Have you heard the news? Brian Wilson will be finishing some unfinished Gershwin songs. Read the horrifying details here in this hype-filled ad for a--I mean, essay about a probable CD in the works: Brian Wilson to finish some George Gershwin songs.
Is Wilson's talent comparable to Gershwin's? No, not remotely. Wilson made some fabulous Top 40 singles that I love (and will always love) but every time he's tried to move "beyond" the pop song format, the results have been mediocre to unfortunate. Gershwin himself had enough trouble "extending" anything musically--Rhapsody in Blue, which was too quickly over with for Gershwin to ruin it with faux development and lame segues, is the single long work by George that works, and you can't convince me that having Ferde Grofe on hand for compositional advice didn't have something to do with that. Gershwin's subsequent approach to "serious" composition involved writing a mess of stuff and then having someone help him shape it into some kind of musical order. If it wasn't for Gershwin's extraordinary melodic gift, none of his larger pieces would have lasted.
Wilson's concept of composition is more all-over-the-place than Frank Zappa's, and just as pointless. Worse, unlike Gershwin and Bacharach, Wilson can't generate interesting melodic themes on short notice. Fast is not close to the speed at which he works.
But none of this is about music--it's about money. There are Gershwin fragments sitting out there not making anybody any dough, and we can't have that, and so it's time to fire up the hype machine and 1) draw cliched comparisons between Gershwin and Wilson, though stopping short of declaring them the same person, 2) prattle on about "American" music in the manner of Etude magazine, circa 1939, 3) treat Brian and George like the inventors of songwriting, vice practitioners of something zillions of others have done and continue to do (and, often, better), and 4) tie the whole "discussion" of art and music and America into $$ via CD releases. Hammer home the point that art equals $$. We once had a public that understood that art goes beyond product, but in our mass-mediated age, we only know product. There's no art beyond the jewel case.
Also, last time I checked, Wilson wasn't very coherent. He burned himself out with drugs, and--to put it as charitably as possible--a complete recovery has yet to happen. Why on earth is anyone handing him Gershwin songs to finish? A guy who needed six months to put together the banal Good Vibrations, an exercise in section-pasting that makes Stairway to Heaven sound like Bach? A guy who (apparently) had to have Gershwin's fragments recorded for him? For God's sake, even amateur musicians singing in churches or glee clubs are expected to look at a piece of music and know what's on it, and maybe even sight-sing their parts on the spot. Instrumentalists, including pianists, have to sight-read at a fairly advanced level if they hope to work. But Wilson had to have this stuff played for him, apparently. Good Lord.
Anyway, give 'em money. It's your job to do so, and it's what they want.
Lee
10 comments:
I'm incredulous that anyone would consider completing Gershwin's music for commercial gain. The article said that Wilson wants to include two such pieces on an all Gershwin project he is recording. Unless the album is marketed as "New and Improved Gershwin by the All-American Surf-Music Maestro!" I don't begrudge him a little experimentation.
Absolute sacrilege. The mind boggles; the stomach turns...
Actually, I have often thought of Bacharach as being a modern Gershwin. Pity no one offered him the job.
Dzondzon,
Gershwin's estate is out shopping for celebrity customers, with Wilson getting the first shot at the song fragments. It's marketing. I'm not suggesting Brian isn't sincere--it wasn't his idea. At any rate, my main issue is that, imo, he's not up to the task.
Mel,
Agreed--Bacharach would have been an infinitely more logical choice.
This is a letter I sent to Adam Gershwin of the George Gershwin Family Trust concerning the announcement of Brian Wilson completing some of Gershwin's songs.
Dear Mr. Gershwin:
In today’s Los Angeles Times, I read Randy Lewis’ story about Brian Wilson being authorized to complete some unfinished songs left behind by your uncle, George Gershwin. I’m writing to ask if, during your family’s deliberation of hiring Wilson, you considered another gifted arranger, composer and orchestrator for this prestigious position. I’m referring to Don Rose.
Kay Swift wrote the following about Rose’s work in her liner notes that were included in the CBS Masterworks Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (1925 Piano Roll); An American in Paris; Broadway Overtures album directed by Michael Tilson Thomas:
The six overtures by George Gershwin presented in this album had never been previously recorded as a group. Each was composed for a separate musical comedy. None was scored for a larger orchestra than used in theaters, which meant that the players numbered from eighteen to twenty-two.
Here, however, gifted arranger Don Rose has given these overtures a full symphonic treatment, which has heightened their impact as well as bringing to listeners a fuller appreciation of the importance of this music. Those of us who heard the shows during the composer’s lifetime are convinced that he would have been pleased with the result of Don Rose’s intensive study, over a period of years, of Gershwin’s own orchestrations in such symphonic works as An American in Paris, the Second Rhapsody, the Variations on “I Got Rhythm” and Porgy and Bess. Ira Gershwin’s comment was “Just like George—just like George.”
Since reading Miss Swift’s notes, I have learned that, when listening to these overtures, Ira admitted he could not tell where George left off and where Rose began; Rose’s work was that seamless. In addition, according to Adam Harvey’s The Soundtracks of Woody Allen, these same arrangements by Rose inspired what has been called Allen’s magnum opus film, Manhattan.
If you have not heard these arrangements by Rose, I would encourage you to listen to them, because they are excellent. In my professional opinion, Don Rose is the artist who can take the collection of song fragments by your uncle that have been untouched for decades and complete them to both Gershwins’, that is, George’s and Ira’s, satisfaction.
Sincerely yours,
Louis Pine
Historian of Joseph Schillinger's life and work
http://www.schillingersociety.com/ [Historian]
http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/pastexhibits/piano/schillinger.htm
I enjoy your blog and you have introduced me to some great music. But, although I understand your opinion and you may be correct, I am a lifelong Brian Wilson fan, and I am excited by this news. I love all eras of his work. I am not a musician so you obviously have a different prospective than me. I hope he proves himself worthy of the task.
Ron
BTW, do mind if I send a link to this article to a Beach Boy letter group to which I belong? I'm sure it will generate some interesting comments.
Ron, that's fine to send a link to this article to a Beach Boy letter group, as you have asked. I'm not sure if they'll understand my point of view, but it will be interesting to see.
Sorry to disagree with you on this one, Lee. Brian's been a longtime student of Gershwin's music-I even saw an interview once where he talked about Rhapsody in Blue and was amazed at how much he knew about the tune.
BTW Brian's been sober for many years, and his tours have received rave reviews. His band is spectacular. Some friends and I saw him do "Pet Sounds" with our local symphony orchestra and it was brilliant.
Louis,
Excellent letter. Don Rose sounds like the man.
Ron,
Do you mean a link to my post? Sure, if you want to. I won't be getting a lot of hate mail, will I? (-:
Anon.,
I'm a student of Grofe's musical suites, but that doesn't make me a master orchestrator (even if I knew how to orchestrate). My point is that Wilson isn't on Gershwin's level. Nothing against him--I love Brian's music and own (or have owned) nearly everything he and/or the Beach Boys put out. But Wilson is no Gershwin. He's not even close.
Lee,
Had to tell you that there were no negative comments from Beach Boy mail list members on your essay. Most felt you raised valid points. I still hope we're all surprised.
Ron
Completing Gershwin music? How would anyone know which bits he'd added?
Doesn't sound like something which could make money its no more than an indulgence for Brian Wilson who began by rewriting Chuck Berry before trying to compete with the Beatles
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