The Smiley Smile Message Board

A few years ago, I rearranged the album and replaced some songs. This order of songs blows my mind! Using stereo amap:

Been Too Long (a cappella Hawthorne version)
Wild Honey
Gettin Hungry (assuming S and not SS got released)
Country Air
How She Boogalooed It
Transcendental Meditation (I know the timeline is off, but.   I think the music fits better here than Friends)
Mona Kana
Good Vibrations (early version- Brian lead)

Darlin
Aren't You Glad
Let the Wind Blow
Here Comes the Night
A Thing or Two
Can't Wait Too Long

It's already a classic. The Beach Boys' very own stoned soul picnic. Its minimalistic brevity is a huge part of its appeal, and it definitely doesn't need a bunch of showy set pieces jammed in where they don't belong. (Seriously? Early Good Vibrations?)

From a songwriting perspective Wild Honey is as good as it gets, if only Brian had recorded it in a proper studio...

No way! 1967 Beach Boys is as hip as it gets - indie lo-fi 30 years before its time

And any world that presupposes Smiley Smile didn't come out is a world I don't want to live in...

Man I wonder about that too. I definitely love the album as it is but I can't help think what it would sound like had it been recorded at Gold Star, Western, etc.

With full band harmonies. I can't make out Bruce or Dennis in the vocal stack at all.

I absolutely love the album's muffled sound and sparse instrumentation, no need to change anything about it! Some fans and critis have compared it with Dylan's approach on John Wesley Harding and I think as a comparison it's very fitting. Those are two very fine examples of a post-psychedelic back-to-the-basics approach!

I think Wild Honey is perfect as is... I think a stereo mix would be mind-blowing.

Definitely. I'd love to hear it wall of sound style in a stereo-pet-sounds-esque mix. All those horns, echo chambered - it would sound killer.

I agree that Wild Honey is good as is. But I like the idea of opening with Been Too Long and closing with Can't Wait Too Long. Wondering how a fully produced album WH album would sound with the wrecking crew and all is not what I meant. The songs can stay the way they are. Transcendental Meditation for example sounds good following How She Boogalooed it! The only thing I may reconsider is Mona Kana for a later album. Sounds too polished. May add a mix of the Dennis and Carl Smile session instrumentals?

Firstly, start with swapping in the extended alternate version of "I Was Made to Love Her". It's far more interesting with just that little section added, compared to the released album version.

How odd must it have been for the album's first single to be released on October 23, 1967, only 1 month and 1 week after the release of their previous album? 

A classic as it is----Unique and that's good.

You could. I try not to use covers as much as possible.

Boy, I'd hate to have to leave off I'm So Young off of Today.

Made a playlist of this. Though I cheated and changed a few things.

Can't Wait Too Long (a cappella MiC)
Wild Honey (stereo)
Gettin Hungry (stereo)
Country Air (stereo)
How She Boogalooed It
Mona Kana

Darlin (stereo)
Aren't You Glad
Let The Wind Blow (stereo)
Here Comes the Night
I'd Love Just Once To See You
Can't Wait Too Long (GV boxset)

I forgot just how awesome the stereo version of 'Darlin' sounds. Love the sequencing on that first side (didn't add TM because it's so engrained to me as a Friends track, also didn't use GV because I wasn't sure what version you meant). But I really like the Can't Wait Too Long opener/closer. I think it would sound great if the tail end of the first track segued into the beginning of Wild Honey a little. Always nice to hear these tracks with a different perspective.

Or "Why Do Fools..." off SDv2.
Or "Sloop John B" off PS.
Or "I Can Hear Music" off 20/20.
Or...

I have the "classic" 2fer of WH with SS and loads of fabulous bonus tracks. Nuff said...

WH was a MOST WELCOME release after SS.  It was like...THANK GAWD!!!  They're still alive.  SS was a frightening experience when it was FIRST released...like 14 months after Pet Sounds.  I mean really!!!!!  Smiley Smile after Pet Sounds?  That was like winning it all and then committing suicide.  No...WH was MOST welcome.  Phew!!! :hat

Wild Honey really, REALLY needs a mono/stereo release like all the albums before it (except Surfin' Safari obviously).  There is so much going on in the tracks to this hip little album, as can be heard on the actual stereo mixes we have heard thus far. 

I can't help but wonder if Mark Linett has put out any searches for the missing multis, or if it's a lost cause... :(

Exactly. I wouldn't change anything else about this classic album.

Why you wanna mess up their greatest LP?

It's fun to wonder what ifs... but this is one little album that probably doesn't need it.  It just happened.  It's all one occurrence, as far as I know.  It sure sounds it.  One complete thought.  I wish there were 50 of these.

