The Smiley Smile Message Board

So i've heard that BWPS is fantastic on vinyl, but i'm curious how Pet Sounds sounds compared to the stereo mix on CD.  How does that Today!/SMSN stack up?

I would get Pet Sounds but only if you can get a proper mono copy.

BWPS is FANTASTIC on vinyl.

I have Party!, All Summer Long, Holland, BW88, The Best Of Vol. 3, Endless Summer, and Love You (which appears to be from 1978!)from ebay or scouring record shops. All the ones that should be mono are.

Holland sounds great, as does BW88 and Love You sounds terrific - i would recommend BW88 especially if you don't like the production, as it sounds better with the 'analogue warmth'ness.  the rest are meh, apart from All Summer Long, which is nice in mono but the record is kinda beat, as is Party.

I'm on the hunt for a mono Pet Sounds, but can't justify £25+ on one from ebay. the duophonic stereo mix of Summer Days is reportedly terrible, so avoid that.

Am currently debating whether to pick up 15 Big Ones on vinyl for the princely sum of £2. I bet it sounds fuzzy and good... but then it's 15 Big Ones!

this appears to be the mono pet sounds
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B0G5WA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00005ASHM&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QGF3XZCT1QVTYES7KDD

i'm curious how this will sound better?  i'm admittedly a fan of the stereo mixed cd.  BUT i think i'd want this anyway

The best LP mono version of Pet Sounds that I have heard are the 2 Brother/Reprise reissues. Carl and the Passions/Pet Sounds and the brown cover single reissue.

i imagine i'd have to pay a pretty penny to get that sucker now haha.

Not really.  Any more than $20 and you're overpaying.  But the best Pet Sounds LP in my opinion is the DCC which will cost a lot unless you get lucky.

I highly recommend the Capitol 80's reissues with the green label*.  These are some of the nicest sounding records I own and are by far the best sounding Beach Boys releases on any format, especially Smiley Smile through 20/20.  I've found plenty of green labels sealed for $10 or less!

*EXCEPT Today and Summer Days.  They used the duophonic/fake stereo tapes for these two albums.

Back when I had money I began amassing a collection of Beach Boys vinyl -- mono where applicable, original pressings no matter what. To date, I have these:

Surfin' Safari
Surfin' USA
Little Deuce Coupe
All Summer Long
Shut Down Vol. 2
All Summer Long
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
The Beach Boys Today!
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's Up [the album I listened to that really made me a fan and my first LP purchase, if I recall correctly]
Carl And The Passions -- "So Tough!"/Pet Sounds twofer [this is the release of Pet Sounds that I use for listening because I've heard it's the best-sounding press]
Holland [sans Mt. Vernon And Fairway EP, unfortunately]
The Beach Boys Love You

Almost all of these -- and hopefully I'm not missing things I do have (or adding things I don't, I guess) --  were bought on eBay which means I pretty much overpayed no matter what I shelled out. My rule, however, is that I buy nothing below 'VG+' (according to Goldmine standards) so I rationalise my decision my thinking it's entirely worth it! I still need to get the late-'60s LPs as well as some of the early-'60s ones... even if I don't particularly care about the latter too much. Well, the original Stack-O-Tracks LP with the booklet is certainly extremely enticing at least!

well it seems the most likely is just the recently reissued pet sounds. the DCC is really expensive on ebay

Get SMiLE because it ought to be quite easy to obtain....and it is one of the finest records ever pressed.

Now...Pet Sounds....I own two versions, the Simply Vinyl pressing (disappointing) and the 40th anniversary double LP on coloured vinyl....one in mono and one in stereo....that is fantastic. If you can find one...its out of print.

I friend has a Japanese pressing by Toshiba which he categorically states is the best ever pressing of Pet Sounds. Since he's got multiple versions including both that I own and an original 1966 mono pressing (among others) and a good ear I would trust him.

i'm curious, why is SMiLE on vinyl so good?  i'm kinda surprised at that.   Maybe just cause it's recent, i dunno. 

Seconded. I have the brown cover single reissue... wonderful. Cost me a mere $ 5 (converted from Dutch guilders) about 25 years ago. 's Funny, it's the only Pet Sound I know that doesn't feature the familiar Cooper Black typeface. Instead it has nice and delicate capital letters.

