What would have happened to SMiLE outtakes/scraps had the album been finished?

[CenturyDeprived]

If SMiLE had in fact been finished/released in '67, I am guessing that most people would agree that there would still be massive amounts of outtakes and scraps left on the cutting room floor, and not actually part of the album. Both in terms of alternate versions/arrangements/takes of songs on SMiLE, as well as entirely discarded and unused snippets/sections, etc.

Does anyone think the band would still have been re-puprosing those snippets in future songs? I guess that would also depend on the level of Brian's involvement in future BB projects, how burnt he would have been, etc. Curious what everyone thinks.

[GhostyTMRS]

My guess would be that the same events would likely have occurred. Brian would've retreated as he did (a hit record wouldn't have cured his mental illness) and the Beach Boys probably would've bolstered their albums going forward with trinkets from SMiLE to make it appear Brian was more involved.

Of course, the thing that fascinates me the most...what would a true single-disc 1967 SMiLE be like? What would have been included?....naturally I'm like the millionth person who's postulated about this.     

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Plus, they'd have less scraps from Smile to release on subsequent albums...

[jiggy22]

This is something that I've actually thought about quite a lot. Now, let's imagine something like the following is released in Spring of 1967 (In my Alternate History essay, I have a release date of April 27th, 1967 for SMiLE.

SMiLE
Side  A:
1. Our Prayer/Gee
2. Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Mix w/Fade)
3. Do You Like Worms?
4. Wonderful
5. I'm in Great Shape (IIGS/Barnyard/My Only Sunshine)
6. Cabin-Essence
Side B:
1. Good Vibrations
2. Vega-Tables
3. Wind Chimes
4. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
5. Child is Father of the Man
6. Surf's Up
7. You're Welcome (Hidden Track)

Singles from the album include Heroes and Villains (Part One)/Heroes and Villains (Part Two) and Surf's Up/Wonderful.

And then let's say that SMiLE is a huge success for the group and Capitol Records, and the positive reception to the album helps keep Brian from retreating for at least a little while longer. Would that have been the case had SMiLE actually been released? It's hard to say, and I'm more inclined to say Brian would've retreated regardless similar to Ghosty's comment, but for the sake of storytelling, let's say yes. I always envisioned that a pretty amazing follow-up album to SMiLE (entitled Smiley Smile to capitalize on the success of SMiLE) could've gone something like:

Smiley Smile
Side A: The Burn-Out Medley
1. With Me Tonight
2. Country Air
3. Let the Wind Blow
4. Can't Wait Too Long
5. She's Goin' Bald
6. Dumb Angel (Psychodelic Sounds Medley of: Down on the Ocean Floor/Breathing/Moaning Laughing - Thanks Mujan!)
Side B: The Water Medley
1. Diamond Head
2. Little Pad
3. Holidays
4. Cool Cool Water
5. I Love to Say Dada
6. Tune X

Is it even less commercially viable than SMiLE. Hell yes! Is it less musically and thematically cohesive than Pet Sounds and SMiLE? Definitely. Does it lack a potential hit single? You bet it does! But it does sound really damn amazing when put together. Imagine if they actually used something like "Dumb Angel" to close out a side. That would've blown peoples' minds! I may actually have to put this together for my blog sometime! Try it for yourself, put a playlist together and imagine what could've been....

[GhostyTMRS]

This is something that I've actually thought about quite a lot. Now, let's imagine something like the following is released in Spring of 1967 (In my Alternate History essay, I have a release date of April 27th, 1967 for SMiLE.

SMiLE
Side  A:
1. Our Prayer/Gee
2. Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Mix w/Fade)
3. Do You Like Worms?
4. Wonderful
5. I'm in Great Shape (IIGS/Barnyard/My Only Sunshine)
6. Cabin-Essence
Side B:
1. Good Vibrations
2. Vega-Tables
3. Wind Chimes
4. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
5. Child is Father of the Man
6. Surf's Up
7. You're Welcome (Hidden Track)

Singles from the album include Heroes and Villains (Part One)/Heroes and Villains (Part Two) and Surf's Up/Wonderful.

