How would you convince someone that Good Vibrations had immediate influence?

[puni puni]

I was discussing this with someone a few days ago and I wasn't sure if the single actually did do anything for the year 1967. There is obviously some influence as you can see on some songs like Penny Lane, Let's Go To San Francisco, and Elenore, but I find it hard to put into words what exactly Good Vibrations presented to pop music that was innovative... Besides that it was compiled as puzzle pieces.

When people think of 1967, they think of guitar-driven rock and roll like Cream and Jimi Hendrix which have no trace of Brian Wilson in the music at all. Apparently, most people let alone cannot even see how Pet Sounds had anything to do with Penny Lane. Melodic bassline played on a high register? Brian Wilson didn't invent that. Jazz vocal harmonies? That had been around for years. Heavy use of classical instruments? Brian Wilson didn't invent baroque pop either.

Another thing about Good Vibrations is its acclaim for using a theremin instrument... When it wasn't a theremin at all. Even if it was a theremin, there would have been nothing mindblowing about using one, because it had already been utilized in pop music during the '40s and '50s.

Decades later after the fact, sure, Good Vibrations was an amazing single. But at the time it seems like as Phil Spector would put it, only "a record made with some weird instruments."

[filledeplage]

I was discussing this with someone a few days ago and I wasn't sure if the single actually did do anything for the year 1967. There is obviously some influence as you can see on some songs like Penny Lane, Let's Go To San Francisco, and Elenore, but I find it hard to put into words what exactly Good Vibrations presented to pop music that was innovative... Besides that it was compiled as puzzle pieces.

When people think of 1967, they think of guitar-driven rock and roll like Cream and Jimi Hendrix which have no trace of Brian Wilson in the music at all. Apparently, most people let alone cannot even see how Pet Sounds had anything to do with Penny Lane. Melodic bassline played on a high register? Brian Wilson didn't invent that. Jazz vocal harmonies? That had been around for years. Heavy use of classical instruments? Brian Wilson didn't invent baroque pop either.

Another thing about Good Vibrations is its acclaim for using a theremin instrument... When it wasn't a theremin at all. Even if it was a theremin, there would have been nothing mindblowing about using one, because it had already been utilized in pop music during the '40s and '50s.

Decades later after the fact, sure, Good Vibrations was an amazing single. But at the time it seems like as Phil Spector would put it, only "a record made with some weird instruments."

Old Latin term; res ipsa loquitor.  The thing (res) speaks (loquitor) for itself (ipsa.)  GV was released in 1966, in October. It rocketed to the top of the charts.  By that time, the Boys had unquestioned musical credibility.  Whatever they released got Airplay. Lots of Airplay.  AM and FM Airplay.  It was considered by many to be "experimental" music, with the use of rare instrumentation to simulate an abstract concept...theremin, tannerin, or whatever Mike played onstage and whatever they used in the studio to simulate the abstract concept of an invisible connection as between humans or non-humans.

One should not have to put forth a convincing argument, but let someone listen and be convinced by the music! Just the music should "speak for itself."  The thing.  The res.

Brian Wilson could clean the street with Phil Spector.  (where the"student" surpasses a teacher/or other mentor or influence)

You might get a flavor for 1967, by which time, that October, the Smiley album was released, by listening to the YouTube of that cobbled together "fantasy" concert.  Heroes, Gettin' Hungry followed Good Vibrations. Live, it is really exciting, even now, to listen to their voices.

The music requires no defense.  It speaks for itself.  Res ipsa loquitor.  

[LostArt]

I was discussing this with someone a few days ago and I wasn't sure if the single actually did do anything for the year 1967. There is obviously some influence as you can see on some songs like Penny Lane, Let's Go To San Francisco, and Elenore, but I find it hard to put into words what exactly Good Vibrations presented to pop music that was innovative... Besides that it was compiled as puzzle pieces.

Not so sure about Elenore.  I think that one was written as a big F-you to the record company, who wanted more songs like Happy Together.  I would say Happy Together was influenced by Good Vibrations, though.  Same 'minor key' chord progression in the verses, going to a big major chord on the chorus.
 

