Dem
47
GOP
53
Last week's freudenfreude was about television and cultural change in the 1970s. So, how about we follow that up with one about music and cultural change in the 1960s?
There aren't too many American musicians who did more to change the zeitgeist in that decade than Sly Stone, leader of Sly and the Family Stone, and Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys. Stone's best known song is almost certainly "Everyday People," which was the first song to go to #1 on both the Billboard soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts. He was also, alongside James Brown, one of the first Black artists to confront racism in his music in a direct fashion. That includes certain songs that are in-your-face enough that we still can't really print the names.
Wilson's band, also made up of family members, spent its first couple of years cranking out bubble-gum-style pop. Then came the 1965 Beatles album Rubber Soul where, as Wilson himself put it, "every song was a GAS." This was not the usual practice up to that point; albums were usually a few singles, a couple of covers, and a handful of throwaway tracks. This motivated him to try to one-up the Beatles, and the result was the 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds. Not only did that record, which included such classics as "God Only Knows" and "Sloop John B," advance the Beach Boys' sound AND record production about 10 years, it also inspired Paul McCartney to return serve, resulting in Revolver and then Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. During those same sessions, Wilson also wrote and recorded "Good Vibrations," which the chatbots insist was on Pet Sounds. It wasn't; it was a single only.
Although Stone and Wilson had very different musical styles, and different views on how overtly political one's music should be, they nonetheless had an awful lot in common. They were both gifted songwriters. They were both studio wizards and, together with the Beatles, helped to turn the studio into an "instrument." And they both helped to introduce mind-altering substances into the world of music, and into the larger culture.
Unfortunately, the drugs were also the downfall for both musicians. Both had underlying psychological conditions that were certainly not helped by the drugs, and that may well have been worsened by them. As a result, the vast majority of the artists' musical output was confined to a roughly 6-year period (1960-66 for Wilson, 1967-73 for Stone). Thereafter, they produced new work only erratically, before stopping altogether. And they were afflicted at a time when drugs were frowned upon, and psychological problems were much tougher to treat. So, they got considerably less help than they would have today. One wonders what the world lost, as a result.
Stone and Wilson both died this week, each at the age of 82. Stone's passing seemed to get a little less attention; maybe his music was a little bit more of an acquired taste, or maybe it's because it didn't find quite as much new life in the 21st century as Wilson's did, or maybe it's because Stone passed away first. In any case, they're both giants, and the world will not see their like again.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)