Smile Sessions reviews anyone?!

[Jimmie_R]

Is there anything else out there yet apart from the UNCUT review?
Wouldn´t it be nice.... to collect them all in one place?

[pixletwin]

It would have been nicer had there been an actual review to kick the thread off with. 

[Jimmie_R]

It would have been nicer had there been an actual review to kick the thread off with. 

I tried to find some but... well..

[buddhahat]

This reminds me of my "Smile Sessions Spoliers" thread  

That said, it would be good to keep track of all the reviews in one thread and this as good a place as any.

So, Uncut: 5 stars.

Metacritic also have the release listed in their upcoming section so it will be fascinating to see how it fairs overall once the reviews begin tricking in.

[LostArt]

Short review in Tone Audio magazine.  No ratings.  No new information other than one quote from Alan Boyd (from his notes in the book), which may rankle some...not me.  Issue #40 available to download at their website.

[Aegir]

If it's just one quote, do you mind transcribing it?

[Shady]

I really only care about Pitchfork's review

They know SMiLE

[Andrew G. Doe]

From Uncut:

So here it is: such stuff as dreams and bootlegs are made on. Brian Wilson’s unfinished symphony was in production at the same time as Disney’s The Jungle Book. It finally emerges, with a little computer-generated assistance, in the same year as Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Preposterously late, The Smile Sessions fits into no present-day category, context or franchise. How could it? Wilson’s carnivalesque music and Van Dyke Parks’ flabbergasting libretto share a sophisticated naiveté, a corny profundity, unrecognisable in the world today.

Greet the morning, sunny side up (“I’m In Great Shape”), rustle up some breakfast (“eggs and grits and lickety-split”), and sally forth, hat tilted at a carefree angle. This isn’t the hip 1966 humour of Lenny Bruce; it’s the broad, big-boned comedy of Oliver Hardy. Laughter breaks out in a cantina. A red-faced man throws away a candy bar and eats the wrapper. A swanee whistle – the whoopee cushion of musical instruments – romps goofily alongside fruity clarinets and marimbas. Smile was envisaged as an LP that would make the population grin; but it was also an odyssey on a vast scale – a journey both coast-to-coast and backwards in time – so you might encounter a widower talking proudly of his children (“head to toe, healthy wealthy and wise”) or a family of 19th century Midwesterners bewildered by the railroad (“Who ran the iron horse?”) cutting through their meadows. Wilson’s genius was that he could turn the mood from burlesque to eeriness, and then back again, without undermining his concept. A key passage begins with a baroque ballad for harpsichord (“Wonderful”) and ends in some of rock’s most aristocratic wordplay (“Surf’s Up”) with vocal harmonies so resplendent that ships should be named after them. But phantoms live here. Wilson’s piano chords (“Look”) are peculiar, spooked by their own shadows. An unusual metaphor (“the child is father of the man”) keeps recurring. Inside the belly of Smile, in the heartland of America, the humour has gone awry.

Wilson was unable to complete Smile at 24, and at 69 he’s unlikely to be much help in an editorial capacity. Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, two experienced Beach Boys producers and archivists, deserve serious credit for The Smile Sessions. They’ve assembled a plausible, honourable, 19-track, monaural Smile, tracing an arc from “Our Prayer” to “Good Vibrations”, via “Cabin Essence” and “The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow)”, deviating only slightly from the roadmap of the acclaimed Brian Wilson Presents Smile (2004). Picking and choosing from the original session masters, Linett and Boyd’s 49-minute ‘approximation’ (their word) of the cancelled 1967 album dominates all five formats of The Smile Sessions – 1CD, 2CD, 5CD deluxe box set, vinyl and download.

The five CDs in the deluxe box, like the four in The Pet Sounds Sessions (1997), take a forensic look at how the music was built. Arranged chronologically for each song or section – for example, a track might be listed as “My Only Sunshine: Part 2 (Master Take With Vocal Overdubs) (2/10/67)” – these stereo discs are packed with individual verses, choruses, inserts and overdubs, allowing us to eavesdrop on the intricate draughtsmanship of Wilson’s music; virtually every bar of it. On CD2, we watch “Heroes And Villains” advance episodically in structure between October 1966 and June 1967. It seems to mushroom in ambition before our very eyes. On CD5, devoted entirely to “Good Vibrations”, we scrutinise the song’s mind-boggling architecture for 79 minutes from every angle. Do 24 versions of “Good Vibrations” become repetitive? Less than you’d think – though you get used to Hal Blaine clicking his drumsticks each time the musicians stop and restart. “It feels like you’re way behind the whole thing,” Wilson admonishes the flutes. “Try to get that quarter-note feel as perfect as we can.” Partly because the Smile sessions ended so sadly with Wilson’s breakdown, the bittersweet moments tend to come when he’s marshalling his troops, sounding confident and focused. Then again sometimes he’s alone (“Surf’s Up 1967 Version”, CD1), or in smaller groups, shepherding them through “Wonderful” (CD3) or “Wind Chimes” (CD4). Progress can be slow. “Carl is having a big hang-up at home and says he’ll be late,” someone butts in.

