'Wild Honey'
The Beach Boys' Rhythm and Blues album
After the collapse of SMiLE and the disappointment of Smiley Smile. Brian Wilson's mental health began to seriously decline. He was developing a deep seeded paranoia thinking his idol, Music Producer (and future murderer) Phil Spector was out to get him. He began to spend more and more time in his bedroom. Meanwhile in the recording studio downstairs in his Bellagio Road mansion the other Beach Boys were hard at work recording their next album, Wild Honey. While the entire band is once again credited as producers on the album, Most of the actual production was done by youngest Wilson brother Carl who was about to turn twenty-one, who also sings lead vocals on most of the albums notable tracks. Thankfully Brian was aware enough at the time to have writing credits on nine of the album's eleven songs.
The album's title track by Brian and Mike Love begins the fun. The song once again features Paul Tanner's Electro-Theremin, along with Brian on piano, farfisa organ and bass by Bruce Johnston, bongos and drums by Dennis and Carl on tambourine. The soulful lead vocal was perfectly delivered by Carl. When Blondie Chaplin later joined the Beach Boys years later in 1971 he took over lead vocals on the song from Carl for live performances. He would do so again during his tenure in The Brian Wilson Band in the mid to late 2010s.
"Aren't You Glad" is a piano-driven ditty sung by Brian with drums by Dennis Wilson and handclaps. Interestingly for the album's 50th Anniversary in 2017 both Mike Love's touring "Beach Boys" as well as the Brian Wilson Band performed "Aren't You Glad" at their respective shows that year.
A cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her" sung by Carl is next. Stevie's version of the song had been released by Motown, the previous May. The instrumentation of the song is driven by piano by Brian . Bassist Ron Brown doing a pretty fair imitation of Funk Brothers bassist James Jamerson along with Jack Ashford-style tambourine and drums probably by Dennis. It is a pretty good cover, especially by Beach Boys standards.
"Country Air" with vocals from the whole group. mostly driven by Brian's piano and Chamberlin (A precursor to the more famous Mellotron which was notably used on the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Elton John's "Daniel")
"A Thing Or Two" mostly sung by Carl, Mike and Brian. It is a pretty fair soul-style song with notable hi-hat hits by Dennis.
"Darlin'" Was written with Brian's friend Danny Hutton and his band, Redwood in mind. Brian wanted to sign Redwood to the Beach Boy's fledgling Brother Records label. Mike Love however was not happy with Brian giving away potential hits and bullied Brian into giving it to The Beach Boys instead. Redwood was never signed by Brother and would go on to become Three Dog Night who had several hit singles in the late 60s and early 70s including the first American released version of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "Your Song" in 1970. The decision not to sign them probably ended up potentially losing Brother Records thousands and thousands of dollars in the bank thanks to Mike Love's shortsightedness. Carl ended up singing lead which he did spectacularly and would continue to do at Beach Boys concerts until his death in 1998. For the Brian Wilson/Pet Sounds Band as well as the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour, The songs vocals are performed masterfully by former Wondermint and keyboardist Darian Sahanaja.
"Id' Love Just Once To See You" is an acoustic guitar by Al Jardine-driven song sung by Brian and was supposedly written by Brian about his sister-in-law Diane Rovell which becomes especially uncomfortable when the songs punchline is revealed at the end of the song.
"Here Comes The Night" is another Brian Wilson/ Mike Love composition and is presented here in it's original form. Much preferable to the 1979 Disco-style remake that was released on the Beach Boys' LA Light Album to disastrous reviews.
"Let The Wind Blow" also by Brian and Mike and sung by Brian, Carl and Mike is underscored by ominous sounding piano and organ by Brian. augmented by guitar and bass by Carl and Dennis on drums. It is a pleading poetic style lyric pleading to not take his lover out of his life.
"How She Bogalooed It" credited to Mike, Bruce, Al and Carl is as you can infer from the title, pretty embarrassing. featuring maracas and organ from Brian and vocals and guitar from Carl.
Final track "Mama Says" was adapted from a lyrical chant written by Van Dyke Parks for the song "Vega-Tables" for SMiLE.
The album was released in the United States on December 18th 1967 bringing a relatively successful end to the groups tumultuous year of 1967. It would be released in the United Kindom in March of 1968 where it rose to number seven on the British charts. Unfortunately, for the band 1968 would turn out to be much more tumultuous.
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Sean Callaghan
Neurodivergent, Writer, Drummer, Singer, Percussionist, Rock Music Star Wars and Disney Devotee.
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'Smiley Smile'
After the relatively disappointing sales of Pet Sounds in May of 1966 and the subsequent release of the Best of The Beach Boys compilation a few months later. One would think Brian Wilson would have taken the advice of Capitol Records executives and return to churning out more hits about Surfing, cars and other creatively stifling teenage themed subject matter. Thankfully, That wasn't Brian's way. Instead he followed his muse into even more adventurous and unique sounds. He was at first very successful at this spending most of the summer of 1966 at various Los Angeles Studios recording what he called his "Pocket Symphony". Various sections of music were recorded at many different studios and assembled into a final piece. While Pet Sounds lyricist Tony Asher did attempt an early draft of lyrics for the song ultimately titled "Good Vibrations". Ultimately Brian's most frequent collaborator, Bandmate and cousin Mike Love dictated to his wife while driving to the studio one day the final lyrics. He also added the vocal hook of the song based on the songs bassline (A fact he will never tire of pointing out.) Carl Wilson would sing the ethereal verses of the song. The song featured extensive use of the Electro-Theremin instrument designed and played by Paul Tanner which had briefly appeared on the Pet Sounds track "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times." The outro features a thumping cello part suggested by Carl Wilson. The final song was finally edited together for release in October of 1966. It went on to become The Beach Boys second number one hit and a defining piece of 60s popular culture. At the end of the year a poll in a British music publication saw the Beach Boys top the Beatles in their home country as the biggest vocal band in the world. Unfortunately after this Brian and the Beach Boys winning streak would come to a bitter end following the non-release of their next planned album SMiLE originally slated to be released in January 1967 to follow Good Vibrations. Now the story of the SMiLE album will be featured in a separate future article because it is way more complicated than can be addressed here. Brian had been working with lyricist Van Dyke Parks on the songs for SMiLE during the fall of 1966 and spring of 1967. However due to a combination of the resentment of his fellow bandmates (Mike Love in particular.) and uncertainty about how to finish the final edit along with drug exacerbated mental health problems. Brian would abandon the project in the Spring of 1967. Still contractually obligated to deliver a new album. The band re-grouped at Brian's new house with his wife at the time Marilyn on Bellagio Road in Beverly Hills. The resulting album called Smiley Smile, whose name was suggested by Brian's young cousin Barry Turnbull, was recorded mostly by the band doing all the instrumental and vocal parts themselves as well as sharing the final production credit. This would be the first Beach Boys album since Surfin' USA not to feature Brian Wilsons credit as sole producer. It was released in the fall of 1967 to a world still in thrall from The Beatle's Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album earlier in the summer and the Monterey Pop Festival which the Beach Boys famously pulled out of at the last minute which would permanently taint their reputation with the burgeoning counterculture.
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Comments (2)
What a great Music history lecture for the decade of the 60's to the present.
An interesting and well-researched analysis of Wild Honey! You wonderfully capture the difference between Carl's growing role and Brian Wilson's disintegration. Particularly the stories about "Darlin'" and the cover of Stevie Wonder, the insights given for each song are thoughtful and rich in character. Although in general it serves as a strong and thoughtful homage to an essential Beach Boys album, a brief conclusion resolving the album's lasting legacy will improve its completeness.