Making a Smile mix.

[Mahalo]

I like IWBA after YAMS because the cello fade fits into the beginning on IWBA; and the subject goes from moping about their sunshine leaving them to picking up the pieces afterwards.

[Rocky]

so as a result of the fresh ideas discussed in this thread i, for the first time, have good vibrations at the beginning of my mix. oh what the heck i'll just go ahead and write my recipe down...why not? this is one of the most interesting ones i've done thus far.
1. Our Prayer/Gee
2. Good Vibrations
3. Do You Like Worms? (i did a little magic to combine the original and the BWPS versions so as to have the verses complete but still retain the vintage "Bicycle Rider" and ending sections. I only use 30 seconds at the most of material from BWPS on my mix. the other section being I Wanna Be Around (04) sandwiched inbetween it' 1966 ancestors)
i thnk this is a strong first 3, you get your prayer which is the accepted opener, gee introduces the phrase heroes and villains and is an excellant lead in to Good Vibrations thematically, and Do You Like Worms? introduces our bicyle riding friend, and the HV theme, and places us geographically at Plymouth Rock

then i have my own configuration of a "Barnyard Suite"
4. Cabinessence (which i usually place after the other "Barnyard" songs, but the concept introduced earlier of having the workshop being the building of the "home on the range" sparked me to make the change.
5. I'm In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop
6. Vega Tables
7. Barnyard (i use "All Day" as in intro for some reason) (sometimes i'll include "country air" somewhere around here if i'm feeling adventurous)
8. Holidays ( this is the one that always seem to not have a home in my mix, and i admit it seems out of place where it's at)

I didn't get too creative with the Elements
9. Wind Chimes
10. Fire
11. DaDa

i'm pretty set in my ways about how i structure Heroes and Villains (though i almost always place it at the beginning. I guess i can pretend this is the beginning of side 2, although i know i've already exceeded the side of an LP )

12. here i combine "Tag to part 1"and a HV section I can't remember the 'proper' name for
13. He Gives Speeches
14. Heroes and Villains
15. HV fade (the riding off into the sunset thingy)
16. Old Master Painter/YAMS
17. HV theme piano
i've always been really happy with that being my Heroes And Villains

and lastly, if it ain't broke don't fix it:
18. Wonderful
19. Look
20. CIAFOTM
21. Surf's Up
22. a reprise of "our prayer" editing to begin at around the 34 second mark

I'm so glad there is a place for me to discuss this. You're right Sheriff, it is so much fun to make these mixes. I'll be in garage band with the headphones on mixing stuff and my room mate will ask me what i'm doing and next thing you know i'm discussing smile and getting excited as if it were my own creation. Smile truly is one of a kind in this way and it's up to people like us to keep this alive. Obviously record companies can't be counted on so I guess we are the keepers of the Smile flame. We must continue on or else leave a world for our future generations in which BWPS IS smile by default. anyways keep the ideas coming!

[Sheriff John Stone]

I like your mix, Rocky. A couple of comments....

I keep changing the location of "Good Vibrations", between right where you put it, or somewhere in the middle after "Wind Chimes", actually "Whispering Winds" (on the WIND that lifts her perfume through the air).

I do like it at the beginning for four reasons. First, it was the first SMiLE song recorded. Second, it's a boy-meets-girl song and you have to meet her before you lose her. Third, it does sound great right after "Our Prayer". And fourth, I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO PUT IT! I will never close with it, that I know. I actually like to get it out of the way, if you know what I mean. However, it's been near the middle of mine for awhile now. Go figure....

Question - not arguing, just asking - why did you put "Barnyard" between "Vegetables" and "Holidays"? He's carting off the vegetables, not going out to the barnyard. :pb

Do you link "Wonderful" to "Look" to "CIFOTM" to "Surf's Up" a la BWPS? Or utilize the fades?

[Rocky]

Question - not arguing, just asking - why did you put "Barnyard" between "Vegetables" and "Holidays"? He's carting off the vegetables, not going out to the barnyard. :pb

  haha true. actually i did have vegetables coming after Barnyard but i got too lazy to edit out the trail end of the workshop noises at the beginning of "Vegetables" because i'm using Purple Chick's version (shhhh! don't tell) so yeah it would fit better the other way around if i can just edit it differently so it's smoother.