Oh, I guess if we're including BBs-related stuff I also have Brian Wilson's self-titled 1988 debut and SMiLE, as well as Dennis's Pacific Ocean Blue 2xLP Legacy reissue on "pacific ocean" (http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-haw.gif) blue vinyl.

People gush over SMiLE because of this:

hmm. now i want both

[drool]...and to think that I have the double BWPS LP still sealed in my storage room, for use only when I'll have fitted a new cartridge in my turntable...[/drool)

The elusive duophonic Pet Sounds (ducking to avoid projectiles forthcoming), LOL.

Don't worry. After the demise of the 'brickwalling' trend, Duophonic will become the new 'hip'.

I hear that Wishbone Ash will re-release all their CDs in Duophonic shortly. Start saving.

ordered SMiLE and the Pet Sounds from Capitol's "straight from the vault" series.  SAWEEEET. 

i will not let this start a vinyl craze though.

I used to have a Duo-phonic Pet Sounds and it sounded so awful that I scratched it up and broke it in half in order to prevent myself from ever listening to it out of laziness or forgetfulness... However, I have Duo-phonics of both Today and Summer Days, and I must admit I quite like how they sound and play them regularly. Maybe I've just gotten used to the sonics, but I kinda dig them.

All Summer Long sounds fantastic in both Original Stereo and Mono. I honestly sometimes put either one on without realizing which one and take no notice at all. Brian knew Mono and made it work!!! Green label Stereo sounds even better but is a version with songs omitted for some evil reason.

Green label Wild Honey sounds superior to the original Capitol black label.

Smiley Smile green label sounds better than the original Bother label, but the beige Brother vinyl reissue (90s?) sounds much much better!

I have a 20/20 Starline label which sounds great. Green label 20/20 sounds about the same, however, it was re-issued in a single sleeve without the gate-fold!

Sunflower 1970 Brother label original sounds incredible. Recent reissue also sounds incredible but somehow different. Not to any great extent, but I'd certainly hang onto an original copy if you own one.

Surf's Up Brother original and recent re-issue sound about the same to me, in the good way.

Carl & The Passions Brother original sounds fantastic. The Pet Sounds CATP re-issue is the best I've ever heard it!

Holland sounds amazing in any format I've heard (save 8-track) I had a big fondness for the original CD issue and the Capitol re-issue doesn't have the same magic I remember, but then again, I'm only REMEMBERING the original issue because I no longer have it :(

In addition: The Beach Boys seem to be one of those bands, like Pink Floyd, who cared A LOT about quality control when it came to their actual physical product. They generally seemed to have the best quality pressings on the best quality vinyl with the best attention-to-detail mastering... Thank God we never had to deal with any Beach Boys product on "Dynaflex" or whatever variant there was slithering around. ... I have some pretty dire sounding "Dynaflex" Kinks and Lou Reed albums, to name just a couple examples.

I have the whole catalogue on vinyl.......except for SIP.  I have BWPS on vinyl but never opened.    My turntables are common modern SONYs like you got at Circuit city or Best Buy.  I play everything on them  .....old lps, 45's, and I guess I'm a bit obsessive about putting that sort of stylus on a new pristine lp.  Is the sound quality of BWPS worth the sacrifice of playing it on these turntables or should I wait for the next lifetime?

i read this review on it
http://www.earcandymag.com/smile-vinyl.htm

i'm dyin to hear this thing. 

hey guys how do you know at what speed the record should play? i assume the LP size ones should always be at 33? cause then 45s are the smaller ones so they'd need to go faster...k i guess i answered that huh.

You should play it donald!  The thing about BWPS is no matter how good we tell you it is, I really don't think we could oversell it.  It's going to impress you.


Size doesn't have anything to do with the speed a record plays, but 33 1/3 is generally the standard for albums.  Occasionally you find out the speed the hard way!  I recently put on a new 12" EP and it didn't occur to me that it was cut at 45 rpm until I started playing it at the wrong speed.  Oh well.  Now I know.  :lol

haha k.  another question, since i imagine everyone tries to protect their vinyl like crazy.  Best way to clean?  keep undamaged?

just looked through the parents vinyl.  Listening to American Pie, after springsteen's hungry heart got like 10 listens.

