Bruce Johnston brings Pet Sounds to Lennon & McCartney in London
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- čas přidán 30. 01. 2012
- Bruce Jonhston talks of bringing an acetate of Pet Sounds for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Keith Moon to listen to for the first time.
From the extra features on Brian Wilson: Songwriter (1962-1969). No copyright infringement intended. - Hudba
I love how Bruce is such a fan of Brian and the other Beach Boys who preceded him. Classy guy and a brilliant songwriter himself.
Indeed, Bruce wrote Tears in the Morning, which is one of my favourite Beach Boys songs.
@@rubbersoul2841 Disney girls is one of my faves too
@@supercap3000”Well reality, it’s not for me, and it makes me laugh…”
Bruce is a modest guy. He may not have written any of Pet Sounds tracks but he added some sweet backing vocals, especially on 'God Only Knows.'
Tommy Udo Bruce writes the songs that make the whole world sing
@angelosubrosa Bruce wrote "I write the songs"
@P God only knows what that track would be without him
Bruce was all about the art as well. His favourite album was sunflower. He contributed a few songs to that album when the BB were trying to move away from songs about cars and surfing.
Agreed
I've heard Brian Wilson say that Rubber Soul inspired Pet Sounds which then inspired Sgt Pepper. McCartney said "God Only Knows" actually made him cry. Like the French Renaissance painters, these artists truly inspired each other.
Very true! Nice point..🎵
Brian listened to the US version of Rubber Soul with I've Just Seen A Face as the opening track
I was in the same room as John & Paul. I saw The Beatles in concert. 22 Aug 1965 Portland OR USA
It was my 9th b-day. My first thought was, "That is really them" It was the best place to be on the Planet.
It was smack dab in the middle of Beatlemania. Girls were screaming and crying at the same time.
Imagine making an album so good that it makes the Beatles want to do better.
Single handedly.
Well let's be fair now. "Singlehanded" would be a description of how McCartney made his first solo record. Brian was certainly the creative force behind Pet Sounds, but he had considerable help in realizing that vision from the voices of the other Beach Boys and those great Wrecking Crew musicians. Not to mention significant help with the lyrics.
@@Fordham1969 Well, yeah. I might have exaggerated that part a bit. But you're right. All the boys are to be credited.
Brian Wilson has said that Rubber Soul and Revolver blew his mind.... There was mutual admiration between Wilson and Lennon/McCartney.... But I get what you're saying !!!
Pet sounds begat Pepper
Wilson: Imagine being as talented as 1/4 of the Beatles AND having a versatile voice like McCartney.
It's such a shame that record company exec's in the US were that utterly tone deaf and devoid of any musicality to not notice the pure genius of Pet Sounds to the point of making Wilson feel like a failure!!! Indeed!!!
Pouring salt in the wound by not promoting its release properly as well as releasing a "best of" record shortly after to recover sales.
Record company execs ..... Keeping up the tradition of: "Being astounding shits for more than six decades !"
Just goes to show the execs only care about their pockets rather than music as an art form
Couldn't be any worse than EMI refusing to sign the Beatles because they thought groups with guitars were on their way out.
@@Rockhound6165 that’s why a year later they jumped on the Stones.
Bruce getting along with Keith Moon so well might be the oddest pair in history. They are complete opposites. Keith and Dennis on the other hand...
I think Bruce could get along with anybody. Such a nice guy. And I bet Keith would've idolized him simply for being a BB.
Fancy some coke and a brandy-Keith
Sure, I’ll have a diet and I love women named brandy!-Bruce
Lol!!!!
Keith Moon was a surf music fanatic which is why he and Bruce would have socialised well together. There was more to Keith Moon then just excess.
Bruce and Dennis were really close too, it was at Dennis's request that he come back for some later Beach Boys cuts as well as his own Pacific Ocean Blue. If I recall Bruce even helped Dennis learn some piano early on.
Paul McCartney admits in the making of Sgt Pepper video here, that they stole a few ideas from Pet Sounds. They had great respect for the Beach Boys.
didn't know that ty
Not stole, but influenced by it.
