Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- Sorry, this item is not available in
- Image not available
- To view this video download Flash Player
The Smile Sessions 2
7", Box Set, 5 CD
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
- Smiley Smile / Wild HoneyAudio CDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2Only 13 left in stock - order soon.
- 1967 - Sunshine TomorrowAudio CDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
- Pet Sounds StereoVinylFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
- Sail On Sailor – 1972[Super Deluxe 6 CD Box Set]The Beach BoysAudio CD$3.99 shippingGet it Apr 11 - 19Usually ships within 5 to 6 days
- "Feel Flows" The Sunflower & Surfs Up Sessions 1969-1971Audio CDFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1 | Our Prayer |
2 | Gee |
3 | Heroes And Villains |
4 | Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) |
5 | I'm In Great Shape |
6 | Barnyard |
7 | My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine) |
8 | Cabin Essence |
9 | Wonderful |
10 | Look (Song For Children) |
11 | Child Is Father Of The Man |
12 | Surf's Up |
13 | I Wanna Be Around / Workshop |
14 | Vega - Tables |
15 | Holidays |
16 | Wind Chimes |
17 | The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O'Leary's Cow) |
18 | Love To Say Dada |
19 | Good Vibrations |
20 | You're Welcome (Bonus Track) |
21 | Heroes And Villains (Stereo Mix) (Bonus Track) |
22 | Heroes And Villains Sections (Stereo Mix) (Bonus Track) |
23 | Vega - Tables Demo (Bonus Track) |
24 | He Gives Speeches (Bonus Track) |
25 | Smile Backing Vocals Montage (Bonus Track) |
26 | Surf's Up 1967 (Solo version) (Bonus Track) |
27 | Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Piano (Bonus Track) |
Disc: 2
1 | Our Prayer "Dialog" 9/19/66 |
2 | Our Prayer 10/4/66 |
3 | Heroes And Villains: Verse (Master Take) [Heroes And Villains Session: 10/20/66] |
4 | Heroes And Villains: Barnyard (Master Take) [Heroes And Villains Session: 10/20/66] |
5 | Heroes And Villains: I'm In Great Shape 10/27/66 |
6 | Heroes And Villains: Intro (Early Version) circa 12/66 |
7 | Heroes And Villains: Do A Lot [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
8 | Heroes And Villains: Bag Of Tricks [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
9 | Heroes And Villains: Mission Pak [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
10 | Heroes And Villains: Bridge To Indians [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
11 | Heroes And Villains: Part 1 Tag [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
12 | Heroes And Villains: Pickup To 3rd Verse [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/3/67] |
13 | Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
14 | Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (Cantina track) [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
15 | Heroes And Villains: Whistling Bridge [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
16 | Heroes And Villains: Cantina [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
17 | Heroes And Villains: All Day [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
18 | Heroes And Villains: Verse Edit Experiment [Heroes And Villains Session: 1/27/67] |
19 | Heroes And Villains: Prelude To Fade [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/15/67] |
20 | Heroes And Villains: Piano Theme [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/15/67] |
21 | Heroes And Villains: Part 2 [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
22 | Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (Gee) (Master Take) [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
23 | Heroes And Villains: Part 2 Revised [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
24 | Heroes And Villains: Part 2 Revised (Master Take) [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
