The secret of the world stars E-Book

Heiko Schrang

• Herausgeber: Macht-steuert-Wissen
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 304

Beschreibung

Their melodies mesmerized you, their lyrics moved you - but it’s what you didn’t know about the artists that will SHOCK you. Finally - This book is a must-read for all lovers and fans of the greatest music stars of all time. For the very first time, explosive unpublished details about the greatest music geniuses and the secrets of their success are presented in one book. You will be guided through the most intimate stories and intricate details of their lives, victories and losses - and suspicious deaths. Uncover the greatest conspiracies you never knew existed. And eventually, understand the TRUE PURPOSE OF MUSIC. From Elvis to Bob Marley to the Beatles and current stars, all those who have made a name for themselves are included. Go on a thrilling true crime adventure hidden beneath these topics: - Were Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, and Jimi Hendrix murdered? - The mysterious Club 27 and its chilling history - The dark side of the excessive rockstar life - Is the most influential music producer in the world a murderer? - The well-guarded secret of classical music - How will artificial intelligence revolutionize the music market? - What music brings you closer to your life's purpose? - Secret messages in their songs

Leseprobe

HEIKO SCHRANG

THE SECRET OF THE WORLD STARS

Between genius and madness

Heiko Schrang

The Secret of World Stars

Between Genius and Madness

1st Edition

All rights reserved

© Macht-steuert-Wissen Verlag, EEV Sonne GmbH, Wandlitz 2023

For more information about the book, visit: www.heikoschrang.de

© Image Credits: All images are legally protected. The images were generated with the AI software Midjourney. The prompt input was done by the book author Heiko Schrang himself. An exception is the image on page 253; this element is not AI-generated but is protected by trademark registration with the German Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark owner is Heiko Schrang.

MSW – Macht steuert Wissen is a registered and protected trademark at the German Patent and Trademark Office.

The author does not claim absoluteness for the content, as he merely reflects his subjective perspective, and everyone is encouraged to compare and align it with their own worldview. He assumes no liability for damages that could arise from incorrect conclusions of any kind.

The information conveyed in the book is based on thorough research, and despite these efforts, errors may occur. The author disclaims any liability claims of any kind.

This book is dedicated to the people who have inspired me for many years: Thorwald Dethlefsen, Roger Waters, Brian Wilson, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, and all those who walk the path of love and truth.

Acknowledgment

I extend my special thanks to the people who have supported me on my journey: Olaf Kretschman, Friedrich Krüger, René Krüger, Renate Lilge-Stodieck, Claudius Fabig, Benjamin Kaiser, Michael Sens, and Heike Stumpenhusen. I also thank my mother for her mental support.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Preface

What is Music

Beatles – The Beethovens of the 21st Century

Beach Boys – Genius and Madness

Phil Spector – Musical Genius and Murderer

Eric Clapton – Mister Slowhand

Elvis Presley – The King of Rock

Club 27 and its Cursed Members

Janis Joplin

Amy Winehouse

Brian Jones

Jimi Hendrix

Jim Morrison

Kurt Cobain

Led Zeppelin - The Secret Power of Their Success

The Mystery of "Stairway to Heaven" – Written by the Devil?

Headly Grange – The Fifth Band Member

Jimmy Page – Master of Black Magic?

The Curse of Led Zeppelin

Aleister Crowley – The Role Model of Rock Stars

Aleister Crowley and Rock Music

Bob Marley – The Reggae King

Eagles – An American Dream

Bee Gees – The Kings of Disco Fever

The Kings of Disco Sound

Pink Floyd / Roger Waters – The Symphonists of Rock

Roger Waters: From Genius to Public Enemy No. 1

Scandal in Germany

David Bowie – Chameleon of Pop Culture

Nile Rodgers – The Hitmaker

The Secret of His Success

Michael Jackson – The King of Pop

Michael Jackson – „Earth Song“ Michael

Jackson – „Human Nature“

Was Michael Jackson Murdered?

Prince the Rebel

Why did Prince really have to die?

Whitney Houston – The Voice

Did Whitney Houston die a violent death?

Studio 54 – the most decadent place in the world

The secret of classical music

Artificial Intelligence – The resurrection of dead stars

Why you too are a genius

The 432 Hz conspiracy

The universe is sound and vibration

The power of intuition

The emptiness behind BEING

Your vocation

Sources

Preface

Every person has talents, but only a few make use of them. In my books and lectures, I always spoke about the idea that vocation comes from occupation – the inner calling that resides in every person. It's not just about pursuing an activity to earn money but realizing oneself. It can also be expressed as: work is love made visible.