He also said that if there was no Pet Sounds, there would be no Sgt Peppers
Paul was pretty intimidated by the beach boys, and thought they were much more creative geniuses and artists.
Friendly competition that encouraged them both to out due the other and themselves. I hardly think either felt intimidated as they were both cranking out hit after hit and doing it with musical growth at the time.
Bruce is always a Class act! You can see how much he enjoys being a Beach Boy.
As an American...I think it's so cool how the British loved The Beach Boys/ Brian Wilson. The Beatles are the Pinnacle of rock music.... Music in general. I've always wondered if Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson would of joined forces in the studio. How incredible of an album or albums those two could have created ... Bob's lyrics and Brian's Melodies and chord progressions... That would have been as close as an American Lennon and McCartney we could have hoped for.
there is a recording of dylan and wilson. i don't know if they co penned it , or just one of them wrote it. 2 of my VERY favorite , but it kinda sucks if i remember correctly.
That definitely would have been interesting, although I would imagine they have completely opposite writing and recording styles.
James Silver is right, they did and it's called "Spirit of Rock & Roll", which also featured Jeff Lynne of ELO. It was supposed to appear on a Brian Wilson solo album titled "Sweet Insanity" which was to be released in 1991, the master tapes were stolen, but bootlegs exist.
Dylan met Brian in an emergency room
... Google it, it's a great story
Bruce is so rad. Seems like such a decent guy, and surrounded by such titanic egos. Remember, he wrote Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs" and the dizzyingly beautiful "Disney Girls."
Bruce has always been a class act it's to bad Mike could never be like this he would have said he wrote all the songs and then helped the Beatles wright Sargent Pepper
Back in the USSR is absolutely an homage to the Beach Boys by Paul McCartney. You don't have to be a musician to figure that out, it is obvious just by listening to the song. Aside from that, it is documented in just about every book about the Beatles that talks about the recording of that song. It's a well known fact. To dispute that is ridiculous.
I was a 13-year-old in South Dakota and even I figured out right away that the Beatles were doing a riff on the Beach Boys in "Back In the USSR." It made me feel so cool, like I was in on their "in" joke.
I can hear it. And I know this is true. Elements definitely are referencing the beach boys. But oddly enough, the hard driving chest tone vocals, the distorted heavy guitar, really sounds nothing like them.
@@jeffbrockelsby863 I thought Paul wrote it just to show that he could write Beach boys-type songs too.
Paul said also Helter Skelter was inspired by The Who. He wanted a song that was very loud and aggressive like how some of The Who's songs. The Beatles took inspiration from so many other artists.
Mike Love was there in India when The Beatles wrote it and gave them pointers on how to sound more like the Beach Boys.
Legend with nothing but class. I've loved this guy since I'm a kid.
Met Bruce at backstage Fox Theater in Detroit; class guy 100% ==Ed
Yes!
Dude, me imagining Moony hangin out with Bruce is insane. Could you imagine the stark contrast in characters? Seriously, Joe Walsh and Moony trashing hotel rooms made sense but Moony and Bruce in a club is like the beginning of a Gilbert Gottfried joke......but Bruce is the unsung man of the Beach Boys luv ya Bruce!
Oh,Oh, how I loved the movie "Love and Mercy"....but...I would love to see a movie how rubber soul influenced pet sound and how Pet Sounds influenced Peppers. How cool would it be to push the music scene of '65-67 Beach Boys and the Beatles..on the big screen....I have the screen play in my head....but I'll leave such matters to the more brilliant minds to seek out
+William Wonka Rubber Soul did not influence Pet Sounds. Brian was influenced to make a great album from beginning to end because he felt the US version of Rubber Soul was so good. Musically no influence. But Pet Sounds did influence The Beatles - that we know.
i think you need to rethink thisRam4. there's a video of Brian himself holding up the Rubber Soul album and he states that he smoked a joint and listened to RS OVER AND OVER...Brian says "Rubber Soul ABSOLUTELY influenced Pet Sounds" his own words.
