...My image of you is totally blown.

You just bury your head in the sand and wait for your fucking prom.

Yes, he is.

Matinee Idyll says it's Al Jardine.

There, that's settled, let's talk about another song.

Who is doing the 'ahahahs' in Country Air?

Be Here in the Mornin' "AHAHAHA" be here in the evenin' "AHAHAHA"

Them parts.

Pfft, and I'm sure you don't drive luxury cars into swimming pools either. 

Lyin' bastard.

Is the fact that I didn't even know it existed, a comment on its quality?

Yes, ma'am... err, ladies. 

[The Cyclical Nature of Ian's Posts]

The Cyclical Nature of Ian's Posts[/i]

I'll bring the coffee and speed.

Alan, we'll bring the coffee and speed.

I'll bring the coffee, speed, Reddi-Whip, birthday cake and Dolly Parton videos.

Heh, you crazy little cutie you...

...Ballad of Ole' Betsy, right?

Sorry pony, just alittle disgusted that you could contend that Carl and Denny were 'hit' by a higher power because they got into meditation...

so perhaps denny is the reason for Gods wrath on the boys,huh? not mr. love.

...Jesus.

'ey Joel,  I've got 'high' quality mp3's of the actual demo tape that Crowded House took around the States, got rejected everywhere, and then used to get signed to Capitol... 10 or so tracks... Very interesting listen, have you heard it?  PM me if you ain't, I'll try to put them up somehow...

Better than talking about how Pet Sounds really started on side two of Today!...again, and again, and again...

Yeah, we all know Today! whips Pet Sounds anywho... and Smiley

What a resounding thread...

I'd completely given up, and I don't mean to gloat... but I spent part of last week with one of me musical heroes, and it was amazing to see how damn simple writing music came to him...  No self consciousness, just draw up a ukelele tab, tune it to some wierd 6th chord, and start making stuff up... once things started flowing, it just came natural. Now I feel a whole lot more confident in my own ability to 'do it'.

I too appreciate not having family who give any feedback on what you're coming up with, even a "That sounds sh*t" would be a start.  Like Heroes, I too yearn for rollickin' family sing songs (we're two peas punchin' it out in the same pod man, I love ya)

Stick with it guys,  if only for yourself.

Buggarshitbum.  There, completely un-PC.

No offence mate, you just left me more confused than anything...  Randy is good, when called for.

Ahh yes, Edward Van Helgen.  It's a shame when you have to draw your pistol and blow his banjo in two

theeponymuseudonym, it seems there is a bee in your bonnet.  Have we met?  Are you from the other forum, but with a pseudonym?

'ey thanks Heroes, appreciate it...

It's a real bastard of an album in that sense...

Sometimes I'll stick it on, expecting it to be great, and I'm dissapointed.

Othertimes, I can put it on, expecting it to be great, and it exceeds my expectations.

Or I'll put it on, not really expecting much at all, and it could be great, or worse than I remembered.

Regardless of my mood, it just... plays games with ya.  Very interactive record.

Would this be an acceptable place to say I really enjoyed that Aretha Franklin/George Michael duet "I Knew You Were Waiting"... Only heard it twice, but it's good.

I was really surprised at the surprisingly soulful vocals from George, he was sortof playing the sweet 'woman' to Arethas screaming 'man'... Worked really well.

Catchy chorus too.

I'll have to look into Mr. Michaels body of work...

What a curious read the last 10 pages of this thread have been...  This is stream of consciousness type crap, so excuse me if I contradict myself.

Well, Smiley Smile... I spun you tonight, in all your glory... and I suppose if there's one BB's album that polarizes opinion, it's you... as the 27 pages of this thread demonstrate.   I can't remember what rating I gave this album, I believe around 3 1/2, which after my listen this evening, seems fair. 

This may achieve the reactions, "Oh, that's too low for this masterpiece!" or "Too high for this pile of crap!"... Because that's what Smiley does.  I would imagine that, if Brian was 'in control' as many of you contend, then his intention was to split the fan base into those who 'get it' and those who don't.

But is there anything here to 'get'?  Ian, Chris, et al would contend absolutely that there is...  That this is genius fractured through the smokey haze of Brian Wilsons living room.  This is correct.  Other's say that it's too experimental, too uncommercial.  This too is correct.  And once again, people say that's it's a steaming pile of crap.  I wouldn't tell them they're wrong. 

Because I feel that Smiley can be everything, nothing or anything you want it to be. I believe Ian used the term "it is what you bring to it"...  some days the album is a 4 1/2 star effort for me, others, it leaves me cold and I would be tempted to give it a lowly 1.