This is as close as I'll get to having Brian Wilson (in a happy-place) alone with a four-track.  The icing on the cake is the fact he brought the Beach Boys in on it.  I want more.

There you go!

WH is in my old car "CD six-pack" and never comes out!

Wild Honey and Country Air!

That LP is the real deal.  :love

I thought the early version of Good Vibrations was obvious. It's a bonus track on SS/WH twofer. Anyway, here is a playlist of my alternate Wild Honey album.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXjclVOWaN7VJAj7ZHwIScy6hHQiamT4B

Wild Honey is a perfect album as is.

Its brevity is beautiful.  The crudeness of sound, such as it is, only makes it sound more rock and roll.

I love that it was mainly played by the Boys.

Didn't even Lester Bangs refer to it as the album of 1967?  And just think of what other great albums were released in '67.

I'm wondering if people are misunderstanding. I love the way the songs are produced. I didn't plan on changing anything, except the running order and puting in a couple of tracks on the shelf for what are in my opinion weeker cuts like Mama Says and a great cover, but not original of I Was Made To Love Her. I guess most of you disagree that Wild Honey can be improved upon, but I feel that the running order of the songs I listed is a fantastic listen!

I love it just the way it is. The only songs on the album I don't absolutely love are A Thing or Two, and How She Boogalooed It.

Am I the only one who adores "A Thing or two?"
What a great riff! Later recycled for the verses in "Do it Again."

It's okay, but not one of my favorites. "Country Air" is, though. And "Aren't You Glad". And "Let the Wind Blow".

The Wild Honey album is a classic. No need to change anything. 8)

Agreed! "A Thing Or Two" is a song which tries to "rock" and so totally doesn't. I've played Wild Honey many, many times on my two-fer and I can barely remember how "How She Boogalooed It" goes, it's such a slight song. Other than that, it's a great album. I love the vocal workout on "Mama Says" but that song must have been so far out of step in late 1967.

I think everyone understands very clearly indeed! No problem, MTR----to each their own. ;D

I agree with you, Magic Transistor Radio. To me, yes, Wild Honey does appear...short. It's barely 24 minutes; some groups' album sides are longer than the entire Wild Honey album (BOTH sides of The Doors' L.A. Woman comes to mind). Not to get off the topic, but with The Beach Boys having 5 or 6 songwriters, it's always been perplexing why some of their albums lacked number of songs.

I love re-configuring and re-sequencing BB albums, but I don't like to remove songs; it usually makes more sense to ADD them. The Beach Boys usually had a couple of outtakes that were equal if not better than some songs that made the final cut. So, with your Wild Honey project, I would just add "Can't Wait Too Long"; it's a great BW track and would at least bring the album to 12 songs at about 27-28 minutes:

The Beach Boys - Wild Honey

01  Wild Honey
02  I Was Made To Love Her
03  Country Air
04  Aren't You Glad
05  How She Boogalooed It
06  Mama Said

07  Darlin'
08  I'd Love Just Once To See You
09  Let The Wind Blow
10  Can't Wait Too Long
11  Here Comes The Night
12  A Thing Or Two

I wonder what would have happened if Smiley Smile had never been released and Wild Honey followed Pet Sounds? Move Best of Vol.2 after Wild Honey

Love it----well, like the rest of the album as it happens. "ATOT" is superb. The verse part reminds me in some way of the Stones' "Going Home"  from Aftermath.

It's rather as if Carl (or someone) said let's revisit the format of "Gettin' Hungry" and take it a stage further...   

ATOT is so much fun. Makes a nice intro to Darlin' too.

What do you all think if everything was the same except the album open with Can't Wait Too Long (Hawthorne vocals only section) and closed with Can't Wait Too Long from the twofer?

Sorry, MTR, but i really do think it's great the way it is!

As you say, "CWTL" (or rather my favourite version of it) in on the 2fer with Wild Honey----problem solved, as i see it. ;D

Yeah, I reckon Wild Honey's already a perfect, concise little classic. CWTL doesn't especially fit the vibe of the album to me (and you've already got a snappier acappella outro), I find it a lot more Friends-y. Maybe if you were to swap it for Transcendental Meditation...

Interesting. Ever since I first heard it (on the SS/WH 2fer), it's struck me as being in a field of one---a lone meteor across the BB firmament. Some of its chord progressions (notably the rising section with the off-mic, unintelligible lyrics) ally it more to Wild Honey than to Friends in my opinion but in most ways it's utterly unique...

That sound would be completely out of place on Wild Honey, it's not sparse enough. Would have been a better fit for Friends or 20/20.