M. Ward's "You Still Believe in Me"

I just listened to M. Ward's Transistor Radio.  I don't think I've listened to this that much, and last time I listened to it, I almost certainly wasn't as familiar with the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album as I am now.  Because otherwise, I would have noticed that M. Ward's "You Still Believe in Me" is, in some ways, an instrumental cover of the Beach Boys' "You Still Believe in Me" from Pet Sounds.  Mostly, it's a repetition of the opening piano figure, but M. Ward also includes the melody from the verse.  He changes some notes here and there, so it sounds a bit different, but it's still recognizable.

The Turtles' "Elenore" and "You Showed Me"

I also listened to Happy Together: The Very Best of the Turtles this morning.  Along with a bunch of instruments that I hadn't noticed on a lot of the tracks before, I found either a theremin or a tannerin on both "Elenore" and "You Showed Me."  This started me thinking about the time period that these songs were released in.  Just recently (last night, in fact) I read about the tannerin used on Brian Wilson's "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" from the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album, which was the first time one was used in a song.  It seems the Turtles weren't too far behind.  Pet Sounds was released in May 1966, and these two Turtles songs were released in 1968 ("Elenore" in September and "You Showed Me" in December).

The Beatles' "The Fool on the Hill"

I’m in the midst of listening to the Beatles’ 1967-1970.

I’d read that at the very end of “A Day in the Life,” along with the four or five pianos, there’s a harmonium.  I was finally able to find it in the mix.

Also, I don’t think I had ever really paid that much attention to the bass harmonica in “The Fool on the Hill.”  I’d heard the notes, but I never thought, “Oh, that’s a bass harmonica.”

I think the bass harmonica is indicative of Brian Wilson’s influence on the Beatles - the artistic rivalry in which the Beach Boys released Pet Sounds as a response to Rubber Soul and then the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper as a response to Pet Sounds.  Brian Wilson used bass harmonica on “I Know There’s an Answer” from Pet Sounds, and the Beatles used it on “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” (and possibly some other songs from Sgt. Pepper - I haven’t listened to it for awhile and don’t know off-hand).  The bass harmonica in “The Fool on the Hill” further demonstrates Brian Wilson’s influence.