SMiLE Sessions box set!

[tansen]

Wind Chimes? Child? I think those two represent the groovy and spooky Smile vibe the most. The funky bassline part at the end of early Wind Chimes is probably my favourite part of the whole album.

The songs I like a little less than the others are probably: Vega-tables, Do You Like Worms and With Me Tonight/You're Welcome (if they're supposed to be on Smile).

I guess least favourite would be 'Fire' if any. I mean i love it because of its chaoticness, but as a song, it's definitely the least favourite.

I think Fire's a lot better than Friday Night for example. Once you hear the pumpin' bass (it's a bit hidden), it's suddenly a really groovy song. Not that chaotic.

I think I agree with you - but it's definitely between those two.

[homeontherange]

Yeah, "I Wanna Be Around / Friday Night" is SMiLE at its dullest. They are an acceptable plug-in to emphasize the album's playful dynamic shifts, but I wish more time was spent developing "I'm In Great Shape" into a more complete song on its own.

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

[tansen]

Yeah, "I Wanna Be Around / Friday Night" is SMiLE at its dullest. They are an acceptable plug-in to emphasize the album's playful dynamic shifts, but I wish more time was spent developing "I'm In Great Shape" into a more complete song on its own.

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

Yeah! the piano demo is great, and works so well as a bridge type of thing to HV.

[buddhahat]

Wind Chimes? Child? I think those two represent the groovy and spooky Smile vibe the most. The funky bassline part at the end of early Wind Chimes is probably my favourite part of the whole album.

The songs I like a little less than the others are probably: Vega-tables, Do You Like Worms and With Me Tonight/You're Welcome (if they're supposed to be on Smile).

I guess least favourite would be 'Fire' if any. I mean i love it because of its chaoticness, but as a song, it's definitely the least favourite.

I think Fire's a lot better than Friday Night for example. Once you hear the pumpin' bass (it's a bit hidden), it's suddenly a really groovy song. Not that chaotic.

I think I agree with you - but it's definitely between those two.

I think a lot of the sections such as Fire benefit greatly from being coupled with a contrasting song. Fire on its own is something I'd likely skip (and tend to on BWPS) but I like to follow it with IWBA/Friday night. The shift from dark and scary to kind of lounge bar jazziness is a great counterpoint and improves both pieces dramatically. Whether this was Brian's original intention I'm not sure, but they certainly sound good together and feel more like a song. Possibly Great Shape was to go with IWBA/FN. This never seeemed as interesting to me, but maybe Mark has been working on a new edit for the sessions that might change my perception. It'll be fascinating to see what he does with Great Shape.

[bgas]

This is interesting and Smile related:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYHNXXHUVg&feature=share

The nice thing about drugs is that now, in retrospect, Brian can blame anything he wants on them. It doesn't matter what actually went down, drugs can be his out. "because of the drugs we were taking, all Van Dyke and I could produce were short 30 second snippets, and then we junked those for 38 years"

[smile-holland]

One more thing (and then we should return to the main discussion which is the fact that we can expect a SMiLE-box being released later this year)

We may not realise it, but - don't get scared - we are being watched. Why? Because we're important. Important? Yes, and for a good reason; we're the simple reason Beach Boys music is still being listened to and being sold. And for both our favorite group and record companies. One could say there's a financial reson attached to it, but apart from that we should also realise that it is appreciated a lot that there's still a large group of loyal fans that only likes their music, but also likes to discuss about it. This SMiLE-box is about to be released, and part of this happening is because of the continuous interest from the fans. It isn't like we have been keeping our mouth shut the last couple of decades...

Just to say that from that perspective "being watched" isn't a problem at all.....

..... but we're certainly not doing ourselves a favour by discussing they way we have done here, because that's also a signal that we give towards our "watchers". And it certainly can have a big influence on future projects on the Beach Boys music. People like Alan Boyd and Mark Linett are really sticking their neck's out for a maximum result. But can you imagine doing that ever again, seeing how we're talking about it even before it is released.... and I don't even want to know what will happen when we have a SMiLE-box in our hands. If I were them I can vividly imagine they're pretty much fed up with it for any future project.

We can say that a SMiLE release is long overdue, but apart from that, we should consider ourselves priviliged that it's going to happen at all.

[smile-holland]

... and I see that by now I'm the only one that is still wandering off from the real topic. I'll shut up now. 

[The Heartical Don]

This is interesting and Smile related:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYHNXXHUVg&feature=share

The nice thing about drugs is that now, in retrospect, Brian can blame anything he wants on them. It doesn't matter what actually went down, drugs can be his out. "because of the drugs we were taking, all Van Dyke and I could produce were short 30 second snippets, and then we junked those for 38 years"

   wickedly funny, and true. Drugs may be the key to the greatest music by any pop band in the 20th century (i.e. Pet Sounds), but also to everything he may have eventually come to dislike about SMiLE, including its shelving. The upcoming (?) Box Set should contain one tab of LSD.

[The Heartical Don]

... and I see that by now I'm the only one that is still wandering off from the real topic. I'll shut up now. 

