The Smiley Smile Message Board

I ordinarily only post my covers on the musicans' forum, but there aren't many visitors over there and I'm really excited to share this with everyone.  It's taken me about 3 (on-and-off) years, but I've just finished recording and mixing my own recreation of the first suite of SMiLE.  It's about 18 minutes long and loosely follows the formats we know and love.. part TSS, part BWPS (but with no newly recorded bits), and part my own mix (with a tiny sprinkle of Smiley Smile and 20/20, and lots of "Heroes and Villains (Sections) bits, mixed in).  

Youtube version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJb8ZQdLTzY
Soundcloud version: http://soundcloud.com/adwolf16/smile-recreation-suite-one
by request, mp3 here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jkibppsva0r0022

I think you guys will get a kick out of (and be surprised by) some transitions, including a brief acapella H&V part hinted at in TSS but (as far as I know) never recorded by the Boys. The only meaningful omission is the Barnshine fade, which I left out because I love the way YAMS flows into Cabin Essence on BWPS, couldn't find another good place for it, and it's near the bottom of my personal SMiLE list (blasphemy, I know  >:D).

I taught myself all of the parts, then sang and played them all myself--on top of the drums, guitars, keyboards, harmonica, banjo, fender bass guitar, etc. that I already had, I bought a fretless bass guitar, melodica, siren whistle, ukulele, lots of weird percussion instruments, a frech horn, flute, violin, and trumpet to fill it out (the last four of which I had never played before starting this project).  I'm sure it'll prompt some "Why bother covering it if you're not going to add your own spin?" comments, but I really just did it for my own enjoyment, not to break any new ground (and if the Wondermints could do it, why can't I?  8))

As for Suites Two and Three, they're largely recorded already, but I have no idea when I'll be able to finish recording, mixing, and mastering them. My wife and I just had our first little one a few weeks ago, which prompted me to finish mixing and mastering Suite One while I can still sort of pay attention to my music.  If you're interested, I posted a (vocal-free) Look/SFC recording a month or two ago.  You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNhBvss1D2k

I'd love to get some feedback.. I hope you all enjoy!

I wish I had something profound to say here... but I don't.

Really, really great work. Great instrumentals, great vocals-- love it.

Thanks! No need for profundity. Wow, I didn't realize that was a word until it didn't get autocorrected. Sweet!

Absolutely beautiful. Excellent job sir. Best cover of the full thing i've heard ever. Is there anyway i could get an mp3 of that?

Thanks for the flattering words :D.  I just uploaded an mp3 version to http://www.mediafire.com/?jkibppsva0r0022

Nice! I wish I had half of your musical talent.

I thought this was INCREDIBLE. Can't wait for the mixing of your next Suite. Thanks so much for sharing this!

Wow, great job!

Love hearing that H&V a capella piece fleshed out.

This is amazing!

Why does something tell me you will never finish parts two and three, you'll tell everyone you burned the tapes but in reality you didn't, and then you'll re-record the thing 40 years later with a bunch of other people helping you?   ;D

And that's exactly where I put it too. And the "Bridge To Indians" into worms. Great minds..........

You just need to get the "new" worms melody in there, and it will be perect

That's really amazing. The bit at 5.45 - superb.

How do we get egon into the touring group? Do we need a petition? Unbelievable. Sometimes you sound a lot like Bruce, sometimes Mike, but all of it sounds amazing. I love this. I love this more than BWPS. A remarkable, beautiful achievement.

This is insane!!

Amazing, amazing work!
Incredible talent!

Really enjoyed it!

:listening

amazing!!! Your hard work really shows!

What an achievement, and what talent!  Amazing...

Superb.

The most astounding thing in this, is (like said above) how you were able to sound like the different Beach Boys at different parts.  I almost fell off my chair when you started in with the Mike Love 'Heroes and Villians" lol.  Awesome! 

Pretty good stuff.  You better watch out, you might end up in Brian's band. 

Incredible, great job

hi there

Sounds great this! could i have an mp3 if possible?

DUDE. That's incredible, you deserve that break  ;D

Absolutely phenomenal! I can't get over how good Heroes and Villains sounded, hot damn, part two blows my mind :-D

It's a shame that parts two and three won't be coming for a while yet, but it's understandable! I just hope for the sake of everyone who's heard part one and is left wanting more that it doesn't take you another 3 years!

Incredible attention to detail. What perfectionism!

Can you give us any detail on the recording setup you used?

Bravo, excellent piece of work there!

Thank you all for the compliments! I was hoping folks would enjoy listening to it half as much as I enjoyed making it  8)


Truly humbling.. I'm proud to have added to your SMiLE experience  :)


 :lol seriously, i did have a lot of "how the hell am i going to piece this all together?" moments once i decided i wasn't stick to any "official" sequence.


I have to assume "Bridge To Indians" was always supposed to transition straight into Worms. I mean, it's like a bridge.. to the song about Indians. duh. once I realized how well they flowed, I got annoyed that they wrote a new transition piece in 2004 when they had a vintage piece sitting right there that fit perfectly. I did try to add in the "new" Worms melody, but it just wasn't happening.


Thanks! I just added an mp3 link in the first post.


i've got a pretty basic setup. the whole thing was recorded in a spare bedroom. back when i started the project i was using a cheap mic from Best Buy for the "acoustic" parts, and pumped my guitars and keyboard straight into my computer's audio-in jack with a $5 1/4" to 1/8" cord from Radio Shack. I upgraded to an MXL 3000 mic run through an ART Tube MP Project Series preamp about a year ago and rerecorded all the vocals and some (but not all) instrumental parts, but still used the cheap cord for lots of the guitar and keyboard parts. 