I followed this inner calling in 2012 and wrote my first book, "The Century Lie that Only Insiders Know," which became a bestseller. I realized that I had been given the talent since my early youth to communicate complex connections simply to the outside world. This motivated the well-known doctor and successful author Rüdiger Dahlke to write the foreword for my book "NEO – Your Key to Freedom," published in 2022. Rüdiger saw the book as a condensed summary of the wisdom teachings that have accompanied him throughout his life.

Another heartfelt pursuit since my youth is analyzing the backgrounds of rockstars and their songs. Similar to my other books, I came across things that most people are unaware of. Furthermore, my research revealed that some of the greatest rockstars, probably contrary to popular belief, did not die a "natural" death.

I have incorporated smaller stories in my broadcast format "NEO" and mentioned them in interviews without thinking much about it. I noticed that hardly anyone knew about them. Even Olaf Kretschmann, one of my best friends and the singer of the band "The Electric Beat Crew" (who performed their No. 1 hit "Go, Go" from 1989 in the ZDF-Hitparade), was unaware of some mysterious stories of the great rockstars. Knowing that Olaf is well-versed in the music industry, the idea slowly emerged to share my knowledge with others. The final push came from Friedrich Krüger, the author of the book "The End of the World as We Know It."

He found my background information on the greatest rockstars in history so intriguing that he asked me if I would like to write a book about it. I replied, "I write books about political and spiritual topics, not about rock stories." Friedrich then responded, "But I would be very interested in that because there is no book on the market in this form, and these secret connections would inspire many people."

Now the matter took on real shape. I began to delve even deeper into my research. What I found is scarcely describable in words. Suddenly, it became clear to me what the universal genius Nikola Tesla meant when he said, "If you want to understand the universe, think in terms of ENERGY, FREQUENCY, and VIBRATION." This formula succinctly captures the essence of what music truly is. Or, as Mozart expressed it, "The silence between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves."

I invite you to join me on a journey and experience exactly the state that Tesla and Mozart spoke of.

What is music?

"The entire creation is a single orchestra, and what we call sound are the various instruments playing together to produce the wonderful symphony of life."

Yehudi Menuhin

We are familiar with countless types of music, ranging from classical, pop, rock, techno, punk to folk music – to name just a few genres. The spectrum is seemingly endless. Tesla's wise statement, "If you want to understand the universe, think in terms of ENERGY, FREQUENCY, and VIBRATION," succinctly captures the profound definition of music in its depth.

It becomes even clearer when we look at what Gustav Mahler wrote to a friend after completing his 8th Symphony in 1906:

"I have just finished my Eighth. It is the greatest thing I have done up to now. And in content and form so peculiar that one cannot write about it. Imagine that the universe begins to sound and resonate. It is no longer human voices but planets and suns that revolve."1

As we can see, music has played a significant role on Earth since time immemorial. Just imagine a world without music for a moment! It would be as if you suddenly couldn't perceive the sound of the wind, the rush of the sea, and the chirping of birds anymore.

Not only for Mahler but also for the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Sumerians, and even Pythagoras, music was more than just sound. They saw music as a divine gift with special power over people. More on this will be discussed later in the book.

That music affects our emotions is widely known. Imagine for a moment a movie like "Dirty Dancing" without music. You will probably smile and think: That's not possible. You're right, because a movie without music is like soup without salt. Not for nothing, entire orchestras produce specific musical pieces for movies. One of the greatest geniuses in this field is Hans Zimmer, who has composed the corresponding music for countless Hollywood films.

Just by listening to a piece of music, numerous psychological processes occur in our bodies. Music can make you cry, relax, or even laugh. On one side, there is classical music, such as Vivaldi, Mozart, Handel, or Bach, whose compositions have a calming and even healing effect on people, in stark contrast to metal or gothic. These genres can evoke aggression, depression, or other strong emotions. I do not intend to demonize contrary musical forms to classical music. For example, when I exercise, I don't play classical music but rather something more intense and motivating.

The fact is that there has never been a mass brawl during or after a classical concert – unlike the disturbances at hard rock concerts. This is partly because music has a significant impact on our bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, or respiratory rate.

Certain songs can even bring back memories of past events. In such cases, we may be so emotionally moved that the song brings tears to our eyes.

