Amazon.com (US) is selling it for $14.98 and states that it was released over a month ago - on Aug. 25.

People who type out SMiLE should be banned for twelve years.

Hah!  I love the above post!  No offense to the many fine posters on this board who type Smile as SMiLE, but the practice has never made any sense to me.  Using that logic, the great majority of Beach Boys album titles should always be typed in all capital letters (THE BEACH BOYS TODAY!, etc.), but Surfin' Safari should never be capitalized and should instead be typed as surfin' safari.   

Originally, said posters thought they were adhering to Brian's overall vision for the project, as that's how the title appears on the front slick. Sadly, it was discovered some years ago that it wasn't Brian's idea at all but originated in the Capitol art department. 

Ah, yes.  If only SMiLE was an acronym for Spiritual Music in Loving Expression, then typing SMiLE would truly make sense.

People who type out SMiLE should be banned for twelve years.

Hah!  I love the above post!  No offense to the many fine posters on this board who type Smile as SMiLE, but the practice has never made any sense to me.  Using that logic, the great majority of Beach Boys album titles should always be typed in all capital letters (THE BEACH BOYS TODAY!, etc.), but Surfin' Safari should never be capitalized and should instead be typed as surfin' safari.   

'Cause Brian was playing it for LA DJ Harvey' Humble Harv' Miller, who'd dropped in at the session.

OK, so it's probably safe to assume that it was not Humble Harv who was on the air when Brian and entourage drove to KHJ radio and delivered Heroes and Villains for an exclusive world premiere, only to have the dj say he couldn't play it because it wasn't on the KHJ playlist. 

AGD, do you or anyone else know who the dj was who was finally told by his boss, when the dj was prodded to call for permission, "Put it on the air, you idiot!"  (For those of you into radio history, I'm assuming the boss would have been KHJ program director Ron Jacobs.)

For all those pointing out lyrical differences, he also sings, "I've been taken as lost and gone" on the Humble Harv recording. Not quite as important as the others pointed out, but it is worth mentioning as the lyric later changed, just as "agriculture" could have been later on.

What is the Humble Harv recording?  Is this an acetate or tape that Brian and friends took to radio station KHJ to give them a world exclusive premiere of Heroes and Villains?  I've always wondered if it was Humble Harv (aka Harvey Miller), Tom Maule, or another KHJ jock who told Brian, "Sorry, it's not on the playlist, so I can't play it!" before contacting his boss who told him, "Put it on the air, you idiot!"

The humble Harv recording is the Heroes piano demo that was released in edited form on Endless Harmony - it was the first time that "I'm in Great Shape" came to light as part of Heroes, at least at that time (November 66).

Thanks for the info, Bicyclerider.  Do you have any idea why it's called "The Humble Harv Demo"?

For all those pointing out lyrical differences, he also sings, "I've been taken as lost and gone" on the Humble Harv recording. Not quite as important as the others pointed out, but it is worth mentioning as the lyric later changed, just as "agriculture" could have been later on.

What is the Humble Harv recording?  Is this an acetate or tape that Brian and friends took to radio station KHJ to give them a world exclusive premiere of Heroes and Villains?  I've always wondered if it was Humble Harv (aka Harvey Miller), Tom Maule, or another KHJ jock who told Brian, "Sorry, it's not on the playlist, so I can't play it!" before contacting his boss who told him, "Put it on the air, you idiot!"

You guys remember he is 67 YEARS OLD, right...?

Yep - a year older than Mick Jagger.  Definitely enjoyed the performance, but the highlight of this video for me is Taylor Mills' legs!

[It was I've got some real interesting pictures from that night, including one of all 3 Wilson boys backstage after the show!]

It was   I've got some real interesting pictures from that night, including one of all 3 Wilson boys backstage after the show!

Hey Ed -

Hope you can post at least one photo.  (And in the not too distant future you've gotta do a book!)  I hadn't realized Dennis and Brian had been backstage.  When I was backstage after the show I encountered Carl, Bruce, and Audry Wilson.  Talked to Brian before and after Carl's concert, and definitely heard Dennis (who was continually shouting and cheering from toward the back of the Roxy) but never saw him.  The LA Times reviewer, not realizing that Carl's most vocal fan was his brother Dennis, wrote "Sometimes those guys (the fans) seemed a mite overappreciative.  The modest falsetto in 'Heaven,' for example, hardly seemed worth screaming about."

Looks like we'll be on during the 8 o'clock hour.

Scott

Wow!  I would have loved to have seen that one on TV!  The YouTube video sounded great.  Scott, I hope you guys will do I'm So Young at Humphreys in San Diego on Sept 25.  And for any Smiley Smile message board members who have not seen the current Mike and Bruce Beach Boys, under the musical direction of Scott Totten, all I can say is ... don't pass up your next opportunity to do so!  The band sounds great, both vocally and instrumentally, and they've expanded the set list with some cool stuff.

Here's a link to a handbill for the World Premiere of Five Summer Stories at the Santa Monica Civic on March 24, 1972:

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/five-summer-stories-handbill/SMC720324-HB.html

Andrew - I'm curious what you make of all this.  How does this info impact the presumed recording dates (and locations) of the three Holland songs contained on the FSS soundtrack.  Badman's book indicates that The Trader and California Saga - California were recorded in Holland in June, July, and August of 1972, while Sail On Sailor was completed, with Blondie's vocal, in LA in November 72.  But then again, as you have stated, concerning SOS,  "Brian had already recorded an early version with Steve Desper engineering back in late 1971 (Desper contends that the Holland version "sounds awfully like the one I recorded")."

What do you make of all this?  Unless the original FSS soundtrack was changed, it would appear that these three songs were actually completed (or at least mostly completed) prior to the BBs leaving for Holland.  

[Holland]

Something very odd is going on here - logically there's no possible way that three songs from the Holland sessions could be included on a movie released in March 1972. But in the recollection of many - too many - folk here, that's what happened. 

Andrew - I agree completely.  It appears that three Holland tracks must have been completed prior to the release of Five Summer Stories.  I have some notes I placed in the DVD case of my copy of FSS in which I wrote that FSS was first released on 3-25-72 and I first saw it on July 9, 1972.  At this point I don't recall where I found that release date, but it would have been a source that I presumed to be accurate, or i wouldn't have bothered to write it down.  My DVD box notes also state that I first saw FSS on June 9, but the FSS poster I linked in an earlier post indicates it was more likely June 15 or 16.  I don't recall where I got the July 9 date either, but it may have been the tapes I made with a friend, and perhaps we referred to seeing the movie "Sunday" and when I checked a 1971 calendar to come up with a date I was off by a week. 

In any event, the movie was in circulation at least by June of 72, and given the time it would normally take to edit a movie, the producers would have had the audio tracks available generally for at least a couple of months prior to that.  One possibility that occurs to me, although it seems unlikely, that the producers were given rough mixes of The Trader, Calif Saga, and Sail on Sailor, which were used for the orig film, but then replaced with the official releases for the video.  (I don't think the movie came out on VHS until the mid-90s.)  I'm not sure to what an extent such a scenario would still conflict with the presumed timeline for Holland recordings, and, again, it seems rather unlikely, but certainly could be possible.  Also, when seeing the movie again in 73 and 76, I don't recall thinking I was hearing versions different than contained on the Holland album.

I checked my archives to see if I'd saved the article I remember reading in 72 saying that Brian Wilson had given the FSS producers use of the BB music at no charge, but was unable to locate anything.  But, during my search I had to laugh when I read the following almost 38 year old article from the San Diego Union reviewing a Dec 4, 1971 concert I attended (the day after the 12-3-71 Long Beach Concert):  "'No heckling from the crowd, were doing this as best we can for an aging rock group,' explained Mike Love, 30 year old lead singer of the Beachboys ... The Beachboys should realize that their era is over ...  The group is far too old be be singing such juvenile ditties as 'Surfer Girl,' 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' and 'Sloop John B.'  In another pointed irony to the old age of the Beachboys, the crowd sang Happy Birthday to drummer Dennis Wilson.  He was 27 on Saturday."

Just went back and listened to SOS on the Five Summer Stories DVD.  While it's possible there are some minor differences, the version found on the film sounds completely identical to me to the released version on Holland, with the exception that the Five Summer Stories version fades out about 30 seconds sooner than the Holland version.

Ed - I bought a VHS copy of Five Summer Stories back in 1996, when I was first aware that the film was available on VHS, and upgraded to a DVD copy two years ago when I found out it had been released on DVD.  I then got rid of my VHS copy, but not before checking to see if there were any musical differences between the two, of which I found none.  As Tony mentioned, used VHS copies are available from Amazon, but you can get DVD copies from various sources, mostly surf shops and surf related sites.  I did a quick search and found the DVD available from http://www.surfvideo.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=31_35_66&products_id=542 for 19.99.  (If you have difficulty getting a copy, send me a PM.)

To the best of my knowledge, the BBs music was never pulled from the film.  It was still there when the film was rereleased in expanded form as "Five Summer Stories Plus Four" in 1976.  I'm guessing you're thinking of the Soundtrack album,  which was by the group Honk, and never did contain any BB material.  I do recall hearing back when the film was released that Brian Wilson had given MacGillivray and Freeman permission to use the BB's music at no charge.  It was great publicity for the band at that time, and really cool to hear some BB stuff which had yet to be released.

Here's a link to an original poster advertising the film's showings  June - Aug 72. http://www.classicsurfads.com/catalog.php/classicads/dt70778/pd1921360/FIVE_SUMMER_STORIES_SURF_FILM_AD_1972

Tony - Cool to hear about your recent surf music premier, "Surf movies, music, beer and the waft of herbs in the air .... the 70's is sooooo back in fashion in the surf community!"

Here's something to think about. According to AGD's Bellagio site SOS was recorded in November '72, however SOS was used in the soundtrack to the Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman surf film, Five Summer Stories, which was released in September '72. So is the FSS version different from the Holland recording?

And even more to think about - Five Summer Stories is listed as having been released 3-24-72.  I first saw Five Summer Stories on July 9, 1972 (at a rented out high school auditorium, which was the kind of place they were showing it before it ended up in theaters).  I next saw it on May 23, 1973, this time in a regular theater .  At the time of its release, Five Summer Stories contained three unreleased Beach Boys songs - The Trader, Calif Saga (On My Way to Sunny Calif), and Sail on Sailor.

When was the KGB version released?  What was Ray Kennedy's role in writing the original song? Did Ray Kennedy write his lyrics after the Beach Boys version, or did they exist prior to that, but he didn't release the kGB version till later?

I highly recommend the new Sunflower and Surf's Up 180 gram vinyl LP reissues.  In addition to top-notch sound quality, the packaging is absolutely first rate.  Surf's Up features the original foldout insert with lyrics and photos, and Sunflower features its original gatefold cover with great photos of the group, and rather than a typical paper or plastic record sleeve inside you get the very special paperboard sleeve with the artwork bonus that Alan Boyd alluded to in his post.  If you are a long time fan who had the Warner/Reprise 2 dollar loss leader LP 'The Big Ball' from early 1970 containing the notation "'This Whole World' is from their first album on Brother, slated for release in April 1970" you'll probably recognize this artwork immediately, but now it's full size and in full color.  It's not a large departure from the existing artwork  that's been around for almost 40 years now, but it is a really cool addition to the packaging, and is indicative of the care that went into this reissue.

The sound quality of both albums is great, although one must be prepared for the typical clicks and pops found on vinyl.  My copy of Surf's Up was in very good shape in this regard, but I've been through three copies of the Sunflower reissue (the worst of which I returned) and all have more irritating clicks and pops  than I would like, especially on side two. (The worst clicks and pops found here consist of a short burst of clicks in just one channel;  the left channel on one copy and the right channel on the two other copies I purchased.)  In the past it has been  possible, but not common, for some pressing plants to consistently produce quieter vinyl, (and I tend to be far more irritated by clicks and pops than many people), but many albums are far worse in this regard.  However, don't let intermittent vinyl clicks and pops dissuade you from making a purchase.  If you do not own these albums on vinyl (or if you have the non-gatefold version of Sunflower) it's really cool to see and hear them in their original packaging, and they are also a great addition to your collection if you have worn copies.  I'm not one of those who feels vinyl automatically sounds superior to CDs (although it can, and vice versa, depending on the original source tapes used, along with eq, etc, applied) but listening to vinyl is a cool sonic experience.  I'd even recommend these albums to hardcore fans without a turntable, just to experience the look and feel of the original releases.

Prior to my purchase of the new vinyl reissue of Sunflower, over the years I've purchased 12 other vinyl copies of the album, starting with my original purchase on 8-21-70 (ten days before most discographies now state it was released) and including two white label promo copies, the Capitol Record Club pressing, the Stateside European release, and the CBS/Caribou 1980 UK release.  (But not the ultra rare limited edition 1990 EMI vinyl release!)  There are some significant sonic difference within these vinyl releases (including two differences of which I am aware within the Brother/Reprise pressings, which remained in print for almost 10 years after the album was released) as well as the 10-90 and 7-00 CD releases.

As stated before, this new release sounds fabulous, and I'm hoping it will find its way to CD very soon.  My original vinyl copy(which is rather worn!) and my two promo copies (in pristine shape), the three of which, between them, were made with two different stampers, all sound identical.  As far as sonic balance of this new reissue is concerned, in my listening tests I felt that, compared to the original early pressings, the new reissue overall has more bass and in some cases slightly smoother and less strident vocals.  Both of these attributes are a good thing, as the original album could use more low end (especially by modern eq standards) and somewhat less strident vocals.  However, on the new reissue Slip on Through has slightly less bass than the original, Deirdre and Tears in the Morning have about the same (the latter definitely could use more), and Got to Know the Woman has less treble, which, in my opinion, is undesirable, giving it a somewhat less forward sound.

(If anyone reading this is a glutton for punishment, I can post info on the sonic differences I found on the various other vinyl and CD issues, although I only went to the trouble of comparing the first song, Slip on Through.  And, when comparing vinyl to CD, it's important to remember that the phono cartridge used can make a significant sonic difference in the vinyl playback experience.)

And now a question for Mark Linett - Alan Boyd stated that "this may have been the first time that SUNFLOWER has been remastered from the first generation tapes as the tape box itself had been mislabeled".  Did you transfer this first generation tape directly to vinyl, or did you apply any EQ or compression?  If EQ (or compression) was applied, did you apply it differently to certain songs, or was it applied in the same fashion across the entire album?

Thanks again to Mark Linett and Alan Boyd for bringing these great reissues to us.

I had a black cat that looked very much like yours.  Named her Rhonda.  But i'd agree that Pawthorne is the best name submitted so far.  Eric's suggestion of Coca Moe is also a really good one.

Remember that he bailed out of the trip to Hawaii to record the live album in the 60s

I've always wondered if Bruce really did decide on his own not to go to Hawaii for the 1967 the Lied in Hawaii live album, or if it was suggested to him that he would not be needed at those concerts since Brian was going to be there.  Back then, in most of the public's mind there were five members of the Beach Boys, and Brian Wilson was one of them.  At the time of the Aug 67 Honolulu concerts, which were also filmed, Bruce had not appeared on the cover of any of the four BB albums since he had begun touring with the band, although he can be seen in a few photos on the back of the Pet Sounds album.  While most BB fans knew Bruce had replaced Brain in the touring lineup, I'm assuming either Capitol, the band members, or perhaps the BBs management wanted it to appear that the BBs were still a five member group with BW as one of the five.  (I recall Mike Love announcing at a Dec 1966 concert, "Some of you are probably wondering where Brian Wilson is.  He couldn't make it tonight.  He's pregnant!")  It wasn't until the Dec 67 release of Wild Honey that it would be readily apparent to a record buyer that there were six members of the Beach Boys.

