The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile, released February 1997.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/looklistenbook.jpg) (http://www.bestwebbuys.com/0867194170)

5 stars. The real explosion.
If you weren't around, I can't explain the excitement, revelation and mental orgasm this book inspired.
For the 80's BB fans, this was a new book of the Bible, and the single most important event in BB fandom history, far more than the BWPS release. Transformative.

this book is truly amazing. still amazes me to this day after reading it

5 stars. Makes me feel like I was there, and wish I was.

Indispensable. The most important book....ever.

We need a revised edition . . . with a thorough index . . . to make it a more user-friendly resource, from a reference standpoint. Priore and Chidester have discussed doing this.

M.

I need to get this.

This book alone justifies Priore's SMiLE Scholar Hall of Fame staus.

Shame his other book f***ed up his credibility.

This book, however, is a magnificent thingy. Excellent compilation of articles. I'd give it 500 if I could, but a 5 will suffice.

I don't necesarily think the newer book fucks up his credibility.

Well, different strokes for different folks. I couldn't finish his other book, I thought it was pure fluff. I would dare say it insulted my intelligence.

Uhh, yes.

Saying the new SMiLE book fodaed up Dom's cred is like saying GIOMH fodaed up BW's cred. Yeah, so what?

I agree with that.

Outside of the BlueBoard, it did.

I agree! I just meant it does not nullify his previous greatness.

Which is what I said.

Except I liked the new Dom book. Hell, I'm even in one of the pictures!

????

Rob, which one?

(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e200/walruswasrob/img4.jpg)

Dee and I are directly in front of Darian. Brian was staring at me the entire time he was on stage.

BTW, that was at Wondermints' record release performance for Mind If We Make Love To You

Man, you guys go EVERYWHERE for concerts! (and since we have gone to see Brian together here in Columbus, and you live in Missouri, I speak from experience)  I don't know how you do it but I envy you.

I don't know how we do it either. Except that we live rather modestly, don't have any vices that use up money (like drinking and smoking) and usually save up for these trips.

But i that case, it was basically a once in a lifetime gig - Wondermints never tour and don't even play around L.A. when Darian and Nick aren't touring with Brian.  Unless those guys can clear enough time to make another record .... Another Wondermints gig seems unlikely.

Jeff, there was something else about that show.  Earlier that week Brian and band performed at McCartney's Adopt-a-Landmine benefit and the 'Mints invited Paul to their gig to possibly do a number. Rumors were rampant the night of the gig that McCartney would show up. But as it turns out, he was starting his own tour that weekend in the Mid-West so he had to decline the invite. So we got Brian (I was hoping that it wasn't going to be a BB song) and Evie Sands. Pretty good consolation, if you ask me.  :)

About the picture itself, I had seen it online several times since 2002. The 2nd time we went to L.A. was last May for the BB Landmark ceremonies and the weekend activities. One of which was a bus tour through Hawthorne and Hollywood with Priore and Peter Reum as co-tour guides. We go to the hotel where the bus tour starts and everyone is in the lobby chatting. Priore's new SMiLE book hadn't come out in the US yet, but he had a copy with him that he was showing everyone. Emdeeh I think, was looking at the BB pictures in it, I glance over and I see a familiar picture. I'm like, "this is from Wondermints Knitting Factory show!" Dom goes, "yeah, were you there?" "Dude! We're in the shot!"  It was completely by accident (I'm sure the only reason Dom chose this shot because it had Brian with Darian, Nick, and Probyn), but I thought it was cool in a giddy fanboy kinda way.

Yeah, but three months later, Brian came out with BWPS and then the briliant Christmas album.  What is Dom ever going to do to redeem himself?

He doesn't need to. Look Listen is enough to permanently enshrine him.
Like, you know, BW is still great even though he put out that godawful piece of offensively bland nonsense Xmas album.

I got this book a few months ago and it really is fantastic. I think it is the definitive book on SMiLE and I dont think you'd ever be able to top it unless there was an update which had added articles etc.. because this book gives you a feel for the times around SMiLE, something that which no other book can do because this book has articles from the time and therefore give you the feeling and build up to the proposed release and then failure to release SMiLE... A truly wonderful book in recreating (especially for those who werent there like myself) in some small way the legend of the SMiLE-era

I dont see why it should, I mean everyone has blips in their career(s) in whatever they do.. I mean a sportsman can't produce his best form EVERY match, I mean he/she is going to go through slumps in form at some time in their career and with Brian releasing GIOMH that is one minor blip in a VERY long career, I mean so what? It doesnt mean that he can't still produce good material as he has proved

When did they discuss re-doing it?

I know it had to be a while ago, as this post was a long time ago itself.

One thing that would really help LLVS is an index. I considered doing one and putting it on my web site when I was actively working on it...

Wow, good idea, I might do that myself if you don't end up "publishing it"

Imagine how many pages are listed after Smile  :p

An index would be great - but what about all the news-clippings/articles where you can't see the source, and or date?

just use the title of the article.

Finally got around and ordered it. Had the chance to leaf through it a few times in the past, but never to actually sit down, take a closer look and read. I'm psyched.

EDIT: Have had it for a couple of weeks now, and it's GLORIOUS!

I've bought this via Ebay but have yet to receive it. One question in advance though; I've bought the original copy and not the updated one (Dumb Angel Gazette # 2 as opposed to # 1, the won I've bought.) How much was added for the reprint and what was the additional content?

I havent read it yet, but Im very excited to. The ultimate collection of all known SMiLE writings in one place...how could you go wrong? I agree an index, update with BWPS articles, and perhaps some alternate interpretations for what the album wouldve been (I personally strongly disagree with Priore's proposed structure) would be nice. The album is nearly 50, and this book 30. It seems time for a reboot. I think it is almost certainly the best book on SMiLE out there, but almost by default. Thats not a knock on this, but there really arent too many books on the subject in general, and most that exist are not particularly well written or researched. With our principle sources of insight dead or old and unwilling to discuss it, this may be as good as it gets for better or worse. Im glad we have this much tho, certainly, as we could do a lot worse.

There are those (including yours truly) who feel that Mujan's own writings on SMiLE would make a wonderful contribution to the literature and maybe even become the definitive work on the subject.

A SMiLE Bible at last! ::)   

It's a pretty good book to flip through and look at, but I'm not sure I have the urge to read every page of it. It's a cool reference book, though.