Like no other art form, music shapes our souls. The Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero wrote just over two thousand years ago: "Music captures everything that lives, as it is the soul of the heavens."

There are now numerous music psychological studies examining the effects of music on cognitive abilities and brain performance. It has been found that an unborn child, from the seventh month of pregnancy, already has the ability to emotionally categorize what is heard.

Anyone who has children may still remember the baby phase when they played certain songs for their little one. Some songs calmed the baby, while others made them kick and move.

Scientists have even found that the tempo of music has emotional effects on babies. Our normal bodily functions operate at about 72 heartbeats per minute. However, if the tempo is increased to more than 72 BPM (Beats per minute), the music tends to be more stimulating. The well-known song "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC is stated to have 117 BPM, and "Thunderstruck" even has 136 BPM.2

When my son was still a little baby, I had already delved into these matters and often played him Mozart and other old masters. Indeed, he immediately relaxed and lay there like a little angel. This is often referred to as the Mozart Effect. In 1993, a study on music, intelligence, and memory was conducted, causing a stir as the Mozart Effect.

There, the spatial intelligence of students was tested with standardized tasks, having been presented with a Mozart sonata for two pianos in D major for about 10 minutes beforehand. Additionally, some students were exposed to relaxation music, while others were not given any music at all.

The results showed that the students who listened to Mozart performed statistically significantly better. Two years later, the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California reexamined the positive effects of Mozart on spatial memory tasks and arrived at the same conclusion.

Few people are aware that even the toughest individuals in rock music knew the secret behind classical music. They used the music of the old masters as inspiration for their own works. For example, Jimi Hendrix listened to music by Handel and Bach. Moreover, Hendrix not only lived in London but even in the same house where Georg Friedrich Handel had his home 240 years before him.

Members of the Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, were also influenced by classical music. In some songs, such as "Yesterday," elements of classical music like string arrangements were incorporated. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, a hard rocker, drew inspiration from composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and integrated classical elements into the band's music.

Freddie Mercury, the singer of Queen, had a classically trained voice and was influenced by opera and classical music. This is evident in one of their great hits: "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Since the 1940s, music has been increasingly used in therapy to improve patients' communicative abilities and reduce their complaints. The healing effects of music have also made their way into private life.3 Dr. med. Ralph Spintge, a German doctor, has made incredible contributions to music therapy. In an extensive study, he exposed nearly 100,000 patients to music, with the result that anxieties, depressions, and general pain can be treated. For his work, he was awarded the German Pain Prize - German Promotion Prize for Pain Research in 2015.4

Music is simply more than most people can imagine. Throughout history, there have been composition geniuses, not only among the great masters of classical music but also in the last century. Some artists have been referred to as the Mozarts and Beethovens of modern times, with one name frequently mentioned: The Beatles.

"Beatles – The Beethovens of the 21st Century"

Christianity will shrink and disappear. We don't need to discuss that. I am right, and that will be proven. Meanwhile, we are more popular than Jesus. I don't know what will disappear first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity."5

John Lennon

The Beatles, consisting of John Lennon (born October 9, 1940), Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942), George Harrison (born February 25, 1943), and Ringo Starr (born July 7, 1940), were the first boy band in the history of pop music. Their music ignited a global enthusiasm, magically captivating people.

To this day, they still hold the record for the group with the most records sold worldwide (more than a billion) and the most number-one singles (22 in the USA alone).6

However, like most major stars, there were always supporters behind the scenes who paved the way for success. For the Beatles, it was the Liverpool-based record dealer Brian Epstein. After seeing a concert by the four lads, he was fascinated by their charisma and musical talent. At the same time, he was repelled by their bad manners, as they behaved like four hooligans in black leather clothes and stood out with their Liverpool slang.

Motivated by their talent and with a firm belief in the Beatles, Epstein becomes their manager. He then transforms the four uncouth boys into black suits and insists on discipline and good behavior. This also included the Beatles bowing like well-behaved schoolboys after every show.

A choreographer was specially hired to teach the famous bow after a show. Paul McCartney recalls, "We counted the bow properly, one, two, three, and we all did this big collective bow at the same time. Brian believed it was very good for us."7 Without Brian Epstein, referred to by the four lads themselves as the fifth Beatle, worldwide success might not have happened.

