My Quest for Breaking Everything: John Cale's Favourite Music | Page 2 of 14

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

1. The Beach Boys‘I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times’

It’s no secret, my admiration for all things Brian Wilson. Of course I wrote [opening track to 1975’s Slow Dazzle album] ‘Mr Wilson’ as an ode to him, not so much his famous band. Pet Sounds is arguably their most disparate suite of songs – masterful in the orchestrations, lyrically introspective. [It was] the point of knowing I was right all along when I thought Brian was the dark horse genius decipherable to anyone listening beyond the pretty stuff.  This demonstrated that pop doesn’t always come from a happy place. Case in point here!

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