Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys | College Students' FIRST TIME REACTION!

[@andyandalex]

After doing Pet Sounds on Patreon everybody was saying we had to hit this song from them, we put them on a poll, and the people spoke!! Make sure to vote in this week’s poll! Cheers all have a great weekend!! 🙌🏻🔥

[@peterquinones3522]

Here's the problem with using Spotify as a guide - if one person listens to a song 3000 times, they count it as 3000 listens.

[@itzel1735]

@Andy & Alex - Good luck wrapping up the semester/degree. I recommend listening to “Roll Me Away” to celebrate. It’s for new beginnings and fresh starts.

[@andyandalex]

@Peter Quinones That’s true, which is why we don’t solely use Spotify, use it more as a reference

[@jeffschielka7845]

Great classic! Probably the most known Beach Boys song. Excellent harmonies!

[@davidwalsh7128]

Guys, when this came out in 1966--there was nothing like it in Pop music (pre rock). It was to be on Pet Sounds but Brian realized the song was so important he didn't want to rush it onto the album. It came out as a single after Pet Sounds and went to #1 in every country in the world. Pepper definitely was inspired by Good Vibrations as well as Pet Sounds. They then planned a version on Pet Sounds follow-up Smile, until Brian's breakdown delayed Smile until 2004....

[@Italy-fs6wg]

Good lord - one of the MOST - intricate time consuming, masterpieces of all time and these two nerds have no CLUE

[@TheAsiavol]

This was one of the most innovative and incredible songs when it came out.

[@RicoBurghFan]

And still is

[@darrellboone9274]

In that same vein,how about "Numbers",by Kraftwerk?(I know;that's more electronica,than Rock)

[@mkllove]

My namesake was...

[@terryhorsley1012]

My first 45.

[@TFEnright5]

The thing that lets it down to me is that the lyrics are too bubblegum. I feel the same about a lot of their songs. Except for their really early songs the Beatles lyrics were much deeper.

[@sulathenewfie4277]

It is just beyond me that everyone doesn’t know this song. To me it’s like saying you don’t know the song Happy Birthday. Sigh. I feel so old.

[@mostlyh2o233]

Lol I feel you

[@sandrad9695]

😂 Right!

[@chrismead1464]

I was pretty much thinking the same thing...

[@5yearsout]

Well put!

[@TheFlash-rn2dd]

I wad born in 1998 and was raised on 60s 70s and 80s music.

[@thatoneguyagain2252]

When "Good Vibrations" first came out, the general reaction was a lot like what you'd expect: people weren't quite sure what they'd heard, but they really really liked it. And yes, the song sounds a little disjointed upon first listen, because you don't know what to expect next. After several listens, you DO know what's coming next, and you find your enjoyment of the section you're hearing augmented by the anticipation of what you know is to follow. With familiarity, all the transitions are perceived to to flow naturally, and eventually you can't imagine them flowing any other way. I'm confident that, after hearing "Good Vibrations" a few more times, you'll reassess your rating, and rerate it as the "S" it deserves to be. You just haven't gotten there yet, but you will - and when you do, you'll recognize it as a true landmark in popular music.

[@amlafrance1918]

Well said

[@xqqqme]

"...the song sounds a little disjointed upon first listen, because you don't know what to expect next." No, the song sounds disjointed because it *is* -- and this is not a criticism, because the song is great. But it was no secret that Brian recorded a ton of snippets (a dozen instruments, 90+ hours of material) to create 10-15 versions of this song, moving from studio to studio for various reasons to get what he wanted) and there is a very well-known (and obvious) edit that's in this A&A video at 3:06.

[@jonnygonehawking380]

The documentary about the LA studio musicians called the wrecking crew has a very interesting part how this song was made. Brian Wilson had all the parts of the song in his head. So he was able to tell each musician what was needed from each one of them. They played on hundreds of popular songs from the 60s. They loved it when he would come in with his songs. Brian Wilson was unique that way, no one else did that.

[@coolworx]

You can tell that the Beach Boys and the Beatles fed off each other.

[@carbybaby5929]

@@coolworx revolver ---> pet sounds ---> sgt peppers

[@ernierivas2334]

When this came out, it put many people in the music industry in shock. They never heard anything like it, and made them wonder how they were able to pull this off.

[@mookie7688]

Nobody had ever heard anything like this when it came out. Parts of it were recorded in four different studios because Brian liked various things about their acoustics. If the transitions are a little jarring it's because he was working at the very edge of the limits of the studio technology at the time. If you like Wilson and the Beach Boys you should watch the movie Love and Mercy. A good part of it covers the Pet Sounds period and the way Brian would work with the Wrecking Crew musicians.

[@Jays1fan1]

Not sure I agree, this was Brian Wilson's response after hearing the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts album and specifically 'A Day in the Life'

[@vKarl7]

@@Jays1fan1 Dude this came out eight months before A Day In The Life. This and Pet Sounds inspired Pepper, not the other way around.

[@misterkite]

Donovan's Sunshine Superman came out a month before this.

