SMiLE Sessions box set!

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

Hate to break it to you, but... the Beatles kinda won! haha
I LOVE Brian as much as everyone else, but the Beatles aren't even allowed on my top 10 lists because they pretty much aren't even fair.

[c-man]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

I hope you told the teacher that labeling The Beach Boys as a surf band is about the same as saying The Beatles played the Mersey beat.   

[JohnMill]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

Hate to break it to you, but... the Beatles kinda won! haha
I LOVE Brian as much as everyone else, but the Beatles aren't even allowed on my top 10 lists because they pretty much aren't even fair.

Yeah but on the same token it's pretty much accepted now that none of The Beatles' contemporaries ever challenged them as much as Brian Wilson.  That is something in enough of itself and for the record The Beach Boys were a heck of a lot more than surf music.

[Bicyclerider]

For some reason I'm most excited about hearing Barnyard..

What's the smart money on as far as what sort of Barnyard we'll be hearing on Disc 1? 
Vintage lead vocals?
Brian's 'Humble Harv' vocals flown in?
No lead vocal at all?

There are two versions of Barnyard on multitrack in the archive - one instrumental, and one with the baking vocals.  No lead vocals and I don't think it's technically possible to fly in the demo vocals.  So I predict disc 1, baking vocals, disc 2, instrumental.

[SMiLE Brian]

Brian was on the cusp of Musical glory over the Beatles with GV and SMiLE, but things didn't work out for hotly debated reasons.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

Hate to break it to you, but... the Beatles kinda won! haha
I LOVE Brian as much as everyone else, but the Beatles aren't even allowed on my top 10 lists because they pretty much aren't even fair.

Yeah but on the same token it's pretty much accepted now that none of The Beatles' contemporaries ever challenged them as much as Brian Wilson.  That is something in enough of itself and for the record The Beach Boys were a heck of a lot more than surf music.

Oh heck yes, the Beach boys are the closest (next to the stones) to de-throneing the Beatles, however, that just couldn't be done!

UNTIL ZEPPELIN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_WLxseq0o&feature=fvwrel

[ghost]

What kind of name is The Beatles anyway? Why don't they get a hair cut already?

[runnersdialzero]

So I predict disc 1, baking vocals, disc 2, instrumental.

:O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O

[Dunderhead]

Brian won the production wars.
The Beatles have been most influential in that they're the prototypical rock band. The personality of the members, group dynamic, progression of albums. If anything The Beatles gave the world a way to talk about rock music, and for better or (i think) worse forever solidified the way people conceptualize things like what it means to be in a band.

Brian is the musician's musician though, I think other bands try to emulate the career trajectory and cliches of the Beatles, but when they're actually in the recording studio they try and do what Brian did.

[JohnMill]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

Hate to break it to you, but... the Beatles kinda won! haha
I LOVE Brian as much as everyone else, but the Beatles aren't even allowed on my top 10 lists because they pretty much aren't even fair.

Yeah but on the same token it's pretty much accepted now that none of The Beatles' contemporaries ever challenged them as much as Brian Wilson.  That is something in enough of itself and for the record The Beach Boys were a heck of a lot more than surf music.

Oh heck yes, the Beach boys are the closest (next to the stones) to de-throneing the Beatles, however, that just couldn't be done!

UNTIL ZEPPELIN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_WLxseq0o&feature=fvwrel

Yes but how much did The Stones actually influence The Beatles?  Obviously back in the sixties the musical papers tried to make this huge rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones but in all my years as a Beatles fan I've never detected that The Beatles actually regarded The Stones as rivals the way they did The Beach Boys.  The Beach Boys actually caused The Beatles on certain occasions to change their sound in that they had to really work on tightening up their harmonies.  George Harrison admits as much in the "Anthology" that something like "Paperback Writer" was a direct result of what The Beach Boys were doing and the sounds they were creating on their records.  

Personally I just never got the vibe that The Beatles were either directly influenced by The Stones or threatened by them.  As for Led Zeppelin, never was able to get into them.  That early seventies rock just never grooved me.

[Shady]

I ordered mine for delivery on release day. And that's when it better show up.

Same here. Will probably get it ironically, just before my history of rock and roll class so I won't be able to listen until after.

