Strangely enough, the most disappointing re-recording is of "Wonderful" standing on its own, the Smiley Smile version is gorgeous enough, but it nearly pales in comparison to the stripped-down harpsichord and heartbreaking harmonies of the original.Īs for bonus tracks or outtakes included here, the centerpieces are those culled from the "Good Vibrations" sessions. And one of his best melodies can be found in "Wonderful," matching, if not topping, anything on Pet Sounds.Īs someone who's heard the Smile sessions, I find many moments sorely missing, of course if I had to choose, the most notable exclusion is the lounge-psychedelic mini-epic "Cabin Essence." And the songs that do appear from Smile are pretty radically reworked, with the exception of "Good Vibrations," already a #1 single from '66, which can be found in its final and perfect form here. Pepper had already brought, Wilson's innovative production and arrangements still bring out the best in every single track. Group harmonies shine just as beautifully as any on Pet Sounds, and although the album isn't anywhere close to the sonic revolution that Sgt. Remnants of the vignette style are still there, along with a sense of humor both musical and lyrical. Without any awareness of Smile's existence, this album could have been a contemporary classic. So now that the history business is out of the way, let's talk about what the Boys and Capitol Records chose to release in lieu of Smile.
#SMILE DISCLABEL FULL#
With the Smile material, full of vignettes, lush harmonies, unique arrangements and some of the most gorgeous of melodies, Brian Wilson proved that he was a man of virtually limitless genius. Perhaps we wouldn't be so monotheistic in our pop leanings, worshipping only at the Beatles' altar the way some do today. It's hard to imagine how it would have sounded if completely finished as it stands, however, it sounds like the beginning of something that could have changed popular music history. And like any modern everyday thief in the age of Napster, I've been afforded the opportunity to hear the Smile recordings, or at least what's out there, unfinished, with an "unofficial" tracklist. It's truly a shame that Smile failed the way it did. He stopped taking sole production credits, and lost all confidence, fully aware that, without the possibility of Smile ever being completed, he could never top Sgt. The hype died, the album failed, Sgt Pepper came out, and Wilson began a quick descent into madness. To fulfill contractual obligations, the Beach Boys recorded Smiley Smile in the first three quarters of 1967. That is, until December of 1966, at which time label disputes and tension within the group had reached such a level that Wilson forced himself to abandon the Smile project as he had envisioned it. And with Smile set for release in late '66, Wilson felt that he had the race "in the bag." He respected and admired them, and felt he could beat them to a pulp. Always the tough competitors, the Beatles were the group with Rubber Soul, the album that inspired Wilson to create Pet Sounds in the first place. So who were his worthy competitors? Well, there were the Beatles, and then. "It will be as much an improvement over Sounds as that was over Summer Days." One can only imagine how great an improvement that must have originally been, and how exhilarating it would have been to look forward to such a dramatic shift occurring again after such a short period of time. "Our new album will be better than Pet Sounds," he pledged. He'd just produced one of the most revolutionary albums pop music had yet seen with 1966's Pet Sounds, and the reports of the follow-up, Smile, were extremely promising. Everything looked good in Wilson's Beach Boys camp. In the mid-60's, Brian Wilson declared a race to the next major development in record production techniques.
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