December 2004While Smile was
not released in 1967 as anticipated, some Smile songs appeared on several Beach
Boys albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s. You’ll know "Heroes and
Villains" and "Good Vibrations" for sure. Fans will also know
"Vega-tables" and "Surf’s Up." Uber-fans who bought The Beach
Boys' box set got to hear the Smile tracks that had been recorded before Wilson
shelved the project. While those tracks are interesting as historical documents, they left
me wondering why Smile got so much attention back in the day. The 2004 release of
the completed work has entirely dissolved any doubts about Smile -- this is a
certified masterpiece.
| The Story of Smile…
Abbreviated Smile was the most talked
about -- and written about -- unreleased album in rock music history. Smile was to
be Brian Wilson’s answer to The Beatles’ Revolver and might have preceded
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band had the Beach Boys not been so
timid, overwhelmed and confounded by Wilson’s masterpiece. The Beach Boys’
rejection of Smile was one of the contributing factors to Brian Wilson’s 30+
years of instability, depression and disconnection from the world. Since Wilson’s
tenuous re-emergence into the light of the world in the late 1980s, any mention of Smile
would be met with silence and a death-mask facial expression -- so deep was his dread of
the mere thought of the Smile project. Yet Wilson knew Smile had to be
liberated. Gently nudged in the direction of finishing Smile by Darian Sahanaja,
one of the members of his band, and others, eventually Wilson made the commitment to not
only finish Smile, but to perform it live in London with his new band -- then
record it for release more than 35 years after the project started. Wilson reconnected
with lyricist Van Dyke Parks to complete the masterpiece. Despite much anxiety, the live
performance went off as planned in London and a US Smile tour will be nearing an
end as this is published.
Recommended resources: www.brianwilson.com and
Showtime’s "The Beautiful Dreamer – The Story of Smile."...Doug
Blackburn |
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Smile is bursting with creative power -- glorious,
joyful and fun -- exactly what Wilson had in mind with the title. You may notice brief
tributes to some of Wilson’s favorite music, including Rhapsody in Blue.
Snippets of "Good Vibrations" are sprinkled throughout, precursors to its
fabulously updated and triumphant finale. The familiar songs are more fleshed-out and
better-sounding than the single versions you have been hearing for more than 35 years.
Wilson’s band is amazing at bringing his vision to life. The harmonies soar,
instruments and vocals have real feeling, and even the most complex passages offer no
obvious difficulty to this extraordinary ensemble. Wilson uses modern production tools to
perfection -- deep bass, extended highs and sonic detail much richer and more detailed
than possible with the ancient analog-tape multi-tracking Wilson used to build the best
Beach Boys music.
If there is any justice in the world, Smile will be
recognized as one of the best rock releases of all time. Bravo Brian Wilson -- thanks for
slaying the Smile demons so we could have this extraordinary music in our lives. I
laughed, I cried, I was overcome that something this beautiful could finally come to us
and be even better than it would have been had it been released way back when.
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Brian Wilson - Smile
