Teasing the Korean Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/entertainment/music/Beach-Boys-Smile-Album-Will-Be-Released--117847038.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Too late. The actual finished version is the end of this story. Everything else has been booted so much and anybody/everybody(almost) who has an interest has gone there and done that. Besides, the finished version is so damn good.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I loathe these deluxe packages where the vinyl duplicates the CD (or vice versa depending on your view.) And I'd far rather have a hi-res disc option and skip the vinyl and the CD altogether. As JSngry says, "too late." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Brian's voice is shot on the finished version. Some of the bootlegged stuff sounds better than others. Agree that tbey waited too long. Still, I will probably buy it, and I almost never buy or listen to any teen pop music anymore. I'll proably opt for the deluxe set and then never make it all the way through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Great news, TTK! I have a fair amount of the original (and prefer it to the 2004 version), but I'll definitely opt in for the 2-CD release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Agree that tbey waited too long. Still, I will probably buy it, and I almost never buy or listen to any teen pop music anymore. I'll proably opt for the deluxe set and then never make it all the way through it. And I'll likely settle on the 2 CD flavor (unless I'm feeling really good about myself when it's released) despite my grumbling above. I'll try to remember your last point as that too often can happen. Edited March 12, 2011 by Quincy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Brian's voice is shot on the finished version. Eh, not really. It's just not "angelic" anymore, which is as it should be. Still, I will probably buy it, and I almost never buy or listen to any teen pop music anymore. ..and with Smile you won't be starting up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Still, I will probably buy it, and I almost never buy or listen to any teen pop music anymore. ..and with Smile you won't be starting up again. I guess you're right, although even Brian referred to it as a "teenage symphony to God." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 They might as well re-title this The Warmth of the Buck. What's next? The Beach Boys Play For Lovers? Nice to hear that the whole band is on board. If you'd like, you may substitute "Mike Love" for the phrase "the whole band." Personally, I think Smile is vastly overrated. I bought the release that came out a couple of years back, listened to it a couple of times, wondered what the buzz was all about, and filed it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Still, I will probably buy it, and I almost never buy or listen to any teen pop music anymore. ..and with Smile you won't be starting up again. I guess you're right, although even Brian referred to it as a "teenage symphony to God." Wasn't that Pet Sounds? In which case it would be a no-longer-a-teenager-and-totally-freaked-out-out-what-may-and/or-may-not-lay-ahead symphony to God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 No, it was Smile. At any rate, I'm looking forward to the Mike Stamos/John Love liner notes to the new Smile release: "While Brian was increasingly having doubts about the music's commercial potential, it was Mike Love who continually encouraged Brian to finish the album..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Smile sounded like a Beach Boy parody. I'm with Brian on his assessment of the material. Why am I not surprised that Cousin Mike continued to push him to finish it. No one I'm aware of ever mistook Love for a musical genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Smile sounded like a Beach Boy parody. I'm with Brian on his assessment of the material. Why am I not surprised that Cousin Mike continued to push him to finish it. No one I'm aware of ever mistook Love for a musical genius. Uhhhh.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 If someone wants to walk me through Smile song by song and tell me why they are either great individually or taken as a whole, I'd love to saddle up for that ride. Certainly Heroes and Villains is fine as is Good Vibrations, but the rest of it including the much ballyhooed Surf's Up simply isn't very good. What? Vega-Tables? Cabin Essence? Wind Chimes? Do You Like Worms? Mrs. O'Leary's Cow for cryin' out loud? Don't think so. Many of my other posts on this board speak to the fact that there's no bigger Beach Boy fan than yours truly, but Brian was right on the mark when he first decided to leave Smile in the can. For me, Grimace would be a much more appropriate title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) but the rest of it including the much ballyhooed Surf's Up simply isn't very good. The version of 'Surf's Up' on the later album of that name has always been one of my favourite pop songs. The lyrics might be daft (or so coded as to be impossible to decipher without the code) but when was that ever a obstacle to a great performance (try some opera libretti!)