SMiLE Boots - How did they evolve, and how many are there?

[Mikie]

The ones on Sphinx are "Alive and Smiling" and "Good Vibrations: Smile".  "Alive and Smiling" is the one with live tracks. It's an old one. There's another old one too called "Smile - Bits and Pieces".

[guitarfool2002]

The ones on Sphinx are "Alive and Smiling" and "Good Vibrations: Smile".  "Alive and Smiling" is the one with live tracks. It's an old one. There's another old one too called "Smile - Bits and Pieces".

I have GEMA Smile, a 2-disc set which bundled one CD of the standard Linett-Vigotone stuff with that "Bits And Pieces" disc.

I chose that one over the others, the day I got it, because it came with a free poster. Yep.

[?]

Thanks for the info guys.  I don't have The Smile Era Outtakes but I looked it up and the tracklist is identical to the Smile stuff on the Sphinx cd.  I guess they re-booted it fast.  Alive and Smiling was actually the second Sphinx boot (content wise, it's the same as the first).  The first one from 1989 is just called Smile, with a black and white version of the Frank Holmes art.

[Tricycle Rider]

The first SMiLE CD boot I remember seeing/hearing was this one:

SMiLE - The Early Years - 02-CD-3317

Anybody else remember this?

http://www.bootlegzone.com/scan.php?scid=44043

http://www.bootlegzone.com/beatleg/discs/scans/02-cd3317-2foldinside.jpg

There was a spoken bit by Brian during one of the Good Vibrations tracks where he said something like "OK, so we have the two chorus's on the one take, now all we need is this little intermediate part" or SOMETHING like that. Does anybody know where that bit of dialog comes from?

[smile-holland]

The first SMiLE CD boot I remember seeing/hearing was this one:

SMiLE - The Early Years - 02-CD-3317

Anybody else remember this?

http://www.bootlegzone.com/scan.php?scid=44043

http://www.bootlegzone.com/beatleg/discs/scans/02-cd3317-2foldinside.jpg

O yes I do, that was the first SMiLE boot I ever bought !

[Andrew G. Doe]

The first SMiLE CD boot I remember seeing/hearing was this one:

SMiLE - The Early Years - 02-CD-3317

Anybody else remember this?

http://www.bootlegzone.com/scan.php?scid=44043

http://www.bootlegzone.com/beatleg/discs/scans/02-cd3317-2foldinside.jpg

There was a spoken bit by Brian during one of the Good Vibrations tracks where he said something like "OK, so we have the two chorus's on the one take, now all we need is this little intermediate part" or SOMETHING like that. Does anybody know where that bit of dialog comes from?

That originated in the 1976 "Best Summers of Our Lives" radio special: comes from, oddly enough, a "GV" session.

[Mikie]

The Smile CD you're referring to, Smile - The Early Years - 02-CD-3317, came out in the late 80's. Hear the clicks and pops on some of the tracks when you're playing it? Does the artwork look familiar? Notice that "Can't Wait Too Long" was included? Hear the songs on it that were legitimately released in better quality than the rest? That's because some of the tracks were sourced from one of the early vinyl releases. Sound quality ain't so good either. Good thing subsequent boots were much better!

The dialog from one of the Good Vibrations sessions, like AGD says, was first heard on a radio special in 1976. It can also be found on SOT 15 and other boots with the Good Vibrations sessions. Have to look and see, but seems to me it's on a legit release as well - I know some of that session dialog is somewhere.

"Really felt good, let's play it!    OK, we have two four tracks......."

[Freddie French-Pounce]

What's the quality like on the 3LP version, and is it a worthy addition?

[I. Spaceman]

What's the quality like on the 3LP version, and is it a worthy addition?

Sound is the same as the Vigotone double CD. In my opinion, the best Smile vinyl bootleg by a far margin.

[Mikie]

The Vigotone releases are pretty good, but I'll take SOT 16 and 17 over all of them.