Watch out bro'. I am watching you. If the SS Box won't come out, I'll blame it on you. Just sayin', like.

[ghost]

This is interesting and Smile related:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYHNXXHUVg&feature=share

The nice thing about drugs is that now, in retrospect, Brian can blame anything he wants on them. It doesn't matter what actually went down, drugs can be his out. "because of the drugs we were taking, all Van Dyke and I could produce were short 30 second snippets, and then we junked those for 38 years"

   wickedly funny, and true. Drugs may be the key to the greatest music by any pop band in the 20th century (i.e. Pet Sounds), but also to everything he may have eventually come to dislike about SMiLE, including its shelving. The upcoming (?) Box Set should contain one tab of LSD.

A respected member like yourself should not be caught posting such things, Don. Stick to the wine. Acid will spin you out. SMiLE isn't even that good on acid. You'll be reaching for Wild Honey in no time.

[The Heartical Don]

This is interesting and Smile related:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPYHNXXHUVg&feature=share

The nice thing about drugs is that now, in retrospect, Brian can blame anything he wants on them. It doesn't matter what actually went down, drugs can be his out. "because of the drugs we were taking, all Van Dyke and I could produce were short 30 second snippets, and then we junked those for 38 years"

   wickedly funny, and true. Drugs may be the key to the greatest music by any pop band in the 20th century (i.e. Pet Sounds), but also to everything he may have eventually come to dislike about SMiLE, including its shelving. The upcoming (?) Box Set should contain one tab of LSD.

A respected member like yourself should not be caught posting such things, Don. Stick to the wine. Acid will spin you out. SMiLE isn't even that good on acid. You'll be reaching for Wild Honey in no time.

OK, I stand corrected. Tragic slip of the keyboard. Cheerfully accepted!
 

[Dunderhead]

OK, here's the rules: comments are purely my own.

Thanks for visiting the Smiley Smile message board. Here are a few guidelines to help everything run smoothly:

- Cool.

1) Joe, smile-holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.  They share that responsibility across the entire board.  In the few and rare times a member crosses the line, they will be able to remove or edit posts, and ban members if necessary.  Any complaints about a member or a post should be directed to them.  If after contacting them you are not satisfied, you then should contact me.  They, however, should always be your first line of contact concerning this board, and you will find I intend to support them in their roles.

- speaking personally, I was told a while back by one of those named above that they ignored my complaints. Makes you think, what's the point in you being a mod, then ? Say what you like about the Bloo and its mechanics, someone steps out of line, they're history. And who moderates the moderators ?

2) Treat others as you want to be treated. Think about what you are saying before you post a message. Lift each other up, don't tear each other down. Harassment of members is not tolerated. Please behave and not be an embarrassment to the good name of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  1Peter 1:15-16

- ignoring the final sentence, which is a hangover from when Chuckie was actually in any way interested in Smiley Smile (and to me, objectionable - I don't like being preached at on a BB forum: I want that, there's a church around the corner, full of nice people who I don't see often enough), that's a fine sentiment and should be adhered to at all times. But of course, it isn't, especially the harrassment bit. We need to cultivate our garden.

3) Talking about bootlegs is fine. Posting messages asking for bootlegs or offering bootlegs is not fine. That's what private messages and emails are for. The same of course aplies to official recordings.

- common sense.

4) Yes, most of what would commonly be considered foul language is edited.  Currently, that means it's translated to Portuguese, though the method of filtering may change without notice.   If this bothers you, keep in mind rule #1.

- this is fine, except when one of the mods decides to unilaterally flip the filter to affect non-swear words... and let's be honest, we're all adults here - sometimes, only a good old-fashioned "F*** !" will do.  

5) If you feel the need to discuss a PM you received with a third party, then don't expect your PMs to be very private, either. If you don't want someone sending you a PM, or someone doing anything in particular, tell them. Don't wait for or expect someone to speak up for you. If the party in question doesn't listen, go to a moderator about it.   Private messages will not be read by a moderator unless warranted by the behavior of a board member.  Anyone who becomes a cause for concern due to rude or abusive behavior may have their accounts temporarily frozen and their private and public messages examined to see what final actions should be taken.  Said action may be anything from a warning to a temporary or permanent ban.  The moderators will discuss and announce the action that is taken.  Any unwanted or improper private messages should be immediately reported to one of the moderators.

- again, fine. The P stands for "private": some folk don't seem to realise that, now or back in the day. Mind, given past events, this whole paragraph verges on the ironic.

6) Flirtatious and suggestive discussions are usually misunderstood and thus not welcome here...

- damn... and I was getting the hots for Flash Harry. It's the shades...

7) Please, no pictures in signatures.

- again, sensible

So, basically, to my mind, no sane person could argue with any of this, but edicts numbers 1 & 5 need addressing and implementing here, and #2 needs rewriting to remove the bible-punching and to include boring the nuts off every other poster by repeated posting of a view that is known to irritate the other posters. The rules need to be even handed, which by and large they are, and applied evenhandedly & consistently.

I may, or may not, be posting more on this topic.

wheres that suicide emoticon when you need it.

[bgas]

it might be better to just do it, than search for the emoticon

[Mikie]

Joe, Smile-Holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.

