The Smiley Smile Message Board

What stands out to you as the most brilliant piece of music Brian ever wrote?

For me, it's probably "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow", especially the BWPS version.  I mean, he set out to make a musical representation of a fire, and damned if he didn't!

Cabinessence

Mona....maybe Surf's Up

Hard to pick one but Break Away

God Only Knows

only song I can leave on repeat for more than an hour...

I gotta go with "Cabinessence"...sheer brilliance.

Impossible for me to choose without going through my possible moods, how to define brilliance, etc. But since NOBODY (myself included) wants to read me BS my way throug that, I'll just give a few, with different reasons for each:

Cabinessence and Surf's Up for their success as progressive, nearly impossible to categorize nature as pop songs (and amazing performances in the former)
God Only Knows, Wind Chimes and Wonderful for their sheer beauty
Help Me, Rhonda and I Get Around for being phenomenal, nearly perfect pop-rock singles
Sloop John B - that arrangement!

On any given day, I'd probably say one of those. Or maybe something else. I'm no man of conviction.

I feel the same way. Brilliant is a weird adjective. All of the above songs generally fit the bill, but I would add Good Vibrations and, uhhhhh, maybe Solar System...(!!)

I think my most brilliant Brian song would have to be a toss up between either Surf's Up or A Day In The Life Of A Tree. I just wish there was a version out there with Brian singing it all the way through instead of Jack Reiley (tho' I think his vocals are appropriate for the song).

Most brilliant covers a lot of ground - most brilliant arrangement (Wouldn't It Be Nice followed by God Only Knows)?  Most brilliant melody (Don't Worry Baby, Good Vibrations)?  Most innovative song structure (Good Vibrations, Cabinessence)? Most brilliant vocal arrangement (This Whole World)?  You can go on and on . . . most brilliant rocker . . . Darlin', Dance Dance Dance . . . 

Bicyclerider you have to pick Do You Dig Worms. Your name comes from there ;D

"Good Vibrations" for the studio trickery, I'd say that's the most brilliant song he ever did, and also will be his most notable contribution to the history of music.  When people look back many years from now they'll point at that song as genius. 

I'd say GV...But then you have Surf's up, Cabinessence, Don't worry baby. Really are to many to pick.

Listen to the track for "Cabin Essence", and know the answer.

Cabinessence, hands down.

The answer that you would give us if asked for your opinion on this question? Oh ok, cool.

Listening to that Cabinessence backing track the other day reminded me.......that thing is spine-tinglingly brilliant!  Haunting, in a way.

Give me 'Mt Vernon and Fairway'

.....no votes for Ding Dang?

It's true that after all is said and done, almost all will look back and point to Good Vibrations as verification of the man's genius. Unorthodox editing techniques, great production, nice groove, in exactly the right place at the right minute, and sold millions.
    But in my view, GV was just a warm up for the majesty that was to become Cabinessence. Beautiful lilting melody, strange chords, exotic arrangement...then BOOM..the entire universe seems to resonate with this "Iron Horse" theme..swirling layered harmonies, cellos under attack, then like low tide, it moves out again, and becomes calm, only to revisit this sound and fury a 2nd time, waves of vocals counteracting. Every section speaking to the other, every instrument within every section so vital, no matter how insignificant, to the point where, if even one was removed, it would destroy the balance of the whole 'feel'. Add in the "Grand Coulee Dam" section, and the 'over and over' coda, and I sit in amazement that so much ground can be covered in only 3 and a half minutes. Smart lyrics, unforgettable arrangement, beautiful vocals. It is as close to perfection as a producer can get in a studio setting. The entire song will always make the hair stand up on the back of my neck for the rest of my life. It is, in short, a pop masterpiece.
   It is the brightest of the 3 true gems on Smile, and while Good Vibrations will always represent the very best of what the 60's can offer, Cabinessence feels absolutely   timeless.
     

What are the three true gems?

My guess, from what people have been saying in this thread, Good Vibrations, Cabin Essence, and Surf's Up.

Wonderful, Wind Chimes, Heroes also belong there I would think. All of BWPS!!

..Cabinessence, Good Vibrations, and Surf's Up are the rare stones. The rest of Smile is the beautiful diamond  setting, to use a jewel analogy...in my humble opinion

I think that--considering their 60s incarnations--Prayer, H&V, GV, Cabinessence, Wonderful (the Smile version, not Smiley Smile), Wind Chimes (ditto) and Surf's Up (despite it being a Brian demo) are all absolute, true gems. Each one is sublime.

Thats right, I forgot Prayer too.  Is the BWPS version of Prayer a little slower tempo than the 66 version???

I do believe the consensus is right on the money!
Cabinessence
Surf's Up
Good Vibrations
Our Prayer

and for arrangement,Sloop John B.

Since most of us here on this board ARE muscian's,we're more apt to look at Brian's "materpieces" from that perspective.
But I too am in agreement as to he picks mentioned.

Cheers,
Bri

The only reason I didn't include "Prayer" was because Brian Wilson himself said it wasn't a 'song", just an intro to the album, and a great one at that. beautiful jewelry leading up to that rare gem that you would hear about 12 minutes later. absolutely brilliant....

Thank you for mentioning this. Because of Sloop John B's subject matter, it sometimes isn't given the weight of the more (lyrically) sophisticated songs. Brian's lead vocal is also incredible, but again, because of the words, gets a little overshadowed.

Did you notice that many/most of the songs on this thread come from a relatively short window of about 1-2 years. Damn, if he only would've stayed healthy... 

Amazingly,everyone has overlooked "'Til I Die"!!!!!
It may be short,but Brian packed a punch with "Til I Die".And just like Cabinessence,'Til I Die quivers the emotions with it's beauty and power.

Bri

This Whole World, as well......Let Him Run Wild.......

This Whole world - loads of great key and chord changes in 2 minutes!

Yeah, but the topic was "most brilliant brian song?" not "Name a bunch of good Brian songs".

When shopping for a new stereo I always take the Cabinessence backing track to the store with me. So much amazing sound happening, big bass and hi end clanging. The best! But Please let me wonder still moves me the most...

There are so many, but aside from the great ones already mentioned in this thread I am particularly very partial to Your Summer Dream, Let Him Run Wild, ADITLOAT, and My Diane.