[guitarfool2002]

The quality of the Smile vinyl boots is a non-factor by now. There is little or nothing that can't be found in better quality somewhere else. I'm glad, in a way, that the novelty of the vinyl boots has become just that - a novelty. Because for the most part, the sound quality wasn't worth the cost of admission. At least compared to what came later.

Don't forget, that cost of admission could be quite high...examples to follow.

[guitarfool2002]

Here is a blast from the past, from the days before CD burning and file sharing, when crappy cassettes and low-level high-speed dubs were sold or traded as the substitute for paying "retail" for this stuff if you wanted it. The "good old days"! I think the statute of limitations has run out, but I didn't include the names...and note the prices. First one from 1991, second from 1994.

[Andrew G. Doe]

They're right - the Japanese T2580-2 CD boot was The One. Second ever: I played mine a few weeks ago, and the quality blew me away.

[Mikie]

Who's right?  I think they're talking above about the 2-CD Vigotone release as being the best. That's different than the Japanese SMiLE that came out around 1990. Think I paid 30 or 40 bucks for that at the time.

The Japanese T2580-2 CD (20 tracks) that I have has no indication of who released it. Yeah, that's an excellent quality disc that was supposedly compiled by Linett when a legit release of SMiLE was considered in 1988. This contained the original versions of Wind Chimes and Vega-Tables, Brian’s solo demo of Surf’s Up, and 7 minutes of unreleasased Heroes and Villains segments.

The Japanese 2580, Sea Of Tunes Unsurpassed Masters 16 & 17 (box set), and the Vigotone sets were the best quality sound wise, I believe.

[guitarfool2002]

Who's right?  I think they're talking above about the 2-CD Vigotone release as being the best. That's different than the Japanese SMiLE that came out around 1990. Think I paid 30 or 40 bucks for that at the time.

The Japanese T2580-2 CD (20 tracks) that I have has no indication of who released it. Yeah, that's an excellent quality disc that was supposedly compiled by Linett when a legit release of SMiLE was considered in 1988. This contained the original versions of Wind Chimes and Vega-Tables, Brian’s solo demo of Surf’s Up, and 7 minutes of unreleasased Heroes and Villains segments.

I think he was referring to the CD advertisement from 1991 which I scanned, where it says "This is the one!!" next to the Japanese Smile listing.

[Mikie]

Guitarfool, those ads remind me of Goldmine, Discoveries, and Record Collector magazines that I use to pick up and read from front to back. Those prices look very familiar!! This was before the Internet and free downloads. You relied on either a fanzine or fellow collector to give you a heads up on the tracks and quality, attend a record swap meet, or call the shop/seller/trader who was selling the boot to give you information on it, or for CD's, last resort was to settle on a CDR! For my Beatles stuff, I subscribed to Belmo's Beatleg News and Sulpy's 910. By the way, Sulpy has a new issue out on the new SMiLE Sessions - interview with Carol Kaye is in there for AGD to scrutinize.... 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Guitarfool, those ads remind me of Goldmine, Discoveries, and Record Collector magazines that I use to pick up and read from front to back. Those prices look very familiar!! This was before the Internet and free downloads. You relied on either a fanzine or fellow collector to give you a heads up on the tracks and quality, attend a record swap meet, or call the shop/seller/trader who was selling the boot to give you information on it, or for CD's, last resort was to settle on a CDR! For my Beatles stuff, I subscribed to Belmo's Beatleg News and Sulpy's 910. By the way, Sulpy has a new issue out on the new SMiLE Sessions - interview with Carol Kaye is in there for AGD to scrutinize.... 

Wherewherewherewhere ?

[Mikie]

http://www.dougsulpy.com/dougsulpy.com/Home.html

[guitarfool2002]

Guitarfool, those ads remind me of Goldmine, Discoveries, and Record Collector magazines that I use to pick up and read from front to back. Those prices look very familiar!! This was before the Internet and free downloads. You relied on either a fanzine or fellow collector to give you a heads up on the tracks and quality, attend a record swap meet, or call the shop/seller/trader who was selling the boot to give you information on it, or for CD's, last resort was to settle on a CDR! For my Beatles stuff, I subscribed to Belmo's Beatleg News and Sulpy's 910. By the way, Sulpy has a new issue out on the new SMiLE Sessions - interview with Carol Kaye is in there for AGD to scrutinize.... 