And then let's say that SMiLE is a huge success for the group and Capitol Records, and the positive reception to the album helps keep Brian from retreating for at least a little while longer. Would that have been the case had SMiLE actually been released? It's hard to say, and I'm more inclined to say Brian would've retreated regardless similar to Ghosty's comment, but for the sake of storytelling, let's say yes. I always envisioned that a pretty amazing follow-up album to SMiLE (entitled Smiley Smile to capitalize on the success of SMiLE) could've gone something like:

Smiley Smile
Side A: The Burn-Out Medley
1. With Me Tonight
2. Country Air
3. Let the Wind Blow
4. Can't Wait Too Long
5. She's Goin' Bald
6. Dumb Angel (Psychodelic Sounds Medley of: Down on the Ocean Floor/Breathing/Moaning Laughing - Thanks Mujan!)
Side B: The Water Medley
1. Diamond Head
2. Little Pad
3. Holidays
4. Cool Cool Water
5. I Love to Say Dada
6. Tune X

Is it even less commercially viable than SMiLE. Hell yes! Is it less musically and thematically cohesive than Pet Sounds and SMiLE? Definitely. Does it lack a potential hit single? You bet it does! But it does sound really damn amazing when put together. Imagine if they actually used something like "Dumb Angel" to close out a side. That would've blown peoples' minds! I may actually have to put this together for my blog sometime! Try it for yourself, put a playlist together and imagine what could've been....

I like this idea a lot. I'm embarrassed to say I never contemplated a follow-up album of gussied up leftover SMiLE cuts, and heck, could it have been any less commercial than Smiley Smile?

[thorgil]

I think Smile, if released in 1967, would have been as big of a hit as the Heroes & Villains single. The success of "Good Vibrations" was actually a freak, due to nothing like that having been heard before.
But 1967 saw the release of "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", "Are You Experienced", "Disraeli Gears", "Surrealistic Pillow", "Days of Future Passed", "Strange Days" etc. Those would have been Smile's competitors, even more than "Sgt. Pepper". The latter, as I remember, was hailed as no breakthrough, just another excellent record by the Beatles, but already slightly unfashionable.
"Smile" would have been better than any of those, but how many would have understood that? Its mainly acoustic, chamber music approach would have had no chance at the time, imho. The time for barbershop quartets (or quintets) and plucked violins was out. It was the time for heavily distorted guitars and grand organ and mellotron soundscapes.
Let's also consider that a 1967 Smile would have been somewhat half-baked, as Brian simply had not the technology available to fully realise it in that time frame, according to his wishes (= a whole album made like "Good Vibrations").

But to answer the question: I think nothing much would have happened with the remaning outtakes and scraps. It's not like there would have been a "Cabinessence" or a "Surf's Up" waiting to be released. Maybe we could have had another good pastiche like "Cool Cool Water".

[Crow]

SMiLE
Side  A:
1. Our Prayer/Gee
2. Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Mix w/Fade)
3. Do You Like Worms?
4. Wonderful
5. I'm in Great Shape (IIGS/Barnyard/My Only Sunshine)
6. Cabin-Essence
Side B:
1. Good Vibrations
2. Vega-Tables
3. Wind Chimes
4. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
5. Child is Father of the Man
6. Surf's Up
7. You're Welcome (Hidden Track)

This is exactly how I have been sequencing Smile for years!!! I think its as close as it would have been in 67

[thorgil]

Imho this is as close to a 1967 Smile as it may get:

http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.it/2013/09/the-beach-boys-smile-1967.html

However, "You're Welcome" as a 14th hidden track is a great idea.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Let's also consider that a 1967 Smile would have been somewhat half-baked, as Brian simply had not the technology available to fully realise it in that time frame, according to his wishes (= a whole album made like "Good Vibrations").

