When Smiley was released,I thought it was a dreadful,depressing album--Since then I have come full circle,I now find Smiley to be mezmerizing even historic because of it's weirdness and rythmic arrangments of BW's SMiLE stuff.

mikie-that was a long time ago-I cannot remember the exact month of the Bernstein TV special---If not April 67,was it in Dec 1966???any way,I watched it and remembered it because Surfs Up was different.I am 61 years old,and you are right,why would my dad and I just happen to be tuned in to that TV network on that night?My Mom was in the basement ironing I think.....I was at home with Dad because I was grounded,for coming home after a big game,smelling like beer...my punishment was dealt out...it was tough..., no night life,no cruizing,no nothing...for a week!  So I was right there on the couch watching as Bernstein led us through the young composers of the day.I think BW was the last to appear(not sure)...you are right to question posts from those of us who explored teenagery through the music of that time and actuallly realized Surfs Up to be a beginning of something special called SMiLE.

since 1966(I think)..watched as BW did Surfs Up for Leonard Bernstein on TV-I was 16 and Surfs Up blew my mind,because it was deep and strange...I want to emphasize we were 1966 teenagers who listened to 1966 and pre-1966 music so we received massive doses of teeny-bopper melodies about girls,going steady,going steady class rings, cherry cokes etc.,...BW gave us just enough of Surfs Up to make SMiLE seem to be an important,oncoming, musical,and American answer to the British invasion of radioland in the USA.

I looked on Amazon and could not find anything about pre-ordering the SMiLE Box Set---Where do you pre order???I've waited 40 some years for this BUT I don't think,as great as it is,SMiLE will probably not break any sales records,today's kids just don't care for BW's music that much,and they cannot understand how,in 1967,SMiLE was lightyears ahead of it's time,and most of them could care less about Sgt. Pepper and SMiLE.For those of us who were teenagers in those days, it is apparent we grew up in a golden age of music.I hope the SMiLE set sells out,becomes the rage,but it won't because we are a minority in the music listening world ,though we are devoted to BW's and VDP's 1967 musical experiment,the kids are not and the kids are who the record companies prey on for the major bucks.So give thanks to Capitol Records,Brian,Carl,Dennis,Mikeand Al for releasing SMiLE.SMiLE is relevent today,and will be relevent 100 years from now,which is why we can't wait for the box set to be finally available.

You are right,when you write Brian does not owe us anything,but music moves on,Brian moved on with "Lucky Sun".He would have been better off reimagineing pet sounds or his surf hits rather than Disney and Gershwin..but you are right BW is great...I just wish................

Disney songs I can think of:
HiHo-HiHo off to work we go!
Once you wish upon a star
The ballad of Old Yeller
The Ballad of Mickey Mouse,Goofey,Bambi,Minnie,Donald D. etc.
I didn't really like the Gershwin thing much,although I bought it on Amazon,listened to it once,tried to like it,but,I thought Reimagines was a bit boring..
Now we have a Reimagines of Disney songs,which I hope will be great.but.at best,the Disney songs reimagined by BW will probably suck...
 As I listened to "The Lucky Old Sun"I got a little excited,seemed to me like,BW was back,really,he sang about surfer girls, the beach,Southern Cal.,
life,getting old,love, the goodness of going home(wherever that is),and his long lost brothers,Carl and Dennis,deeply missed.
 I guess whatever BW does is OK with me,but this Disney thing,gosh..I'm not exactly waiting on pens and needles for it's release...Brian needs to "do it again"
which is, as we all know,easier said than done...

Does anyone have any realistic idea how many units of SMiLE Capitol and the boys hope to sell?SMiLE has a certain historical value,and it deserves to be released(Deservin' ain't got nothin to do with it...Clint E."Unforgiven")and Linnett and Co. I'm sure are dedicated to the release of SMiLE ,BUT the entire SMiLE debacle is beginning(for the first time in 40 some years)to get tired,it's losing it's freshness , innovation-ness and that strange artistic aura that has surrounded BW,VDP, and SMiLE from day one.It is a bit troubling when you realize SMiLE,at this point, is about money,and does not have the respect and public clout that would press Capitol to release the sets sooner before later.Maybe Capitol is apprehensive about releasing SMiLE to a limited market,and feels SMiLE should be piggybacked by BW's Disney album(which probably won't amount to much)in order to milk all the sales possible from both albums no matter how bad the Disney album may be...it does not matter,Capitol is trying to what's best for Capitol and SMiLE will be released before long and none of it matters because the heart of the matter remains the same,that SMiLE is one of,if not the best,musical albums ever made.

Not really,I don't have any sisters,although I had a girlfirend I called Sis,now that I think about it,there wasn't much of a charge in kissing her....or her sister either...that's another story...

I have great respect for BW's talent,but I didnot care for the Gershwin album.To me,it was kind of like kissing your sister,there wasn't much of a charge in it.I do not know how the Gershwin cd sold.I cannot imagine the upcoming Disney CD being very good.I think I read somewhere BW had to make 2 CD's to complete the Disney contract.BW's solo efforts have had some great musical moments,because of his originality and sense of melody.I hope he completes the Disney album,lives up to his end of the Disney contract,and gets back to writing his own songs.

Last night I listened to Mok's version of SMiLE.I was surprised at the better than OK sound quality of his "homemade" SMiLE.Given todays recording technology,I wonder how good BW's 1967 SMiLE songs can be made to sound.Isn't remastering vintage recordings , dubious and time consuming?Do you think the finished product will offer us sound comparable to the clarity in todays recordings,if not,how good can BW's SMiLE sound,after remastering and technological manipulation of the original tapes?

I am a newby to this forum,but I have followed this and other discussions about BW and the BB on this forum and find it all very interesting.In 1976,while in Pharmacy School,I got stuck in an advanced music appreciation class.I registered late and had to have an elective and Music 404 was all that was left.The cirriculum Music 404 consisted of a well researched paper about a composer and his works.My roomate M.B. played on weekends in an oldies band.When I told about the forthcoming paper I had to write,he got all excited and begged me to write it about SMiLE.M.B. had some bootlegged tapes of some of the sessions and when he told me the history of SMiLE,I said OK let's do it.I listened to the various SMiLE songson 20/20,Wild Honey,Surfs Up,Sunflower etc.The so called session tapes had another 10 or 12 other songs(i think)unnamed like "Welcome"-"Sail on Sailor??"a lot of instrumental stuff,more short songs,I cannot remember much about them,one had really odd sounding horns ans BW's voice muffled,there was a beautiful version of Surf's Up that was BW and piano only.Anyway there seemed to be at least 40 songs maybe more.When I heard BWPS I was disappointed because it seemed like a partial SMiLE.Question:Do you think the 2004 SMiLE was the SMiLE BW intended to release in 1967??Was the 2004 SMiLE BW's version or was it the Wondermint's version?
 I made a scared C on my paper
 M.B. was a SMiLE addict in "76",what with computers and the such,I wonder what MB thinks of the 2004 BWPS-that's why i will interested to listen to the new sessions box set-


 

My nephew works for EMI-was talking to him last night at the BW concert in Lexington Ky(he is an accountant and works in California)-I asked him when  the SMiLE sessions box set will be released-For what it's worth he said HE HEARD(remember he works in accounting which is light years from Production)there was an little legality issue (no idea what that means)but SMiLE would be released SOONER BEFORE LATER.Sorry about this vague post,but he seemed certain release would happen soon

BW plays tomorrow night at the opera house in Lexington Ky--Our Lexngton newspaper interviewed him by phone--when asked if the 1967 SMiLE will be realeased he said "MAYBE"-I think SMiLE is not worth the trouble..I have wasted 40 some years waiting on whatever SMiLE is...I've got tickets ,and will go to the concert.