So Smile-Holland is never referred to by his first name like the other moderators?  Is it too personal and private to divulge his name here? 

Smile-Holland, I'll tell you my first name if you tell me yours! 

[ghost]

Yeah, "I Wanna Be Around / Friday Night" is SMiLE at its dullest. They are an acceptable plug-in to emphasize the album's playful dynamic shifts, but I wish more time was spent developing "I'm In Great Shape" into a more complete song on its own.

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

You mean agriculture?

[Steve Mayo]

Joe, Smile-Holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.

So Smile-Holland is never referred to by his first name like the other moderators?  Is it too personal and private to divulge his name here? 

Smile-Holland, I'll tell you my first name if you tell me yours! 

he does change his screen name every december... 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Joe, Smile-Holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.

So Smile-Holland is never referred to by his first name like the other moderators?  Is it too personal and private to divulge his name here? 

Smile-Holland, I'll tell you my first name if you tell me yours! 

Those were our user names when we first became mods

[homeontherange]

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

You mean agriculture?

Nope, it's "open country". Not in bwps though

[smile-holland]

Joe, Smile-Holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.

So Smile-Holland is never referred to by his first name like the other moderators?  Is it too personal and private to divulge his name here? 

Smile-Holland, I'll tell you my first name if you tell me yours! 

It's never been an issue as far as I know, but if you want to know: my name is Klaas. I have double first name actually, but I'll save the second part for until you tell me who you really are. 

[Roger Ryan]

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

You mean agriculture?

Nope, it's "open country". Not in bwps though

Ah hell, why not drag out this argument again - it's the perfect thread for it! I would like the THE SMiLE SESSIONS box set to address whether the lyric was always "agriculture" (which I believe it was regardless of how badly Brian is enunciating the word on the demo) or whether it was changed for BWPS.

[smile-holland]

Joe, Smile-Holland, Jason, and  Billy C moderate the board.

So Smile-Holland is never referred to by his first name like the other moderators?  Is it too personal and private to divulge his name here? 

Smile-Holland, I'll tell you my first name if you tell me yours! 

he does change his screen name every december... 

I doubt now if I should reveal that name right now, I'm not that holy you know....  

[homeontherange]

I agree. I'm In Great Shape had so much potential. Just listen to the piano demo. One of the most playful and original melodies I've ever heard. "Freshen air around my head/mornings tumble out of bed/eggs and grits and lickety-SPLIT. look at me jump I'm in the great shape of the open country...". I want more!

You mean agriculture?

Nope, it's "open country". Not in bwps though

Ah hell, why not drag out this argument again - it's the perfect thread for it!

Yeah, why not? It's much more fun to argue about Smile lyrics than to just yell at each other about irrelevant stuff.

[juggler]

Ah hell, why not drag out this argument again - it's the perfect thread for it! I would like the THE SMiLE SESSIONS box set to address whether the lyric was always "agriculture" (which I believe it was regardless of how badly Brian is enunciating the word on the demo) or whether it was changed for BWPS.

"Open country" (or possibly "upper country" or possibly something else)... but not "agriculture"... no how, no way. 

If you honestly believe you hear "agriculture" in the Humble Harv demo, get thyself to an audiologist... pronto.

[Roger Ryan]

Ah hell, why not drag out this argument again - it's the perfect thread for it! I would like the THE SMiLE SESSIONS box set to address whether the lyric was always "agriculture" (which I believe it was regardless of how badly Brian is enunciating the word on the demo) or whether it was changed for BWPS.

"Open country" (or possibly "upper country" or possibly something else)... but not "agriculture"... no how, no way.  

If you honestly believe you hear "agriculture" in the Humble Harv demo, get thyself to an audiologist... pronto.

I'm hearing "...culture" at the end of the line for sure. I think Brian just doesn't have the best grasp of the lyrics yet and is fumbling around. While Parks enjoys much word-play throughout SMiLE, he was not prone to just making up nonsense words like "freshen" and, while there are those among us who would dearly like this to actually be "fresh Zen air", it's seems obvious that it's Brian racing through "fresh clean air" like we hear on BWPS. Similarly, "open country" just doesn't have that Parks zing to it and "upper country" just doesn't make any sense (at least in the American vernacular - perhaps it has more meaning in the U.K.). "I'm in the great shape of the agriculture", however, sounds like the kind of word-play that Parks demonstrates throughout his writing with Brian. I don't think there was any consternation over this lyric when BWPS was being prepared; I suspect Parks knew all along it was "agriculture".

Okay - and here's the other one that will get brought up before too long: Despite the lyric sheet (both the '71 SURF'S UP one and the BWPS one), the word being sung in "Surf's Up" is colonnaded, not columnated.  

[Andrew G. Doe]

...and "upper country" just doesn't make any sense (at least in the American vernacular - perhaps it has more meaning in the U.K.).

Back in the very early 1600s, when the French were colonising the St. Lawrence river and exploring beyond into the western Great Lakes, they called that area pays d’en haut. Or in English, the upper country.

Being a keen student of American history, VDP would have been well aware of this.