When people think of 1967, they think of guitar-driven rock and roll like Cream and Jimi Hendrix which have no trace of Brian Wilson in the music at all. Apparently, most people let alone cannot even see how Pet Sounds had anything to do with Penny Lane. Melodic bassline played on a high register? Brian Wilson didn't invent that. Jazz vocal harmonies? That had been around for years. Heavy use of classical instruments? Brian Wilson didn't invent baroque pop either.

When some people think of 1967, they think of the heavy groups, but check the top 100 singles of 1967 for a more accurate representation of what the general public and the 'hit makers' were listening to.  Perhaps most people cannot see how Pet Sounds had anything to do with Penny Lane, but your question isn't about 'most people' or Pet Sounds.  Your question is about songwriters and musicians (the people making the records) being influenced by Good Vibrations.  Brian Wilson wasn't the first guy to do any of the things you mention, but he was the first guy to incorporate all of those things into 1960s pop/rock music.  His bass lines were admired and emulated by McCartney, Paul Simon and others, and they are still admired by musicians today.  Brian was among the first to successfully incorporate jazz harmonies into rock n' roll, but that was well before Good Vibrations.  However, listen to the vocal breaks in Good Thing by Paul Revere & the Raiders, and tell me that wasn't influenced by Good Vibrations.  Or check out The Rain, The Park, and Other Things by The Cowsills (I love the flower girl) and tell me that wasn't influenced by GV.

Another thing about Good Vibrations is its acclaim for using a theremin instrument... When it wasn't a theremin at all. Even if it was a theremin, there would have been nothing mindblowing about using one, because it had already been utilized in pop music during the '40s and '50s.

People weren't blown away because it was a theremin Brian used in Good Vibrations.  It was the sound of the thing.  Musicians and record makers were blown away that Brian was able to incorporate that sound into a #1 hit record.  The theremin was used in a very few pop songs in the '50s, although I couldn't name one (can you?).  It was used much more in films and TV in that era.  I can't think of any pop songs in the '60s that used a theremin-type instrument (electro-theremin or tannerin) before Good Vibrations.  I was there in 1966 and the use of the tannerin in Good Vibrations was mindblowing.  Don't believe me?  Ask Mike Love.  By 1967 that sound was to be heard on albums like Between The Buttons or Their Satanic Majesties Request, and on songs like Reflections by The Supremes or Daily Nightly by The Monkees (in these two cases it was a synthesizer making the weird noise, but same effect).

Decades later after the fact, sure, Good Vibrations was an amazing single. But at the time it seems like as Phil Spector would put it, only "a record made with some weird instruments."

Phil Spector is a dick.

[guitarfool2002]

Be careful when reading "history of rock" descriptions of the years 1966 and 1967. Be *very* careful...

The accepted history of rock in those years which I got through reading a lot of books, watching a lot of TV and video documentaries, and other mainstream sources will tell a certain version of events. And yes, some of the accepted terms of the story include FM radio, guitar rock, San Francisco Sound, "free form radio" etc...

After the internet opened up what was literally a whole new world of videos, audio recordings, long-lost magazines, fanzines, and other publications from that era (literally a few clicks, searches, or emails away), through other collectors and people who sometimes just found the stuff in a closet and made it available online, I discovered a different angle on the history I had read and accepted for years. It could be shocking to actually see and read things from that era and wonder where is all the "FM Radio", "free form radio", "loud guitar rock", "Eric Clapton", "San Francisco sound" etc...where were those references in the actual material from that era?

Good Vibrations was a *huge* influence among musicians and producers, i.e. Brian Wilson's immediate peers and competition in the record business, when it was released and started to chart in the Fall of 1966. Brian, in one single (the flip side at that point didn't matter a bit, since the A-side simply overshadowed anything else), managed to set the bar extremely high for a single. It gave him extra clout because it reached number 1 on the charts, and with that clout came validation that you could go that far outside the normal structure and sound of a hit record and have commercial success. That is a powerful notion, the one where someone needs to break down the wall so others can advance over it. Brian did that with his single, the Beatles would soon do that with their album Sgt. Pepper. It opened up the mindset that we young musicians could do something new, different, experimental, radical, non-commercial by design...yet if it was *good*, if it was *valid*, if it had *meaning*, if it came from the heart, if it said something, all those subjectives...the people would accept it and more important in the business, buy it.

