The Smiley Smile Message Board

August 9th - permission to say "told ya ?"  ;D

Well done Sir!

Now go to Brian's Board and square away that jackass who posted July 12th.

Fantasic news Andrew ;D. Well I was told a few days ago that I'm getting a £100 extra in my pay packet nxt month.
And an reduction in my rent too :o
So YES I will be able to afford to get the box set as long as no unexpected bills come in (Which I'm sure WON't happen) :angel:
Thanks Andrew you made my day ;D

Someone beat me to it... which of course gave a designated troll the chance to take a crack at me (interestingly, they happen to know I use Google alerts - although that's not where I got this date from - and that's not something too many people know. I think someone's mask just slipped...  ;D).

I got the date from the hoffman board, twas posted on there!
August 9 can't wait!!

Excellent, and presumably this is a date we can trust to a certain extent, AGD?

Great that it isn't too much longer than the original date either.

Now if we could just have that tracklist .....

I'm still slightly dubious, given the amount of work (probably) still to be done... but it's more credible than 12th July.

Might one enquire as to the source?

Well, it's been put up here -
http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/dc-music-news-feed/2011/5/4/beach-boys-smile-sessions-bumped-to-august-9-street-date.html (http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/dc-music-news-feed/2011/5/4/beach-boys-smile-sessions-bumped-to-august-9-street-date.html) - so I guess that's confirmation.

Didn't you say October?

I don't know if you can tell us you told us so,
Isn't this the same exact site that gave us the July 12th date? Where did this information come from? Directly from Capital? Not buying anything until Capital releases a new press release.

Andrew says a lot of things...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myz93sXW66Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3PhVQmRdKk

Paging ESQ Editor!!

(Am I right in thinking that ESQ Editor and David Beard are one and the same guy, and if so, that he has good connections on this, and how viable this release date might be?)

I was referring to my stance that July 12th was highly unlikely, a point which everyone else seems to have understood.

And, not October, rather before the Grammy cut-off date, which is 9/30 this year.


Firstly, it's Capitol, not Capital... secondly, it may have escaped your notice that no-one shot the July 12th date down, least of all the record company. I'm sure there's a good reason why it's been bumped, and also why the tracklisting hasn't been released. I also wouldn't be surprised if this date was bumped later.

Just poking some fun AGD.  You always zing me when I do my David Marks screw-ups. Ha.

Anyway:
Does this Direct Current website have an affiliation with Capitol Records?

I think they could well have a direct line to the tower.

Their website says:

Direct Current Music was founded by Dave Curtis, a music industry veteran who has worked for many years on both the music retail and label/distribution sides of the business. Most recently, Curtis was Sr. VP of Sales/Marketing for Sony Music in New York (later SONY BMG -- the shortlived, two-headed creature). Curtis' goal for Direct Current was to reconnect with the music that drove him into this rather insane business to begin with, to rekindle the passion for new artists and music that often gets overlooked by the traditional music media gatekeepers.

Andrew.....You are sh!tting me!!!!



Happy birthday to me! ;D

Dammit, that's a day before I go on holiday for a week..... Oh well, like I can complain about the damn thing being released  :lol

Don't worry, they're not actually releasing it until September 13th.

Sept 28 is an ominous date in my calendar but I'd forego if it meant the two old fellas above (clearly separated at birth) had a more enjoyable 50th… and we got the box a month earlier   :D

And so begins the pushing-back of release dates once more! :lol

My birthday is September 6th. Just sayin'.  ::)

Won't believe it till I pre-order on amazon

Means nothing - I've had My Bloody Valentine's Loveless on pre-order for about 2 years!

If I wasn't on a conference call right now, I would have LMAO at this. A remastered/reissued Loveless? It'll never happen. But it would make me smile!!

Sorry, and now back to your regular programming...

So true, won't believe it till it's in my hands. Even then I'll be skeptical

Same here - it'll be worth the wait to have it done right though.  If that means waiting until September, I'm okay with that.

