Pretty Interesting Beach Boys Find

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

If you're a gamer, you most likely know about the game EarthBound.
It's FANTASTIC, if not expensive, and members of the team went on to high places at Nintendo.

So... Beach Boys. Well, recently I found a site talking about the amazing music of the game, and they list SMILEY SMILE as an inspiration for the music!
(AND SONG CYCLE?!?!)
WOAH RIGHT?! That's awesome! (link: http://www.1101.com/MOTHER_music/index.html)

But... wait... the game has a really strange track, take a listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRL5TWF_0eU

Sound familiar? I think it's so awesome that an amazing SNES game I actually completed I loved it so much (a LONG feat...)
Features BEACH BOYS MUSIC! That is really cool, to me at least!

[EgoHanger1966]

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,2412.2950.html

Last post!

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Doh, sorry, that was quite a while ago! Well, the article featuring Smiley Smile and Song Cycle is new at least!

[wantsomecorn]

I remember looking around at Earthbound's soundtrack and some of the articles written about it and stumbling onto the page and freaking out once I saw Smiley Smile listed there with Plastic Ono Band (!) and BW88 (!!!). Strange to think that Brian's album was pretty contemporary at the time... only six years old.

I somehow failed to notice Song Cycle there, though. It's interesting to see that they even remarked about how The Beach Boys kept coming up throughout the article.

[RangeRoverA1]

But... wait... the game has a really strange track, take a listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRL5TWF_0eU

Sound familiar? I think it's so awesome that an amazing SNES game I actually completed I loved it so much
Features BEACH BOYS MUSIC! That is really cool, to me at least!

Strangely, the melody reminds me of Deirdre at some seconds. I don't hear any hint of Smile. But you're right, Mike, it's cool to know that some computer game features the BBs music. I'm glad for my favorite band getting recognition in different things.
To comment about the track itself, I like it, especially for the horror elements.

[Ebb and Flow]

Strangely, the melody reminds me of Deirdre at some seconds.

It's not reminiscent of Deirdre, it IS Deirdre, or the intro anyway.  Sampled and pitched at different speeds.

If Earthbound had been developed in America I think the Beach Boys popping up in the music would be more strange, but the Japanese seemed to have always liked The Beach Boys and the surf genre.  The Ventures are still immensely popular there.  I know Deirdre is a cut from Sunflower, but I wouldn't be surprised if the sales of that album over there (and their later catalog in general) were stronger than in the U.S.

[Wrightfan]

Grew up with this game long before I knew about the Beach Boys being an inspiration.

For my money, one of the best SNES games ever...and maybe best game ever period. Just a great experience.

[puni puni]

The article was recently translated at http://artcorekirbies.fr/perso/mother/suzutana/

One of the composers (Keiichi Suzuki) did his own version of Good Vibes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgANWuLv1QI

It is weird knowing that the same guys who did the music for Metroid, Kid Icarus, Tetris, etc. also love those albums. You can see kind of the influence in some soundtracks they've done.

There was an odd album accompaniment made for the original NES game featuring a track by Louis Phillipe, whom has his own cover of Guess I'm Dumb. A part of it sounds like Soul Searchin' despite being recorded ten(?) years before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qou12dV6OI#t=217s

There are a tons of connections linking TBB to Japanese composers, and them to other songwriters, but I don't think I'll ever be able to find them all. Doesn't help that VDP worked with at least half of them. Even now, I just found out that Keiichi Suzuki has also done some things with Yoko Ueno. She's done tons of crazy Wilsonesque vocal jazz harmony stuff which sounds kinda like if Kate Bush covered Vega-Tables. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G18vHOVQKEc