The years 1966-67 saw more radical change in the music business and pop music in general than perhaps any other two years in rock history. Some facts get lost, the main fact being the driving forces behind a lot of this were still what those in the business called "the kids". The music was not being made for someone like Leonard Bernstein to buy, but when he noticed what these "kids" were doing he couldn't help but praise them on national television. Those kids buying this music were listening to 45's, they were listening to AM radio, the kids cruising in their cars listening to the radio didn't have FM radios or cassette players, they had AM radio. The kids wanting to read about music didn't have Rolling Stone, they had fanzines, teen magazines, and music magazines released through local radio stations. They could turn on the TV and get about a dozen different local and syndicated dance and music shows, the most famous being "American Bandstand" because it had the biggest money behind it, the ones more on the fringe and a bit more hip being "Shindig", "Hullaballoo", and various local shows like Hy Lit and "The Geator" in Philly, versus KHJ's local dance shows in LA, and whatever else in between.

It was a great time for pop music, and Brian with his bizarre record called Good Vibrations just happened to hit at exactly the right time for maximum impact. It was right when American Pop Culture was exploding, the networks of radio-TV-print media were in sync with what their audience was checking out, and some truly groundbreaking things were happening. Within a year of Good Vibrations and all of this, there were massive changes which made all of what was current in 1966 seem passe and pedestrian by the end of 1968. It is a damn shame because some truly great, I'll say revolutionary music, was being heard on a regular basis by "the kids" listening on AM radio and gathering in front of their televisions to watch Shindig.

And the preferred media of that scene was, I suggest, the 45rpm single. And the height of that scene was, I suggest, "Good Vibrations", packing everything new, exciting, and revolutionary about music at that moment in time into one single. In this case the timing was as good as Sgt. Pepper being released at the beginning of the later-named "Summer Of Love", an event not planned but which cannot be removed from surrounding cultural events.

[filledeplage]

Great post, guitar (no fool!)  and, one must proceed with extreme caution through the meteoric years of 1966 onward.  

GV was definitely "on the cusp" of a new era...and, I am sick and tired of defending music that requires no defense.

Finally, the work is appreciated for the genius it represents, and I mean all the guys who did the vocals, as it was the founders of BRI, who merit the accolades.  Dennis, I think would say, that "Brian was the genius and the Beach Boys were the messengers." I guess the product (music) required exquisite "delivery" and that is exactly can be historically traced.  The Boys served as Brian's ambassadors, but can't and shouldn't be excluded as creative resources as many would suggest retrospectively.  They all grew in the job. They all composed and published.

Revisionist history is a dangerous place to go.  And, you are dead-on correct about the influences of teen magazines, and shows such as American Bandstand, etc., being a huge influence, and the fact that it was the most heavily bankrolled show to be that conduit for this music. 1966 was NOT 1967!  And you are also correct in that there were forces afoot which could have never been controlled.  The Summer of Love.  The VW hippie "My Jenny" (Forrest Gump) scene provides a little imagery.

Again, great post!  

[DonnyL]

I think the best argument that can be made is that "Good Vibrations" was the first major hit to use the 'studio as a musical instrument'.  It was recorded and arranged, essentially CREATED piecemeal, not as a continuous performance; it contained several unique (from a composition and production standpoint) movements.  This would later come to prominence in 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and SGT PEPPER, as well as countless records that followed.

[Myk Luhv]

I'd love to hear about these revolutionary compositional and production techniques in detail. It seems to me that creating this song in pieces and linking them together isn't really all that mind-blowing and had been done before. Is it just that it s a very successful pop group using these techniques and so bringing them to the attention of the mainstream recording industry and general public? I fully admit to being ignorant here so it's not really a challenge so much as it is me being uninformed and curious -- and, you see this said of Smile and "Good Vibrations" a lot, their use of "modular recording" or whatever.