Any thoughts as to whether Bruce really did decide on his own not to go to Hawaii, and if so, why he would make such a decision if he really wanted to remain a member of the band?

It's not a song.  It's a quote from a Hallmark gift book (they used to make cutesy little books to be given like greeting cards).  The artwork including it got used as the back cover of Smiley Smile, with all the color sucked out of it.

I don't recall anyone ever talking about the Hallmark book in a BB thread ever.  I did find a copy at the (deceased) Book Castle in Burbank, and I have that page scanned in full color, if anyone is interested!

Yeah, please scan  and post it.  I've never heard this story before, and the album does not have any credits for the front or back cover.  Do you know when this Hallmark book was released?  Does it have a copyright date?

On another note, who was Barry Turnbull, who, according to the back cover of the album, came up with the title Smiley Smile?

The Getcha Back falsetto has always sounded like Brian to me.  The fact that it is heavily reverbed and not very upfront were indications to me, when I first heard the song, that Brain could still do it, but that a fair amount of processing was needed to give it a more listenable as well as classic sound.

And, I'll also add that Getcha Back has been, since it's release 24 years ago (with the single being released in May, followed by the LP in June, and the CD in August), one of my favorite BB songs.

Was it typical for Europen 45's to have solid centers, as is the case with Sound of Free / Lady on Stateside?  I had thought they generally had punch out centers so that they could be played on either a standard turntable spindle or be punched out to play on a wide 45 rpm spindle.

Anyone know if Sound of Free / Lady saw any significant sales in the European market in late 1970?  (Both great songs, although Sound of Free had a very tinny EQ and Lady always sounded like an unfinished and not well mixed demo to me.)

Was that Carl I hear near the end?

Sounds like Dennis to me.

OK, Jon or somebody, when do we get to see this in the US and buy a copy of the DVD?

Brain began his autograph on my bootleg Smile CD by writing "To Rob - Brian" in the white space at the very top.  There was then no room left for "Wilson" across the top, so he signed that right under "Brian" and over the top portion of the words "Beach Boys".  Brian signed this for me in the early 90's, and at the time I recall being surprised that he gave absolutely no verbal or visual reaction to the fact that he was autographing a CD of Smile. 

[Al Jardine's Mysterious Masterpiece]

Al Jardine's Mysterious Masterpiece
By Dada

"Susie Cincinnati" and "Loop De Loop" were supposed to be the bookends to Al Jardine's unreleased magnum opus Brush 'Em Like Crazy, which he worked on feverishly from '68-'72, but it was never to be. Principle to the album's collapse was the difficulty of recording satisfactory engine sounds using the technology of the time. By the late 60s, Jardine had become renowned, some say dreaded, for his exacting perfectionism. "Susie Cincinnati", a rollicking tune about a cab driver, was supposed have the sounds of a revving engine. And Jardine felt "Loop De Loop", a fanciful old-time good-time song about airplanes,  was not to be released until he had found just the right biplane to record. The Beach Boys thought "Loop De Loop" was a smash hit as is and couldn't understand why Jardine was delaying it. Jardine had become increasingly eccentric from years of suffering from a Napoleonic complex and it seemed there was no pleasing him.

"It's all I remember Al doing. He'd be out in the driveway for 10... 12 hours a day recording the sound of all these planes and cars," says ex-wife Mary Ann. "It was his only outlet."

Al Jardine's garage at the time was so full of acetates with different automobile and biplane sounds that his wife could not even park her Oldsmobile in it, she claims.

"Well, Al would tell us how he could hear the most amazing engine sounds in his head. I'd tell him, what good is that if you can't get the sounds on tape? Let's just write music like we used to. But he'd say no, he's moved on, these sounds are the new thing. We thought he was losing his mind, but what could we do? We needed new material and Jardine was writing the strongest material at the time," explains Beach Boys frontman Mike Love.

 
"Susie Cincinnati" and "Loop De Loop" would be widely bootlegged and are now looked at as cult classics. No one is more aware of what was lost by those songs staying unreleased then Al Jardine.