[@johntaylor-jp3jy]

There is a song by a wonderful artist named Robyn Hitchcock called “Tell Me About Your Drugs” and each era of Pop/Rock music shows the influence of what substances were in vogue at the time. “Good Vibrations” is a sonic trip, and there are peaks and valleys to it. It creeps in softly, accelerates to light speed, slows down, descends, speeds up again and takes you up above the stratosphere so it can goose you up above the clouds. If you were buzzing along at home, in the car, at the beach, in a park, listening to it on the radio, you kept up with it just fine. I also want to point out that when people say it was pieced together, that’s literally true: you had to splice sections of tape together with a razor, at the precise nanosecond, and it was a common practice. I’ve watched my friend do it and he was in a cold sweat the entire time. And that’s part of the beauty in something like “Good Vibrations”; all human handy work, analog, no sterile digital, makes it breathe and come alive

[@Jays1fan1]

@@vKarl7 you are right, I guess I misheard an interview?

[@jimfrederick3907]

"God Only Knows" is their masterpiece. (As you heard on "Pet Sounds")

[@laineydavey]

it's like something from a heavenly dimension ❤️

[@jimfrederick3907]

@@laineydavey Amen!!!!!

[@moniphil]

Total masterpiece.

[@Wtfumean4511]

Couldn't agree more.

[@edwardc.8031]

You nailed it, Jim. It's their best song... not this one.

[@garanceadrosehn9691]

It is hard to believe that *anyone* could have lived 20 years without hearing "Good Vibrations"! The late 1960's was a major competition between Brian Wilson and the Beatles to see who could do the most mind-blowing inventive music.

[@brianfarr9337]

That’s what I was thinking - how could they have not heard this yet, in a commercial or in a movie or tv show?

[@andyandalex]

@Garance A Drosehn I think I’d definitely heard the part right when the second singer comes in with ‘..Good vibrations’ and a faint memory of a ‘bop’ and an ‘ooh’, not sure where I’d heard it from though. Earlier years for sure.

[@yescarycan]

@@andyandalex Well let's just be honest it ain't that damn good where you should've remember it !

[@tristramcoffin926]

@@yescarycan There is a big difference between hearing a song in the soundtrack of a movie or overhead at the mall or whatever and sitting down with intent and headphones on studying the nuance of a song. I would imagine that half of these songs they have heard while paying attention to something else.

[@yescarycan]

@@tristramcoffin926 Oh i agree with you completely. I just said that the song wasn't memorable , that's all not their fault .

[@Oesterreicher94]

Absolutley S-tier for me. A timeless masterpiece. I have heard it so many times and for me it flows totally naturally, it feels organic and together, not disjointed whatsoever.

[@brianmusson1827]

You need to listen to this a few more times . This was regarded as one of the most advanced and brilliant songs of the 60s . It took Brian Wilson months to get this track down and used many top rate musicians to interpret his genius. I have been listening to this song over 50 years now and it stills gets me going and never gets boring .

[@erwinfelis4613]

Agreed. This is my parents' favorite group, and I can see why. This is my favorite song by them.

[@dontherealartist]

I Was born and raised near the ocean in California during this time; I almost think you have to have been born and RAISED here to fully ''get'' the Beach Boys, including THIS.

[@garryiglesias4074]

@@dontherealartist I grew up on a "beach town" in south-west of france, Atlantic ocean, and YES, this was almost the only place in france where you could hear kids (Gen'X) listening to the Beach Boys. Sadly, the beach boys were not so known in france at their 60's apex. It's later that most french could be introduced to them, and the cliche was the "blonde californian boy", so it didn't help, and "only the true beach boys" could handle it, we knew what a good vibration is ;P.

[@Itelkner]

"I like that bass line." The great Carol Kaye, baby! If you haven't seen it, I heartily recommend the "Wrecking Crew" doc on the great players of this and other sessions.

[@matthewhetzler4912]

Yes great doc!

[@matthewhetzler4912]

My favorite part was the musicians telling a story about someone from (I think) Disney wanted them to record a song and because they played rock and roll he assumed they didn’t know how to read music or even play their instruments properly. So he gave them a very detailed explanation of every aspect of reading the music notation. They politely listened and proceeded to nail it on the first take. When he was unexpectedly surprised one of the wrecking crew said, “Yeah, we practice our instruments a lot at home.”

[@Itelkner]

@@matthewhetzler4912 ...and proceeded to put the pompous corporate suit guy in his place! Hehe I had the pleasure of seeing that great film in a nice little theater. Been a while. You've got me curious to re-watch it. Thanks for the anecdote. Cheers.

[@jayedilts8612]

Love that documentary!

[@blktauna]

@@matthewhetzler4912 BURN :) superb.

[@spdodger]

Carol Kaye -- bad ass female bass player on 100s of famous 1960s songs. She still does lessons online for those interested in being taught by a legend.

[@benavich8]

Gee-zuz, my first bass tutorial book was from Carol Kaye. Right-o, that was her on the bass!

[@davearonow65]

What Carol Kay was badass at was coming up with very cool very interesting musical parts. There was nothing particularly badass about her abilities with a bass guitar. She was nothing even remotely special as a bass player. She was special as a musician who used the bass as a tool to invent cool musical parts on. Her bass playing in itself was nothing special.

[@xtrmfc]

There’s a vid of Carol giving Gene Simmons some Bass tips ... Carol was and is still very much Badass !!!!..

[@ischmidt]

@@davearonow65 I'd argue that at that time, just being an inventive musician on the bass was pretty special. Carol, her fellow Wrecking Crew bass player Joe Osborn (who *rules* on the Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius"), Motown's James Jamerson, and even Paul McCartney all were mapping out the possibilities of the instrument. The 5 note riff she opens Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" with is a stone cold classic moment. My one problem with Carol is that she's claimed a few times that she actually played several of the iconic 60s Motown bass lines rather than James Jamerson. She's probably misremembering since she did play on several Motown sessions after Motown moved to L.A. in the 70s, but proper credit is a big deal for studio musicians.

