Great Unknown Beach Boys #13

The late Julius Wechter's most recognizable "licks" in Beach Boys history are his vibraphone and tympani work on the classic instrumental "Let's Go Away For Awhile", which is of course on "Pet Sounds".

from his wiki entry:

"Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935-February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played miscellaneous percussion instruments. He composed the song Spanish Flea for Herb Alpert and was leader of the Baja Marimba Band.

Born in Chicago, Wechter played vibes and percussion for the Martin Denny group in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, he moved on to movie soundtracks and television, as well as session work for the likes of the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher and various Phil Spector productions.

He began his long and successful association with Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass when he played percussion on the Tijuana Brass's first hit, "The Lonely Bull" in 1962. He would later compose "Spanish Flea".

Playing marimba & vibes on many of the songs on Alpert's subsequent albums in the 1960s, as well as writing at least one song on most of those albums, Wechter contributed much to the Tijuana Brass sound and style without receiving public credit for it at the time"

A & M has established a Wechter site

http://www.juliuswechter.com/