Was the Beatles break-up the real turning point for Brian?

[busy doin nothin]

The traditional view is that the failure of SMiLE was the turning point for Brian; after he abandoned it, he retreated from leadership of the Beach Boys and was never the same.  This view is well expressed on the Wikipedia page for Smiley Smile:

"Smiley Smile marked the end of Brian Wilson as the leader of The Beach Boys. Although the album was mostly produced by him, the production was for the first time credited to the group. The following years saw the former band leader become less and less involved in music production."

But is this really true?  The next album, Wild Honey, contained 11 tracks, 9 of which were Brian Wilson originals.  He sang on nearly every track, sang lead or co-lead on a number, and was largely responsible for the arrangements and production.

Next came Friends, which contained 12 tracks, a full 10 (or 11 if you credit him for Little Bird) co-written by Brian.  He sings lead or co-lead on a number of tracks.  Again, he was primarily responsible for the arrangements and production.

On 20/20, he retreated some, but still was a writer on 5 of the tracks.  Also, he co-wrote and produced "Break Away" shortly after the album's release, which was a major effort to generate a hit single.

Then on Sunflower, although he relinquished much of the production role to Carl, Steve Desper, Dennis, and Bruce (the last two for their own songs), he still co-wrote or wrote seven of the tracks, had a significant role in arrangements, and is heard vocally on nearly every track (some of them prominently).

Also keep in mind that there are a number of tracks Brian co-wrote, arranged, and cut in the 68-69-70 period but did not release, even though most of them were brought to near completion, such as Soulful Old Man Sunshine, I Just Got My Pay, When Girls Get Together, HELP Is on the Way, Good Time, etc.

It is only after Sunflower that Brian truly recedes into the background of the Beach Boys.  Beginning with Surf's Up, he is heard singing much less often.  His involvement in arrangement and production is almost nil.  He co-wrote three songs on Surf's up (4 if you include Feet), three on CATP, and only 2 on Holland.  (Don't get me wrong, those three are among my favorite albums of all time, my point is strictly about Brian's involvement.)

If you go thru the BBs' studio albums sequentially, listing the # of songs on each where Brian was credited as songwriter, you see the following:

Safari -- 9
USA -- 7
Girl -- 10
LDC -- 7 (excludes previous releases)
SDV2 -- 7
ASL -- 10
Today -- 9
SD/SN -- 10 (excludes Help Me Rhonda)
PS -- 12
Smiley -- 11
Honey -- 9
Friends -- 10
20/20 -- 5
Sunflower -- 7
Surf's Up -- 3
CATP -- 3
Holland -- 3

Does it really look as though Brian's creativity dropped off in 1967?  Or 1968?  I don't think so.  In fact, the drop-off seems most stark after 1970 -- especially when you consider that there was a lot of stuff written and recorded by Brian for the Boys in around 1969 that didn't get released.

Certainly there is no support for the thesis that Brian's creativity  (within the Beach Boys) was decimated by the demise of SMiLE.  Instead, I would date it to a different event that rocked the music world in April 1970 -- the breakup of the Beatles.

I don't think we can overstate the influence competing with the Beatles had on Brian.  Although it was clear in 1967 that the Beatles had won the battle in the eyes of most of the rock world, Brian kept pushing the Beach Boys forward, competing as best he could (making better, more original, more compelling music than the Beatles, but unfortunately less popular and less acclaimed).

Note that almost everything Brian recorded for Sunflower and Landlocked was finished before the Beatles announced their breakup in April 1970, and that it was only after that seminal date that he felt comfortable creating such "out there" and plainly non-commercial tracks as ADITLOAT and Til I Die (two of his most beautiful works, IMHO).  Most of what he contributed to Sunflower, for instance, while not commercially succesful, was certainly sunny and upbeat (note the thematic contrast between This Whole World and Til I Die).

I would submit that it was only after the Beatles broke up that Brian felt he could really withdraw from the Beach Boys and from the attempt, even if it was hopeless, to keep them competing with the Fab Four.  (As it turned out, Carl and Dennis were ready to take up the slack.)

[Ian]

I think that most people today would say that Smile wounded his spirit-but the real spiral into hell happened when Murry died in 1973-it affected both Dennis and Brian very badly...Brian's three year retreat followed

[busy doin nothin]

I agree Murry's death was a transformative event for Brian (and Dennis and even Carl).  But Brian had clearly retreated from the band well before that.  His presence is hardly felt on CATP and Holland.

[Jason]

Another Hoffman-esque thread...the BEATLES made Brian drop out from active recording and touring.

[Alex]

I agree Murry's death was a transformative event for Brian (and Dennis and even Carl).  But Brian had clearly retreated from the band well before that.  His presence is hardly felt on CATP and Holland.

We can't forget, he did do Mt. Vernon and Fairway for Holland. He wasn't quite down and out yet, though he was well on his way.

[Alex]

Another Hoffman-esque thread...the BEATLES made Brian drop out from active recording and touring.

When all this time, I thought it was competition from the Rutles that caused Brian's downfall.

[Andrew G. Doe]

20/20 is more accurately a 3, not a 5 - two of the tracks were Smile recycles, and thus not evidence of any 1968 creativity.

