Chapter 16: The Record Producer and the LA Sound
While the other members of the Beach Boys were away touring, Wilson immersed himself in Los Angeles’ countercultural circles. He surrounded himself with artists, mystics, and collaborators who shared his experimental ambitions. Working closely with lyricist Van Dyke Parks, he envisioned a record that would weave together American history, environmentalism, colonial critique, drug culture, spiritual searching, and the loss of youthful innocence. These themes were set to ornate baroque arrangements and avant-garde studio techniques. Songs like “Surf’s Up,” “Cabin Essence,” and “Heroes and Villains” combined richly layered harmonies with impressionistic lyrics and abrupt shifts in mood, tempo, and texture. However, the very qualities that made Smile so visionary also made it nearly impossible to complete.
As sessions dragged into 1967, Wilson’s mental health deteriorated under immense expectations, perfectionism, and drug use. The “genius” label and the pressure to outdo the Beatles became overwhelming. Bandmates and studio musicians described Wilson becoming increasingly erratic—scrapping finished recordings, obsessing over minute details, and abandoning sessions. He famously built a sandbox under his piano to feel “closer to the earth” while composing and grew convinced certain studios were cursed.
Wilson’s paranoia intensified, particularly regarding Phil Spector. He believed Spector was trying to sabotage or even kill him due to jealousy that Wilson was encroaching on his position as the best producer in Los Angeles.Wilson began interpreting innocent events as deliberate threats. After viewing a Spector-produced film, Wilson thought it contained secret messages aimed at him and suspected his house was bugged. He began conducting meetings while floating in his swimming pool, convinced it was the only place safe from surveillance. His increasing use of psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, opened artistic avenues but exacerbated his psychological distress.
Internal tensions within the Beach Boys exacerbated Wilson’s struggles. Some members, especially Mike Love, resisted Wilson’s psychedelic direction, urging him not to “f--- with the formula” of catchy melodies, tight harmonies, and upbeat California-themed lyrics. Love has since disputed this portrayal, arguing that his intentions were to protect the band’s success rather than to stifle creativity. Regardless, this rift deepened Wilson’s isolation and anxiety, leaving him feeling misunderstood as he pursued a “teenage symphony to God.”
An infamous incident during the recording of “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow,” intended to represent fire, exemplified Wilson’s unraveling mental state. He instructed musicians to wear fire helmets and create chaos. When a fire broke out in a nearby building that night, Wilson believed his music had caused it. Shaken, he shelved the entire section and came to see Smile as cursed.
The project collapsed shortly before the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s release in June 1967, an album Wilson reportedly heard and said, “They did it first.” Whether apocryphal or not, this expressed the painful reality that the Beatles had achieved the kind of concept album Wilson sought. Smile remained unfinished—an archive of fragmented tapes and abandoned sessions that would haunt Wilson for decades.
The shelving of Smile marked the end of Wilson’s most ambitious creative phase. His mental health declined rapidly, and his role within the band diminished. Though fragments of Smile appeared on later albums like Smiley Smile and Surf’s Up, the original vision remained unrealized until Brian Wilson Presents Smile was released in 2004 to critical acclaim, completing the once “lost” masterpiece.
Following Wilson’s retreat from touring and leadership, Carl Wilson emerged as the band’s steadying force. Under his guidance, the Beach Boys transitioned into a more democratic phase. Albums like Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971) featured introspective songwriting from all members, with Carl overseeing much of the production. Sunflower included tracks from Dennis and Brian, while Surf’s Up tackled social and environmental issues and revived the long-shelved Smile title track. Though commercial success waned in the U.S., the band earned renewed critical respect, especially in Europe. Carl’s leadership and emotive vocals sustained the group through the 1970s until his death in 1998.
Today, the Beach Boys’ legacy endures not only for their sun-drenched hits but also for their pioneering studio innovations, harmonic sophistication, and outsized influence on American popular music and culture.