I've always felt that was a key component in Smile not being released. I think at some point, Brian got overwhelmed, realized he bit off more than he could chew  and just threw his hands up and said 'f*** it'.

[CenturyDeprived]

Let's also consider that a 1967 Smile would have been somewhat half-baked, as Brian simply had not the technology available to fully realise it in that time frame, according to his wishes (= a whole album made like "Good Vibrations").

I've always felt that was a key component in Smile not being released. I think at some point, Brian got overwhelmed, realized he bit off more than he could chew  and just threw his hands up and said 'f*** it'.

I still say he could absolutely have finished it with the help and unconditional support of his bandmates. Like if he were able to bounce ideas off them, get their ideas/input on sequencing (without them being trepidatious/questioning the very nature of the entire project), and if they actually physically helped him with cutting/splicing and cataloging tape, etc. If they basically became his studio assistants to help with the less pleasant, but time-consuming stuff. Everyone would have had to table their sarcasm and eye rolls. For real.

The other members of The Beach Boys were certainly pulling their weight as vocalists, as well as on the road (in a way that Brian wasn't), but they IMO weren't pulling their weight in terms of giving a huge assist to Brian to help alleviate things which he was overwhelmed with. Anyone who has ever been the "Brian" of their band can perhaps relate to this situation.

Can anyone imagine Brian's mates saying to Brian "how can we help you out?" when it came to any types of tough/boring/not-so-fun stuff? I kinda doubt they were saying that stuff to Brian. They were young and probably itching to get out of the studio to do fun non-band things. Again, not talking about being available for singing many variations of vocals.  They certainly did lots of that. I'm not trying to say they were lazy, but let's just say that Brian had a lot on his plate that could have been alleviated by them, at least somewhat.

Not saying they are to "blame" for that, because of course that was the nature of how the relationships evolved, and Brian probably wasn't exactly *asking* for help, or for his bandmates to become worker bees in those ways. And not sure how Brian would have reacted to genuine offers of help. Yet I think it's conceivable that finishing the album in this manner could definitely have happened the tough stuff that Brian got bogged down with had become a team effort - with Brian firmly in control as boss - if (very importantly) bad vibes/bad attitudes were kept at bay, and everyone was supportive. That support was immeasurably important, and Brian deserved it, and he didn't quite get enough of it.

I really think the technological hurdle - while very real - could have been overcome. After all, Good Vibrations was so crazy and really *shouldn't* have existed in that time (it was a futuristic technological marvel), but it did. That proved the modular technique wasn't impossible. Even if Brian's perfectionism and indecisiveness was reaching new heights after GV, there's no telling how much of that was exacerbated by his bandmates' (especially one's) attitudes and repeated questioning of the project as a whole. That said, I get why it must have seemed to them like a crazy project that was going on endlessly.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Thing is, what we always forget (and counting myself in that too!) is that we've heard things after the fact, after the splicing had been done, or digital editing had been done years after the fact. And as often as he changed his mind? Oh yeah, I could very well see him possibly changing his mind on a lot of things when it was already "too late".

You know what the funny thing is? Listening to TSS all the way through, and realizing that my favorite track is actually Love to Say Dada, although it sounds so much different than the rest of the sessions, sound and structure-wise.

[CenturyDeprived]

Thing is, what we always forget (and counting myself in that too!) is that we've heard things after the fact, after the splicing had been done, or digital editing had been done years after the fact. And as often as he changed his mind? Oh yeah, I could very well see him possibly changing his mind on a lot of things when it was already "too late".

You know what the funny thing is? Listening to TSS all the way through, and realizing that my favorite track is actually Love to Say Dada, although it sounds so much different than the rest of the sessions, sound and structure-wise.

Well, we've heard things after digital editing has been done basically only in regards to TSS, because all the boots that people like us had heard for years were from rough acetates, or in the case of SOT, raw session tapes! But yeah, I know what you mean about the mind-changing thing. The indecisiveness was a killer. Again, I come back to the idea that more enthusiasm around him by his mates would have helped (not cured) that to a not-insignificant degree.