"Upon opening his new, shiny, eagerly awaited SMiLE! boxset, which had been postponed for the last three years, only to find nothing but copies of Summer In Paradise on betamax and 78 rpm vinyl, a Mike Love wig, and straw,  Shady remarked, 'I F&*#ing knew it."'

Throw in a Mike Love beard to match and that might be better than smile  :lol

Don't forget a to throw in a couple of awful looking Hawaiian shirts!

Still no press release or anything about this date?

Who the hell knows what to think

Same as my wife!

May have been covered in one of the other related threads but, any idea if the sessions 2CD may be released before the box-set?

I'd imagine it would be simultaneous release for all formats.

Can I beg Capitol to put out Domenic Priore-less version?

Old fella?

I had the album on order back in 67. Ahead of my time at 6 years old I was!!! ;)

Hmmm....  thanks to this thread we have now established that TheOther Anonymous and Doc Smiley are twins, and that TheOther Anonymous is married to AGD.  The thing about Usernames is they sometimes give no clue to gender. It's nice to be surprised in this way.

I wonder if any other boarders are related?  My birthday is April 21 and I would be the Queen's twin if she had been born in 1964 and we'd shared parents; likewise John Muir.  Do either the Queen or John Muir post here I wonder, under pseudonyms?

On the format front, I do hope the boxset includes a download code; it's darned handy having it with the Bob Dylan and Neil Young sets (as mentioned in another thread) and I think it's the way forward for multi-disc offerings. The NY & Bob sets aren't sold on that fact – in fact I suspect the NY set included it as a last minute after-thought when someone realised no-one would be able to rip the Blu-Ray or DVD versions on to their iPods/MP3 players without buying/downloading pirate software.  The Dylan set I would guess included it as a courtesy due to the fact that ripping nine CDs on to your PC/Mac for upload to iPod?MP3 player would be an inconvenience.

I obviously have a bee residing in my bonnet with this.

I'm really Roger Waters.  :ahh

You know, that's like 2 friggin' days after I see them, and 2 weeks before I see Brian at the same venue.

I know there's already a started thread on this.
Brian I can see, but how could the "Beach Boys" (such as they are) not promote an upcoming and then released album this summer?
I mean, technically it's their first new album in almost a quarter century.

I WILL buy a SMiLE tour 2011 t-shirt.

Summer of Love v2.0.

Just throw out the book that comes with the deluxe version, and you'll be Priore-less!

I guess Smokey will have to wait for his birthday present.

Hey!  No reason at all to go to THAT exreme!  :(

Better to just remove the pages Dom wrote, if you're of a mind to. I wouldn't throw the whole thing away.

Whence this anti-Dom-attitude, dear friends of the Holy Church of All Things Smile? After all, mr Priore compiled the A4 'Yellow Book' and wrote the 2004 paperback too... it's not as if he broke into your houses...

Dom is partially the reason that this set is happening. His work in gathering Smile related background brought the non BW world`s s attention to Smile a a great if unfinished piece of music. He brought Darian and Nick in to the fold, and their work is a big reason we have Smile as a performance piece. So for the people who doubt Dom`s role in this set coming out, you really don`t know the whole story.  His theory may not match yours. But all anyone has is theories. The answer is locked in Brian`s mind, and he is not spilling it.

Is it true that some fans dislike Dom due to the fact that he is apparently part of "Camp Wilson" and therefore has been judged by some to not be as impartial as he could be in some of his more recent writings? 

Just wondering.

I boldly say without people like Dom putting out LLVS, half of the people who care about Smile would have not paid attention to it. He is a classy guy.

As excited as I am about the set, I am not surprised there is mass confusion involved with it. The whole project always felt cursed to me.

At this stage of the game I'll be pleasantly surprised if it ever sees the light of day

Capitol really did jump the gun announcing the project.

Nope - they announced it would be released in the summer. Summer's not started yet.

No, not at all. Dom & I locked horns for something like 20 years over many subjects (we finally met in 2007: no blood was shed, no dukes raised), but the general feeling was that his theories on Smile back in the 80s were presented as fact, and that got many folks backs up. Be interesting to see what his essay has to say.