Take it in and show the teacher!...if the teacher knows his history you'll probably get a bump in your grade!

I once took a lame History of Rock & Roll class, which focused, predictably, mostly on the Beatles. In the syllabus of the class, at the bottom, under the heading IF TIME PERMITS AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER was "Surf Music - The Beach Boys." Ungh. I got into arguments with my teacher throughout that semester. What a silly, worthless class. Hey, did you know that The Beatles are the pinnacle of pop music and the Beach Boys were a surf band? Kewl.

Hate to break it to you, but... the Beatles kinda won! haha
I LOVE Brian as much as everyone else, but the Beatles aren't even allowed on my top 10 lists because they pretty much aren't even fair.

Yeah but on the same token it's pretty much accepted now that none of The Beatles' contemporaries ever challenged them as much as Brian Wilson.  That is something in enough of itself and for the record The Beach Boys were a heck of a lot more than surf music.

Oh heck yes, the Beach boys are the closest (next to the stones) to de-throneing the Beatles, however, that just couldn't be done!

The Beach Boy/Brian dethroned The Beatles with SMiLE, Let's not get into it but that's my story and I'm sticking to it

[Dunderhead]

It should also be said that as much as there was a supposed rivalry between the BB and the Beatles, it was Phil Spector who Brian really cared about.

[JohnMill]

Brian won the production wars.
The Beatles have been most influential in that they're the prototypical rock band. The personality of the members, group dynamic, progression of albums. If anything The Beatles gave the world a way to talk about rock music, and for better or (i think) worse forever solidified the way people conceptualize things like what it means to be in a band.

Brian is the musician's musician though, I think other bands try to emulate the career trajectory and cliches of the Beatles, but when they're actually in the recording studio they try and do what Brian did.

I think you pretty much nailed it as far as The Beatles went.  Billy Crystal of all people had this really great quote about The Beatles and "Yesterday" in that when The Beatles put that record out it was the first time he was able to go to his parents and play them a record that made them admit that rock and roll had aesthetic value because prior to that I think a lot of people really for lack of a better term disrespected rock and roll.

Remember that television show "Karen" that The Beach Boys sang the theme song to?  There are some clips of it on YouTube and in one of the clips Richard Denning and Mary LaRoche make some offhand remarks about The Beatles (specifically John Lennon and Ringo Starr) which given hindsight are extremely hilarious to watch.

[rab2591]

I was talking with a friend about this the other day. I said to him that the Beatles were the most consistent at revolutionizing the rock and roll scene. Their songwriting (lyrically) is just unmatched. However, for sheer sonic beauty The Beach Boys can't be matched.

No Beatles songs sound as heavenly as Don't Worry Baby or In The Back Of My Mind. I love that heavenly spiritual sound - thus I like The Beach Boys a helluva lot more.

I think the Beatles deserve the #1 spot in many areas, but they have nothing on the Beach Boys when it comes to musical composition and vocal harmonies.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I was talking with a friend about this the other day. I said to him that the Beatles were the most consistent at revolutionizing the rock and roll scene. Their songwriting (lyrically) is just unmatched. However, for sheer sonic beauty The Beach Boys can't be matched.

No Beatles songs sound as heavenly as Don't Worry Baby or In The Back Of My Mind. I love that heavenly spiritual sound - thus I like The Beach Boys a helluva lot more.

I think the Beatles deserve the #1 spot in many areas, but they have nothing on the Beach Boys when it comes to musical composition and vocal harmonies.

A DAY IN THE LIFE.

Listen to it in stereo with some nice HEADPHONES. I cry at the part after "fell into a dream"

[Runaways]

my only issue with the beatles is sometimes their songs don't feel genuine

[JohnMill]

my only issue with the beatles is sometimes their songs don't feel genuine

Can you elaborate?

[rab2591]

"A DAY IN THE LIFE"

One of my favorite Beatles songs - although I prefer it more in mono*. Consistently the Beach Boys outrivaled The Beatles in harmonies and arrangements.

*Today I started listening to 'All You Need Is Love' in stereo with my studio monitor headphones, and it was painful to listen to.

