Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1962-1969 [DVD] [2010]

As the most visionary and talented member of The Beach Boys, singer-songwriter Brian Wilson bore responsibility for much of the band's success; he became its creative nerve center and the driving force behind the ensemble. And as time rolled forward, this ingenious composer matured and expanded his musical ability in breadth and depth, evolving from the authorship of straightforward beach tunes, to stunningly complex melodies with introspective lyrics and layered soundscapes never before heard in rock or pop, that peaked with the masterful LP Pet Sounds. Tragically, however, heavy drug addiction began to take its toll on Wilson not long after, culminating with the collective decision to abandon his dream project: the milestone rock album Smile. Don Was's 1995 film Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times told Wilson's story within a traditional documentary framework. The epic-length {#Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1962-1969) (2011), on the other hand, takes a different approach, providing a chronological analysis of Wilson's music itself, over the titular seven-year period. This film includes such highlights as rare, seldom-seen archival interviews and photographs, vintage musical performances by the band, and analysis by a series of music critics and historians, Beach Boy members David Marks and Bruce Johnston, friends of the Wilson family, and many others.~Nathan Southern