Smiling Pets

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Discuss, review and rate Smiling Pets, released in 1998.

[the captain]

I love OTC..but not on these. And the rest of it isn't my thing.

[punkinhead]

i like this a whole lot, it's really out there.
i only have a problem with Here Today which to me is really annoying and reflects nothing of Brian Wilson and the version of You Still Believe in Me, when i hear that voice at the begining, i cringe.
all the smile(y) stuff is good though. Holidays on there is great.!

[Magic Transistor Radio]

My only complaint is that they repeat songs. Having said that, it is my favorite BBs tribute.

[Alex]

I like it just for the fact that there's a band on it called Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. I also like Secret Chiefs 3's version of Good Vibrations using the original Tony Asher lyrics and the hum de dum chorus (plus rejected parts from the GV sessions), a whole 6 years before Brian decided to resurrect those parts. Overall, an excellent album!

[Occasional grilled cheese]

I saw this on CDNow around the time An American Family aired but didn't actually get to hear it for another nine years or so. I appreciated it as a gateway to Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her and Melt Banana, but overall I feel like the most of the artists present take too many liberties with the compositions (though in relativity to the 2012 Mojo Magazine covermount "Pet Sounds Revisted" I'd say it's pretty faithful.) Particularly disliked the Wind Chimes cover with added original lyrics, but really liked the synthed out version of Let's Go Away For A While.

[Lonely Summer]

I had no idea this was the title of a legit cd. It's the same title I gave to a mixtape cd about 10 years ago, with a mix of things that I felt were the most Smile Sounding. Pancreas by Wierd Al Yankovic, Pale and Precious by the Dukes of Stratosphere, Can't Wait Too Long by the Beach Boys (shock!), Overwhelming World Suite by America.

[Julia]

I'd seen this referenced several times over the years, thought it looked cute and I appreciate anyone or any endeavor whose aim is to glorify PS & SMiLE. But I'd been burned before with similar "modern/digital tribute" projects in the past, like the insipid Sgt Pet Sounds, so I never got around to listening. Until now.

I like Wonderful, it's not gonna blow you away but it's a nice female-vocaled rendition.
GV just felt like an inferior clone of the original. I skipped ahead.
You're Welcome wasn't great but I do appreciate how it takes the original and just goes off the wall with it.
Im Waiting for the Day is alright. Inferior copy with Japan accents but just different enough to be an interesting listen.
DYLW is my favorite. So weird yet very recognizably the same song (opposed to YW)
Fall Breaks is a very cool new version not necessarily recognizable but very pleasing to listen to.
Wonderful (2nd) is like a grunge cover. Not my cup of tea. They sound sharp or flat on a few notes too.
Here Today takes all the melody out of the composition. Thanks for the lyrics I guess? Out of tune?
Tones (really Holidays) is a cute alternate arrangement but noticeably inferior.
tea break is not given a composition name and I'm not sure what it is. Tribute to the Psychedelic Sounds?
H&V (really Worms cuz it uses the Hawaiian bridge) is charming until it takes a weird left turn on the "Indian Chant chorus."
CCW is interesting lo-fi proto-vapor wave sounding female anime waif vocals. The weirdo audio collage bridge is great coming after a faithful rendition of the song proper.
You Still Believe in Me is similar, Japanese baby doll vocals, but on like a punk rock arrangement. Nice alt take.
Little Pad is good, another valid alt arrangement that still feels like the song.
WC is a really nice piano cover with its own vibe and at times original lyrics.
IJWMFTT is straight up ominous in the best way, love the instrumentation. More female vocals. Very understated bad trip vibes.
Let's Go Away for Awhile is a great proto vapor wave, lo-fi cover of maybe the best instrumental of all time.
Caroline No is a really well done lo-fi cover.

^The best are DYLW, IJWMFTT, WC, FBABTW, LGAFA CN and first Wonderful by a considerable margin. Having two wonderfuls is kind of lame when there's so many songs to pick from--no band was inspired to take on WIBN, Look, GOK,CE, SU, CIFOTM or Fire? Seriously? I guess those ones are so perfect as is the other bands felt intimidated...

I give it a 4. Very interesting album, mostly inspired new takes in a different genre allowing them to nicely coexist in my music library with the originals. What would suck is a cover that tries to be exactly the same but inferior in execution. This isn't that, whether the arrangements are your cup of tea or not.