June 13, 2008

Bedtime Music: Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

The last multi-part musical collage I wanted to present this week is The Beach Boys' 1966 release, Good Vibrations. Brian Wilson's publicist, Derek Taylor, described Good Vibrations as a "pocket symphony." The song is known not only for its multiple thematic segments, but also for the wider range of instruments used than was normal for that time. One of those instruments was the electro-theremin played by Paul Taylor. The electro-theremin was similar to another electronic instrument known as the theremin, but allowed for greater control of pitch and attack, using mechanical controls such as a long slide bar for the pitch and a knob to adjust volume.

I've chosen this older, black-and-white video because I thought it was truer to the song's original sound than some of the newer videos available.


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