Do you link "Wonderful" to "Look" to "CIFOTM" to "Surf's Up" a la BWPS? Or utilize the fades?

i link them (seems so easy to do) but one thing i will never give up is the fade out of "Surf's Up" the way it just drifts away is one of the most beautiful moments on smile IMO. and then just as it fades into silence i fade in Our Prayer from about the 34 sec mark. makes for a nice ending.

BTW did you happen to notice that you just posted post # 1967? 

[Sheriff John Stone]

BTW did you happen to notice that you just posted post # 1967? 

It was fate, but my next post won't be about Friends....

Hey, you know what I've been using as a closer, after "Surf's Up" of course? A hidden track!

I take that 30 second snippet from "Carl's Coda", from the Hawthorne CD, that low a capella "boys...girls...boys...girls...It's a part of "Heroes And Villains", you know what I'm referring to? It's so innocent, sounds cool after "Surf's Up" , and it "wraps up" what I believe to be one of Brian's main themes of SMiLE - the "Heroes And Villains" theme.

[Rocky]

wow i had forgotten all about that at the end of Hawthorne! that's really clever! I've always tried to think of some sort of sound effect from one of the dialogue/humour sessions to stick at the end, kind of like pet sounds, but it always seems tacky.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I've always tried to think of some sort of sound effect from one of the dialogue/humour sessions to stick at the end, kind of like pet sounds, but it always seems tacky.

In one of my very first SMiLE mixes - before I had a lot of the stuff and was still using cassettes - I tried to emulate the Pet Sounds' ending on my SMiLE mix. So, I actually ended with "Wonderful" (I still think it's a great ending song, and David Leaf used it that way on Beautiful Dreamer years later) and followed it (ended the tape) with that "Heroes And Villains" :47 track only snippet from CD 5 from the boxed set. I always loved the "she belongs there" from "Wonderful" followed by the guy riding off into the sunset. In other words, "Wonderful" was "Caroline No", and the "Heroes And Villains" snippet took the place of the train. No barking dogs, however...

I've tried the same :47 "Heroes And Villains" snippet after "Surf's Up" but it doesn't quite work. Works great after "Wonderful" though....

[hypehat]

I had a long train journey yesterday, so put all the Smile snippets i could on my phone and saw what i could do.. then have just been adding some finishing touches today. I tried to make it quite 'weird' 

Our Prayer
Tape explosion (if you fade it in on the last note of Prayer, it sounds dead intense)
Flutter with strings
H&V (Brian and Mike Version) verse 1.
Have the acapella break, but fade up the bells intro so it ends just after that finishes, chiming into....
Who ran the Iron Horse?
Bicycle Rider
La-la
cantina
sunny down snuff, but with the words removed until 'and sunny down snuff...'
Who ran the iron horse w/truck drving man
Bridge to indians
false barnyard

what do you think?

[Sheriff John Stone]

I had a long train journey yesterday, so put all the Smile snippets i could on my phone and saw what i could do.. then have just been adding some finishing touches today. I tried to make it quite 'weird' 

Our Prayer
Tape explosion (if you fade it in on the last note of Prayer, it sounds dead intense)
Flutter with strings
H&V (Brian and Mike Version) verse 1.
Have the acapella break, but fade up the bells intro so it ends just after that finishes, chiming into....
Who ran the Iron Horse?
Bicycle Rider
La-la
cantina
sunny down snuff, but with the words removed until 'and sunny down snuff...'
Who ran the iron horse w/truck drving man
Bridge to indians
false barnyard

what do you think?

I have to hear it to appreciate it, to hear how it flows. You know, I've never heard the Brian and Mike version of "Heroes & Villains".

[TdHabib]

I had a long train journey yesterday, so put all the Smile snippets i could on my phone and saw what i could do.. then have just been adding some finishing touches today. I tried to make it quite 'weird' 

Our Prayer
Tape explosion (if you fade it in on the last note of Prayer, it sounds dead intense)
Flutter with strings
H&V (Brian and Mike Version) verse 1.
Have the acapella break, but fade up the bells intro so it ends just after that finishes, chiming into....
Who ran the Iron Horse?
Bicycle Rider
La-la
cantina
sunny down snuff, but with the words removed until 'and sunny down snuff...'
Who ran the iron horse w/truck drving man
Bridge to indians
false barnyard

what do you think?

