BRIAN WILSON Tackles Gershwin Classic Tunes on New Album

MUSIC NEWS- Two legendary musical minds, separated by 70 years will join together on a new album.  The pioneering musical genius of Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has teamed up with George Gershwin, on Wilson's, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (out via Disney Pearl on August 17- special vinyl out on August 24). The release will feature timeless classics like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I've Got Rhythm" and "Summertime" and will make history with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love," two new songs Wilson developed from never-before-published music by Gershwin.

Wilson recently 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."

The album was produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy® winner Al Schmitt and joined by his longtime acclaimed band, the new album will feature his trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a revered figure in pop music. Songs include his Gershwin favorites, such as "Summertime," "I Loves You Porgy," "I Got Plenty of Nothin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" (all from the opera "Porgy and Bess"), "S'Wonderful," "I've Got a Crush on You," and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." An a capella version of the groundbreaking 1924 orchestral piece "Rhapsody in Blue," showcasing Wilson's vocal harmonies, opens and closes the album.

Sure to gain interest from music historians  and scholars, as well as fans alike are the songs"The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love." The former is drawn from "Will You Remember Me," a tune that Gershwin composed in 1924 for the musical "Lady, Be Good!," but which never made it into the show. The latter is based on "Say My Say," a 1929 song fragment the Gershwin brothers never finished.

In 2009, Warner/Chappell Music and the Gershwin estates made available to Wilson more than 100 piano demos of unfinished or obscure Gershwin songs and melodies untouched since George Gershwin's death in 1937. Wilson narrowed these bits and fragments down to two favorites to create new music that blends both the Wilson and Gershwin styles.

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin Tracklisting-
1. "Rhapsody in Blue"/Intro
2. "The Like in I Love You"
3. "Summertime" (from Porgy and Bess)
4. "I Loves You Porgy" (from Porgy and Bess)
5. "I Got Plenty of Nothin" (from Porgy and Bess)
6. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (from Porgy and Bess)
7. "'S Wonderful" (from the Broadway musical "Funny Face," also used in MGM film "An American in Paris")
8. "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (used in the film "Shall We Dance" and nominated for Academy Award)
9. "Our Love is Here to Stay" (from the film "The Goldwyn Follies" and MGM film "An American in Paris")
10. "I've Got a Crush on You" (used in Broadway shows "Treasure Girl" and "Strike Up the Band")
11. "I've Got Rhythm" (from Broadway show "Girl Crazy")
12. "Someone To Watch Over Me" (from Broadway show "Oh Kay!")
13. "Nothing But Love"
14. "Rhapsody in Blue"/Reprise

Comments

[Shannon]

Brian continues to amaze me. At his age and all the things he has accomplished in his career he continues to push the envelope and try new things. His latest creation Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin proves he's not done yet. Shannon