Gettin' in over My Head
Encyclopedia
Gettin' in Over My Head is Brian Wilson
's seventh solo album, and third of new studio material. It was recorded over several years and, making use of many previously written songs never before released, was issued in mid-2004 on Rhino Records.
Featuring celebrity guests, such as Paul McCartney
, Elton John
, Eric Clapton
and the late Carl Wilson
, Gettin' in Over My Head received satisfactory reviews upon release but was not commercially successful. In his first ever collaboration with Brian Wilson, pop art icon and Sgt. Pepper artist Sir Peter Blake created the cover art and assigned
2004 Smile artist Mark London to art direct the rest of the package.
Most tracks from the album were not new material, but rather a collection of older, unreleased tracks and riffs from the past. The tracks "Make a Wish", "Fairy Tale", "Rainbow Eyes" and "Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel" are re-recorded songs from Wilson's 1990/1991 sessions from the abandoned Sweet Insanity
; the lyrics to "Rainbow Eyes" were also slightly rewritten to remove the words "sweet insanity" with the replaced "sweet conspiracy". The track "Desert Drive" is based around riffs over 40 years old. Furthermore, with the concurrent live performances of the recently completed Smile
album, and the announcement of its impending issue on CD, it completely overshadowed Gettin' in Over My Heads release, with all attention going to the former.
Gettin' in Over My Head (Brimel/Rhino R2 76471) hit #100 in the US during a chart stay of 1 week. It reached #53 in the UK.
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's seventh solo album, and third of new studio material. It was recorded over several years and, making use of many previously written songs never before released, was issued in mid-2004 on Rhino Records.
Featuring celebrity guests, such as Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and the late Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson
Carl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
, Gettin' in Over My Head received satisfactory reviews upon release but was not commercially successful. In his first ever collaboration with Brian Wilson, pop art icon and Sgt. Pepper artist Sir Peter Blake created the cover art and assigned
2004 Smile artist Mark London to art direct the rest of the package.
Most tracks from the album were not new material, but rather a collection of older, unreleased tracks and riffs from the past. The tracks "Make a Wish", "Fairy Tale", "Rainbow Eyes" and "Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel" are re-recorded songs from Wilson's 1990/1991 sessions from the abandoned Sweet Insanity
Sweet Insanity (album)
Sweet Insanity is an unreleased album from Brian Wilson, originally due for release in 1991.-Background:Initially titled simply Brian, the album was intended to be a follow up to his 1988 solo debut, Brian Wilson. However, during this stage in Wilson’s life, he was under the care of controversial...
; the lyrics to "Rainbow Eyes" were also slightly rewritten to remove the words "sweet insanity" with the replaced "sweet conspiracy". The track "Desert Drive" is based around riffs over 40 years old. Furthermore, with the concurrent live performances of the recently completed Smile
Smile (Brian Wilson album)
Smile, sometimes typeset with the idiosyncratic partial capitalization SMiLE, or referred to as Brian Wilson Presents Smile is a solo album by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Van Dyke Parks released on September 28, 2004 on CD and two-disc vinyl LP...
album, and the announcement of its impending issue on CD, it completely overshadowed Gettin' in Over My Heads release, with all attention going to the former.
Track listing
- "How Could We Still Be Dancin'?" (Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, Joe Thomas) – 4:42- Featuring Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
on lead vocals
- Featuring Elton John
- "Soul Searchin'" (Brian Wilson, Andy PaleyAndy PaleyAndy Paley is a noted record producer and musician who has been active since the late 1960s. His work includes stints as a producer for such noted musicians as Madonna, the Ramones, Jonathan Richman, Debbie Harry, Brian Wilson and Jerry Lee Lewis....
) – 4:07- Recorded by The Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
in 1996, but discarded. This version features Carl WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
on lead vocals
- Recorded by The Beach Boys
- "You've Touched Me" (Brian Wilson, Steve Kalinich) – 3:21
- "Gettin' in Over My Head" (Brian Wilson, Andy Paley) – 4:27
- "City Blues" (Brian Wilson, Scott Bennett) – 4:20
- Features Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
on electric guitar
- Features Eric Clapton
- "Desert Drive" (Brian Wilson, Andy Paley) – 3:34
- "A Friend Like You" (Brian Wilson, Steve Kalinich) – 3:37
- Features Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
on co-lead vocal
- Features Paul McCartney
- "Make a Wish" (Brian Wilson) – 3:49
- "Rainbow Eyes" (Brian Wilson) – 4:06
- "Saturday Morning In The City" (Brian Wilson, Andy Paley) – 2:53
- "Fairy Tale" (Brian Wilson, David FosterDavid FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
) – 5:28 - "Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel" (Brian Wilson) – 4:17
- Tracks 4, 8, 9, 10 and 12 originally recorded for the scrapped Sweet Insanity album in 1990/1991
- "The Waltz" (Brian Wilson, Van Dyke ParksVan Dyke ParksVan Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
) – 4:09
Gettin' in Over My Head (Brimel/Rhino R2 76471) hit #100 in the US during a chart stay of 1 week. It reached #53 in the UK.