Quote:
Originally Posted by pawnshopguy
but they did use a buncha studio cats because Brian was writing stuff they couldn't play. that's a documented fact.
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The usage of studio cats peaked on the recording of Pet Sounds, where Wilson used an army of string and woodwind players, and immediately curtailed on Smiley Smile which only used one guitarist and an upright bassist. The complexity of Brian Wilson's writing stemmed from the multi-segmented compositions which consisted of different parts recorded separately, then edited together which resulted in suites like "Villains and Thieve" and "Good Vibrations", which would be difficult for the most seasoned professionals to pull off live. This style of song pre-dated the Beatles 16-minute "Medley" that closed out Abbey Road, which similarly blended shorter songs into a longer suite. In this example, it's interesting to note the Beach Boy influence on McCartney and Martin, which I think is the highlight of that album. The complexity of the music did cause acrimony between some Beach Boy members, particularly Mike Love who felt Wilson was turning the group into a studio band, that had no chance of reproducing these songs live on tour.