When Carl and the others are present, it’s illuminating to witness them at work. They struggle at first with “Our Prayer”, a fiendishly tough a capella piece, hesitating and false-starting like Spinal Tap at Elvis’s graveside. They also take a while to nail “Heroes And Villains”, entertainingly. However, CD1 has an eight-minute montage of their backing vocals from various sessions, which could be bottled and sold as an amazing new psychoactive drug.

Fans unwilling to pay £120 for The Smile Sessions (the package includes a double vinyl LP, two singles and a 60-page book) should consider the 2CD edition, featuring the mono album and 93 minutes of highlights from the box (“Our Prayer”, “Heroes And Villains”, “My Only Sunshine”, “Cabin Essence”, “Surf’s Up”, “Vega-Tables”, “The Elements: Fire”, “Cool, Cool Water”, “Good Vibrations”). Retailing at £11, it’s a top-value, bang-for-buck, pragmatic alternative. Wilson, meanwhile, releases an album of Disney tunes this month. For him, clearly, the magic has never faded.

[LostArt]

If it's just one quote, do you mind transcribing it?

I don't have it up any more.  If I remember correctly, he says that this was the hardest project that he's ever worked on, and that some of the songs were like Frankenstein, put together with parts from Dr. Linett's audio laboratory.

[hypehat]

C&P'ed from the pdf..... Sorry about the formatting

You want what he’s having? Why, of course. Upon listening to the bizarre,
eccentric, neurotic, enigmatic, imaginative, acid-drenched, peerless SMiLE
Sessions, it’s easy to understand why
anyone might desire the spiritual nutrition
and drug diet that fed Beach Boys leader
Brian Wilson during the ensemble’s 1966-
67 recording period. While previous efforts
contain snippets of the fabled material—
and Wilson finished SMiLE in 2004 with a
different cast—collectors, fans, and folks
curious about the most mythological album
(n)ever issued have clamored for its release
for decades. Everyone finally gets his or her
wish—mostly.
Available in multiple configurations, The
SMiLE Sessions 2CD version boasts an
estimation of the abandoned SMiLE album
as well as a disc of session highlights; the
extravagant 5CD box features the aforementioned and three additional discs of session material. (A 2LP edition contains only
the album and five bonus cuts.) Again: The
19-track SMiLE included here is not considered a technical album as Wilson and company never completed audio’s equivalent
of the Loch Ness Monster. Hence, what’s
presented equates to a semblance agreed
upon by group members Wilson, Mike Love,
and Al Jardine. All were involved in a painstaking project that demanded producers
Mark Linett and Alan Boyd consult upwards
of 70 master reels of tape while tackling the
mind-numbing tasks of putting the group’s
sonic “modules” in a sensible order as well
as piecing together fragments into coherent
songs. In that simply hearing the constant
fits and starts occasionally feels infuriating,
it’s relatively impossible to imagine the patience Linett and Boyd employed to bring
The SMiLE Sessions to light
Indeed, one of the more illuminating
aspects of the 5CD collection has little to do
with the music. Rather, enlightenment stems
from spying on Wilson’s studio banter and
recognizing the ad-infinitum degree to which
the obsessive-compulsive tunesmith forced
his mates and Los Angeles’ finest studio
hands to stop/repeat/stop/repeat/stop in
a quest for “perfect” takes and sounds he
envisioned in his mind. Gorgeous baroque
melodies, heavenly harmonies, psychedelic
freedom, experimental techniques, humanist
spirituality, and sophisticated concoctions
of pop, choral, jazz, cabaret, and R&B on
SMiLE aside, insight into both Wilson’s
methods and madness in the recording
studios proves most compelling.
While certain camps maintain that label
politics and contract disputes accounted for
the collapse of SMiLE, The SMiLE Sessions
confirms otherwise. Consider: The fifth disc
contains nothing but renditions of the 1966
stand-alone single “Good Vibrations,” two
dozen in all, the labors ultimately yielding an
indisputable slice of modular-constructed
pop genius and, unfortunately, triggering
within the tormented Wilson an insatiable
thirst to make every subsequent Beach
Boys song as glorious, symphonic, and
grand.
And so there are vocal coaching
lessons, trials of members crooning
while lying on their back, playful moans,
microphones dropped into water. There are
fades, preludes to fades, verse remakes,
alternate introductions, barbershop vocal
sections, chorus vocal sections, overdub
mixes, and acapella takes devoted to one
tune—each separate track lasting between
25 seconds and several minutes. Wilson’s
mind keeps changing. So too, then, do his
instructions and inclinations. (continued)
How nobody managed to sock him out
of frustration remains a marvel on par
with the composer’s finest arrangements. It all leads one to believe that
Wilson, particularly in his compromised
mental state, never would’ve arrived at
a point he would’ve deemed satisfying.
SMiLE was destined to be incomplete.
Moreover, the set’s tremendously
informative essays expounds upon the
notion that, recalling the era’s technological limitations associated with
tape splicing, executing the countless
sequencing and re-sequencing duties
in the face of tireless re-recording and
editing burdens would have likely taken
years—especially given Wilson’s propensity for fixes and alterations, which
generally required having to again start
a mix from scratch. To wit: “Good Vibrations” required almost six months
to finalize. In his notes, Boyd, a veteran
documentary filmmaker, calls the fromthe-vaults reissue “the hardest project
I’ve ever worked on” and observes
“many of the songs were like little Frankenstein monsters, musical beings built
from the spare parts in Dr. Linett’s audio laboratory.”
To that extent, the presence of a
definitively researched SMiLE Sessions Sessionography guides listeners
through the creative practices and vast
sources. Undoubtedly, it also stands to
rankle those who believe their bootleg
versions to reflect the correct details.
Sonically, the main album is presented
in mono and the session contents in
stereo. In preparation for HDCD, the
original analog 4-track and 8-track
session tapes were transferred to highresolution digital, with the final masters
created at 88.2kHz. What a trip. 
—Bob Gendron

