The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi Folks, just ordered this and wondering if anyone has any thoughts about it? Seems many of the tracks were remastered in 2007, and some of the 2000 remasters are also included, but there are also remasters from 2005 and 2002 - bit of a hotchpotch it seems, but must be good news I would assume. Was it Linnett who did the work or someone outside the BB circle?

And pretty much everything is in stereo, so new mixes I'd assume?

Mark indeed mastered  it, and also the new stereo remixes. All the tracks are new (i.e. 2007) digital remasters. Here's the lowdown track by track:

* - mono

1. All Summer Long [new stereo remix]
2. Catch A Wave
3. Hawaii
4. Little Honda
5. 409*
6. It’s OK
7. You’re So Good To Me [new stereo remix]
8. Then I Kissed Her [new stereo remix]
9. Kiss Me, Baby
10. Please Let Me Wonder [new stereo remix]
11. Let Him Run Wild [new stereo remix]
12. The Little Girl I Once Knew*
13. Wendy [new stereo remix]
14. Disney Girls (1957)
15. Forever
16. Friends
17. Break Away [alternate mix]
18. Why Do Fools Fall In Love*
19. Surf’s Up
20. Feel Flows
21. All This Is That
22. ‘Til I Die
23. Sail On, Sailor
24. Cool, Cool Water [single version]
25. Don’t Go Near The Water
26. California Saga (On My Way To Sunny Californ-i-a)
27. California Dreamin’ [1986 version]
28. The Warmth Of The Sun

This version of "California Dreamin'" can only be found on this compilation. It's the 1986 mix, but with added rain/thunder special effects at the beginning, just like the earlier "Rock and Roll City" version.

True, although it's not the same thunder fx.  :)

That's not what I was implying, but you're right.  :) I think the whole song is also slightly sped up compared to my 1986 "Made In USA" CD.

Great stuff, look forward to giving it a spin.

Its gonna be strange to hear some of my personal faves (i.e. Surf's Up, Break Away, All This is That, Friends) in new masters, as the sound is often so much of what we fall in love with and become used to. I know Break Away was quite (i.e. a lot) different when it appeared with the v1 BW vocal on Hawthorn - much brighter, louder, seemingly with juicier reverb, more stereo spread (personally I loved it - sounds GREAT!), but I know some of the others so well it may take a while to get to know them (actually, if they're anything like BA I'll probably fall hopelessly in love with them straight away! :) :))

That mix of Breakaway has superceded the original mix for radio play, at least over here. Which is odd.

Also, The Warmth Of The Sun is the mono mix on this comp. Andrew, are you sure all the tracks are 2007 remasters? I don't have here at work, but I don't remember that at all. I know that the Brother tracks are in HDCD here, where they are not on the 2-fers.

I like TWOTS a lot. But not our usual acronym of it.

I've been fond of TWOTS for as far back as I can remember.

Aye, you can't beat TWOTS...... :p

I've never heard it on the radio here, but superceding the original is probably due to it being on a popular compilation, rather than a bonus track from the twofer.

(Also? One of my favorite stereo remixes. Didn't mind the original at all, but I love the extra outro lyrics and Brian's take on the first verse.)

To a certain extent I really like the "new" Break Away. It's loud and it's punchy but the great heavenly (if barely audible) group vocals towards the end got buried in the mix even more and that poses the question... WHY?!? There are moments where there's almost too much going on and that doesn't really work for me. It's too dense, so I still prefer the original single version.

I think you are right - generally the original versions are better than souped-up remixes/alternate versions etc. Remastering can improve a recording, if administered sensibly, but generally what the artists and producers decided to do to a recording in the first place is best.

The new Break Away is very dynamic, and the sound is fabulous, but the outro group vocals you mention were originally discarded for a reason (as were the 'Unreleased backgrounds' from whichever album (can't remember...)). What we have in the original version of the outro is best, and what we have in the new version is an experiment.

Though I do like Brian's first verse vocal, Carl sings it so well I do think I prefer it with him singing both.

That said, some of these experiments are very satisfying and it's nice to have them. The stereo remix of "Please Let Me Wonder" sounds absolutely fabulous, even though I wouldn't want it to sound like that on Today!, which of course is one of the quintessential muddy-sounding monophonic pop masterpieces of 60s vintage.

My favourite TWOTS "new stereo mix" has to be "Let Him Run Wild" I think. Made me appreciate that song even more than before!

I'm a big fan of stereo remixes when done well, but some of the stereo remixes on this CD are dreadful. WAY too much echo/reverb. I said it a million times back when the CD came out, when I heard "Please Let Me Wonder" on this CD, it sounded like someone had hit the "Opera House" setting on a digital receiver.

