So what music is Brian into?

[kwan_dk]

Gershwin, the Four Freshmen, Rosemary Clooney, Phil Spector, the Beatles and Randy Newman always pop up when you read about Brian's favourite music but which other artists is he known to really enjoy listening to?

I haven't read that many interviews where he elaborates on this and if he get's asked about it he always seems to bring up the same old names. But then again, he may be pretty locked in to specific acts, rarely listening to anything else. Anyone here in the know?

On interesting observation I've had is in my edition of the Todd Gold autobiography - there's a photo of 70s Brian wearing a 'Face the Music'-era Electric Light Orchestra t-shirt.  

[Curtis Leon]

Someone tried to ask about the Kinks during that Facebook Q & A thing. Brian, in his traditional hilarious fashion, went off on a tangent without actually answering the question.

Other than that, I dunno. I think he doesn't like the Who all too much - I remember Pete Townshend being rather crushed by it, he was a big fan of the Beach Boys.

EDIT: He's got to like Bob Dylan. Everyone of the 60s likes Bob Dylan, no exceptions.

[rab2591]

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,8605.0.html

[Paulos]

Someone tried to ask about the Kinks during that Facebook Q & A thing. Brian, in his traditional hilarious fashion, went off on a tangent without actually answering the question.

Other than that, I dunno. I think he doesn't like the Who all too much - I remember Pete Townshend being rather crushed by it, he was a big fan of the Beach Boys.

EDIT: He's got to like Bob Dylan. Everyone of the 60s likes Bob Dylan, no exceptions.

Not sure about Townshend, he was rather disparaging towards a lot of BB stuff but Moon was a massive fan and I assume that Daltrey is too considering he narrated the Dennis Wilson radio documentary from 2 years ago.

[Myk Luhv]

Besides his shout out to them in "I Love L.A." has Newman ever actually said anything substantial about Brian or the Beach Boys? Does he know that Brian listened to Sail Away obsessively while in Holland and that it helped him from sinking further into depression?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Someone tried to ask about the Kinks during that Facebook Q & A thing. Brian, in his traditional hilarious fashion, went off on a tangent without actually answering the question.

Other than that, I dunno. I think he doesn't like the Who all too much - I remember Pete Townshend being rather crushed by it, he was a big fan of the Beach Boys.

EDIT: He's got to like Bob Dylan. Everyone of the 60s likes Bob Dylan, no exceptions.

Not sure about Townshend, he was rather disparaging towards a lot of BB stuff but Moon was a massive fan and I assume that Daltrey is too considering he narrated the Dennis Wilson radio documentary from 2 years ago.

Roger's not only a huge fan, but he & Brian are good friends: Brian stayed at his Sussex farm more than once.

[TdHabib]

Newman's a big fan of Brian's melodies---if you get him to say so---he's not particularly apt to praise anyone under normal circumstances.

Brian said in the FB chat he used to listen to Zappa in the 60s but doesn't anymore. Considering he sang BVs on stage with the Moody Blues on "Ride My See-Saw" I would think he was a bit of a fan, though I could be wrong.

I've alwas wondered if Brian was fond of Neil Young's music and also Roy Orbison?

[STE]

So who's gonna say Wishbone Ash?

[summerinparadise.flac]

Norbit: Original Music From the Motion Picture

[Roger Ryan]

Besides his shout out to them in "I Love L.A." has Newman ever actually said anything substantial about Brian or the Beach Boys? Does he know that Brian listened to Sail Away obsessively while in Holland and that it helped him from sinking further into depression?

Newman's best friend is Lenny Waronker who we know was excited by Brian's SMiLE-era music, helped get the band signed to Warners in '70 and produced Brian in the late 80s. Even if Newman hated the Beach Boys, I'm sure he's had to hear some praise from Waronker over the years.

[Matt H]

He likes a song called "Be My Baby."

[jackstar74]

Be My Baby
Be My Baby
Be My Baby
What A Fool Believes
Let it Be
Be My Baby
Be My Baby
and Be My Baby


oh, and My Obsession by the Rolling Stones

[hypehat]

Besides his shout out to them in "I Love L.A." has Newman ever actually said anything substantial about Brian or the Beach Boys? Does he know that Brian listened to Sail Away obsessively while in Holland and that it helped him from sinking further into depression?

Newman's best friend is Lenny Waronker who we know was excited by Brian's SMiLE-era music, helped get the band signed to Warners in '70 and produced Brian in the late 80s. Even if Newman hated the Beach Boys, I'm sure he's had to hear some praise from Waronker over the years.

Also is connected to Van Dyke Parks - VDP produced his first record (although not very well, i must confess) with Waronker and The Wrecking Crew in 1968.

