Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I'd love to see more breakdowns/walk-throughs of various individual tracks, or groups of tracks, as you go.

Simply (or perhaps the opposite of that!) fantastic. You've especially nailed the guitar sounds but everything seems to be just right. Love the vibraphone. From a mix perspective there are a couple of buried parts I'd like to hear more but that's mostly just a byproduct of having listened to the officially-released version of the backing track. Speaking of which, what are your guiding principles for mixing the videos?

"Words and Music by Jan Berry and Brian Wilson" reminds me - why isn't Brian credited for Folk City?

I'll happily listen to your reconstruction of Jan & Dean songs whenever you get around to them, Joshilyn!

A nice taste of what's to come!

The snippet of the session + track version of Salt Lake City on Hawthorne was one of those educational moments. Both it and Amusement Parks USA get derided for their throwback silliness but those tracks are something else, in large part due to the saxy sections. Hearing them isolated like that I pick up on why Brian probably dug the Baldwin and, later, synths - that buzzy pad sound.

Looking forward to more!

Andy later said that the acetates hadn't been available at the time of the Smile Sessions.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,25653.msg644657.html#msg644657

I note in the Durrie Parks thread he mentioned the Cabin Essence bit being incorporated in H&V that's recently been expounded on.

Very nice, thank you!

Other external factors would be Carl getting drafted, the Beach Boys suing Capitol, Brian seeing "Seconds"...

Neat! Add "Good Vibrations hits #1" to related events... And maybe when Van Dyke left, and when the Beach Boys toured... And distinguish between vocal and instrumental sessions, and... 

Also, this thread has been great, thanks for the interesting discussions. One thing I find interesting is revisiting old materials (like quotes/interviews) through the lens of new information. The interpretations of the past that were "common knowledge" may not be accurate after all.

Not sure if it's because I read about it being recorded in both '74/'77 but I feel like the first verse is from '74 and then the rest is '77. The tone just changes ever so slightly (like, it gets a little more "stuffy" and limited).

Very enjoyable! And I finally heard that organ part after seeing it isolated. I had to go back and watch the full song again after watching the breakdown - great idea to have the performance as a stand-alone video.

Amazing work, Joshilyn! Great video, too. It's so great to see the real instruments.

This video made me realize that the bonus track on the Party/Stack o Tracks twofer doesn't seem to be readily available on the streaming services I have - I wanted to compare them directly because the one nitpicky thought I had was looking for a higher frequency when the organ came in - but that might just be mixing with the ukeleles. I'll have to find it another time, but from memory it feels complete.

My other bit of constructive feedback would be to "pan" the videos to match the mix whenever possible (like, ukeleles on the right when you hear them on the right). I think that would help the viewer process the information more easily. Obviously that's not always going to be possible but just a thought.

Looking forward more of these!

Good thoughts -- are you talking about the main chugging organ on the basic track?  That was one of the hardest sounds to match I've ever experienced in my life, and I didn't quite nail it.  I'll explain more in the breakdown video.

Yeah, I was thinking I heard something a bit higher in the organ spectrum (in addition to the chugging low part). Having now listened to the Stack o Tracks bonus track, I think I hear a higher wavering organ part panned just to the right of centre. It's actually similar to the quieter organ part in the following California Girls track (this time mid-left in the panning, playing along with the bass line). Maybe they are separate organ parts?

Extra edit: my initial reaction to your video was that the low organ needed something higher but I think that was just a product of hearing it more separately in the mix (though you acknowledge it was hard to get right). It was going from memory and I was probably confusing it with the electric guitar (no ukes at that point). But having said that I think there is a separate organ part (or two?) that comes in during the chorus (around 0:29) - one playing a kind of "drone" (sustained notes) with a bit of vibrato on it (or whatever the organs of the day used) AND (maybe) a part playing along with the blues riff.

As I said before, this is incredibly nitpicky and I'm not even sure I'm hearing things right (either in your video or the Stack o Tracks bonus track).I don't want to diminish the fantastic work you put in already -  I only offer this feedback because I think you're seeking it.

Amazing work, Joshilyn! Great video, too. It's so great to see the real instruments.