It influenced Brian in the way that he felt Rubber Soul was a concept album (even though it wasn't) and made him think about making one, which he did, sort of. The ironic thing is the Beatles then created a "concept" album based on what they heard from Pet Sounds. (Although Sgt Pepper wasn't much of a concept record, it was birthed that way...)
It was obvious to anyone who heard Rubber Soul when it came out how much they had picked up from the kind of electronic sounds bands like the Who were using. The whole point about albums like Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds is the way they used acoustic instruments to achieve the modern 'electronic' tone. It was that distinctive tone that Wilson picked up as well as the more reflective songs. The Byrds' Younger than Yesterday built on Rubber Soul and Revolver in a similar way.
No such thing as brilliance. Those people are just like you they just learned the necessary skills to make something special. You can too!
Bruce is a classy mature brother and communicates well..... Bless you bro....
"Pet Sounds" is my fav Beach Boys album and in my top five all time favorite albums.
I love Brucey Boy. So humble
Very insightful comments by Bruce at the end with regard to Capitol and their (lack of) promotion toward Pet Sounds at the time. To me, the reception of American audiences, at the time of Brian's decision to make an orchestral album was maybe not as bad as their attitude of Dylan's folk fan base when he went electric, but maybe let's say indifferent.
Pet Sounds vs Revolver.... Now that was a contest back then so I got both. I still have. Some of the best music of the late 60's with not that many to touch them since imho.
Revolver wins.
Here There & Everywhere was Paul's answer to You Still Believe in Me... just like Good Day Sunshine was Paul's answer to Daydream by the Lovin' Spoonful. Just imagine how different Sgt. Pepper would have been if the Smile album had been finished in December 1966 as originally scheduled.
may Brian Wilson live forever
Got a big reaction from all the artists and The Beatles, wise to separate the two as any other artist of the era, The Beatles were a different creature all together. If the Beatles back your work you nailed something.
Ive loved the BB since 1961....they can do no wrong in my eyes!!!
In 1975, I was 10 and a buddy let me borrow a cassette and player. It was a bunch of early 60's surf and car music. Fell in love with The Beach Boys then. I've seen them in concert I don't know how many times! When I was in the Army, I went AWOL to see them. Turns out my 1st Sgt. also was a fan, he went to the concert and saw me. I got busted. Altogether, fines and reduction in rank, it cost me right about $400 in 1985 prices. Almost 40 years later, I STILL think it was worth it!
I love how he acknowledges that Sloop John B doesn’t belong.
He wrote a song for Barry Manilow. He said it Bought him a House. Amazing talent in his own right!
The song is "I Write the Songs", a HUGE HIT.
The UKs public tastes were generally ahead of the US at the time. From 1964 until the early 70s, the USA was playing catch-up.
I always got a still believe in me vibe on here there and everywhere
'Dizney Girls" is as good as songwriting gets! Heard that tune for 1st time last month in NYC - blew me away
Thanks for sharing, Bruce. That was a trip to England FOR SURE!
It goes without saying that music made in that era will never be made again. If you listen to the music of the Beach Boys it's a biographical profile of Brian Wilson's life. True genius.
Johnston's greatest piece being The Nearest Faraway Place (instrumental) was directly influenced by Pet Sounds.
I don’t know. Disney girls is his best work in my opinion. Also, him producing Goin’ On and Oh Darlin’ were pretty amazing too
Bruce seems like a really nice guy.
He wrote Deirdre, that’s all that matters. He’s awesome.
Back in the USSR was written by McCartney in Rishikesh while Mike Love was there. From memory Paul told Mike it's like a Beach Boys style number and Mike said he was the one that suggested he adds a part where he sings about the girls in Russia. It's a Beach Boys inspired number.
Mike was a also friend of George Harrison’s. They got into TM together
I don’t believe a word from Mike Love.
