Credit: Far Out / Alamy
The Beach Boys have a lot to answer for, not just in the history of music but also in the cultural landscape of the United States more generally. Perhaps their greatest achievement, however, was the wholly unpredictable transformation from the bubblegum surf pop of their early days to the profound, world-changing musical experimentation that produced Pet Sounds in 1966.
Ushering in a new age for pop, with the 23-year-old Brian Wilson as a virtually untouchable force for the kind of songwriting and production innovations that other artists could go their entire lives without striking upon.
The chances are, if you are reading this article, you are already incredibly well-versed in the trailblazing mastery of that 1966 album and the lasting impact it has had on the musical landscape. Still, it is worth remembering that not everybody felt quite so warmly towards that blossoming new era.
Namely, some other legendary producers of the era didn’t fawn over the innovative nature of the project, or The Beach Boys’ transformation, in the same way that the layman might have done. Even Phil Spector, who produced Brian Wilson’s all-time favourite song, ‘Be My Baby’, and formed a not-insignificant influence over Pet Sounds, was rather disparaging of that bold new direction for the band.
Specifically, Spector wasn’t overly convinced by ‘Good Vibrations’, the timeless track that followed a few months after the release of Pet Sounds. Upon its release, the single was marketed as a “pocket symphony”, and it is difficult to dispute that particular description; it was the culmination of Wilson’s newfound production innovations. However, according to Spector: “It’s like Psycho is a great film, but it’s an edit film.”
“Without edits, it’s not a film; with edits, it’s a great film,” the producer-come-murderer declared. “But it’s not Rebecca… It’s not a beautiful story.” While you could certainly argue that, within that quote, Spector is simply saying that it is the song’s complicated composition that makes it a masterpiece, rather than any degree of songwriting quality, he is certainly at risk of misunderstanding both ‘Good Vibrations’ and Psycho in one fell swoop.
Psycho is, inarguably, a great film, and its quick-cut editing certainly helps to deliver the bone-chilling story of Norman Bates’ motel. Nevertheless, editing is an integral part of every single film ever released, including the apparently untouchable Rebecca. Without editing, every film would be 12 hours long and, by and large, pretty dull. Similarly, without decent production, every pop song would be virtually unlistenable.
Whichever way you spin it, Wilson’s production on ‘Good Vibrations’ is incredible, but it isn’t the production alone that makes the song such a timeless classic – there are, after all, swathes of other songs that are well-produced but lack any kind of songwriting skill or performance. In that sense, Spector’s declaration that the 1966 single is akin to “an edit film”, which incidentally insults one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest cinematic achievements, is rather harsh.
By the same logic, after all, you could claim that tracks like ‘Be My Baby’ are great songs largely as a result of Spector’s ‘Wall of Sound’ production, but that would do a huge disservice to the songwriting of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, not to mention the incredible vocal performances of The Ronettes. You can’t clap with one hand, Mr Spector.
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