I wish Mark Linett would do some stereo remastering for the Beatles...In regards to stereo, there's a difference between making each instrument stand alone and creating a sonic journey that really benefits the music. The Beatles in stereo has never really done it for me. Okay, my rant is over

[Micha]

The fact that certain tracks are or are not on the list has been a factor in whether or not those tracks have been considered part of the Smile "canon." For example, bits and pieces like "You're Welcome," "He Gives Speeches" and "With Me Tonight" are not on the track list and have been relegated to 2nd-class status as "outtakes."

If I remember correctly, Darian didn't present the list to Brian, but rather all the musical fragments he had available. I even remember reading that when Darian played "He Gives Speeches" Brian said right away "no, not that one", but I can't unfortunately name the source. Maybe someone else can, but I doubt I dreamt it.

Ultimately it was Brian who decided what should be on BWPS and what should be left off, regardless of the list. "Barnyard" is a section too that's not on the list and still it is on the album.

Sir, I'm not one to take offense at criticism of anything I post, and I certainly take no offense in this case.  However, I do consider it bad form to partially excerpt my remarks in a way that removes them from their proper context.  My last two sentences in the post from which you excerpt were: " Sure, a few things like Barnyard, Look and Holidays aren't on the list but do appear on BWPS. But did Brian, VDP and Darian dare leave anything off of BWPS that WAS on the list? "

Thus, you're not exactly poking a hole in my argument by pointing out that Barnyard "is a section too that's not on the list and still it is on the album."   I had acknowledged that very fact myself!  My point was that everything that WAS on the list DID make it into BWPS.

Dear juggler, sir, it was certainly not my intent to, by shortening your post, twist your point and I apologize for having done so. I frequently shorten posts I reply to in an attempt to make clear which part of the post I refer to (and to not clutter the page). It had not crossed my mind that this could be considered to be bad form and may in this case result from me not having got your point correctly. And I very much appreciate your diplomatic tone in your above post.

The last sentence in your above post is "My point was that everything that WAS on the list DID make it into BWPS." Strictly speaking, that is not true. The list contains a track named "The Elements". There is no track with that name on BWPS. There are two pieces there that are commonly connected with "The Elements": MOLC and Vega-Tables. You could argue it was there as MOLC was originally recorded under the title "The Elements part one", but no attempt has been made on BWPS to point out "these four pieces form The Elements".

[Runaways]

my only issue with the beatles is sometimes their songs don't feel genuine

Can you elaborate?

First i'll say i love the beatles.  But, i guess i'll use the beach boys as an example.  Don't you always sort of believe everything the wilson bros would sing about?  They sang with genuine emotion.  I didn't really get that from the beatles, they just sang lyrics

[Ron]

Conversations like this get a little overbearing.  Neither was #1.  On my shelf, I have Beach Boys CD's, as well as Beatles CD's.  You can listen to both!  I love the Beatles and I love the Beach Boys.  I don't feel the need to figure out why one wasn't as good as the other. They were both great.  They're both examples of greatness in pop music, pop music has respect because of what the Beatles and the Beach Boys did.  You can say the Beach Boys had better songwriting with more heart but then you have to explain why that doesn't apply to "In My Life" or to "Here comes the Sun".  It's just a useless comparison.  We could stay here all year and name a hundred great Beach Boys songs and a hundred just as great Beatles songs.  They're both the rare band where you can put on pretty much any of their cd's and hear no filler, every song is good.  Very few exceptions. 

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Number 9
Number 9


Get it?

[Jay]

The Beatles and The Beach Boys both released some incredible albums. But they both released a few big stinkers too. That Is all I have to say on the subject. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

I think you pretty much nailed it as far as The Beatles went.  Billy Crystal of all people had this really great quote about The Beatles and "Yesterday" in that when The Beatles put that record out it was the first time he was able to go to his parents and play them a record that made them admit that rock and roll had aesthetic value because prior to that I think a lot of people really for lack of a better term disrespected rock and roll.

Load of crap - "Surfer Girl" anyone ?  "In My Room" ?

[37!ws]

No lead vocals and I don't think it's technically possible to fly in the demo vocals.  So I predict disc 1, baking vocals, disc 2, instrumental.

It's been done....several times. Unfortunately, the piano gets flown in, too, and it's kind of overpowering...