How to quickly get somebody started on Smile?

[Sam_BFC]

Yeah, Spotify, I mentioned that!

I meant reading!

Have them watch this. It's a little skewed, but it should do the trick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2iTjYWma0&feature=channel&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaqvxlmvE_Y&feature=channel&list=UL

Anyone know what the background music at this point is derived from?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2iTjYWma0&list=ULsv2iTjYWma0&feature=player_detailpage#t=500s

[Mark Howell]

My friend who lives relatively far away has expressed intrest in Smile. I don't really know how to start them off (what exactly to listen to, what to read). In addition, the fact that I can't get to them personally makes it a pain when choosing what to teach them.

How would you start somebody off?

Well, Smile never really existed back in 67, so I'd say play them the songs that were to go on the album (on later BB albums), to show you what could have been, check out these songs, imagine how amazing this album would have been (if they came out properly sequenced on the Smile album)

Our Prayer
Surf's Up
Heroes and Villains
Wonderful
Good Vibrations
Cabin Essence

Then you could point them to Brians 2004 SMiLE to give him an approximate idea of the theme and sequencing Brian would have had in mind to tell that musical story.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

30 Years of Good Vibrations disc 2. Perfect starting point. No reading necessary. Music speaks for itself.

[king of anglia]

Give them a cassette of one of the first bootlegged versions of Smile. Tell them that's all that exists of the album.

Then slowly start leaking tracks to them every few days.

Then buy them the Smile box.

[Micha]

Let them give Pet Sounds a go and if they dig it, tell them there's something out there EVEN BETTER _maybe. Then make them listen to the Sessions 2CD set or any number of fanmixes.

No, no, a thousand times no - any fanmix is at best someone's quasi-informed notion of how it might have gone (but probably didn't), more often just a bout of aural masturbation that tells you some folk shouldn't have been let in on how to use Audacity, Sound Forge and the like.

I've thought of Brian writing and recording those songs as being aural masturbation in the first place, so why not have some aural masturbation of my own? Feels goooood!

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Let them give Pet Sounds a go and if they dig it, tell them there's something out there EVEN BETTER _maybe. Then make them listen to the Sessions 2CD set or any number of fanmixes.

No, no, a thousand times no - any fanmix is at best someone's quasi-informed notion of how it might have gone (but probably didn't), more often just a bout of aural masturbation that tells you some folk shouldn't have been let in on how to use Audacity, Sound Forge and the like.

I've thought of Brian writing and recording those songs as being aural masturbation in the first place, so why not have some aural masturbation of my own? Feels goooood!

Too much self pleasure here! Get a room or something!

[rab2591]

'Goodbye Surfing, Hello God'

Also 'Catch A Wave' by Peter Carlin.

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

Well they listened to the complete 2CD last night and read some essays and excerpts from LLVS and loved it.

So, yeah.

[letsmakeit31]

Well they listened to the complete 2CD last night and read some essays and excerpts from LLVS and loved it.

So, yeah.

I started on the now old SS/WH CD, listened to SS & then read the booklet.
When reading how almost an year worth of sessions work was junked & how beautiful it was too.
Got me to find out more, reading about Smile is on par to listening to it IMHO.
Also fitting the jigsaw pieces together per Smile Sessions box set was alot of fun.
It used to be months or years before another piece became known via offical or bootleg.
Finding out and discovering Smile for yourself & others is part of the fun Enjoy.

[I. Spaceman]

I got into Smile looking for more Beach Boys music that sounded like Smiley Smile. I didn't really find that at all, but that's cool.

[halblaineisgood]

 define aural masturbation...and its goal of aural orgasm? huh?

[SMiLE-addict]

Interestingly, for me it was the other way around. I bought Pet Sounds somewhere around 2004/05, and liked a few songs (WIBN, SJB, GOK) and a few of the other songs seemed OK, but not great. I listened to it once in a while, but it wasn't a big deal.

Then this past spring I read about the Smile sessions somewhere, including the fact that it was "the most famous unreleased album ever," which was enough to pique my interest, so I bought it and became obsessed. Soon after I started listening to Pet Sounds again, and now that I've gotten accustomed to the BB 'progressive' stuff through Smile, Pet Sounds now sounds a lot better. Instead of just 3 really good songs, there are now about 6 or 7.

Let them give Pet Sounds a go and if they dig it, tell them there's something out there EVEN BETTER _maybe. Then make them listen to the Sessions 2CD set or any number of fanmixes.