So what do I like about it?  The apparent spontaneity of proceedings, there's flair in these vocals... "You're too late Mama, ain't nuttin' upside yo head!"... It doesn't sound like the rehearsed to buggery schmuck of the Pet Sounds vocals... there are bung notes throughout, and yet there's a 'vibe' established that can't be attained through "spit 'n polish".   The stripped back arrangements really make the vocals come to the fore.

Wind Chimes has been hotly contended, and personally, I think both versions are flawed, and they come out about even.  Smiley has the 'vibe', and yet Brian makes it blatantly obvious through sound effect what the song is about,  NOT communicating in music.  What I like about the Smile version (apart from the gorgeous trumpet line) is the fact that Brian uses Marimbas to communicate the idea that the song is about Wind Chimes, without actually using chimes.  What I mean is, if you got rid of the vocals, the Smile version is cleverer in that you'd guess the song was maybe about Windchimes, without actually hearing a chime anywhere.  This is brilliant.  Paints a brilliant picture musically without words, while it's the vocals on Smiley that bump it up.

What don't I like about Smiley...  It's too short.  The album is just too, freakin' short.  Just as a mood is established, it's gone. 

While I respect it's sonic brilliance, the album really leaves me feeling cold and disconnected more often than not.  "With Me Tonight" for example, is probably the only track that really leaves me speechless for it's beauty... Of course there are glimpes of heartbreaking beauty throughout... Windchimes coda, Little Pad humming (my personal favourite) Getting Hungry verses (Mike sure was a great soul singer... "If it weren't for the love of a woman..."), etc...  But these, I feel, are too few and far between.

But then, I'm not terribly moved by BWPS or much of the Smile material in general... or much Pet Sounds... so, who knows...  It must be me.

Colin Blunstone!  How could I forget... Only me third favourite 60's group

What an amazing singer... Rod Argent, Chris White too... great vocal blend.

You'd have to be a freak for Dusty not to resonate with you...  Heartbreakingly beautiful voice... her version of "Anyone who had a Heart" is definitive for me...

Shatner.

Ray Davies (not a 'great' singing voice, but it works perfectly with their offkilter music)
The Wilson Brothers
Steve Marriott
Dusty Springfield (my vote for best female)

I'm sure something from Van Morrison does... off Astral Weeks... "Cyprus Avenue", "Madame George" maybe?  Don't have them nearby to check, but they are arguably only two chords...

Failing that,

Surf's Up

I really have no trouble discerning one singer from another, no matter when the incarnation of the group.

Not trying to be a smarmy, uppity bastard when I say that guys... but Andrew is right, it ain't so hard... use dem ears.  Easily distinguishable... of course Al and Brian are occasionally difficult, but not often.

I do remember, after getting a best of and Pet Sounds... I picked up "The Capitol Years" comp, which is a late 60's focussed comp... I was about 11 at the time.

Well, I can safely say that my hatred for the intro chorus' of "Gettin' Hungry" still hasn't dimmed much over the intervening years... I thought the verses were so 'soulful', or something... and it was ruined by a bombastic, ludicrous chorus...  Other than that, the other things on the comp like "Be With Me", "Never Learn Not To Love", "Time to Get Alone" and the like snuggled neatly alongside, and surprassed the Pet Sounds stuff for me...  Never thought anything but "Getting Hungry" was wierd, well... Love You of course, but that's another kettle of fish.

The first time I listened to "Love You", I was on a train, hurtling for home... and I stopped it about 30 seconds into "Let Us Go On This Way"... I was actually frightened by what I was hearing.

I thought it were damned wierd...  But no, the wierdest 60's band I've really heavily gotten into is The Kinks...  Their stuff is just, so oddball... Ray just threw convention out the window from Kinks Kontroversy on...  but it never seemed forced, just perfectly 'Davies'.

Brian does both end parts of the end of Airplane.

Surely not mate, Brian does the 'lead'... though I'd bet on my mothers grave that Carl is doing the 'fill ins'... the "can't wait"... "her face"...

It is absolutely him

"Deep and Wide" 

It's the build up as much as the actual part... "Looking down through the valley sooooo..." Carl does a beautiful little trill with his voice on 'so'... and afterwards with the creepy "Be With Me" strings "aren't you glad we finally got away-hey-ay... * CUE CREEPY ASS STRINGS *

But that "DEEP AND WIDE", Woah, wish I was hearing that for the first time again... Blew me away, it just hits me right in my soul... infact, I think it's probably the best 20 odd seconds Brian ever wrote...