The Smiley Smile Message Board

Apologies in advance for being a board hog. I think this will be the last of the SMiLE A.D. mixes so I figured I'd give it it's own thread. At this point, I feel like I'm out of ideas for new stereo SMiLE re-mixes. I hope I've inspired a few fans and fan mixers alike, and I look forward to hearing others take SMiLE fan mixes even further.


Without further ado, I present to you:

SMiLE A.D 4.0: A Stereo Vocal Mix.   :3d

Download: http://beachboyssmilead.blogspot.com

Upgrades from previous SMiLE A.D. mixes:

OUR PRAYER - high quality stereo.
HOLIDAYS - stereo vocal version.
WONDERFUL - wider stereo separation.
 
In typical SMiLE A.D. fashion, there are some new bits to be found hidden in the mix.

Definitely recommend a headphones listen for this one.  :hat

SMiLE,

-J

You're the best. Thanks a lot for this!

Thanks a bunch for all your mixes man, they inspired me to tackle my own Smile edits with increased creativity and I really appreciate that! :) Hope you feel reinspired soon enough and tackle this puppy again, you have a unique sonic vision for Smile and a talent for this stuff. I like you  8)

Thank you so much how did you know it was my birthday?? :lol

 :thud

Thanks for sharing the awesome work you've done on these mixes!  I never thought I'd hear really convincing vocal approximations of songs like Look, Dada, and now Holidays.  I wasn't sure about the mono mix at first, but this new stereo version sounds excellent.  Keep up the great work! 

This is simply stunning - I could not stop listening after just the first few seconds of Our Prayer and am now hooked. This mix came hot on the trail of version 3.0 (in mono with and without the added lickety spits and grit) and it's a no-brainer -- the new 4.0 stereo mix is a wowee. Your recommendation os headphones is spot on.

You have clearly worked hard on this evolution and the result is a joy. Your stereo mix builds upon the magic of Brian and The Beach Boys, realised through the work of Alan Boyd and Mark Linett in the TSS release.

Fellow (Smiley) SMiLERs,  be sure to grab this. The music and sound is phenomenal. Thank you......!!

Thanks a lot for this new stereo mix!

Your Holidays is blowing my mind, man! How do you do it? Congratulations!

Thanks for all the kind words. I just checked the stats, and it looks like 4.0 is the most downloaded out of all of them so far. It means a lot knowing that you all are getting joy out of these mixes - also justifies the unpaid studio time spent   :lol

Speaking of Alan Boyd and Mark Linett, I wonder if they've heard 4.0. A co-sign from them would be huge! I hope if anyone from the Beach Boys world has heard it, they aren't offended by my "virtual Beach Boys approach". Fantasy is one thing, but clearly ML & AB did an incredible job with the original tapes, and of course supplied most of the tools necessary to make this, and many other fan-mixes happen.

Sidenote: I've never had the opportunity to meet Mark or Alan, but I've been lucky enough to have a few "insider" moments in the Beach Boys world. My personal connection to SMiLE started when Brian heard my (very primitive and maybe a little too youthful) cover of "Wonderful", which was played for him by an internet radio host that was interviewing him at the time. Come to think of it, that must've been one of the first internet radio stations in existence. This was back in 1998. I remember running around the house in excitement when Brian said in response: "Wow, Boy Genius!". My brothers thought I was nuts. But talk about encouragement for a young musician.

Around that time, I was fortunate enough to be mentored in the way of the Beach Boys, BW & SMiLE by the late great Bob Hanes. He introduced me to Brad Elliot, and I got my first CD credit on the "Ultimate Christmas Album", because I had supplied Brad with a tape of "Winter Symphony" for Brian to comment on for the liner notes. I also got to vibe with Darian Sahanaja, and sent him some tapes for study (as per Bob) right as the BW solo tour was being put together. Thinking back now, that was an incredible time of my life. Really made my childhood. I met Brian, Jeff, Paley, Darian, Melinda, David Leaf (who I hung out with at the BW soundcheck at the Beacon in 99 - he was very encouraging) and got some fascinating insight from Bob along the way. I lost touch with Bob as time went on and I wish I could've given him a big thanks for the impact he had both on me as a person, and as a musician. I'd like to think that if he were still around, he'd appreciate my fanmix (and that I became a full-time singer/songwriter/producer in the pop world. Borderline successful. Have a lot of big current & classic names to my credit, but haven't scored the life changing hit yet.)

Ok, too much me. Enjoy the mix.  :hat

Man, that's pretty awesome. I've only recently really got into The Beach Boys and hearing all of these stories on how their music changed lives is pretty inspiring.

Thanks again for the mix, I think I can speak for everyone here on the board when I say that it has been great listening to these. I hope you come up with more ideas and keep them coming!

Wow. I knew there was a lot of SMiLE material to work with but I didn't even think it could all be assembled so... completely.

Man, this mix is great. (One comment, though-- the ID3 tags never seem to work right on the MP3 download. Is it just me or do none of the files have name/artist info past the filenames?)

Hi Seltaeb1012002.

Do any of your stereo mixes match the official TSS disc 1 mixes?  I mean have the same edits and overdubs, etc.

Much appreciated bro. I wouldn't completely rule out a 5.0.  :3d


Thanks man, glad u dig it.


Ahh, yes. I usually just name the files as I bounce them down from Adobe Audition.  From what I've seen, iTunes detects the song name + artist, but I suppose it's taking a chance. Which program are you loading the songs into? Apologies for the inconvenience there.


