A Ten-episodes official web series on the SMiLE Sessions is now on YouTube

[Justin]

haha...no doubt Mike would do anything to pat himself on the back...but I think this time instead of gushing over his lyrical "genius" I think he was happy to share it because he was sharing a rather interesting note about the original lyrics that not many people might know.  I didn't know that that line had "we find" at the end.  It's great to know why they clipped it.  For once, Mike was useful in sharing some information!

[guitarfool2002]

Looks like just a few extra seconds of "new" studio film showing Carl with the darker-finish bass. I get the feeling they're going to spread the rest of the footage out over the next 8 chapters of this video series.

Ultimately I'd like to see the studio film(s) released as a continuous whole so I don't have to edit them together on my own as a few precious seconds trickle out on the next official vid...

[bossaroo]

"we find"

amazing this little tidbit is just surfacing.

the "blossom world" line is kind of an eyebrow-raiser. it adds to the "avant-gardeness" of the song. i've always loved the fact that it doesn't rhyme there.

[Bud Shaver]

"we find"

amazing this little tidbit is just surfacing.

the "blossom world" line is kind of an eyebrow-raiser. it adds to the "avant-gardeness" of the song. i've always loved the fact that it doesn't rhyme there.

I loved that part of the episode.  These are a treat...too bad the segments aren't ten time longer.

[Runaways]

i've never been a big fan of "blossomed" world because it automatically dates the song.  Mike says he put it for the fad of the time right? still it's ok.

[Micha]

Recordingwise DYLW is a fragment, as it has only very few vocals on  it, same goes for CIFOTM, Look, Holidays, IIGS. V-T wasn't assembled. Surf's Up isn't at all what it could have been (this is an opinion though). Wind Chimes and Cabin Essence were left unfinished and only were finished in 1969 (CE) and 2011 (WC). I would totally call The Beach Boys' SMiLE an album that exists only in fragments.

In the context of '66-'67, I still wouldn't call most of those fragments.  "Worms," "Cabin-Essence," "Wind Chimes" and "Child" had been sequenced by Brian, at least in the form of test edits (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of that), and stuff like "Look" and "Holidays" probably wouldn't have made the cut had the album come out in early '67 (based on the written track list).  "Surf's Up" was halfway complete, tracking wise, but it wasn't as if Brian didn't know what the second half would be comprised of.

Of all the tracks, only "Heroes," "Vega-Tables" and "The Elements" were truly in pieces, as far as I've always understood it.  The problem was that "Heroes" was such a huge mess that Brian spent far too much time on, at the expense of completing work on several other tracks that weren't too far from completion.

Chris, I think we have different definitions for "fragment". I meant "fragment" in the sense of "unfinished recording", while you meant "section of a song". You are of course right in stating that more or less only H&V and V-T have a lot of recorded sections that could be edited together in multiple ways. While several of the other songs were also recorded in segments - that could theoretically be edited in multiple ways -, the order of the segments of those has been clearly established in Brian test mixes. As these songs are unfinished, too, they are fragments of the whole. Dig?

[Chris Brown]

Recordingwise DYLW is a fragment, as it has only very few vocals on  it, same goes for CIFOTM, Look, Holidays, IIGS. V-T wasn't assembled. Surf's Up isn't at all what it could have been (this is an opinion though). Wind Chimes and Cabin Essence were left unfinished and only were finished in 1969 (CE) and 2011 (WC). I would totally call The Beach Boys' SMiLE an album that exists only in fragments.

In the context of '66-'67, I still wouldn't call most of those fragments.  "Worms," "Cabin-Essence," "Wind Chimes" and "Child" had been sequenced by Brian, at least in the form of test edits (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of that), and stuff like "Look" and "Holidays" probably wouldn't have made the cut had the album come out in early '67 (based on the written track list).  "Surf's Up" was halfway complete, tracking wise, but it wasn't as if Brian didn't know what the second half would be comprised of.

Of all the tracks, only "Heroes," "Vega-Tables" and "The Elements" were truly in pieces, as far as I've always understood it.  The problem was that "Heroes" was such a huge mess that Brian spent far too much time on, at the expense of completing work on several other tracks that weren't too far from completion.

Chris, I think we have different definitions for "fragment". I meant "fragment" in the sense of "unfinished recording", while you meant "section of a song". You are of course right in stating that more or less only H&V and V-T have a lot of recorded sections that could be edited together in multiple ways. While several of the other songs were also recorded in segments - that could theoretically be edited in multiple ways -, the order of the segments of those has been clearly established in Brian test mixes. As these songs are unfinished, too, they are fragments of the whole. Dig?

