"Gettin' In Over My Head" -- Honesty from Brian
From The Smile Shop
"Gettin' In Over My Head" -- Honesty from Brian, by Clay McCuistion
GETTIN' IN OVER MY HEAD
Brian Wilson (BriMel/Rhino, 2004)
Let me preface my review proper by saying that much of the disagreement about this album comes down to one point: Does Brian Wilson still have something to say? Some, overwhelmed by his past work's continuing resonance, find the current-day BW a disappointment or a problem. His continuing, somewhat befuddled presence annoys them.
Gettin' In Over My Head seems to confirm some of their most dire pronouncements -- old songs, sometimes-shaky vocals, etc -- and thus it leads to "Brian shouldn't do this." "Brian is manipulated." "I like my version of Brian better."
Others, including myself, see Brian as a contemporary recording artist. He's not what he once was, but that's what makes him interesting. What is he now? What can he do now? What can he express now? If these questions are interesting to you, if you think that Brian can still mean something through his music, then you'll be more likely to enjoy the album.
Those in the latter camp don't have to like the album. But they would be more inclined to listen without prejudice.
THE ALBUM
Brian's solo career has been plagued by dishonesty. From his first, collaborator-crammed solo album to the slickly produced Imagination, listeners have had reason to question how much of Brian they were actually hearing. Did he hit the note, or was it digitally altered? Did he write the song, or was it Jeff Lynne? Who was pulling his strings?
With GIOMH, we have Brian's first truly honest album. It's his music, his voice, his arrangements. It's the first record since the Beach Boys Love you to be "produced and arranged by Brian Wilson." That credit is important. That credit is crucial.
For the first time, on an album-length release, we can hear where Brian's at. Could we tell on Imagination? Nope. Could we tell on BW88? Not really. But with this album we have confirmation of Brian's continued vitality as a studio presence.
We had hints. "On Christmas Day" from 2000 seemed to show that Brian could still pull it off. But it was a holiday song. "California Feelin'" showcased a relaxed band vibe -- but it was an old tune. Of And, of course, Brian's concert work of the past five years has consistently provided memorable vocal moments (mixed with some regrettable ones).
But here, for 53 minutes, we hear Brian doing it all. As he once did. For people to ignore or dismiss this misses the point of GIOMH. Good or bad, Brian is fully functioning in a studio environment again.
HOW COULD WE STILL BE DANCIN'
Brian's harmonies open the album. They're instantly identifiable. And a little slurred. I like the slurring, because we can hear that this is an honest album. It sounds good -- not perfect.
The tune then kicks in, a 15 Big Ones-era blast of honking sax, rolling piano, and impassioned vocal from Elton John. Brian's chorus vocals are cracked and a bit demented. He's not trying to make himself sound 18. He's singing his heart out.
The tune is interesting, if repetitive. The bridge takes us to a truly new place, and impresses me most melodically.
Is it a rewrite of an earlier song? I doubt it. I've heard what was recorded for the Andy Paley-era collaboration "Dancin' The Night Away" (rewritten with Mike Love as "Baywatch Nights"). That track is mainly instrumental, with a few vocals on a bridge section. The melody in that section does not sound like HCWSBD.
There's no question that a section of the verse riff sounds the same -- the verse riff is "Shortnin' Bread" pt. 567 -- and the tempo and vibe are similar. Other than that, the songs aren't structured in the same way.
But this misses the point. HCWSBD is all about the lyrics. The rhetorical questions it poses aren't to be taken lightly. They all add up to one, heart-rending question:
"How can we love in a world that tries, with all its force, to extinguish caring?"
For someone like Brian, who has always seen love as his musical mission, these questions have weight.
The answer, so much as there can be an answer, seems to come in the chorus. "Hey everybody, help to make this feelin' right. Won't you help to make this feelin' right?" We can only love if everyone works together. We can only keep dancing if others will dance with us.
