Having been a Beach Boys fan for years I have come to learn one simple
truth. SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T LIKE THE BEACH BOYS. Carve it in stone
right under "E=MC2" or the Ten Commandments or whatever floats your boat.
No amount of arguing will change that. For me, the BBs elicit a certain
emotional response. Others find them corny. You can preach "Smiley Smile"
'til the cows come home. Personally, I love it. But you have to
understand that for some unknown reason, as brilliant as Brian Wilson
is/was, most people will remain unconvinced. Arguing the point is
pointless. Telling someone to go out and buy a fifty dollar 3-CD set by a
band they don't like is simply not going to work. I know there's a
certain predilection amongst BB fans to tell the world what they're
missing. My own personal hysteria surrounding the music when I first
discovered it bordered on that of a born-again's religious fervor. But
you know something? Zealots are fucking annoying. So- perhaps those not
"turned on" are just blind fools- they'll never succumb to the
heartbreaking beauty of Wilson's solo piano rendition of "Surf's Up", or
flip out to the psychedelic insanity of "Fire", or whatever. Who really
gives a fuck? I don't need everyone else in the world to like the music I
do.
And one other thing- on "Good Vibrations" it was a Wave Generator
operated via an early prototype Moog Ribbon Controller, and not a
Theremin as is widely assumed.