New Beach Boys release will make you 'SMiLE'

[monkee knutz]

No, (laughs): I'm a banished ex-Hoffman board member; banished back in 2009.

OK, I'm intrigued - what did you do/say ?

Probably told the truth. Hoffmanites are extreme whiners and their 'gorts' don't want anyone to get offended.
It's all soft & fuzzy over there, but with idiots. It's like Disneyland for douchebags.

I've had many a post and thread deleted because some jackass member cried or complained to the board moderators.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I dunno. I'd love to believe this is happening, but Hoffman's "I know the scoop but I can't tell ya" sounds pretty ominous to me.

Really ? 

[pixletwin]

Who/What is Hoffman and why do some people care?

*honest question*

[PhilCohen]

Who/What is Hoffman and why do some people care?

*honest question*

He's a remastering engineer who works on 24kt.Gold CD's, and he has a cult following; something he and his staff seem to encourage. His staff of censors get freaked out by anyone who dares criticise record companies or even discuss unofficial releases. Hoffman is quite paranoid that record moguls might think that anti-industry views on his forums will be misconstrued( by the moguls) to be the opinions of Hoffman himself, resulting in record companies not sending any more mastering work to Hoffman or the audiophile Gold CD labels with which he is(or has been) associated with. Hoffman has been (at times) accused(though I don't know whether it is true) of doing questionable things with master tapes while they were in his custody, with the result that some labels now send some sort of master tape "chaperone" to keep an eye on the tapes while Hoffman is working on them. There were also accusations(in a handful of cases) that the tapes that Hoffman worked with(for 24kt.Gold "audiophile" CD's) were less than first generation masters. Any attempt to discuss those issues on Hoffman's forum resulted in the threads disappearing, and forum members being warned and/or banished. Amongst the banished ex-members are grammy winning, Nashville-based recording engineer Jamie Tate and Legendary ex-Abbey Road Studios engineer Ken Scott(who has produced David Bowie, Supertramp and The Beatles*)    * Scott doesn't want to be publicly credited for producing one-third of "The White Album", though the original multitrack tape boxes DO credit him.

[?]

I dunno. I'd love to believe this is happening, but Hoffman's "I know the scoop but I can't tell ya" sounds pretty ominous to me.

SH says lots of things.

Read between the lines on this forum.  The people said to be working on this set have been reading this thread and have not posted a denial.  That's good enough for me.  Besides, I trust AGD knows what he's talking about.  His record speaks for itself.  I'm looking forward to this summer!

[rab2591]

Who now has to sign off on SMiLE, I thought the band members had already done this prior to Brian's version coming out?

brian did already. nobody needs to.

When did this happen? I remember Mr. Doe saying that Brian finally agreed to the official release of the SMiLE tapes....but I don't remember hearing anything other than that.

[pixletwin]

Who/What is Hoffman and why do some people care?

*honest question*

He's a remastering engineer who works on 24kt.Gold CD's, and he has a cult following; something he and his staff seem to encourage. His staff of censors get freaked out by anyone who dares criticise record companies or even discuss unofficial releases. Hoffman is quite paranoid that record moguls might think that anti-industry views on his forums will be misconstrued( by the moguls) to be the opinions of Hoffman himself, resulting in record companies not sending any more mastering work to Hoffman or the audiophile Gold CD labels with which he is(or has been) associated with. Hoffman has been (at times) accused(though I don't know whether it is true) of doing questionable things with master tapes while they were in his custody, with the result that some labels now send some sort of master tape "chaperone" to keep an eye on the tapes while Hoffman is working on them. There were also accusations(in a handful of cases) that the tapes that Hoffman worked with(for 24kt.Gold "audiophile" CD's) were less than first generation masters. Any attempt to discuss those issues on Hoffman's forum resulted in the threads disappearing, and forum members being warned and/or banished. Amongst the banished ex-members are grammy winning, Nashville-based recording engineer Jamie Tate and Legendary ex-Abbey Road Studios engineer Ken Scott(who has produced David Bowie, Supertramp and The Beatles*)    * Scott doesn't want to be publicly credited for producing one-third of "The White Album", though the original multitrack tape boxes DO credit him.