This video made me realize that the bonus track on the Party/Stack o Tracks twofer doesn't seem to be readily available on the streaming services I have - I wanted to compare them directly because the one nitpicky thought I had was looking for a higher frequency when the organ came in - but that might just be mixing with the ukeleles. I'll have to find it another time, but from memory it feels complete.

My other bit of constructive feedback would be to "pan" the videos to match the mix whenever possible (like, ukeleles on the right when you hear them on the right). I think that would help the viewer process the information more easily. Obviously that's not always going to be possible but just a thought.

Looking forward more of these!

Just had a listen - pretty good but there are enough differences that it's sometimes jarring. The lead on Don't Talk is quite nice - many of the songs lend themselves well to Zooey's range.

Edit: I liked Brian's contributions to Do it Again - he adds a bit of zest even

Note "She's Going Bald" rather than "He Gives Speeches"...

I also have very fond memories of this book, though I got it in the early 2000s. It's a time capsule/artifact in its own right - I think the SMiLE story benefits from it capturing the mystery in a way that a normal retelling of history cannot.

Thank you (as always) for sharing your perspective and insights. I think what you said about Dennis captures what we got to hear on Feel Flows.

Missed this before - I enjoyed it, thanks!

Nice to see you again! Quite the collection of instruments you've got there, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Did you ever do a video on Sherry/Sandy? I love the saxy track for Sherry, it's one of my favourites from the era. I'm also reminded of (my) past observations that Jan Berry favoured brass whereas Brian favoured woodwinds. Could be wrong on that, of course.

While outside of my realm of expertise, congratulations, Mark! Definitely a worthwhile endeavour!

Hey, that's cool. Too bad it's not a double album!

Very cool story! Nice song, I agree with your 10-year old self's assessment that it sounds like Rubber Soul era Beatles, melodically.

Kind of puts Big Star's relative success in perspective - so many bands never even made it as far as they did.

Over the past couple of years I've been delving into these Grapefruit Records boxed sets - mostly focused on specific years or genres of British music in the ever-fruitful mid-60s to early-70s... I see that they are now branching across the pond for a "Where the Action Is"-style look at The Beach Boys' backyard. I figured it might be of interest to some people here. I haven't done a side-by-side to see how much will be new to me but I'll probably pick it up regardless, as the are bound to be a few gems.

 https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/heroes-villains-the-sound-of-los-angeles-1965-1968-3cd-box-set/

Note that Do You Like Worms is the Beach Boys' cut.

Thank you, Joshilyn!

This is an odd song for me. I've never really dug it, and with the two Bruce songs on either side it's kind of a lull in the album for me. Each song has its own merits of course, but this is probably my least-favourite on the album (I'm not generally a fan of songs about music/being a musician, even if that's not necessarily the case here). The Feel Flows set has some new insights like the fantastic drumming, and the main riff is pretty solid. Thanks for highlighting the way the chords play against it and doing the comparison with the straightforward approach. I may need rethink a song I recently recorded...

I listened once on Spotify, and will probably get a copy! Thanks for the thoughtful review above, Theydon Bois... I'm glad it has a more homespun feel than it could have had (sounds kind of like some of my rudimentary 4-track recordings of my household upright many years ago, or, more interestingly, like some of the Smiley Smile piano backing tracks). Good Vibrations sparkles in comparison to some others, it's definitely the most elaborate one.

Kind of like the backing vocal montages, I wish the Smile section went on forever.

Took me a while to get around to watching the latest. I appreciate the compare/contrast examples, so thanks again!

One thing about 'Deirdre' is that it's a perfect example of what I guess I would call Sesame Street Soft Pop. I recall some users of the old Smile Shop boards being into the Joe Raposo sound, and I get that vibe from this song. The flutes, especially.  In a similar vein, I also get a kind of "Shaft"/soundtrack vibe. So it's dated to its era but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks again for another insightful piece. I like that you compare/contrast with alternative approaches to show what a more conventional structure might have. Also, I'm glad you gave specific mention to Mike's exuberant bass vocal part.

I just want to mention Pop Symphony No. 1 as a sort of rebuttal to the notion that Jan lacked ambition or artistic "merit". But I say that as someone who loves Meet Batman, so take that for what it's worth.

I do think the comparison with girl groups is apt, as both seem to have fallen out of favour in the mid-60s.