[Roger Ryan]

...It seems to me that creating this song in pieces and linking them together isn't really all that mind-blowing and had been done before...

I can't think of an earlier example where this was done before in a pop or rock record. The only producer/arranger I can think of who worked extensively in "modular" style would be Spike Jones, but due to the limited technology of the 40s and early 50s he created his modular works live with little-to-no editing.

As to immediate influence: "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night" by the Electric Prunes. The song appears to have been written and recorded mere weeks after the release of "Good Vibrations". While those involved claim the inspiration came from the Rolling Stones (indeed, the song shares a lot in common with "Paint It Black"), the way the lilting verse, with its lyrics about a girl's perfume inspiring the singer, crashes into the more upbeat chorus reminds me more of GV.

[SunBurn]

When some people think of 1967, they think of the heavy groups, but check the top 100 singles of 1967 for a more accurate representation of what the general public and the 'hit makers' were listening to.  

The U.S. pop zeitgeist of 1966 seemed like a highly interesting topic to me, so I checked out the Billboard top 100 of that year to see what groundbreaking/interesting productions were being embraced by the public. Here is what I found and notes on what I find interesting or unusual about them:

Last Train To Clarksville » Monkees
Innovative mixing and start/stops a la The Byrd’s “Turn, Turn, Turn”
Summer In The City » Lovin' Spoonful
Nifty sound effects and great creepy chromatic organ intro with following drones.
Paint It Black » Rolling Stones
Sitar by Brian Jones a la George Harrison.
You Keep Me Hangin' On » Supremes
Wonderful rhythmic octave guitar intro (with whip stereo pan on stereo mix, although few would here it at the time)
Walk Away Renee » Left Banke
Dissonant Baroque-style string and woodwind arrangement (oboe solo), prominent harpsichord.
Rainy Day Women #12 And 35 » Bob Dylan
Silly party atmosphere and trombone section; drug references in lyric.
Yellow Submarine » Beatles
Wonderful sound effects montage, brass band appears and fades away.
Good Vibrations » Beach Boys
Triplet cellos, theremin (or similar), hushed organ section with percussion, dramatically contrasting sections, highly complex (ABABCDBEB?) song structure.

As far as I know, that’s about it for groundbreaking productions in ’66 that were big hits, although I must admit there were a few titles that I wasn’t familiar with. To my (admittedly biased) ear, it’s pretty clear that “Good Vibrations” was a huge standout of the above group, and these are only the most interesting of the Top 100.

To get a taste of the more common listening experience in 1966, check out the year’s Top 5:

01. The Ballad Of The Green Berets » Sgt. Barry Sadler
02. Cherish » Association
03. (You're My) Soul And Inspiration » Righteous Brothers
04. Reach Out I'll Be There » Four Tops
05. 96 Tears » ? & The Mysterians

I like all of these songs (although not too crazy about #1), but none of them were especially groundbreaking or unusual to the best of my memory.

On the other hand, there were plenty of things in the 1966 top 100 of a gentle, tuneful nature such as this:
Somewhere My Love » Ray Conniff & The Singers

...but the only thing I found that came anywhere close to the heavy guitar stuff to come in 1967 was this:
Shapes Of Things » Yardbirds

Now take a look at the Top Twenty of 1967. While the selection has more grit than what you’d typically find in ’66, only one song even hints at heavy guitars in the Summer of Love in my opinion, and that is “Light My Fire”:

01. To Sir With Love » Lulu
02. The Letter » Box Tops
03. Ode To Billie Joe » Bobbie Gentry
04. Windy » Association
05. I'm A Believer » Monkees
06. Light My Fire » Doors
07. Somethin' Stupid » Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
08. Happy Together » Turtles
09. Groovin' » Young Rascals
10. Can't Take My Eyes Off You » Frankie Valli
11. Little Bit O' Soul » Music Explosion
12. I Think We're Alone Now » Tommy James & The Shondells
13. Respect » Aretha Franklin
14. I Was Made To Love Her » Stevie Wonder
15. Come Back When You Grow Up » Bobby Vee & The Strangers
16. Kind Of A Drag » Buckinghams
17. Sweet Soul Music » Arthur Conley
18. Expressway To Your Heart » Soul Survivors
19. Soul Man » Sam & Dave
20. Never My Love » Association

...on the other hand, the influence of “Good Vibrations” is not exactly prominent either. Which to my mind is a good indication of just how far ahead Brian and the Boys were!