And Summer doesn't end until September 23. One week prior to the Grammy cutoff. ;)

LMAO, That's actually true.

I stand corrected  :lol

Not gonna front, the introduction to LLVS pretty much sealed the SMiLE myth for me. Such passion, and it's so infectious. So I know the guy has passed some bad facts in his time, but his love for this music is undeniable. And he's been there from way back. I don't mind him writing it.

I totally agree with Hypehat about the introduction to LLVS!

And all due respect to Dom. Hat tipped.

As to 'locked in' Brian's mind, should that more accurately be 'long gone from'?

Man, you make it sound like he's passed kidney stones...

I think that right there tells us a lot about the upcoming release. (IMHO)  :)

I thought one reason Smile wasn't finished was because the answer wasn't in Brian's mind: he didn't know how it was all supposed to fit together.

I'm a fan of Domenic's writing and research, and I'm looking forward to his essay in the forthcoming booklet. If Domenic's writing had a fault, it was in its suggestion that Smile was more "finished" than the available evidence would seem to support.  But, in the scheme of things, that's a minor criticism. 

Any objective fan should salute Domenic for being absolutely essential in keeping the Smile legend alive over the decades, particularly back in the dark days of the '80s to early-'90s.   Look back at the Beach Boys' old interviews from that period.  Brian, Mike and Al didn't agree on much, but they sure as heck seemed to agree on one thing.... Smile was just some old bits and pieces that Brian had junked. And that was that.

But then you had Domenic (and David Leaf and Darian and Bob Hanes and many others including some on this board) saying and writing just the opposite... that Smile was great, important music... a lost masterpiece.   I mean, consider the irony of the situation.   The Beach Boys themselves were saying Smile was essentially worthless.  And fans like Domenic were saying that the BBs were wrong about their own work!  And whose point of view ultimately prevailed?  That's an incredible story in and of itself.

Have you some stuff in there Andrew ?"??

Not that I'm aware, unless they used something off 10452, in which case, being fine and honourable gentlemen, this time I'll get credited.  ;D  No reason why I would have been asked anyway: better talent closer to home.

I thought they might ask you to do some proper proof reading and fact checking - you know what'll happen - there will be some small thing that is disputed by a dickwad - hahaha- they need you to give it the once over IMHO

We'll see. Plenty of time.  ;)

 >:D

In response to Jugglers post above, I personally know from conversations with Brian and several people who love him that he believes with his heart that the songs he wrote for Smile were a peak if ot THEpeak of his career. The fact that he felt this way is now common knowledge, but it wasn`t always that way. It was easier for him to dismiss that music (Smile) than to relive the painful memories of that time.

David Leaf, Bob Hanes, and later people were simply carrying on the torch that Brian lit, and that people like David Anderle, Paul Williams, and Derek Taylor reflected on. I believe that The Beach Boys were as devastated by it not happening as Brian. I think that Brian simply hit the glass ceiling interms of the technology he had versus what he was trying to accomplish.

Smile has always been the albatross around the group, Brian. and Van Dyke`s neck until 2004. The specialness of the music is now undeniable. Brian has decided to step aside and let it speak for itself. The music always speaks for itself if people let it. There is nothing wrong with theories about how it might have been...the key words are might have been.

As it is, we have hours of sessions that several fine people are trying to present in a manner that shows the world why this music is undeniably unique, special, and terribly beautiful. Give the folks who are assembling this package the credit they so deserve...how can an unfinished album live up to thousands of peoples` differing ideas of what it should sound like? THAT is the reason Brian us sitting this one out, not because he has forgotten...the guy has an amazing memory, trust me!

Thanks, Peter, for all you've done for Brian and the Beach Boys' legacy over the years.

I just have one comment/question regarding the above. When you say that Brian is "sitting this one out," do you mean in terms of assemling a final sequence and overseeing the overall compilation of the audio material? If so, I can definitely see the wisdom in that. After all, he has had his final say with BWPS, and he made himself vulnerable to the public by sticking with that project. It paid off; most of us LOVED it. But it was a huge, courageous risk. When it comes to this upcoming archival release, it seems appropriate for Brian to take a back seat and allow others to execute the retrospective.

