Carl Wilson

I have been re-reading Peter Carlin's book as well as some old articles from the '70s thru the late '80s and I have to say that I am re-rethinking my opinion of Carl.

Throughout the 70s and 80s I use to think that Carl was an anchor for the group and also a solid shoulder to help both Brian and Dennis through their problems. He was also the harderest worker within the group, always trying to make it better for the fans as well as the other members. But after the acrimonious 90s with so much said about Carl and his desire to keep Brian "down" and his resistance to handover musical control back to Brian, I really held a grudge against Carl for his transgressions.

But with the passage of time, the facts of what Carl did for the group really do show a person who cared deeply about his bandmates and his craft. Such as the following:

1.) Carl quitting the group was the best move he could have made for both himself and the rest of the band. I remember how the band was playing the same songs in the same order with the same stage patter between songs night after blankety-blank night. I saw Carl play in a small club in April of 1981 (after having seen a Beach Boys show that rivals the Queen Mary show from July of that year). Carl and his small group (which had Billy H. on guitar and keys) rocked that club like nobody's business. After his first set, Carl came out and mingled with the crowd, signing autographs and talking with us. He jumped back up onstage to do Hold Me, an Old Sam & Dave tune who's name escapes me and Darlin'. That's a good time!

Carl openly talked to the newpapers about how guilty he felt for leaving the group high and dry. Mike was interviewed and said that Carl was not really missed by the band as they were having the most profitable year they had seen in quite awhile. Good old Mike. Luckily, Mike's real feelings were being passed on to Carl that the group really needed him back. I kinda wished carl had not come back until maybe late summer of '82 to give them something to really sweat about.

2.) Carl pushed for the group to do more recording and tried to include LP tracks into the mix of their shows. Mike fought him tooth and nail onthis, but many times Mike was over ruled. Even in the 1980s, Girl Don't Tell Me, This Whole World and California Saga would show up in their setlist. Carl made this happen. And of course it helped when Foskett joined because he was an admirer of these lesser known tunes and help Carl get them put into the set list.

3.) It was Carl who produced most of the LPs in the 1970s, except for 15 Big Ones & MIU. He was also the one when the group told CBS to "eat me" that assembled and mastered the Ten Years Of Harmony compilation, including rare tracks and mixes that most fans didn't have. Anyone else would have just pulled LP tracks of songs released in different mixes on 45s and stuck them on the comp. Also, it was Carl's idea to put Dennis' solo track on the comp.

4.) Carl really did care for Brian. But Carl also cared about the band and thought (rightly or wrongly) that Brian was not up to the task of running the group as he had done in the past. And let's face it, had Brian been given reign on the 80s LPs, it wouldn't have been Brian writing and producing. It would have Been Brian and Eugene Landy! Landy was insisting on this at that time. And who needs that?

So my hats off to Carl for doing a job that no one else wanted to do. He may have had his flaws and petty jealous bickerings, but he did the best he could. That can not be said for the rest of the group.

Bob Flory

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