25 | Heroes And Villains: Part 3 (Animals) (Master Take) [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
26 | Heroes And Villains: Part 4 [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/20/67] |
27 | Heroes And Villains: Part Two (Master Take) 2/27/67 [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/27/67] |
28 | Heroes And Villains: Fade 2/28/67 [Heroes And Villains Session: 2/27/67] |
29 | Heroes And Villains: Verse remake [Heroes And Villains Session: 3/1/67] |
30 | Heroes And Villains: Organ Waltz / Intro [Heroes And Villains Session: 3/1/67] |
31 | Heroes And Villains: Chorus Vocals [Heroes And Villains Session: 6/14/67] |
32 | Heroes And Villains: Barbershop [Heroes And Villains Session: 6/14/67] |
33 | Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Remake) [Heroes And Villains Session: 6/14/67] |
34 | Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Master Take Overdubs Mix 1) [Heroes And Villains Session: 6/14/67] |
35 | Heroes And Villains: Children Were Raised (Master Take A Capella) [Heroes And Villains Session: 6/14/67] |
36 | Heroes And Villains Piano Demo (incorporating "I'm In Great Shape" and "Barnyard") Brian with Van Dyke Parks and "Humble Harve" Miller, KHJ Radio 11/4/66 (Bonus Track) |
37 | Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Microphone 11/4/66 (Bonus Track) |
38 | Psycodelic Sounds: Moaning Laughing 11/4/66 (Bonus Track) |
Disc: 3
1 | Do You Like Worms: Part 1 [DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) Session: 10/18/66] |
2 | Do You Like Worms: Part 2 (Bicycle Rider) [DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) Session: 10/18/66] |
3 | Do You Like Worms: Part 3 [DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) Session: 10/18/66] |
4 | Do You Like Worms: Part 4 (Bicycle Rider) [DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) Session: 10/18/66] |
5 | Do You Like Worms: Bicycle Rider Overdubs (Heroes And Villains Part 2) 1/5/67 [DO YOU LIKE WORMS (ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK) Session: 10/18/66] |
6 | My Only Sunshine: Parts 1 & 2 11/14/66 [MY ONLY SUNSHINE (THE OLD MASTER PAINTER / YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE)] |
7 | My Only Sunshine: Part 2 (Master Take With Vocal Overdubs) 2/10/67 [MY ONLY SUNSHINE (THE OLD MASTER PAINTER / YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE)] |
8 | Cabin Essence: Verse [Cabin Essence Session: 10/3/66] |
9 | Cabin Essence: Chorus [Cabin Essence Session: 10/3/66] |
10 | Cabin Essence: Tag [Cabin Essence Session: 10/3/66] |
11 | Wonderful (Version 1) 8/25/66 |
12 | Wonderful (Version 2) [Wonderful (Version 2 "Rock With Me Henry") Session: 1/9/67] |
13 | Wonderful (Version 2 Tag) [Wonderful (Version 2 "Rock With Me Henry") Session: 1/9/67] |
14 | Wonderful (Version 3) 4/10/67 ? [Wonderful (Version 2 "Rock With Me Henry") Session: 1/9/67] |
15 | Look 8/12/66 [LOOK (SONG FOR CHILDREN)] |
16 | Child Is Father Of The Man (Version 1) 10/7/66 |
17 | Child Is Father Of The Man (Version 2) 10/11/66 |
18 | Surf's Up: 1ST Movement 11/4/66 |
19 | Surf's Up: Talking Horns 11/7/66 |
20 | Surf's Up: Piano Demo (Master Take) 12/15/66 |
21 | I Wanna Be Around 11/29/66 [I WANNA BE AROUND / WORKSHOP (FRIDAY NIGHT)] |
22 | Vegetables: Verse (Master Take Track) 4/4 - 4/11/67 [VEGA |
23 | Vegetables: Sleep A Lot (Chorus) [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) Sessions: 4/4 |
24 | Vegetables: Chorus 1 (Master Take) [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) Sessions: 4/4 |
25 | Vegetables: 2nd Chorus (Master Take Track And Backing Vocals) [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) Sessions: 4/4 |
26 | Vegetables: Insert (Part 4) (Master Take) [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) Sessions: 4/4 |
Disc: 4
1 | Vegetables: Fade 4/12/67 [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) (continued)] |
