Brian Wilson and Sail Away

[RollPlymouthRock]

Why do you think it affected Brian so much, so much that it stopped him from "sliding into further depression"? Obviously he'd have found songs like Political Science very funny but personally I think its due to the songs God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) seeing as he was in a somewhat existential crisis at the time as evidenced by the song Til I Die wondering why so much suffering occurs and the song Old Man which i imagine would have touched very Brian deeply given his relationship with Murry.

[The Heartical Don]

I guess (given that the anecdote is true) that Brian recognized in it some 'definitive' statement about leaving. It is a very elegiac song, and if you ignore the true meaning of the lyrics (which I think Brian did), it is not that far removed from a stately epic like Surf's Up.

[linusoli]

I don't think there has to be a particularly Brian-centric reason that album connected with him as it did. It's a simply devastating piece of work, bitterly hilarious in parts but so deeply humane. It's not hard to imagine an artist of Brian's caliber being floored by it. I don't think the meaning of the lyrics to "Sail Away" was much of a secret, and I think knowing it only adds to the song's beauty since its so emblematic of Newman's style, which is to dig deep into the minds and souls of the characters who are usually considered beyond empathy.
I have wondered about the extent of its influence on Brian. Consider that he got deeply into the album in 73 - right? - directly before his voice started changing. Really makes me wonder how much his singing style on 15BO and BBLY must have been an intentional imitation of Randy Newman, especially in light of how pure a tone he was able to achieve on M.I.U. just a year later. Just imagine the last line of "Roller Skating Child" that Brian delivers in Randy Newman's voice, and it literally makes more sense. Just a thought.

[The Heartical Don]

I don't think there has to be a particularly Brian-centric reason that album connected with him as it did. It's a simply devastating piece of work, bitterly hilarious in parts but so deeply humane. It's not hard to imagine an artist of Brian's caliber being floored by it. I don't think the meaning of the lyrics to "Sail Away" was much of a secret, and I think knowing it only adds to the song's beauty since its so emblematic of Newman's style, which is to dig deep into the minds and souls of the characters who are usually considered beyond empathy.
I have wondered about the extent of its influence on Brian. Consider that he got deeply into the album in 73 - right? - directly before his voice started changing. Really makes me wonder how much his singing style on 15BO and BBLY must have been an intentional imitation of Randy Newman, especially in light of how pure a tone he was able to achieve on M.I.U. just a year later. Just imagine the last line of "Roller Skating Child" that Brian delivers in Randy Newman's voice, and it literally makes more sense. Just a thought.

Very intriguing call! I will ponder it for quite some time and then try to come up with an answer... you certainly raise some interesting possibilities...

[RollPlymouthRock]

I don't think there has to be a particularly Brian-centric reason that album connected with him as it did. It's a simply devastating piece of work, bitterly hilarious in parts but so deeply humane. It's not hard to imagine an artist of Brian's caliber being floored by it. I don't think the meaning of the lyrics to "Sail Away" was much of a secret, and I think knowing it only adds to the song's beauty since its so emblematic of Newman's style, which is to dig deep into the minds and souls of the characters who are usually considered beyond empathy.
I have wondered about the extent of its influence on Brian. Consider that he got deeply into the album in 73 - right? - directly before his voice started changing. Really makes me wonder how much his singing style on 15BO and BBLY must have been an intentional imitation of Randy Newman, especially in light of how pure a tone he was able to achieve on M.I.U. just a year later. Just imagine the last line of "Roller Skating Child" that Brian delivers in Randy Newman's voice, and it literally makes more sense. Just a thought.

Very intriguing call! I will ponder it for quite some time and then try to come up with an answer... you certainly raise some interesting possibilities...

Never heard that theory before interesting. Has anyone ever asked Brian about it?

[Amanda Hart]

I bought Sail Away shortly after reading about Brian being into it. I'm so glad I did because I love this album, and I've gotten into the albums Newman released around it too.

You can feel the influence it had on Brian, I remember on first listen I picked up on similarities between Burn On and the stuff Brian was doing around Holland. More than anything though, I think Sail Away creates a certain mood, and that's probably what Brian was picking up on. I don't know that I can put it exactly into words, but right from the opening note there's a feeling in the room that stays with you throughout the album. I also think it's themes spoke to Brian at that time. It deals with things like God, America, fatherhood and the cycle of life with a certain humor - sound familiar?

The idea of listening to Sail Away lining up with Brian's voice change is really interesting too. I've never really thought of it from that angle before. There's probably something to that, because not only did his voice change around this time, but his delivery did too. I don't think listening to Randy Newman would be the only reason for that, but it may well have been a factor.