Smile era stuff

[Andrew G. Doe]

we are mere mortals who probably don't even know who played bass on 'Pitter Patter'. etc.

Sure you do - it's in the liners. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

[buddhahat]

Hooray - a Smile thread!

I wish a Smile boxset was put out, merely so I could stop obsessively re-arranging the track order of my Smile mix! I'm never satisfied with the order, but I guess that's half the appeal of Smile: It's interractive.

I often wonder what form a Smile box would take. Would the tracks be arranged chronologically? Surely that would be a bit sterile, but then how else organise it? Maybe using the BWPS structure as a  template would be the most rational solution, seeing as Brian was involved heavily in the sequencing of it (or at least, that's what I believe although I'm probably in the minority!) Grouping the sessions into the themes; Americana, Cycle of Life and Elements would work quite nicely I believe.

And a Smile boxset would absolutely, most definitely have to have the Frank Holmes artwork. I wish they'd used that for BWPS.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I wish a Smile boxset was put out, merely so I could stop obsessively re-arranging the track order of my Smile mix! I'm never satisfied with the order, but I guess that's half the appeal of Smile: It's interractive.

Same here. I'd like to see your latest incarnation; would you post the order? I've been obsessing lately about "Heroes And Villains"; I want to move it back in the playlist near the end because the lyrics are so "past tense", almost like a review song...

[buddhahat]

I wish a Smile boxset was put out, merely so I could stop obsessively re-arranging the track order of my Smile mix! I'm never satisfied with the order, but I guess that's half the appeal of Smile: It's interractive.

Same here. I'd like to see your latest incarnation; would you post the order? I've been obsessing lately about "Heroes And Villains"; I want to move it back in the playlist near the end because the lyrics are so "past tense", almost like a review song...

Hi Sheriff John Stone. I just wrote a long reply and my computer crashed as I was about to post!!! Aaargh. Anyway to paraphrase:

It's funny you mention H&V as for my next mix I want to break up H&V Cantina version and pepper the segments throughout the mix almost like little chapter headings. So the dum dum tape explosion might precede Mrs Oleary's Cow, the piano bike rider theme might lead into Wonderful - that sort of thing. Then I would end the mix with the 45 version of H&V. I like the idea of this as Brian consistently struggled with the song throughout the Smile era, so it's fitting that it be fragmented throughout the mix. Also it makes for a positive end to the mix to have the completed H&V wrapping it up as this was one of the few Smile songs that he successfully finished to his satisfaction. ( I can't take credit for this idea though as I read about someone else doing a similar thing with Heroes in their own mix)

I like your idea of ending with H&V - Sunny down snuff would've closed the album nicely. Plus it's an unusual place to put the song. I think anything that challenges conventional thinking around Smile is a good thing. I put Our Prayer at the end after Surf's Up in one mix. I suspect Brian wanted it there at one point  anyway as the Vosse and Siegel articles both imply this imo. I posted a thread suggesting this but everybody felt it belonged at the beginning. It's at the start of my mix again  - some trends are hard to buck!

[Sheriff John Stone]

I put Our Prayer at the end after Surf's Up in one mix. I suspect Brian wanted it there at one point  anyway as the Vosse and Siegel articles both imply this imo. I posted a thread suggesting this but everybody felt it belonged at the beginning. It's at the start of my mix again  - some trends are hard to buck!

We think a lot alike on this one, too. I like "Our Prayer" near the end also. If I end the mix with either "Surf's Up" or "Heroes And Villains", I like "Our Prayer" right before either of those songs. The way they use that ending snippet of "Our Prayer" right before "Good Vibrations" on BWPS is exactly where I would put it. Although I would never end with "Good Vibrations".

Maybe I'm prejudiced because of where "Our Prayer" appeared on 20/20, I don't know. And I never put a lot of stock in that 1966 tape with a stoned Brian saying how "Our Prayer" would be a good opener, or something to that effect. The closing "hmmmmm" on "Our Prayer" has a finality to it, like they're about to close.

I read a post somewhere by a very respected poster (but I can't remember who it was), and he said that "Our Prayer" should open the album like a prayer would open a religious service, like a church service or something. But the church (or Mass) that I go to opens the service with a hymn or a song, not a prayer! Especially not an a capella prayer...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ah, the ultimate joy of Smile - you can put anything anywhere and no-one can say you're wrong, because no-one ever knew (or knows) what was supposed to go where. Even Brian. 

[buddhahat]

I put Our Prayer at the end after Surf's Up in one mix. I suspect Brian wanted it there at one point  anyway as the Vosse and Siegel articles both imply this imo. I posted a thread suggesting this but everybody felt it belonged at the beginning. It's at the start of my mix again  - some trends are hard to buck!

We think a lot alike on this one, too. I like "Our Prayer" near the end also. If I end the mix with either "Surf's Up" or "Heroes And Villains", I like "Our Prayer" right before either of those songs. The way they use that ending snippet of "Our Prayer" right before "Good Vibrations" on BWPS is exactly where I would put it. Although I would never end with "Good Vibrations".

Maybe I'm prejudiced because of where "Our Prayer" appeared on 20/20, I don't know. And I never put a lot of stock in that 1966 tape with a stoned Brian saying how "Our Prayer" would be a good opener, or something to that effect. The closing "hmmmmm" on "Our Prayer" has a finality to it, like they're about to close.

I read a post somewhere by a very respected poster (but I can't remember who it was), and he said that "Our Prayer" should open the album like a prayer would open a religious service, like a church service or something. But the church (or Mass) that I go to opens the service with a hymn or a song, not a prayer! Especially not an a capella prayer...

Our Prayer fits much better with the more sombre Surf's Up imo and as I'd always put Surf's up near the end I think I should probably put OP there too. Vosse states in the 68 article that Brian was to close the album with Surf's Up followed by a wordless prayer (not his exact words but don't have it to hand) and in the Siegel article Brian is described playing all his Smile acetates for guests and ending with what sounds like Our Prayer. It's strong evidence that at least, at one point, OP was to be a closer to Smile. Of course, as AGD suggests, you really can put anything anywhere and no one can tell you it's wrong - aah, the amorphous joys of Smile!!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

nd I never put a lot of stock in that 1966 tape with a stoned Brian saying how "Our Prayer" would be a good opener, or something to that effect.

If it's the same tape  I have (and Mike says something about the "leaning Tower of Pizza") then it's actually Al Jardine saying that.

[Sheriff John Stone]

and I never put a lot of stock in that 1966 tape with a stoned Brian saying how "Our Prayer" would be a good opener, or something to that effect.

If it's the same tape  I have (and Mike says something about the "leaning Tower of Pizza") then it's actually Al Jardine saying that.

I never realized it was Al. I just assumed it was Brian.

Good. If it's Al I don't have to put ANY stock in the quote

[Bicyclerider]

Brian says it would be " a little intro to the album," and not a "track." after someone else mentions how "hey this could be a track."  That person might have been Al.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Yeah...the other person was Al, true.