58 years ago today, the first session for what would be the opening track on Pet Sounds, the legendary “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” The backing track, produced by Brian Wilson and completed on the first session at Gold Star Studios, features none of The Beach Boys. The opening harp-like music was played by Jazz legend Barney Kessel on a 12 string electric Mandoguitar, plugged directly in to the recording console. With Barney in the control room, the other musicians couldn’t hear his playing. Drummer Hal Blaine was the only musician in the studio with headphones, and it was his job to cue the rest of the group when to come in. The backing track was played live by 16 musicians over 21 takes, with no overdubs. Brian recorded a guide lead vocal and the session ended by midnight.

The final track included drums, timpani, glockenspiel, 12 string lead guitar, 12 string Mandoguitar, 4-string bass, 6-string bass, upright bass, acoustic rhythm guitar, two accordions, trumpet, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, grand piano, and tack piano.

That’s when the hell began for The Beach Boys.

Recording the vocals would become the most difficult of any Beach Boys recording. Mike Love over time referred to Brian as “The Stalin of the Studio.” He said “we did one passage of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ close to 30 times—and some of the tries were nearly perfect! But Brian was looking for something more than the actual notes or the blend: he was reaching for something mystical—out of the range of hearing.” Bruce Johnston thought of Brian as General Patton: “We re-recorded our vocals for ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ so many times that the rhythm was never right. We’d slave singing this thing and then Brian would say, ‘No it’s not right! It’s just not right!’” Al Jardine later commented that recording the vocals for the song “was painful beyond belief for all of us.” Johnston claimed Brian had been dissatisfied with the vocals for “California Girls,” and he was dedicated to getting it exactly right for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Rough mixes and various vocal overdubs ran from February 16th through the final run through on April 11th, a time span unheard of for a single at that time.

The song was released as a single in the US on July 18, 1966, backed with “God Only Knows.” It entered the charts at #84, eventually peaking at #8. It would also be a Top 10 single in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Today’s Playlist is a SomethingIsHappening compendium in honor of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” oppositely anyway. The playlist consists of songs that were each recorded in one take:

#BrianWilson #PetSounds #MikeLove #TheBeachBoys #TheWreckingCrew

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