2 | Vegetables: Ballad Insert 4/14/67 [VEGA - TABLES (VEGETABLES) (continued)] |
3 | Holidays 9/8/66 |
4 | Wind Chimes (Version 1) 8/3/66 |
5 | Wind Chimes (Version 2) [Wind Chimes (Version 2) Session: 10/5/66] |
6 | Wind Chimes (Version 2 Tag) [Wind Chimes (Version 2) Session: 10/5/66] |
7 | The Elements: Fire 11/28/66 [THE ELEMENTS: FIRE (MRS. O'LEARY'S COW)] |
8 | Da Da (Taped Piano Strings) [LOVE TO SAY DADA / COOL, COOL WATER; Da Da Session: 12/22/66] |
9 | Da Da (Fender Rhodes) [LOVE TO SAY DADA / COOL, COOL WATER; Da Da Session: 12/22/66] |
10 | Love To Say Dada: Part 1 5/16/67 [Love To Say Dada Sessions: 5/16 - 5/18/67] |
11 | Love To Say Dada: Part 2 5/17/67 [Love To Say Dada Sessions: 5/16 - 5/18/67] |
12 | Love To Say Dada: Part 2 (Master Take) 5/17/67 [Love To Say Dada Sessions: 5/16 - 5/18/67] |
13 | Love To Say Dada: Part 2 (Second Day) 5/18/67 [Love To Say Dada Sessions: 5/16 - 5/18/67] |
14 | Cool, Cool Water (Version 1) 6/7/67 |
15 | Cool, Cool Water (Version 2) 10/26/67 & 10/29/67 |
16 | You're Welcome 12/15/66 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
17 | You're With Me Tonight 6/6 - 6/7/67 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
18 | Tune X (Carl Wilson) 3/3/67 - 3/31/67 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
19 | I Don't Know (Dennis Wilson) 1/12/67 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
20 | Three Blind Mice 10/15/65 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
21 | Teeter Totter Love (Jasper Dailey) 1/25/67 & 2/9/67 [SMILE ADDITIONAL SESSIONS] |
22 | Psycodelic Sounds - Underwater Chant 11/4/66 (Bonus Track) |
23 | Hal Blaine Vega - Tables Promo Session 11/11/66 (Bonus Track) |
24 | Heroes And Villains: Early Version Outtake Sections 1/67 - 2/67 (Bonus Track) |
Disc: 5
1 | Good Vibrations: Gold Star 2/18/66 (The Pet Sounds Session) |
2 | Good Vibrations: Gold Star 4/9/66 |
3 | Good Vibrations: Western 5/4/66 (First Chorus) |
4 | Good Vibrations: Western 5/4/66 (Second Chorus & Fade) |
5 | Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Part 1) |
6 | Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Parts 2 & 3) |
7 | Good Vibrations: Sunset Sound 5/24/66 (Part 4) |
8 | Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Part C) |
9 | Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Chorus) |
10 | Good Vibrations: Western 5/27/66 (Fade Sequence) |
11 | Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 1) |
12 | Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 3) |
13 | Good Vibrations (Inspiration): Western 6/2/66 (Part 4) |
14 | Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 1) |
15 | Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 2 & verse) |
16 | Good Vibrations: Western 6/16/66 (Part 2 continued) |
17 | Good Vibrations: Western 6/18/66 (Part 1) |
18 | Good Vibrations: Western 6/18/66 (Part 2) |
19 | Good Vibrations (Persuasion): Western 9/1/66 |
20 | Good Vibrations: Western 9/1/66 (new bridge) |
21 | Good Vibrations: Session Masters |
22 | Good Vibrations: Single Version Stereo Track |
23 | Good Good Good Vibrations (first version with overdubs) 3/66 |
24 | Good Vibrations: Alternate Edit 8/24/66 |
Disc: 6
1 | Our Prayer (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
2 | Gee (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
3 | Heroes and Villains (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
4 | Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
5 | I'm In Great Shape (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
6 | Barnyard (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
7 | My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine) (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
8 | Cabin Essence (Side One) [LP Vinyl] |
9 | Wonderful (Side Two) [LP Vinyl] |
10 | Look (Song for Children) (Side Two) [LP Vinyl] |
