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Brian Wilson continues his amazing rehabilitation

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Trauma-san:
Quick Rundown on Brian Wilson if you don't know the whole story.  The man, pictured to the left, is Brian Wilson, founding member of The Beach Boys.  When most people hear 'Beach Boys" they think "Fun in the Sun" or "Stupid white people music".  Not entirely true.

Brian Wilson is widely regarded as a musical genius, and one, if not THE, greatest producers of all time.  He lost hearing in 1 ear permanetly as a child, many claim from the beatings his drunken father inflicted on him.  At 19, he started the Beach Boys, writing, arranging, and producing his own songs, with his two brothers, Carl, and Dennis, Their cousin Mike, and their friend Al.  They went on to be the greatest selling American band of all time, even over the Beatles.  Brian has a pitch perfect voice from childhood, and had an uncanny ability to sing in a rare power falsetto... most people can't switch from their regular singing voice to a falsetto voice without it cracking or stopping to breathe, Brian could do it with a power that was amazing.  Perfectly smooth and beautiful, his voice was amazing, and he sang all the high parts of all the Beach Boy's songs.  

Brian started doing incredibly creative and complex songs a few years after the Beach Boys started out, culminating in 'pet sounds', considered by many to be the greatest album of all time.  He was 22 years old when he wrote the album.  Unbelievable.  Even though he was self-taught, he was by that time commanding a room full of studio musicians, even relying on small orchestras on some songs!  

Brian's mental health rapidly declined, and basically went crazy while working on the follow up, "SMiLE".  Heralded as the most creative album of all time, it was never finished, and never released, Brian retired to his mansion in Beverly Hills, and for months wouldn't leave his bed, as he descended into a deep depression that he still hasn't emerged from.  He ended up getting divorced from his wife, estranged from his two daughters, and by 1976, was writing only 1 or 2 songs per album... .His angellic voice was DESTROYED, by a combination of Heroin, Alcohol, and Ciggarettes, to the point that he wasn't even recognizable on tape.   His production went from grand creative, innovative cutting edge, mozart-like rock waltzes and melodic pop symphonies to stripped-down, bare boned synthesizer tracks.  His response to the failure of "SMiLE"'s grand design was to minimalize everything.  

In the 80's, he released a CD co-wrote by his psychiatrist, Dr. Eugene Landy, who has since had his license revoked and had a restraining order placed on him by Brian's family, the man was leeching him dry, living in his mansion, and generally, as crazy as Brian is.  He had full control of Brian's money, wouldn't let Brian see his family, all kinds of crazy shit.  

In about 1998, Brian re-intered the music scene with a new album, and it sounded pretty damn good.  His voice was almost back to where it was before, but he still had all the nervousness and strange quirky behaviours from the 70's, and wouldn't even talk about the "SMiLE" album he went crazy recording.  He does crazy shit, like when the band plays solos, he turns his back on the audience and conducts them, or when they introduce him on stage as "BRIAN WILLLLLSON!!!" he says "WILLLLLSON" along with the guy backstage, and crazy shit.  People interview him, and he just says "Thank you" and gets up and walks out in the middle of the interview.  He lost all his weight, and took a picture of himself in speedos standing on a piano in 1995 for Rolling Stone.  In the 60's, he had a sandbox installed in his living room so he could play piano in it.  He had a bedroom full of tents, with a parking meter with a light bulb inside you had to pay to turn on... When you opened his front door, the only way through the foyer was to climb through a child's jungle gym.  The man is NUTS.  

Flash forward to 2004, and in February, he performed the unreleased, amazing "SMiLE" album in it's entirety on stage.  He's touring the world, and every night his voice sounds a little better than the night before.  He's currently, in the studio, finishing the legendary album he abandoned 35 years ago, and it's really just fucking amazing that he's come this far.

The newest word is, he has a new CD of entirely new songs coming out June 22nd.  the amazing part?  He produced the entire CD himself, the first time he's producing a song, much less a CD, in 30 years.  Amazing... it's like watching someone dig themself out of a coffin.  He's gotten remarried, has 3 adopted children, isn't as paranoid as he used to be, can actually do intereviews and things, dances on stage, it's a fucking miracle if you know anything about the situation.  

Now_Im_Not_Banned:
I'll check out that new album when it drops...

Shallow:
well we agree on something, Brian Wilson is an amazing artist with a very very good catalog of songs. Pet Sounds changed the way albums were made, most say it was Sgt Peppers, but McCartney would tell it different, sine Pet Sounds inspired the album, and the Beatles crative side almost as much as Dylan did.

Also, are you sure the Beach Boys outsold the Beatles?

Trauma-san:
Yes, In America...

Shallow:
Is that album sales, or are you including singles aswell?

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