Love to Say Dada is rad indeed.

[Emdeeh]

Back to the original question, I think we'd be eagerly waiting for the digital-only copyright extension release of those sessions at the end of this year or next.  

[CenturyDeprived]

Suffice it to say, I think even if the album had been finished and fully realized, that there'd have been way, way more outtakes and stuff left on the cutting room floor than for any other album/project in the band's catalog.  In fact, I tend to think that, at least up until that point in time, that there were probably very few (if any) similar cases where a band would have done that much extra recording for a released project that wound up being essentially deleted scenes.

This just made me think: perhaps what Brian really needed at the time was to be hooked up with (and assisted by) a film editor, or ideally a person who had experience in editing films AND with music. Because it certainly seems like he had almost (sans a few lead vocals) enough "coverage" to have edited together a releasable album. I think someone familiar with piecing together a project in an edited-together, non-linear fashion would have been very helpful.

[jiggy22]

Suffice it to say, I think even if the album had been finished and fully realized, that there'd have been way, way more outtakes and stuff left on the cutting room floor than for any other album/project in the band's catalog.  In fact, I tend to think that, at least up until that point in time, that there were probably very few (if any) similar cases where a band would have done that much extra recording for a released project that wound up being essentially deleted scenes.

This just made me think: perhaps what Brian really needed at the time was to be hooked up with (and assisted by) a film editor, or ideally a person who had experience in editing films AND with music. Because it certainly seems like he had almost (sans a few lead vocals) enough "coverage" to have edited together a releasable album. I think someone familiar with piecing together a project in an edited-together, non-linear fashion would have been very helpful.

Or he could've gotten Frank Zappa 

[CenturyDeprived]

Suffice it to say, I think even if the album had been finished and fully realized, that there'd have been way, way more outtakes and stuff left on the cutting room floor than for any other album/project in the band's catalog.  In fact, I tend to think that, at least up until that point in time, that there were probably very few (if any) similar cases where a band would have done that much extra recording for a released project that wound up being essentially deleted scenes.

This just made me think: perhaps what Brian really needed at the time was to be hooked up with (and assisted by) a film editor, or ideally a person who had experience in editing films AND with music. Because it certainly seems like he had almost (sans a few lead vocals) enough "coverage" to have edited together a releasable album. I think someone familiar with piecing together a project in an edited-together, non-linear fashion would have been very helpful.

Or he could've gotten Frank Zappa  

I do wonder what would have happened if another famous musician would have offered to help Brian finish it. Not so much as a collaborator, but as someone to bounce ideas off of and be supportive. I guess he was paranoid and afraid everyone was gonna steal his ideas.  And I suppose that was supposed to be Van's role. Too bad Van sensed the jealous dysfunctional family crap, got insulted, and got the hell outta Dodge.

One thing's for sure... if someone, say Al, got in the way of Mike + Terry's relationship, and did actions that encouraged Terry to leave and never finish Kokomo, you can bet that Mike would be blaming Al until the cows came home for screwing up that project.  

[jeffh]

What would have happened to the outtakes? Nothing. Had Smile been released way back when , it would have tanked, bombed , big time. Look at Pet Sounds, and the lukewarm reception it received upon release, and it had complete sentences that actually made sense. Smile would have been way too off the wall for the record buying public. The general record buying public would have stayed away from this in droves.

The record company would have said "enough is enough. Write more sellable product."

Of course this would have crushed Brian, and would have increased his drug problems, depression, and mental health issues. He many never have written or at least not released anything ever again. Frankly, the rejection may have killed him.

The rest of the Band would have continued touring , an oldies act , with even fewer deeper cuts than they do today.

[leetwall97]

This is something that I've actually thought about quite a lot. Now, let's imagine something like the following is released in Spring of 1967 (In my Alternate History essay, I have a release date of April 27th, 1967 for SMiLE.