SOUL SEARCHIN'
Carl Wilson's voice hangs over this song like a fond memory. I happen to prefer the Beach Boys version, which swings more easily. I also prefer the organ solo to Paul Merten's distracted wails.
But no matter.
The tune and instrumental arrangement shine. Many have given Andy Paley all but total composer credit for this song; while I have no first-hand knowledge, I doubt that's the whole story. Brian Wilson's spirit imbues the music and meaning of "Soul Searchin'." The lyrics are simple. The sentiment isn't.
Brian's vocal re-arrangement of this tune makes it seem more monumental, more studied, more important. His brief lead vocal on the bridge adds genuine emotion.
I admit, I don't listen to this song often when I pop in GIOMH. I have listened to it many, many, many, many times in the BB's version. But that doesn't detract from the song's intrinsic quality.
YOU'VE TOUCHED ME
The most delightful surprise on the album, You've Touched Me is a cotton-candy confection with an easy vocal from the composer. I feared the worst for this song, when initial reports said it was a rewrite of "Turning Point."
Yet the song bears only a passing resemblance to its older cousin. The melody fits over the same chord sequence, but Brian and collaborator Steve Kalinich take it to a different place. The arrangement is complex, yet light. The violins are unusual for a BW song of this type, recalling the country fiddle of "Imagination"'s Keep an Eye on Summer. The pizzicato during the tag is delicious.
Brian's vocals are a highlight. He double-tracks himself for most of the verses and choruses, but sings alone during the bridges. He's in tune and makes the best of wordy lyrics. He sounds engaged and kookily happy.
People have criticized Kalinich's lyrics. But I have no doubt his work expresses Brian's feelings, perhaps with more verve than Brian himself could muster. And when Brian swings into the tag, any awkwardness is forgotten in a magical round.
Do I overstate myself? I don't think so. "You've Touched Me" is the soul of GIOMH, an embodiment of everything Brian Wilson is still capable of doing -- if we're willing to listen.
GETTIN' IN OVER MY HEAD
Brian overdubs an Imagination-era instrumental track to great effect. The vibraphone, bass and harmonica seem new, and they show how Brian's honest touch can transform an otherwise slick track.
I love the Paley sessions version -- Brian's voice is exquisite, and the spare instrumentation shines. But Brian had another vision for this song -- something slower in tempo and more elaborate in vocal arrangement.
Much of the melody for this song has been attributed to Paley (by Paley), although I find that credit suspect. Like Soul Searchin', Gettin' In Over My Head simply sounds like a Brian Wilson song. It also sounds like a bona fide classic. I would rank this as one of Brian's best songs from his last two decades. It's that good.
Paley has admitted that many of the song's lyrics are indeed Brian's - and they convey complicated emotions effortlessly. Falling deeply in love feels like this. It's scary. You're giving up control. Yet, at the same time, you know it's right. "Yes I'm gettin' in over my head / And this is where I want to stay."
Brian captures that. His vocal is more laid-back than the Paley version, but it's just as effective. It's mixed further back in the track, as if the voice itself is receding into a vibraphone-saturated tapestry of love.
CITY BLUES
Brian said he wanted to make a rock and roll album. Brian talks about rocking out at his concerts. Anyone who has seen him live can testify to his obvious enjoyment of the up-tempo numbers.
In this song he goes for it.
It sounds unlike anything Brian has done. It's a desperate yet joyful song, packed with energy. City Blues is made up of varying sections -- almost a suite -- connected by the sinews of Eric Clapton's ripping guitar.
Brian doesn't turn in the cleanest vocal performance, but he doesn't need to. This track requires a raw and rugged vocal, and he delivers.
I didn't expect "City Blues" to work. I found the live versions lacking. Brian's voice was strained, the melody was difficult to follow, and the guitar seemed tacky. Yet the studio version manages to pull together these threads into something effective.
Yes, Clapton's guitar seems odd in the context of a Brian Wilson album. But its sheer conviction -- along with the drive of the horn-driven arrangement and Brian's vocals -- convinces me.
