Zusätzlich noch dieses <a href='
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Fifty years ago, the first human traveled into space, the silicon microchip was still in its infancy and President John F. Kennedy swept into the White House on a tide of youthful enthusiasm.
In the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, Calif., five young lads — brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine — caught their own kind of wave when they decided to form a surf-rock band called the Beach Boys.
"We weren't thinking in terms of half a century when we first started out — we just knew we liked music and we liked the lifestyle in Southern California, so we decided to sing about it," Love said from the road earlier this month.
The group's epic history includes mental breakdowns, estrangements (Brian Wilson and Jardine don't currently tour with the group), lawsuits and the deaths of two founding members (Dennis Wilson in 1983, Carl in 1998).
However, it's the Beach Boys' remarkable record of 36 hits in the Top 40, all sun-kissed with instantly recognizable harmonies, that has cemented their legacy as "America's Band." From "Surfin' U.S.A." and "I Get Around" to "Help Me, Rhonda," the sublime "Good Vibrations" and '80s comeback "Kokomo" — to name only a few — they have more than earned their places in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and millions of fans' hearts.
Even though this summer is winding down, folks can hold on to its spirit Wednesday night, when the Beach Boys — fronted by Love and including longtime member Bruce Johnston — will entertain the crowd at Binghamton University's Anderson Center with all the classics as well as a few surprises.
Asked about reports that Brian Wilson and Jardine could reunite with the group for a 50th anniversary studio album (the first since 1996's country-flavored "Stars and Stripes Vol. 1"), Love confirmed that they are currently in talks.
"He (Wilson) has been doing his own touring and done a few recording projects in the last few years." Love said. "He's got some songs he wants me to do lyrics for, and I've got some songs that I've done that I want to share with him — so we're hoping in light of the 50th anniversary, which is a big milestone for any group, that we could get together and reconnect and do some new stuff together."
What would a 21st century Beach Boys record sound like?
"I have a few ideas in my head," Love said. "A couple of them are more retro, as in '64- or '65-type sounding stuff, like 'Fun, Fun, Fun' and 'California Girls.' But then my cousin Brian's ideas have a bit more of the 'Pet Sounds' kind of vibe to the music. It'll be a combination of the different musical aspects of the Beach Boys."
Although a new album likely would not be ready until 2012, this year finally should see an official release of the fabled "Smile" sessions. Recorded in 1966-67 and intended as a follow-up to "Pet Sounds," the concept was shelved amid band turmoil. Since then, it has gained a reputation as the most legendary lost album in rock history; Brian Wilson rerecorded it and released it as a solo album in 2004, but only pieces of the original LP have leaked out over the years.
After some delays, Capitol Records now has slated "The Smile Sessions" — to be issued as both a double CD and a deluxe box set — for Nov. 1.
"There are some really trippy things on there — some really insane things and some brilliant things. It's going to be interesting for people to hear some of that," Love said. "It's never been heard in its entirety, so it's kind of cool that people can finally hear what we did back then."
Wilson famously saw "Smile" as "a teenage symphony to God," but the sometimes-psychedelic lyrics from collaborator Van Dyke Parks led to a rift with Love and other band members, which contributed to the album's demise. (Wilson's fragile mental health at the time was another factor.)
"Some of the lyrics weren't my cup of tea. The music is brilliant, the vocals and the tracks. Cousin Brian is at his height singing-wise. There's a lot of good things about it — just some of the lyrics were a little bit obtuse, a little bit oblique. You can't figure out what they're talking about," Love said with a laugh. "That's my point of view and I'm sticking to it!"
Throughout all the eras of the band — from the first sessions held in the Wilson brothers' bedroom to the live act today — harmonies always have been the core of the Beach Boys' sound and have inspired countless musicians since.
Love said he and the guys were just trying to emulate their own idols: "We were big fans of the Everly Brothers because of their harmonies, and the doo-wop groups of the day because of those cool harmonies they would do — the bass part, the high parts and all that — and also a group called the Four Freshmen that my cousin Brian became completely obsessed with and enamored of. They did this close four-part harmony."
Since family harmonies can interlock in magical ways, a big part of the success can be credited to shared DNA — a tradition that Love's son, Christian, continues as a guitarist and vocalist in the Beach Boys' band.
"Christian is now singing the parts my cousin Carl sang on a lot of recordings, like the lead on 'Good Vibrations' and 'Kokomo,'" Love said. "He sounds quite similar to Carl and has a similar tone, so it's kind of — in a good way — eerie."
The current lineup behind Love and Johnston also includes drummer John Cowsill (formerly of family band The Cowsills), bassist Randell Kirsch, keyboard player Tim Bonhomme and guitarist/musical director Scott Totten.
The tricky arrangements and vocal gymnastics could prove too much for lesser musicians, but Love thinks they help to keep the group sharp.
"You would think we get more bored than we do, but the challenge is replicating those songs," he said. "You talk about 'Good Vibrations' — that's a pretty trippy song and you have to be minding your Ps and Qs to be able to carry that off effectively."
Love is thrilled that the Beach Boys music continues to be a touchstone for fans of all ages — "it's pretty cool to see children sing along to songs they have no business knowing!" he said — and loves that it's used in at least one or two movies a year. In fact, a film utilizing the band's music as its soundtrack — think "Mamma Mia!" and ABBA — is in the works.
"It's really inspiring for us to see that those songs have such a great appeal," he said. "Even 40 years after we recorded them, they're still appreciated and loved by a lot of people."
Naja, ich hoffe, dass er einen hat