[summerinparadise.flac]

Green Day

[Dunderhead]

Be My Baby
Be My Baby
Be My Baby
What A Fool Believes
Let it Be
Be My Baby
Be My Baby
and Be My Baby


oh, and My Obsession by the Rolling Stones

I read in an interview that he couldn't listen to Let it Be anymore because it scared him.

[Chris Brown]

He's mentioned liking Frank Sinatra on a few occasions I believe, particularly "Strangers In The Night." 

[summerinparadise.flac]

He's mentioned liking Frank Sinatra on a few occasions I believe, particularly "Strangers In The Night." 

yep, he mentioned it as it being one of his top 3 songs.

[Myk Luhv]

Besides his shout out to them in "I Love L.A." has Newman ever actually said anything substantial about Brian or the Beach Boys? Does he know that Brian listened to Sail Away obsessively while in Holland and that it helped him from sinking further into depression?

Newman's best friend is Lenny Waronker who we know was excited by Brian's SMiLE-era music, helped get the band signed to Warners in '70 and produced Brian in the late 80s. Even if Newman hated the Beach Boys, I'm sure he's had to hear some praise from Waronker over the years.

Also is connected to Van Dyke Parks - VDP produced his first record (although not very well, i must confess) with Waronker and The Wrecking Crew in 1968.

Yeah, it's a really odd album for Randy Newman when you've listened to basically everything that came after it in the 1970s. It's definitely more dated ("overproduced," especially for someone like Randy Newman) than the follow-up not two years later, the night-perfect 12 Songs. Talk about artistic evolution!

[bossaroo]

didn't he mention Aerosmith in a recent interview?


and someone here said he liked Pink Floyd. or Dark Side of the Moon at least...


I wonder if he's a Steely Dan man?

[Ian]

While obviously Brian has been through a lot since the mid 70s-interviews from 73 and 74 show that he was pretty up back then on al lot of the music that was going on. I don't think he is (or at least was back then) as myopic as the legends suggest. He knew about plenty of non Phil Spector music back then.  For example in one interview he suggests that he was up on the music of the Fifth Dimension, the Buckinghams and the Four Tops.  He played Curtis Mayfield records from his collection for Richard Williams of Melody Maker.  He also played Twilight Time by the Platters for him and gushed about "I'm So Young" by the Students (which he covered of course)-of which he said "that record took me through senior year in high school."  I am assuming that it was his decision to cover "The Letter" by the Box Tops since he took the lead. He covered "Gimme Some Lovin" by Spencer Davis in the 70s and expressed admiration for that group too.  He is fond of Three Dog Night as well of course and he once gushed about how much he loved Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

[TdHabib]

he once gushed about how much he loved Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

Do you happen to know the source of that? I'd love to read Brian's comment in context.

[punkinhead]

I believe he once said he liked Cole Porter a lot

[ukulelejesus]

Shortnin' Bread
Da Do Ron Ron
That synthesizer Bach album

[The Madcap]

Someone tried to ask about the Kinks during that Facebook Q & A thing. Brian, in his traditional hilarious fashion, went off on a tangent without actually answering the question.

Other than that, I dunno. I think he doesn't like the Who all too much - I remember Pete Townshend being rather crushed by it, he was a big fan of the Beach Boys.

EDIT: He's got to like Bob Dylan. Everyone of the 60s likes Bob Dylan, no exceptions.

Not sure about Townshend, he was rather disparaging towards a lot of BB stuff but Moon was a massive fan and I assume that Daltrey is too considering he narrated the Dennis Wilson radio documentary from 2 years ago.

according to wikipedia, Townshend likes their Smiley Smile album, so I'd say he's a fan.

[Myk Luhv]

Someone tried to ask about the Kinks during that Facebook Q & A thing. Brian, in his traditional hilarious fashion, went off on a tangent without actually answering the question.

Other than that, I dunno. I think he doesn't like the Who all too much - I remember Pete Townshend being rather crushed by it, he was a big fan of the Beach Boys.

EDIT: He's got to like Bob Dylan. Everyone of the 60s likes Bob Dylan, no exceptions.

Not sure about Townshend, he was rather disparaging towards a lot of BB stuff but Moon was a massive fan and I assume that Daltrey is too considering he narrated the Dennis Wilson radio documentary from 2 years ago.

according to wikipedia, Townshend likes their Smiley Smile album, so I'd say he's a fan.

Yeah, except that he thought "Good Vibrations" was so overproduced you could hardly recognise the song underneath it all. Even if he does like Smiley Smile, I'm not so sure he's a Beach Boys fan per se.