Bright lights (Carl Wilson) (LP 4864 - 4865)

Carl Wilson  Carl Wilson (Vinyl, Caribou Records, 1981) ****  

Carl Wilson  Youngblood (Vinyl, Caribou Records, 1983) ****  

Genre: Rock, pop

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Heaven (CW)

Gear costume: Seems So Long Ago (CW), Givin' You Up (Youngblood)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: Carl Wilson, who sadly passed away from lung cancer in 1998, only produced two solo albums (he was also part of a trio with Gerry Beckley and Robert Lamm). That's because he knew his position in life was as a member of The Beach Boys first and foremost.

His first solo album, simply called Carl Wilson, is a great effort which displays many of his talents - from the rocker to the quieter side - all is convincing to my ears. I love this record, yes partly because I love the idea of Carl Wilson. He's not the radical genius of Brian and he's without the bad boy/self-destructive tendency of Dennis, instead he's the middle presence (his vocal range as well as his influence on the band).

Side two of the album has more of the kind of Beach Boys material that fans would gravitate towards, but I also enjoy the grittier songs on side one. It's not a perfect record, but Carl's vocals are definitely one-of-a-kind.

The same approach is used for Youngblood - as one critic said "It's guitar-based mainstream rock, with soul and gospel roots, a far cry from the blue-eyed barbershop harmonies popularized by the Beach Boys".

BTW - Carl is the only Beach Boy on these two records.

Where do they all belong? I'm on the lookout for the Beckley Lamm Wilson album - Like A Brother.