Rest in Peace, Carl Wilson - Gone 25 Years Today

[patsy6]

I can't believe it's been 25 years since we heard the awful news.

[juggler]

Carl was truly the heart and soul of the group.    In many ways, "The Beach Boys" as a thing died with him.  The 50th anniversary tour/album in 2012 was a cool period, but it never felt quite the same.  Damned lung cancer.  So weird that it hit after he had quit smoking decades before, but sometimes there's just bad luck, combined with stress, etc.  And Brian with, at times, much worse health habits survived.  Such is life.  The whole thing is a crapshoot... for all of us.

[Tony S]

So hard to believe its been 25 years. I would agree that the Beach Boys as we know them died with Carl. Some would argue  Dennis' death killed them, but realistically, it may have killed their spirit, but Dennis wasn't contributing on stage the last few years, or on many of the albums either. Cal was the voice, the respectability, the heart and soul behind the touring band that gave them authenticity. When he left us, so did the REAL Beach Boys. RIP another 25 years Carl.

[SMiLE-addict]

[rab2591]

Not only is this a reminder of the fragility of life, but also of how fast time seems to go by as we get older. I hope Carl’s family is doing well, and I hope all the fans, heroes and villains from all corners of the globe, are keeping in good health and happiness.

[guitarfool2002]

Not only is this a reminder of the fragility of life, but also of how fast time seems to go by as we get older. I hope Carl’s family is doing well, and I hope all the fans, heroes and villains from all corners of the globe, are keeping in good health and happiness.

Absolutely agree. It struck me after reading this that I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was in a living room in Cambridge Massachusetts listening to the radio, I'm sure it was the now defunct 101.7 WFNX, who had been playing in pretty regular rotation a cover of "Girl Don't Tell Me" by the band Fuzzy which was of course Carl's lead vocal showcase. They announced Carl had passed away, and I don't remember what they played in tribute but they did play something. At that time I was in the area trying to get a band off the ground, along with working an office gig in the financial district, feeling tired and run down all the time but loving it, and still actively writing songs with the dream in full focus. The Pet Sounds Sessions box was in heavy rotation on my CD player, along with Smile and the usual stuff.

25 years ago does not feel like 25 years ago, if that makes sense. It could have been a few months ago in my mind, but when we look back at 25 years and what that really means, it is a long time and yes we do need to enjoy every day in some way and enjoy every sandwich, as the great Warren Zevon said. Life truly is fragile and worth smiling and soaking it in multiple times every day.

Thanks Carl for all the great music and all the smiles.

[Awesoman]

Carl's passing really ended the Beach Boys' recording career as well, with the obvious exception of the reunion album.  It's just a shame they couldn't get things together well enough in the mid-90's to put out one more album while Carl was still with them.  I'm just glad I got to see him perform one final time in 1997 before he passed.  Will never forget watching him perform mostly sitting on a stool, only standing during his performance of "God Only Knows" where he ended the song thanking the crowd for their prayers. 

Yet somehow after his passing there seemed to be a rejuvenated interest in the band again with several high profile projects such as Endless Harmony and re-releasing their post-60's catalog which have more or less remained in print ever since.  Brian himself managed to finally get a decent solo career going and even eventually finished SMiLE.  It does make you wonder how things would have been if Carl were still with us.  Would Brian have still attempted a solo career or would his songs from Imagination have folded into an inevitable new Beach Boys album?  I wonder what some songs such as "Your Imagination" or "South American" would have sounded like with Carl and the rest of the band providing vocals.  And perhaps some of Carl's Like A Brother tracks would have found their way on such a potential album. 

But in any case Carl is definitely missed and I hope he would be ultimately happy with how the band's legacy has remained strong.

[Lonely Summer]

Carl's passing really ended the Beach Boys' recording career as well, with the obvious exception of the reunion album.  It's just a shame they couldn't get things together well enough in the mid-90's to put out one more album while Carl was still with them.  I'm just glad I got to see him perform one final time in 1997 before he passed.  Will never forget watching him perform mostly sitting on a stool, only standing during his performance of "God Only Knows" where he ended the song thanking the crowd for their prayers. 

Yet somehow after his passing there seemed to be a rejuvenated interest in the band again with several high profile projects such as Endless Harmony and re-releasing their post-60's catalog which have more or less remained in print ever since.  Brian himself managed to finally get a decent solo career going and even eventually finished SMiLE.  It does make you wonder how things would have been if Carl were still with us.  Would Brian have still attempted a solo career or would his songs from Imagination have folded into an inevitable new Beach Boys album?  I wonder what some songs such as "Your Imagination" or "South American" would have sounded like with Carl and the rest of the band providing vocals.  And perhaps some of Carl's Like A Brother tracks would have found their way on such a potential album. 

But in any case Carl is definitely missed and I hope he would be ultimately happy with how the band's legacy has remained strong.

It was always my impression Carl did Like a Brother because the Beach Boys weren't interested in doing that kind of material; with Mike as the leader, they just wanted more fun in the sun, surf and sand songs. I believe Carl began work on Like a Brother around the same time that Summer in Paradise was released.
It was like the early 80's all over again - the band had gotten lazy, didn't want to put out the effort for more creatively expressive music. I'm glad Carl did that album. Wish he had lived long enough to see it released; maybe even do a small tour with Beckley and Lamm.
Brian was already doing a solo career since 1987. It got derailed by all the Landy/legal stuff, but 1995 certainly seemed like an attempt at restarting his solo career. I don't think Carl being around would have changed anything, other than maybe Brian would have asked Carl to sing on some Imagination stuff.

[rab2591]

Does make one wonder though - because let's say Carl was still with us right now: from 1998 to 2023 is 25 years, and that's a LONG time. While Mike and Bruce have seemed to be perfectly happy being on the road during that entire time, I wonder if Carl would've been less likely to do the same thing day in and day out, and rather would've gotten the itch to do something more creative with Brian in an official capacity.

OR if Carl's presence in The Beach Boys, during the past 25 years, would've created a more suitable common ground for both Mike and Brian to reconcile. I know almost nothing about Brian, the band, and the band politics during the mid-90s, so my thoughts aren't based in any solid reality of the situation during those times.

[Awesoman]

Brian was already doing a solo career since 1987. It got derailed by all the Landy/legal stuff, but 1995 certainly seemed like an attempt at restarting his solo career.

Yeah that's a fair assessment of Brian's solo career.  I think it became higher profile beginning with the IJWMFTT documentary, the Van Dyke Parks duo album, Imagination and Brian's remarkable return to touring that truly cemented things in a way his self-titled 1988 solo album just didn't.