Musicares: A Tribute to Brian Wilson
The renaissance of Brian Wilson continues withMusiCares: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, a 2005 concert featuring timeless tunes by the Beach Boys maestro and his various lyricists, rendered here by a variety of artists, including Wilson himself. The singer-song matches here are uniformly outstanding, as the performances tend to bring out influences that were more latent in the Beach Boys' original versions. The Backstreet Boys (who knew?) highlight the doo-wop and Four Freshmen flavors of "When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)," easily negotiating the song's complex harmonies; Shelby Lynne shows that "Surfer Girl" could have been a country song; Earth, Wind, and Fire slightly speed up "Don' Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)," an immaculate ballad fromPet Sounds, while former Crystals singer Darlene Love brings out the Phil Spector inspiration in "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and the Red Hot Chili Peppers highlight the straight rock 'n' roll of "I Get Around," with Anthony Kiedis, Flea, and John Frusciante doing a creditable job on vocal parts that were originally sung by a quintet. The others are good too, including Barenaked Ladies (who do an original song, entitled--natch--"Brian Wilson," as well as the sublime "Till I Die"), John Legend ("I Just Wasn't Made for These Times"), and especially guitarist Jeff Beck, who turns in a breathtaking instrumental version of "Surf's Up," one of Wilson's most challenging compositions. Accompanied by his first-rate band (who also back most of the other artists), Brian himself closes out the show with four tunes, and while his weird, wooden stage presence can be distracting, it's enough that the guy is still around to perform these classics. Add to that the fact that the event raised money for worthy charitable causes, and you end up with some seriously good vibrations. (Also well worth checking out isAn All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson).--Sam Graham