Holiday?

[David Kennedy]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

[runnersdialzero]

If Smile were completed and it went the way of "Trombone Dixie" from the prior album, I would go back in time and punch Brian in the testicles over it. It's textbook Smile in so, so many ways, even in incomplete form (or the 04 version).

[rab2591]

Holidays would have been left off, IMO. He recorded it September 1966 and never went back to it once in the following months. Shame, as it's my favorite track from BWPS.

I agree that it sounds under-produced, however, no one has really heard a properly mixed version of the track...take for instance the backing track to 'That's Not Me' - it has the potential to sound very under-produced, however, mix it and add vocals and it's one heck of a song.

[runnersdialzero]

The only way it sounds "underproduced" is because we have a 395th generation cassette copy that sounds like hot piss. The master, should it still exist, will sound as good as, say, the "Surf's Up" piano demo or whatever you want to liken it to on the box set lol you are taking this seriously do you

[JMZ]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

I agree with the comments above: the sound quality of the circulating versions is not very good (however, you should listen to the restoration I did on this) and maybe the track -as we know it and a Brian left it- is maybe incomplete. Maybe it was even intended to have some vocals in it or whatever ...

To me "Holiday" is very in the mood of the "adult/child" part in SMiLE, and it could make a great intro to "Wonderful". I don't see why they put it along the "elements" in BWPS ...

[rab2591]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

I agree with the comments above: the sound quality of the circulating versions is not very good (however, you should listen to the restoration I did on this) and maybe the track -as we know it and a Brian left it- is maybe incomplete. Maybe it was even intended to have some vocals in it or whatever ...

To me "Holiday" is very in the mood of the "adult/child" part in SMiLE, and it could make a great intro to "Wonderful". I don't see why they put it along the "elements" in BWPS ...

^ JMZ's version of 'Holidays' is the best sounding version I've heard - great restoration.

[David Kennedy]

I agree that it sounds under-produced, however, no one has really heard a properly mixed version of the track...take for instance the backing track to 'That's Not Me' - it has the potential to sound very under-produced, however, mix it and add vocals and it's one heck of a song.

Good point on 'That's Not Me'  totally agree with you.

[David Kennedy]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

I agree with the comments above: the sound quality of the circulating versions is not very good (however, you should listen to the restoration I did on this) and maybe the track -as we know it and a Brian left it- is maybe incomplete. Maybe it was even intended to have some vocals in it or whatever ...

Do you mind sending me a PM of your restored version of the track? I would love to hear it!

[brother john]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

Is it an instrumental, or an unfinished song? Who knows what he had in mind for the finished version, but it probably wasn't the Holidays we know.

[Curtis Leon]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

I agree with the comments above: the sound quality of the circulating versions is not very good (however, you should listen to the restoration I did on this) and maybe the track -as we know it and a Brian left it- is maybe incomplete. Maybe it was even intended to have some vocals in it or whatever ...

Do you mind sending me a PM of your restored version of the track? I would love to hear it!

I'd like to hear it too.

[Paul2010]

I'd really like to have a PM as well. The only thing that bothered me about Holidays was the sound quality!

[lance]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

[JMZ]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

Right on !

BTW, people can also PM directly. 
Cheers,
JMZ

[AllIWannaDo]

Can i have a PM too please?
 

[David Kennedy]

Just wondering who thinks "Holiday"  would or would not have made the Smile cut. I enjoy the track but feel it is way under produced compared to any of Brian's other instrumentals. For me I feel it would have been left off because I think it doesn't fit anywhere on the album very well. What are your guys opinion?

To me "Holiday" is very in the mood of the "adult/child" part in SMiLE, and it could make a great intro to "Wonderful". I don't see why they put it along the "elements" in BWPS ...

Holiday does seem to fit better with the "Adult/Child" part of SMiLE. I never understood what it had to do with the "Elements" unless it was part of "Air" which almost everyone agrees that it is not.

[JMZ]

Holiday does seem to fit better with the "Adult/Child" part of SMiLE.

Right on !  To me it's a good intro to the whole "adult/child" suite. It segues perfectly with "Wonderful" (if you consider the "Whispering Winds" tag to it, à la BWPS).

To me, the "Adult/Child" suite takes all the B side in this order: Holidays>Wonderful>Look>CITFOTM>[Love to say DaDa ... not sure of this one]> Surf's Up

I'm not sure, I need to test a segue, but "Love To Say Da Da" may be a missing link between CITFOTM and SU (because the two songs are not in matching keys, it's hard to make them segue without the little orchestral bit of BWPS).

Again, for this one, I don't see why it belongs to the elements, stuck to the Water Chant. They made it work on BWPS because of the new lyrics from VDP with references to water. But ain't "da da" a child word ? Babies "Love To Say Dada" when they learn to talk.