"We were really doing something special, weren't we? But recording those engine sounds... we were ahead of the times. They were supposed to go with the music, like an avant-garde sound collage. But we couldn't get it right. The notes and the sound effects had to be just right, and it just wasn't. It just wasn't," Jardine laments.

Jardine would be redeemed. "Susie Cincinnati" would be released on 15 Big Ones, the highest selling Beach Boys album of the seventies. "Loop De Loop" would be released on the compilation Endless Harmony. "Susie Cincinnati" would be released without engine sounds, which is why Jardine claims it wasn't a hit. "Loop De Loop" would have engine sounds, after Jardine found the perfect biplane.

"Ain't she a buet'?," he asked, arms wide in front of the biplane used on "Loop De Loop".

Here's the rest of the story from Brian Wilson's perspective ...

When asked comment on Al Jardine's exacting perfectionism, Brian Wilson responded, "I guess it's time for the true story to come out.  Al actually began working on 'Susie Cincinnati' in late 1964.  I recognized almost immediately that 'Susie Cincinnati' was so good that Al was on the verge of becoming the new leader of the group, causing my first nervous breakdown in December of that year.  My Dad threatened to take his glass eyeball out in Al's presence if Al didn't shelve the song. This caused Al to back off for a few years, but by late 66 and early 67 Al again began grumbling that it was time for 'Susie Cincinnati' to see the light of day.  The pressure was so intense that I became dysfunctional and was unable to complete the album I was working on at the time, Smile.  The other guys got on Al's case and he once again backed off, but the pressure from Alan had taken a permanent toll on my overall desire to create music and act as the leader of the group. 

"And, I'm sorry to say," Brain lamented, "that Al could not be stopped.  He completed Susie Cincinnati in early 1970, sneaking it on the flip side of our first Brother/Reprise single, 'Add Some Music to Your Day'.  Although 'Add Some Music' was a great song, it tanked on the charts, with the fortunate result that virtually no one bought the single and heard 'Susie Cincinnati' on the flip side.  The other guys and I made sure that 'Susie Cincinnati' was not included on our next album, 'Sunflower'. 

I was just about ready to rest easy, when Al threatened again, stating he was ready to complete and release yet another masterpiece, 'Loop De Loop'.  When Al began work on this song a few years prior, Carl and I decided to become involved by volunteering to help Al write 'Loop De Loop', hoping to draw attention away from him and towards us, but we knew in our hearts that the song's exceptional creativity, especially the unsurpassed placement of engine sounds, would be seen in no uncertain terms as coming from the genius of Al Jardine.  In assisting Al in writing the song, Carl and I intentionally dragged our feet so long that we were, in fact, able to keep 'Loop De Loop' away from the public at that time, but the knowledge that it might someday see the light of day ultimately caused me to retreat to my bed for a number of years.

Brian continued, "In 1976, during the 'Brian's Back' campaign when I was finally forced out of bed, Dr. Landy and the guys told me I had to face my demons head on, saying they planned to put 'Susie Cincinnati' on our upcoming album, '15 Big Ones'.  My dad was no longer there to protect me from Al, and sure enough, the song did appear on our next album.  But, Al had forgotten one thing - he failed to account for the public's changing automotive tastes.  The engine sounds in 'Susie Cincinnati' were based on those of the 60's muscle car era, which still made sense in 1969 - 70, but by 1976 we had gone through an oil embargo and gas crisis, and the muscle car era was over.  Al failed to update the engine sounds for mid-seventies audiences, which completely altered the song's mojo in the public's mind, and 'Susie Cincinnati' went from being an absolute masterpiece six or seven years earlier to just an average sounding song in 1976.

Upon finishing this revelation, Brian lowered his head and sighed, "You know those voices I've heard in my head for decades?  I've never told anyone this before, but the voices in my head are those of Al Jardine.  He's the only Beach Boy small enough to fit inside."

I had assumed that the recently released iTunes version is from the original master tapes.  Is that the case, or is it possible that it's a needle drop?