1. God Only Knows
2. Don't Talk
3. You Still Believe In Me
4. Pet Sounds
5. Let's Go Away For Awhile
6. Here Today
7. I Know There's An Answer
8. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
9. Caroline No
10. I'm Waiting For The Day
11. That's Not Me
12. Sloop John B


What's with all the Pet Sounds hate? (referring to the song) Definitely one of Brian's greatest arrangements. And groovy as f***!

Btw, Trombone Dixie is astonishing. It's sad that it wasn't finished. Would've fit better than Sloop John B, that's for sure.

I just listened to the link of Kelley Stoltz that was posted above somewhere, and damn if I didn't absolutely LOVE it from the first listen. So many artists try to achieve that sound influenced by the Beach Boys and Beatles, and so few pull it off, and this guy just nailed it. From the garage sounding, 60s-tuned snare to those vocal harmonies, and some Beatles guitar and grit - stunning. Must buy everything he has released!

Glad to spread the word! Please buy as much of his stuff as you guys can, and send an email to Sub Pop telling them how much you think he's a genius and can't wait for another album ...

I liked it a lot too! Cool song!

I'm disappointed in you guys hating on Animal Collective. They're honestly very good (one of the few modern bands that I really like) and I think Avey Tare is one of the greatest songwriters on earth right now (Gustav Ejstes in Dungen being number 1).
You should try to listen to them without thinking they're pretentious hipsters trying to sound cool, because they're not. They're just trying to write honest music, and you can definitely hear that, especially with Avey's songs. Some of his best songs have that Brian mid-60s feel where it seems like the melody just popped out from his heart and you're like "why hasn't anyone written this perfect melody before?".
I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I think it's kinda easy to tell which songwriters truthfully write melodies from their heart and soul and don't TRY to sound like something cool, or something they like. I think it's a hard thing to do and only some very gifted songwriters are able to.
Animal Collective have a way of confusing people to think that they're pretentious douchebags, but if you truly get into their music you find that it's the absolute opposite.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvIryVxmyy0 - This is one of my favorites. Listen twice or more to find the song underneath the mess. The melodies are incredible.

[PM]

I would also like a PM please...

But you've got it backwards, or sideways, maybe. Progressives LOVE the state and constantly beg their rulers...er, I mean favorite politicians, for more and more laws that 'protect the poor' which, when any state (meaning government) becomes involved always does the exact opposite (see the Great Society). Of course conservatives also love the state for its ability to make slaughter a laudible job), so maybe its time the whole go-to-the-government-to-force-your-will-upon-others thing is put to rest. The lesson is if you use force (definition of all governments ever) to get your way  it will never be a fair transaction. Make something I value and I will pay you for it. That's how everything else works (grocery store, clothing, etc.). If you make crap 'art' that I listen to on the internet or a friend gives to me and I can't stand it, don't expect any cash. All of these worst-case-scenarios about one's amazing art being stolen by the big corporation (which can only exist because of the state) are laughable. To me, anyway...

I know that americans like to flip it around and say that anti-authoritarianism is conservative and the opposite is progressivism (or liberalism), but that's simply because the USA was founded on extremely progressive ideals, so being conservative has become being liberal.
I don't see why I should subscribe to that idea though. My ideology is called socialism and is basically about reforming the government to the point where it doesn't exist anymore. Decentralizing, removing laws and giving power to the people is what's going to make this world free and equal, and that's what socialism and progressivism traditionally is about.

I'm disappointed in Van Dyke. I thought he was more progressive than that.

Intellectual property laws is what protects state capitalism, big corporations and rich people in general. Without copyright laws, patents and trademarks there wouldn't be such a big gap between rich and poor people. Big corporations wouldn't even exist, because it would be impossible for them without the government's protection. In a free society, no one would get rich off an idea which would make it unnecessary to protect your idea. The important thing would be to be the first on the market with an awesome idea, before everyone else starts competing with the same awesome idea.

Artists and musicians have always been progressive about this. Art is something free. You can't own it, you can't touch it. It's meant to inspire people and create something inside you. Reach people's hearts and souls.

If you don't want someone else to copy or do whatever they want with your art, keep it to yourself. Because once your art or idea reaches my head, it's mine too. Because I have it inside of me.
Of course you can't walk around stealing others CDs and paintings and stuff, because that's something you can touch. You can't put the CD inside your head, but you can keep the notes and rhythm there.

 

I consider these to be the best, most original and most consistent bands of all time, and therefore also my favorites.