Totally Illuminating!! I've heard Brian speak of "feeling competitive" with the Beatles, but never understood that John and Paul were totally up to speed on the Pet Sounds work before it hit the market. The breadth of varied pop sounds and the creativity in evidence on Pet Sounds went unmatched in the US for years. The "recording studio as instrument" ethic under Brian's hand, and the Beatles Sgt. Pepper "answer" are facts. That there was direct connection between the two camps during a most tumultous time tickles me to no end.
It's all in the bridge ... the lyrics, melody and backing vocals in that part .,. "the Ukraine girls really knock me out (wooo ooo ooo)..." ... they were having a play on the Beach Boys there ... have a listen to it again to see what I mean
It's funny, in the documentary "Echo in the Canyon" Lou Adler tells the EXACT same Pet Sounds/Beatles story... Idk if he's lying or if that actually happened.... I believe Bruce cuz he's been telling that story since the 80s.
Bruce, Mike Love and Al Jardine don't get the credit they deserve. Wonderfully talented men!!
Mike Love got much more credit than he'll ever deserve.
Michael Fumesta that’s true, al and Bruce do deserve more but mike love is such a douchebag, plus no one really talks about Carl Wilson, who had such a great voice, and Dennis Wilson, who had such a great secret talent and an amazing drumming skill
Mike Love? MIKE LOVE???!!!!
Not Mike Love.
Bruce Johnston is a genius.
the advanced copy of pet sounds was brought to the band by bruce smack dab in the middle of their mar thru apr recording sessions to revolver. who knows if it wasn't presented when it was revolver might well have become another album entirely from the vantage point of posterity
Sometimes wish Bruce would take that hat off! :-)
Bruce even tho he sides with mike, he is the bond of the group and is the reason I think that all the newer music was able to happen because he helped al get everyone back together
3:02 "...he had something wonderful." Yes, he did. I absolutely loved Pet Sounds when I was a lonely and confused teenager in the late 1960s. Later on in life I had to educate people about it. My wife just associated the Beach Boys with 'surf music'. (The name of the band did not help there...). Her brother, a great Beatles fan like me, thought it was a greatest hits compilation. I told him all about the McCartney/Wilson 'rivalry'. Whoever was in charge of promotion at Capitol back then should've been shot. And the album cover! Guys at a petting zoo! Jesus H. Christ! All these moving, brilliantly written and performed songs about young love and anguish and emotions and the album cover is a photo of the band at a petting zoo!!
Lol I remember thinking the same thing when I first got into the Boys. Totally confused me to see that album cover, wasn't till many years later that I saw a documentary or interview with M. Love where he explained the (now) archaic way that the word "pet" was used back then, as in "I have a little pet project I'm working on", i.e., something near and dear to one's soul.
Beach Boys harmony is my favorite
Great video. Nice guy. Thank you for sharing.
As far as "Pet Sounds" not being as big of a hit in The U.S.A. as it should have been, the bottom line is that The U.S.A. wasn't ready for "Pet Sounds". "Pet Sounds" was SO far ahead of it's time that initially, The U.S.A. hadn't caught up to the progressive sound that Brian Wilson had created. Now, The U.S.A. has finally acknowledged "Pet Sounds" as one of, if not, the best album of all time. It ranks right up there with "Sgt. Pepper's".
I thought Lou Adler brought the acetate to England, and brought it Andrew Loog Oldhams house to listen. Maybe there were two different listening sessions
You are correct about that. LOL! With all his Mike's whining, still Brian complemented Love for creating the song Kokamo. Which was the closest the remaining Beach Boys ever came to sounding like what they had become famous for without Brian. But after that, it became the retro show. They were done without Brian and Carl.
I Love Bruce, a true Beach boy
The Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Cream, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour all love the Beach Boys. You know who else did? John Paul Jones. He has said before he joined Led Zeppelin, the only rock and roll album he owned was "Pet Sounds"!
Imagining Kieth Moon's rip roaring drumming in surf music, would have been awesome, maybe even saved the genre!
Imagine Keith Moon with Dick Dale.
disney girls is great bruce song
Awesome story Bruce..
