In our Brian Wilson Timeline from last September, we wrote that the pop genius's love of music began at the age of two, when he heard Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at his grandmother's house. This later inspired Wilson to mix orchestral music with rock, and his 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds provided an chamber pop blueprint that has been imitated by countless bands since. Now, the eclectic songwriter will be diving headlong into orchestral music, announcing that he will be releasing the album Brian Wilson Reimagines George Gershwin on August 24 via Disney Pearl.
The album features two songs that were built around unfinished Gershwin compositions: "Nothing But Love" and "The Like in I Love You." The latter is available from Wilson's website in exchange for an email address. It sounds more or less as you'd expect it to, with lush orchestration and swooning beach pop harmonies.
The rest of the album is made up of Wilson's reworkings of Gershwin favourites, including "Summertime," "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and two a cappella versions of "Rhapsody in Blue." In a press release, Wilson said, "Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more. He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equaled, yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on."
See the tracklist below. At the bottom of the page is a clip of Wilson playing a portion of "Rhapsody in Blue" on the piano, taken from the SMiLE DVD.
Brian Wilson Reimagines George Gershwin:
1. "Rhapsody in Blue/Intro"
2. "The Like in I Love You"
3. "Summertime"
4. "I Loves You Porgy"
5. "I Got Plenty of Nothin"
6. "It Ain't Necessarily So"
7. "'S Wonderful"
8. "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
9. "Our Love Is Here to Stay"
10. "I've Got a Crush on You"
11. "I've Got Rhythm"
12. "Someone to Watch Over Me"
13. "Nothing But Love"
14. "Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise"
The album features two songs that were built around unfinished Gershwin compositions: "Nothing But Love" and "The Like in I Love You." The latter is available from Wilson's website in exchange for an email address. It sounds more or less as you'd expect it to, with lush orchestration and swooning beach pop harmonies.
The rest of the album is made up of Wilson's reworkings of Gershwin favourites, including "Summertime," "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and two a cappella versions of "Rhapsody in Blue." In a press release, Wilson said, "Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more. He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equaled, yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on."
See the tracklist below. At the bottom of the page is a clip of Wilson playing a portion of "Rhapsody in Blue" on the piano, taken from the SMiLE DVD.
Brian Wilson Reimagines George Gershwin:
1. "Rhapsody in Blue/Intro"
2. "The Like in I Love You"
3. "Summertime"
4. "I Loves You Porgy"
5. "I Got Plenty of Nothin"
6. "It Ain't Necessarily So"
7. "'S Wonderful"
8. "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
9. "Our Love Is Here to Stay"
10. "I've Got a Crush on You"
11. "I've Got Rhythm"
12. "Someone to Watch Over Me"
13. "Nothing But Love"
14. "Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise"