Yet another topic? Started by a lurker?

Yes! There's no central place where we can discuss the book that came with the boxset and all the essays, info and liner notes in it. Of course we have been talking about it here and there, but I, for one, would like to go in a little deeper. [Mods feel free to move this topic, any place you want]

As a Smile-obsessive for nearly 10 years I wrote many papers on the subject in High School and college so publications about Smile tend to affect me almost as deeply as the music itself. In a way this is what Smile has been about, even before it was shelved and became a myth and inspired writers like Priore. Derek Taylor, if I'm not mistaking, was even assigned to give Brian and The Beach Boys and later Smile a buzz. Writing about Smile is a big part of the experience, just like documentaries are (just watch the Capitol Promo's on youtube, or BWPS-DVD).

That being said, I'm surprised, pleasently, that the best contribution to the Smile Book from a narrative point of view (sessionography is amazing and should have been given more room IMO) is Brian's. Of course, a personal story has some direct advantage, but boy, does he do a tremendous job. He describes the whole history in a way that's satisifying to both the devotee and the newbie. It's correct that this is the only story that also printed in the regular 1 disc Smile-booklet. There's an amazing build up in his story, there's sunspense and then he tackles all the problems (drugs, pressure within himself, with the group, with the label) with a great eye for style. It's so good that I'm even doubting he wrote it himself. How can a man be so good in making music and writing?

The other essays tend to be a little bit redundant, as if the writers didn't know what the everyone was writing (totally understandable, but a publisher or editor should keep an eye on that). For instance Priore and Reum both do a great job, but to me they read like the same story twice (written in two different ways). In a way, the Smile story has been repeated since 1967 again and again from different point of views, some minor, some major and so it kinda fits in that perspective. What do you guys think?


Excuse any mistakes in gramar on my Dutch part.

There might be..
Even if there are taxes to be paid, it's still the cheapest solution.

From my Custom webpage:

Example:
A private person buys DVD’s by post. The price including postage is 50 euros.
The DVD’s are ordered from the USA. The share of postage is 15 euros. The consignment is free from import duty,
because the total value of the goods in the consignment does not exceed 150 euros. Since the total value of the
goods exceeds 22 euros, VAT is assessed:
• VAT is 23% of the basis of tax on import, i.e. of the price to which the postage has been added (50 euros) =
11.50 euros.
VAT is levied, since the amount of VAT exceeds 10 euros.

Of course your VAT might be different.

Thanks, I looked it up on for The Netherlands there will be a 22,5% tax.

Anybody know if there will be import taxes in the EU if you buy from amazon.ca?

The last movement is up:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pollytonesofficial#p/a/u/2/5_W9zab7AuM

The second movement has been added and it's wonderful (no pun intended):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7nMLIPdiSg

I wish Mr. Wilson would listen to this himself.
It shows that this material doesn't lose it's appeal in a sparse production.

Because these days, it's not about music, but image and looks.

Come on, Andrew: it has always been about image and looks. Sure, television (and then MTV and the like) upped that angle, but let's not suggest The Good Ol' Days were all that different.

Luker here, so my post won't have any authority, but Luther is right here.
Pop music is the result of mass media and image and looks have always been factors in the success story of bands.
It's true that the degree of musicianship that is needed for a good pop song can fluctuate through time. But in my book Lady Gaga writes better songs  than "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and that was a big hit in 1960. And I can name lot's of other hits in the 'great' sixties and seventies that are just novelty hits.

Lady Gaga is a very talented singer pianoplayer too, btw,
Try this link, it's better than Smart Girls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogdCvvqsyDE
 

As I said in my earlier (and first post) there is lot's of talk about SMiLE 2004 in my generation (born in the 80's).
You can pick up a copy of SMiLE 2004 for like 8 dollars and bring it as a present to a diner party. You can't come with some dvd filled with 60 versions of all the H&V-elements, that just a bad gift for the uninitiated. That is just what SMiLE 2004 is: a real record, that can bring the joy of SMiLE to the noobs, the people that normally won't download/buy a bootleg.

Saying that SMiLE 2004 isn't Smile is pretty funny considering that all the sessions from '66/'67 aren't Smile either. It does not exist. I see them both as variations on the same theme, the original sessions being the better (and sometimes only decent) versions of the great songs, the 2004-album as the only pop record that is based on those songs. Nobody really knows what it was supposed to sound like, including Van Dyke and Brian.

Saying that 2004 is disrespectful to the original Beach Boys or their fans is somewhat disrespectful to common people who know nothing about the sandbox, a guy who fell into his french horn and what the difference between the sound a real harpsichord and a sampled on is.
 

lurker's opinion here:

I'm 24 years old (I believe that Brian was that age when producing SMiLE?) and since my early adolescent-years I've been a fan of Smile-boots.
It was under the radar, incredible music with a twist of madness. It was completely mine, nobody that I knew listened to those sessions and I guess nobody even took notice of the fact that there was more to the Beach Boys than Fun in the Sun-hits and Pet Sounds.

Since 2004 that is completely over. More people have heard SMiLE-music than that I could ever imagine. That's the great gift that only a studio-recording of SMiLE could give. It's seems obvious that nothing could even touch the brilliance of the 1966 recordings. But most of the record buying people don't tend to think in 'lost albums', 'bootlegs' and such. Even if they would be available in a legally released box. Heck, they don't even want a live album. Most of them only understand: record (or 'something I can download', but that's another point). Except for the drummer all the people in my band have bought a copy of SMiLE, as do many youngsters in the Netherlands.

We can debate forever about how bad SMiLE 2004 was (IMO it's not that bad at all, some choices were nifty, the sound will not be as dated as BW88 or Imagination) or that it's not the record Brian would have released in 1966. The fact is that he didn't, and music history would have been missing something were it not for the decision to bring SMiLE in 2004 (and I'm sure money was a big motivator). Of course you and I would have been happy with our ProjectSmile or PurpleMix and we would be discussing if With Me Tonight could have been a good part of Vega-tables and circlejerk. We had something to lose: our SMiLE-dream, the way we think SMiLE should be. But most people got a great gift: an introduction to SMiLE. Now let's hope they all will dig deeper and listen to the original tapes.


 

I believe it's 54 in Holland for the second week and a row, not bad at all.
Better than the new Motorhead anyway.

they said that the next album would be recorded as soon as the end of this year
by Weezer standards a new album should be released in 2010. Maybe sooner
but I wouldn't count on it.

My recordstore in Delft also carries the CD/DVD
it isn't september 3 right?

I think this is the first record in a long time that they care about
It features the weakest song ever to appear on a Weezer record, but at least they care about it.
Dreamin' and Greatest Man have some sappy vocals with some emotion behind it that I haven't heard
since Pinkerton (besides 'Slob' or 'Slave' from Maladroit).

But 'Heart Songs', really?

As for the Deluxe: why oh why they didn't choose Ms Sweeney and Pig for the original release is beyond me.
Everybody Get Dangerous and Heart Songs should have been b-sides. Of course, those will be singles and millions
of people will buy them and proove me wrong. Still...I hate those songs.

BTW, letting other people sing was also a big mistake.

I think this is a return to form on some of the songs

Dreamin', Angel and the One, Pork and Beans   are great, Greatest Man and Troublemaker are ok (don't like the rappin though).

All the other songs are mediocre and badly produced.  This is comming from a boy who loves Weezer and sees their decline as something wrong. I know Rivers can write good songs, I know Weezer can produce and arrange a masterpiece. But somehow I think their label only wants them to ship millions of units and they are happy to jump on the bandwagon of US MOR Rock.

Heart Songs and Everybody Get Dangerous are ok songs, but there's nothing original about them, nothing authentic one sounds like  Boys 2 Men the other like a bad-RHCP.

There is some talk about album 7 to be recorded at the end of this year, fingers crossed.

my ranking:
Pinkerton
Blue
Green
Maladriot
Red
Make Believe

ever heard a Bob Dylan song?

lot's of well's too

red indeed

see this:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/50108-is-this-really-the-new-weezer-album-cover

this is so beach boys  friends-era

newest weezer song, it's pretty great:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tdilcq

http://www.weezer.com/default.asp

Seems like a part of Songs from the Black Hole will be released!

I'm super excited about this, praying that Longtime Sunshine (one of Rivers' best songs) will be on it!

btw

new Weezer album in spring? Hope it will be better than the last 3!

ohhh yeah a pm would be great!

I really like the BWPS tracklisting
how incorrect it may be historically
but it works fantastic

more specific, I really like how BWPS' H&V is constructed
all the best parts of H&V together integrated in a great song
I think the Smiley Smile/Single version is great, but it misses
the cantina section and False Barnyard. BWPS is the best version in
matter of structure, but I'll take the 1966/67 recordings of all the material
over the 2004 anyday.  That's why I like the version that somebody
made of BWPS with the 1966 recordings. Who made that, actually? It really
sounds finished, with the exception of Holiday, Blue Hawaii/Dada and Child is the father of the man
(still think Look didn't really need lyrics)

you can bill it as Surface Noise (band) with Dumb Angel (song of course)

and thanks again for your work!

if it was recorded for the Today sessions
why is it an extra track on All Summer Long twofer?
Rewriting history?

I suppose it's because there already were cool bonus tracks for Today! and Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long
could still use a good track. And the BB were constantly making albums anyway. Still as a soon to be historian I would like to see a Today session track on a Today reissue.

the wave version of Dumb Angel:

http://s60.yousendit.com/d.aspx?
id=17VAG9CGOLB7O19D9ZNE2GR3Q4

thanks!

way too late
only excuses are that my internet connection was merda
and that I already uploaded them a few weeks ago but didn't post them here
(pretty dumb!)

http://download.yousendit.com/337FDAF84F90DDD0

is Surface Noise-Dumb Angel

yeah sorry, I will upload them soon
been kind of busy (doing nothing)

congrats!