SMiLE Sessions box set!

[hypehat]

God, that story at the top is fucking horrible.

The review is also OTM 

[monicker]

I really don't think it'll ever cease to amaze me how little music critics/journalists actually know about music. It's staggering. How did they get that job? And why are standards so low?

[desmondo]

I really don't think it'll ever cease to amaze me how little music critics/journalists actually know about music. It's staggering. How did they get that job? And why are standards so low?

?

I thought that was a great review inc the story at the top of it

[Heysaboda]

Fun fact:

Melinda is one of the people credited with booklet design.

We owe her more than you'd imagine in this regard.

YES, yes we do, I reckon!

[shelter]

Crap... Just got home from work, hoping that the mailman would've dropped the box set off at my neighbors', but instead it'll be delivered tomorrow. So I'll have to wait another day... Oh well, I did receive 'In the Key of Disney'...

You know you've waiting for something really incredibly when you're thinking "Oh well, than this will have to do instead, for now..." when a brand new (and suprisingly pleasant, I should add) Brian Wilson album arrives at your home...

[lance]

Wind Chimes is UNSPEAKABLY gorgeous. Who is singing in da da? Is that Marilyn?

[Heysaboda]

Smile for sale in the Saturn mega store Cologne, Germany:

AUSGEZEICHNET!!!

I visited Köln in the '70's.  Stayed at the youth hostel.

Why don't I live in Germany?!?!?!?!?

[37!ws]

Because you live somewhere else, duh!

[Ron]

The reason I hate reviews like that is that they make it so Gosh Darn black and white it's a disservice to not only Brian but also to the fans of his music.  The genius that made "Smile" also made "Catch a Wave" and made Pet Sounds, and made Friends, and made "Sweet Insanity" (i'm serious!), wrote "That Lucky Old Sun", has fathered children, has loved women, has been a brother, etc.

If you'd hear the reviewer, Brian went crazy and died because Surf's up didn't properly encompass "all of western civilization".  I mean come on man. 

[hypehat]

Well, it's better than a review which is essentially a biography of Brian and then, hey, there's this music. It's a huge story, a great story, and a worthy story, but there are also word limits....

[Ron]

I know, I'm not gonna trash the guy but could he have,.... oh... I don't know, reviewed the music?  I'm not saying he should have mentioned all the other albums, my point was SMiLE is not the all ecompassing proof of Brian's genius, to act like he died after Surf's up is disrespectful in my opinion, and it didn't cause Brian to go 'crazy trying'.  Review the music.  Tell us why Surf's Up is so great.  Tell us why this album deserves 5 stars.  Don't tell us how Mike Love might have said something to one of the song writers.  Who gives a sh*t?  Who doesn't know? 

[pixletwin]

I was going to ask for a PM, but no. I'll be strong. 

[runnersdialzero]

i dislike firefighters and rainbows

[grooveblaster]

I was going to ask for a PM, but no. I'll be strong. 

Paul McCartney

[hypehat]

I know, I'm not gonna trash the guy but could he have,.... oh... I don't know, reviewed the music?  I'm not saying he should have mentioned all the other albums, my point was SMiLE is not the all ecompassing proof of Brian's genius, to act like he died after Surf's up is disrespectful in my opinion, and it didn't cause Brian to go 'crazy trying'.  Review the music.  Tell us why Surf's Up is so great.  Tell us why this album deserves 5 stars.  Don't tell us how Mike Love might have said something to one of the song writers.  Who gives a sh*t?  Who doesn't know? 

Many people don't! This story seems far more played out to us than it does to your regular Times/Grauniad/Independent reader. The music mags possibly have less of an excuse, true. They have more a chance of preaching to hipper choirs, but if you're writing for a paper your audience probably won't know SMiLE.... hopefully this release changes that.

[SMiLE Brian]

Just patiently waiting for my CD set to arrive....

[SloopJohnB]

My local store had the 2-CD set AND the boxset. It was very tempting but more expensive than the one I ordered online... So I decided to wait for the boxset to arrive, but I bought the 2-CD set.

It's good. Very, very, very, VERY GOOD.

I don't have anything more to say at the moment.

[Heysaboda]

I was going to ask for a PM, but no. I'll be strong. 

Paul McCartney

Has anyone heard the story about Macca saying his favorite song ever is God Only Knows?.....   

[Winston Wrong]

*sighz* hate to do this, but i'm desperate and won't actually have this for a couple of weeks.

So if anyone who has the box set could me some photographed manginas, I'd surely prematurely manjaculate from excitement and thanl you heartily and love you long time imo

Me too!! Come on Amazon!!

[Ron]

My local store had the 2-CD set AND the boxset. It was very tempting but more expensive than the one I ordered online... So I decided to wait for the boxset to arrive, but I bought the 2-CD set.

It's good. Very, very, very, VERY GOOD.

I don't have anything more to say at the moment.

That's what I'm going to buy too, man.  I still can't justify spending so much on the big boxset but it looks great.  I'm going to have to make do with the 2cd set, did you get yours in the States?  

I know to 'us' we think this is a huge release, and it's pretty big, but unless it's like the newest/hottest/hippest rap act out, a LOT of stores put the CD's on the shelves ahead of time.  I'll bet you could buy it as soon as they get it in in about half the mom and pop stores and probably a lot of the Best Buys, etc.  

Edit: Just noticed you're from France.  Viva La France!  BTW Thank you for the beautiful statue. 

[desmondo]

Billboard Review

THE BEACH BOYS
"The SMiLE Sessions"
Producers: Brian Wilson, Mark Linett, Alan Boyd, Dennis Wolfe
Capitol/EMI
Release Date: Nov. 1

The Beach Boys' "SMiLE," the first 19 tracks of this five-CD set, is an essential pop music album. The version Brian Wilson released in 2004 for Nonesuch was more polished than this collection of music from the initial 1966-'67 sessions. "The SMiLE Sessions" captures Wilson, session musicians and the Beach Boys in moments that are chaotic, loopy and remarkably in synch. It's a consistently brilliant album. With four CDs reliving Wilson's hours spent shaping "SMiLE," the song "Heroes and Villains" is limned at an extraordinary level, placed under the microscope and ultimately on a throne. Hands down one of Wilson's finest melodies, "Heroes and Villains" is Gershwin-esque in its sweeping moments, hauntingly still at times and cosmically choral in others. Set early on "SMiLE," a healthy amount of listening separates the song from its epic brethren "Surf's Up" and "Good Vibrations," heard here in a more rustic version than the hit single. Those better-known tracks feel perfect in length and structure; "Heroes and Villains" lingers-were SMiLE a Broadway show, theater-goers would hum it while exiting the venue. "SMiLE Sessions" showcases Wilson's production style and temperament, which is oddly calm and precise.

[Ron]

I much prefer that review   Keep bringing them on, we've got 150 more pages to fill, lol. 

[Wrightfan]

U.S. member on the SH boards says he got the 2 CD set with lithograph today from thebeachboys.com a few hours ago.

Says he's gonna post pictures.

[Ron]

Wrightfan: you've posted so much about this album, your AVATAR has exceeded the bandwith that Photobucket allows.  You sir, deserve some kind of fan award for that, lol. 

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Good, good, good vibrations (Good Vibrations (Early take) is in stereo!

and the Alternate Edit is a medley of teh verse vocals of Good, good, good vibrations and teh rest of the rarities version.