Best way to keep a record clean is to always keep the lid closed when you play records. Always take a look at the needle before you drop it and blow off any dust because the hardest problems to clean out are compacted dust in the grooves from a dusty needle. Otherwise, a paper towel wet just a bit with warm water, cleaning in the direction of the grooves, and then with a dry towel always seems to do the job for me :p

I personally just use an anti-static record brush before playing a record.  It does a good job of removing dust and debris.  I never bother with any wet cleaning.  My friend likes to use some record cleaning fluid and MOFI brushes and some people use record cleaning machines costing hundreds of dollars.  Just do whatever is right for you and use basic common sense when caring for your vinyl.

Great advice! I was basically talking about once a record needs cleaning, which wasn't even the question!  :p

Most little record stores or places like Amoeba in LA and Sam Francisco sell anti-static brushes!

Same here. I use the Decca carbon fibre brush. It is so delicate that it elegantly cleans all dust from the record; care must be taken to very slowly turn the brush in a 'bend' away from the record, you thereby gently take all particles away. This thing never ever in 25 years causes a scratch by itself

About playing 'wet' (no sexual reference, mind): it is OK in itself. Thing is: with a system like Lenco-Clean, if you play records dry again afterwards, there are good chances that many dust particles are firmly glued to the record. Not good, this.

ha listening to pet sounds on vinyl.

i seriously just heard a strings riff at the end of "i know there's an answer" that i've never heard before.  wait i can't find it again!!! dang it!

edit 2:  k i hear it again. man that's cool. 

My best pieces of advice, after some 35 years of playing records.

Don't play a fragile 78 on an old autochanger. The drop from the top of the spike might shatter it.

Don't fumble and drop the black part of your record onto the spike!

I speak from personal experience.

Otherwise, always try to take care when replacing your LPs into their sleeves. I've found some records from the 1990's onwards have card sleeves which were not made very well and can actually scratch the record. The sleeves with plastic inners are generally better.

Clean with a soft cloth, preferably one designed for cleaning records. The Don's Decca brush, if you can find one, is a good recommendation. I think they're still making them...any product in manufacture for that long is good.

Don't let your vinyl sit out in the sun! Warping is BAD.

Don't store your records at ground level if you have a cat. The feline may work out that the spines of the cardboard covers are great for sharpening cat claws.

Don't let your 2 year old son try playing your records.....my dad found that out the hard way and 30+ years on I never did manage to replace all the LPs I destroyed that day...

But do play your records, even valuable ones. I recently saw an eBay auction for a record I own (identical pressing) sell for the better part of 700 quid. There's a fair chance the buyer won't dare play it. I would. I've even given a $300 45 a spin at a drunken party...though personally I don't advise that. Anyway I am rambling....Do enjoy your vinyl. Look at it, sniff it, PLAY IT.

You know when SMiLE was released in 2004 I bought FOUR copies of the LP. Two US and two British pressings. As I've said elsewhere, the US is superior, but the UK is still a fine piece of art.

I guess I don't have to worry about wearing mine out...as I shall always have another copy to play!

I have an import version on the Odeon called "The Beach Boys Story Vol. 3" with the zoo cover like in The USA. Does anyone out there know anything about it? Thank you.

Capitol/Odeon I think. That would be a Dutch series titled Vol. 1 - 4. A not-to-expensive reissue series from the early 70ies (71-73) which covers the 60ies era Beach Boys. Still fairly easy to find here.
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 1, 'The Surfin' Era'
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 2, 'California Girls And Other Delights'
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 3, 'The Scene Changes'
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 4, 'Realization'

Here's vol.1 (black) and 2 (purple).
(http://i52.tinypic.com/142fr7q.jpg)   (http://i53.tinypic.com/j0jh1c.jpg)

There's a green cover as well, either vol. 3 or 4. Volume 3 also appreared with the alternative "Pet Sounds"cover. Which is not so strange as it contains all tracks of the PS album. Can't remember the 4th colour that was used. But I do have all of them. Have to check this at home.

Sunflower has gotta be the ultimate vinyl beach boys experience for me. I have a 1980 pressing and the recent capitol release. I also really like the simply vinyl wild honey edition.

btw i just ordered what seemed to be the only available vinyl copy of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin off amazon.com. Anyone heard this vinyl yet? opinions?

It's ok.  I'm not blown away by it.

Hello Mr SMiLE-holland..thank you so much for the information....I just played the Odeon/Capitol Pet Sounds we discussed and I was impressed with the sound and how the horns really stood out, in a good way. Thank you again for your time.