On the other hand, I hope he will NOT be"sitting it out" in terms of answering questions and sharing his memories. My hope is that the producers of the box set will drive relentlessly for new insights into the history and theory (and properly distinguishing the difference between history and theory too, by the way) of the recordings and compositions. Those details are important, and will be important for future Smile scholars long after the primary sources are no longer with us.

i don't think they should "drive" into brian.  if they can get into a mood where he's relaxed and candid, then they'd get somewhere.  but it isn't necessary.  maybe if he heard it all together he'd get inspired to move things around. 

Didn't mean to imply that they should "drive" Brian. I can see how what I wrote could be misinterpreted; it is not what I meant.

I wrote that they should "drive relentlessly for new insights." That means gathering as much detailed information as possible from all sources possible. When it comes to Brian, a sensitive and respectful approach clearly would best serve his dignity as a human being and also be most likely to yield results.

But I DO think it is important. If someone Brian trusts and feels comfortable with were to go through the various recordings and compositions and try to (gently) pin him down on what specifics he remembers, just think how valuable that information could be. Even assuming his memory isn't 100% accurate.

I'm also very interested by Peter's description of Brian as 'sitting this one out'. I understand how this might have come about, but like Catbirdman, I hope it doesn't preclude Brian from adding some insights to the documentation with the box set.

Catbirdman is right, too, in that a loose, friendly chat about the MUSIC, done with humour and passion, always seems to yield far more from Brian than a hard-hitting, documentary-style grilling. And of course, having a fit lass ask the questions doesn't hurt. I think I'd rather have Zooey Deschanel ask him all the questions than Domenic Priore... It worked a treat before...    ;)

MattB

Re: Brian sitting this one out:

I understand people's desire to get as much info regarding sequence and insights but if I were Brian I might "sit it out" too.  There is something to be said for letting a little mystery and the myths of SMiLE continue to exist and percolate in the minds of the listener.  It makes it more interactive and allows one to formulate their own sequences and theories about how it fits together and what it all means (even if their ideas infuriate and baffle others).  It reminds me of Frank Zappa's advice to Alice Cooper  (re- the chicken throwing incident) regarding not explaining yourself too much to your audience as their imagination will usually come up with a better story.

Don't get me wrong, I do love insightful interviews with people who were there (and I'd enjoy a good factual sessionography as well as a bunch of cool period photos), but I feel like some of the key answers that people are looking for just don't exist (much like some of the music), or may even be made up for lack of a real answer being available.

I enjoy the STORY of SMiLE but the recorded MUSIC means more to me.  I accept that it wasn't finished, but I am so happy to see that this beautiful music will finally get a release.  I do hope for new audio that we haven't heard yet (I'm sure there will be a few reasonable surprises and I'm not too greedy - a few new tidbits would thrill me).  Even if there is little or no new audio I will still be happy to take this set home and rejoice that it will reach a larger audience.  I'm still very excited and looking forward to the eventual release (I'm bracing myself for a few more short delays...so I don't flip out ala Phil Cohen).   ;-)