Oh ok. Thanks for the explanation. I can see why he would worry though. A man's livelihood is a bad thing to mess with (or appear to mess with).

[jeremylr]

I didn't know who Hoffman was, either, so you weren't alone.  I'm not into the 24-karat gold cds.  Hoffman must be ballsy if he can banish Ken Scott.  Or an idiot.  Thanks for the explanation, Phil.

[buddhahat]

I dunno. I'd love to believe this is happening, but Hoffman's "I know the scoop but I can't tell ya" sounds pretty ominous to me.

Really ? 

Well, I hope you're right. Who knows what to think at this point. Certainly Al was saying initially that Brian has come round to the idea of releasing it and I would've thought Brian's is the hardest sign off to get.

Read between the lines on this forum.  The people said to be working on this set have been reading this thread and have not posted a denial.  That's good enough for me.  Besides, I trust AGD knows what he's talking about.  His record speaks for itself.  I'm looking forward to this summer!

But would Alan Boyd post a yes or no either way? I think he has to be very careful with that type of stuff. It's one thing to share his knowledge of Smile tapes and tape boxes etc. but release schedules is a whole different story I'd imagine.

I don't want to be a downer and hope for this as much as anyone here, but I think a bit of healthy pessimism is no bad thing at this point!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Who/What is Hoffman and why do some people care?

*honest question*

Hoffman has been (at times) accused(though I don't know whether it is true) of doing questionable things with master tapes while they were in his custody, with the result that some labels now send some sort of master tape "chaperone" to keep an eye on the tapes while Hoffman is working on them.

This is true in at least one instance - the version of "GV" on a comp he mastered has a slightly extended fade, and it eventually emerged that he'd done the edit himself, i.e. altered the original master (presumably without the OK of Brian). A second or three here or there is of not huge import, but the fact that this was done at all by someoen of such stature in the industry, and that no indication was included on the packaging, has to raise questions.

But would Alan Boyd post a yes or no either way? I think he has to be very careful with that type of stuff. It's one thing to share his knowledge of Smile tapes and tape boxes etc. but release schedules is a whole different story I'd imagine.

I don't want to be a downer and hope for this as much as anyone here, but I think a bit of healthy pessimism is no bad thing at this point!

Maybe Alan's too busy doing... something ? Anyway, Jeremy contacted him (and Mark), and again, given an ideal opportunity to say a simple, two letter word, no-one did. This isn't the insider knowledge some folk assume I'm privvy to, it's published on the 'net. Alan's saying it was being released was convincing, his recantation was as clumsy as a tap dancing hippo.

[Boiled Egg]

I dunno. I'd love to believe this is happening, but Hoffman's "I know the scoop but I can't tell ya" sounds pretty ominous to me.

Really ? 

Sounds like posturing to these old ears.  But what do I know?  Nothing.  (So potentially as much as Hoffman.)

[A Million Units In Jan!]

)

Read between the lines on this forum.  The people said to be working on this set have been reading this thread and have not posted a denial.  That's good enough for me.  Besides, I trust AGD knows what he's talking about.  His record speaks for itself.  I'm looking forward to this summer!

So what, now if the SMiLE set doesn't come out, you'll say 'AGD said it would!'. AGD didn't say anything more than what most people think, which is that Alan probably got told to shut the f*** up. I mean, what if Capitol records had this big plan of , out of the blue, announcing a SMiLE cd/box set? The buzz would be incredible. Now, Alan comes along and blows it. Even if Capitol has a big day where they announce this, some people are still going to say 'Oh, well Al already told us that a few months ago'. I can see where Capitol has a right to be pissed.

[hypehat]

Wasn't there some hullaballoo about his Pet Sounds remaster - something about the intro to WIBN that is either irrelevant to the discussion or i'm imagining....

[TdHabib]

Alan's saying it was being released was convincing, his recantation was as clumsy as a tap dancing hippo.

