Brian Wilson and SMiLE

[whiskeytown]

I watched a special today on Brian Wilson and how he resurrected "SMiLE" from the graveyard of unreleased albums.

I think I've always just thought of the Beach Boys as this aging baby-boomer group - bad songs like Kokomo is their contribution today - no real relevance. Nothing except a few catchy tunes about surfing.

I don't think I realized the extent to which Brian Wilson was a composer and what he was trying to do with Smile - it was hated by all the other BB's - but then on the other hand, many people, including Paul McCartney, thought Pet Sounds was the ultimate album and this was to be it's followup - the American Sgt. Pepper's

It sounds like he was hearing stuff others couldn't imagine, and he could record 10 different musicians and fuse them together whereas they couldn't hear all the other parts he wanted to contribute to the tracks till it was all done, then they went "whoa..."

Think I'll go out and buy it - I know it's a different sort of trip for me....but what the hell - Brian Wilson went thru crippling depression and if he can write an album called "SMiLE" - (the irony not lost on his friends) then I can probably listen to it - esp. if it's one of the greatest albums of all time.

Anyone else taken the time to listen to it? You can pretty much sample the tracks on www.smilethealbum.com (http://www.smilethealbum.com) if you give them an email to register to -

I'm trapped - listening to "Good Vibrations" which is of course, re-recorded. (It was originally intended as the closer to SMiLE)

I think it's a bit easier when you realize certain songs are about fire, for example - LOL- and then you start listening to the sonic image in a different way.

RB

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

Yeah, I don't like it.

EDIT: I could see how you might.

[CD56]

its one of the more eclectic albums i've ever heard, you can tell that he was half genius/half insane when he made it, on the whole i really like it though

one of the previous threads about pet sounds said that it was probably overrated by the music snobs but underrated by everyone else, i think that is a pretty accurate description of his stuff

[ QUOTE ]
I watched a special today on Brian Wilson and how he resurrected "SMiLE" from the graveyard of unreleased albums.


[/ QUOTE ]

I saw that, too. It was great. Highly recommended.

[pryor15]

i really enjoyed it, but i couldn't listen to it over and over.

[bobbyi]

Did he just say Kokomo is a bad song and has no relevance? Wtf?

/Also, I like Smile
//Also, I think Pet Sounds is overrated

[samjjones]

[ QUOTE ]
Did he just say Kokomo is a bad song and has no relevance? Wtf?


[/ QUOTE ]
Its relevance is that it is featured in the completely awesome movie known as "Cocktail".