? All the stuff about 'pop symphony' etc might be overblown, but that's more about the constructs imposed on it by critics and commentators. It may not be as direct as 'God Only Knows' or 'The Warmth of the Sun' but it has delicious melodies, a nice structure with contrasting sections and harmonies to die for in its final section. "I don't like it"...fine. "Isn't very good"...nonsense. I've never heard the Smile reconstruction; the fragments that got scattered elsewhere always struck me as just that. Fragments. Some of them sound delicious to me, but underdeveloped. Edited March 13, 2011 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm with Brian on his assessment of the material. Why am I not surprised that Cousin Mike continued to push him to finish it. No one I'm aware of ever mistook Love for a musical genius. That was a JOKE. I thought it was well known that Love largely derailed Smile (along with Brian's meltdown), and that the Pet Sounds box was held up because Love wanted the liner notes revised. If someone wants to walk me through Smile song by song and tell me why they are either great individually or taken as a whole, I'd love to saddle up for that ride. Certainly Heroes and Villains is fine as is Good Vibrations, but the rest of it including the much ballyhooed Surf's Up simply isn't very good. What? Vega-Tables? Cabin Essence? Wind Chimes? Do You Like Worms? Mrs. O'Leary's Cow for cryin' out loud? ... Well, those are among my favorite Beach Boys recordings ever. That's what makes horse racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm with Brian on his assessment of the material. Why am I not surprised that Cousin Mike continued to push him to finish it. No one I'm aware of ever mistook Love for a musical genius. That was a JOKE. I thought it was well known that Love largely derailed Smile (along with Brian's meltdown), and that the Pet Sounds box was held up because Love wanted the liner notes revised. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 The version of 'Surf's Up' on the later album of that name has always been one of my favourite pop songs. The lyrics might be daft (or so coded as to be impossible to decipher without the code) That just comes with the territory of Van Dyke Parks (at the time, anyway). All the explanations I've heard are that it's a song about a hardened could confronting its own near-death of spirit and, having done so, deciding to spring back to life. Have you heard Park's Song Cycle? Way, way waaaaaayyy over the top lyrically & musically, but still brilliant. Nothing quite like it, even to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzjet Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 but the rest of it including the much ballyhooed Surf's Up simply isn't very good. The version of 'Surf's Up' on the later album of that name has always been one of my favourite pop songs. The lyrics might be daft (or so coded as to be impossible to decipher without the code) but when was that ever a obstacle to a great performance (try some opera libretti!)? All the stuff about 'pop symphony' etc might be overblown, but that's more about the constructs imposed on it by critics and commentators. It may not be as direct as 'God Only Knows' or 'The Warmth of the Sun' but it has delicious melodies, a nice structure with contrasting sections and harmonies to die for in its final section. Surf's Up has always been one of my favourites as well, not just the song but the album as well. Great tracks such as Til I Die, Disney Girls and Feel Flows ( with Charles Lloyd ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Surf's Up has always been one of my favourites as well, not just the song but the album as well. Great tracks such as Til I Die, Disney Girls and Feel Flows ( with Charles Lloyd ). Easily my favourite Beach Boys album - perhaps because it came out around the time I first got really interested in music. I worked back from there (though I was aware of the singles in the background as a kid in the 60s). I've never shared the enthusiasm for 'Pet Sounds' - probably because I first heard it about 9 years after release. It never measured up to the anticipation (had the same experience with Sgt. Pepper). If I'd been buying albums in 66/67 (as opposed to half-hearing what got filleted for mainstream radio) I'd have probably reacted differently. I've grown into Sgt. P (though with reservations!) but I still feel distanced from 'Pet Sounds' apart from the two great songs that kick off each side of the record. 'Surf's Up' holds my attention throughout (even 'Student Demonstration Time'!!!!). Edited March 13, 2011 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) I've always been kind of glad that I missed the whole Beach Boys thing (too young). It's a period of time and style of music that holds zero interest to me. Edited March 13, 2011 by Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I think that Van Dyke Parks is the only great lyricist that Brian ever worked with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) That was a JOKE. I thought it was well known that Love largely derailed Smile (along with Brian's meltdown), and that the Pet Sounds box was held up because Love wanted the liner notes revised. Yep. I stand corrected with respect to Love's involvement. The fact that I was taken in by the JOKE is indicative of the fact that I've gone out of my way to ignore any and all things pertaining to this recording. I'd rather be locked in a room with The Best of The Archies on a tape loop than to ever have to listen to Smile again. I will, however, stand by my assertion that no one ever mistook Love for a musical genius. Just listen to him try to give Willie Nelson advice on his phrasing when Willie recorded The Warmth Of The Sun: Edited March 13, 2011 by Dave James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I had never heard Wilie with the Beach Boys before. Nice. Pretty embarrassing I'd think to be caught on tape "criticizing" Willie Nelson's vocals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I think that Van Dyke Parks is the only great lyricist that Brian ever worked with. I don't know if Tony Asher is a great lyricist or not, but you couldn't ask for lyrics more suitable to the topic at hand than those he wrote for Pet Sounds. I mean, "Caroline, No" - . "Where did your long hair go?", "It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die", ""Will I ever find in you again things that made me love you so much then?"....in context, as the end of an arc that goes from eternally optimistic teenage to devastated uncertain young adult, that's one of the most devastating lyrics ever written. Hell, they all work perfectly on that album, not just individually, but as a cohesive whole. From "Wouldn't It Be Nice" to "Caroline No"....wow... But what else has Tony Asher done that's that great? Nothing that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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