Hey man. Wonderful & Cabinessence have the same exact elements. Vegetables is the vinyl side 4 mix with an alternate first chorus. Wind Chimes is the side 4 mix, but formatted like the GV box set version (piano from the sessions disc added at the end, original backing track sections taken out). Heroes & Villains is very close to the original 66 mix (minus false Barnyard - logic there being that "Barnyard" follows.. so no need for FB) For the most part, there's trickery going on in every other track, but they all resemble the originals (+ new stuff added). Thanks for listening.

I'm a little late here (as ever) but thanks hugely for this... you've put in so much time, work and skill. Thank you!

I love all your mixes, especially Look, Fire, Wonderful...  in fact all of them. The only one that slightly jars for me is Holidays. I think you've about proved that it is not possible to add the vocal part from DYLW. If anyone could have done it it was you. I wonder if here you could do one of your subtle BWPS fly-ins? Everything else works so well and I'm not enough of a purist to rule-out additions from BWPS. Of course, it has cost me nothing to download and critique your work so you're fully justified in ignoring my opinion completely! I hope for SMiLE A.D. 5.0.. but you deserve to take a break for a while.  :)

You should make a Kontakt instrument so people can play Beach Boys voices on their keyboards.

AMAZING work, and great through headphones!  I had also thought of the transition into DYLW on the a capella F7, and I'm glad to hear it in your mix.  Love it all!

This is superb in every way.  I couldn't believe how authentic and whole "Do You Like Worms?" sounds.  You have a great ear and an extraordinary talent for this sort of thing.  Thank you for sharing your excellent work.

Brian

I'm showing up late to this game, but wanted to let you know that this mix sounds phenomenal.  Great work!

‍

I'd say it's worth the bump, as a number of us weren't on the board at the time and these are terrific mixes. Can't improve on Quzi's response, so I will only bow down in Seltaeb's general direction and say, "Thank you, man...thank you SO MUCH!"  ;D

Thanks for bumping this thread, Don. Can't believe I missed this one. Just got this and I'm listening now. This is incredible work! "Holidays" is beyond great.  seltaeb, you are a true Melodyne wizard! I really hope Alan and/or Mark will have an opportunity to hear this...

Another bump for this one!   I just now got around to listening to this mix and WOW!!  This has to be one of the top 3 versions of SMiLE in history!   Just the right amount of everything and no Good Vibrations!  Absolutely love it!  I couldn't find an album cover anywhere online for it so I tagged it to the 1983 Brother Records bootleg album cover.  I thought it suited because that is an awesome variation of the smile shop cover with no GV mentioned on it anywhere.   FINE work

So you think this is the "Top 3 best Smile fan mix without Good Vibrations?"

Naaaahhhhh.

And remember, the '83 Smile boot had Good Vibrations on it, as it should have been.

It was on the 83 boot but wasn't mentioned on the sleeve.  That is why I thought that sleeve suits this mix.    I'm not crazy about GV at all as far as being a piece of SMiLE.  Good tune but it doesn't suit the mood of the album.

BUT...........According to the album's writer and producer, Good Vibrations was to be a part of SMiLE. Whether you like it or not. 

It's not a part of this version.

To me (and others here) it's a glaring omission. Another fan recently corrected this omission in his mix and I salute him for it. It caused me to finally want to go into his mix and actually listen to it, knowing pretty much of everything Brian intended for Smile was included. I regard myself as somewhat of a purist, with a little give and take, but when you take an entire track out of the mix, it looses its legitimacy for me. Argument/debate over.  ;D

Holy crap, has it really been 3 years since I put this out? Maaan, time flies.

Re: Good Vibrations. The best stereo version of the song is on the official stereo Smiley Smile CD. I wouldn't be improving anything by attempting my own stereo version. And that's it. It's not that I don't like the song or think it shouldn't be on SMiLE.

And... thanks for all the kind words, glad people are still finding this!

I accept your surrender. 

thanks for the mix, man!  Love it!   I also have your Mini Mix 2.  Is there a Mini Mix 1 somewhere online??

Glad you like it man!

Oh yeah, here's the 1st one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OB3FmZcG7w

Pt. 2 (https://vimeo.com/39892348) is a little different - the idea of that one was to merge alternate takes of the backing tracks with the vocals to create new versions of the songs. Also did a bunch of crazy transitional work in there.

Pt. 1 was just me getting my feet wet with the overall vocal manipulation theme of the SMiLE AD projects. So, there's a chance you heard most of it already.

I didn't "surrender" at all. I (and others) did the "debate" thing about this ad nauseum with Mujan already in a previous thread. But you're bumping old threads with old posts with old mixes, seemingly to stir it up again. I remember suggesting to seltaeb1012002 that he try to mix "Good Vibrations" in stereo two or three years ago. And he did, and he included it in his Smile mix. Accolades to him for doing both.

Thanks! 

Yes, Good Vibes is a bit of a tough call for me. Personally, I don't think it fits with the rest of SMiLE. Either thematically or musically. But looking at the old interviews from Brian, it WAS going to be on the album, no question about it. Some people have similar misgivings about Sloop John B on Pst Sounds, but ultimately it was Brian's choice to include that on the album as well.

Personally, I choose to exclude GV when I'm making a personal SMiLE mix, but if I or anyone else am making an attempt at a historically accurate mix, GV *has* to be included. It's one of only two songs (the other being H&V) that Brian unquestionably declared would be on the album. That's all there is to it.

Media fire link to the .wav first half is dead. Can anyone reupload or send this to me? So insanely beautiful.