Me too! I used to get the issues and first check the ads for anything that said "Beach Boys", "Monkees", or "Chicago", and I'd usually find little to nothing of interest! The first Goldmine I ever got was a free giveaway sample copy at a record show in Valley Forge, PA. After that I was hooked. And I began sending Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes all over the US to get the "good stuff" on the lists.

Those magazines may still be the only places where Merrell Fankhauser albums are more popular than The Beatles or Beach Boys...

Good times, pre-internet.

[Jay]

Guitarfool, those ads remind me of Goldmine, Discoveries, and Record Collector magazines that I use to pick up and read from front to back. Those prices look very familiar!! This was before the Internet and free downloads. You relied on either a fanzine or fellow collector to give you a heads up on the tracks and quality, attend a record swap meet, or call the shop/seller/trader who was selling the boot to give you information on it, or for CD's, last resort was to settle on a CDR! For my Beatles stuff, I subscribed to Belmo's Beatleg News and Sulpy's 910. By the way, Sulpy has a new issue out on the new SMiLE Sessions - interview with Carol Kaye is in there for AGD to scrutinize.... 

I remember Belmo's Beatleg News and the 910. I still have an old "pamphlet" of Belmo's Beatleg News. It was badically about 5 or so pieces of paper stapled together, and the graphics were terrible, like they were printed from an ancient 1980's computer. 

[The Heartical Don]

This one's for AGD:

I don't have a bleg called SMiLE on the Chapter One label. IIRC (am not at home now) the cover features Brian sitting in a pool, holding up a Gold Disc Award. Is this one a copy of that Japanese ST2580 disc?

Disclaimer: I don't have bootlegs and am against them, because I read in the Bible that possession of, and listening to, counterfeit material will be severely punished in the afterlife.

So in all probability I will meet none of you all here, nor Sahanaja and his merry troupe, after all of us will have passed away. But I will try to convince God to treat you all to a good pint of beer every now and then.

[UK_Surf]

Bootlegs are illegal.

I am not interested at all.

Which bootlegs are still indispensable, now that TSS is out there?

I hate bootlegs and am not interested at all.

This is a really good (but deceptively massive!) question, anyone care to have a stab at it? It's probably a question of which tracks off which boots, though.  Is there a digest of the latest Smile discography that highlights these items? Other tortured complete-ists out there would I'm sure cherish such a resource....

[Mikie]

I remember Belmo's Beatleg News and the 910. I still have an old "pamphlet" of Belmo's Beatleg News. It was badically about 5 or so pieces of paper stapled together, and the graphics were terrible, like they were printed from an ancient 1980's computer.  

Belmo's Beatleg News (67 issues) was available between 1987 and 2001. Most of those issues were between 8 and 12 pages long, sometimes up to 20, and came out usually 4-5 times a year. He complied them all in a book called "The Beatles - Not For Sale". Beatleg News was a VERY informative newsletter at the time and I use to look forward to every issue with the latest news.

[AllIWannaDo]

Bootlegs are illegal.

I am not interested at all.

Which bootlegs are still indispensable, now that TSS is out there?

I hate bootlegs and am not interested at all.

This is a really good (but deceptively massive!) question, anyone care to have a stab at it? It's probably a question of which tracks off which boots, though.  Is there a digest of the latest Smile discography that highlights these items? Other tortured complete-ists out there would I'm sure cherish such a resource....

Man I would LOVE this to be attempted, it'd help my (ahem) 'friend' reduce all boots, or at least have some pruning - this would make it soo much better for anyone doing their own SMiLE mix's, sound quality has gotta be important here to some degree too

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Once again on the topic of the 3LP version, at the end of side 3, there is a DYLW segment with vocals I've never heard, sound very bad quality. Are they Beach boys, as they do sound questionable, and do they exist in better quality?