Epstein manages to get the Beatles signed to the Parlophone record label. Shortly thereafter, their first single, "Love Me Do," is released and lands at number 17 on the English charts on October 5, 1962, followed by "Please Please Me," which reached number 2.

In the spring of 1963, the so-called Beatlemania breaks out seemingly out of nowhere – an unprecedented worldwide euphoric hysteria. Wherever the Beatles appeared, they were already awaited by hysterically screaming fans who followed their idols every step of the way. A phenomenon that still puzzles music scholars to this day. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr once said, it's simply inexplicable; only those who experienced that time live can understand what was happening.

In the summer of 1964, Beatlemania reached its first peak. In America, they stormed the charts with several songs simultaneously, securing the top five positions in the US charts, among other achievements. The madness knew no bounds. When they landed in Adelaide, Australia, they were greeted by 300,000 screaming fans. To capture this unimaginable mass hysteria of Beatlemania, the film "A Hard Day's Night" was made, which precisely depicts this phenomenon. The film was a huge success, and the accompanying title song, "A Hard Day's Night," also became a global number-one hit.

A year later, Paul McCartney wrote one of the most well-known Beatles songs, recorded in the London Abbey Road Studios. I'm referring to "Yesterday." One morning, Paul woke up with a little gentle melody in his head. Still slightly groggy from sleep, he went to the piano and began playing. Paul is not entirely sure if he had heard this melody somewhere before. McCartney later recalls, "I went around to all my friends asking them if they knew what it was: 'Do you know this? It's a good little tune, but I can't have written it because I dreamt it!' But nobody recognized the melody, though everyone found it beautiful. So, Paul wrote lyrics to it. And the song was complete.

Later, McCartney said, 'We didn't release 'Yesterday' as a single in England because we were a bit embarrassed – after all, we were a rock'n'roll band. But I'm proud of it. Sometimes I get teased about it. I remember George Harrison once said, 'Damn, he keeps going on about 'Yesterday,' you'd think he was Beethoven or someone.' But in my opinion, it's the most perfect thing I've ever written."8

It's worth mentioning that from 1964 onwards, the Beatles experimented with drugs like marijuana and LSD. This did not fit well with their "good boy" image prescribed by Brian Epstein. At this point, the Beatles were the "smallest family in the world," as Eric Clapton once put it, as they had been almost daily together since the early 1960s.9

This led to the first tensions. Exhausting tours gradually took their toll. Everywhere they performed, the same scene unfolded. They played in stadiums amidst incredible fan screams so loudly that they couldn't hear their own music. This condition frustrated the guys, as they saw themselves as artists, not circus acrobats.

In the summer of 1966, it finally happened: Exhausted from constant touring, the Beatles decided not to give concerts anymore. Their songs had been evolving since the release of the LP "Revolver" in August, becoming complex musical compositions that were challenging to reproduce live.10

In late summer 1967, their manager Brian Epstein unexpectedly died at the age of 32 from an overdose of sleeping pills. Since Epstein had organized everything for the Beatles, they found themselves completely overwhelmed. Despite the shock, they took matters into their own hands and established the company Apple, which would lead to mutual legal disputes a few years later.11

During that time, the Beatles started to show interest in Eastern wisdom and meditation. This led them to spend several weeks in India in 1968 with the Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Influenced by their spiritual and psychedelic experiences, a milestone in pop history emerged: the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," one of the first concept albums ever, alongside the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." The recording process spanned over five months and, at times, involved a whole orchestra.

The concept behind the album was to present a fictional Sgt. Pepper band. The concept was unique, incorporating elements of the circus, avant-garde, and psychedelic sounds. The album elevated pop music to an art form, emphasizing the entire album as the focus of the music rather than individual songs. It is still considered by many music critics as the greatest album of all time.12

On the cover of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the four Beatles pose with 71 famous and influential figures. It is intriguing that among them is the British occultist and black magician Aleister Crowley, whom we will explore further in the book. The concept for the album cover is said to have been suggested by Paul McCartney in 1967 when he asked the other band members to compile a list of famous personalities to be included in the artwork.13

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was a massive success, spending 27 weeks at number 1 in the UK and 15 weeks at number 1 in the USA. The album is a milestone in pop culture and was awarded a Grammy for the best album cover.

Despite the mega success of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," internal conflicts within the band steadily increased, and the end of the band seemed only a matter of time.