(source: http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1966.php)

[Justin]

When people think of 1967, they think of guitar-driven rock and roll like Cream and Jimi Hendrix which have no trace of Brian Wilson in the music at all. Apparently, most people let alone cannot even see how Pet Sounds had anything to do with Penny Lane. Melodic bassline played on a high register? Brian Wilson didn't invent that. Jazz vocal harmonies? That had been around for years. Heavy use of classical instruments? Brian Wilson didn't invent baroque pop either.

Valid points...but the thing to keep in mind is that no one else put all these wonderful ingredients together as wonderfully as Brian did with "Good Vibrations."  Any influence coming from GV may not be directly heard in other songs that followed but rather in the quality of songs heard after GV was released.  Here comes GV and in a way, it sent shockwaves through the industry because here was Brian essentailly saying, "look, I'm upping the game here whether you like it or not, folks."  There was a new standard to reach for. 

It's like a hamburger.  Sure all the ingredients existed before but SOMEONE had to put the bread, beef, lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles together to make a sandwich. 

[DonnyL]

Is it just that it s a very successful pop group using these techniques and so bringing them to the attention of the mainstream recording industry and general public?

I think that's the gist of it in my opinion.  Anyone can make something simple seem complex; it takes genius to make something complex seem simple and accessible.

specifically though, it was the first time a major hit was almost 'composed' as it was recorded.  From an arrangement standpoint, think of the standard verse/chorus/verse, then consider 'Good Vibrations'.  What I'm getting at though, is it is not just the sum of it's parts; the production, arrangement and composition are fully integrated.

[BananaLouie]

It's like a hamburger.  Sure all the ingredients existed before but SOMEONE had to put the bread, beef, lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles together to make a sandwich. 

Great analogy, besides many of the points already mentioned I like to tell people that this three minute and thirty second "Pocket Symphony" was at the time the most expensive pop single ever recorded costing some $40,000. 

[hypehat]

The thing is, absolutely no one wrote a single like Good Vibrations before. Brian himself had not written the thing that way, insomuch as the initial stages of playing it all in one take in the early sessions did not satisfy him.  But the studio techniques brought about something so wonderful. You can hear it on the Good Vibrations disc of Smile, with his experimenting with variations on certain sections. In that, I disagree with DonnyL - I think it came about by a set of musical ideas joined by a moment of sheer, irrational inspiration. Suddenly, it fit.

What's heartbreaking is that this is clearly what he had in mind for Heroes & Villains - that a logical and wonderful sequence would occur- and it just didn't happen. Or at least, until he had retreated to Bellagio.

[Ron]

The music requires no defense.  It speaks for itself.  Res ipsa loquitor.  

Exactly! This is where people fall into a trap.  There is no need to explain good vibrations to anybody, just play it. 

There is no record before or since that's even similar to it. 

[MyGlove]

Most people are very misinformed because of how inaccurate every article in magazine's and on the internet are. People get their own ideas about things. It's no good trying to convince anyone. But seriously, have you read anything concerning the Beach Boys from Rolling Stone or Pitchfork or any of those? Most of them claim that SMiLE was an attempt to beat Sgt. Peppers. It's laughable seeing as SMiLE was actually scrapped by the time the Beatles released that album. It's hard to convince people because they are already so misinformed. But like an earlier poster said you have to let the music speak for itself. They have to see for themselves.

[guitarfool2002]

Most people are very misinformed because of how inaccurate every article in magazine's and on the internet are. People get their own ideas about things. It's no good trying to convince anyone. But seriously, have you read anything concerning the Beach Boys from Rolling Stone or Pitchfork or any of those? Most of them claim that SMiLE was an attempt to beat Sgt. Peppers. It's laughable seeing as SMiLE was actually scrapped by the time the Beatles released that album. It's hard to convince people because they are already so misinformed. But like an earlier poster said you have to let the music speak for itself. They have to see for themselves.

