Most 'Psychedelic' Song on SMiLE?

[Freddie French-Pounce]

what, in your opinion, would be the most psychedelic song on SMiLE? I would probably say good vibrations, but I don't know...

[WaxOn]

To me it's all one big psychedelic song with themes.

To clarify "psychedelic", that means (to me) a variety of odd sounds and noises that somehow fit into a polyphony of music; the more the merrier so to speak. Things like the "boing, boing, boing, boing" in Cabinessence simply reek psychedelia.

If I were to pick one, it would probably be Barnyard just because of all the wild out there noises going on. When you hear it you say "psychedelic", and if you were in a chemically altered state - well it would be mind blowing. Love to say Dada would be a runner up - it's completely bizarre and shouldn't work, but it does.

God, I love this album.

[MyGlove]

if i had to pick one off of "SMiLE" i'd say Cabin Essence for sure. Like the guy above me said, when i first heard the boing boing boing part i thought it was completely psychadelic. the lyrics and music are obviously also very psychadelic. however if we were talking "Smiley Smile" i'd definitely say Vegetables. At the very beginning when there's the sound that sounds like blowing into a glass coke bottle then the water pouring plus the chomping. i swear the first time i heard it, that was the most psychadelic thing i'd heard up to that point. the chomping was especially memorable, and i think the water pouring actually rehydrated me temporarily. its a really really  weird song, but absolutely marvelous when you think about it. i mean who would ever think up using vegetable as a percussive element. Who but a genuis?

[I. Spaceman]

Well, whenever I have "imbibed" and played SMilE, it is always the ending of Cabinessence that causes the "flashing" to occur.

[SMiLE Brian]

Do You Like Worms with the crazy hawaiian music part near the end of the song.

[Ovi]

Both "Do You Like Worms?" and "Love To Say Dada" because of their weirdness and the "grand coolie" part from "Cabinessence" because of those hypnotic vocals.

[jardine (no relation]

I agree, the whole thing really is, well, pscyhedelic. but if i had to pick one
third verse of Wonderful when the background voices are not just dah dah dah dah dah descending, but also yo-day-lay-ee-who in the deep background over "the path was a mystery
Through the recess the chalk and numbers"

I find this whole song spooky and, well, wonderful. Such a tight and almost strained/restrained melody. And the lyrics are the oddest time frame of life and an interesting point of view, especially for the time, I think-- a young girl thanking god for this discovery through the chalk and recess...amazing.

[Uncomfortable Seat]

Do You Like Worms is way out there . . . 

[bossaroo]

gotta go with Cabin Essence. it's psychedelic Americana. it's like an early settler got hold of some peyote (or fun,fun,fungus...?  )

Child Is Father of the Man certainly qualifies and Heroes & Villains is quite a trip as well.

but really, the entire album is a psychedelic masterpiece. a teenage, middle-aged, all ages symphony to God!!!

[Jay]

I know it's not technically SMiLE, bu the "water chant" is pretty trippy. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Fire/Mrs. O'Leary's Cow yet.

[phirnis]

Do You Like Worms is way out there . . . 

This would be my #1 choice as well. The "bicycle rider" theme really does it for me here. Brian did an amazing job letting that little melody pop up in more than one song on Smile, somehow that really adds a lot to the music's overall tripiness.

[rogerlancelot]

Fade To Vega-Tables.

[mammy blue]

When I hear the phrase "psychedelic music", I don't immediately think of Sgt Pepper, or Jefferson Airplane, or Cream or Hendrix. I think of the vocal chorus of CITFOTM.

[Jay]

When I hear the word psychedelic used to describe music, I think of phasing/flanging, vocals drenched in echo, and backwards sounds effects. To me, the majority of SMiLE is a symphonic masterpiece.

[I. Spaceman]

When I hear the word psychedelic used to describe music, I think of phasing/flanging, vocals drenched in echo, and backwards sounds effects. To me, the majority of SMiLE is a symphonic masterpiece.

