I saw this in a local theater when it first came out. Had never seen 75% of the footage before, so I loved it. I still think it's the best documentary of the group. Sure, some songs are cut short, but not nearly as much as on Endless Harmony. EH has better interview footage, but this is the one to watch for the music. Enjoyed the remixes on the Pet Sounds material, the Jack Benny/Bob Hope clip, Brian alone at the piano doing Surf's Up, Carl doing Hold Me, only wish they could've included more songs from the 70's (stuff like Long Promised Road, Sail On Sailor, Marcella). After the late 60's stuff (I Can Hear Music, Time to Get Alone, Breakaway, Rock and Roll Woman), there's very little "new" music.

After the publication of his "autobiography", Brian was out of the public eye for a few years, so I was shocked to see him heavier, wrinklier, older in this documentary. I've never really found out what he was doing in those "off years", 1992-94. Thought he seemed very lucid here, though, not the drug burn out many people described. Sure, there's some obvious damage, but he seems more together here than he did at other points in his life. Love the in studio performances, I was used to seeing Brian looking like a deer caught in the headlights in his few live appearances, but here he's really putting himself into the songs. "Warmth of the Sun" is the highlight for me, although seeing Brian with Carl and their mother around the piano is pretty touching.

Love the arrangements, love the group vocals, Brian's voice is in good form, and WIRWFC is his best song in years (I even got the 7 inch vinyl). I can listen to this album any time of year, but it is especially good at Christmas. Really puts a Scrooge like me in the holiday spirit. A fresh take on the old carols and spirituals, and a couple BB's remakes, and some new songs. "Bah! Humbug!"?? More like "hallelujah!"

The songs and the way they were all put together is genius. The musical backings stay very close to the 66/67 arrangements, no complaints there. My only complaints are 1) the backing vocals are not the Beach Boys. 2) Brian's leads on some songs (most notably Cabinessence and Surf's Up) can't compare to the way Carl sang them on the Beach Boys versions (or Brian's 66/67 vocals, for that matter - Brian doesn't have that kind of sweetness in his voice anymore). Other than that, I think it's a miracle we finally got a Smile disc. Not THE Smile disc, but a Smile disc. I've got my tapes and records of the 66/67 sessions, and will play them for the rest of my life, but I'm glad we finally have a completed (if not THE completed) version of Smile. Now all that's left is for Capitol to put out a Smile sessions box. I just hope we don't have to wait another 40 years for it!

Gee wiz, does everything Brian releases have to be Pet Sounds or Smile? I rate it a 3. Might have been better to drop a few of the weaker songs (A Friend Like You, You've Touched Me, Make a Wish), I've got the vinyl and it's a double album. I could make a solid single album out of it. The Elton track does nothing for me, never been a fan of EJ, and Brian sounds horrible on the "hey everybody" part. Soul Searchin' has a nice groove, although the middle part where Brian takes over is kind of jarring. I liked it better with Carl on lead all the way through, but I suppose they couldn't have this track on a Brian solo album if he doesn't sing some lead on it. Desert Drive is fun, I enjoy City Blues (yes, even Clapton's guitar), the track with VDP, Fairy Tale, but there's little here that ranks with Brian's best, but that's okay. Brian doesn't have to make a great album every time out. He doesn't have to sing as good as he did in 1966 (or 1988, for that matter). All he has to do is be the best Brian he can be, because he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him!