[busy doin nothin]

20/20 is more accurately a 3, not a 5 - two of the tracks were Smile recycles, and thus not evidence of any 1968 creativity.

That is certainly true, but by that reasoning Surf's Up drops to a 2, showing the post-1970 drop off more starkly.  Also, despite Brian's limited contribution to 20/20, there was another burst of creativity in 1969 with Break Away, the Landlocked stuff, and then the material that ended up on Sunflower. 

I'm not in any way trying to "blame" the Beatles for anything Brian did or didn't do.  I just noticed that his efforts to contribute material to The Beach Boys declined precipitously at almost the very moment the Beatles broke up.  After that he sang less on the next three Beach Boys albums, had fewer songs on them, and what he did contribute was often more out there, such as ADITLOAT & Til I Die -- and Mt. Vernon is another prime example of that phenomenon.

My other point is that post-SMiLE Brian was really still churning out albums much as he was before -- Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, and Friends are all dominated by him in terms of writing, arranging, and production.  The style changed (as did the degree of commercial success), but not the productivity.

[Smilin Ed H]

"Another Hoffman-esque thread...the BEATLES made Brian drop out from active recording and touring. "   

[Mr. Cohen]

I've thought about that before. The Beatles breakup is one way to frame it. Or you could look at it as there having been one big creative outburst after the downfall of Smile (maybe still riding some of the creative high, or because he was finally relaxed - he had stopped pressuring himself to be the greatest songwriter in the world), with Smiley Smile -> Wild Honey -> Friends coming one after the other, followed by one last go at it around the time of Sunflower. I think it was more the lack of commercial success that stopped Brian from writing new songs. Supposedly he was crushed by the commercial failure of Sunflower. That's why you see him releasing more of his weirder songs after Sunflower, like "Til I Die", "A Day in the Life of a Tree", and "Mt. Vernon & Fairway". He had given up on commercial prospects and was doing whatever pleased him. The Beatles breaking up might just have been another sign for Brian that 'radioland' just wasn't the same anymore.

[urbanite]

What year were his children born?

[Andrew G. Doe]

1968 & 1969... but you might just as well say that England being knocked out of the 1970 World Cup by West Germany contributed to Brian's decline in creativity. I doubt he took much note of either event. Brian contributed heavily to Sunflower (the sessions ran from October 1969 to January 1970), and when that tanked, he basically said "**** it". Well, wouldn't you ?

[busy doin nothin]

I've thought about that before. The Beatles breakup is one way to frame it. Or you could look at it as there having been one big creative outburst after the downfall of Smile (maybe still riding some of the creative high, or because he was finally relaxed - he had stopped pressuring himself to be the greatest songwriter in the world), with Smiley Smile -> Wild Honey -> Friends coming one after the other, followed by one last go at it around the time of Sunflower. I think it was more the lack of commercial success that stopped Brian from writing new songs. Supposedly he was crushed by the commercial failure of Sunflower. That's why you see him releasing more of his weirder songs after Sunflower, like "Til I Die", "A Day in the Life of a Tree", and "Mt. Vernon & Fairway". He had given up on commercial prospects and was doing whatever pleased him. The Beatles breaking up might just have been another sign for Brian that 'radioland' just wasn't the same anymore.

.

1968 & 1969... but you might just as well say that England being knocked out of the 1970 World Cup by West Germany contributed to Brian's decline in creativity. I doubt he took much note of either event. Brian contributed heavily to Sunflower (the sessions ran from October 1969 to January 1970), and when that tanked, he basically said "**** it". Well, wouldn't you ?

A very good point.  Even after the downfall of SMiLE, the BBs were doing decently on the US charts -- Brian had Heroes & Villains hit #12 in 1967, then Darlin' made #19 in 1968, and Do It Again made #20 also in '68.  He wasn't the Top Ten-generating hit machine he had been, but was still doing respectably on the charts.  Then he really poured a big effort into Break Away and it only reached #63, and he also was very involved in Sunflower and it was a total sales flop in the US.  Those two flops may have really caused him to give up completely on even trying to make hits.  In fact Do It Again is the last song Brian wrote that ever made the US Top Twenty.

urbanite -- Carnie was born 29 April 1968, Wendy 16 October 1969.  The birth of a second child can often mark a true end to youth and can be a real turning point in life (I can attest from experience), so you may be on to something there

[Mr. Cohen]

but you might just as well say that England being knocked out of the 1970 World Cup by West Germany contributed to Brian's decline in creativity.

Well, England had been very supportive of the BB's music. And when West Germany beat England, Brian was crushed to see the broken spirits of the people who had supported his music so strongly the last couple of years.  He wanted to lift their spirits, but he sank with them instead.

[urbanite]

A couple of kids will turn your world upside down, add to that drug use and depression, not a good mix for a troubled person.

[MBE]

Well on 20/20 there are at least four tracks Brian worked on that didn't make the cut. OK only one was original but he was more active then the album may have you believe. Also he did two 45's in 1968 that weren't for the Beach Boys. OK again he didn't write them but he did produce and arrange them. 1969 was a pretty big comeback sustained through much of 1970.  He was more of a group member then leader but his presence was felt strongly and the quality was as good as ever. We also shouldn't forget he was producing Kalinich and Vail plus doing some shows again.

