'Smile' or 'Pet Sounds'

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Pet Sounds is the chicken; SMiLE is the egg.

But...but...the egg came first!

[I. Spaceman]

Smile is Humpty Dumpty.

[Reddiwhip]

Smile is Humpty Dumpty.

And we're all the king's horses and all the king's men.

[I. Spaceman]

Smile is Humpty Dumpty.

And we're all the king's horses and all the king's men.

Exactly.

[filledeplage]

Pet Sounds is the chicken; SMiLE is the egg.

But...but...the egg came first!

Unless Pet Sounds is the Goose that laid the Golden Egg (SMiLE)

Do we really know that the egg came first?

The obvious metaphor being creationism vs. evolution? 

And, I did not anticipate Old Humpty (ISpaceman!) but that might fit as well. 

Very clever analogy! 

[Aegir]

I thought the chicken vs. egg argument was more a philosophical one.

[Mikie]

Darwin and Big Bang.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Do we really know that the egg came first?

I think we're pretty sure, yes.

[Sam_BFC]

Apples & oranges.

I like apples more than I like oranges. Just because two things are totally different doesn't mean you can't compare and contrast.

I prefer the fruit of an apple and the juice of an orange.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Apples & oranges.

What does Pink Floyd have to do with it?

Well..."Apples & Oranges" was composed by Syd Barrett and Syd's life in some ways paralleled Brian's.   

Very true! In fact, sources told me in a dream that Brian and Syd actually collaborated. And the results were in the form of Daniel Johnston compositions.

[Don Malcolm]

Making a choice like this should only be made with a gun to one's head. Given that, however, I'll go with Pet Sounds for its consistent level of quality. The Smile music often reaches greater heights ("Cabinessence," "Surf's Up") but it was abandoned in part because the LP as a whole was not jelling.

"Apples and Oranges"--a very manic-depressive song, would have fit in nicely on Smiley Smile.

[Alex]

Neither.


I'll go with Surfin' Safari, Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, and Little Deuce Coupe. DAVE MARKS GUITAR, BABY!!!! 

[Julia]

Cant believe Im saying this, as the resident SMiLE fanatic, but Pet Sounds is better. SMiLE, in certain theoretical assemblies, might've been better. But there's so many hurdles to rectify when trying to put the pieces together, like how do you stick GV on without overshadowing everything else and sounding out of place musically / thematically? How do you do the Barnyard suite or the Elements 4-part track without it sounding like a disjointed mess and taking over its respective side? Then there's just the fact that some of the coolest ideas, like Brian & Mike duet lead vocal for Heroes, or a Zappa-esque audio collage, were only passing thoughts barely recorded but not finalized, so they may've been as awesome as I imagine or underwhelming. There's also the fact that some of my favorite songs, like CIFOTM, are only my favorite if you mix and match pieces from Version 1 and Version 2 -- I'm not a fan of Brian's '66 test edit, which I think repeats the chorus way too much, uses what I think works better as an intro as the bridge, ends abruptly. There's the fact that some songs just sound half-baked and probably would've been incredible with all the counter-melodies but as is are less than (Worms verses, CIFOTM verses). There's the fact that some really cool ideas Brian almost certainly had in mind for tracks like Surf's Up have now been wiped over with, in my opinion, less good alterations. (I love Talking Horns over the fade even if no one else does and I'll die on the hill it was a vintage idea, but history will remember the Reilly/Carl restoration from '71).

Pet Sounds is just easier. It doesn't require as much guesswork, apologism, speculation, tedious assembly and revision, vigorous debate or trying to get your digital file to work on different stereo systems. It just is, and we can all agree it's brilliant. With SMiLE, a lot of things that are so "obvious" and amazing to me seem to be ridiculous to others and vice versa. It'll never have the universal appeal of PS. Also, every track on PS is amazing, where even I have to admit some of the SMiLE material, while very good, is notably inferior compared to the rest. (Im talking IWBA, Barnyard, OMP mostly--all great but hardly worthy of the best album ever symphony to God in my opinion.)

[Zenobi]

I'll be characteristically blunt. SMiLE. No explanation: it's what it is.

[BJL]

Pet Sounds is just easier. It doesn't require as much guesswork, apologism, speculation, tedious assembly and revision, vigorous debate or trying to get your digital file to work on different stereo systems. It just is, and we can all agree it's brilliant. With SMiLE, a lot of things that are so "obvious" and amazing to me seem to be ridiculous to others and vice versa. It'll never have the universal appeal of PS. Also, every track on PS is amazing, where even I have to admit some of the SMiLE material, while very good, is notably inferior compared to the rest. (Im talking IWBA, Barnyard, OMP mostly--all great but hardly worthy of the best album ever symphony to God in my opinion.)

I agree. At the end of the day, Smile just wasn't finished, much as I love it. If we extrapolate from the songs that were actually finished in the 60s, I think it's obvious that a finished Smile would have been something else entirely. But some of the most beautiful songs on the record are missing lead vocals, for God's sake. The first movement of Surf's Up is one of the most sublime instrumental arrangements in music, the second movement is *just piano,* the third movement is from the 70s and the vocal arrangement is gorgeous, but it's not up to the level of Brian Wilson in 1966. The Smile of the mind is better than Pet Sounds, the Smile on tape, though....

Just my personal take, of course!

[Zenobi]

Pet Sounds is a GREAT album... but I really don't understand the idolatry for it. It's not like the 2nd coming of Jesus.

Imho, not all the PS tracks are amazing. The two instrumentals and a couple of the others are very good but not amazing, always imho of course.

PS is not even my 2nd fav Beach Boys album... maybe the 6th.

And to widen the perspective a bit, I think all the first 6 albums of the Moody Blues are better than PS. On the other hand, PS is way better (always imho) than the superhyped Sgt. Pepper.

But SMiLE is unique. There will never be anything like it. (This is also a response to the ongoing attempt by many "fans" to devalue it.)

And... easier is not necessarily better.