Superior Street and director/editor John Anderson’s collaboration with music icon Brian Wilson began back in March, 1998. Since then he has directed/edited four videos of the former Beach Boy’s concert tours.
The latest is “Brian Wilson Performs SMiLE,” a live performance of Wilson’s “legendary lost masterpiece”?a Warner Bros./Rhino DVD worldwide release May 24.
The two-part package includes “Beautiful Dreamer”, a documentary on the making of SMiLE.
Produced by Superior Street’s Maggie Magee, Anderson directed the 10-camera HD shoot of Wilson’s performance last September before an invited audience at Burbank’s Centerstaging.
Wilson performed the 20-song album (which opens with “Heroes and Villains” and ends with “Good Vibrations”) accompanied by his eleven-piece band and seven members of the Stockholm Strings ?n’ Horns.
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| Superior Street partner John Anderson |
Anderson edited, finished in HD at Superior Street and delivered the video in December.
Written by Wilson in 1967 as the follow-up to the band’s acclaimed “Pet Sounds” album but rejected by his fellow Beach Boys for being too “uncommercial,” SMiLE was finally recorded and released on CD by Wilson in 2004 to triumphant universal acclaim.
“Just being a part of this historic project has been a tremendous thrill,” said Magee. “But the highlight was when Brian said we had a “masterpiece” on our hands. Coming from him, and knowing how important this album is to him, those words really meant a lot.”
Anderson said the next Brian Wilson video will be a Christmas project.
Anderson is a partner in Superior Street, which he joined as the production house was formed ten years ago. He had freelanced for eight years after leaving Post Effects.
A constant in his life is his band, the Cleaning Ladys, which holds the distinction of being one of the most enduring local bands at 28 years of togetherness. Since then, Anderson, a guitarist, singer and composer, has produced/directed 35 videos of the band.
The Cleaning Ladys is presently on tour at Borders’ 24 area stores from now through the end of summer.
Superior Street is at 215 W. Superior; phone, 312/640-1111. See www.superiorstreet.com.