[Wrightfan]

If it's just one quote, do you mind transcribing it?

I don't have it up any more.  If I remember correctly, he says that this was the hardest project that he's ever worked on, and that some of the songs were like Frankenstein, put together with parts from Dr. Linett's audio laboratory.

SMiLE is a musical Frankenstein so that doesn't bother me either.

[Dunderhead]

I really only care about Pitchfork's review

They know SMiLE

Anyone wanna guess what type of bs pitchfork will put in their review? I'm sure they'll knock off a few points because the reviewer thinks there are too many boxsets coming out.

[monicker]

I really only care about Pitchfork's review

They know SMiLE

You must have missed the memo: Pitchfork doesn't actually know anything about anything.

[Jason]

I really only care about Pitchfork's review

They know SMiLE

Anyone wanna guess what type of bs pitchfork will put in their review? I'm sure they'll knock off a few points because the reviewer thinks there are too many boxsets coming out.

And the fact that the box set documents some output from a non-British group.

[seanmurd]

Here's that second review again, for the weirdos who LIKE formatting:

You want what he’s having? Why, of course. Upon listening to the bizarre, eccentric, neurotic, enigmatic, imaginative, acid-drenched, peerless SMiLE Sessions, it’s easy to understand why anyone might desire the spiritual nutrition and drug diet that fed Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson during the ensemble’s 1966-67 recording period. While previous efforts contain snippets of the fabled material -- and Wilson finished SMiLE in 2004 with a different cast -- collectors, fans, and folks curious about the most mythological album (n)ever issued have clamored for its release for decades. Everyone finally gets his or her wish -- mostly.

Available in multiple configurations, The SMiLE Sessions 2CD version boasts an estimation of the abandoned SMiLE album as well as a disc of session highlights; the extravagant 5CD box features the aforementioned and three additional discs of session material. (A 2LP edition contains only the album and five bonus cuts.) Again: The 19-track SMiLE included here is not considered a technical album as Wilson and company never completed audio’s equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster. Hence, what’s presented equates to a semblance agreed upon by group members Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine. All were involved in a painstaking project that demanded producers Mark Linett and Alan Boyd consult upwards of 70 master reels of tape while tackling the mind-numbing tasks of putting the group’s sonic “modules” in a sensible order as well as piecing together fragments into coherent songs.

In that simply hearing the constant fits and starts occasionally feels infuriating, it’s relatively impossible to imagine the patience Linett and Boyd employed to bring The SMiLE Sessions to light. Indeed, one of the more illuminating aspects of the 5CD collection has little to do with the music. Rather, enlightenment stems from spying on Wilson’s studio banter and recognizing the ad-infinitum degree to which the obsessive-compulsive tunesmith forced his mates and Los Angeles’ finest studio hands to stop/repeat/stop/repeat/stop in a quest for “perfect” takes and sounds he envisioned in his mind. Gorgeous baroque melodies, heavenly harmonies, psychedelic freedom, experimental techniques, humanist spirituality, and sophisticated concoctions of pop, choral, jazz, cabaret, and R&B on SMiLE aside, insight into both Wilson’s methods and madness in the recording studios proves most compelling.

