The Smiley Smile Message Board

Was it just me, or did Joe Thomas say that the BW record that NPP most resembled was Carl and the Passions? Is Joe Thomas so completely out of touch with Brian's previous work that he actually thinks they are similar?

This quote was taken from the web

Question: Is there a BW style that resembles NPP any less than Carl and the Passions (okay, apart from BB Love You)?

Lets come up with a list of similarities:
Brian
Al
Blondie
They both have at least 8 songs
CATP was packaged with Pet Sounds, which had Sloop John B, and the SJB reference in Sail Away

Eh. They recorded a bunch of stuff, including a new song called "He Come Down." A good chunk of the songs written and recorded weren't included on the album, either.

Given how many permutations the album had, the length of time it was recorded, the whole shift from Thomas to Brian in the production power axis, the guest artists --

Who knows what it sounded like in the studio the day that Joe said that?

I think it was referring to the Beck version of the album.

I think it's all the reasons stated above. Plus, almost anytime anyone, whether the artist or fans, says something "sounds like" something else, I rarely agree.

I'm still digesting NPP, and formulating my thoughts on it. At first glance, the comparison between the two albums is a big WTF moment, that may indeed have only had something to do with an earlier, different, in-progress iteration of NPP. On the surface it doesn't make much sense. But I think there are a couple of comparable aspects between the released albums (which may not have been what Joe Thomas was referring to when he made the remark).

The only ways in which I feel NPP has anything in common with CATP is that they are both fairly all over the map in terms of stylings and consistency. I think there are some awesome, and some very awesome things about NPP (and CATP), but I don't think either are particularly consistent records that I would hesitate from pressing the skip button on certain tracks. 

Too bad "Hold On Dear Brother" didn't make the cut on NPP. Not sure how much better or soulful sounding you could make it than the released version, but I hope it gets released in the future. Hopefully Blondie will sing it on the road.

Wouldn't mind hearing Danny Boy (with a Brian vocal) either.

No, it was "He Come Down." But it wasn't a remake. It was apparently an all-new song with that title that Blondie recorded.

There are tracks with banjos on NPP, which I guess is kind of similar to there being lap steel on Hold On Dear Brother. Country vibes to both.

I could see "Don't Worry" possibly fitting the soulful vibe of Wild Honey.

Other than that, not many similarities.

My mistake. Still would like to have heard it.

Thomas once said that parts of Imagination compares to Smile. He's always done this.

I'll never forget this post…

You forgot that both albums both also share Mike writing credits (ITBOMM '75).

I think it's just a way to get people excited about the release before they actually release it, a PR move..remember when Al described TWGMTR as sounding like "Pet Sounds"? well it kept every one waiting for the release with the hope that it sounded that way.....of course it didn't...

Blondie is on both records maybe that is what he meant< :p

I agree that that is probably the reason.

That said, there's a slight similarity in theme between Runaway Dancer and Marcella (the former was originally about a hooker, the latter about a masseur, if memory serves… - the two terms might at times be interchangeable… other forms of healthy and efficient exercise are also available, kids); and I'm Feelin' Sad has that slice-of-lifeness that Busy Doin' Nothing on Friends had.

One song's similarity, however, don't make it similar all over.

Maybe some of teh discarded tracks would have strengthened the similarity somewhere…