DESERT DRIVE
On each one of his solo albums, Brian has included a token tune that references his past. On BW88, it was "Meet Me In My Dreams Tonight," with its Phil Spector-meets-Wouldn't It Be Nice vibe. On Imagination, it was "South American," with its beachy harmonies. And on GIOMH, it's the updated car song "Desert Drive."
On all of these songs, Brian has let us down. His lead vocals on each are forced, slurred, or both.
I don't feel this song. I like the band's backing harmonies. I like the modular composition and witty lyrics. That's about it. I don't like the thin-sounding arrangement. I don't like Brian's blurry lead.
I went back to my Paley sessions CD, and listened to the backing track there. That's a song. That's an arrangement. Why Brian would leave that corker of a track behind and replace it boggles my mind.
I've tried to like this song. I certainly don't hate it. But it strikes me as a frustrating missed opportunity. It could have been a hit, with the right lead. Just as "South American" could have.
Maybe next time.
HALFTIME REPORT
This is where things get dicey. The first six songs of GIOMH present a diverse, eccentric portrait of the modern-day Brian Wilson. Most people have found something nice to say about at least a couple of these tunes.
Sample review: "While GIOMH is mostly crap, "Soul Searchin'" and the title tune don't blow too hard." Or, "I love GIOMH, except for that horrible "Fairy Tale" and "The Waltz."
It's the next seven songs that polarize people the most. We hit the songs from the Sweet Insanity era, and the strangest Paley track. We also hit some dodgy singing.
A FRIEND LIKE YOU
I find this song incredibly interesting. Some find it incredibly sappy. That's why I put the halftime report before this song, rather than after.
More Kalinich generalities color the lyrics, but they don't bother me. Again, I expect these words are close to what Brian would write on his own. I dislike Brian lyrics that don't sound like him -- "South American" or "Brian/Thank You" for example.
The tune and arrangement are unusual and powerful. This is one of the newest GIOMH songs -- dating from just before the sessions -- and Brian is engaged. The structure of the tune -- intro, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, verse, outro -- is unprecedented in Brian's work.
No, this isn't a rocker. It's a gloppy ditty. But it's a good gloppy ditty.
Brian piles on the instruments, and they sound sweet. I'm fond of the intro mellotron, underlain by acoustic guitar and bass. The song proper includes a bouncing harp, burping horn lines and soaring strings. I also enjoy the chorus instrumentation, which takes the unusual approach of being sparer than the verse. You hear an organ, mixed low, and some trademark BW drum fills. The horns then join in as Brian and Paul McCartney sing together.
Ah yes. Mr. McCartney. I don't think of this song as a duet. I approach it as a Brian Wilson tune with a special appearance by Paul. Brian uses him as another instrument, another voice -- the way he would sometimes use members of the Beach Boys to fill in certain lines.
I see Paul's voice as filling the function that Brian's has on Good Vibrations. When the tune leaps out of Carl Wilson's range, Brian guests for a few words. On AFLY, Paul's voice adds a different flavor to the lines of the chorus.
He also does some vocalizing during the bridge. I'm not so fond of this, as it seems repetitive. Because the rest of the song is so terrific, I'll forgive.
Finally, Brian shines singing this tune. His single-tracked lead on the intro is one of the best vocal moments on the album. His double tracked vocals in the rest of the song are agile, and compare well with McCartney's.
MAKE A WISH
To quote one of the early pans of this album, "oh dear." Where do I start.
No matter what else you say about it, Sweet Insanity included Brian's best pure vocal performances of his solo career. After the strained sounds of BW88, the album found Brian in robust, relatively sweet voice.
He would soon take up smoking again, damaging his voice further. He didn't give up the cigs until his marriage to Melinda in the mid-90s. It took him several years to regain the vocal sweetness, and his sound is more hit-and-miss these days.
That all leads me to this song, one of the lesser tunes on SI. When I heard Brian was remaking it, I connected it to his desire to do a rock n roll album. This would be a song for rocking out, I figured. With a real band replacing drum machines and synths, surely it would outshine the original.
