RIP Brian Wilson

 It has been a bad string for the music of my past.  Rick Derringer passed away 5/26, Sly Stone on 6/9 and now Brian Wilson on 6/11.  That's 3 big names in 16 days.  Much melancholy.

So, to complete the trio, RIP Brian Wilson, who passed away 6/11 at the age of 82.

Brian Wilson was, of course, the genius behind The Beach Boys, writing most of their hits, and more or less single-handedly creating the masterpiece "Pet Sounds" (with lyrics by Tony Asher).  There's a reason that Pet Sounds is universally acclaimed; There's only a few albums from the rock era I'd call "important", and Pet Sounds is one of them.  [hmmm, there may be a separate post needed on that topic]

I spent the mid/late 60's listening to Top 40 radio, so The Beach Boys were a significant part of that.  With 29 Top 40 hits between 1962 and 1969, they were pretty significant.  I didn't get my first Beach Boys album until 1974's compilation "Endless Summer", and the subsequent compilation "Spirit Of America".  I've long lost those albums, but picked up a CD version of the first somewhere along the line, plus a few digital copies of the later hits.   It was several years later before I discovered "Pet Sounds", at least beyond the hits.  I'm not sure I could've properly appreciated it at 6 yrs old!  

Brian Wilson's passing is a huge loss, one of the really influential artists of the era...

Rest In Peace, Brian Wilson.