Differences between Japan and US 2012 Smiley Smile

[runnersdialzero]

It seems as though a number of corrections (mostly minor) were made before these things made it to US shores. I'm not sure if this applies to the other albums, too, although a quick comparison of Today! showed no significant differences (sans "Bull Sessions" being slightly louder).

"Heroes":
The entire mixdown seems to have had a tiny bit of reverb added to it. It's also a bit less compressed and slightly quieter (this is a good thing) than the Japan version.

The mid-verse organ that is on the mono mix is back after being absent from the Japan version. YYYESSSS!

The Baldwin part before the 2nd verse, the "whistle" noise at the end of the acapella part, and the word "wise" (On the "My children were raised" section) have some added reverb. At least in the case of "wise", this seems to match up with the original mono mix.

Some minor panning differences on the "Boys and girls" vocal and the chorus percussion seem to be present.

"Little Pad":
On the Japanese edition, the 2nd section originally came in much more quickly than it did on the mono mix. This has been remedied by what seems like fading the first section and then adding a small bit of silence. Not the ideal solution, but this was probably done quickly between the Japan and US release.

However, a new mistake was also introduced: The "snapping" between the 2nd and 3rd section now goes on a bit longer than the mono, especially the first time.

I also notice that the "three!" countoff at the beginning of the Japan mix in the left channel is still present and is not on the mono mix. Thankfully, all three of these issues (particularly the last two named) are easily correctable.

"Gettin' Hungry":
As with "Heroes", it's a bit quieter on the US edition.

The "gruntier" "And oh, come the night time" present on the mono mix in the 2nd verse but basically inaudible on the Japan edition is back. One of those small details that makes Smiley Smile what it is, thus I'm glad to see it back.

"Wonderful":
The kids laughing about 35 seconds in was not on the Japan release and has been restored.

So yeah. Yous kids who bought the Japan edition have not only a unique pressing, but also unique audio.

Also, the differing mixes allows for some neat things to be isolated between the two. For instance, here's the "Heroes" organ: (keep in mind this was using a US FLAC and a Japan 320kbps MP3, so the isolation isn't as clean as it could be with two lossless sources).

Anyone else know of any differences between the US and Japan editions?

MOD EDIT - LINK REMOVED BY MODERATOR

[runnersdialzero]

Mayn, I can't even link to 3 seconds of an organ? I came back here to post the "OGGHH" isolation from "Gettin' Hungry", too, as it's rather amusing. You kids will allow people to post complete 20 track Smile fan mixes across multiple threads, but I can't post 3 seconds of organ. I DON'T UNDERNAST

CRAPS LOCK

[runnersdialzero]

MOTHER f*ckers BEST BE ANSWERIN MY QUESTIONS.

[runnersdialzero]

IM ABOUT TA BRAKE

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

[ontor pertawst]

Well, I got to play the organ bit twice.

Wait, so I have to buy Smiley Smile AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN?

Fine, fine. I'll buy it again. Razzin' frazzin' Beach Boys.

[Jason]

Runners...you know I love ya, buddy. The reason we left the Smile mixes up is because the band's Facebook page was actually talking about fan mixes and encouraging folks to share.

This is just a smidge different.

[stack-o-tracks]

So how do you know all this?

[runnersdialzero]

Runners...you know I love ya, buddy. The reason we left the Smile mixes up is because the band's Facebook page was actually talking about fan mixes and encouraging folks to share.

This is just a smidge different.

Fffffffffffffffffine. ^_^

So how do you know all this?

Listenin'. ^_^ (And comparing files)

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Funny, I listened to the disk and didn't pick up on these things initially. Good ear.

Yeah, Little Pad's second snap snap was timed wrong on Japanese edition. Now both snaps snaps are similar in time, yet still feel ever so slightly off. Not worth complaining about. That sneaky fade after the first part - now that I notice it it's gonna bug me forever. 

Kids noises are back. Whooo-hooo. Hard to believe I didn't notice. Didn't mind them not being on Japan version. Made for different listen.

Reinstallation of loud grunting "Oh" on Getting Hungry sounds like trickery with a second voice quickly faded in and out.

[Zach95]

And here I had convinced myself I could live with a Japanese booklet. 

[Aegir]

runners, which version did I get from you? US or JP?