[Chris Moise]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

Possible but none of the evidence supports that at all. It's not that he didn't go back and rework it...it's that it was abandoned in an unfinished state after a single session very early in the Smile sessions. It wasn't returned to during the next 7-8 months of sessions, it isn't on the handwritten list, wasn't mentioned in interviews, etc. The fact of the matter is Brian did not work outside of the titles on the handwritten track list in the preceding 3 months or subsequent 6 months to any significant degree. Of course, we don't know what pieces of music would've comprised a few of the tracks, IIGS or The Elements example.

Sure, it's possible in some alternate universe where Smile is finished in 1967 Holidays would be used but based on unambiguous evidence we have it's unlikely. Some people here seem to use the fact that Smile was not finished as a license to discard the reams of 1966-67 evidence at hands. We'll never know for sure what form a 1967 Smile would have but a cursory look at the period evidence certainly shows us some possibilities were much more likely than others.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Holiday does seem to fit better with the "Adult/Child" part of SMiLE. I never understood what it had to do with the "Elements" unless it was part of "Air" which almost everyone agrees that it is not.

This would be the "adult/child part of Smile" that didn't exist prior to the creation of this thread, yes ? 

Personally, I think it fits better in the "health food/subud/astronomy" section myself. 

[The Shift]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

Agreed – it might well be that BW thought it finished except for perhaps vox, but never got around to doing vox. Or maybe he did them and they got chucked out in Columbia's enthusiasm for fung shui.  Why return to an instrumental backing track if you consider it finished?

And thank you, AGD, for the comment about the Adult/Child part… I've been scratching my head for a while trying to work out whether I'd missed some important part of the SMILE story, or had early Alzheimer's onset.

And thank you, AGD, for the comment about the Adult/Child part… I've been scratching my head for a while trying to work out whether I'd missed some important part of the SMILE story, or had early Alzheimer's onset.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

I have two words for you, sir: "Trombone Dixie".  

Re: the "adult/child" section of Smile, my thoughts are very simple ('cause I'm a very simple man - I just go about it in a complex way) - the whole topic is complex enough as it stands without conjuring totally spurious concepts out of fresh air. Been down that route before and all that happened was people started shouting at each other. Actually, that was quite fun, but you get my point.  

[Jeff]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

Possible but none of the evidence supports that at all. It's not that he didn't go back and rework it...it's that it was abandoned in an unfinished state after a single session very early in the Smile sessions. It wasn't returned to during the next 7-8 months of sessions, isn't on the handwritten list, wasn't mentioned in interviews, etc. The fact of the matter is Brian did not work outside of the titles on the handwritten track list in the preceding 3 months or subsequent 6 months to any significant degree. Of course, we don't know what pieces of music would've comprised a few of the tracks, IIGS or The Elements example.

Sure, it's possible in some alternate universe where Smile is finished in 1967 it would be used but based on unambiguous evidence we have unlikely. Some people here seem to use the fact that Smile was not finished as a license to discard the reams of 1966-67 evidence at hands. We'll never know for sure what form a 1967 Smile would have but a cursory look at the period evidence certainly shows us what possibilities were more likely than others.

You're correct, of course, but this is an unwinnable fight.   You still have people on this board who think Can't Wait Too Long and the single version of H&V would have been on Smile, and nothing will dissuade them.

[bgas]

I'm not convinced that just because he didn't go back and rework it that it wasn't meant to be a SMiLE cut.

Possible but none of the evidence supports that at all. It's not that he didn't go back and rework it...it's that it was abandoned in an unfinished state after a single session very early in the Smile sessions. It wasn't returned to during the next 7-8 months of sessions, isn't on the handwritten list, wasn't mentioned in interviews, etc. The fact of the matter is Brian did not work outside of the titles on the handwritten track list in the preceding 3 months or subsequent 6 months to any significant degree. Of course, we don't know what pieces of music would've comprised a few of the tracks, IIGS or The Elements example.

Sure, it's possible in some alternate universe where Smile is finished in 1967 it would be used but based on unambiguous evidence we have unlikely. Some people here seem to use the fact that Smile was not finished as a license to discard the reams of 1966-67 evidence at hands. We'll never know for sure what form a 1967 Smile would have but a cursory look at the period evidence certainly shows us what possibilities were more likely than others.

You're correct, of course, but this is an unwinnable fight.   You still have people on this board who think Can't Wait Too Long and the single version of H&V would have been on Smile, and nothing will dissuade them.

But it's just as possible that Brian KNEW what he had recorded with "Holiday" and was waiting for the right time to pick up where he left off; it's simply that he ran out of time and didn't get back to it. SMiLE all the way, baby!

[JMZ]

But it's just as possible that Brian KNEW what he had recorded with "Holiday" and was waiting for the right time to pick up where he left off; it's simply that he ran out of time and didn't get back to it. SMiLE all the way, baby!

+1, rather likely !

[runnersdialzero]

Shut up, you guys.

[JMZ]

Shut up, you guys.

Are you in a close relationship with an old, grey bearded guy here ?