Take Two
God Only Knows
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
The Beach Boys 1966 album Pet Sounds, received a luke warm reception in the United States when it was released, but in the UK it was praised by critics for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrics. It is now considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in popular music history. Credit for the album lies almost entirely with the vision of Brian Wilson, the singer/sonwriter who founded the Beach Boys. "Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His best-known work is distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, layered vocals, and introspective or ingenuous themes." (Wikipedia). The track God Only Knows is an acknowledged example of his inspiration.
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Here is part of a documentary about the recording of the tune (Part 2 is here):
Here is a video of the Beach Boys singing the completed song live in 1966.
The Huntertones is a Brooklyn-based band in America and they give us our first jazz take on Brian Wilson's tune. The video is from 2017 and features: Jon Lampley (trumpet); Dan White (saxophone); Chris Ott (trombone); Adam DeAscentis (bass); John Hubbell (drums) and Justin Stanton (keyboard):
Our second take is a video from the North Sea Jazz Festival featuring: Oz Noy (guitars); Jimmy Haslip (bass); Gary Husband (drums) and Scott Kinsey (keyboards)
Guitarist Oz Noy was born in Israel and 'started his professional career at the age of 13 playing jazz, blues, pop and rock music. By age 16, he was playing with top Israeli musicians and artists. By age 24, he was one of the most established studio guitar players in the country. Oz was also a member of the house band on Israel’s top-rated television show for more than two years'. He moved to New York in 1996 since when 'he has made a huge impact on the local and international music scene. His unique and intoxicating style has broken all the rules of instrumental guitar music by focusing on the groove'. God Only Knows appears on his 2019 album Booga Looga Loo.​
Oz Noy
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2025.2