Holy Man single release on Record Store Day 2019

HOLY MAN

- a beautiful DENNIS WILSON TRACK



Well, since many people have been asking, and the word seems to be out there ....



I got inspired when Taylor sent me the track in its raw state, with a really soulful vocal from Taylor. It was a song which Dennis Wilson had begun, shortly before he died, but never finished. Beautiful piano playing, wonderful spiritual feel. The producers of the new Dennis Wilson release had asked Taylor Hawkins to sing on the track, and, by instinctive 'feel', finish the song. He had done an amazing job. Taylor had a feeling we could contribute, so he sent me a ProTools session of it. If you were a fan of the Beach Boys, you'll remember Dennis was not known as the principal songwriter, and was regarded by many as just a band member who was carried along. But, of all of the band, it was only Dennis who actually led the life of a surfer, and as time went on, it became obvious that he had a lot to say. He came into his own as a writer, and is now regarded by many as truly at the heart of what the Beach Boys were, and are, in the history of Rock.



So the track arrived, and I was moved ... so much so, that it hadn't even got to the end of the first playing before I was down in the studio, playing along ... inspired. I plunged in, and did a kind of resculpting, about three days work, as perhaps you'll eventually hear - and sent back a rough mix of what I'd done. It involved mapping and singing some backing vocals for the lead vocal to bounce off, building the rhythm track with guitars, and playing a solo. I then extended the song a little, to try to make the point a little stronger, and made an ending which resolved to something very much like the opening of the track - just subtly changed. The whole track spoke to me like a poem, and seemed to be steeped in the spirit of this mysterious man, the Beach Boy Who Surfed. And I wanted to do my bit to realise it to the full. Taylor was hugely enthusiastic, and we then asked Roger to add his magic. Roger loved it too, added his voice to the harmonies, and did some nice percussion, so the whole thing now had a subtle Queen overtone. We all loved the track - and hoped that we would see it on the Dennis album.



Sadly, we then found out that the producers of the album had gone ahead and compiled the album without waiting for us. I think there is some plan to issue it as a download, but obviously, having put so much love into it, we were a little disappointed, Taylor and Roger and me.



But such is life. It was still a nice experience doing it. Those moments are precious, and it's a fact of life that they don't always lead to something commercially successful, or even get heard. It's the moments of creative joy which matter ... and, in a way, this brought us closer to Taylor. And maybe there will yet be a good outcome.