GIG REVIEWS
|
| GIG REVIEWS
|
|
|
Brian Wilson
'Smile', if completed and released, would have surely topped the creative highs of 'Pet Sounds' and thrashed all competition, including the Beatles. However, dissatisfaction from some of the other Beach Boys and Capitol Records, coupled with the dissolution of his songwriting partnership with lyricist Van Dyke Parks, forced Brian to abandon the project in the spring of 1967, forever to be haunted by what could have been. Despite past insistences that he will never revisit his fabled masterwork, Brian has raised the 'Smile' spectre for a series of performances that may result in an official release or act as a final closure to the project. For now, these UK shows are the most revealing glimpse into the legend you'll ever experience. But, hey, let's not stick the turkey in without pre-heating the oven! The first half sees Brian delve deep into his illustrious history. For someone whom generations of musicians and fans consider to be one of pop's great geniuses, you'd expect nothing less than a grand entrance. Not Brian, who strolls out on to the stage and gets the capacity crowd to sing 'Row Row Row Your Boat'! Though the distinctive falsetto that graced those classic records back in the 60s may be long gone, a result of too much smoking in the 70s, Brian, at 61, is still as crackers as ever and the crowd loves it. Even if he farted down the microphone as loud as he could before falling over, he'd still receive a standing ovation! Because he's Brian Wilson and, even before the first harmonies are sung, nobody in the exceptionally quaint Liverpool Empire will be convinced that tonight will be nothing less than brilliant. The brief, introductory acoustic set acts as a modern day recreation of the ramshackle, yet fun 'Beach Boys' Party' album. Flanked by his crack team of musicians that includes LA club favourites, the Wondermints, and long-time associate Jeff Foskett, Brian breathes new life and much-needed credibility into the Beach Boys' legend. It's something Mike Love's Beach Boys should take note of. Brian doesn't move or smile much, even when vocalist and percussionist Scott Bennett appears to lightly hit him over the head with a drumstick! Some long-lost classics ('Hawaii', 'All Summer Long', 'Good Timin'') are duly resurrected, all wrapped up in jaw-droppingly gorgeous harmonies. By way of homage, there's also a customary Beatles cover, 'Tell Me Why'. Brian, the boys and the girl return to their normal positions with horn section in tow and unleash a bevy of hits including usual suspects, 'God Only Knows', 'Sloop John B' and 'California Girls'. They are interspersed with new, admittedly unremarkable material ('City Blues', 'Soul Searching') and more underrated gems including 'Time To Get Alone', 'Sail On Sailor' and the superb 'Night Was Still Young' (from my favourite Beach Boys album, 1977's 'Love You'). It's hard to believe, after all this, the best is still yet to come. After the interval, it's time to enter the brilliant kaleidoscopic world of 'Smile'. Like many others present, I am familiar with the bootlegs, but hearing 'Smile' tonight in its entirety and as its creator intended, is still a revelation; an exciting rollercoaster of melody, mayhem and magnificence. The meditative 'Our Prayer' precedes a punchy 'Heroes & Villains'. After hearing this full-length, widescreen rendition, you'll never hear the released version the same way again! The self-explanatory 'Wonderful' segues neatly into the dazzling 'Look' that now incorporates another 'Smile' track, 'Child is Father Of The Man'. 'I Love To Say Dada', later to resurface as 'Cool Cool Water' on the 1970 album 'Sunflower', feels like a calm after the terrifying storm of 'Mrs O'Leary's Cow'. A celebratory 'Good Vibrations', the original Brian-penned lyrics replacing the more familiar (and superior) Mike Love verses, ends the 'Smile' set, as the audience give Brian and the band a lengthy and deserved standing ovation. Believe what you've heard; 'Smile' is unbelievably breath-taking. After an encore of hits that includes 'I Get Around', 'Help Me Rhonda' and 'Fun Fun Fun', Brian bids farewell with a solo 'Love & Mercy', leaving a lump in the throats of all present. Even clocking in at over two and a half hours, tonight's show could have lasted all night and it still wouldn't be long enough. Of all the many gigs I have seen over the last thirteen years, this has to be the greatest. I cannot stress enough just how essential it is to see Brian Wilson live. £50 a ticket isn't cheap, though, by the end of it, you'll feel like you've just got a bargain.
|