The stereo remixes started out pretty nice. The 1996 "Pet Sounds" remix sounded great. The initial 1998 version of the "Endless Harmony Soundtrack" CD had some good stereo remixes. From there, starting with the 2000 reissue of the EH Soundtrack, the stereo remixes have become way too echo-laden. I have some issues with other elements of the stereo remixes in some cases, but the echo/reverb is really distracting.

I really, really, really hope the new "Smile" set doesn't sound this way.

I have to agree with much of what's been stated above.  Although I really enjoy most of the new stereo mixes, I have run across a few cases where the over-use of reverb kinda kills it.  One case is "Time to Get Alone" on the latest comp, where the clarity is just amazing, and the mix is great, but the added reverb just doesn't do it for me.  Too bad.

I very much agree. Well stated.

Interestingly diverse opinions - I would say that you can't overlook personal taste as a factor in these things...



I think that the 'added reverb' (which is certainly what it sounded like to me when I first heard Break Away), may in fact just be the result of the mix being much more open with more space in the stereo field to here such things. If tracks are mixed in mono then you are likely not to her reverb as clearly as when it has the whole stereo field to find its place in. And it could also be the mastering which makes a difference, as often EQ is turned up on new mixes to accommodate current tastes which tend to prefer more bass and more treble in a recording.

I'd be surprised if extra reverb had been added to these recordings, I think its more likely we're hearing what was always there, but for the first time.

And just for the record, isn't it about time we got a stereo Smiley Smile?

Hooray! What sense! That would free that record from its claustrophobic qualities, and open it up!

I'm not that big a fan of the additional reverb either but I tend to accept it as a means to make up for "holes" in the sound that might otherwise occur in some of these new stereo mixes. There are probably other possible ways of filling in that would sound a little less obvious and more elegant but I'll leave that to others to discuss as I don't have the knowledge of a professional sound engineer.

Well, I maintain that there isn't additional reverb, just that in the new mix/master of some tracks we're hearing what was always there for the first time. Would they really nadd reverb to an original BB recording? It just seems unlikely to me, though if anyone knows better I'd happily stand corrected.

Durn it, now I really want to know the Truth!

Actually there is a stereo version of Smiley floating round and while I like the mono, I love this one - it's a totally different beast and you really get a sense of what a genius piece of work it is. Sadly I've only heard it in 128 kbps, which is a shame. Someone somewhere must have a better version.

Seriously, if Capitol or whoever owns the rights is looking for a new project, a stereo Smiley is the way to go. I'd buy it again (for ).

There is no doubt reverb was added. That's standard for any remix of material from the 60's--they aren't going to leave it dry. Especially for a mid 60's Brian Wilson production.

The problem isn't that reverb was added but the type and amount of reverb. The sonic character of the Please Let Me Wonder remix has more in common with the Getcha Back production than something from 1965. I don't know if it was digital, plate or spring reverb but whatever it was it sounds awful. Listen to the drums on Please Let Me Wonder. Cold, boomy, sterile. Absolutely nothing like something you would hear in the 60's. This is why I want as many vintage Smile mixes used on the Disc 1 approximation of the album.

Chris, as to your last sentence, I wouldn't count on it. If any of the 4 discs are to be futzed with, it will be disc 1. To me, Approximation of the album means; as complete and finished sounding as possible.

I know discussion of this has become a mite bit contentious, but I suspect the additional reverb I'm hearing on the line "Folks sing a song of the Grange" on the new mono version of "Cabin Essence" could be there to cover up a problem which occurred in the way Carl's lead was taken from the stereo master (whether it be simply the selection of the left-or-right channel or electronically extracting the vocal in some way).

Why must EVERY topic turn into a discussion about the Smile box-set?? Oh wait, I forgot where I was.

P.S. Something on-topic: I don't mind some of the new mixes but I do agree that some of the added reverb effects are distracting.

There is no additional reverb. Anything you hear was there in 1968.

On Here Today, that echo on Mike's vocal, is that added new or was that on the original tape? I hear it slightly on the mono mix, but it is very distracting on the stereo mix. Was more added by Mark, or is it original and just more noticable in stereo?

When first listening to the Mojo single, I could have sworn I was hearing an unexpected addition of reverb on that particular line. But in listening again, I hear nothing beyond what would have been present on the '68 version (apart from a single-tracked Carl lead in place of the ADT version), so I withdraw my presumption.

(However, I still maintain the coda is newly remixed if not the choruses!)

$10 says you're wrong.  ;D

I'm not a betting man...and I have no problem being wrong. Let me put it this way: I always felt that Mike's vocal on the coda should have been mixed a little louder than it was on the stereo 20/20 version (a small pet peeve of mine over the last 35 years since I first heard the track). Through some kind of sound manipulation, Mike's vocal now sounds louder to me on the new mono single and I'm happy. I don't really care how it was done.  ;)