No such luck. Although the instrumental track rocks hard, Brian fluffs the vocals. He manages a powerful-sounding chorus, but he sounds nearly incomprehensible in the verses. The backing voices slide painfully out of tune. Ow.
A redeeming point: the bridge. While BW's lead on most of the song falls far behind the SI version, he sounds better on this section. The echoed falsetto is sung with genuine care, and the drum rolls underneath are neat.
We end up with a track that I prefer only slightly to the original. The Wondermint-ful instrumentation gives it the edge. Brian also, for whatever reason, composed an entirely new verse to for the song (its last). "Keep our children home at last / All this craziness must pass" is a good line, I admit.
But I run up against the vocals. Brian opted to go with power rather than enunciation, and the song suffers.
RAINBOW EYES
For my money, this is the best pure "remake" on GIOMH.
Brian effectively duplicates the structure -- and some of the arrangement -- of the Sweet Insanity version. But the beauty is in the details. Just listen.
Listen to the worn and beautiful lead vocal from Brian. It's single-tracked, and that makes a difference. It reminds me of his leads on "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." The voice is full of soul, and pain, and wounded innocence.
Listen to the way, almost Smile-like, the song bounces from section to section, changing tempo and key. Listen to the astonishing bass pattern in the chorus. Listen to the way Brian alternates between a bare-bones vocal and keyboard and lush, flute-decorated overdubbing.
Are there negatives? Of course. The lyric doesn't make any sense. "Rainbow Eyes" seems terrifying as a concept. Who would want to have such eyes? Wouldn't it be unnerving to be around them?
SATURDAY MORNING IN THE CITY
I could praise this song to the skies. I could go on and on about its "Busy Doing Nothing" lyrics, its inventive arrangement, its zany tune.
But I won't. This world is made up of two kinds of people. Those who love "Saturday Morning in the City" and those who hate it. I'm in the former group.
I've enjoyed this song for a long time, since I heard it on a Paley sessions boot. It amazed me with its audaciousness. I played it to other people, asking "can you believe someone actually recorded this?" It's the same response I had to "Johnny Carson" and "Solar System" and "Too Much Sugar" and "Shortnin' Bread." Can you believe someone actually recorded a song like this?
Brian Wilson did.
The song is virtually unchanged from the Paley sessions. You can hear Andy singing on the bridge. (In a perfect world, he would get a co-producer credit on this track and Soul Searchin'.) Brian overdubbed a new lead, but it isn't much of a change.
I like that. The song was fine before, and it didn't need to be fiddled with. Let's sing, let's dance, let's be happy with life. "Whatchoo want to do todaaay" indeed.
FAIRY TALE
I hated this song as "Save the Day." I think Brian's performance on that version one of his worst. Boring arrangement, bored vocal, no harmonies to speak of. Let's not mention the Landy-penned lyrics, or I'll rant until dawn.
The David Foster version, "Is There a Chance," is slightly better, but overproduced and bland.
David Foster: "I wrote this bad song with Brian Wilson. It sucks."
Record Label Guy: "It needs to be on your album, though, David. Think of the publicity"
David Foster: "Hmm. Maybe if I slop adult contemporary goop on the top and add a sax solo, no one will notice how lame my wife's lyrics are."
Record Label Guy: "That's my boy, David! Let's go get your hair blow-dried!"
So why is it that "Fairy Tale" features one of Brian's best solo vocal performances ever? Like, of his career? Or am I imagining things? The song still sounds a bit dated, but Brian can sing that mother.
It's a single-tracked lead, and he's not perfect, but he wails on the high notes and tears into the lyrics like they were the most important thing ever written.
The backing stays simple. Some percussion accents a basic piano-drums-bass track.
It's all about Brian's forever-young voice and the slightly rejiggered melody. That falsetto swoop at the end of each verse doesn't appear in any previous version of the song. Add the counterpoint to the end, and you have a tune that's distinctly different -- and better -- than "Save the Day" and "Is There a Chance."