[@Lwize]

Controversy on Wikipedia? A Beach Boys archivist claims Carol Kaye did not play on the final single edit (although she was on several sessions).

[@jameszwahlen4299]

Young men, let this song grow on you. You’ll eventually get it. Soooo groundbreaking for its time.

[@deborahh2556]

I never felt it was disjointed from the first time I heard it, instant love. This song was huge in the late 60's. We felt it was a masterpiece, and not at all weird.

[@JimGeigerMusic]

I am 53, I've been a pro musician for 35 years, and I listen to almost any kind of music. This song is my #1 favorite of all time. The backing vocals on the final chorus (before the vocal outro) sound like angels singing, especially as they tail off.

[@richieb3356]

Didn't Brian have The Wrecking Crew recording on this in studio? Those guys were amazing!

[@otisdylan9532]

You asked if there was anything before this besides The Beatles that was like this sonically. The closest thing that I could think of was "Eight Miles High" by The Byrds. It didn't have quite as many different sounds as "Good Vibrations", but it easily had its share, and I don't think anyone would object to any of its transitions. Each sound leads to the next. I think you'll love it. The songs this week have been "Hollywood Nights", "Into the Mystic", "Me and Bobby McGee", and "Good Vibrations". What a great week!

[@sinenominecc]

You said it. You said it all.

[@mikeaudette2823]

Crosby once said the sound of Eight Miles High started with a question he posed to McGuinn. "What would Coltrane sound like on guitar?" Gene Clark was writing a song about the band's visit to London, so they applied the experiment to it. The result is arguably the greatest song that radio refused to play.

[@rickintx1125]

@@mikeaudette2823 Eight Miles High and Good Vibrations came out within months of each other in '66. I heard Eight Miles High on the radio quite a bit until it became the victim of an organized campaign to take it off the air.

[@jimd7260]

The Mothers released "Freak Out" a few months before this.

[@scifimonkey3]

When you have listened to it multiple times you will anticipate and look forward to each section

[@McBeth.]

I agree. Even with repeated listenings the periods of tension and release get better and better. I enjoy anticipating the moments where the quiet parts are interrupted by vocal crescendo.

[@markgrant5305]

Sounded wonderful in 1966. So far ahead of everyone else. The word gets bandied around a lot, but Brian Wilson is a genius. Saw him live in 2008 recreating Smile with a whole bunch of musicians. The nearest equivalent to BW in the composition and arranging departments is Jeff Lynne.

[@jefffiore7869]

Jeff Lynn and ELO was a favorite of mine too

[@bethkoch11]

Completely agree with everything you said. I too saw Brian live in 2008 for the Smile concert. I felt so privileged to see him live as I'd never seen the Beach Boys live.

[@Itelkner]

Yeah....he's ok. Kidding. Genius for sure.

[@TTM9691]

This is a very interesting reaction video! Here's what to keep in mind: this was the new Beach Boys single. This song would have been played over and over again on the radio. These kids would have been hearing this song probably three times at least on just the first day they heard it. Everyone had transistor radios, everyone had car radios. That's how you listened to music when you were out and about, you couldn't take your music collection with you everywhere you went. so you are absolutely right. At first listen, you may feel a little disoriented. But upon repeated listens, you grow to love the whole thing. And that's why it was such a hit. And yeah, it blew everybody's minds. But they had just had their minds blown by The Beatles' "Revolver" two months earlier. There was a momentum going on, every record building upon the last, music getting heavier, weirder, deeper, more diverse.... and "Good Vibrations" was definitely a big step. It's practically the first prog-rock song, in a way, a "suite" of musical themes. And for this to be a SINGLE! This was a stand-alone single!

[@edmundau-yeung9598]

Dude this was Brian Wilson in his avant-garde phase. The ambition was to make a pocket symphony and he succeeded.

[@johnpbh]

Alex - I completely understand how this feels jarring to you in the context of todays music. It's very difficult to take yourself back to the era when this came out. It came out at a time when music was changing every month... and everything was a stepping stone on what had come before . BUT, when this came out it was yet another improvement but 2 or 3 steps up instead of just the 1 step that we had become used to. That's why everyone has been recommending it really but we forget that you aren't listening through the ears of us oldies... :D Then 6 months later Sergeant Peppers came out and nothing was ever the same again.

[@lisamorrison2149]

Well said!

[@bethanythatsme]

One of my top 50 songs of all time (I'm 42 🙃)

[@salinagrrrl69]

Excellant insite.

[@lorrilewis2178]

Yeah, I think you had to live in the era. Everything was very experimental and people had a lot more patience and time to listen to stuff.

[@seed_drill7135]

Edits were done with a razor blade. Buy the Smile box and you can here how much music was recorded that got edited down into this single.

[@alexjbennett1017]

When you get to know this song, you breathlessly look forward to each transition (that you now find jarring) and your spirit soars when the new music comes in.

[@rhwinner]

Someone I forget who described their sound as being at Church and the beach at the same time...

[@dalegreene6839]

I like that

[@emilyflotilla931]

I love that!

