‘Cows in the Pasture’: The strange story of Brian Wilson’s lost country album
As the driving creative force behind The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson has garnered a truly singular legacy in the realm of pop. His efforts extended far beyond tales of Californian sun, sea and surfing and into genuinely innovative production. As he pulled together orchestral soundscapes and ethereal harmonies, he created some of the greatest pop compositions of all time and won over the masses in the process.
Though Wilson may have made his mark in the world of pop composition, he did occasionally step outside of it. In his forward-thinking take on pop music, he pulled in elements of theatre and psychedelia, pushing the genre into new territories. He once even set out to create an entire country record with Beach Boys manager Fred Vail.
The year was 1970. The Beach Boys’ heyday had been and gone, and Wilson had been struggling with his mental health for years. He had resigned himself to home studios and to bedroom tapes, only appearing on a very short live stint in Mike Love’s absence. But suddenly, Vail received a phone call from the Beach Boys bandleader.
“Brian said, ‘I want to do a country album,’” Vail remembered during a conversation with Mojo, “And I want you to be the vocalist”. While the former manager admitted that he was “no Brian Wilson”, he acknowledged that he could “carry a tune”, so he entertained Wilson’s idea. When Vail prodded the Beach Boy for more solid plans, though, it seemed that Wilson hadn’t thought much further than “country album”.
“I asked, Did you write any songs? ‘No.’” Vail remembered, “Do you have a band? ‘No.’” Still, the hopeful vocalist wasn’t put off by Wilson’s lack of preparation. Upon the pop producer’s request, he selected some old country songs by the likes of Hank Williams and James Taylor and recruited guitarist James Burton and pianist Glen D Hardin to play alongside him.
Between Wilson’s initial idea and Vail’s organisation, the album began to take shape. Sonically, it paired newfound country influences with their pop roots. But unfortunately for Vail, Wilson’s interest in country music depleted just as quickly as it occurred, and he abandoned the project. His personal struggles took over, and the record that would become Cows in the Pasture was left behind as a result.
The singer hoped that they would return to the project, which they eventually did, just a few decades later than Vail had probably expected. It was 2014 when the tapes from the sessions were finally rediscovered, and just last year plans were announced for the country record to finally be unveiled to the world.
Vail returned to the project, finally recording the vocals he had never got to finish, and there are even plans to release a documentary series about the former Beach Boys manager alongside the release. The record will feature covers of country tunes like ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)’ and ‘If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’)’, but the track-listing also includes some pop songs more in Wilson’s remit, such as Roy Orbison’s ‘Only the Lonely’.
Though Wilson and Vail may not have been able to complete Cows in the Pasture at the time it was first conceived, the record has now received a second chance at life. It will be released next year, showing fans a new, country-loving side to Wilson outside of his pop prowess, as well as providing a look at Vail as a vocalist.