Only on a Brian Wilson album could a song as adult-contemporary as this follow the avant-weird as "Saturday Morning In the City." Only on a Brian Wilson album could these two songs work.
DON'T LET HER KNOW SHE'S AN ANGEL
One of Brian's better solo songs, paired with one of his more inventive arrangements. I'm not sure why it comes after another ballad -- this album's sequencing leaves something to be desired -- but it enchants.
I loved the 80s-era piano-and-vocal demo, but I couldn't stand the lounged-up Sweet Insanity version. This song should not contain a sax solo. It also should not include these lyrics: "Sometimes I treat her like dirt / She still comforts me when I'm hurt." I was relieved, then, to hear this arrangement, a total rethinking of the song on Brian's part. What's different about it?
1.) He double tracks his lead vocal. This adds smoothness. After the single-tracking of "Fairy Tale," it also serves to distinguish the songs.
2.) An anxious piano can be heard throughout the song, pounding out chords. I assume Brian plays this part, and although it may have been meant to merely guide the band, it lends an air of urgency to the tune.
3.) A new flute arrangement graces the choruses. Someone pointed out that the flute part sounds like Brian's vocal backing on his version of "Joy to the World" from the late 1990s. It does. More evidence that Brian never lets an idea go to waste.
4.) A revamped bridge section. Brian adds harmonies under the "some things are best left unsaid" lines. The sax solo is gone, replaced by restrained flute and harmonies.
These changes bring the song alive for me. Yes, the tempo is faster than on Sweet Insanity. But I like Brian's willingness to deconstruct his own song. He's still figuring out ways to make it sound better.
My only complaint -- the fade is too long. I could do without the extra flute there.
THE WALTZ
Unlike the proceeding song, here Brian sticks to the Sweet Insanity template. The backing vocals and many instrumental touches remind me of "Let's Stick Together."
But Van Dyke Parks' lyrics make this song more than a melody line or arrangement. The quirky tale of a long-ago love and its present-day consequences ends the album on a bittersweet note.
For me, the lyrics are key. "Let's Stick Together" grated. This keeps the off-kilter approach, but with intelligence.
Brian camps up his old friends' words, singing in a lower register and exaggerating his diction. Some can't stand such an approach -- I think it's charming. Van Dyke, after all, often camps up his tunes when he sings. Brian may be taking a page from his collaborator.
I don't turn to this song first when listening to GIOMH. Yet when Brian's harmonies twine around the fiddle at the song's end, I am satisfied. Not just with the song, or the album, but in the knowledge that Brian Wilson has finally recorded an album for him and his fans.
Those few bars at the end of "The Waltz" sum up why this album moves me. It's not a perfect record. But it's a Brian Wilson record.
And that's enough for me.
SHORTCOMINGS
The album's problems:
The sequencing doesn't work. Too many duets and collaborations lead it off. The second half lags. Though the individual songs and performances work, the excitement wanes a bit once you pass McCartney.
Brian should have used his band for backing vocals. I like his harmonies -- there's a certain Beach Boys sound there that can't be duplicated -- but I think he sometimes put more effort into backgrounds than leads. If the group had been around to pick up the weight, I think the album would have had more consistent singing.
The reliance on Sweet Insanity-era tracks, while understandable, bypasses excellent Paley material. I hope we get to hear it in the future.
ALL THE OLD SONGS
Speaking of older tracks ...
GIOMH is not some collection of castoff songs. Brian has expended considerable creative capital on the album.
"How Could We Still Be Dancin" was written after "Imagination" and has been consistently mentioned by Brian as a standout track for his next album. The song still qualifies as new - it was written for the "rock n roll" album.
"You've Touched Me," although incorporating the chords and structure of "Turning Point," has a different melody and a new intro and outro. "A Friend Like You" is totally new.