These are available on Capitol/Odeon and Capitol. What makes the difference? First and second pressings?

Well.... that's where a messageboard is for, isn't it? You're welcome!  :)


Now that you say it... yes, the picture shown here has another logo. Mine has the Capitol target label though. You're guess on the 1st and 2nd pressing might be the right one. Could be that - when they released vol. 3 and 4 (they weren't released all at once, according to an article I read from that time), they re-released vol. 1 and 2.

Checked my other copies as well. I think this is the complete list.

The Beach Boys Story, Volume 1, 'The Surfin' Era' (black sleeve, both Odeon and Capitol: according to an article, released at around Oct. 1971 (but that could be a re-release as well))
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 2, 'California Girls And Other Delights' (purple sleeve, both Odeon and Capitol)
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 3, 'The Scene Changes' (green sleeve & Pet Sounds sleeve, Capitol, with Capitol Dome logo on front)
The Beach Boys Story, Volume 4, 'Realization' (20/20 picture, Capitol: the picture on the back hints that it's probably a 1972 release (the BB pictured in Holland on the day of the Grand Gala Du Disque, Feb 1972))

(http://i52.tinypic.com/142fr7q.jpg)   (http://i53.tinypic.com/j0jh1c.jpg)

volume 3 (2 versions; first one looks black, but believe me, it's dark green)
(http://i52.tinypic.com/dmpfgz.jpg)   (http://i51.tinypic.com/2ci8ac8.jpg)

(http://i53.tinypic.com/1537m8x.jpg)   (http://i53.tinypic.com/50s03b.jpg)

volume 4
(http://i56.tinypic.com/1z306jl.jpg)   (http://i56.tinypic.com/10pt4x3.jpg)

i'd like to say that SMiLE on vinyl is indeed quite fantastic.  the instrumental bonus tracks are awesome too. 

after one listen, i actually like cabin essense and wind chimes more on the vinyl.  The brass and backing track just has more oomph to it. 

I really love vinyl as every one who has read my posts knows. I even have SIP (which is a tad better but still junk) and Spring with the bonus cuts on record. To me it all sounds better but there are a few things to be avoided. One is anything with fake stereo. LP's like Spirit Of America or the 1970 UK Greatest Hits are pretty good collections but they don't sound too great. If you are a completest buy them but watch out for that kind of thing. The other is don't buy an original UK Pet Sounds in mono. It's a fake stereo foldback which means it has extra echo. Most of the vinyl boots were excellent. The 2 LP or 3 LP Smile's are great as is the vinyl SOT vol 17 Smile. Landlocked is in perfect quality. The 1979 live Surfers Nightmare runs a bit fast but it sounds very good.

Oh yes, I love the SMiLE vinyl mix. Been looking FOREVER for a vinyl rip of it - I don't have a record player. Finally found one, and I'm completely amazed by it.

i won these two auctions on ebay.

they bolstered my Beach Boys vinyl collection by quite a few...  :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220661997020&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1692wt_1139

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280558676910&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1829wt_1139

Nice buys

just recieved the carl and the passions/pet sounds split. pet sounds really is fantastic.

just picked up two records off ebay.

Love You (which i already own on vinyl, but it was part of the deal, and honestly... can you have too many copies of Love You?)

Pacific Ocean Blue

$13.95 after shipping

Ok, The Beast within, must mean something special. 
Does  blsheets0619  stand for something special also?

Mentioned in another thread, but I got Pet Sounds on vinyl at last! Thanks Santa!

That's cool. A newer remastered edition or one of the somewhat-collectible( depending on condition, of course) First editions?

"Don't store your records at ground level if you have a cat. The feline may work out that the spines of the cardboard covers are great for sharpening cat claws. "



That happened to me.   Two whole crates used for scratching stations.  Didn't know until I caught her one day.  I was speechless......  we had trained her to use a cardboard scratching pad and to her it was just doing what she was trained to do to rather than using furniture.       Talk about seam splits!

Didn't get my Beatles or Beachboys.  Relieved about that.   I haven't moved the records but I have covered the open crates with a quilt.

A new remastered one, so the hunt through London's bargain bins for a battered but lovable first pressing/CATP twofer still continues, but still! It's Pet Sounds! On vinyl! It sounds ace!  ;D