Here Today!: The Songs of Brian Wilson

by N/A

Overview

Brian Wilson famously abandoned the road for the studio in 1965, but in the years prior to that transition he was already something of a studio rat, spending a fair amount of time writing for (and sometimes producing) artists outside of the Beach Boys. He worked with Jan Berry, produced and composed for the female surf rock trio the Honeys (he would marry Marilyn Rovell), and tried to land songs with Phil Spector, but it wouldn't be until late 1964 that the covers came quickly, not coincidentally coinciding with his progression as a composer. Most of the songs on Ace's 2015 compilation, Here Today! The Songs of Brian Wilson -- a 25-track collection of covers -- date from that purple patch from the mid-'60s, and include many songs cherry-picked from the excellent Today! and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) records -- recovered roughly at the same time, plus a selection of tunes he gave away during that era and a suite of songs from Pet Sounds that were covered between 1967 and 1991. Despite the opening ringer of "Do You Have Any Regrets" -- a song from the abandoned 1991 Sweet Insanity album covered by Darain Sahanaja, the lead singer of the Wondermints, a group which proved instrumental in the 21st century revival of Smile -- and "Surf City," everything here dates from between 1964 and 1966, which is appropriate, as those three years were Brian Wilson's golden age. Here Today! isn't so much a primary text for that era as a useful, often delightful, supplement, adding color and texture to a well-known story. Often, this shading arrives through alternate versions of songs the Beach Boys first cut -- Bobby Vee does "Here Today," Tony Rivers & the Castaways do "The Girl from New York City," Basil Swift & the Seegrams tackle "Farmer's Daughter" -- and if these versions don't reimagine the originals, they are nevertheless a testament to the studio craft of Los Angeles in the mid-'60s. As much as Wilson's writing is indelible -- he wrote few better songs than "Guess I'm Dumb," here in a relatively rare, slightly speedier version by Johnny Wells, not Glen Campbell -- it's the overall feel of Here Today! that truly impresses: this was music made when working in the studio with a large cast of supporting musicians was the norm, and it's all the more glorious for that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/10/2015
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667072328
Rank:	90157

Tracks

1. Do You Have Any Regrets?  - Darian Sahanaja  - Brian Wilson
2. Here Today  - Tony Asher  - Leon Russell  - Dallas Smith  - Bobby Vee  - Brian Wilson
3. Guess I'm Dumb  - Mike Berry  - Peter Raymond  - Russ Titelman  - Johnny Wells  - Johnny Wells  - Brian Wilson
4. Don't Worry Baby  - Norm Bergen  - Roger Christian  - Mitch Margo  - Phil Margo  - Hank Medress  - Jay Siegel  -  Tokens  - Brian Wilson
5. Farmer's Daughter  - D.A. Hutton  - Mike Love  -  Seegrams  - Basil Swift  - Nick Venet  - Brian Wilson
6. Help Me Rhonda  -  Bruce & Terry  - Mike Love  - Terry Melcher  - Brian Wilson
7. I Do  -  Castells  - Roger Christian  - Brian Wilson
8. The New Girl in School  - Jan Berry  - Roger Christian  -  Jan & Dean  - Bob Norberg  - Brian Wilson
9. Time to Get Alone  -  Redwood  -  Redwood  - Brian Wilson
10. Don't Hurt My Little Sister  - Mike Love  -  Surfaris  - Gary Usher  - Brian Wilson
11. My Buddy Seat  -  Hondells  - Gary Usher  - Nick Venet  - Brian Wilson
12. Move Out, Little Mustang  - Don Altfield  - Roger Christian  -  Rally Packs  - Brian Wilson
13. She Rides with Me  - Roger Christian  -  Joey & The Continentals  - Walter Masky  - Brian Wilson
14. The Girl from New York City  - John Burgess  - Mike Love  -  Rivers  - Brian Wilson
15. Surf City  - Jan Berry  - Billy Jackson  - Roy Straigis  -  Tymes  - Brian Wilson
16. My First Love  - Roger Christian  - Jim Economides  -  Super Stocks  - Gary Usher  - Brian Wilson
17. Things Are Changing  -  Jay & the Americans  - Phil Spector  - Brian Wilson
18. Girl Don't Tell Me  - Keith Green  - Gary Usher  - Brian Wilson
19. Aren't You Glad  - Ted Daryll  - Al Gorgoni  - Mike Love  - Peggy March  - Brian Wilson
20. God Only Knows  - Tony Asher  - Betty Everett  - Billy Page  - Gene Page  - Brian Wilson
21. Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)  - Tony Asher  - Johnny Keeting  - Carmen McRae  - Brian Wilson
22. Good Vibrations  - Mike Love  - Hugo Montenegro  - Joe Reisman  - Brian Wilson
23. Caroline, No  - Tony Asher  - Nick DeCaro  - Tommy LiPuma  - Brian Wilson
24. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times  - Tony Asher  - Dean Brodrick  - Louis Philippe  - Louis Phillipe  - Brian Wilson
25. You Still Believe in Me  - Tony Asher  -  Bazza  - Kirsty MacColl  - Brian Wilson