Of the other songs, the title track and "Soul Searchin'" feature new, more elaborate vocal arrangements. "Make a Wish" has lyrical tweaks to the bridge and a new verse. "Fairy Tale" has a tag that's never been heard before. "DLHKSAA" features a brand-new instrumental arrangement and has been restructured. Likewise, "Desert Drive" has been rearranged, and "City Blues" has never been given full-band instrumentation until now.
What does this all add up to? Much new work, even on "old" songs. Brian stated on his message board that he doesn't consider a song finished until it's actually released, and you can see that here.
There's another factor too. Brian is stepping back into the world of full-blown record production. Think of the pressure. In circumstances like these, I think the natural tendency would be to use "trunk songs," simply because Brian has lived with them and knows how they go.
Lest we forget, Brian was presumably a dominant creative player in producing the Sweet Insanity sessions. That means he had experience teaching these tunes to people. Likewise, Brian had a lot to do with the arranging and production of the Paley collaborations. I know that period hasn't been described in detail, but the proof is in the sound.
Thus, when it comes time to make an album on his own, Brian looks back to the last studio projects in which he had a major hand with instrumental arrangements. Those are "Sweet Insanity" and the Paley sessions.
The positive sign, to me, is that Brian wasn't content to simply reproduce those old arrangements. He adds new touches and seems genuinely engaged in crafting a new record. But who can fault him for wanting the security of a few familiar tunes?
SURPRISES
I'm surprised Brian still arranges as well as he does. The backing tracks throughout GIOMH exude his classic sound. It's not forced, it's not imitative, it's not cliched. It's just Brian's touch.
I'm surprised to hear how robust his falsetto sounds. It's far stronger than "Imagination." Touring has obviously been good for Brian's vocal strength.
I'm surprised those around Brian let him put this album out. GIOMH is not a comeback record. It's not an album meant to gain a youthful audience. It's not a country or adult-contemporary crossover. It's an eccentric, addled, emotional album from a 62-year-old guy. He sounds weird sometimes. He doesn't care.
I applaud the bravery of Brian for making this album, and for those who support him in putting it out.
SUMMARY
A handful of great songs, many strong tunes, and a couple of selections that don't live up to their potential. That sounds like your usual Brian Wilson album. That sounds like your usual Beach Boys album. That's the blessing and curse of GIOMH -- it isn't a Pet Sounds-level masterwork.
The curse? People who don't care for latter-day Brian can crow that "he's lost it." Ask Mr. Doe about the "tired album from a tired man."
The blessing? Fans haven't heard a "usual" Brian Wilson album -- from his hand and his alone -- for decades. We've forgotten what such an album sounds like. We've forgotten the subtle pleasures such albums provide.
"Gettin' In Over My Head" is an honest album from an honest musician. For that, I am thankful.
2006 AFTERWORD
It's been nearly two years since GIOMH came out, nearly two years since I wrote this exhaustive piece. I wish I could say that it made people love the album. It didn't. This charming album remains controversial, with many loathing it outright.
Why? One word suffices for an answer: Smile. The long-awaited masterpiece had been premiered live mere months before the issue of GIOMH. The studio recording followed. No Brian Wilson album of the past quarter-century could stand up to Smile in a fight. GIOMH certainly couldn't.
Yet I find myself turning more often to this album that Smile. It doesn't try to dazzle you; it's not the culmination of decades of rumor and speculation. It is, as I wrote at the time, an honest album from an honest musician.
Of course, we've seen other changes too. Last year, Brian released another new album: What I Really Want for Christmas. Here, the promise that I heard on GIOMH bursts into full flower - the band contributes backing vocals, Brian adds brilliant touches to standards, and new holiday songs testify to his enduring creative spirit.
Brian may well produce another new album or two. He's reportedly taking this year off from touring to write songs. But I wonder if our focus on Brian's current activities and our hopes for him to produce another masterpiece keep us from appreciating - or even seeing - the joys in an album like GIOMH.
Just a thought.