[@jasonkrull6077]

This is a Top Ten song of all time for me. The vocal harmonies do it for me every time. It is a masterpiece

[@davidmcqueen3405]

"How could people listen to this when it first came out?" ... 1967, this comes out, Spencer Davis Group, I'm A Man comes out. Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced comes out. It was sonic wonderment every other week. This was another day in paradis.

[@liffick]

Well said!

[@Johnk4409]

Good Vibrations came out in 1966, a full year before the other ones you mentioned as well as Sgt Pepper, just goes to show how far ahead Brian Wilson was

[@emilymartinez6961]

I totally second that!✌😜

[@bryanangell4299]

I remember good vibrations six weeks at number one,October/November 66 British charts

[@rdm4509]

This was released in October 1966

[@bleonar3]

“What in the world did we just listen to?” Exact reaction of a generation when it came out. Which is why you need to listen to it again. Then again. Then listen to Sergeant Pepper. Then listen to It again. Then rate it. Super impressed you identified the theremin. The song is musically like the cover of the Sergeant Pepper album. Go back and see how many different sounds and instruments you can identify.

[@baronofgreymatter14]

This was a bif radio hit..no one over analyzed it. We just accepted it.

[@mookie7688]

I think that blend of musical genius and instant accessibility is what makes it so great.

[@andyandalex]

@Baron of Grey Matter That’s pretty fair, we may have lost sight of the goal in this one (just enjoying) I suppose.

[@amyfrench8678]

Best comment in the thread. Being a non musically inclined person I just know what I like when I hear it and I love this. I wish some of those that left rude comments would give A&A a break and realize they are doing what most of us want them to do. Dissect the song/music and give us their opinions. While loving this song I can't disagree with their assessment of it.

[@davearonow65]

Lol. This was one of the most "analyzed" pop radio songs to ever be analyzed at the time.

[@sinenominecc]

@@andyandalex You have to remember that we didn't just hear this once and then come to a conclusion. We were amazed the first time and then heard it over and over for months on the radio. We know every note and nuance of this song without even making an effort to remember it again. If you keep it on your playlist you will regret having not given it an S today.

[@flyinpigmusic331]

FYI, this song was recorded throughout a few months, dozens upon dozens of takes, with each section in different studios, with dozens of different arrangements. The final product was pretty much a Frankenstein's monster. All these hundreds of hours of audio tape, edited, measured, spliced with razors, and glued together. No computers. Amazing stuff.

[@crosmas]

I think it was the first song to ever cost $16 000 or something like that which was pretty insane for 1966.

[@mickeygarlock4611]

@@crosmas $50,000

[@crosmas]

@@mickeygarlock4611 I stand corrected lol

[@jirimondo]

The Beach Boys / Brian Wilson / The Wrecking Crew are 60's cousins to the 70's Steely Dan / Fagen - Becker / rotating list of studio musicians.

[@kingfield99]

The session musicians who recorded on this were called 'The Wrecking Crew' and their list of credits is astounding, they play on literally 100s of big hits.

[@dagrizz-ek4ih]

They were breaking out of their mold and I still get chills when they harmonize!

[@edwardhoppe4294]

Simon & Garfunkel - The Boxer

[@HeatherErin]

And America!

[@mostlyh2o233]

@@HeatherErin hear, hear! Both gorgeous songs

[@brianmacdonaldmusic]

.....before the pandemic, I was on the road 200 nights a year for 50 years - played with James Taylor, Paul Simon, Steppenwolf, too many... worked with/on Grammy recordings... you two are, hands-down, nobody is even 2nd, the best at what you do. You don't stop a song - talk for 3 minutes just as a great part is about to play, talk more... you LISTEN.... deeply. The show is not about you, but is about the music you are listening to, and how you feel about it. I love you guys, and the different ways you listen, and hear things in the recording or a heavy lyric - not much gets by you. I go back, show my musician friends your vids, especially "Born on the Bayou" to start them off (a classic show of yours). You two look/act just like I did when I first heard it in 1969. Don't change, roll'em easy, stay safe, Abide, my friends... thanks....

[@6699230]

Yes, A&A are the best!

[@laineydavey]

The theremin on this is actually an "electro theremin" or "slide theremin", as opposed to the mid-air instrument played by Jimmy Page and others :) x

[@djmc3815]

Yes. And I only just recently learned that. But an important distinction.

[@andreaschmall5560]

It was used in "Wild Honey" which is one of my favorites.

[@Gravyballs2011]

One of my favorite theremin tracks is "Electricity" by Captain Beefheart. Give it a try.

[@kjmorley]

Google Clara Rockmore sometime. She was a virtuoso theremin player in the 1930s.

[@hannaro]

There’s a great theramin moment in Weeds, I think.

[@GillDawe]

Wow, I've never felt it disjointed at all! Such an epic song.

[@jeffcrawford3032]

Guys.. you gotta know that,at this time,this was a masterpiece of recording and engineering..there was not any of the technology there is today...they had to record this all with live players..there was no sampling...

[@lanes58]

In other words, it was genuine and real. No phony, digital sampling. No one today is capable of producing a song like this.

[@DefenestrateYourself]

⁠@@lanes58 imagine believing sampling is “phony”. Adorable 😂

[@lanes58]

@@DefenestrateYourselfYou missed the point Cletus…focus

[@simianinc]

When you’ve heard this multiple times on the radio growing up, you don’t even think about the transitions. the song is what it is

[@patrickquinlan67]

Cello, and, yes, our minds were blown and, yes, it gets better the more you listen. 56 years later it still sounds great.

