September 24, 2004

SMILE

According to Amazon.com Sept. 28th is the release date of Brian Wilson's heartfelt mental and career breaking album SMILE.

The history of this sought after Beach Boy's album is the stuff of legends. In the summer of 1966, Brian and his visionary partner, Smile lyricist Van Dyke Parks, first began working together on an album that would be their answer to the political, and social climate of that time. A time rife with things to be opinionated about, a time like now.

The album was never finished. The recordings that had been done up to that point were either shelved or repurposed into another Beach Boys album called Smiley Smile, an album not at all like the one it's name was stolen from. Wilson vowed never to touch those recordings, as far as he was concerned Smile was dead.

Until now. You can listen to the whole album for free, the way it was meant to be heard. And soon, you can own it.

Posted by clunkyrobot at 1:58 PM | music | Comments (7)

Comments

I just got in the mail Sounds of Summer by the Beach Boys. I ordered it off eBay some time ago. I may actually get the Smile album... its simple "feel good" music...

Posted by: KobyRama at September 27, 2004 11:56 AM

I saw the Beach Boys in concert once. They weren't bad, although all but two of them clearly hadn't been born in time to work on at least the first few albums.

Posted by: Rob at September 27, 2004 1:25 PM

Rob, was John Stamos playing drums when you saw them? He played during the "Kokamo" years, from what I remember.

and Koby, supposedly SMiLE is more than "feel good" music, this is the album that drove Wilson crazy (legend has it)

Posted by: clunky robot at September 27, 2004 2:40 PM

does that mean everyone within 10 feet of listening to it will be confused for 1d4 rounds?

Posted by: KobyRama at September 27, 2004 3:37 PM

Whenever I think of The Beach Boys, I think of sun,sand, and California. I went to LA last month on vacation, and my most California-esque moment was at the Santa Monica Pier at sunset as a Beach Boys song was playing. Good times...

Posted by: Jason at September 28, 2004 2:15 PM

What do you think of it, Clunky?

Posted by: LTR at September 28, 2004 3:27 PM

I like it alot LTR, it's complicated, and at times surprising. I don't think I could ask for more. But only more listenings will tell me exactly how much i like it.

I read on the smile album website about Wilson's "modular" approach to recording music. I'm super interested in that, I've been trying to do some research on what that means exactly, but have come up empty.

Posted by: clunky robot at September 29, 2004 11:03 AM