I have to hear it to appreciate it, to hear how it flows. You know, I've never heard the Brian and Mike version of "Heroes & Villains".

I always think in the back of my mind that it would've been the version released if SMiLE would've been finished. After all, Mike would've been a part of the LEAD single as he was in the past...

[B-Rex]

I've revisted my Smile mix as well.  It has grown to four movements:
Americana
Vitality
The Elements
Humana

Virtually everything is from '66 to '68, excepting the finished Surf's Up.  I'm still working on the Americana section so it's a work in progress.

Americana:
Our Prayer
Spanish Guitar
H & V intro (Fire intro)/horns
Heroes & Villains Pt. 1 (Mostly stereo version from Hawthorne)
Roll Plymouth Rock (DYLW)
How I Love My Girl (Gee)
My Only Sunshine
H & V link (duh, duh, duh H & V)
Ol' Man River (SS bonus track)
H & V intro (includes Bicycle Rider)
Heroes & Villains Pt. 2 (Cantina, Sunset ending)
String Bridge, clip clop (The lead into Cabinessence is absolutely exquisite!)
Cabinessence 

Vitality:
Mama Says short intro
Vegetables/H&V tag
Mama Says Poof snippet
I'm in Great Shape
Time to Get Alone (Hawthorne)
Love to Say Dada (just the wah wah ho wah)
Little Pad (minus the beginning)
Water Chant
Cool, Cool Water
Prayer reprise
Good Vibrations

The Elements:
H & V piano theme
Earth intro (Fuzz tone from SS Wind Chimes, small portion of George Fell-Woody Woodpecker part)
Fall Breaks and Back to Winter
Air intro ( Portion of Holidays, Whispering Winds, SS Wind Chimes)
Wind Chimes
Fire intro (bass sounds from George Fell)
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
Diamond Head
Hawai'ian chant from RPR (DYLW)

I've taken some liberties with the opening track from the final section. 
Humana:
You're Welcome/ Can't Wait Too Long/With Me Tonight/Can't Wait Too Long edited into a 3 1/2 minute song
Walk On By  (I'm toying with using Friends as well)
Wonderful
Song for Children (Look)
Child is Father
Surf's Up
Prayer reprise (still toying with that)

I'm into the link track idea.  It does get a bit maddening but when something works right it becomes apparent.  It sounds terribly busy but flows extremely well.  Naturally, this would have required SMiLE to be a double album.

[sofonanm]

Is it possible that the "Good Vibrations Good Vibrations Good Vibrations" on the SMiLE album cover was only alluding to the song and suggesting that it's an album with the same sort of theme?

I've never really enjoyed it on any mixes I've heard, and especially not on BWPS. Might this be because it's the only track that was completely finished and sticks out a bit?

[sofonanm]

After "Our Prayer" I throw in "Barbara Ann" which works surprisingly well.

I read somewhere that Brian included "Gee" because it reminded him of "Barbara Ann" which he heard in a bookstore before he had an 'episode'.

It's very possible to compile a SMiLE mix, similar to the 12 song list submitted to Capitol Records in 1966, with minimal editing and "gadgetry". Between the boxed set, the 2fers, Hawthorne, and maybe even BWPS, you can compile and sequence a very satisfying SMiLE mix.

There's a couple of similar threads going on right now with overlapping themes regarding SMiLE. And that's great. I could read/talk about it all day. Is it possible that we could dedicate this particular thread to us nuts, like me, who are obssessed with making the perfect SMiLE mix? There are no wrong answers, anything goes. Just state your OPINION and your reason(s) for it. I'd like to throw something out there.

"Good Vibrations" has been discussed recently on the board, specifically about its inclusion on SMiLE. Assuming you elect to put it on, where do you put it? For years, I put it somewhere in the middle, usually around "Wind Chimes". But, recently, I've been toying with putting it first, or near the beginning. If it was to be included on SMiLE, obviously it was the first song to be recorded. Also, it ended up a boy meets girl song, so, assuming the lyrics would've stuck, on SMiLE, you could've started with it! I mean, lyrically, where else do you put it? What do you think about this?

