The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey,

Check out my mix of 'The Elements'.  I made it to sound like how it might've been in 1967.  Of course, no one knows though.  All hard-edits and mixed in mono like Brian Wilson and Chuck Britz would've done (only non hard-edit is the end of Love To Say Da-Da - you'll understand).  I tried to make it short, performing necessary edits here and there to bring the track length down (I don't think it would've been a 6min+ song).  Here's the run-down of what's included:

1.  H&V Intro from TSS [FIRE]
2.  Hard edit into an edited-down-a-couple-bars version of Fire from Unsurpassed Masters (TSS version is too long) [FIRE]
3.  Hard edit into Friday Night/Workshop from TSS (rebuilding after the fire - I've always been a firm believer that this was part of The Elements.  Friday Night just sounds so earthy and bluesy to me) [EARTH]
4.  Hard edit into Air portion (I think you'll like what this is  ;) ) [AIR]
5.  Hard edit into an edited-down-a-couple-bars version of Love To Say Da-Da from TSS (I love how I ended it all, but at the same time I don't, because it goes against the historical factor by using a few seconds of BWPS...but it makes a unique ending to the song that's different from BWPS as well) [WATER]

No water chant either, now knowing that it was recorded during the Wild Honey sessions.  My cut off date for material to use was summer/early fall 1967 -  Fire does have flown-in vocals from Fall Breaks And Back To Winter.  However, ironically, as noted above, Love To Say Da-Da is finished off with a few seconds of BWPS...how do I live with myself  :lol

Alright, well here it is.  Check it out, download it, let me know your thoughts!

"The Elements"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/w54zck (http://www.sendspace.com/file/w54zck)

It's a cool idea, surprised it hasn't gotten any attention.  The reunion must have pushed aside all interest in fan-mixes for the time being.  ;D

Thanks, I enjoyed listening to it! I think it's a shame Brian Wilson never really finished The Elements in 1966/67, it could/would have been a great track.

I agree with you on this. The long slow low notes have that inert quality just scream out "earth" to me. Lately I've been thinking that the "rebuilding after the fire" is actually the land, once leveled by fire, slowly coming back to life. The tools are symbolic of  the earth's rebuilding process, not to be solely interpreted as someone's building construction project. If you accept this theory, then "I Wanna be Around/Friday Night" makes perfect sense as the earth section of The Elements. Aside from that hunch, maybe the title itself is a clue in the form of a pun (Smile humor?)- I Wanna Be A-"round", as in the Earth is round. In the context of new life springing forth from the ground, "Friday Night" could be a Bible reference, Friday night signifying the end of the Sixth Day of Creation:

" Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." GENESIS 1:27-31

I  structure 'The Elements' as:
Air (Fire Intro)- because it features all those whistles. Air creates and fuels the fire- fire can't exist without it.
Fire- The flame has become a terrifying destructive forest fire.
Water- (Water Chant) A prayer for rain (From the natives or maybe from the Earth spirits?)
            (Love To Say Dada) Starts with a rain dance (maybe?)- At first the rain comes down haltingly a few drops at a time until it
             becomes a steady rainfall.  The rain of course will be needed to bring forth new life from the earth.
Earth- (I Wanna Be Around/Friday Night) Over time signs of life start to grow from the ground as the earth rebuilds itself on the    
          scorched land. The vegetation will create life-giving oxygen for the air, and so the cycle of life goes on.

My theory is that within this structure, maybe BW's "The Elements" was intended as a rather abstract story that reflects on nature and the cycle of life that binds the world together. You could also see this cycle of life theme as being a parallel of the Child Is Father of the Man idea, wherein life is passed down from one generation to the next. The Creation could also be interpreted as the theme of "The Old Master Painter", so perhaps there's a cross-thematic reference to think about there as well.