The Smiley Smile Message Board

Just traded a record with a friend for a Smile boot record. He bought it in the plastic wrap and never opened it. Now I've never owned a vinyl bootleg before, so I don't know how much they're worth. Should it be kept in the wrap or should I open this bad boy up? I'm not sure I have enough info on the cover to identify it, but here it goes. The front is the normal Smile cover and the back cover is not the same as usual Smile backs (no pic of the guys with the song order request to look at record for correct). This has the songs with descriptions. The descriptions tell of where the songs are from including up to the 1993 GV Box set, so we know it's newer than the box set. The "label" is Sea of Tunes LP001...but somehow, I feel most of them say this. Lastly, here's the tracklist to help identify this:

Side 1
1.Prayer
2.H&V
3. Barnyard
4. DYLW
5. OMP/YAMS
6. He Gives Speeches
7. Wonderful
8. CITFOTM
9. Cabin Essence
10. Look
Side2
11. GV
12. IWBA/FN
13. Vega-Tables
14. WC
15. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
16. I love to say Da Da
17. You're Welcome
18. Surf's Up

I'd like to know if this is rare (if not, it's still rare in the eyes of the beholder), how much it's worth, and if I should open it or not?

I think this is the vinyl pressing of SOT 16. Tracklist looks exactly the same.

Definitely is.

It's the most common LP boot.  They sell for around $20-$30 usually.  It could be on black, blue, red, or green vinyl.

I've got that one on Red vinyl!

Smile - Sea of Tunes (vinyl LP001) came out in early 2003. About 1000 pressed. It's a direct copy of the Sea of Tunes Vol. 16 CD, which was released in 1999. Cover has "New Improved Full Dimensional Stereo" across the top.

Side One

1. Prayer (stereo)
2. Heroes And Villians (mono)
3. Barnyard (mono)
4. Do You Like Worms / Bicycle Rider (stereo)
5. The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine (stereo)
6. He Gives Speeches (stereo)
7. Wonderful (stereo)
8. Child Is Father To The Man (stereo)
9. Cabin Essence (stereo)
10. Look (stereo)

Side Two

1. Good Vibrations (mono)
2. I Wanna Be Around / Friday Night (stereo)
3. Vega-Tables (mono)
4. Wind Chimes (stereo/mono)
5. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (stereo)
6. I Love To Say Da Da (stereo/mono)
7. You're Welcome (mono)
8. Surf's Up (stereo/mono)

20-30 in the wrap?
Shall I open it?

I'm guessing it won't be worth that when I open it up to listen.

What would you do? leave it sealed or open it?
It looks nice by my sealed: BWPS

These are the correct tracks with correct sound qualities

I opened mine up about a year ago, and was disappointed to find some scuffs on it and the sound was pretty noisy.  I have a feeling it may have been resealed at some point.  :(

Nope, it's just a really noisy pressing.  Mine was the same as well as my friend's.


Some may disagree, but I don't think opening a Smile boot will change it's value at all.  I've seen this one sell for less than $20 sealed and over $50 open so I don't think it matters either way.   They are becoming a little harder to find.  A year ago the colored pressings were all over the internet but they don't seem to be as prevalent now.

Yeah, I think the fact that it's Smile makes it a value, opened or sealed.

I think I saw a green pressing of this on Amazon. That should tell you how "rare" it is. ;)

I opened it. It's on red vinyl.
The label looked cheap and the inscription/"record label" was Surfin something Records 1971...I can't remember what the middle word of the label is and I'm at work, so that's all I can remember of the record. The tracklisting is not on the record label, just the Beach Boys Smile.

The label says, "Surfin' Records 1971" (SEA OF TUNES 001).

Mine is on torquoise vinyl. 

Alrighty, my label says the same but it has a Smiley face

So, was it released in 1971 or 2003?

That's what I was wondering...it's in incredible shape if it's from 71

I'm glad it's just not me.  ;D I was rereading Mike's posts and was getting more and more confused. Did whoever made it put in the year 1971 on purpose? Or was there a SOT label that existed way back in the 1970's?

So... you're seriously considering the possibility that a vinyl Smile boot was put out in 1971 and no-one - not even the likes of Brad Elliott, Peter Reum, Stephen McParland or any other major BB collectors & researchers - knew anything about it ?

Sit down, my friend, I have this bridge I think you'd be interested in...  ;D

I take it Smile wasn't around on boots that far back? ;D My knowledge of vinyl bootlegs is highly lacking.

IIRC Andrew has said that the first boots of Smile material began to appear around... 1987 or so, I believe? By the mid-to-late-1980s at any rate. Possibly there were other Beach Boys bootlegs before this -- of Adult Child and some concerts (Carnegie Hall and whatnot)? -- but not for Smile-related session stuff.

The first vinyl boot was from 1983.

I believe the colored vinyl versions of the SOT are actually a re-booting of the 2003 pressing that just started surfacing in the last couple of years.  Someone correct me if you got one a colored copy before 2008, 2009 or so.

first tape - late 70s (limited circulation)
first vinyl - 1983
first CD - 1989

So am I right in thinking that the original was pressed on black vinyl only?

Mine is. It is noiser than one would wish but there is a warmth to the mix. Worth a play for sure.

And actually, with my completion of Smile artifacts, my girlfriend and I did a little photo shoot of my Smile items....it's posted on my face book....used my vinyl copies of Smile, Smiley, BWPS...my green 45 of Wonderful/Windchimes...my promo poster of the first Smile Concerts with the open/sign/door pictured on there...the LLSV book....and my Smile Tour book.

But yeah, needless to say, my Lady is AWESOME

Yeah, I think so.  I think the first SOT pressing was only on black vinyl, with better printing quality on the sleeve and nicer labels: http://www.popsike.com/BEACH-BOYS-smile-lp-nm/4000476352.html

Thanks for the info.

This is the one I have which I bought in a shop just off Tottenham Ct Rd. When did the black pressing come out? And it sold for £112 in 2004? How much is it worth now? Especially with all the hype of the boxset

Kind of hard to say what it's worth since price varies so much depending on where it sells.  Usually from a record store I would only expect $20-$30 but on ebay they always go higher (if the auction isn't shut down first, which is rare these days).  I think part of that is the buyers on ebay don't know where to look for better prices.  Around the time that one sold in 2004, you could pick up the same pressing from an independent record store I know online for about $40.  In general I think Smile boots have gone down in price a lot in the last ten years.  When I first got into it, if you found any of them for less than $100 it was a bargain but back then there were no blogs to download the boots from for free.  You were lucky to find a couple mp3s here or there but nothing like it is now.