1. Our Prayer
2. Good Vibrations
3. Look
 

I've never thought of GV as an album track, although I really enjoy listening to Smiley and hearing the dramatic contrast between Little Pad to Good Vibrations and back to With Me Tonight. In some unexplainable way it works in that context.

[Sheriff John Stone]

sofonanm, do you have a personal SMiLE mix? 

[sofonanm]

sofonanm, do you have a personal SMiLE mix? 

I started one a few years ago with ambition but never got around to finishing it. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

sofonanm, do you have a personal SMiLE mix? 

I started one a few years ago with ambition but never got around to finishing it. 

Spring is here, it's almost summer, NOW is the time to finish it!

[Jay]

I'm starting to think about trying to do a H&V version without the In The Cantina section. In it's place would be I'm In Great Shape. The "In The Cantina" section would be a track on it's own. Then it would go into "you're under arrest!", followed by "at three score and five", and on to the False Barnyard fade. Does any of this sound like a workable idea, or am I just being waaaaay to ambitious?

[B-Rex]

In my opinion, one cannot be too ambitious.  An ambitious project requires much thought and creativity.  Following through on that ambition can be a rather daunting task, however.  But, in doing so, you may get a small taste of what Brian went through in attempting to piece it all together.  I have In the Cantina as a separate movement right now but I've gone back and forth with an extended version of H&V and two distinct pieces.  SMiLE mixes are often dictated by one's mood at the time. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

SMiLE mixes are often dictated by one's mood at the time.

Yeah, I know what you mean. For a long time, I didn't want to include any material past May 1967 or the "I Love To Say Dada" sessions. But, my stance gradually changed, based on my mood(s) I guess, to at least consider later stuff. Now, I'm toying around with using the "Cool Cool Water" track, the short one, from the boxed set. I've also been playing around with "Diamond Head" for a few weeks now. You know that thread we had going about asking Brian one question; well, right now I'd like to ask him about that early BWPS list that was circulating, with some of those interesting titles on there...

[Mr. Cohen]

Yeah, the early BWPS list had "Time to Get Alone" on it, too. Which I could see. I always thought it sounded like a mix of "Home on the Range" from "Cabinessence" with the early versions of "With Me Tonight". It doesn't have VDP lyrics through.

[sofonanm]

There's some kind of instrumental insert recorded for Time To Get Alone. I couldn't even recognize what it was on my first (and only) listen. Sounded like some kind of piano playing a really bouncy feel. Very Smile-like.

[Sheriff John Stone]

On your mixes, does anybody use two/both versions of "Child Is Father Of The Man" -  the "regular" one, and the one that starts with the piano followed by that high "child" part? If yes, do you separate them and/or put them at different places?

[Wrightfan]

SMiLE mixes are often dictated by one's mood at the time.

Highly agreed.

Semester is almost over...maybe I'll make yet another mix over the summer.  May try more different things: make the Elements just fire and water ala the original plan, Put "I Ran" back in there since Brian has indicated it was an instrumental (yes, there was a vocal session but perhaps it was just backing harmonies and even at that, eventually not considered good and junked.)

[LostArt]

SMiLE mixes are often dictated by one's mood at the time.

Put "I Ran" back in there since Brian has indicated it was an instrumental (yes, there was a vocal session but perhaps it was just backing harmonies and even at that, eventually not considered good and junked.)

This is the first I've heard that Brian had indicated that Look/I Ran was going to be an instrumental back then.  When did he say that?  Not that I don't believe it, I just hadn't heard that before.  I always figured that the vocal session could have been some wordless backing vocals, but it would be nice to know for sure. 

[Wrightfan]

SMiLE mixes are often dictated by one's mood at the time.

Put "I Ran" back in there since Brian has indicated it was an instrumental (yes, there was a vocal session but perhaps it was just backing harmonies and even at that, eventually not considered good and junked.)

This is the first I've heard that Brian had indicated that Look/I Ran was going to be an instrumental back then.  When did he say that?  Not that I don't believe it, I just hadn't heard that before.  I always figured that the vocal session could have been some wordless backing vocals, but it would be nice to know for sure. 

I heard someone on the board say that he said that...

So I heard it from a friend of a friend of a friend I guess 

Seriously, I think Andrew Doe or someone of that ilk say it.