Hi Peter,
What you did to help Brian was a beautiful thing to do. I think the albatross is really a blessing in disguise. Can anyone look back in their past and not want to change something? It's understandable that a person wouldn't want to revisit painful memories, but it seems to me the lessons have been learned. The outcome is positive. The difficulty comes from being under a microscope, so I want to add to your remarks for the naysayers out there... Judge not lest ye be judged and let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I remember something George Harrison said in an interview when he decided to do the Bangladesh concert about using the John Lennon school of thought of going all out. Let's make it big. I can't help but think the best thing to do is take ownership. Just own it and tell people "yeah I did some stuff or stuff happened, but that's in the past... now take me off the top ten crazy guy list and check this stuff out!" You either get it or you don't... sometimes it takes people time to hear something they are not ready to hear. I think there are more people in the world who understand what Brian offers that don't speak up... who has the loudest voice? As a performer, I learned if you touch just one person in the audience, you have succeeded. The rest will just have to wait and maybe one day they will hear it, too. I did read that Van Dyke wished the celebrity of the piece hadn't become so big, but I see it as part of the beauty and the humanity of the whole thing. I still remember the conversations taking place 20 years back. I wasn't into it at the time but I still remember my friends talking about SMiLE... it is a part of people's lives and will more than likely remain. It doesn't matter what people think it should or shouldn't sound like, as long as it doesn't sound like a bad mp3..yikes. I think Brian has really only said one thing about this release... that people will get to hear the music with the "angelic voices" of the Beach Boys... and he is right and that is where I am keeping my expectations. It is a positive thing. Loved reading your interview, btw.. great stuff...

 :lol

That is an awesome post.

This is still not on the EMI schedule in the UK. Does anyone know any more about the UK release of this?

And also, do EMI have any money to release this anyway?

No they don't. That's why the big box will sell at GBP 1,000.

Assuming they're paying Mark and Alan to sift through the vaults and remaster the material for release, and assuming their press officers don't work for nothing, and assuming the flyer inserted into the Good Vibes 10" 78prm Record Store day wasn't a hoax, one might assume that EMI assumes it has the money to release this anyway.

That or they've decided to perpetuate the SMiLE myth by bringing it this close to release and then scuttling it for another 46 years.


(This is my attempt at an AGD-style "logic" answer - marks out of ten folks? ;D)

 :-D  8 out of ten, easily so.

6/10 - needs more waffle and a touch of righteous indignation.  ;D

Not to mention a complete lack of sarcasm to another poster or even a hint of inside knowledge without revealing a source! ;D

Yeah, that too.  :)

 :police: sure, but no other member would get away with that ban-free like AGD always does... this guy can speed drive, park wrongly, and cross lines like Denny once did, without being, um, repercussed...

That's 'cause I'm such a great guy. Must be true, my mom told me I am.  ;D

 :lol ...surely!

Just between you and me... I have the negatives.  ;)

No you don't - I do  ;D

What interview? Is there a link I missed that you could offer us?

I believe this is the interview OBLiO was referring to:
http://vandykeparks.com/miscfiles/opensky.html

Yes, that's it. Tons of insight and put quite a bit into perspective for me. Doesn't mean we can't expand on it, but the crux is there.

I haven't read that interview in a few years now, but it's certainly one of the best out there on Smile.  It's not possible to thank Mr. Reum enough for everything he has done for Brian over the years.

Thank you for your post! It is weird how one`s life changes from being an outsider observing to a partcipant to a part of the story. I have begun writing again recently for David at ESQ, and it is a wonderful departure from my regular job, which can be very intense. David Beard has kindly asked me to join the staff at ESQ, which I have accepted,and I am working on a piece now covering the post BB in Concert through 15 Big Ones era. I`ll be contributing an article to the Smile Sessions issue in the fall as well. I am reworking a 1992 article on the BW work outside the Beach Boys as well. Who knows what the future brings?

Wow, looking forward to reading your articles, Peter!

Is this dropping a hint that there WILL be a "Smile Sessions" box this fall? Generally, the online discussion of the project(both here and on the forum at Brian's website) has quieted down to a very occasional post. There isn't much more to discuss.

If I read Peter correctly, it seems there will be a Smile Sessions edition of ESQ this fall...the Smile box may yet precede it!

So I guess you don't believe it's coming out?

Believe it or don't. Either way it's NOT a fall breaks thing. SMiLE is a SUMMER release.  Summer begins:   


The astronomical summer as mandated by the International Astronomical Union begins June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 22 in the Southern Hemisphere. These dates are only "official" for the IAU.

The climatological summer as mandated by the World Meteorological Organization begins June 1 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. These dates are only "official" for the WMO.

