Brian Wilson is set to play his Greatest Hits Live at Vicar Street this month, The Beach Boys legend will delight Dublin on 21st and 22nd August 2018. Special Guests come from Al Jardine & Blondie Chaplin. We take a look at some of Wilson’s finest musical moments ahead of the show!
Wilson will deliver his greatest hits live including selected songs from Pet Sounds, his top hits and fan favorites spanning his 54-year career with The Beach Boys. Few songwriters have had a career as long and successful as Wilson. Since the early ’60s, he has penned some of the most iconic and influential American pop music of the past century.
Here’s in our humble opinion, Wilson’s ten best songs!
10. “Surf City” Written by Brian Wilson and Jan Berry
“Surf City” is not the most interesting song in Wilson’s catalogue, but it’s the most powerful of his early surf songs, and as his first number one, it holds a special place in the pop hall of fame.
9. “Don’t Let Her Know She’s An Angel” Written by Brian Wilson
“Don’t Let Her Know She’s An Angel” has all the harmonic tones, melodic beauty, and personal lyrics that makes Wilson’s writing so special.
8. “Isn’t It Time” Written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Joe Thomas, Larry Millas, and Jim Peterik
Driving piano and ukulele chords grooving with drums and handclaps, “Isn’t It Time” sees the lead vocal split between Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love, giving the song a communal spirit.
7. “Surf’s Up” from SMiLE/Surf’s Up(1967)/(1971) Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks
Stripped to its essentials, this is a sophisticated piece of pop beauty. Van Dyke Parks’s lyrics are cryptic and poetic. They flow out of Wilson’s melody in a dreamlike stream of consciousness way.
6. “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)” Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
“When I Grow Up” is massively catchy and even fun. That mix between innovative art and heartfelt, sunshin laden fun is what makes Wilson’s music so special. Released as the first single on The Beach Boys Today!, “When I Grow Up” captures the transition from early to mid-career Beach Boys.
5. “Don’t Worry Baby” from Shut Down Vol. 2 (1964) Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian
With lush strings, loud drums, and stacks of harmonies, Wilson manages to take the Phil Spector sound and begin to forge it as his own on “Don’t Worry Baby”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0YGC68qP4&feature=youtu.be
4. “Please Let Me Wonder” Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
The song contains some of his most powerful vocal arrangements, as well as lush layers of guitars, organs, and punctuations by a vibraphone. “Please Let Me Wonder” stands on its own as one of Wilson’s most personal and affecting ballads.
3. “The Warmth of the Sun” Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
The song goes down as smooth as any other early-‘60s pop ballad, but the layers of intricate vocals underneath the chords add a richness to “The Warmth of the Sun” that only Wilson can achieve.
2. “Good Vibrations” from SMiLE/Smiley Smile(1966) Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
With a theremin, prominent cellos, and a bass harmonica! “Good Vibration” is one of Wilson’s most distinct sounding productions. “Good Vibrations” changed the way a pop record could be made, the way a pop record could sound.
1. “God Only Knows” from Pet Sounds(1966) Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher
“God Only Knows” serves as a perfect vehicle for of all the beauty, experimentation, and melodic charm of the album Pet Sounds. “God Only Knows”, is the kind of perfect pop song that continues to reveal new layers on each listen.
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