[@jlsagely6892]

“They”, didn’t lay it down in the studio. Hal Blaine - drums, timpani, other percussion Al De Lory - piano, harpsichord Jesse Ehrlich - cello Larry Knechtel - organ in verses and choruses Tommy Morgan - harmonica Al Casey - guitar Ray Pohlman - electric bass Lyle Ritz - double bass Jim Horn - piccolo Paul Tanner - Electro-Theremin and bassist Carol Kaye

[@bernardoi4713]

The Wrecking Crew! Great Doc about the hundreds, possibly thousands of songs, 'they' were the real band.

[@pl33]

Hal Blaine.. Giant amonongst men

[@sinenominecc]

A lot of major legends in that list, but at the end of the day, whatever contributions they made, they followed Brian's instructions note for note.

[@TimStorsved]

Carol Kaye was a goddess!

[@TimStorsved]

The Wrecking Crew

[@michaelnorris7353]

That deep chuda chuda chuda sound are two cellos playing the same low notes together at the same time. One time I was driving around in my old Chevy and ended up at an A & W drive-in. In those days we all listened to the same AM radio station. This came out in the spring so everyone had their windows down and all the radios turned to the same station - then "Good Vibrations" came on. No one had heard it before. Everyone turned up their radios and for the length of the song everyone was together dancing in the parking lot. It grabbed everyone`s attention really fast. It was a massive hit for them that year and to me it still has that same out standing quality it had as the first time I heard it that day in the parking lot.

[@loristone9242]

The song is phenomenal to me. To just sit back and listen and just let it be what it is, is the absolute best way to enjoy it.

[@Cashcrop54]

Paul McCartney said that Pet Sounds was one of the best albums ever. Brian was so amazing!!

[@otisdylan9532]

Eric Clapton loved it too. Lindsay Buckingham is a big Beach Boys fan.

[@tristramcoffin926]

@@otisdylan9532 The Ramones, it is a long list...

[@Deborahtunes]

Todd Sucherman, Styx's drummer is also a Beach Boys fan...

[@Cashcrop54]

@@Deborahtunes thanks. Good to know.

[@Deborahtunes]

@@Cashcrop54 ~ I believe Todd worked with Brian in recent years on a project...

[@allisonreed7682]

The backing musicians were largely comprised of The Wrecking Crew, a group of talented and well-respected session musicians employed by several music producers during that era. One especially well-known member of The Wrecking Crew was Glen Campbell, who didn’t play on this track, but was a touring member of The Beach Boys for a time, filling in for Brian Wilson. Campbell did record periodically with The Beach Boys, most notably on their album, Pet Sounds.

[@kathyrams]

And Carol Kaye !

[@1177kc]

The Wrecking Crew documentary was fabulous.

[@allisonreed7682]

@@kathyrams yes! She’s phenomenal! A legend!

[@allisonreed7682]

@@1177kc I agree! Anyone who listens to music from the ‘60s and ‘70s should watch it. The were so far-reaching in regard to how many artists they worked with.

[@neilkoketsu2693]

Before Campbell became the country music superstar he is remembered as, he made an initial venture into pop music with a song written and produced by Brian Wilson entitled “Guess I’m Dumb.” It flopped.

[@markgrant5305]

Guys, you must do Heroes and Villains next. Another Brian Wilson masterpiece. And then Surf’s Up.

[@trickygoose2]

These were the first two other tracks outside of Pet Sounds I thought of too.

[@tristramcoffin926]

Swap those around. LOL Heroes and Villains is another ambitious set piece like Good Vibrations is.

[@kitoyobeni1]

@@tristramcoffin926 The entire Smile album is a challenging listen.

[@vKarl7]

And do the Smile Sessions version of Heroes And Villains (track 3 on that comp) before you do the Smiley Smile version. I absolutely adore both but feel you should hear the craziest one first.

[@victorbryant10]

Surfs Up album is one of my favourites. On my third copy.

[@00wn]

When I first heard this 50 years ago, IT....BLEW...ME...AWAY !! The harmonies....wow.

[@debbieelholm7921]

I never considered this song jarring in its transitions. When I listen to this song, I hear the incredible harmonies that are being created in the different sections of this song. And it’s the harmonies that tie those sections together. Considering it hit #1, no one thought it was jarring. It’s uniqueness sets it far apart from other songs. A true original and a masterpiece.

[@elgonwilliams7624]

All overdubs, no synthesizers, just multiple tracks of instruments. I remember hearing there were 64 overdubs. I think the standard pro recorders at the time were 4 channels. This predated 16 track machinery.

[@scifimonkey3]

Like the Beatles they often came close to wearing through the tapes.

[@OronOfMontreal]

The Theremin is very much a synthesizer, but I do share your admiration for Wilson's achievements here.

[@mikeloomis687]

Beatles "Strawberry Filelds" along the same experimental genre of the times. Great song as well!!!

[@tristramcoffin926]

When Brian heard that song he was driving with a friend while working on Smile. He pulled the car over and said to his friend, 'They did it already.'

[@zogger5281]

Good point.

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Strawberry fields sucked just famous cause it was Beatles so name seller but so so

[@brianmoon1058]

When John Lennon heard this he knew the Beatles had to change or be left behind. Then came Sgt. Pepper

[@johnlampe3258]

The album that scared the Beatles!

[@alohakittymon]

A la Phil Spector....

