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Happy 80th Birthday Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson

Tomorrow Paul McCartney is 80 and on Monday Brian Wilson is 80!   Happy Birthday to them both and thank you for the wonderful music.

Martine Guy ● 1326d17 Comments

In those days we used to play whole LPs at a time so knew all of the songs and in which order they came ie the end of one and the intro of the next!  We saved up for LPs and borrowed and lent them. So many LPs were complete works of art in themselves like Sgt Pepper.  Without listening to the whole you'd never hear some of the songs or whole intros and endings.  (They make good quizzes!)

Philippa Bond ● 1323d

@Sue. Don't worry baby, it's all about the heroes and villains, so let's all be friends now I can hear music ... but don't go near the water!Yes, Brian Wilson looks a lot more contended these days and seems to be comfortable touring. Saw him at Kenwood House in 2008 and the Cliffs Pavillion, Southend, 2016. He seemed to be enjoying it although his voice seems to need a bit of help - re-enforcement - these days from Matt Jardine (Al's son). He and Al Jardine have put together a good band. I haven't heard Mike Love's Beach Boys but I don't go to trophy hunters' or Trump rallies :-)

Michael Ixer ● 1324d

Sue, I don’t think your feeling those Good Vibrations today, lol!  Re: Great songwriters, I think Bob Dylan fans would rate him top.
Philippa, “Dont go near the water” is on “Surfs Up”.  I think the Beach Boys were a bit ahead of everyone else on this. I think Brian Wilson has found peace and happiness in his later years.  He really deserves it.

Martine Guy ● 1324d

@PhillipaI was expecting to read something relevant to the topic but what do I see? You droning on about pollution!  Any tenuous link you can think of and you're off again. How to kill the interest and ruin a thread is your specialty.🙄

Sue Hammond ● 1324d

Yes Michael,  there is so much more raw sewage now being allowed to be pumped straight out into the sea.  All our rivers in the UK are now polluted.  That Beach Boys song which was on an  LP (Surf's Up?) one of a very few we had (no credit cards) and played on a cassette machine and so played constantly in our room was burned into our memory.  The fight for the environment continues.

Philippa Bond ● 1324d

Agree, about Beatles and Sergeant Pepper.  I had Rubber Soul too and played it over and over.  Re: the Rolling Stones, I never tire of hearing their music, love them, but didn’t have enough pocket money back then to buy their records, as my money went on The Beatles. I hope Glastonbury goes well for Sir Paul, and we will be watching at home singing along to all the old favourites. re: Brian Wilson, I enjoyed the songs at the time, didn’t know about Pet Sounds, but really came to appreciate the California sound later in life.

Martine Guy ● 1324d

I loved the Beatles and Sgt Pepper is one of my all time favourite albums, plus Rubber Soul because it contains In My Life which is a song that means so much to me. The Lennon / McCartney songwriting combo will leave a legacy that will never be surpassed in the pop genres, in my opinion.  However from that era I preferred the Stones, Led Zeppelin and Cream and Disraeli Gears never gets old for me. Sorry Martine but the California sound never did it for me. Anyway happy birthday tomorrow to both gentlemen. McCartney is headlining at Glastonbury again this year and he is planning a virtual duet with John Lennon which will either be very creepy or absolutely wonderful. At least with all the crowd noise his voice which is quite weak now will be drowned out. Sir Paul McCartney is set to virtually reunite with the late John Lennon for a live duet as he headlines at Glastonbury next week:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10927947/Sir-Paul-McCartney-set-virtually-reunite-John-Lennon-Glastonbury-week.html?ito=email_share_article-top

Sue Hammond ● 1325d

That had me confused initially. Then I realised Philippa meant the quality of the sea water around the UK, not the musical quality of "Don't Go Near The Water"! Think it's the original recording (at least the backing track) with the film shot in Brighton featuring Mike Love's and Bruce Johnson's Beach Boys, not Brian Wilson's and Al & Matt Jardine's band? Not 100% certain though.

Michael Ixer ● 1325d

Can it really be 60 years since Love Me Do?   We listened to the Light Programme on the radio and things like Workers Playtime, then the Beatles came along and changed everything, thank goodness. Philippa what is your link about as I can’t get it to work? 

Martine Guy ● 1326d

I love both the Beatles and the Beach Boys.Recently I've been reminded and saddened  by this one which we played at college.  I think it has got worse especially here in the UK.  I think was recorded in Brighton.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZES3_SSYA

Philippa Bond ● 1326d

I remember being shocked when Robert Elms said he didn’t like the Beatles but I understand it as I get older.  I never play their songs at home, and rarely listen to them anymore. Here Today is wonderful but my favourites, in no particular order, are Kiss Me Baby, Let Him Run Wild, Darlin and Little Girl I Once Knew.  I liked the Beach Boys at the time, but when I married a fan, I started to appreciate the genius of Brian Wilson. To see these 2 giants of popular music reach 80, makes me feel very old too!

Martine Guy ● 1326d

That's a difficult one, Martine. I got hooked by Wilson's harmonies in the surfing songs; as you say, there's so many of those - I guess the arrangements on California Girls, She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew, The Girl From New York City are favourites from the surfing days. But when I first heard Kenny Everett playing Pet Sounds on Radio London (the pirate one) that was a level up: Here Today is probably my favourite from that time, followed by I Know There's An Answer (and the outtake of that with alternative lyrics, Hang On to Your Ego!).Wasn't a great Beatles fan in the 60s - preferred the Stones and Kinks - but have warmed to them later. Then my cousin introduced me to Hendrix and Clapton's early works with the Experience and Cream.

Michael Ixer ● 1326d

Re: The Long Promised Road documentary, my husband tells me I’ve watched some of it as we have the DVD, but he went to see it in Barnes.  I get a bit confused regarding the films.

Martine Guy ● 1326d

What are your favourite songs Michael?  It’s just hit after hit.  We went to Brighton not so long ago to see the Mike Love Beach Boys and it was about 40+ songs.  Amazing!  I love the California sound and the California harmonies. I was a massive Beatles fan when I was a child and Paul was my favourite.  They saved me from the boredom of my childhood.  It was great to hear their northern accents instead of the posh voices that were on t.v. and radio of the early sixties.  Life was grey in the early sixties and suddenly it burst into colour when they arrived.

Martine Guy ● 1326d

Agreed, Martine, Brian Wilson is one of the greatest composers and musicians from the 1960s. Pet Sounds is still one of my favourite albums. Have you seen the Long Promised Road documentary? Pity his cousin, Mike Love, doesn't share these sentiments!

Michael Ixer ● 1326d

I don’t know any star (can’t think of a better word) who is more loved than Brian Wilson.  The Guy family LOVE Brian Wilson, the greatest songwriter of the 20th century.  

Martine Guy ● 1326d

Yes, and both still touring. McCartney has just finished a US tour and Wilson is in the middle of one. Guess it's doing what they enjoy that keeps them going!

Michael Ixer ● 1326d