Play devils advocate. Is Brian Wilson NOT a musical genius?

[Dunderhead]

A quick follow up thought that I think is worth mentioning. Brian employs the same technique on each song. This is the "modular" approach that he was aiming for. Songs that were each mini-cycles. That's why it's so genius. It's truly self reflexive.

Also keep in mind how this principle comes organically, logically from his style. From the wall of sound style. The wall of sound is based around "combining" instruments into a single, unified, new instrument. Don't you think it's clever how he builds up from that? He starts off uniting separate instruments together, then separate sections of one song, then many songs into "movements" or parts of a cycle. Just like how cells in the body form tissues and those form organs and so on. He grows his sound, his style, out from the smallest part and forms an organic, intelligent stylistic whole.

You know, I don't care what anyone says. That's something special.

[mike s]

great posts Fishmonk

I think we are all right in different ways - maybe that's another indicator of (his) genius

I think there's another basic component no-one's mentioned yet:  your peers - if contemporaries who are themselves at the top of their game are in awe of you its another strong indicator that you are something very special

some fun indicators of genius:
1 - McCenroe - impossible slice
2 - Georgie Best - imposible dribble
3 - Brian Wilson - ultra-spook fade to Vega-tables - hey its art so has to be defined differently to sport