Why or why not?

I would. There's a lot of artists I like a lot that I wouldn't call geniuses but Brian is special.

He had an ear for melody and harmony that allowed him to make music the likes of which had never been heard before. Especially from 1965-67, his stuff is so sophisticated and accomplished, it's kind of amazing it was created by a guy in his early 20s with very little training.

After that he kind of snapped and never has produced at that level again, but just for the run of albums between All Summer Long and Surf's Up, 1965 to 72, he's up there in the top level.

I'm going to say that Yes Brian Wilson is a musical genius. Its really unfortunate that Brian has suffered with his issues as I think he could have been even more prolific & influential as an artist in terms of if his vision of the original 'Smile' album if it was realised and he continued working with Van Dyke Parks too would have evolved his music further. There's a really good documentary called 'Beautiful Dreamer' about Brian and his 'Smile' album and I recommend all music fans check it out, especially fans of Brian's music. Would 'Smile' have made a big impact on music at the time and influenced other groups/singers? or because it was left unreleased until they released the 'Smile Sessions' did it give it like a mystical type quality as it was like Brian's unreleased masterpiece.

Personally, I like both versions of it, the Smile sessions and Brian's recreation of the album in 2004. Musically he's influenced by Gerswhin, Phil Spector's production & the Four Freshmen amongst others and I think the harmonies in the Beach Boys songs added alot to their music and give their songs a 'full' sound. I think if Brian pushed himself more with the Beach Boys and been the leader of the group he'd have made them one of the biggest bands in terms of their influence and be compared with the Beatles who eclipsed them as they expanded from the Merseybeat sound on their early albums to ones like 'Sgt Pepper'. If the Beach Boys moved away from the Surf/car songs and followed on from 'Pet Sounds' with 'Smile' (of which some of the songs were recycled on other BB albums) then moved on from there with other concept albums and let Brian expand on his creativity they'd have benefited from it a great deal. Its good that Brian is back making music again and I think he should be placed along the great songwriters in music history.

Of course.

Absolutely. An all time great, he wrote the music and occasionally his own lyrics, played keyboards and bass guitar, arranged, produced and sang lead and backing vocals (imo he was/ is the greatest arranger of backing/ harmony vox of the rock era) on the Beach Boys classic records and beyond. He was the nearest thing to a true rival the Beatles ever had in their prime and Brian was kind of Lennon/McCartney AND George Martin all rolled into one

One of the most 'soulful' artists around.

Yes.

Two words - Pet Sounds.

hw3004 said:

Yes.

Two words - Pet Sounds.

As much as Ive tried I just dont get PS and the hype.

scriptgirl said:

Why or why not?

Yes, because Brian Wilson IS the Beach Boys sound.

Absolutely.

hw3004 said:

Yes.

Two words - Pet Sounds.

ONE WORD: Smile

[Edited 7/17/13 11:39am]

lazycrockett said:

hw3004 said:

Yes.

Two words - Pet Sounds.

As much as Ive tried I just dont get PS and the hype.

This

Before he fried his brain, sure.

Now? Nope. The genius behind the man is Darian Sahanaja. It's a shame he's stuck propping up Brian instead of making his own music.

No.

There is some 'search which suggests that Mozart was not a genius; that his legendary

musical prowess was the result of historical revisionism by the Romantics; that he was

simply the result of extreme talent, extreme dedication (focus) and extreme hard work.

This is because genius is extremely rare, despite how we use that word has changed over

time.

.

If Mozart isn't a genius, Brian Wilson, the author of Pet Sounds and "God Only Knows"

which is quite simply the most beautifully written and arranged pop song I've ever heard,

isn't either.

duccichucka said:

The term genius has been flung around here to the point of being meaningless.
However, Brian Wilson has written some iconic Pop songs.

A few favs...



...The Warmth of the Sun


"The Warmth of the Sun" was started in the early morning hours of the same morning that President Kennedy was killed in Dallas. The melody was so haunting, sad, melancholy, that the only thing that I could think of lyrically was the loss of love, when interest slips and feelings aren't reciprocated... though I wanted to have a silver lining on that cumulus nimbus cloud so I wrote the lyrics from the perspective of, 'Yes, things have changed and love is no longer there, but the memory of it lingers like the warmth of the sun.' I think it's really impactful and memorable... one of my favorite songs from an emotional and personal point of view."

~Mike Love




...[i]Don't Worry Baby & In My Room





...Wouldn't It Be Nice & Surf's Up




...I Just Wasn't Made For These Times & God Only Knows

...Heroes and Villains & Wonderful



Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

Okay I understand your point of view. What I mean by genius, is strictly limited within the popular music world. No Brian Wilson is not a musical genius on the level of Mozart or Beethoven (and if those two aren't geniuses, then who is?) or any classical composer. But he has written a wealth of great songs and demonstrated an enormous talent for rock music production with all of his music in the 60's (most notably in Pet Sounds and SMiLE). I'm okay with calling Brian Wilson a pop music genius especially if it's defined as someone who is exceptionally gifted intellectually or creatively.

I agree that the term genius has been overused but I have no problem using it with the songwriters of The Great American Songbook such as Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin, the most exceptionally talented rock songwriters, performers, and producers such as Jimi Hendrix, Lennon/McCartney, Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson, great jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus. I believe that all of these people are geniuses within their realm, and I think that they will continue to be respected and admired within their realm as they have made timeless contributions to their respective genres.

But in the end I really don't care about genius or any labels of that sort, I just like music, I don't care what other people think and I really don't think Brian Wilson cares whether or not we consider him a musical genius, he just loves listening to music and making it as well

[Edited 7/19/13 16:24pm]