They were "in it" for the music. Now everyone is in it for money. Back then they didn't have blood-thirsty lawyers and managers trying to "get theirs"
It was about making the best music they could do with the technology they had.
Makes me wonder what could Brian have done now?
When I get to Rock & Roll Heaven I want to have Brian, Paul and John get together and see what they could do. Yes, I realize more will have to die but can you imagine the jam sessions?
Do you people out there know that Bruce Johnston wrote I write the songs.
The Marketplace is an enemy of the Artist.
It will promote and feed you on their terms, often crushing the true artist.
It's all about formulas and money.
Sadly, Mike Love sided with the Marketplace and this took among other things, a huge toll on Brian Wilson.
Truly
Best.Album.Ever.
Amazing and extraordinary
Good interview and way too modest.
I agree with Carrots43. If you can't hear the Beach Boys influence on that song then it would be impossible to explain it to you here. Like frovil said it's the lyric celebrating girls, the melody...which would be impossible to explain. You just have to "hear" the similarity. And the harmonies are very much like that Beach Boy "surf" feel. There' no barrel scraping going on here. You just can't hear it.
Great album!
My ex husband was on the road with Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow in the 70’s and stories of Kieth Moon began to surface. He was quite the party animal back in the day. R. I. P. Kieth.
He writes the songs.1975 song by Barry M
Late to the party...8 years late!
Bruce Johnston is a stand up guy. I've never read/heard a bad word about him from anyone.
He is a VERY HUMBLE and down to earth guy - so we’re Ronnie James Dio and Sammy Hagar. I can’t say the same about Mike Love or half of the original members of KISS who are unfortunately still in the band.
@@strnglhld What's ironic about that is Bruce has been Mike Love's most loyal soldier and greatest defender!
I am at a loss at where Wouldn't it Nice is remotely like "Here, There and Everywhere" of the Beatles. McCartney originally wanted some sort of Beach Boys vocal sound, but that never materialized. Probably because of Lennon getting involved.
Such a crying shame that The Beach Boys can’t even sit and hold a conversation in the same room without suing the shit out of each other.
My question is what did John Lennon really think of Pet Sounds? We all hear what Paul McCartney thought but no interviews of John talking about Pet Sounds. You don't ever hear John claim that Pet Sounds influence any of his work on Sgt. Pepper's
❤❤❤
Anyone who understands music knows Pet Sounds was huge. The American public expected an album full of hooks rather than creativity
univibe23 - maybe. or maybe they just made a bad judgement at that moment. hard to believe the industry set out to hurt brian wilson.
maybe it wasn't typical beach boy fare and they just didn't "get it." it is strange. my understanding is that the album was not properly sequenced (running order) and that some tracks were left off.
What's wrong with Sloopjohn b.?? I love that song
'Pet Sounds' is the greatest pop record of all time. It is timeless unlike anything the Beatles did.
....I think if at that point they had changed their name to "The Beachtles" the Record Companies would have been much more interested and supportive !!!
Wow what a great fkn story
Nor Revolver or Pepper were not influenced by Pet. There are clear influence in Penny Lane an several Tour songs.
Yay, the Wrecking Crew!!!
i just respect him more since he brought up the new RR ghost.
If the story is true that Mike Love suggests a line for Back in the USSR, then he would have sued McCartney long ago for not making it a "Lennon McCartney & Love" song!
Larry, you obviously have a victim mentality that you probably got from listening to the left.
Can't possibly be true. "Back in the USSR" was a Beatles piss-take of "California Girls". A bit cruel to Brian though, as they'd already blown his head up once with Sgt Pepper.
@@JFF35753 what? Sod off weirdo.
Brian was influenced from Rubber Soul & that's how Pet Sounds happened. And in turn Pet Sounds is why Pepper happened. I guess they all feed off of each other.
Bruce wearing a Mike Love hat
Moon was really disappointed that when The Who first toured America in 1967 with the surfing sound being pretty much dead by then.
i can't blame keith, even nowadays i wish i could be part of what is going on in california
If only they included " Good Vibrations" on PET SOUNDS.
