Forever finding itself- Pet Sounds at 60

On May 16th, 1966 , rock/pop music became an artform. A true artform that not only can be listened to countless times, but also be studied to great lengths of even academic level. That's this album. The album; The Beach Boys Pet Sounds. Rock and Roll as we know it gave way in the mid 1950s. Ask who invented the art form? Many would point to three  key influences. Either Elvis and his legendary Sun Record sessions, Rocket 88 with the collaboration of Jackie Brenston/Ike Turner, or Bill Hailey’s Rock around the Clock, and they’d all be right. Come the next decade, by mid 60’s (63-65) you had The Beatles and in America producers like Phil Spector and his famous “wall of sound” production, and it was yet another cultural boom. The Beach Boys were a part of that scene at the right time. Their first record Surfin Safari laid their cards on the table as a force to be reckoned with. Brian Wilson’s influence from the vocal group The Four Freshmen, and musically inspired from Chuck Berry and early rock n roll, and the band had a sound that was completely their own. Listeners were whisked away to the California sur or to the drag races deep within the Wisconsin summer nights, it was pure bliss. Because of the Four Freshmen influence, the band was able to craft their own harmonies. Those harmonies on those early records and beyond are just beautiful. I would argue even on par if better than The Beatles. “409’, “Little Deuce Coupe” and early foreshadowing of “Don’t Worry Baby” showed the band craft on all angels. By the time 1966 emerged, Brian Wilson was officially retired from the road because of a panic attack while on tour in 1964. This worked to his advantage. He became infatuated with The Beatles Rubber Soul released in 1965. Throw in his love for the Phil Spector Wall of Sound, and he was on his way to making something amazing, he just didn’t know it yet. The end result was Pet Sounds and it’s the greatest album ever made.  Brian Wilson was able to marry both the songcraft of The Beatles and the sound. The album pushed boundaries never done before in pop music. “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” is a cry for help but blanketed with orchestral bliss. It’s the most personal song on the album as Brain was truly struggling as it’s been well documented of his rocky upbringing with his father Murrary Wilson and much more. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” opens the album and once that snare is heard, it kicks off a magical tour and lyrically it makes seeing the future from an optimistic lens. “God Only Knows’ opens side 2. This song has had such an impact on my life. It’s one of my favorite songs. Of any genre and of any band. It’s a beautiful composition. The orchestral opening, to the walk up of Carl Kaye’s bass opens this masterpiece. Brian Wilson’s genius shines in the first verse. “I may not always love you.” Brilliant because it shows that love isn’t always on the straight path. Couples argue it’s bound to happen or else it isn’t a healthy relationship. Vocal duty is on Carl Wilson, and it's warm and inviting and oh so comforting. When it gets to the bridge, it changes keys only for a millisecond, and then it’s back to the original key. And then it’s over and you want to listen again and again.

“Caroline No” ends this masterpiece. It’s a melancholy lens of seeing someone you love change over time. And the last thing you hear is the sound of zoo animals, dogs barking, and a train blaring by. Then the needle lifts and then silence follows. And you can’t believe what you heard and you need your fix and listen again. 60 years on, this album continues to inspire, change, and break lives to help shape people. It’s forever finding itself again. 

Forever Truckin- Bob Weir dies at 78

 January 10th holds a sore spot for many musicians and fans of the art form. 10 years ago, David Bowie left us. A decade later, Bob Weir has passed. Bob Weir needs no introduction. At the age of 16, he co-founded the Grateful Dead alongside fellow members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan in 1965 in San Fransicsco. The bands now legendary name came by random selection in the dictionary. In 1967, the band released their self-titled debut record and featured faster-paced shorter songs which is in stark contrast to what the band was about to become. That same year, a critical addition was added to the band. Mickey Hart was recurited which would help create the famous "Rythym Devils" percussuion sound for the band. The album did include a jam titled "Viola Lee Blues' which would foreshadow their jam band legacy. Furthermore, the albums that followed Anthem Of The Sun (1968) and Aoxomoxoa (1969) pushed their psycodleic influences to the forefront. Their live album Live/Dead (1969) would solified it annd included an epic "Dark Star" jam that lasted 20 minutes. Plus, the album has a killer jam of "St. Stephen." Come 1970, the band would return to their roots and release two critically acclaimed studio records that same year. Workingman's Dead  and American Beauty are both cherished albums 55 years later and includes the bands most enduring songs like "Truckin", "Casey Jones", "Sugar Magnolia" and "Dire Wolf". Come 1975, the band contunued the rest of the decade with gnere-fuising records like Blues For Allah, Terrapin Station (1977) and Shakedown Street (1978). All those albums feaature Weir as a creative rthymic force. He treated  rhythm  guitar as a "second lead voice" and doing so created a complex harmonic latricework that would define the bands sound. It was creative leap foreward since his coffee-house folk playing days. 

For more than 6 decades, Weir has toured playing the music of the dead. After the passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995, the band continued to delgiht deadheads. Furthermore, the past decade saw Weir on the road as "Dead And Co." which included band members Kreutzmann and Hart along with John Mayer filling in for Garcia. Lots of deadheads were skeptical, given Mayer's musical repuation and ego. Nonetheless, they succeeded. 

For anyone boxing the band in as the 'hippie jam band' I urge you to rethink your thoughts and give Europe 72 a listen. Weir and the band shine on there. From the mythical "Jack Straw" to the blues romp "Mr. Charlie" and the integrate "China Cat Sunflower/ I know Your Rider" theres something for everyone. And of course, listerns can dive into the legendary Dick Picks collection for mind- blowing live jams. 

Bob Weir lived the ultimate life. Changing the world of music and its capabilities, while also serving as the ultimate  guru on life-lessons, meditation and living in the moment. He truly was the last hippie. We can all take a page from the book of Weir. Thank You Mr. Weir for your contributions. You and Jerry must be having a blast now reuinted again. Fly high brother.