[@ianbalish3852]

Paul, really, not John.

[@thewkovacs316]

it was more after hearing pet sounds

[@stefonschmidt4576]

I'm not sure which Beatle it was that said this is the album The Beatles wish they could have made. Brian Wilson said Sgt. Pepper was the album he wish The Beach Boys could have made.

[@joshhencik1849]

"Sloop John B" would be another great one. Love that song by the BB.

[@lucie4185]

I really like their cover of cotton fields too great energy!

[@6699230]

I like Surfin Safari & 409!

[@michaelperrillo5420]

Genius writing, unbelievable vocals most underrated band in history.

[@hollyhenrey5305]

As a 4 year old when it came out, it blew my little mind as did another song from that same year by The Who "I can see for miles".

[@EyeTripImages]

"You like it now, you'll learn to love it later" --Robbie Robertson

[@maryann1252]

I love that song!!!!!

[@TripletDad3]

I had forgotten about that song. Robertson nailed it on Somewhere Down the Crazy River.

[@Meandmymirror]

I can’t say that about almost every song that I love to this day. The first time I heard it it was OK but the more you listen to it the more it becomes a part of you

[@jamespuleo3269]

"Wait a minute..." ~~~~~~~~~~

[@Crazywater1976]

This is a groundbreaking song for its time. The transitions make it phenomenal. It’s a definitively S tier song. No doubt about it.

[@Griegg]

Bob Dylan said of Brian Wilson: “He should donate his ear to the Smithsonian.”

[@martyjansing2675]

Brian was deaf in his right ear. His dad hit him with a two by four. That is why Dylan said "ear" instead of ears.

[@stevesnellgrove1518]

And incredibly Brian was deaf in one ear .

[@fuckamericanidiot]

@@martyjansing2675 Marty "You've got a good ears" Jansing

[@youtoo2233]

This song definitely gives the Goosebumps and it gets better every time you hear it

[@detritus8095]

That was Carl, Brian's brother, and Mike, Brian's cousin, singing. Brian produced.

[@seangearhart2494]

Brian did the high falsetto

[@dougrhonable]

They all sang.

[@detritus8095]

Okay, I was referring specifically to the lead vocals, I guess I should have specified that in my original comment, obviously they all sang the harmonies but I didn't think I had to be that pedantic.

[@vKarl7]

@@seangearhart2494 No, he didn’t. It’s Carl’s lead vocal falsetto on this song’s verses. If you meant Brian’s harmonies, mea culpa 🙏

[@TimeToGetAlone]

@@vKarl7 It actually is Brian on the highest two moments of the verses. Brian: "I hear the sound of a-" Carl: "Gentle word". Brian: "When I look-" Carl: "In her eyes"

[@toddfrank3344]

In answer to your question about how people "could have listened to this when it first came out," Good Vibrations was a #1 single, so SOMEBODY apparently liked it at the time.

[@andreaschmall5560]

It was a huge hit and just maybe it was the perfect soundtrack for where our heads were at in the 60's.

[@detritus8095]

Brian spent weeks recording this song. Hours and hours of takes, and many different versions. The final product was very much stitched together, which you noticed.

[@jefffiore7869]

I belive it cost them about $40,000 to record, totally unheard of back then.

[@j.kevvideoproductions.6463]

@@jefffiore7869 , it was actually over 60 grand. 4 different studios over at least 6 months.

[@jefffiore7869]

@@j.kevvideoproductions.6463 Woah, more expensive than I remember!!

[@j.kevvideoproductions.6463]

@@jefffiore7869, that would be about $ 480,000 something in todays money. Capitol records was starting to get pretty impatient with Brian back then... Lol.

[@richardfoltier1]

It took all that money.... And just one ear.👍

[@samuelwood876]

This song turned rock music from nice little arrangements to grand events. It is the benchmark for all to come. How could you have never heard it before? Seriously?

[@bugvswindshield]

this whole album is sooooo good it almost makes me cry tears of joy.

[@LoniReeder]

Brian Wilson’s compositions (especially with Good Vibrations): there’s so much going on in Brian’s mind... perhaps combined with a touch of ADD... the drugs... the ‘Beatles nipping at my heels’ creatively... this incessant self-competition plus his yet-to-be diagnosed psychological disorder. I’m guessing as Mike Love wrote the lyrics, there may have been some internal ego-band battles in the studio too. Artists seek perfection, but in many ways, Brian was tortured by it - and when you think back to 1966 when the technology wasn’t there to create or replicate a sound easily! All this vision in his mind, and literally creatively handcuffed as he pursued ways to communicate what ‘he’ was hearing into a medium WE could hear (the ‘how do you describe a cloud to a blind man’ analogy). It’s no wonder it took him six months to bring this song to life. Layers and layers of sounds on those 2” AMPEX reel-to-reel tapes. Today, it’s an easy Pro Tools patch. I’m with Alex...... it’s a complex ‘like/grading’ in the likability of this ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ song......... but when you think about the complex, painstaking backstory of this song to even reach an acceptable conclusion for Brian? It’s the backstory that blows me away.

[@OldeDude15x]

This is probably my all time favorite Beach Boys tune, glad you are doing it.

[@markgrant5305]

OldeDude15x probably or definitely??? It’s a musical landmark.

[@rayniecox7683]

@@markgrant5305 , Sloop John B is right up there as well.

[@domioele3346]

For a good insight into the musical performances on this track, research the "Wrecking Crew".