The Band
The Beatles
of Montreal
The Zombies
Dungen
Genesis ('70-'78)

[Genesis]

Tony Banks, the brilliant songwriter/pianist of Genesis said in Record Collector magazine that Brian was his biggest inspiration, and that he wished he wrote more music during the PS/Smile-period.

Of Montreal, Kevin Barnes has been mentioning BBs and BW in several interviews, especially Smile and Pet Sounds. I think some of his early songs have a very Smile-ish sound, songs like Go Call You Mine and Maple Licorice sound very much like something Brian could've written in late '66.

Elliott Smith, mentioned Pet Sounds as the biggest inspiration for his album X/O.

Grizzly Bear, besides the obvious BB sound, guitarist and songwriter Daniel Rossen is pretty much a perfect combination between Nick Drake and Brian Wilson, I'd say. And he has mentioned them in many interviews. He even made a list (great list) in Q magazine of his favourite BB songs, mentioning songs like Til I Die, Surf's Up and Old Master Painter (!).

MGMT, play BB covers, mention obscure BB songs in interviews etc.

Wilco, don't remember where I read it but Jeff Tweedy's a big fan.

Deerhoof, I hear the influence in a lot of their music, but I don't think they've mentioned them aside from a comment about Good Vibrations being a badass song.

I love of Montreal to death. But only their work up to around 2004. Coquelicot is one of the best albums I've ever heard, and definitely very SMiLE-esque. Brian and Kevin are two kinds of songwriters though. Both have an extreme melodic gift (Brian a little more), but they create different sorts of arrangements.

I'd say Kevin is more Beatles-inspired when it comes to song structures. They approach chord changes in different ways. Kevin would never sit down by the piano pounding out weird inverted chords in an obsessed way like Brian, but he definitely likes to change key. A lot. Fast, unpredictable chords, but never like PS/Smile-Brian who refused to return to the root chord and just played around with different inversions, in a slower more sophisticated way. Kevin likes to play clean, straight chords (sometimes diminished) with some extended harmony and he likes to use the root chord. Almost never lets the bass play a 5th or 7th for more than a bar which PS/Smile-Brian loved to do, and often built the songs around these inversions. And I think Kevin writes most of his songs on the guitar, which is different from writing on the piano, ofcourse.
So I think they are similar in the way that they write these brilliant and innovative melodies, on top of deep, complex arrangements but their arrangements and chords are formed in different ways.

I've never read about Kevin being inspired by Brian, but he must've been right? Does anyone have a link to prove this? I've found that most of my favourite songwriters actually are inspired by BW and it's always a pleasure to read great songwriters praising each other. Daniel Rossen, Elliott Smith and Tony Banks are a few of my favourites who see him as the biggest inspiration.

The punchy little slapback- riff being played high up the neck on the Vegetables fade has always stuck with me.

That's a good one as well!

- Wind Chimes groovy ending part.
- Fire heavy double bass things.
- Brian's piano playing in Da Da (fender rhodes) and Cool Cool Water (version 1). He's so in love with his chromatic basslines. It's kinda cute.
- Bicycle Rider fuzz bass. Kicks ass!
- Good Vibrations (inspiration). That fuzz bass line is awesome.
- Child (version 1). Wow

Smile is really a very bass heavy record. I would've never thought that just by listening to old bootlegs and BWPS (where they decided to not give a sh*t about the bass sound)

Andy did it better I think.

I know lounge singing may not be to everyone's tastes, but the slow treatment here really highlights the beauty  of these chord changes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utPFpu8j548&feature=related

Except they're playing completely different chords from the original.

Edit: that was just the piano.

Isn't that master take on Secret Smile somewhere? I think I remember an additional instrument there, like a guitar strumming in the 2nd and 4th verse? Maybe I'm hallucinating or there's some weird echo or something.

[The SMiLE Sessions DVD Box]

Never thought I'd see footage from the Smile sessions. It's mindblowing to say the least.
Now imagine if it was released on dvd. Like this for example (with a little extra imagination):


The SMiLE Sessions DVD Box

Disc 1:

Documentary
Interviews from 66-67 and 2011

Disc 2:

H&V Studio Sessions (with audio)
Good Vibrations Studio Sessions (with audio)

Disc 3:

Other Smile songs Studio Sessions (with audio)

Disc 4:

Inside Pop Complete Footage
Party at Brian's place, playing Smile for the Vosse gang (fall 66/color)

Disc 5:

Piano demos by Brian at his mansion (fall 66/color)
Smile songs played live by BBs

+ Bonus material

1428 songs. Most of them are bootlegs and stuff.