[Aegir]

wow, man, now it's that easy. you find out about Smile and you're like "damn! that's amazing." and then you just buy it. simple as that.

[SMiLE-addict]

So anyway I just ordered 3 copies of Smile and Pet Sounds from amazon.com to give to each of my 3 sisters for Christmas. Have no idea if they'll like them but it's worth a try.

I've also recently told 2 old friends from high school about Smile, one of them said he would definitely buy it. I feel like an evangelist spreading a religion. 

[I. Spaceman]

There's about 13 really good songs on Pet Sounds.

[SMiLE-addict]

I'm not crazy about "That's not me," the 2 instrumentals I usually skip over (though the 2nd one is better), and I've got mixed feelings about "Don't talk" - the refrain is nice but I always find myself wishing the verses were somehow different.

In addition to WIBN, SJB and GOK, since I started listening to Smile I've grown to really like "You still believe in me" and "Caroline, no" especially. "I just wasn't made for these times" is close behind. So that's 6 really good songs, 3-1/2 "meh" songs, and the others are good but not great.

[runnersdialzero]

I'm not crazy about "That's not me," the 2 instrumentals I usually skip over (though the 2nd one is better), and I've got mixed feelings about "Don't talk" - the refrain is nice but I always find myself wishing the verses were somehow different.

In addition to WIBN, SJB and GOK, since I started listening to Smile I've grown to really like "You still believe in me" and "Caroline, no" especially. "I just wasn't made for these times" is close behind. So that's 6 really good songs, 3-1/2 "meh" songs, and the others are good but not great.

Man.

[Micha]

define aural masturbation...and its goal of aural orgasm? huh?

Well, it's not petting my ears, that's for sure... Hey! That's how Pet Sounds really got its name!

[I. Spaceman]

I'm not crazy about "That's not me," the 2 instrumentals I usually skip over (though the 2nd one is better), and I've got mixed feelings about "Don't talk" - the refrain is nice but I always find myself wishing the verses were somehow different.

In addition to WIBN, SJB and GOK, since I started listening to Smile I've grown to really like "You still believe in me" and "Caroline, no" especially. "I just wasn't made for these times" is close behind. So that's 6 really good songs, 3-1/2 "meh" songs, and the others are good but not great.

Yeah, no.

[EgoHanger1966]

I'm not crazy about "That's not me," the 2 instrumentals I usually skip over (though the 2nd one is better), and I've got mixed feelings about "Don't talk" - the refrain is nice but I always find myself wishing the verses were somehow different.

In addition to WIBN, SJB and GOK, since I started listening to Smile I've grown to really like "You still believe in me" and "Caroline, no" especially. "I just wasn't made for these times" is close behind. So that's 6 really good songs, 3-1/2 "meh" songs, and the others are good but not great.

While I respect your opinion, I just can't fathom this.

[Aegir]

He digs the singles. Just like most people in this world. just, most of them don't post on this message board.

[I. Spaceman]

It's OK, he also went on a Christian message board earlier and admitted he only really likes a few sections of the Bible.

[Catbirdman]

It's OK, he also went on a Christian message board earlier and admitted he only really likes a few sections of the Bible.

Right. Whereas me, I go to the Christian message board and post about how much I'm into the Pseudepigrapha, dissect the different source theories for the book of Genesis, and trace back historically to understand why the Book of Enoch is part of the Ethiopian canon and stuff like that. But those morons who actually go to church and "walk with God" and suchlike only know the greatest hits like John 3:16 and other crap found on bumper stickers. Phooey.

[I. Spaceman]

It's OK, he also went on a Christian message board earlier and admitted he only really likes a few sections of the Bible.

Right. Whereas me, I go to the Christian message board and post about how much I'm into the Pseudepigrapha, dissect the different source theories for the book of Genesis, and trace back historically to understand why the Book of Enoch is part of the Ethiopian canon and stuff like that. But those morons who actually go to church and "walk with God" and suchlike only know the greatest hits like John 3:16 and other crap found on bumper stickers. Phooey.

I write my own gospel fanmixes.

[Micha]

It's OK, he also went on a Christian message board earlier and admitted he only really likes a few sections of the Bible.

Right. Whereas me, I go to the Christian message board and post about how much I'm into the Pseudepigrapha, dissect the different source theories for the book of Genesis, and trace back historically to understand why the Book of Enoch is part of the Ethiopian canon and stuff like that. But those morons who actually go to church and "walk with God" and suchlike only know the greatest hits like John 3:16 and other crap found on bumper stickers. Phooey.

I write my own gospel fanmixes.

That's a good one!