He's been called "one of the few undisputed geniuses in popular music" and today he turns 67. The life of Brian Wilson, his brothers and bandmates reads like a rock and roll soap opera: a domineering father as a manger, alcoholism, narcotics, neuroses, mental illness and death. The Wilsons and their extended family suffered it all. 
But there were good times too, at least for their fans, as their complicated harmony-laden hits attest. The Beach Boys were big. But they would have been bigger were it not for the British invasion and the Beatles."God Only Knows" has got to be one of my all time favourite Brian Wilson/Beach Boys tunes. It was one of the many highlights from the classic Pet Sounds album. Here's a performance from Brian in 2003.
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