In this phase in 1968, Paul McCartney had a dream. In an interview with the British newspaper "Telegraph," Paul McCartney recalls that he vividly saw the face of his mother, who died when he was 14, in a dream. She spoke to him with a gentle and reassuring voice, saying, "Let it be." He woke up with a great feeling and immediately got up. "I sat down at the piano and made a song out of it."

January 22, 1969, marked the beginning of the "Get Back" sessions, which rather ingloriously ended with the release of the album "Let it be" on May 8, 1970, for the Beatles.

The recordings for the new album were prolonged due to frequent disputes within the band, especially regarding the song "Let It Be." John Lennon, in particular, disliked the song because of its religious undertone. Allegedly, John's rejection was due to the reference in the song to the appearance of Mother Mary.

Alan Parson, then a 20-year-old (who founded The Alan Parsons Project in 1975), undergoing training as a sound engineer at Abbey Road Studios, describes the situation: Despite the band members' disagreements, studio routine aimed to maintain order. "Mostly they worked individually on recordings. There was a separate session for George, one for Paul, one for John. I hardly ever saw them working together."14

Images from the studio recordings of that time clearly reflect the tense atmosphere among the band members. Lennon and Harrison enlisted the eccentric and star producer Phil Spector to finalize the album, famous for his opulent "Wall of Sound."

Shortly before, Spector had produced Lennon's single "Instant Karma." John Lennon was impressed with Spector's work, and he and Beatles manager Allen Klein asked him to rework the tapes recorded in 1969. Lennon said, "They gave him the shittiest collection of badly recorded songs with a terrible feeling… and he managed to make something decent out of it." Paul McCartney had a completely different opinion, later referring to Spector's version as "terrible."

The mood within the Beatles during that time can be inferred from what Spector perceived. He commented that the atmosphere within the band was "a minefield," and under those circumstances, he did his best: "If it's bad, they'll naturally blame me. If it's successful, it was the Beatles."15

Under these circumstances, no one could have foreseen that "Let It Be" would ultimately become one of the most important and successful Beatles songs.

Ultimately, the song is released in March 1970 after arduous recordings and simultaneously becomes the title track of the new LP, the last Beatles album. Thus, "Let It Be" becomes a farewell message from arguably the greatest and most influential band in the history of rock and pop music. There was only one band that operated on an equal footing with the Beatles and engaged in a constant rivalry with them. We're talking about the Beach Boys.

Beach Boys – Genius and Madness

"I wanted to write cheerful music that makes other people happy."

Brian Wilson

Anyone listening to the songs of the Beach Boys, such as "California Girls" or "Surfin' USA," inevitably thinks of high waves, fast surfers, beautiful girls, and good vibes. With their music, the guys shaped the myth of the sunny paradise of California like no other band in the world.

In 1961, the band was founded in Hawthorne, California, by the Wilson brothers Brian (born June 20, 1942), Dennis (born December 4, 1944), and Carl Wilson (born December 21, 1946), their cousin Mike Love, and school friend Alan Jardine. They sang with their bright angelic voices about the surfer's paradise where summer seemingly never ended. Memorable melodies and a sophisticated, often four-part harmony using sometimes unusual chord progressions characterized their entire sound.

The Wilson brothers came from a very strict household. Their father, Murry Wilson, literally drove his three sons to success. He early on instilled in his children, "Make sure you get out there and become winners."16 However, if the desired success did not materialize, the boys were punished. He also, with his authoritarian style, took control of the management of the Beach Boys in the early years.

Despite singing about sun, beach, and freedom, their father loomed like a dark shadow over them. It even escalated to the point where he physically abused his children. Brian, in particular, the sensitive one, was affected by his father's outbursts. It's been said that Murry Wilson once beat his son so hard with a wooden plank that Brian permanently lost hearing in his right ear.17

Drilled by his father, Brian Wilson began to establish himself early on as the creative force behind the band. He practiced harmony singing with his brothers from a young age and impressed with the original composition "Surfin'" during an audition. After the song was recorded and released by the Candix label in Los Angeles in 1961, the single entered the charts.

In July 1962, The Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records and released their debut album "Surfin' Safari" later that year. The album stayed on the US Billboard charts for a whopping 37 weeks, making the newcomers with their beautiful vocal harmonies and distinctive Californian style international superstars.

Brian Wilson, the 19-year-old prodigy at the time, was tasked with writing more of these "teenage anthems." Brian later said, "It wasn't difficult for me," and "the melodies just came to me." Before turning 25, Brian had composed 18 top-ten hits, propelling the Beach Boys to become the biggest pop sensation in America.

