Recent years have seen a deluge
of documentary treatments of
the Brian Wilson and Beach Boys
story, yet Songwriter 1962-1969
is the first to focus primarily on
Wilson’s extraordinary music
rather than his struggles.
Refreshingly, its talking
heads are chosen well; rather
than the usual line-up of
gushing hangers-on, we’re
treated to a succession of
intelligent biographers, session
musicians, musicologists and
close friends. This means that
over the generous three-hour
running time, songs that are
usually neglected, such as In
The Back Of My Mind, are
dissected; and anecdotes seem
fresh, such as bassist Carol
Kaye pointing out California
Girls’ country roots. The
unofficial angle may sometimes
seem cheap but, in this case, it
means that the viewer doesn’t
have to suffer any cringeworthy
recent interviews with Brian
and his band. Rather, it frees
contributors up to make the
odd unexpected comment,
such as Bruce Johnson’s
dismissal of the fan favourite
LP Friends (though it’s also
notable for being the Beach
Boys’ only late 60s album with
no Bruce Johnston songwriting
contributions on it). There’s a
decent amount of performance
footage too, but nothing that
Wilson enthusiasts wouldn’t be
familiar with. Still, it’s perhaps
the most complete assessment
of Brian Wilson’s most
productive years.