There are two different forms of psychedelic music. The kind that is commonly tagged with the term is an attempt to replicate the drug experience in sound and music. This type of music rarely has a great effect on the listener when actually "under the influence". The other type is music that actually has an intense effect on the "experienced" listener. This music generally involves usages of drones, acoustic instruments sonically altered, etc. This is why Indian music so appealed to "heads" in the 60's. Among the finest examples of this type of thing in the rock genre are The Velvet Underground & Nico, the Smile recordings and above all, the dry and unrelentingly textural Smiley Smile. The music, which can seem simple, odd or even dull to the untrained or "straight" ear, is actually completed in the head during the drug experience. Echo, reverb, chord and mood changes etc. that aren't actually there can be "felt" by the listener. It was fairly obvious to me the first time I heard Smile after smoking a bit that the music was created under that same state and built around the concept of space, chordal vibrations, etc. that resonate with that consciousness.
"Psychedelic" music itself is fairly corny, except for The 13th Floor Elevators.

[Craig Boyd]

When I hear the word psychedelic used to describe music, I think of phasing/flanging, vocals drenched in echo, and backwards sounds effects. To me, the majority of SMiLE is a symphonic masterpiece.

There are two different forms of psychedelic music. The kind that is commonly tagged with the term is an attempt to replicate the drug experience in sound and music. This type of music rarely has a great effect on the listener when actually "under the influence". The other type is music that actually has an intense effect on the "experienced" listener. This music generally involves usages of drones, acoustic instruments sonically altered, etc. This is why Indian music so appealed to "heads" in the 60's. Among the finest examples of this type of thing in the rock genre are The Velvet Underground & Nico, the Smile recordings and above all, the dry and unrelentingly textural Smiley Smile. The music, which can seem simple, odd or even dull to the untrained or "straight" ear, is actually completed in the head during the drug experience. Echo, reverb, chord and mood changes etc. that aren't actually there can be "felt" by the listener. It was fairly obvious to me the first time I heard Smile after smoking a bit that the music was created under that same state and built around the concept of space, chordal vibrations, etc. that resonate with that consciousness.
"Psychedelic" music itself is fairly corny, except for The 13th Floor Elevators.

^ This guy is a hero! 

[bossaroo]

funny i think of The Velvet Underground as kind of anti-psychedelic in many ways and i think they did too.

I certainly don't think Smiley is more psychedelic than SMiLE. more STONED, without a doubt.


there was some discussion before about "Sail Plane Song" being descirbed as acid rock in the Endless Harmony liners... most disagree with that description (although Brian's whistling sound effects at the end are pretty trippy!)

I think "Feel Flows" is probably their most blatant attempt at psychedelic or at least "acid rock"

Good Vibrations is absolutely psychedelic... one of the earliest examples and a number one hit at that. how many #1's can be described as psychedelic?

[Aegir]

Feel Flows makes me think of hard drugs.

[BananaLouie]

I certainly don't think Smiley is more psychedelic than SMiLE. more STONED, without a doubt.

I think of Smiley Smile being the pot record and SMiLE the acid record

Good Vibrations has that classic 60's psychedelic sound but Cabinessence is a real trip!

[Shane]

It's surprising that nobody has mentioned "Fire" yet.  That is one bad trip, if I've ever heard one....

[Aegir]

There's a quote from Brian, don't know the source, this is coming from memory: "Pet Sounds was marijuana. Smile was benzedrine."

[filledeplage]

I know it's not technically SMiLE, bu the "water chant" is pretty trippy. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Fire/Mrs. O'Leary's Cow yet.

Wind Chimes...In a gentle imagery context...

and

Fall Breaks and Back to Winter, which seems to contain the subtext/melody/chorus of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow/Fire  and whose harsh sirens which remind me of SDT.   

[I. Spaceman]

funny i think of The Velvet Underground as kind of anti-psychedelic in many ways and i think they did too.

I certainly don't think Smiley is more psychedelic than SMiLE. more STONED, without a doubt.

Have you ever listened to either album on acid?

[The Shift]

funny i think of The Velvet Underground as kind of anti-psychedelic in many ways and i think they did too.

I certainly don't think Smiley is more psychedelic than SMiLE. more STONED, without a doubt.

Have you ever listened to either album on acid?

Taht's what I like about this board - the way posters offer to help each other out

[Summertime Blooz]

There's a quote from Brian, don't know the source, this is coming from memory: "Pet Sounds was marijuana. Smile was benzedrine."

What was 'Stars & Stripes'- beer?