Brian Wilson has died at age 82, as his family announced: «Please respect our privacy during these moments while our family is mourning. We know that we are sharing the penalty with the world ». Founder and main composer of The Beach Boys, Wilson had been living with a neurocognitive disease similar to dementia.
The echo of Brian Wilson’s contributions in pop music comes to this day. After leaving a tour of The Beach Boys in 1964 because of a panic attack, he was commissioned, along with the musicians of the legendary Wrecking Crew of Los Angeles, to compose one of the best albums in the history of pop.
It is said that ‘Pet Sounds’ (1966) is practically a solo album by Wilson, appearing as author and producer of all the songs, while the rest of the band mostly contributed to its unmistakable vocal shots. Wilson was also a unique producer, helping the following generations to imagine the study as a separate instrument and experiencing beyond their own possibilities.
Born in Inglewood, California, Brian was the oldest of three brothers. With them, Carl and Dennis, his cousin Mike Love and his friend from school to Jardine, would form the group that would mark their entire life. The pendletones began, but after the launch of ‘Surfin’ (1962), his first song, Candix Records changed the name of the group to The Beach Boys without the permission of any of its members. A year later, they got their first number 1 with ‘Surfin’ USA ‘.
Wilson was the main composer of the group and, as he grew, his musical ambitions also grew. Although the stigma of being a simple surf music group chased them throughout their career, Brian soon introduced introspective elements into his songs. An example of this are compositions as early as ‘In My Room’ (1963) or ‘Please Let Me Wonder’ (1965).
‘Pet Sounds’ was considered a failure, both sales and criticism, but that did not prevent Wilson from becoming obsessed with finishing his great masterpiece, ‘Smile’. He described him as a “adolescent symphony to God,” but ended up being unfeasible for two reasons: an unprecedented technical and economic cost at the time and mental health of the author who had deteriorated rapidly. After the cancellation of the album, Wilson’s role in the band was never the same.
After entering a psychiatric center in 1968, Wilson’s life was involved in years of addictions and isolation. It is at this time that his producer post is given to his little brother, Carl Wilson, while trying to deal with his mental health problems. The problems and controversies derived from their years of treatment with the psychiatrist Eugene Landy are portrayed in the movie ‘Love & Mercy’, starring John Cusack and Paul Dano in the role of Wilson. In 1992, Carl Wilson got Landy’s license to be revoked and that Brian was again under the supervision of his brothers and family.
‘Smile’ was always the thorn nailed in Wilson’s life and has not been until this century when he has finally seen his vision taken to reality. ‘Brian Wilson Present: Smile’ was released in 2004 before the astonishment of criticism and presented in a unique concert that was also collected on video.
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