SMiLE
Side  A:
1. Our Prayer/Gee
2. Heroes and Villains (Smile Sessions Mix w/Fade)
3. Do You Like Worms?
4. Wonderful
5. I'm in Great Shape (IIGS/Barnyard/My Only Sunshine)
6. Cabin-Essence
Side B:
1. Good Vibrations
2. Vega-Tables
3. Wind Chimes
4. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
5. Child is Father of the Man
6. Surf's Up
7. You're Welcome (Hidden Track)

Singles from the album include Heroes and Villains (Part One)/Heroes and Villains (Part Two) and Surf's Up/Wonderful.

Smiley Smile
Side A: The Burn-Out Medley
1. With Me Tonight
2. Country Air
3. Let the Wind Blow
4. Can't Wait Too Long
5. She's Goin' Bald
6. Dumb Angel (Psychodelic Sounds Medley of: Down on the Ocean Floor/Breathing/Moaning Laughing - Thanks Mujan!)
Side B: The Water Medley
1. Diamond Head
2. Little Pad
3. Holidays
4. Cool Cool Water
5. I Love to Say Dada
6. Tune X

These are all fantastic ideas! I only disagree with the track "Gee" on the album. "Gee" was specifically for the H&V single.
And which version of Wonderful?

[leetwall97]

If SMiLE had in fact been finished/released in '67, I am guessing that most people would agree that there would still be massive amounts of outtakes and scraps left on the cutting room floor, and not actually part of the album. Both in terms of alternate versions/arrangements/takes of songs on SMiLE, as well as entirely discarded and unused snippets/sections, etc.

Does anyone think the band would still have been re-puprosing those snippets in future songs? I guess that would also depend on the level of Brian's involvement in future BB projects, how burnt he would have been, etc. Curious what everyone thinks.

I'm pretty sure Brian would've stayed with the Beach Boys. The point of Smile was to update them. When Smile didn't come out and the Beach Boys were not updated, he joined Redwood until that turned sour.

I believe Brian would've done the Darlin' and Time to Get Alone tracks with Redwood still. They were written for Danny Hutton anyway. Would Brian end up doing an album with them like originally planned in our "alternate" time line? Ehhhhhhhh maybe not. Hard to tell.

[leetwall97]

I think Smile, if released in 1967, would have been as big of a hit as the Heroes & Villains single. The success of "Good Vibrations" was actually a freak, due to nothing like that having been heard before.

No. Comparing the Smiley Smile single of H&V to Smile is just no. A two-movement pop symphony with sound effects and cutting edge material in early '67 would've blown everyone away.

Let's also consider that a 1967 Smile would have been somewhat half-baked, as Brian simply had not the technology available to fully realise it in that time frame, according to his wishes (= a whole album made like "Good Vibrations").

Brian most-definetley had the technology. He wasn't stupid enough to dream up something he couldn't achieve. Look at what he did with the Whistle Bridge on H&V. Even I can't do that properly. And I think he did have the time (he had almost a full year). Everything was held back due to band differences, record company business crap, carl's draft evasion and life.

[leetwall97]

I still say he could absolutely have finished it with the help and unconditional support of his bandmates. Like if he were able to bounce ideas off them, get their ideas/input on sequencing (without them being trepidatious/questioning the very nature of the entire project), and if they actually physically helped him with cutting/splicing and cataloging tape, etc. If they basically became his studio assistants to help with the less pleasant, but time-consuming stuff. Everyone would have had to table their sarcasm and eye rolls. For real.

The other members of The Beach Boys were certainly pulling their weight as vocalists, as well as on the road (in a way that Brian wasn't), but they IMO weren't pulling their weight in terms of giving a huge assist to Brian to help alleviate things which he was overwhelmed with. Anyone who has ever been the "Brian" of their band can perhaps relate to this situation.