[runnersdialzero]

runners, which version did I get from you? US or JP?

SHHHHH.

[The Shift]

… which I guess leaves the question: what did we in the UK get?

If the Japanese release was Smiley 2012.a, the US release Smiley 2012.b, was the UK issue, which came out a coup,e of weeks earlier, an intermediary remixin'masteration?  Only have the Japanese copy (and no time to A-B anyway until the kids have left home…!)

[Matt Bielewicz]

Oh, *bobbins*. I swung for the Japanese version of Smiley, back when no-one knew if they were gonna come out anywhere else. Now I'm gonna hafta get the furshenliggen thing AGAIN.

...but, as John says... which version is which? I'm in the UK - are there *three* 2012 versions of this thing? (Japan, UK, US?)

Not sure whether to go out and buy a UK version... or order a US 2012 version from amazon.com (not .co.uk).

Ya gotta loves being a Beach Boys fan.

John, can you give us the skinny on the UK 2012 version, when your kids have gone out? I feel your pain. I have a 10-month year-old, and at certain 'howly' times of the day, producing exact mix idents on different versions of Heroes & Villains is... not easy, shall we say! Saying that, I wouldn't do without the little tyke for all the SMiLE multitracks in California...

EDIT: I see John says he doesn't have the UK version either. Darn, I should read more carefully. OK, can anyone with the UK version do it?

If I read runners' post correctly, the missing organ is back on the 2012 version. So that would be the organ that should sound at the end of each verse in the song, starting about 17 seconds in and running until about 21 seconds in. And then it should play again starting at 38 seconds in and running until about 43 seconds. But on the Japanese 2012 Smiley Smile, it doesn't play.

To cross-reference with a mix where said organ DOES appear: sure enough, on the Hawthorne, California stereo mix from the early 2000s, the organ phrase in question plays at 0:17-21 and at 0:38-0:40 or 41 (or thereabouts).

The other giveaway as to which version the UK one is would be the kids in Wonderful: on my mono mix copy you can hear them faintly chattering from about 31 seconds in, but most clearly at 0:38 (a cry), 0:41 (a giggle) and 0:43 (another cry). There's nada at these spots on the Japanese stereo mix.

I'd also love to know if the crazy harmonica has been restored to Wonderful. You hear it hitting weird dischordant notes in the original mono mix at 0:15 (just as the femaie voices being to sing 'Won, won, wonderrrrfulll'), at 0:25 (as the vocal reaches the words 'forest went'), at 0:35-0:37 (a long, completely out-of-key note, as far as I can tell), at 0:54-0:56 (a descending scale that only just obliquely harmonises with the chords and vocal) and 1:05-1:07 (a distinctive little wheezing curlicue of a riff phrase between the verses, the absence of which in the Japanese 2012 version first alerted me to the fact that the harmonica was missing throughout the track on the stereo mix).

Anyway, if that helps to ID the UK mix, that would be great. Many thanks.

[Matt Bielewicz]

...so I thought I'd try the Amazon samples, to get a better idea of any differences between the two versions. The samples seem the same for the .co.uk version and the .com version, which is good - that suggests there might only be TWO 2012 mixes, the Japan one and a Rest Of World (US & UK). Obviously, you only get to hear a short excerpt of the track on Amazon, but it *was* revealing and useful nonetheless.

To take the easy one first - in Wonderful, the kids playing are audible on both the UK and US Amazon samples (unlike in the Japanese stereo mix), but there is still no dischordant harmonica. I guess they decided to mix that out for the stereo mix!

On Heroes - well, it's hard to tell. The section you can hear on Amazon is from 0:30-1:00 in the track, so the only part you hear where there should be an organ playing where it was missing on the 2012 Japanese version is the second time around, 0:38-0:40.

AND IT ISN'T THERE ON THE AMAZON SAMPLES!!

So, runnersdialzero - has the organ phrase been restored on the first time through (0:17-0:21) and not on the second time (0:38-0:40)? If so, that would be... odd.

I'm confused. I mean, tracking Heroes & Villains versions IS confusing anyway... but this is making it worse!

Hulk's head... HURRRRRT.

[Cliff1000uk]

Oh, *bobbins*. I swung for the Japanese version of Smiley, back when no-one knew if they were gonna come out anywhere else. Now I'm gonna hafta get the furshenliggen thing AGAIN.

