Time for another contest!
For this next one I'll divide it up into multiple, related ones like I did for the early ballads.
This first of two compares the somewhat faster-paced Masterpieces. The second of the two will be "God Only Knows" vs "In My Life."
Contest #8A: Battle of the Late 1965-Early 1966 Mellow Masterpieces #1
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" - recorded Jan-April 1966
"Nowhere Man" - recorded October 1965
Here's an interesting way of looking at this - with the vocals-only tracks!
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" - this really does have the nicer vocals, but I suppose you could say that of most BB songs compared to the Beatles
"Nowhere Man"
And now the instrument-only tracks!
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"
"Nowhere Man"
My verdict: Wouldn't It Be Nice is a masterpiece arrangement, and the bridge is Otherworldly. But I really do like Nowhere Man's folksy feel. So I'll call it a tie.