11 | Child Is Father of the Man (Side Two) [LP Vinyl] |
12 | Surf's Up (Side Two) [LP Vinyl] |
Disc: 7
1 | I Wanna Be Around / Workshop (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
2 | Vega - Tables (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
3 | Holidays (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
4 | Wind Chimes (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
5 | Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire) (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
6 | Love to Say Dada (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
7 | Good Vibrations (Side Three) [LP Vinyl] |
8 | Your Welcome - Stereo Mix (Side Four) [LP Vinyl] |
9 | Vega - Tables |
10 | Wind Chimes - Stereo Mix (Side Four) [LP Vinyl] |
11 | Cabin Essence - Session Highlights and Stereo Backing Track (Side Four) [LP Vinyl] |
12 | Surf's Up - Session Excerpt and Stereo Mix (Side Four) [LP Vinyl] |
Disc: 8
1 | A side: Heroes And Villains Part One [Vinyl 45] |
2 | B side: Heroes And Villains Part Two [Vinyl 45] |
Disc: 9
1 | A side: Vega-Tables [Vinyl 45] |
2 | B Side: Surf's Up [Vinyl 45] |
Editorial Reviews
The long awaited release of the Brian Wilson and Beach Boys masterpiece, Smile Sessions. With the full participation of original Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike
Love, and Brian Wilson, Capitol/EMI has, for the first time, collected and compiled the band's legendary 1966-'67 sessions for the never-completed SMiLE
album. Rolling Stone magazine recently called SMiLE "the most famous unfinished album in rock & roll history."
In several sessions between the summer of 1966 and early 1967, The Beach Boys recorded a bounty of songs and drafts for an album, SMiLE, that was intended to
follow the band's 1966 album, Pet Sounds. The master tapes were ultimately shelved, and The Beach Boys' SMiLE has never been released. Drawn from the
original masters, SMiLE Sessions presents an in-depth overview of The Beach Boys' recording sessions for the enigmatic album, which has achieved legendary,
mythical status for music fans around the world.
SMiLE Sessions' physical and digital configurations include an assembled collection of core session tracks, while the box set delves much deeper into the
sessions, adding early song drafts, alternate takes, instrumental and vocals-only mixes, and studio chatter. SMiLE Sessions invites the listener into the
studio to experience the album's creation, with producer, singer and bassist Brian Wilson's vision leading the way as he guides his fellow Beach Boys, singer
Mike Love, drummer Dennis Wilson, lead guitarist Carl Wilson, rhythm guitarist Al Jardine, and newest member Bruce Johnston (who'd replaced Brian Wilson in
the touring group during 1965), through the legendary sessions.
Artwork for all of the SMiLE Sessions' physical and digital configurations has been created with and inspired by Beat-Pop artist Frank Holmes' original 1967
LP sleeve art and booklet designs intended for the SMiLE album. With its three-dimensional shadowbox lid, The SMiLE Sessions box set offers a whimsical peek
inside the storied SMiLE Shop.'
Box Set Content
- 5 CDs / 2LPs / 2 7" singles
- Three-dimensional shadow box lid featuring the original artwork of Frank Holmes.
- The Box Set measures 13" x 13" x 2.5"
- 60 page case bound book features liner notes by:
- Brian Wilson
- Mike Love
- Al Jardine
- Bruce Johnston
- Frank Holmes
- Peter Reum
- Tom Nolan
- Domenic Priore
- Anecdotes by:
- Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford
- Diane Rovell
- Dean Torrence
- Mark Volman
- Michael Vosse
- David Anderle
- Danny Hutton
- Timeline
- Sessionography
- Lyrics
- Frank Holmes drawings
- Producer's Notes
- More than 60 previously unreleased photos
- Box also contains:
- 6 panel folder holding 5 CDs and singles. Features photos of original session tape boxes.
