きたい、そんな感じのアルバムでした。
で、聞き込むほどに、ロックンロールのアレンジやそれ風のバックコーラスが入るなど、ビーチボーイズテイスト満開という感じです。若々しい歌声と相まって、さわやかなアルバムに仕上がっています。
でも、やっぱり、無垢な魂を持った天才は、またもや極め付けに美しい作品を世に問うたと言っていいと思う。
まず、エンボス加工を施されたアートを感じるシックでセンスよいアルバムジャケットからして心を奪われる。
肝心の中身。私はお恥ずかしながらガーシュインの曲の大半には本作で初めて接したが、ややジャジーでノスタルジックなヴァイブは感じるものの、完璧にブライアンの楽曲とでもいうべき自然な構築美に溢れている。いつものバックバンドの秀逸な演奏と、美しいコーラスワークは揺るぎない。元の曲自体の良さを更に引き立てている結果だろう。まさに「REIMAGINE」ということか。元曲をも聴いてみたくなる衝動に駆られた。
そのうえで、名曲「RHAPSODY IN BLUE」のアカペラ・アレンジでアルバムを開始・終了させ、それぞれ2曲目、ラスト前に、新曲(ガーシュインの残した数十秒程度のコードやメロディをもとにブライアンとスコット・ベネットが補作)を配置、そしてサンドウィッチの中身でじっくりガーシュインを聴かせるトータルなコンセプトまで、とにかく1枚のアルバムをとにかく美しく彩る事に拘った冒険心をビンビン感じてしまった。
特に、新曲2曲は、メロウでポップなのに、なんだか泣けてくるような暖かいヴァイブに満ちていて最高! 決して企画盤などと色眼鏡で見ずに、純粋なブライアンの新作アルバムとして聴いてほしい。絶対に感動すると思います。
今回の「Reimagines Gershwin 」。期待以上の素晴らしい、そしてみずみずしいブライアンの感受性が音に昇華している部分を堪能することが出来てとても嬉しく思います。
ハーモニー部分は抑え目ではあるのですが、そこはガーシュインに敬意を評して…むしろボーカリストとしてのブライアンの丹念な歌い方とガーシュインの曲を活かしたブライアンならではの細部にこだわりをちりばめた一音一音のアレンジメント。ここに今回の取り組みの成功要因があるなあと僕は感じました。
あまりに完成度が高い曲群ですがあっという間に終わってしまう感じが残るので繰り替えし聞いて秋の夜長を満喫しています。
良質なポップが少なくなりつつある昨今、このアルバムでこの秋を有意義に過ごしてはいかがでしょうか。お薦めいたします。
天才ガーシュインの作品が、現代の天才により、一級のポップ作品に生まれ変わる奇跡の瞬間。
どこを切ってもブライアンウィルソンの楽曲の香りがします。その手法は見事だと思うし、
なぜ、このようなことができるのか、秘密は解き明かされていないような・・
オーラスにようやく、“旧来の”ガーシュインが登場し、アルバムの幕は閉じます。
ライブ、してほしいな。この情熱、見習いたいです。本当に。
Brianのファンはもとより、アメリカン・ポップスのファンや初めてBrianを聴く人にもお薦めするアルバムだ。すんなりと、抵抗なく聴けます。
Brian Wilson は2009年にウォルト・ディズニー・レコードに移籍した際、2010年中に今回のアルバムのほか、ディズニー音楽のトリビュートアルバムを発表する予定であることを公表しており、これも楽しみです。
他の国からのトップレビュー
j'aime vraiment
By David M. Beard
Editor and Publisher of Endless Summer Quarterly; The World's Leading Brian Wilson/Beach Boys Publication
There was 2004's majestic Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, then 2008's colorful That Lucky Old Sun - both evocative collections in Wilson's catalogue. Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is an album that is something else altogether; in touching Gershwin's venerable catalogue, Wilson has taken his own unique approach to composing and has actually made Gershwin his own. The result? Wilson's career-defining best.