Can anyone imagine Brian's mates saying to Brian "how can we help you out?" when it came to any types of tough/boring/not-so-fun stuff? I kinda doubt they were saying that stuff to Brian. They were young and probably itching to get out of the studio to do fun non-band things. Again, not talking about being available for singing many variations of vocals.  They certainly did lots of that. I'm not trying to say they were lazy, but let's just say that Brian had a lot on his plate that could have been alleviated by them, at least somewhat.

Totally agree with this. The fact that they weren't even showing to vocal sessions is outrageous. Can you imagine Brian, sitting there with Carl and maybe Dennis, waiting for the others to show, and then realizing they're not gonna come? That's a complete insult. If the bandmates weren't so uptight about the new material, Smile would've come out and they wouldn't've entered that abusive relationship with Brian.

[guitarfool2002]

My guess would be that the same events would likely have occurred. Brian would've retreated as he did (a hit record wouldn't have cured his mental illness) and the Beach Boys probably would've bolstered their albums going forward with trinkets from SMiLE to make it appear Brian was more involved.

Do the session tapes up to May 1967 sound like a man who retreated due to mental illness? He's in full control and recording specific parts in the studio.

Whatever happened in late May/early June '67 when the Beach Boys returned home from a tour that saw them pummeled in the press for their live sound...according to Nick Grillo it was wham/bunk/shush within a week or so they're hauling rented gear into Brian's living room to ease the personal issues and start working on recordings. That's the fascinating part of the story to me. You have to separate the music in some of these theories, and in this case, listen to the session tapes. There is always the defense put forth of the band's possible resistance to the music as "they sang every note they were asked", so in this case listen to the music Brian was making right up to mid-May 1967 and listen to him running the sessions with studios full of musicians, and that's proof he was musically "there" in the recording studio as he had been before. It's not loopy, it's not disjointed, it's the same kind of MO at those sessions in May 67 heard on tape as they were a year earlier. It was after the band got back from Europe that the whole situation changed radically. 

[GhostyTMRS]

My guess would be that the same events would likely have occurred. Brian would've retreated as he did (a hit record wouldn't have cured his mental illness) and the Beach Boys probably would've bolstered their albums going forward with trinkets from SMiLE to make it appear Brian was more involved.

Do the session tapes up to May 1967 sound like a man who retreated due to mental illness? He's in full control and recording specific parts in the studio.

Whatever happened in late May/early June '67 when the Beach Boys returned home from a tour that saw them pummeled in the press for their live sound...according to Nick Grillo it was wham/bunk/shush within a week or so they're hauling rented gear into Brian's living room to ease the personal issues and start working on recordings. That's the fascinating part of the story to me. You have to separate the music in some of these theories, and in this case, listen to the session tapes. There is always the defense put forth of the band's possible resistance to the music as "they sang every note they were asked", so in this case listen to the music Brian was making right up to mid-May 1967 and listen to him running the sessions with studios full of musicians, and that's proof he was musically "there" in the recording studio as he had been before. It's not loopy, it's not disjointed, it's the same kind of MO at those sessions in May 67 heard on tape as they were a year earlier. It was after the band got back from Europe that the whole situation changed radically.  

Agreed, and the idea that Brian was a mess while recording those sessions is annihilated just by listening to the recordings, but I didn't say he would immediately retreat in this fantasy scenario we've concoted, because alas he didn't in real life, but going forward the onset of his mental illness (as artfully depicted in the "Love & Mercy" film) was already well underway and would've eventually affected the group, his career and (more importantly) his life and the story of the band would've continued as it did (without the benefit of resurrecting "Surf's Up" for the album in 1971..who knows? Maybe we'd have a record called "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" instead?).
Let's say SMiLE comes out in January 1967, the guys are totally into it and it's a smash (well...probably a bigger smash in the U.K as those things tended to go) he still would've had to deal with his mental illness going undiagnosed for years, Landy or someone like him stepping in, etc.    