I've gotta use that expression in my future conversation Mr. Doe

[rogerlancelot]

Alan's saying it was being released was convincing, his recantation was as clumsy as a tap dancing hippo.

I've gotta use that expression in my future conversation Mr. Doe

How about "as graceful as a turd in a blender with the lid off"? Of course, I just made that one up.....

Seriously, I would wager my money on Mr. Doe's word any day!

[Fall Breaks]

One (optimistic) interpretation of Al's last statement is that he deliberately chose a reason that he knew no-one would believe (additional recording), just so that we could come to the conclusion that AGD posted.

[onkster]

I wonder if the Hoffman board and The 910 share some of the same DNA! It sure sounds like it.

[Roger Ryan]

One (optimistic) interpretation of Al's last statement is that he deliberately chose a reason that he knew no-one would believe (additional recording), just so that we could come to the conclusion that AGD posted.

Although given Al's tinkering with "Loop De Loop" 30 years after that song was essentially finished, I'd say that he believes he should complete the missing SMiLE vocals.

[Bicyclerider]

Maybe Alan's too busy doing... something ? Anyway, Jeremy contacted him (and Mark), and again, given an ideal opportunity to say a simple, two letter word, no-one did. This isn't the insider knowledge some folk assume I'm privvy to, it's published on the 'net. Alan's saying it was being released was convincing, his recantation was as clumsy as a tap dancing hippo.

I suspect like most Beach Boys project saying anything before the project is finalized and signed off on by all parties could jeopardize or even scuttle the release - remember when Mike objected to the Pet sounds liner notes - not the CD content, but just the liner notes - delaying the Pet Sounds box set for what, 2 years?  So I think all the parties involved in this are keeping quiet until they know there's no going back.

To me the most exciting part of this release if it happens could be the liner notes - new interviews with Brian, Van Dyke, Alan, Mike, and Bruce about the Smile sessions, along with studio musicians, Anderle, Vosse et al?  Let me have it!

[Shady]

To me the most exciting part of this release if it happens could be the liner notes - new interviews with Brian, Van Dyke, Alan, Mike, and Bruce about the Smile sessions, along with studio musicians, Anderle, Vosse et al?  Let me have it!

Could you imagine a massive, expensive deluxe edition with a 50 page booklet with unreleased photos, new interviews etc 

[Chris Brown]

To me the most exciting part of this release if it happens could be the liner notes - new interviews with Brian, Van Dyke, Alan, Mike, and Bruce about the Smile sessions, along with studio musicians, Anderle, Vosse et al?  Let me have it!

Could you imagine a massive, expensive deluxe edition with a 50 page booklet with unreleased photos, new interviews etc 

New photos would be awesome, but at this point I wonder how much value there would actually be in interviewing the above-mentioned principal players yet again.  We didn't get any new or relevatory info for BWPS, so I wouldn't expect much now other than the same typical answers we've all read.

Unfortunately, the two people whose thoughts would be most interesting to hear, in my opinion, aren't around to give them - Carl and Dennis.

[Awesoman]

Can't help but feel somewhat skeptical about all this.  Jardine has made several comments in recent years that could be considered slightly inaccurate (*cough* reunion tours).  Honestly, if the Beach Boys version of SMiLE does indeed get released, just what kind of release would it be?  Although a lot had been recorded for it, I always thought it was far from completed.  Could Capitol compile something together that would be a satisfying release?  

Although I'd still welcome a SMiLE release, I'm still kind of hoping for a release that encompasses the group's entire 50-year career; not just one time period from it.  Would love to see a box set release of something similar to the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne, CA albums.  

[PhilCohen]

Maybe Alan's too busy doing... something ? Anyway, Jeremy contacted him (and Mark), and again, given an ideal opportunity to say a simple, two letter word, no-one did. This isn't the insider knowledge some folk assume I'm privvy to, it's published on the 'net. Alan's saying it was being released was convincing, his recantation was as clumsy as a tap dancing hippo.