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Seegrams   Primary Artist
Basil Swift   Primary Artist
The Castells   Primary Artist
Betty Everett   Primary Artist
The Hondells   Primary Artist
Bobby Vee   Primary Artist
Keith Green   Primary Artist
Kirsty MacColl   Primary Artist
Joey & The Continentals   Primary Artist
Redwood   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Tony Rivers & The Castaways   Primary Artist
Rally-Packs   Primary Artist
Johnny Wells   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Carmen McRae   Primary Artist
Jan & Dean   Primary Artist
Louis Philippe   Primary Artist
Nick DeCaro   Primary Artist
The Tymes   Primary Artist
The Super Stocks   Primary Artist
Bruce & Terry   Primary Artist
Louis Phillipe   Primary Artist
Darian Sahanaja   Primary Artist
Jay & the Americans   Primary Artist
Peggy March   Primary Artist
The Surfaris   Primary Artist
The Tokens   Primary Artist
Hugo Montenegro   Primary Artist
Dean Brodrick   Primary Artist
D.A. Hutton   Director
Johnny Keeting   Conductor
Norm Bergen   Conductor
Gary Usher   Conductor
Nick Venet   Director
Al Gorgoni   Conductor

Technical Credits

Roy Straigis   Arranger,Producer
D.A. Hutton   Arranger
Johnny Keeting   Arranger
Norm Bergen   Arranger
Ted Daryll   Producer
Terry Melcher   Producer
Mick Patrick   Liner Notes,Illustrations
Martin Roberts   Illustrations
Neil Dell   Package Design
Walter Masky   Producer
Jay Siegel   Composer
Roger Christian   Composer
Billy Page   Producer
Bazza   Producer
Joe Reisman   Producer
Russ Titelman   Composer
Gary Usher   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Phil Margo   Composer
Nick DeCaro   Producer
Nick Venet   Producer
Mitch Margo   Composer
Mike Love   Composer
Al Gorgoni   Arranger
Tommy LiPuma   Producer
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Hank Medress   Composer
Dallas Smith   Producer
Brian Wilson   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Louis Phillipe   Arranger,Producer
Phil Spector   Composer,Producer
Bob Norberg   Composer
Gene Page   Producer
Jan Berry   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Leon Russell   Arranger
Jim Economides   Producer
Mike Berry   Producer
The Tokens   Producer
Peter Raymond   Producer
John Burgess   Producer
Harvey Williams   Liner Notes,Illustrations
Tony Asher   Composer
Billy Jackson   Arranger,Producer
Dean Brodrick   Arranger,Producer
Kingsley Abbott   Liner Notes
Don Altfield   Composer