While certain camps maintain that label politics and contract disputes accounted for the collapse of SMiLE, The SMiLE Sessions confirms otherwise. Consider: The fifth disc contains nothing but renditions of the 1966 stand-alone single “Good Vibrations,” two dozen in all, the labors ultimately yielding an indisputable slice of modular-constructed pop genius and, unfortunately, triggering within the tormented Wilson an insatiable thirst to make every subsequent Beach Boys song as glorious, symphonic, and grand.

And so there are vocal coaching lessons, trials of members crooning while lying on their back, playful moans, microphones dropped into water. There are fades, preludes to fades, verse remakes, alternate introductions, barbershop vocal sections, chorus vocal sections, overdub mixes, and acapella takes devoted to one tune -- each separate track lasting between 25 seconds and several minutes. Wilson’s mind keeps changing. So too, then, do his instructions and inclinations. How nobody managed to sock him out of frustration remains a marvel on par with the composer’s finest arrangements. It all leads one to believe that Wilson, particularly in his compromised mental state, never would’ve arrived at a point he would’ve deemed satisfying. SMiLE was destined to be incomplete.

Moreover, the set’s tremendously informative essays expounds upon the notion that, recalling the era’s technological limitations associated with tape splicing, executing the countless sequencing and re-sequencing duties in the face of tireless re-recording and editing burdens would have likely taken years -- especially given Wilson’s propensity for fixes and alterations, which generally required having to again start a mix from scratch. To wit: “Good Vibrations” required almost six months to finalize. In his notes, Boyd, a veteran documentary filmmaker, calls the from-the-vaults reissue “the hardest project I’ve ever worked on” and observes “many of the songs were like little Frankenstein monsters, musical beings built from the spare parts in Dr. Linett’s audio laboratory.”

To that extent, the presence of a definitively researched SMiLE Sessions Sessionography guides listeners through the creative practices and vast sources. Undoubtedly, it also stands to rankle those who believe their bootleg versions to reflect the correct details.

Sonically, the main album is presented in mono and the session contents in stereo. In preparation for HDCD, the original analog 4-track and 8-track session tapes were transferred to high-resolution digital, with the final masters created at 88.2kHz. What a trip. 

—Bob Gendron

[Aegir]

All these reviews seem like they could've been written without actually having listened to the box.

[jimmy1949]

Just got the latest Rolling Stone with Steve Jobs on the cover and there is nothing about SMiLE!!

[The Demon]

I really only care about Pitchfork's review

They know SMiLE

Anyone wanna guess what type of bs pitchfork will put in their review? I'm sure they'll knock off a few points because the reviewer thinks there are too many boxsets coming out.

This one will probably get a 10 or a good review.  They pull out surprisingly knowledgable reviewers for certain things, like some of the reviews for the REM reissues.

[Shady]

Just got the latest Rolling Stone with Steve Jobs on the cover and there is nothing about SMiLE!!

Must have been a very rushed issue..

Possible SMiLE cover story next month 

[hypehat]

Thanks Sean, I was in a rush this evening

[Ebb and Flow]

I'm still waiting for a track-by-track breakdown of the box set from someone who really knows their Smile s*it. 

[jimmy1949]

Just got the latest Rolling Stone with Steve Jobs on the cover and there is nothing about SMiLE!!

Must have been a very rushed issue..

Possible SMiLE cover story next month 

I thought the same thing..maybe even a cover!!

[monicker]

...microphones dropped into water...

What's this in reference to??

[runnersdialzero]

...microphones dropped into water...

What's this in reference to??

"Brian Farts Into His Piano"

[chris.metcalfe]

Very interesting, actually the Tone Audio article. One thing bothers me though.

'...in preparation for HDCD...'  I guess many here won't know what that is. HDCD was a system invented about 15-20 years ago by Pacific Microsonics to increase the available resolution on a CD from 16 to 20 bits. In order to make this work, a decoder circuit needs to be designed into the CD player. Compatability is ensured so that HDCDs will play on a non-HDCD player.

However -
a) there are now hardly any HDCD players available worldwide (after a flurry about 10 years ago), and
b) in my (humble) experience, HDCD-encoded discs played on a 'normal' (non-HDCD) player tend to sound worse than an ordinary CD (subjective, but technical reason = more digital noise caused by the wider bandwidth).

Mark Linnett seems to have been on an HDCD hobbyhorse since BWPS, as the Classics and Summer Love Songs discs are both HDCDs. I was hoping he'd left it behind for Smile, but it seems not....