![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Brian-Wilson-The-Beach-Boys-Musician-Producer-1960s-03-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ Brian Wilson)<\/p>\n
Sat 6 December 2025 17:00, UK <\/p>\n
The musical mind of Brian Wilson<\/a> almost defies explanation. <\/p>\n Many people have tried their best to work through what makes songs like \u2018California Girls\u2019 and \u2018Good Vibrations\u2019 sound the way they do, but when looking at the raw craftsmanship behind everything, it was clear there was a certain gene that put him on the same level as the likes of Beethoven and Mozart every time he made a record. But as much as the vocals may have been the selling point, Wilson always felt that every instrument had their own part to play in making his tracks iconic.<\/p>\n Then again, was there any reason to buy a Beach Boys record other than for the harmonies? Wilson\u2019s greatest strong suit was arranging the vocals so they sounded like sun-kissed California angels half the time they played, and while the opening guitar lick in a song like \u2018Surfin\u2019 USA\u2019 got stuck in your head almost instantaneously, it\u2019s not like Wilson was worried about trying to make the most intricate guitar part or anything.<\/p>\n If you look at how closely he worked with The Wrecking Crew, though, he clearly had a strong idea for what he wanted a lot of his songs to sound like. They may have helped make his dreams a reality when working on records like Pet Sounds, but before a single person\u2019s voice appears on the record, Hal Blaine\u2019s fantastic drum hit at the top of \u2018Wouldn\u2019t It Be Nice<\/a>\u2019 is what caught everyone off guard.<\/p>\n Despite being the one handling the falsetto, Wilson also knew how to round out the low end every single time he arranged a tune. Mike Love may have had that natural low voice when working on \u2018Good Vibrations\u2019, but the reason why Wilson worked so closely with Carole Kaye on the same song is that he wanted the low end to be able to dance the same way that the vocals were half the time.<\/p>\n And that didn\u2019t always mean following the chords, either. While everyone can joke that the bass player\u2019s job is easy in any rock and roll outfit since they only play the root notes, Wilson had a unique opportunity here. The bass notes always change the chord when they move, and he felt that adding bass notes that were a fifth of the chord helped give every one of his songs a lot more definition.<\/p>\n