In addition to various TV appearances and world tours, it was ultimately songs like the title track from the 1963 released album "Surfin' USA" or "I Get Around," the band's first number-one success, that paved the way for their success. Between 1964 and 1965, a total of seven albums were released, with five of them occasionally occupying simultaneous positions in the album charts. This was unprecedented in the music market at that time.

Brian Wilson was the mastermind of the band and an absolute genius. He simultaneously crafted the sound and, even before entering the studio with the guys, had the finished song already in his mind—listening to it in its completion.18

In the mid-1960s, the Beach Boys were at the peak of their career: considered the biggest band in America, with Brian as their undisputed boss. He wrote most of the Beach Boys' hits, including one of their most famous songs, "California Girls." Few know that when Brian Wilson composed this song, he was under the influence of drugs. At the age of 22, he experienced his first LSD trip. Lying on the bed with his face hidden under a pillow, he heard voices and saw images of his parents wanting to harm him.

When he felt somewhat better, he got up and dragged himself downstairs to his piano. However, this time he wasn't thinking about sun, beach, and sea but about cowboys. While composing the song "California Girls," Wilson had the old country classic "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in mind. In his drug-induced state, Brian had a vision. He later recounted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times: "I was thinking about the music in cowboy movies. I sat down at the piano and started playing: bum-buhdeeda, bum-buhdeeda, bum-buhdeeda… I did that for about an hour. First, I had these chords. Then, the melody came to me, and the rest developed very quickly."

However, a song about cowboys didn't fit the surf sounds of the Beach Boys. The new song should be about girls. The next day, Brian Wilson brought in his bandmate Mike Love. Brian and Mike flipped through fashion magazines, and then the idea came to write lyrics about pretty girls from around the world living in California. And thus, one of the greatest pop hits of the 60s was born.19

Beyond the immense fame, though, ever darker shadows overshadowed the visionary Brian. In his optimistic songs, he tried to compensate for his insecurity, fear of water, and girls. The beach romance he conjured, however, existed only in his mind.

"Many people dream of the eternal sun of California. Although I grew up by the sea, I mostly stayed in my room and dreamed of melodies. It bothered me that I couldn't take my piano to the beach… I was always an atypical Californian because my mood is often not so sunny. I've had these bouts of melancholy for as long as I can remember, and I don't exactly know where they come from. I eventually had a huge sandbox built in my living room, where I placed my piano. That way, I had a beach all to myself."20

There, he composed one hit after another. However, the glamorous world demanded its price and plunged the introverted Brian into deep depression. After numerous nervous breakdowns, he withdrew from the public eye in January 1965 to focus entirely on composing and producing new pieces.

The Beach Boys continued to celebrate the endless California summer with his successor, Bruce Johnston. However, in the background, Brian continued to work on new songs. Hallucinogenic drugs produced sounds in his head. He barricaded himself in the studio for several months to record his thoughts and musical sounds that existed in his mind. There, he created worlds that existed only on tape and couldn't be reproduced live in that form.21

Brian told his wife, Marilyn Wilson, that he wanted to compose and produce the greatest album of all time.22

The result was the album "Pet Sounds." It was a symphonic opus full of complex structures, unlike anything heard before. The assembled pieces, some influenced by jazz and classical, are unparalleled in harmonic richness. An important influence on Brian Wilson was the music producer and inventor of the "Wall of Sound," Phil Spector. Brian admired Spector, who, like him, was a genius in his field. He said, "Spector treated you like one giant, enormous instrument," praising his eccentric colleague.23

For "Pet Sounds," Brian collaborated with the same studio musicians who were under contract with Phil Spector.

About 40 musicians participated in the album "Pet Sounds." They were all top artists, including Glen Campbell, who himself became a superstar in the USA in the 1970s.24

At that time, the media claimed there was a kind of creative competition between the Beach Boys and their competitors from the other side of the pond: the Beatles. This was because the Beatles conquered the USA from 1964, setting off Beatlemania there.

Brian Wilson responded to the rumors, saying, "We sent messages across the Atlantic" and "They did something, I heard it, and I wanted to do something that was just as good." That it was more a collaboration than a rivalry becomes evident in many personal anecdotes. For instance, Mike Love, at the end of the 1960s, traveled to India with the Beatles to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, seeking inner peace or at least answers to pressing personal questions, like the meaning of life. Everyone returned equally inspired from there – the rest is music history.25

The most crucial Beatles album for the Beach Boys was likely "Rubber Soul." When it was released at the end of 1965, the four Liverpudlians set new standards in pop music. Just half a year later, Brian Wilson followed suit with the album "Pet Sounds."

