The Smiley Smile Message Board

My friend who lives relatively far away has expressed intrest in Smile. I don't really know how to start them off (what exactly to listen to, what to read). In addition, the fact that I can't get to them personally makes it a pain when choosing what to teach them.

How would you start somebody off?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Smile-Sessions-Beach-Boys/dp/B005J29HCQ

Let them give Pet Sounds a go and if they dig it, tell them there's something out there EVEN BETTER _maybe. Then make them listen to the Sessions 2CD set or any number of fanmixes.

They don't need a copy for now, they can listen on Spotify.

I probably will start them on the 2CD set, but here's what I mainly want: Reading.

They even said they want to learn more but don't know where to start. I need some texts for them as they listen.

This might be where to start.

http://www.amazon.com/Smile-Story-Brian-Wilsons-Masterpiece/dp/1860746276/

You should also perhaps suggest to them the Beautiful Dreamer documentary.

This - and also, maybe have them at least wikipedia it before they listen. Do they know anything of The Beach Boys'/Brian's backstory?

I personally think SMiLE works only with a deep back knowledge applied - I didn't get much of a Kick out of BWPS or Purple Chick when i first heard them, as my understanding was very little.

They know some, and I also wrote this short, horribly written, incomplete blogpost (http://tomatosalad.net/blog/smiley-smile/) that actually got them interested in the first place.

I'd prefer not buying anything, because a) there is already a wealth of free Smile info and b) they want to listen, like, today.

completely disagree. Smile contains some of the greatest Beach Boys songs ever.

Well, you'd obviously want them to have this material LEGALLY!, so if they have Spotify they can listen free. Or, if they want to listen, like, today, iTunes and Amazon offer up TSS as digital downloads.

Yeah, Spotify, I mentioned that!

I meant reading!

Have them watch this. It's a little skewed, but it should do the trick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2iTjYWma0&feature=channel&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaqvxlmvE_Y&feature=channel&list=UL

Yerp. It and Smiley Smile are what got me into the group. Also, lots of records and bands have interesting stories behind them, but their music is still... 'not to my taste.'

Pet Sounds was the album that took me several listens to get into sans a few songs, and if that had been my introduction I don't know how much further into their discography I would have went. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album, but for me it was a grower. It's not shocking at all to me that most people check out Pet Sounds, lose their minds over "God Only Knows" and maybe 2-3 other songs, think the rest are okay, and then go with the whole "Brian lost his mind because of drugs/Myk Luhv was a doodie head and induced mental illness in Brian/The Beatles and stopped writing and laid in bed for 40 years" sh*t and don't bother with anything esle.

Also, as much as the errors in "Surf's Up" and especially "Cabin Essence" bug me, yeah, just send them disc 1 of The Smile Sessions or point them in that direction on Spotify. Alternately, the fan mix of your choice (I'd choose on that's a little more conservative and follows the tracklist of BWPS or TSS. Just me, though).

Blargh, I want reading, dammit, they're listening as I type this.

I posted a link to a book, maybe you missed it.  It's called "Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece" and it's by an author named Domenic Priore.  Brian and Van Dyke Parks also wrote short forewards to it.  It's a very quick but enjoyable read and it's everything the casual fan will need to know.

it needs to be readable, like, right now. I don't know why you aren't getting this :P

they're reading some stuff on surfermoon.com and liking it! This is coming from somebody who mainly like pop music, too!

Oh SHIT. SORRY!

How about "Goodbye Surfing, Hello God!" by Jules Siegel?  You can get that on iTunes for just two bucks.

eyeroll.gif

drugs

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:lol

 :lol

No, no, a thousand times no - any fanmix is at best someone's quasi-informed notion of how it might have gone (but probably didn't), more often just a bout of aural masturbation that tells you some folk shouldn't have been let in on how to use Audacity, Sound Forge and the like.

I dunno, AGD, I've heard a few ( and only a few) fanmixes that went down smooth as silk, and were intelligently and tastefully crafted. But even so--that might not be the best gateway in.

I'd recommend small doses: start with Wonderful. Then Cabinessence. Then Surf's Up. That'll get into their brains--then they'll want more, and your work is done.

Sadly, I've had a hard time the last few years getting new SMiLE recruits on board. I think I'm asking the wrong people.