- 7" vinyl singles
- "Heroes and Villains" in sleeve art
- "Vega-Tables" in sleeve art
- Gatefold 2 LPs
- Features full tracklisting of proposed unfinished album +
- Stereo mixes and session highlights (not available on CDs)
- 12" x 12" booklet created for original release features:
- Photos by Guy Webster
- Drawings by Frank Holmes
- 24" x 36" poster of Frank Holmes cover art
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Language : English
- Product Dimensions : 13.54 x 14.21 x 2.99 inches; 6.31 Pounds
- Manufacturer : Capitol
- Original Release Date : 2011
- Date First Available : August 26, 2011
- Label : Capitol
- ASIN : B004RFYEEC
- Number of discs : 9
- Best Sellers Rank: #128,101 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #56,649 in Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
- #57,561 in Pop (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
Videos for this product
1:51
Click to play video
Beach Boys SMiLE Sessions
Merchant Video
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Other than The Beatles' GET BACK album, which still has not been released in its original form (the Spectorized Let It Be (Remastered) and the remixed, de-Spectorized Let It Be... Naked notwithstanding), The Beach Boys' SMiLE project is the most famous (and maybe infamous) unreleased album in rock history. Originally planned as a follow-up to 1966's Pet Sounds , Brian Wilson scrapped the project in mid-1967 after months of work, believing he had lost his competition with The Beatles, and the pressures from the other Beach Boys, plus legal problems with Capitol Records, finally wore him down.
A replacement album, Smiley Smile , cobbled together by the group using only the "Good Vibrations" single and fragments from the original sessions - the rest of the album was rerecorded - was a critical and commercial flop. Fragments of SMiLE were issued on later Beach Boys albums such as 20/20 and Surf's Up . In 1993, about an hour of lost SMiLE music was issued on the Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys boxed set. Then, in 2004, Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks completed a new version of SMiLE and recorded it with Brian's new band, The Wondermints ( Brian Wilson Presents Smile ); a live concert version, recorded earlier that year in London, was also issued on DVD.
Now, with the impending 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys approaching, Capitol Records, along with Brian, has released two versions of THE SMiLE SESSIONS - a basic two-disc version, and a nine-disc box set (five CDs, two vinyl LPs, and two vinyl 45 RPM singles). The first CD, which contains the same contents in both releases, contains a newly revised SMiLE album, using the same running order as the 2004 remake, giving us an idea of what the album would have sounded like in 1967. Most of the tracks are mono, as Brian always preferred; he was deaf in one ear, and could not hear stereo sound properly, and as a producer, he believed that only mono mixes could present the music to the listener as he wanted it heard. Stereo, Brian believed, left too much to the listener's equipment setup. While I would have loved to have a stereo version of the album, as was done with The Pet Sounds Sessions box set in 1996, the producers explained that unlike Pet Sounds, most of the multi-track masters and many of the components were lost, so a stereo remix of SMiLE was impossible to produce.
The second CD of the first version contains session highlights from "Our Prayer" to "Good Vibrations" - more than enough to satisfy the casual Beach Boy fan. The deluxe box set is aimed more at collectors and die-hards, and what a collection it is. CD1 is identical to the first version, but CDs 2 through 5 contain a very comprehensive view of the SMiLE sessions. So comprehensive, in fact, that the "Heroes and Villains" sections take up about 90 percent of CD2, and the "Good Vibrations" sessions take up all of CD5. While somewhat repetitive, the session tapes offer fascinating listening, showing Brian's perfectionism and dedication to getting the right sound. I'm sure he drove the other musicians and the other Beach Boys crazy, but it was obviously worth the effort.
The two-LP vinyl album in the deluxe edition follows tracks 1-19 of CD1 for the first three sides. The fourth side contains rare stereo mixes that are not included on the CDs. The two 45s are the singles that never were, the two-part "Heroes and Villains" single, and the "Vega-Tables"/"Surf's Up" single.
Packaging and amenities are impressive. The two-disc set includes a colorful 36-page booklet, a SMiLE button, and a fold-out poster of the album artwork. The deluxe edition is even more impressive; the artwork on the box cover has 3-D graphics; the inside of the box lid has the original back cover of the Duophonic (fake stereo) release of the album, had it been issued. Inside the box are a 60-page hardcover book with additional essays and a complete sessionography; a double-gatefold sleeve with slots for all five CDs and the two vinyl 45s; the two-record vinyl album in a mono jacket with a gatefold sleeve and a 10" photo album inside; and a giant-economy-size version of the album artwork poster.