With accordion and bicycle bells, church organs and barking dogs, "Pet Sounds" set itself apart from all conventional notions of rock music. The complex sound tapestry left the elite of music producers in constant awe. Many believe that, with their masterpiece, the Beach Boys had clearly outdone the Beatles at that time.

A few years ago, Paul McCartney mentioned that he played "Pet Sounds" all the time back then and often found himself crying because the songs were so beautiful. Paul also revealed to the brilliant Brian Wilson that he regarded "God Only Knows" from the same album as the greatest pop song ever.

Even John Lennon called from California after the release of the new Beach Boys record to congratulate the band.

What stands out are Wilson's complex arrangements and the perfect distribution of voices across various instruments. The extensive use of all the studio resources available at the time in the double four-track process was revolutionary. The song, its melodic structure, and the recording were technically the most elaborate production of the Beach Boys to date.

Upon Brian Wilson's induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, Bono of U2 said, "The string arrangements on 'God Only Knows' are indeed evidence that there are angels."26

During the tribute to Wilson, Paul McCartney said, "Especially in the sixties, he wrote music that brought tears to my eyes.

There was something so profound about it that touched me in my innermost being. You have to be a genius to achieve that with just a few words and notes."

In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "God Only Knows" at number 11 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.27

Conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein declared Brian Wilson one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, and Elton John, on Brian's 80th birthday, said, "You've inspired me my whole life. For me, you're the only real pop genius in the world."28

A memorable moment was when McCartney visited the Wilsons, playing a new song for Brian and his then-wife. "I find the melody quite nice," said Paul McCartney. It was "She's Leaving Home," which would later appear on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."29

Beatles producer George Martin mentioned that "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was an attempt to match "Pet Sounds." McCartney admitted that "Pet Sounds" significantly influenced the Beatles' album, stating, "The biggest influence, as I've said many times, was the album Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, mainly the harmonies that I stole from there."30

Although the music world agreed that the Beatles surpassed "Pet Sounds" with their "Sgt. Pepper's" album, it left a lasting impression on Brian.31

On February 17, 1966, Brian Wilson embarked on a megaproject – a pop song unlike anything the world had heard, a "pocket symphony," as he called it. Brian worked fervently on "Good Vibrations" during this time, often under the influence of LSD, which fueled his imagination. He incorporated a harpsichord, a cello, and even an electro-theremin, creating peculiar sounds. It took 17 sessions across various studios over seven months to complete the recording, ultimately costing more than $50,000 – an unprecedented sum for a single pop song.

Meanwhile, Brian's cousin Mike finished writing the lyrics. Brian recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone that the title "Good Vibrations" came from their mother: "When we were little, my mother told us about human vibrations. I didn't understand it, and it scared me. My mother then said that dogs bark at a person emitting bad vibrations. However, with people emitting good vibrations, with 'Good Vibrations,' they are peaceful." The song, featuring a brightly dressed girl encouraging the singer with "Good Vibrations," became a number-one hit and is now considered a milestone in the history of pop music.32

Simultaneously, Brian began working on a "teenage symphony to God" – an album that would be an unprecedented whole, with pieces intricately woven together musically and lyrically. Its title: "Smile." The name aimed to reflect the universal smile Wilson had seen during an LSD trip, described as a "profoundly religious experience" by Wilson in an interview in 1966.33

Despite Wilson's genius with "Pet Sounds," his career was already overshadowed by mental health issues. This had consequences for his new album, "Smile," which, despite being close to his heart, was never completed. Some claim it had to do with the release of the Beatles' album "Sgt.

Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Brian was reportedly driving his Rolls-Royce when he heard the new Beatles single "Strawberry Fields Forever" from the "Sgt. Pepper's" album on the radio. He pulled over, listened attentively for minutes, as if witnessing the live broadcast of a moon landing. Perhaps these moments in February 1967 were the final blow for "Smile," the greatest unfinished pop album. When the last notes of the new Beatles single played, Brian allegedly told his passenger, "The Beatles have won."34

As "Smile" was a concept album with similarities to "Sgt. Pepper's," Brian Wilson also feared being perceived by the music world as an imitator.