Yes!

Become more educated than those writing the inaccurate histories! Then pass it forward.

The best advice I have is to absorb the actual materials from the time you're studying or researching, and take it to another level. If you're researching anything, it suggests a level of interest beyond a Rolling Stone Record Guide or some such reference book.

The internet as I mentioned in my first post is/was a Godsend in the way you can absorb the real history of the era. Take 1966-67: Go to Google Books, dig into the Billboard archives. They have every 66-67 issue scanned and available for free, minus just a few missing dates. Read how Brian premiering Good Vibrations on a television dance show on LA's KHJ-TV made national news as a very "new" concept: music premieres on television...two decades before MTV launched. Look for radio station surveys from major US markets, take note of how much stronger a Beach Boys single did in Boston than it did in Chicago, or whatever other cities come to mind. Notice how KHJ had BB's singles "Hitbound" earlier than most, and read how Brian might hand-deliver his latest single to KHJ's studio in 1966 and they'd get the exclusive. Look up radio station and record company fanzines like Teen Set or KRLA Beat...the rewards are plenty within those old pages.

Go to YouTube, search the videos of those top-100 hits from 66-67, many kinescopes and films exist and are available to watch. Seeing those bands and those songs as current hits played by guys barely out of their teens can be an incredible rush, compared to hearing them on a 4-in-a-row Oldies "rock block" on your local station or Sirius radio.

Find collectors who have or share radio airchecks from 66-67. These are the ultimate time machine, you get transported to that era by hearing what *everything* actually sounded like if you were cruising the Sunset Strip in your car on a Saturday night in 1967...from the commercials and voiceover ads, to the news and sports headlines, to the actual music heard in context as most kids in 1966-67 heard them: not "remastered", "remixed", or "reimagined", but raw from the radio station.

Find any magazines from those years, including mail-order catalogs like Sears and JC Penney. Notice the fashions, the furniture, what you'd buy at the grocery store and what you'd see if you were shopping for a radio or record player. See store ads and flyers on Google News archives and see how much a can of tomato soup cost and how much a dinner at the nice restaurant in your town cost if you wanted to have a good meal. How much was a used car if you were 18 and saving up for one? Get a few copies of TV Guide from 66-67. See what time the kids would watch Shindig and see who was featured that week. Check out who was on Johnny Carson on Wednesday and who was on Joey Bishop on Thursday, then see who Hollywood Palace featured versus Ed Sullivan that weekend. Who were the Dodgers playing Saturday afternoon? All that stuff adds up to what people were experiencing on average days not recorded in history books. Invaluable. And fun as hell if you like time travel.

It's all out there, most of it free and a few clicks away, the rest of it usually an easy score at an antique shop or flea market, and the context of putting it all together with the music you're studying and researching is a very rewarding experience. Certain finds and experiences found as I've been plowing through vintage materials have brought me close to tears, maybe none more than the KHJ radio airchecks. I can't hear certain songs I had gotten sick of as overplayed "oldies" that same negative way after hearing them as someone heard them originally, a new life was breathed into the dusty grooves somehow. It's powerful stuff, and it gives a very full perspective to draw from if and when someone asks about Good Vibrations or questions the Monkees place in rock history, or whatever other topic comes up.

I highly recommend it, at least.

[Don_Zabu]

I tell ya, that record sounds strange to me even today. I can't even imagine how strange it must've sounded to people in 66.

[grooveblaster]

Listening to KHJ unedited airchecks from 66-67 is pretty incredible like guitarfool says. So vibrant, the playlists have so much variety, the commercials are a trip and it's a blast to hear the news reports. Also great to hear that one DJ could handle a drive-time slot by himself and make the show entertaining without the need  for two or three sidekick assistants. Everyone needs to check out the Real Don Steele airchecks.

[Micha]

How would you convince someone that Good Vibrations had immediate influence?

I'd play that someone the a capella break in "Let's Spend The Night Together".