[@jksgameshelf3378]

Yeah, the documentary on that amazing group of musicians - including Carol Kay on bass - is fantastic. They played on so many hits in the 60's & 70's.

[@adrianabustamante4611]

I 100% agree!

[@davidteller7681]

Carol Kay! I love her bass muted bass on "Sloop John B"

[@harriotteworthington3147]

There’s a great documentary on the wrecking crew. Carol Kay is a great unknown in the history of “the women’s movement” - but well known to all true musicians.

[@ricklaszlo8223]

Good Vibrations was released in 1966 over 56 years ago I was 13 when I first heard it and I loved it then and I still do this song to me has stood the test of time other songs of the of the Beach Boys are great but this one is special I've seen Brian Wilson working with the Wrecking Crew to put this song together and it was unbelievable thank you for playing it

[@pattiatkins8440]

Paul McCartney had a friendly competition musically, with Brian Wilson. They met several times and Paul loves PET SOUNDS.

[@FreshProduceCreative]

Been waiting for you guys to react to this! Excellent! Released in October 1966. Innovative tune for the time and did blow listeners away. Brian Wilson would record his tunes in 4 different Los Angeles/Hollywood studios. One for vocals, another for percussion, one for guitars and bass and finally another for mix and echo. Wilson envisioned using the theremin for this tune.

[@lilamuzik3385]

I say with no reservations that "God Only Knows" is the finest songs ever recorded.

[@imagine1004]

Agree!

[@mostlyh2o233]

You are so right

[@65sheilakay]

Brian Wilson heard all of this in his head. Such brilliance. Love and Mercy will help you understand his mind, struggles and how he tried to so hard to put it all down despite the push backs and challenges he had.

[@frankd.4528]

The more you listen the more you love the transitions - Bingo!

[@craigfazekas3923]

Not violins or violas- cellos. Can't believe you'd never heard this before....such a staple, for Americans particularly. 😎

[@calebclunie4001]

There's always room for Cello. I'm surprised that they know the sound of a Theremin, but not the Cello.

[@bodhisattva3774]

Brian Wilson wss an amazing songwriter/arranger and a huge influence on the Beatles. He and Paul McCartney had a good natured competition going on.

[@mostlyh2o233]

Yeah wasn’t Back in the USSR supposedly a comeback to California Girls?

[@williamcabell142]

This album inspired the Beatles to produce Sargent Pepper! 😎👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 New set is really cool! The Beach Boys were great!

[@sinenominecc]

Pet Sounds inspired Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. This WAS recorded during the Pet Sounds sessions, but didn't land on an album until Smiley Smile, the consolation prize for not getting Smile at the time.

[@rundoetx]

The first time I ever heard this song it literally stopped me in my tracks. I as blown away. No one but the Beatles had done that to me before.

[@joonzville]

I remember the first time I heard this song. I was driving on my learner’s permit in my parents’ big boat of a station wagon. I was so jazzed, I was jumping around behind the steering wheel saying "oh, wow. Oh, wow!" Didn’t mind the abrupt transitions at all, I was blown away by the harmonies. The more you listen, the more you appreciate and anticipate the transitions. When I hear this song, I always think of a warm summer day with the sun shining, driving down PCH with the windows down and bouncing in time to the music.

[@clem1462]

Been listening to this song for 54 years now and it still seems as fresh as when I first heard it.

[@McClellan71]

Growing up with this.. it's a mood, a feeling.. a time stamp of a moment unfortunately long passed.

[@lorrilewis2178]

^^^THIS^^^

[@williamschroeder1458]

Yeah. Still have albums from the early sixties in my collection. Voices like angels.

[@stephenbloom8107]

Production wise, only the Beatles with producer George Martin, another genius, came close during this era.

[@mookie7688]

And Phil Spector who came first and influenced both of them.

[@mikewoodrow5878]

And this production pushed McCartney and the Beatles to create Sgt. Pepper’s

[@61hink]

Motown production gets totally overlooked.

[@mookie7688]

@@61hink True that. I think it's because AOR programming drove a wedge between soul and rock in the 70s, and a lot of us grew up with that paradigm.

[@GT-mq1dx]

Right on point with the words, (came close). 😎

[@glenndespres5317]

That was cello. Cello. You have to look up a video on the production of that song. Brian demanded at least 100 takes to get that staccato cello sound just the way and tempo he heard it in his head. Jackson Pollock? This is not the musical equivalent of throwing paint against the wall. It can’t help but be listening with modern ears. It was only with years of hindsight that the dissecting and comparison with the Beatles came in. It never sounded disjointed to (me? Many? ) it was just a great upbeat song that had a very differnent sound to it (undisected) and we loved it! Beatles and Beach Boys were driving each other and pushing the envelope on what could be done in the studio that had not been done.

[@courtneyboulds]

I first listened to this song at eight years old. I still remember where I was and how I felt. My dad raised me on jazz music like Weather Report and Jaco Pastorius (as he is a bassist himself). I had heard harmony, but when I first heard this song played, this was when I truly heard and felt music. I had never heard a song like Good Vibrations, and I haven't heard anything like it since. I feel head over heels for the Beach Boys and the genius of Brian Wilson. A decade later, and I am still in love with their music and music as a whole. I'm now a music education major and a lover of all things music, harmony, and instruments. I fell in love with music because of Brian Wilson, and I got to see him and Al Jardine in concert this summer two days before Brian's 80th birthday. My life was made complete and I have him and this song to thank for making me fall in love with music and to fill a desire to become a high school band teacher. Thank you Brian Wilson for this masterpiece and so many amazing songs and albums. He truly is the Mozart of the 20th century, a musical genius.