The casual fan will probably make do with the two-disc set, but collectors will want both.
I'd love to see The Beatles and Apple do a similar box set for the GET BACK SESSIONS, not to mention the long-lost LET IT BE DVD.
Some additional observations:
1) The vinyl LP and singles sound fine. I especially enjoyed the stereo mixes on Side 4, but wish that they had been on the CD releases. Although I grew up with vinyl, after listening to CDs for over 20 years, vinyl just sounds flat.
2) The 45 versions of "Vega-Tables" and "Surf's Up" are the same as on the LP and CD.
3) If you have the big box set, "Heroes and Villains Part 1" and "Heroes and Villains Part 2" are only available on the vinyl 45, though the individual modules for these tracks are probably scattered throughout the four Sessions CDs. The only way to get the full versions of "Heroes and Villains Part 1" and "Heroes and Villains Part 2" on CD is to buy the two-disc set (Tracks 2 and 3 on CD2). All of the other tracks on that disc can be found on the session box set, although some of them are edited (particularly the "Good Vibrations" sessions).
4) I compared the 20/20 versions of "Cabin Essence" and "Our Prayer," and the 1971 version of "Surf's Up," to the SMiLE versions. Save for stereo remixing and overdubs, the versions are almost identical. It's amazing that the 1968 overdubbed vocals on "Our Prayer" are almost perfectly in sync with the 1966 originals - another tribute to Brian's production genius.
Somehow though in the years that follow, the Beach Boys slipped off the radar, only to return with an "Endless Summer" double album compilation that went to number one in Australia in 1974. The Beach Boys had always been a singles band to me, which means "Pet Sounds","Smiley Smile","20/20", "Wild Honey", "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up" got lost amidst everything else I was listening to. That soon begins to change. At my local record store in Toowong, Brisbane, in 1978, one of my friends from university college, who later goes on to form his own band, the Go-Betweens' Grant McLennan, on learning I like the Beach Boys, turns me onto "Holland", one of my favorite albums. Still life goes on.
Head forward to 1988 when Brian Wilson releases his first solo album and the single "Love and Mercy". There just happens to be a copy of Steven Gaines' book "Heroes and Villains: the True Story of the Beach Boys" lying around the radio station that I am working for at the time. I am now 30 and my voyage of discovery gathers momentum. Holding the strongest fascination for me in the pages of Gaines' book, is the notion that Wilson has gone mad trying to finish a body of work, his opus, his "Teenage Symphony to God" of which "Good Vibrations" is the central part. You mean to say there was more music like that floating around, clearly the band's best work, and the album was never released?
Here's a band that's regarded in the late eighties as a bit of a joke, really. Square - a self parody, a nostalgia band. An accurate but harsh judgement given their peerless body of work. In my thirst for knowledge I buy a collection of their double CD's, the band's work of the late sixties and early seventies - I get to hear "Our Prayer", "Cabin Essence" and "Surf's Up" for the first time. WOW. "Surf's Up" - there's the game breaker. Its beauty brings tears to my eyes (still). When I play it for the kids, my Generation Next, as an example of what the Beach Boy's music is really like, their jaws drop.
So these, you say, are fragments of a record that was to be called "SMiLE", "the greatest unfinished album in the history of rock music" says Rolling Stone magazine? The "what-ifs" add richness and a sense of sadness to the story. The Beach Boys just might have been the greatest band in history with the greatest record in history but the exercise is scrapped which sends Wilson over the edge and almost takes the band with it. Fantastic. What a yarn. In 1997 I get to hear more of the SMiLE songs on the Good Vibration's Box Set. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together.