I suspect like most Beach Boys project saying anything before the project is finalized and signed off on by all parties could jeopardize or even scuttle the release - remember when Mike objected to the Pet sounds liner notes - not the CD content, but just the liner notes - delaying the Pet Sounds box set for what, 2 years? 
[Quote/]
You know why Mike Love relented in the end? Because Capitol had already distributed 1000 promo CD's that contained the entirety of the "Pet Sounds" stereo remix, many of the box set's best outtakes. The promo sampler was already being widely counterfeited & bootlegged, and the genie was already out of the bottle. If the bootleggers eventually get full fidelity sources for "Barnyard", "Child is Father to The Man" & the vocal version of "The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine", then the "Smile" genie will be out of the bottle too, and an official "Smile" set will become irrelevant and a moot point. As I've said, the idea of Mark Linett & Alan Boyd having found lost tapes, acetates etc. is probably wishful thinking and a fan fantasy. If no new material has been found, then, as the situation presently stands, are we really that far from having what we want? The existing bootleg sources for "Barnyard", "Child is Father to The Man" & the vocal version of "The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine" aren't full fidelity, but they aren't unlistenable either. In continuing to withhold an official "Smile" collection, Brian,Mike,Bruce & Al are not dealing from a position of strength. The only remaining issue is whether we get to hear those 3 tracks with full fidelity. And, of course, even Mike Love once explained the absence of an official "Smile" collection by saying "You've got it all already"
The anti-climax is that Love may be right.

[punkinhead]

Can't help but feel somewhat skeptical about all this.  Jardine has made several comments in recent years that could be considered slightly inaccurate (*cough* reunion tours).  Honestly, if the Beach Boys version of SMiLE does indeed get released, just what kind of release would it be?  Although a lot had been recorded for it, I always thought it was far from completed.  Could Capitol compile something together that would be a satisfying release?  

Although I'd still welcome a SMiLE release, I'm still kind of hoping for a release that encompasses the group's entire 50-year career; not just one time period from it.  Would love to see a box set release of something similar to the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne, CA albums.  

If you want something created for the past 50 years, what goes in that set from the past 15 years?
Basically after Stars and Stripes Vol. 1

[Andrew G. Doe]

You know why Mike Love relented in the end? Because Capitol had already distributed 1000 promo CD's that contained the entirety of the "Pet Sounds" stereo remix, many of the box set's best outtakes.

More than just that - I had the whole box (legally, and less packaging, natch) over a year before it was officially released, and I was far from alone.

If the bootleggers eventually get full fidelity sources for "Barnyard", "Child is Father to The Man" & the vocal version of "The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine", then the "Smile" genie will be out of the bottle too, and an official "Smile" set will become irrelevant and a moot point. As I've said, the idea of Mark Linett & Alan Boyd having found lost tapes, acetates etc. is probably wishful thinking and a fan fantasy. If no new material has been found, then, as the situation presently stands, are we really that far from having what we want? The existing bootleg sources for "Barnyard", "Child is Father to The Man" & the vocal version of "The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine" aren't full fidelity, but they aren't unlistenable either. In continuing to withhold an official "Smile" collection, Brian,Mike,Bruce & Al are not dealing from a position of strength. The only remaining issue is whether we get to hear those 3 tracks with full fidelity. And, of course, even Mike Love once explained the absence of an official "Smile" collection by saying "You've got it all already"
The anti-climax is that Love may be right.

Phil, you're making some unwarranted assumptions here. One, the market for Smile boots is small - the biggest run of the SOT boxes was 1000. Two, nothing we've got thus far, the released tracks aside, is properly mastered full fidelity. Three, lost/previously unknown tapes turn up all the time, e.g "Soulful Old Man Sunshine", "A Time To Live In Dreams". Granted the likelihood of unknown Smile songs is vanishingly remote, but previously unbooted mixes and takes ? I'd say the chance is reasonable to good. Finally, to me and many others, Mike's comment serves only underscore his lack of knowledge about the whole picture.