Anyone know what the background music at this point is derived from?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2iTjYWma0&list=ULsv2iTjYWma0&feature=player_detailpage#t=500s

Well, Smile never really existed back in 67, so I'd say play them the songs that were to go on the album (on later BB albums), to show you what could have been, check out these songs, imagine how amazing this album would have been (if they came out properly sequenced on the Smile album)

Our Prayer
Surf's Up
Heroes and Villains
Wonderful
Good Vibrations
Cabin Essence

Then you could point them to Brians 2004 SMiLE to give him an approximate idea of the theme and sequencing Brian would have had in mind to tell that musical story.

30 Years of Good Vibrations disc 2. Perfect starting point. No reading necessary. Music speaks for itself.

Give them a cassette of one of the first bootlegged versions of Smile. Tell them that's all that exists of the album.

Then slowly start leaking tracks to them every few days.

Then buy them the Smile box.

I've thought of Brian writing and recording those songs as being aural masturbation in the first place, so why not have some aural masturbation of my own? Feels goooood! ;D

Too much self pleasure here! Get a room or something! :lol

'Goodbye Surfing, Hello God'

Also 'Catch A Wave' by Peter Carlin.

Well they listened to the complete 2CD last night and read some essays and excerpts from LLVS and loved it.

So, yeah.

I started on the now old SS/WH CD, listened to SS & then read the booklet.
When reading how almost an year worth of sessions work was junked & how beautiful it was too.
Got me to find out more, reading about Smile is on par to listening to it IMHO.
Also fitting the jigsaw pieces together per Smile Sessions box set was alot of fun.
It used to be months or years before another piece became known via offical or bootleg.
Finding out and discovering Smile for yourself & others is part of the fun Enjoy.

I got into Smile looking for more Beach Boys music that sounded like Smiley Smile. I didn't really find that at all, but that's cool.

 define aural masturbation...and its goal of aural orgasm? huh?

Interestingly, for me it was the other way around. I bought Pet Sounds somewhere around 2004/05, and liked a few songs (WIBN, SJB, GOK) and a few of the other songs seemed OK, but not great. I listened to it once in a while, but it wasn't a big deal.

Then this past spring I read about the Smile sessions somewhere, including the fact that it was "the most famous unreleased album ever," which was enough to pique my interest, so I bought it and became obsessed. Soon after I started listening to Pet Sounds again, and now that I've gotten accustomed to the BB 'progressive' stuff through Smile, Pet Sounds now sounds a lot better. Instead of just 3 really good songs, there are now about 6 or 7.

wow, man, now it's that easy. you find out about Smile and you're like "damn! that's amazing." and then you just buy it. simple as that.

So anyway I just ordered 3 copies of Smile and Pet Sounds from amazon.com to give to each of my 3 sisters for Christmas. Have no idea if they'll like them but it's worth a try.

I've also recently told 2 old friends from high school about Smile, one of them said he would definitely buy it. I feel like an evangelist spreading a religion.  :-\

There's about 13 really good songs on Pet Sounds.

I'm not crazy about "That's not me," the 2 instrumentals I usually skip over (though the 2nd one is better), and I've got mixed feelings about "Don't talk" - the refrain is nice but I always find myself wishing the verses were somehow different.

In addition to WIBN, SJB and GOK, since I started listening to Smile I've grown to really like "You still believe in me" and "Caroline, no" especially. "I just wasn't made for these times" is close behind. So that's 6 really good songs, 3-1/2 "meh" songs, and the others are good but not great.

Man.

Well, it's not petting my ears, that's for sure... Hey! That's how Pet Sounds really got its name! ;D

Yeah, no.

While I respect your opinion, I just can't fathom this.

He digs the singles. Just like most people in this world. just, most of them don't post on this message board.

It's OK, he also went on a Christian message board earlier and admitted he only really likes a few sections of the Bible.

Right. Whereas me, I go to the Christian message board and post about how much I'm into the Pseudepigrapha, dissect the different source theories for the book of Genesis, and trace back historically to understand why the Book of Enoch is part of the Ethiopian canon and stuff like that. But those morons who actually go to church and "walk with God" and suchlike only know the greatest hits like John 3:16 and other crap found on bumper stickers. Phooey.

I write my own gospel fanmixes.

That's a good one! :-D

Huh? You mean to tell me I'm required to like every song on the album, or else I'm not up to snuff?

I did say I liked other songs than the singles.

Maybe it's my mixed feelings about "Don't Talk" which makes my tastes too pedestrian.

BTW I'm not religious. ;)

Yes.