[GhostyTMRS]

And yes, I'm suggesting that "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" wouldn't have made a 1967 SMiLE album. Brian would've been too creeped out, unless those local fires never happen in this alternate timeline.

In my alternate universe SMiLE would've been:

Side One:
1. Our Prayer
2. Heroes & Villains
3. Do You Like (Dig) Worms? (with lyrics of course).
4. Wonderful
5. Look
6. Child Is The Father of the Man (as above with lyrics and lead melody line similar to what we get on BWPS) 

Side Two:
1. Good Vibrations
2. Vege-Tables (something more akin to the Smiley Smile version which I've always liked better)
3. The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop
4. Wind Chimes
5. Cabin Essence
6. Surf's Up (the 1971 reimagining with the "Child.." tag which would be a nice callback to side one).

That leaves plenty of leftover SMiLE material for a part 2 or to bolster an alternate 20/20.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to this sequence. 

[guitarfool2002]

My guess would be that the same events would likely have occurred. Brian would've retreated as he did (a hit record wouldn't have cured his mental illness) and the Beach Boys probably would've bolstered their albums going forward with trinkets from SMiLE to make it appear Brian was more involved.

Do the session tapes up to May 1967 sound like a man who retreated due to mental illness? He's in full control and recording specific parts in the studio.

Whatever happened in late May/early June '67 when the Beach Boys returned home from a tour that saw them pummeled in the press for their live sound...according to Nick Grillo it was wham/bunk/shush within a week or so they're hauling rented gear into Brian's living room to ease the personal issues and start working on recordings. That's the fascinating part of the story to me. You have to separate the music in some of these theories, and in this case, listen to the session tapes. There is always the defense put forth of the band's possible resistance to the music as "they sang every note they were asked", so in this case listen to the music Brian was making right up to mid-May 1967 and listen to him running the sessions with studios full of musicians, and that's proof he was musically "there" in the recording studio as he had been before. It's not loopy, it's not disjointed, it's the same kind of MO at those sessions in May 67 heard on tape as they were a year earlier. It was after the band got back from Europe that the whole situation changed radically.  

Agreed, and the idea that Brian was a mess while recording those sessions is annihilated just by listening to the recordings, but I didn't say he would immediately retreat in this fantasy scenario we've concoted, because alas he didn't in real life, but going forward the onset of his mental illness (as artfully depicted in the "Love & Mercy" film) was already well underway and would've eventually affected the group, his career and (more importantly) his life and the story of the band would've continued as it did (without the benefit of resurrecting "Surf's Up" for the album in 1971..who knows? Maybe we'd have a record called "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" instead?).
Let's say SMiLE comes out in January 1967, the guys are totally into it and it's a smash (well...probably a bigger smash in the U.K as those things tended to go) he still would've had to deal with his mental illness going undiagnosed for years, Landy or someone like him stepping in, etc.    

I think the story is indeed in the recordings, even post-Smile and especially into fall 1967.

Apart from Smile, a fascinating "what if?" is "Time To Get Alone"...the work Brian was doing with Redwood who easily was Brother Records' most promising potential label find. TTGA is full-on, fully involved Brian working the studio with a brilliant song and quite a few of the Smile production hallmarks fully intact, only perhaps in a more commercial setting with a sweet sounding song. Then there is Darlin, a hell of a song and a groove, also slated for Redwood. Brian was still cutting these kinds of records, using session musicians and pro studios like his new replacement for Western 3, Wally Heider's "3", only not cutting them with the Beach Boys. And even Wild Honey, after Brian cut the title track, a lot more of that record was cut at the "pro" studio than a lot of fans realize.

So did he retreat? The Beach Boys effectively put an end to Brian producing Redwood, they didn't want him to do it, and said they needed him back producing their record instead. Which he did. And going into 1968, the home studio was more permanently in place and ready to go, and there he was making the Friends album. So he didn't really retreat then, either - He was back making Friends in his home studio. It was the period after Friends when the "retreat" is more noticeable, especially in the music.