I read everything I can about the project and how it effected the band and Brian. In the nineties websites are devoted to its discussion and I learn of a whole army of devotees who like me are drawn to SMiLE and all the fascination it holds. I see the songs played and the reception they are given - Jimmy Webb, David Crosby and Vince Gill singing "Surf's Up" - on the Tribute to Brian Wilson DVD from Radio City Music Hall in 2001. Once a subject of ridicule as he shuffled around Hollywood in his dressing gown, Wilson is now taking his rightful place in the pantheon. It's a beautiful and magnificent resurrection, a lifetime in the making. He tours Australia with his backing band "The Wondermints" and we hear them play "Pet Sounds" and some of the SMiLE material. What a night. Wilson out front on the piano, fragile, the sacrifices he's made for his art exposed for all to see.
In 2005 he returns and we hear "SMiLE" played live, in full for the first time. I cannot believe it. His Grammy-winning CD "Brian Wilson presents SMiLE" is released - we now have hard evidence. What a journey it's been. And then early in 2011, comes word that Capitol Records will release the SMilE Sessions. Finally those beautiful Beach Boy's voices at the top of their game back in 1966 (Brian's has not worn well, the only criticism of his 2004 effort) and the Wrecking Crew in the studio. SMiLE as it was meant to be heard. Count me in. Good things come to those who wait.
The reality of the SMiLE exercise is the unmatched beauty of the music. End of Story. It's a work of genuius and this box set brings with it the chance to hear both the album itself and the genius at work in the studio creating the music.I defy anyone to present evidence there might be a "better" album than "SMiLE".
Say I get to chose either "Sgt Pepper's LHCB" or "SMiLE" as my desert island album - it's a no brainer, "Sgt Pepper's" is great and I'm a massive fan of the Beatles, but "SMiLE" - the grandeur of the music, the scale of the project, its beauty, the quality of the songs that inhabit this album - "Wind Chimes", "Wonderful", "Heroes and Villians", "Cabin Essence" - we're in a different class. And then throw in "Good Vibrations", Surf's Up", "Vega-Tables", "Our Prayer" - there, without doubt, is your greatest record album of all time. I love it.
Top reviews from other countries
Questo è quello che rimane delle registrazioni, la versione finale non fu mai finita o venne distrutta, come vuole la leggenda. Sicuramente fosse stato pubblicato nel 67-68 oggi sarebbe più chiaro a tutti che il vero duello artistico degli anni 60 fu tra i Beatles e i Beach Boys di Brian Wilson. Duello che sarebbe proseguito nei decenni successivi, visto che non ci sono stati musicisti in grado di eguagliare tanta creatività.
Come oggetto il cofanetto è di grande bellezza, addirittura 9 dischi tra CD e vinili, con una copertina ad effetto tridimensionale.
L'ascolto non lascia delusi, ma prevale l'aspetto storico. Il pensiero del "Cosa sarebbe successo se..." distrae, favorito dal fatto che per forza di cosa le registrazioni esistenti non hanno la compattezza che avrebbe dovuto avere la versione finale. Forse una impresa ardua da portare a termine anche per un genio come Brian Wilson, indebolito mentalmente da problemi nervosi, uso di stupefacenti e liti con il resto del gruppo. Ed è la mancanza di una sintesi armoniosa di tutto il lavoro fatto che secondo me ha spinto un debilitato Brian Wilson ad abbandonare il progetto. Ed ad interrompere una crescita musicale che avrebbe potenzialmente portato a vette inimmaginabili.
Basta ricordare che l'album precedente del 1966 "Pet Sounds" è considerato tra i capolavori del XX secolo.
Per raggiungere la perfezione il cofanetto avrebbe dovuto contenere un CD ulteriore, una versione per PC con tutte le registrazioni per permettere ad ognuno la costruzione di un personale "Smile". Cosa che è stata fatta in maniera artigianale da tanti appassionati nel corso dei decenni, facendo si che "Smile" sia anche il primo album interattivo della storia della musica. Benché non fosse nelle intenzioni originarie...
Buon ascolto.
Well, everything you wanted to hear about SMiLE is here and more. Stereo mixes sound glorious and leave you wishing for more but the Mono tracks are all breathtaking as well. If you have listened to any of the many poor-sounding "bootlegged" releases of the SMiLE material you'll be stunned at the quality and clarity of the audio on the official release.