Bigger mistake than " Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane" dropped from PEPPER!
100% agree
Beach Boys were/are good. Greatly admire Brian Wilson as a musician. Some of their songs are very good. Kokomo was cool. However I would not lump in the same class as the Beatles, Zeppelin, Queen though. Then again music is a matter of taste, clearly Americans love them and rightly so, maybe not so kuch internationally.
you, really lucky man.
Believe me I was excellent....and still am.
But Brian then followed up with "Good Vibrations". Not bad.
I'm a big fan of music, especially the old stuff. love the Beatles. Maybe it was just the time, but I can't understand the fasinaction with pet sounds. love the song wouldn't it be nice.. then where is the rest of it? Nor Sgt Peppers, Abby Road, revolver, Rubber Soul and Let it be top The pepper album. In fact peppers is probably my least favorite album from the lads. I'm just saying, a day in the life one of there best songs, but front to back
Capitol Records should be ashamed of themselves.
McCartney called God Only Knows the perfect pop song. But deejays in the USA wouldn't play it because God is in the title apparently. Sloop John B was meant as the B side. It is an old calypso , Brian didn't write it.
Capitol ended up becoming Decca with Dick Rowe's passing on the Beatles.They got the Stones,but they screwed up with Beatles.Well,Capitol lost out on a lot of potential gain not promoting Pet Sounds better.Itgot to#10 on the Billboard charts after it's release in May of '66.Capitol really stuck their foot in their mouths,because decades later,look at the honors bestowed upon it.
Ironic Both groups start with BEA in the title of there name
Karen Kochanski Actually, I hadn't noticed that before but you're right. It has some bizarre qualities to it.
coincidence, not ironic
The beach boys will always be the best band ever love the melodies and harmonies no one comes close
My opinion is the Beach Boys were a little too wholesome for the late 60's scene in America. In reality the imagination and artistry of Brian Wilson was a great inspiration for an overt psychedelic movement that killed it's creator.
I had read the story that Bruce conveyed. I knew Moonie had arranged for John and Paul to listen to Pet Sounds. I knew they thought highly of it. I own Pet Sounds. I have tried, really tried to like it. To quote my lead guitarist, "that album sucks" Every year or so I try again to like it. And after yet another spin on the Victrola, I put it back in its cover and it sits for another year. And at this point, my reaction to Pet Sounds has nothing at all to do with how Capitol Records handled it. For whatever reason, that album did not appeal to the American audience. I think "Little Deuce Coupe" is a better album.
there's no rock n roll nor' teenage fun songs , and if the lyrics were different - about young teen romance , instead of late teens and twenties relationships it might have gone over better. revolver also didn't have rock n roll.nor ' teen fun songs' but it had rock.attitude. pet sounds is greatl and magnificent( listen to.it again , but its more like burt bacharach kinda thing than rock.
@@jamessilver6429 It's really simple, I don't like Pet Sounds. I know McCartney liked it. And Lennon liked Nilsson. I pretty much hated the theme to Midnight Cowboy. Turned it off as soon as it came on the radio. If I had to pick a favorite band, the Beatles, no contest. But some of the musicians the Beatles liked? Not really.
Sgt Pepper's would not be had it not been for Pet Sounds
**It's difficult to 'blame' a record-company for "Pet Sounds" not charting well (the buying public determines what they wantto hear and pay $$$$ for...NOT the artists or the studio or the 'promoters') ****Fans of the 'Beach Boys' like the 'surf stuff'...and virtually all of the 'ballads' did very well and are still popular even now...like"Surfer Girl" or "God Only Knows"...the fans didn't like 'goats bleating' or odd discordant stuff present on "Sounds"...then or now...and when your 'Label' comes to you and says "Could we have some more tunes like "Fun Fun Fun" or some nice ballads you might have? Because your audience is NOT BUYING this album and we are in the business of making money, remember?"**
He did not offer anything specific about their reaction.
Other than they were highly impressed. No details.