By Ian Murphy

After the Beach Boys completely upped the ante (in response to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul) in rock composition with Pet Sounds, lead writers Brian Wilson and Mike Love wanted to push the envelope even further. The result was “Good Vibrations”, a “pocket symphony” (as it was dubbed by publicist Derek Taylor) that was completely uncharted territory. Nothing prior to it’s release was in the same class in regards to a balance between complexity of composition and songcraft. It did not make it onto Pet Sounds, as “Good Vibrations” was not fully finished at the time of the album’s release in early 1966. Instead, it was put out as a single that fall. 1966 was the opening salvo of the true Rock revolution that was to follow in the upcoming years. At the forefront was a Brian Wilson at the peak of his powers. If Paul McCartney and John Lennon consider you an equal and a rival as a songwriter, your must be onto something. It isn’t coincidental that the next Beatle album was Sgt. Pepper and it’s clear that Wilson’s opus “Good Vibrations” provided a significant challenge for the Fab Four to match.