In addition to his role in the band as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Von Mertens assisted Wilson with song selection as well as arrangements and orchestrations. When I asked Mertens about the album, he submitted, "Many of these songs are so familiar that they've been played beyond the point of boredom. They've been played into the ground and sort of lost their spark. I'll give you one example: `Summertime'; almost nobody sings the melody correctly the way it was originally written. They take away some of the interesting chromaticism that's in the melody that Gershwin wrote and turn it into a Blues song. What Brian did was - with almost all these songs - return faithfully to the original melody, which is kind of a big deal because a lot of people have been singing and playing these songs incorrectly and the casual (loungy) versions of these songs have become the norm. Hearing the songs done correctly is kind of a revelation. I know that it sounds like good music done well. It's Brian and Gershwin done with a lot of care."
The attention to detail in the arrangements of "Summertime," "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "I Loves You Porgy" (sung from the original female perspective), and the wonderfully unexpected adaptations of "'S Wonderful," "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'," "I Got Rhythm" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me" make Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin a brilliant assemblage of fully realized songs that are as good as anything available in music today. When asked about his reimagining of "They Can't Take That Away From Me" Brian said, "Well, `Little Deuce Coupe' was like (begins scat singing) - I took it from `Little Deuce Coupe.' I wanted it to have that `Little Deuce Coupe' kind of Beach Boy feeling."
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the song selection is the full realization of two previously incomplete Gershwin recordings, "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love." The Gershwin Estate had someone take all this music that was in written form and record very basic piano performances of the songs, so Brian listened to solo piano recordings that were just realizations of the chords and melody of the fragments. Band member Scott Bennett returned to the role of lyricist (That Lucky Old Sun) on the two songs, but the two tracks came together very differently. Mertens explains, "For `The Like in I Love You' I used a piano improvisation that I recorded while Brian was noodling around after soundcheck on the piano. I was kind of following him around while we were on tour with his knowledge and permission, because he liked to play piano after dinner (and before the gig) up on the stage. I said, `Would it be okay if I just record some of the stuff that you do, and if you have any Gershwinny [sic] ideas we'll take 'em down?' Brian said, `Okay.' That vocal intro is something that he was playing on the piano and I transcribed it and suggested that it might make a good intro for this Gershwin song that he chose; it was in the key of E-flat. I wrote a chart for the Gershwin song with just the chord changes, the band recorded a basic rhythm track and then Brian sang a new melody for it. We tracked the parts that Brian liked and then he created a new melody for it."
"Nothing But Love" was also from a piano rendition, but went through a different process. Mertens expains, "That was one of the songs that Brian had selected based on the solo piano version of it. Darian (Sahanaja) recorded a waltz-time version instrumental demo of that song and had Brian listen to it and we recorded it. Brian created a new melody in Darian's waltz-time version of it and somehow it was just not making it and Brian started to feel strongly that the fact that it was a waltz was getting in the way for him. He said, `I don't do waltzes... It's not workin'.' We had a lovely song so we decided to: 1) lower the key, and take it down a step; 2) If it's hard to sing in three let's just rock it. `Nothing But Love' was really the only song that didn't come to life almost instantly. It wasn't until we did it as a rock song that suddenly everyone's eyes lit up and we were like... `Okay, this is gonna work!'"
Of the 14-track album Wilson says, "If you take it one by one, each song has a different personality and a different texture and different rhythm, and different sound. And each lead, how you have to handle the lead, the way you really feel it - and the way you think George would have liked to have heard it... I squared it away until it sounded like Brian Wilson and Gershwin together."
Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin brings together the sounds of The Beach Boys, George and Ira Gershwin, Jazz, R&B - all the great music that came out of Tin Pan Alley. This collection is for the fan, but it's also for the uninitiated. There is something for everyone to appreciate... including Brian Wilson. For under the "Special Thanks" in the album's liner notes Wilson wrote: To George and Ira Gershwin for creating music that inspired a young boy from Hawthorne, California to follow a dream. It's one thing to touch something. Brian has a firm grasp of his dream.
His voice is not what it once was and he does not try to go where he could have gone before. The background music is first rate as is the recording.
Well done Brian