[@HellaBuggin]

Watch the Documentary "The Wrecking Crew" to see who and how these albums were made. It's the same handful of musicians on every hit of that era.

[@adobbs92117]

Big thing to think about. No Beach Boys played any instruments in this song. It was played by the Wrecking Crew. The premier studio band in rock history. Carol Kay on bass and Hal Blain on drums. Glen Campbell on guitar ....

[@ledzeppelin725]

There's also that great documentary on the Wrecking Crew. Would be cool for Alex and Andy to check it out.

[@adobbs92117]

It’s an awesome documentary!!

[@robertheckman8013]

I have a hard time listening to this song only once in a sitting. Usually put on "repeat" at least once or twice. A beacon from my youth!

[@baronofgreymatter14]

Who do you think the Beatles listened to? THESE GUYS

[@michaellynch5254]

I'm sure they definitely listened to the Beach boys. However the one artist that the Beatles looked up to when they were getting going was Chuck Berry.

[@alrivers2297]

And they listened to the Beatles

[@beds139]

They listened to each other.

[@otisdylan9532]

@@michaellynch5254 Also, John loved Elvis, Paul loved Little Richard, and George loved Buddy Holly. A little later, they were all big Dylan fans.

[@michaellynch5254]

@@otisdylan9532 you guys are all correct. What's really cool is all these great artists that play in the same era all listen to each other and at any point any one of them can call the other and say hey you want to work together.

[@surviv.iokids5783]

oh, and " I don't know where but she sends me there." one of the great lyrics ever.

[@phillipbarker4757]

George Martin said this was a pocket symphony which drove the Beatles to create Sgts Lonely Hearts Club Band.

[@burmajones803]

You guys should watch Love and Mercy, a bio-pic about Brian Wilson. Good film.

[@clhsocial]

A "pocket symphony" - that's what Brian intended.

[@tallogden1732]

This is one of those songs that you’ll appreciate more the more times you hear it. Once you get to point where you can anticipate the next section you’ll be able to truly enjoy this as one of the all time great masterpieces that it is.

[@twalrus1]

This is one of those songs where the once you know what is coming next, you start loving it. Like a roller coaster once you get to remember all the turns and dips.

[@emilyflotilla931]

God, I was a conflicted teenager, The Beach Boys were somewhat going out of popularity, but I still loved them, especially when this came out! It was the groundwork in my opinion for them to break into Pet Songs...it was ground breaking!

[@bkshields76]

By far my favorite Beach Boys song is “Sail On Sailor”. Best production, coolest sound.

[@beds139]

I love the whole Holland album which is now rather forgotten.

[@mikephalen3162]

As good as their other songs are, "Sail on Sailor" is my favorite Beach Boys tune. I cannot listen to it only once.

[@alrivers2297]

In My Room, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Heroes and Villains

[@davebramble2444]

Don’t Worry Baby, as well! Magical tunes!

[@scottmorschhauser4421]

Brian Wilson said it was a "Teenage Symphony to God"

[@brigitte9999]

That’s perfectly explained. Although never my cup of tea.

[@Scatherfirst]

The Beatles listened intently to this, especially Paul MCCartney. But you're right, nothing ever really sounded like this when it came out. This was still early in the rock era. It was a huge hit in its day. For me their unequalled masterpiece was Feel Flows (from their great LP Surf's Up. Another song McCartney was obsessed with

[@Historian212]

Yeah, everyone loved this song at the time, it was so out there. The Beatles and the Beach Boys were the cutting edge at the time, between Revolver, then Pet Sounds, and Sgt. Pepper's, the albums just kept coming out and one was more experimental than the other. It's hard to answer about how it sounds now, how it's aged, because if you first heard it when it came out, it's such a part of your music lexicon, your sonic innerscape, that it can't ever be stale or old. That's my take on it, anyway.

[@blitztim6416]

Wow. The sound and structure of this song was so amazing for its time. When it came out most people listened on cheap mono radios in their cars. It was so weird and good that you had to hear it again. Then it became familiar. You knew when the changes were coming. You liked the changes. It changed what a song could be.

[@alconstantineau1063]

I really like that: "It changed what a song could be"!

[@barbaraconover5609]

I wish everyone could have experienced the Beach Boys in concert, as I did in the fall of 1977. Good Vibrations was amazing!

[@ChefClary60]

Funny. I saw them in KC somewhere around there. Brian was there but just kind of sat at a piano on side of the stage.

[@beverlycobb724]

Have to tell you this story. This happened in the early 80's. My car was in the shop, so my younger brother picked me up from work. Well the Beach Boys were playing that night, so I said to my brother, let's see if we can get tickets, so we drove downtown and got the tickets . We were behind the stage looking right down on the band. Brian Wilson was on the piano, when this happens. His cousin tosses a sax on to the grand piano, which slides and knocks over a drink right onto Brian. He's FURIOUS, he's PISSED , Brian stops playing, and walks off the stage. A minute later, he's back.....Epic moment. You have to realize Brian Wilson is a MUSICAL SAVANT....He recovered well I must say...What memories 😁

[@GetBackJoe1969]

I think ANDY is referring to CARL WILSON’S voice.