It would be a 5 for me except for "Sunshine" (the fake reggae vibe doesn't move me) and "Happy Days" (sounds like an attempt at some Smile-era wierdness, just doesn't work in this context). "Let Him Run Wild" would have fit in on IJWMFTT. Nice enough, although no comparison to the original, but it's nice to have a version I can sing along to without hurting myself! "Keep an Eye on Summer", in my opinion, improves on the original. I know, call me tone deaf. I can take it. I like Buffett, not a major fan, but I've got a cd comp of his I put on quite often, so I enjoy hearing him back up Brian on "South American". "She Says That She Needs Me" comes closest of the songs here to Brian's "Beach Boys Today"/"Pet Sounds" style (the clarinet is a nice touch). "Where Has Love Been" is very tender, the lyrics are simple (as they usually are in Brian Wilson songs), but resonate with me. "Lay Down Burden" is my fav, though. Don't know if he really wrote it about Carl, it doesn't matter. It makes the emotional connection. Who would have ever guessed Brian would outlive both of his brothers? This song reminds me of loved ones who are gone. I guess I don't approach the music as analytically as some, either it moves me or it doesn't, and with Brian, it almost always touches me on some little. His co-producers/collaborators sometimes want to push him in their own direction, but in most cases it seems like his own musical heart manages to come through, I'm thankful he is still around to give us musical valentines like this. Music today could use a lot more of the kind of love that Brian puts into his music.

Somewhere I read a quote from Brian asking Van Dyke "why am I singing on this album?" and VD said "because I can't stand the sound of my own voice!" and that sums it up for me. I see a lot of people don't like Brian's mature voice, but I think his performance on this album is awesome. I find myself singing along with him. The nostalgic tone of the songs hit home with me when the album first came out. I was at a place in my life where "I thought I would far sooner die than settle down again", but I did settle down, so Van Dyke's lyrics struck a chord in me. "My Jeanine" is the weakest song, "Hold Back Time" has inferior vocals, but everything else is top notch. Gorgeous melodies (especially "My Hobo Heart", "Palm Tree and Moon", and the title track), beautiful vocals (esp. the intro of "Summer in Monterey" - it's so Brian - hard to believe he didn't have a hand in the vocal arrangements here), and tasty instrumentation. Not synth heavy, although synths are there. Definately not the expected "Smile Part 2" or "Heroes and Villains Jr.", just a nice album by two old friends.

Surprised to see so many positive comments about Still I Dream of it. That scratchy demo doesn't belong on this album, disrupts the flow. Other than that, I like it. Nice mellow vibe, and the song selection shows much more of the inner Brian than the setlists they put together for his solo tours. If I want to hear Surfin' USA, Fun, Fun, Fun, and Barbara Ann, I'll go see the Mike and Bruce show. No one can do Help Me Rhonda better than Al. And no one is going to do Til I Die or Warmth of the Sun better than Brian. Was blown away when I saw the film, and Brian seemed to really be putting himself into these songs instead of just freezing up like a deer in the headlights. I'm surprised he didn't do more work with Don Was.

I gave it a 5. My favorite Brian solo. Not knocking the others, but this one connected with me in a deeper way. A lot has been said about the collaborators/interferance on this album, but I hear a lot of pure Brian coming through. Brian had all these people around him, but not the ones he needed, and his loneliness comes through in songs like "There's So Many" (even if I can't be with her, I still have my fantasy, fantasy world). I related to that so much, in my adolescent loneliness. I listened to these songs and felt like Brian was the only person who understood my loneliness. "Melt Away" is my favorite, "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long" took a while to...uh... grow on me, but I love it now, especially the transition from the "baby let your hair grow long" part to the "i've been waiting to see that change in you" part. I like "Love and Mercy" but don't understand why it is rated above all the others on this album. Got to see Brian do it and "Let it Shine" live in 1990, and those were the highlights of the show for me. "Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight" should have been a single, it's got potential hit written all over it. "Rio Grande" is a masterpiece. I love all the sections, I don't care if it's trying to copy "Smile", everybody else who tries to copy that style is praised, Brian has more right to do it than anyone. I don't even mind the synths throughout the album. Everything was synthy in the 80's (i.e, The Beach Boys 1985), but this album uses them more artfully than most. Brian's voice isn't the sweet voice of Pet Sounds, but it's miles better than the croaky/scratchy 15 Big Ones era. A more mature voice than on the 60's hits.