...but, as John says... which version is which? I'm in the UK - are there *three* 2012 versions of this thing? (Japan, UK, US?)

Not sure whether to go out and buy a UK version... or order a US 2012 version from amazon.com (not .co.uk).

Ya gotta loves being a Beach Boys fan.

John, can you give us the skinny on the UK 2012 version, when your kids have gone out? I feel your pain. I have a 10-month year-old, and at certain 'howly' times of the day, producing exact mix idents on different versions of Heroes & Villains is... not easy, shall we say! Saying that, I wouldn't do without the little tyke for all the SMiLE multitracks in California...

EDIT: I see John says he doesn't have the UK version either. Darn, I should read more carefully. OK, can anyone with the UK version do it?

If I read runners' post correctly, the missing organ is back on the 2012 version. So that would be the organ that should sound at the end of each verse in the song, starting about 17 seconds in and running until about 21 seconds in. And then it should play again starting at 38 seconds in and running until about 43 seconds. But on the Japanese 2012 Smiley Smile, it doesn't play.

To cross-reference with a mix where said organ DOES appear: sure enough, on the Hawthorne, California stereo mix from the early 2000s, the organ phrase in question plays at 0:17-21 and at 0:38-0:40 or 41 (or thereabouts).

The other giveaway as to which version the UK one is would be the kids in Wonderful: on my mono mix copy you can hear them faintly chattering from about 31 seconds in, but most clearly at 0:38 (a cry), 0:41 (a giggle) and 0:43 (another cry). There's nada at these spots on the Japanese stereo mix.

I'd also love to know if the crazy harmonica has been restored to Wonderful. You hear it hitting weird dischordant notes in the original mono mix at 0:15 (just as the femaie voices being to sing 'Won, won, wonderrrrfulll'), at 0:25 (as the vocal reaches the words 'forest went'), at 0:35-0:37 (a long, completely out-of-key note, as far as I can tell), at 0:54-0:56 (a descending scale that only just obliquely harmonises with the chords and vocal) and 1:05-1:07 (a distinctive little wheezing curlicue of a riff phrase between the verses, the absence of which in the Japanese 2012 version first alerted me to the fact that the harmonica was missing throughout the track on the stereo mix).

Anyway, if that helps to ID the UK mix, that would be great. Many thanks.

Hi Matt,

I've just listened to my copy of the UK 2012 remaster and:

1. The organ is in there at the end of the verses but I can't hear it under the vocals at 0:38, after the whistle
2. The cries and giggles are in during Wonderful. I can only pick out the harmonica wheeze at 1.05-1.07 but that's not to say the others are not there.

Hope this helps and drop me a PM

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

IM ABOUT TA BRAKE

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

(BRAKE)

I NEED A LITTLE ROOM TO BRAKEEEE.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Runners should have the UK version in theory, assuming he is playing the copy he got first...

[doing]

Man, I never even noticed the laughing kids or the weird discordant harmonica in Wonderful until now. This friggin' album.

[Jason]

Man, I never even noticed the laughing kids or the weird discordant harmonica in Wonderful until now. This friggin' album.

They're REALLY buried in the mono mix and less so in the stereo mix. The session tapes have them a lot more prominent in the "mix". However, it's not a harmonica; if I remember correctly it's a clarinet.

[Matt Bielewicz]

You know what, Mr P, I think it's actually a melodica. You hear it on several tracks on Smiley, whatever it is. The scary echo-repeated dischordant note in Wind Chimes (before the 'ting-urr-ling' section) is played on the same instrument. I don't think it's a clarinet, though I could be wrong.

[runnersdialzero]

Runners should have the UK version in theory, assuming he is playing the copy he got first...

I'm cornfused - plz esplain further?

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Runners should have the UK version in theory, assuming he is playing the copy he got first...

I'm cornfused - plz esplain further?

Nope, sorry, messages mixed up, you're all good 

[Amazing Larry]

Man, I never even noticed the laughing kids or the weird discordant harmonica in Wonderful until now. This friggin' album.

They're REALLY buried in the mono mix and less so in the stereo mix. The session tapes have them a lot more prominent in the "mix". However, it's not a harmonica; if I remember correctly it's a clarinet.

Where did you hear it was a clarinet?

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I thought it was a harmonium or something.