Brian Wilson, the music man of Summer died June 11 at 82 years of age.
When I knew him The Beach Boys were part of my beat during the early 1970s when, just before I began writing about air cargo, I was creating a club and pop music column for The Hollywood Reporter.
     I have, since that time, followed Brian’s music closely and loved every minute of it.
     Arguably the greatest creative musical genius of the past 50 years, Brian Wilson in 1971 was way overweight and out of shape and, according to my friend Frank Grillo (Frank’s brother Nick Grillo served as Beach Boys Manager), Brian mostly at home stayed locked up in his room all day in Los Angeles.
     But none of that mattered to me; it was always about the music, except to say this little bit.
     Brian outlived everybody, including his two brothers who were part of The Beach Boys, and unlike other legions of long-lived pop stars who eventually settle into performing a routine of greatest hits, Brian never stopped creating new music right up until (almost) the end.
     Try "Tell Me Why" from this playlist and know what I mean.
     His work “Reimagining George Gershwin” and also his album “In The Key of Disney” from 2010, 2011 are just superb and large drops in the bucket of dozens of superb Wilson albums created during his half-century run.
     The albums he created with “The Wrecking Crew” (session musicians) in Los Angeles have been lauded by everyone, including “The Crew” musicians themselves, as absolutely something original and different to popular music.
     Pet Sounds from the mid-1960s, for many, was the hallmark of Wilson’s career and includes the immortal classic: “God Only Knows”.
     Here are a couple of hours of favorites, all created and produced by Brian and sung with Brian.
     Spend an hour with full blown production versions and simple piano or non-vocal music pads for some of the Beach Boys’ biggest hit records.
     Brian did a wonderful song about flying, titled “Airplane” and with that tune comes forward the thought of his great talent in creating a first-person catalogue of narrative music non-stop, always unique.
     Try “Airplane” that Brian did for an album when The Beach Boys traveled and created a record of music titled ”Holland” . . .
     Here and then maybe stay for the rest, here.
     Rest easy Brian, and thanks for the music.
GDA