Surf's Up is interesting. Reading Desper's book I was surprised at how much Brian ended up doing. He didn't write too much but except for Student Demonstration Time and maybe Lookin At Tomorrow he is present vocally on every song. He also helped with the instrumentation and (at least on 'Til I Die and ADITLOAT) the production. He wasn't as prominent as before but he was participating. It's the (strong) Ricky and Blondie albums where he first really seems to be only present maybe a third of the time. Spring Brian didn't spend a lot of time on as far as being there daily either, but his work on it made a big difference and was perhaps closer to his heart then the Ricky and Blondie LP's.

So we get down to why this gradual decline happened. Though I agree Brian took the biggest hit in 1973, three events happened that set him up for what happened then. First Smile. Second Murry selling the songs. Third (and this gets overlooked) although he eventually consented and even helped finish it, Surf's Up was used against his wishes. I think that was a major thing that usurped Brian's authority. Until that point his voice was the most influential when it came to the group and after that he wasn't as inclined to work with them. One other thing needs to be mentioned is that Carl pinpointed when Brian's cocaine use became a problem to the So Tough sessions. That explains a lot too.

[Dancing Bear]

So we get down to why this gradual decline happened. Though I agree Brian took the biggest hit in 1973, three events happened that set him up for what happened then. First Smile. Second Murry selling the songs. Third (and this gets overlooked) although he eventually consented and even helped finish it, Surf's Up was used against his wishes. I think that was a major thing that usurped Brian's authority. Until that point his voice was the most influential when it came to the group and after that he wasn't as inclined to work with them. One other thing needs to be mentioned is that Carl pinpointed when Brian's cocaine use became a problem to the So Tough sessions. That explains a lot too.

How long was the homestudio running? Was it in full function till the Holland extravaganza?

[MBE]

Yeah most of So Tough was recorded there as was Spring.

[Sheriff John Stone]

busy doin nothin, for what it's worth, I've thought about your theory several times. And I think it has some merit; how much I don't know. I've read interviews where Brian praised "Let It Be", so he was still, at least, appreciating The Beatles.

Competition was so much of the young Brian Wilson's professional life; that we know. And what group was challenging him more than The Beatles? Actually, I've rarely heard Brian even praise other groups from that era. So, yeah, right up until The Beatles' demise he was probably "feeling it", again I don't what degree.

Another thing that might support your theory is Brian's beloved Phil Spector. Right around that Beatles' breakup, Spector was back on the scene, producing guess who? The solo Beatles (not to mention Let It Be). I don't know who might've been motivating Brian more in 1970, The Beatles, or Spector, but, regardless, Brian's interest still waned. I mean, even Spector having hits didn't snap Brian out of it. So, maybe it was The Beatles at that time, even more than Spector, which would be surprising.

[Jason]

Next someone's gonna say Brian's decline into serious drug abuse in the 80s came from the assassination of John Lennon.

Gotta love these Hoffman threads.

[Smilin Ed H]

Swear to God, if there was a Hoffman poll entitled who has the bigger thumbs, the Beach Boys or the Beatles, the board would be flooded with people making sure the Beatles didn't come second.   

[MBE]

Ok maybe I am ignorent but what are Hoffman polls or threads.

[Mahalo]

Then I credit the Beatles breakup for Brian writing some of his coolest songs... Till I Die, ADITLOAT, Funky Pretty, MVAF, Rollin Up to Heaven, Marcella, YNAMOHTSA, and of course, Sail on Sailor.

Though I agree Brian took the biggest hit in 1973, three events happened that set him up for what happened then. First Smile. Second Murry selling the songs. Third (and this gets overlooked) although he eventually consented and even helped finish it, Surf's Up was used against his wishes. I think that was a major thing that usurped Brian's authority. Until that point his voice was the most influential when it came to the group and after that he wasn't as inclined to work with them. One other thing needs to be mentioned is that Carl pinpointed when Brian's cocaine use became a problem to the So Tough sessions. That explains a lot too.

Well put. Never really considered although I think I understand the Surf's Up dilemma.

[MBE]

Once I found out that Brian was on Surf's Up more then what was commonly thought, it basically became clear that something happened between then and So Tough. So yes I think the argument and Carl's comment made sense as to why he pulled back on the two Ricky/Blondie albums. One other thing may be that Desper was gone and he felt less confortable with Moffit.

[Loaf]

Re: Surf's Up.

I'd never really thought that much about it before, but imagine that...(even without the drugs and mental situation etc...) this album Smile, that BW ahd been worked passionately on, was canned because of grief from the group.

Then Brian cedes a degree of control to the group and their career goes downhill fast (in their home country). 4 years later, the same guys are begging for one of the most heartfelt songs on the album they hated. They even name the album after it.

That would drive anyone nuts, even just for the "I Told You So" factor.

Brian really withdrew from the band after that, turning to his wife's music, and then after 1973, he retreated from life.