Recent years have seen a deluge of documentary treatments of the Brian Wilson and Beach Boys story, yet Songwriter 1962-1969 is the first to focus primarily on Wilson’s extraordinary music rather than his struggles.
Refreshingly, its talking heads are chosen well; rather than the usual line-up of gushing hangers-on, we’re treated to a succession of intelligent biographers, session musicians, musicologists and close friends. This means that over the generous three-hour running time, songs that are usually neglected, such as In The Back Of My Mind, are dissected; and anecdotes seem fresh, such as bassist Carol Kaye pointing out California Girls’ country roots. The unofficial angle may sometimes seem cheap but, in this case, it means that the viewer doesn’t have to suffer any cringeworthy recent interviews with Brian and his band. Rather, it frees contributors up to make the odd unexpected comment, such as Bruce Johnson’s dismissal of the fan favourite LP Friends (though it’s also notable for being the Beach Boys’ only late 60s album with no Bruce Johnston songwriting contributions on it). There’s a decent amount of performance footage too, but nothing that Wilson enthusiasts wouldn’t be familiar with. Still, it’s perhaps the most complete assessment of Brian Wilson’s most productive years.