[Stereo SMiLE Mini-Mix]

Have another Stereo SMiLE Mini-Mix.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OB3FmZcG7w

Songs included are Child Is The Father Of The Man / The Old Master Painter / You Were My Sunshine

OH MY GOD. That's the best Child version I've ever heard. INCREDIBLE!!!

friger. Pet Sounds is pretty much flawless and I don't think you understand how original it is compared to an album like Surf's Up.

You are correct Sir. I don't deserve to call myself a Beach Boys fan. I shall give away all my CD's of them to the local Oxfam and delete my smileysmile account post haste.

Sorry. I'm in a bad mood this morning and can't really handle when someone attacks Pet Sounds, my favourite thing in this world.

f*cker. Pet Sounds is pretty much flawless and I don't think you understand how original it is compared to an album like Surf's Up.

Just in case anyone's interested, SMiLE hit the top 10 in Sweden!


Sweden: 9
Norway: 13
Netherlands: 20 + 42
Germany: 26
Finnland: 46
Switzerland: 65
Belgium: 84
Spain: 90

This freaks me out. I've never really met a BB fan here in Sweden, besides my close friends, and I always thought that other countries were more BB friendly. But I guess it has to do with the reviews Smile has gotten here.

yeh, right on ...

anyone can make something simple seem complex, but it takes genius to make something complex seem simple (i.e., translate easily to others).

My votes:

1 - I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
2 - This Whole World
3 - In The Back of My Mind
4 - I Get Around

It's hard for me to separate composition from production and arrangement with Brian's songs because the overall sound shaping is a big part of the end result.

This whole world is the opposite of that. It seems complex because it changes key all the time but it's a very simple song aside from that.

The whole Pet sounds album is very complex. And many of the smile songs like surf's up and wonderful. This whole world is a bit over-rated when it comes to this I think. Just some basic key changes with regular chords. No complex harmonies or inversions, which pet sounds and smile are filled with.

I downloaded the Disney album and listened to one or two songs. Not very interesting imo. Maybe I'll give it a complete listen in a year or so, when I'm done mixing my own Smile, and done listening to it.

Child Is father Of The Man - fascinating to discover from the sessions for version 1 of Child, that the part that I previously thought was a bridge (the quick tempo bit that goes up and down the scale) was initially the verse part. Anyone else surprised by this information?

Nah, you could hear that in the SOT set too. But yes, it's very cool since it doesn't sound like a verse backing track at all. More like an intro. How would you put vocals there?

Didn't realise that session is on sot.

Yeah that was my thought - how would vocals fit? Also makes you wonder if there were ever verse vocals given that the verse clearly changed so dramatically between these two sessions. Maybe all it ever was was a feel that brian intended to put words to but never got round to it.

That would have to be some really complex vocal melody. I think he probably had one, cause I don't think he ever composed the vocals after recording the backing track? I've always had the impression that he sat down at the piano, playing different chords and rhythms ("feels") until he found a nice progression, and then came up with a melody.

Child Is father Of The Man - fascinating to discover from the sessions for version 1 of Child, that the part that I previously thought was a bridge (the quick tempo bit that goes up and down the scale) was initially the verse part. Anyone else surprised by this information?

Nah, you could hear that in the SOT set too. But yes, it's very cool since it doesn't sound like a verse backing track at all. More like an intro. How would you put vocals there?

1. god only knows
2. wonderful
3. don't talk (put your head on my shoulder)
4. can't wait too long
5. you still believe in me
6. hang on to your ego
7. the little girl i once knew
8. wouldn't it be nice
9. pet sounds + let's go away for awhile + trombone dixie (instrumental combo)
10. i'm waiting for the day
11. wind chimes
12. til i die
13. caroline no
14. let him run wild
15. love to say dada
16. cabin essence
17. heroes and villains
18. surf's up
19. all i wanna do
20. she knows me too well
21. let the wind blow
22. here comes the night
23. fire
24. holidays
25. all summer long
26. do you like worms
27. little bird
28. barnyard/great shape
29. our sweet love
30. good vibrations
31. don't worry baby
32. that's not me
33. darlin'
34. aren't you glad
35. when i grow up
36. sloop john b
37. wendy
38. i went to sleep
39. cotton fields
40. be here in the morning
41. don't hurt my little sister
42. solar system
43. vega-tables
44. a day in the life of a tree
45. lady
46. we're together again
47. in the back of my mind
48. had to phone ya
49. feel flows
50. mount vernon & fairway (or whatever it's called)

FUCKING FORGOT I JUST WASN'T MADE FOR THESE TIMES! It's top 10 material for sure