Consider it dug 

[bossaroo]

i've never been a big fan of "blossomed" world because it automatically dates the song.  Mike says he put it for the fad of the time right? still it's ok.

hey at least he didn't use the word "flower"
"blossom" still sounds cool and slightly strange to this day.


bring on episode 3!!!

[bossaroo]

and Voila!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbY7DvzNWs

[Justin]

Episode 3:

The Beach Boys - SMiLE Sessions Webisode #3 Mono VS Stereo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbY7DvzNWs

[Amy B.]

"we find"

amazing this little tidbit is just surfacing.

the "blossom world" line is kind of an eyebrow-raiser. it adds to the "avant-gardeness" of the song. i've always loved the fact that it doesn't rhyme there.

Ditto. It's so much better without "we find."

[Mike's Beard]

Does anyone read the comments on youtube? Seriously anyone who thinks Mike gets a rough ride from this board should check out what people are saying about him on there.

[SMiLE Brian]

Does anyone read the comments on youtube? Seriously anyone who thinks Mike gets a rough ride from this board should check out what people are saying about him on there.

That stuff is insane and oldsurferdude would be mr. popularity over at youtube with all the trash about Mike there.

[runnersdialzero]

The Mike bashing is entirely wearisome. Warranted to an extent (albeit not nearly as much as people do), but Jeezus Christ are folks annoying with it. Can't convince these folks that he was worth even the slightest damn, either. No, Mike broke Smile and made Brian mentally ill.

[Heysaboda]

You know, I am really loving Bruce's comments in the YouTube series!

Go Bruce!

[bossaroo]

episode 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9iHhA5BDxo

[Iron Horse-Apples]

So, for a second time Al states that the "dixieland" accapella section of H&V dates back to 1961.

What does this mean?

Al specifically sings the parts that they sang in '61. So does the whole chord progression for Heroes date back this far? We know Brian has constantly recycled and used old ideas throughout his career.

Interesting.

[runnersdialzero]

:O never heard him say that before. Pretty huge, to me.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

:O never heard him say that before. Pretty huge, to me.

He's mentioned it at least once before, but I can't remember when or where.

[Been Too Long]

Talked about it in a July 2000 Goldmine interview.

http://smilealbum.tripod.com/aljardine.htm

[guitarfool2002]

I have to give Al credit on this episode: Short of unveiling more new studio session film clips, Al explained something that has puzzled me and I'm sure many others since that interview in Goldmine. The "Dixieland" explanation makes perfect sense, and it now adds up logically when Al claimed the BB's were singing parts of Heroes in 1961.

He's saying they, as a vocal group, used to improvise and riff on scat-singing parts while pretending to be instruments of a Dixieland jazz band. It's pretty cool, and quite a concept for guys in their teens to be trying with vocals. Dixieland is a group of soloists improvising lines and phrases both independent of and connected with the other instruments in the group. So it could be chaotic, there is no "structure" other than the chord changes and the beat, and it's basically each player riffing a new melody as each person solos away.

Al is great - and I'll hear that vocal section in a totally different way from now on thanks to what Al revealed. That was an awesome chapter for just that reason.

[Aegir]

Talked about it in a July 2000 Goldmine interview.

http://smilealbum.tripod.com/aljardine.htm

The best thing from that interview is

Love was always trying to pinpoint Van Dyke saying, “What does this mean?” And he would go, “I don't know, I was high.”

[Andrew G. Doe]

I have to give Al credit on this episode: Short of unveiling more new studio session film clips, Al explained something that has puzzled me and I'm sure many others since that interview in Goldmine. The "Dixieland" explanation makes perfect sense, and it now adds up logically when Al claimed the BB's were singing parts of Heroes in 1961.

Hardly - they were singing a riff that later became incorporated into "H&V". I very much doubt Brian told them "This is part of something I'm working on, it's called "Heroes And Villains", OK ?". You could just as easily claim that Phil Spector wrote the main riff by this logic.

Also, does anyone else consider this amusing coming from someone who seemingly hasn't written a completely original melody in his life ? 

[Tristero]

You know, I am really loving Bruce's comments in the YouTube series!

Go Bruce!

I liked it when he said that the new set allowed you to really "go nuclear" with these sessions.  Very apt description!  While it may not offer too many huge revelations, it's fun just to hear the guys talking about this stuff here.

[Runaways]

some of their reasons for now stereo seem kinda weak to me, it'll happen eventually i hope