Canada and the USA customarily observe the astronomical summer while Australia and New Zealand follow its climatological counterpart. Preference for the two methods of reckoning vary among other western countries. Many Asian countries use lunar dates to reckon the first day of summer.( but who cares about them backwards folks anyway?)

Phil is a perfect pessimist. Not that there's much wrong with that in and of itself, but this box is coming. It just hasn't been finalised yet, but I guess we have Al to blame for the premature announcement.

There is no doubt in my mind Smile Sessions is coming out. When will depend upon when the agreement can be reached within The Beach Boys that they all are okay with the package. I don`t see that taking too long once a final proposal is made. So patience is in order...and all the drama on these boards does nothing to make things happen any faster than it is meant to happen. I know the folks working on the project are TOTALLY committed to doing right by Brian and The Beach Boys and presenting something that everyone will be proud of.

Translation: even though Mike Love ostensibly put his signature on the dotted line to permit the "Smile" box, Love or his attorneys could still stop the release with objections to the liner notes or mixes.

Phil, I respect your right to your opinion, and perhaps your pessimism serves a sort of devil's advocate role on this board in reminding us that, yes, there does exist the possibility that something could go wrong.  Nonetheless, I have to believe that Messrs. Boyd and Linett and the folks at Capitol are fully aware of the ego(s) involved and are going to do their best to make sure all the principals are happy.

As my colleague Oblio`s namesake in Nilsson`s The Point hears from the Rockman in The Pointless Forest, "you see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear."

Dude, get over it.

Dude...Michael is just one more member of the band who has wanted a release of the Smile stuff as soon as Brian was ready to give the ok. Honestly, I think your devil's advocate role here is not to provoke intelligent discussion but rather to try and hang on to the whole notion that Michael never wanted the stuff released. As Joe said, "dude, get over it."

So Jonas stands for " your Joe-ness"  and his name isn't really Jonas?  I thought he was just that little bit away from the whale's mouth, but now...

No. Mike has not "ostensibly" signed (ostensibly: apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually), he has signed off. That isn't speculation. Capitol have learned their lesson from 1996.

Phil, there's reasonable caution, there's understandable scepticism, and then there's your Eeyore world view. You may not have noticed this over the last, oh, three and a half decades or so, but I'm pretty damn leery of most anything anyone says that emanates from the BB camp. How many times have I said "I don't believe this project will happen this year" since it was first rumored, let alone announced ? If for some reason it doesn't - and I agree that this is possible - it won't be down to Mike. For one thing EMI/Capitol is in a pretty financial pickle, and I'd imagine that if anyone had final approval, his initials would be BDW rather than MEL.

So, patience: sometimes no news is good news. Except, of course, if you're averse to good news.  ;D


Or as my father was wont to say, "can't tell someone something they don't want to hear".

^^^ Lovin the new avatar, AGD. Shouldn't you be looking through a striped window shade though?!  :)

That would be too obvious. Also, that was in 1966... ;-)

;D

I'm waiting for Andrew's avatar to start belting out some classic Doobies!  :lol

I'm missing the top hat already… what am I gonna do with my avatar now?

I thought AGD had Jeff "The Dude" Bridges in his avatar

From reading all the various SMiLE threads I have managed to come to the conclusion that Phil Cohen does not actually want there to be a SMiLE sessions release for reasons known only to him, please stop posting about SMiLE Phil as you are boring everyone to death.

 
:thumbsup

:thumbsup

I'm flattered. Jeff, on the other hand...  :o

Not so -  I'm finding it entertaining and it's good to have a voice of dissent; don't forget that a SMILE package has been on the cards several times before. And don't also forget what happened to the PS box first time around. This is BeachBoysLand -  until something happens, anything could happen, and even then they could rescind it.  I believe it'll happen but I respect (and empathise with) Phil's right to be skeptical.

And his mix is great!

Hehe... I'd think that AGD is the very last person on the planet who is permanently 'enhanced' by the mellow weed, given the sharp and witty posts he's used to dispatch to this very board...

We'll probably get a box full of Transcendental Meditation outtakes... ;P

/B

i for one enjoy phil's posts.