There is no doubt in my mind that had Wilson been able to complete this project on schedule it would have been enthusiastically embraced by critics and the listening public at large and would have changed the face of pop/rock music to such a degree that Sgt. Pepper would have likely just been another record cut in 1967 with a couple of shining moments that was obviously inspired by the musical genius of Wilson. But, alas this was not to be whether the blame can be laid on outside forces or Brian's own demons or the combination of both is a subject that can fill large tomes full of facts and opinions. But I would rather focus on the music.
There is some small controversy about the sequencing, that we will really never know just how Wilson might have put the sessions together for final release. The more you listen to SMiLE the more you will appreciate the fact that there is continuity between many of the tracks and similar elements that tie certain sessions together musically. What you may not know is there are forums online where they discuss in detail how a lot of this was done by "fly-ins" by the engineers, meaning there is some digital fiddling-around and moving things about with Brian's original raw recordings. That might be a little disillusioning, but still its very obvious that Brian had to have had some "master-plan" for all this recorded material -- I think the 2011 version is not far off possibility from that "ideal" sequencing and the overall effect is very pleasing. So, its pretty obvious that SMiLE was a concept LP and also a "complete work" very much like the various movements of a classical symphony meant to be listened to all in one sitting to be fully enjoyed. Really, once you start critically listening to this album you are rewarded over and over again by its different combinations of sonic complexities, sincere elemental simplicity and sheer brilliance.
What may not be so obvious to the casual listener, is even despite the above-mentioned "fly-ins" that provided some extra "linkage" between tracks -- the underlying structure of many of the songs in SMiLE are akin to another Wilson masterpiece...recorded prior to the SMiLE sessions. So keep listening, I know that I will!
La version de SMILE sortie en 2004 tant en CD qu'en DVD par Brian WILSON et son nouveau groupe ne pouvait qu'ajouter à mes regrets, et j'avais moi-même commencé à mettre bout à bout les morceaux originaux dispersés sur différents albums plus ou moins récents des BEACH BOYS.
Inutile de dire que j'ai été l'un des premiers à commander le coffrets de deux CDs paru fin 2011, et auquel j'aurais sans doute attribué plus de cinq étoiles si cela avait été possible, considérant que nous avions raté en son temps ce qui aurait été l'Album du Siècle (sauf en France bien entendu, où les Beach Boys n'y étaient précisément que fort peu entendus !).
Profitant d'une offre alléchante d'AMAZON.fr, je n'ai pu résister à l'idée de m'offrir pour mon soixante-cinquième anniversaire, le Coffret complet objet du présent commentaire, qui m'a certes séduit par sa présentation, mais ne m'a pas apporté grand chose d'autre part rapport au précédent !
Il s'agit vraiment d'un album réservé aux inconditionnels (dont je suis certes), mais dont l'écoute intégrale est quelque peu lassante, voire frustrante quant on entend le même morceau repris plusieurs fois sans trop comprendre en quoi la dernière des prises était vraiment plus satisfaite que les précédentes ! Sans doute faudrait-il pour cela maîtriser parfaitement l'américain que parle Brian WILSON, ce qui est loin d'être mon cas !
Reste qu'il y a dans tout cela un tas de morceaux - ou d'embryons de morceaux - dont on regrette de ne pas avoir profité plus tôt (c'est à dire quand on avait quarante ans de moins !) et dont on comprend bien qu'ils n'auraient jamais pu tenir sur un album de l'époque, même double, ce qui aurait conduit à des choix que personne n'a osé faire à l'époque !
Pour en finir, ce que j'aurais aimé, c'est que la maison de production ait pris l'initiative de mettre bout à bout toutes les versions définitives des "backing tracks" de "PET SOUND" (ce que j'ai fais moi même en son temps, mais sur une cassette aujourd'hui illisible) et de "SMILE", ce qui pourrait donner lieu à une sorte de "suite symphonique" particulièrement remarquable !
Merci de transmettre aux intéressés si cela les intéresse !
Alain LAURENT