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I'm doing a masters at the moment, and am getting a short presentation about the myth of Smile together.

Now I have all my books out, and I'm desperate to find where the idea first surfaced that Smile was to be edited together with no banding, i.e, no gaps between cuts. The earlist mention I can find is in the Todd Gold book, not the most reliable of sources.

"The whole album is going to be a far out trip through the old west. Real Americana. But with lots of intersting humour. There's even going to be talking and laughing between cuts"


My memory is not what it is. I'm sure prior to 91, it was generally accepted that Smile was going to be edited into a continous 2 sided work. This of course was reflected in the 2004 performance  and subsequent recording . Does this idea date back to Look Listen Vibrate Smile? I dont have this book at to hand at present.

My main objective is to show how the mythology possibly influenced Wilson, Parks and Sahanaja in 2004 when assembling Smile for performance.

I'm also tryjng to chase up the VDP quote about Smile being originally envisaged as a conventional 12 track album with banding.


By the way, if this thread turns into a discussion about the banding / no banding issue, I'm happy with that, as it's always an interesting subject. My main priority though is chasing down these quotes / ideas to their original source.

Can anyone help?

http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/68334-dennis-wilson-the-beach-boys-and-the-hal-blaine-myth/

Lots of doubters still there it seems though it's an oldish thread

http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/68334-dennis-wilson-the-beach-boys-and-the-hal-blaine-myth/

My current girlfriend is not convinced of the greatness of the Beatles, and part of the problem is the lyrics of the early songs. She finds them to simple, not thought provoking. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand? That didn't take much thought". I think the Beach Boys are going to be  a harder sell, though - all those songs about trivial things like surfing and cars. I told her "back in 1964, if people wanted serious, socially conscious lyrics, they listened to folk music. And who was the biggest folk artist in 64? Bob Dylan." She hates Dylan because of his singing.
Oh well. In the past I always dated girls that liked the same music as me - and it didn't work out. But I haven't given up trying to 'convert' her.
 

[America could be another example.]

I'd like to ask the original poster which songs come to mind when talking about Sunshine Pop?

basically the Association, Mamas and Papas, Turtles, Fifth Dimension. Stuff along those lines.

Some have much broader definitions of sunshine pop which is just fine. Everything is open to discussion. I know that some collectors include much more psychadelic stuff or music that's very close to be termed muzak or easy listening by others. The term 'soft pop' at the very least seems to be much broader.... And if THAT'S what we're discussing here, then, yes, as others have mentioned, you could point to a shitload of artists from the 70s and onwards who took their cue from the sunnier and softer sides of 60s pop,... the Carpenters, case in point. America could be another example.

That's like an insult to America. I viewed them more as Neil Young influenced.

Dewey Bunnell was the one that sounded like Neil Young and wrote the songs full of strange imagery. Gerry Beckley was more of a Brian Wilson/Paul McCartney pop writer. Dan Peek's stuff leaned a bit towards the country side.

Thanks for sharing. Find it more amusing than anything else when this type of thing is said. Hal has been saying this for years.

Maybe he's been taking the same medicine Carol Kaye takes!

Thanks for the info Mr Desper

If you watch here and now you'll see a member of Billy's band talk about their time together as well

BTW, the question about Smile is asked in part 2, not 3. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing. Find it more amusing than anything else when this type of thing is said. Hal has been saying this for years.