Still listening to this, still think it's nothing short of brilliant. Can't wait for the rest of it!

Exquisite.

So very difficult to harmonize with one's self and create a blend that actually sounds like different voices instead of just a "stack", but you pulled it off here. Bravo! Like all great covers, you refresh the original and let us hear anew...

Thank you for sharing.

i like that H&V is bwps speed.  good stuff man

Wow - outstanding. I agree with the comparison to Mike/Bruce voice-a-like oscillation, that seems spot on. Your understanding of vocal harmony is amazing. If there's a constructive criticism here - and is this picking nits (and may be a compliment in some ways) - it's that some (definitely not all) of the vocal deliveries (in Prayer for example) use the same approach as the touring group, i.e. a bit 'scoopy' in the chord changes, the result being a tad glee-club-eque. The more straight-ahead approach taken by the BBs is more to my taste. But...I'm comparing you with the BBs. How's that even fair??

5:45 - stunning. Stunning!!!

This is so impressive - well done!

None of that here.

Sounds great, I downloaded the .wav version from Soundcloud, gonna burn a disc when I get parts two and three ;)

Man, I keep spinning this. You're the man, seriously, and I can't wait for the rest  ;D

This is absolutely astonishing. Ignore the comments of that guy on the youtube video nitpicking about too much treble and autotune, he's missing the point of what you've done here. Really amazing man.

yes.

*

Excuse the above, just picking myself off the floor...

O man, this is so good. You and that Jacob Borshard fellow should maybe get together for the ultimate SMiLE recreation (and why not throw in the guy behing SMiLE A.D. also!)

Seriously, this kind of work reminds me (and forgive the pseudo-profundity) that human beings are so remarkable... to work so hard on something without any profit motive, simply for love!

And, also SMiLE's place in the landscape of culture seems, to me, to grow more exceptional. What other collection of music inspires such acts of dedication and imagination?

I still can't quite place my finger on why SMiLE is so special. It might be, in part, because it was generated at a particular turning point in Western history - perhaps when older, more rigid and traditional understandings of the world were giving way to more liberal visions, but at a time when western secular capitalism hadn't quite triumphed. So SMiLE gets a kick from the excitement of living on the verge of a new epoch ("The Age of Aquarius") while retaining an openness to spiritual values, without yet being blighted by the wholesale succumbling of popular culture to sex, money and sentimentality.

I don't know! (N.B. These musings are entirely derived from Ian MacDonalds opening essay in "Revolution in The Head"!)

Whatever the case. Thank you and hope you get Parts 2 and 3 finished.

Outtasight! Pretty fucking amazing my man. Superb job!

I'll join in the choir and also express my absolute amazement at this. Really unbelievable job, dude. I love the little unique spin you put on "H&V". I know it won't be for a looooong while, but I can't help but be really anxious to hear Suite 2!  :ahh

Awesome job mate! :o :o :o :-D

WOW!! The thought I had while playing H&V was that it lets me hear the song after it had been given the sweetening and final polish the Smile version never got. The flow you managed to create highlights just how far ahead Brian was with his ideas.

I would pitch your recordings to some labels and see if anyone takes you up on the covering of a complete album.

Amazing!  Nice work!

I have to ask - are you singing 'agriculture' or 'upper country'?

Anlso, using the MP3 download, I've split the tracks up if anyone is interested, although egon would probably rather choose where the splits were.

Pretty Good. Sorta sounds like an all Bruce version of SMiLE.

Well done. 

thank you all again for the great reception!  the new little man and work have kept me away from here lately, so thanks too for keepin' the thread alive..


good idea.. here's a split version: http://www.mediafire.com/?insev7i1w2o2njd

tracklist:

01 - Our Prayer
02 - Gee
03 - Heroes & Villians
04 - Do You Like Worms (with H&V reprise outro)
05 - I'm In Great Shape
06 - Barnyard
07 - The Old Master Painter/You Were My Sunshine
08 - Cabin Essence


glad you noticed! i tried to be more reverential to the original recordings than BWPS wherever possible (with a few exceptions), so i sang "upper [or possibly open ;)] country" in IIGS.. and i replaced the second "barnyard" with "farmyard," as quoted in Jules Siegel's article and heard in the Humble Harv demo. that's also why i left DYLW's bicycle rider fade outro--with the gutteral chants on top, a la the first piece of "Heroes & Villains (Sections)."


thanks for the thoughtful comments. i know what you mean about the scoopy vocals--i tried to avoid it wherever i could, though i sometimes have a hard time hitting notes right on the first try and have an easier time bending up to them (if that makes sense). there are literally thousands of vocal outtakes on my harddrive--they're why it took so long to complete, by far.

..by the way, all of these Bruce/Mike comments are cracking me up.


a very interesting thought. i'd really like to at least post it on Brian's board for some more publicity, but the more views it gets the more likely the copyright police are to make me take it down. i'm actually surprised this hasn't already gone the way of the Polly Tones cover. 


thanks, dave--i haven't had any time to record lately so our little group cover idea kinda fell to the side, but we should still try to make it happen!


i certainly didn't expect this to inspire such a dissertation--but i know exactly what you mean ;D