Music / At My Piano

^{Click to see the cover for the LP release.} 

At My Piano is an instrumental Cover Album by American songwriter Brian Wilson. Like its title suggests, all the songs are played on piano and piano only. It was released in 2021 through Decca records.

Even though Brian's piano style is more focused on banging chords, he has stated in an interview that he is the only one who plays piano on the entire album, with piano overdubs also performed by him. With the exception of "Love And Mercy", all the songs are originally co-written by Brian for The Beach Boys, featuring some classic songs such as "God Only Knows" as well as deep cuts like "Mt Vernon Farewell" (originally named "Mt Vernon Fairway" on the album Holland).

Tracklist:

1. "God Only Knows" (3:49)
2. "In My Room" (3:07)
3. "Don't Worry Baby" (3:39)
4. "California Girls" (3:16)
5. "The Warmth Of The Sun" (3:27)
6. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (2:57)
7. "You Still Believe In Me" (2:33)
8. "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" (3:49)
9. "Sketches Of Smile" (3:39)
10. "Surf's Up" (4:06)
11. "Friends" (3:19)
12. "Till I Die" (2:14)
13. "Love And Mercy" (2:43)
14. "Mt Vernon Farewell" (1:14)
15. "Good Vibrations" (4:16)

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At my tropes:

• Adaptation Title Change: "Mt Vernon Farewell" is a cover of "Mt Vernon Fairway". When asked about why Brian changed the song's name, he replied that Mike Love used to live in Mt Vernon and that this cover is a "goodbye to a cool memory".
• Call-Forward: "Sketches Of Smile" plays a section of "Surfs Up", the next song on the tracklist.
• Cover Album: All songs are co-written by Brian but were originally released as Beach Boys songs while "Love And Mercy" was originally a song Brian released in 1988 for his debut album.
• Cover Version: Putting aside "Love And Mercy" which is a song from Brian Wilson's self-titled debut album, all tracks are originally by The Beach Boys and co-written by Brian. Most of them come from Pet Sounds and the Smile sessions.
• Covers Always Lie: Zigzagged, with the CD cover not showing Brian at a piano while the cover art of the LP release does.
• Dedication: The album is dedicated to Don Randi, a pianist of the Wrecking Crew who has played on Beach Boys songs such as "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows".
• Face on the Cover: The CD release shows an old Brian Wilson while the LP release shows a younger Brian sitting in front of a piano.
• Genre Shift: Due to the solo piano rendition, some songs are stripped of their Pop Rock / Baroque Pop roots and sound more like Easy Listening with an intimate approach.
• Instrumentals: The entire album is played on the piano only with no vocals whatsoever.
• Location Song: "California Girls" and "Mt Vernon Farewell".
• Lonely Piano Piece: Subverted with the fact that the entire album only consists of piano tracks yet all include piano overdubs.
• Medley: "Sketches of Smile" is a medley comprised of "Our Prayer", "Heroes And Villains", "Wonderful" and "Surf's Up", all of them originating from the recording of Smile.
• Minimalist Cast: Brian is the only performer on the album.
• Miniscule Rocking: "Mt Vernon Farewell" only lasts a minute and 14 seconds.
• One-Word Title: "Friends".
• Special Thanks: Brian thanks his mom and dad for introducing him to the piano, an instrument he learned as a self-taught since the age of 12.