Smiley Smile done right?

[TheLazenby]

I've just been kicking around an idea, since I was disappointed with the results of Priore's SMiLE... what would it sound like if one put together a 'proper' version of Smiley Smile?  Well, take a look at the track list, you'll see what I mean:

SIDE ONE
01) Heroes and Villains - 'Smile Sessions' version, spliced to single version (so that the last chorus fades)
02) Vegetables - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
03) Mrs. O'Leary's Cow - 'Smile Sessions' version
04) He Gives Speeches - obviously standing in for "She's Goin' Bald", it's short but it fits.
05) I Love To Say Da Da - since there isn't a Smile equivalent of "Little Pad", this seems to be the best fit, complete with Water Chant at the start.

SIDE TWO
01) Good Vibrations - 'Smile Sessions' version with hum-de-dums.
02) With Me Tonight - 'Smile Sessions' version??  Doesn't that one end rather abruptly when someone knocks something over, though?
03) Wind Chimes - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
04) ...................no clue.  I need to fill the spot left by "Gettin' Hungry".
05) Wonderful - 'Smile Sessions' version
06) You're Welcome - Seems like a reasonable replacement for "Whistle In", another round chant.

[The Shift]

Side two track 4 … how about Cabinessence, seeing as there are no Smiley artefacts on your Smiley anyways???

[punkinhead]

I've just been kicking around an idea, since I was disappointed with the results of Priore's SMiLE... what would it sound like if one put together a 'proper' version of Smiley Smile?  Well, take a look at the track list, you'll see what I mean:

SIDE ONE
01) Heroes and Villains - 'Smile Sessions' version, spliced to single version (so that the last chorus fades)
02) Vegetables - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
03) Mrs. O'Leary's Cow - 'Smile Sessions' version
04) He Gives Speeches - obviously standing in for "She's Goin' Bald", it's short but it fits.
05) I Love To Say Da Da - since there isn't a Smile equivalent of "Little Pad", this seems to be the best fit, complete with Water Chant at the start.

SIDE TWO
01) Good Vibrations - 'Smile Sessions' version with hum-de-dums.
02) With Me Tonight - 'Smile Sessions' version??  Doesn't that one end rather abruptly when someone knocks something over, though?
03) Wind Chimes - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
04) ...................no clue.  I need to fill the spot left by "Gettin' Hungry".
05) Wonderful - 'Smile Sessions' version
06) You're Welcome - Seems like a reasonable replacement for "Whistle In", another round chant.

I was thinking of an additional instrumental (PS had 2), you could use "Tune X" or "I don't know" in place of Gettin Hungry.

[alf wiedersehen]

It seems like your 'Smiley Smile done right' is just Smile - which I guess sorta makes sense...

[TMinthePM]

Am happy to see this thread appear, as I was collecting my thoughts on this very subject last summer but, under the influence, lost my train of thought  in a cloud of smoke...

Here's where I left off, with the track listing of the compilation I have been enjoying for a couple of years now:

 I have, filed away somewhere, an article entitled “Smiley Smile is Smile,” written by I can’t remember who and don’t know when, but posted somewhere on-line sometime around the year 2000, plus or minus 4 or five years before or after.

OK, so there’s my bow to the citation gods, but what follows is not really about that article.

Well, yes it is, insofar as what I’m about here takes the idea that Smiley was not merely a poor substitute, but in fact a perfectly logical, internally consistent, culmination of the Smile project. And that as released was poorly mastered, improperly sequenced and, despite the fact that all the pieces were readily at hand, inexplicably incomplete.

An incomplete album, the pieces of which can now be brought together to reveal a coherent artistic statement, on a par with Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which must remain the benchmark against which all others are measured.

Guitars have been almost wholly removed, producing a minimalist aesthetic that is nevertheless “musical” – these guys were not simply producing an aural account of their hash parties – although the sweet, dreamy aroma of hashish does indeed permeate

The 1967 production is muddy, the 2012 Stereo Remaster reveals, not a stoned out indulgence, but rather a masterwork.


 1. Well, You’re Welcome (Smile Sessions)
 2. Heros and Villains (2001 Stereo Mix) edit sections sequence from 1,2,3,4 to 1,3,2,4
 3. Wonderful (2012 Stereo)
 4. Gettin' Hungry (2012 Stereo) edit out 1st instru section to “I wake up in the morning…”
 5. You're With Me Tonight (Previously Unreleased)(Hawthorne)
 6. With Me Tonight (2012 Stereo)
 7. She's Goin' Bald (2012 Stereo)
 8. Whistle In (2012 Stereo)
 9. Good Vibrations (Concert Rehearsal) (Previously Unreleased) (Hawthorne)
10. Mama Says (2000 Wild Honey)
11. Vegetables (Stereo Extended Mix) (Previously Unreleased) (Hawthorne)
12. Wind Chimes (2012 Stereo)
13. Fall Breaks And Back To Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony) (2012 Stereo)
14. Cool, Cool Water (Track)/ Water [Stereo Mix] (Unsurpassed Masters)
15. Little Pad (2012 Stereo) edit out
16. Surf's Up (1967 Solo Version)(Bonus Track)(Smile Sessions)
17. Cabin Essence (Smile Sessions)
18. Cabin Essencence Tag (Unsurpassed Masters)

Running Time: 42:22


Well, You’re Welcome inviting us in and down the rabbit hole


Heros and Villains a trip to the frontiers of the American psyche, circa 1967

“won-won-wonderful” sexual innuendo

“god vibrations” interlude

Getting’ Hungry cut

Wood blocks over a left-handed whirligig on organ

You’re With Me Tonight with a smile

On and on she go down-be-do - sexual innuendo

She’s Goin’ Bald – the Coasters – silent movie damsel in distress motif recapitulates the western theme

Coming up for air Whistle In

The single most important change in this reconfiguration is the removal of the studio hit single version of Good Vibrations. The dry rehearsal in its place fits perfectly the minimalist aesthetic of the album                              at the heart of the song cycle

Mama Says childhood admonitions placed here the track serves  in contrast to GV and affords a short interlude between what might have been sides one and two had the album been realized

The Elements – earth, air, fire and water – has been denied, but here it is Vegetables assumes a gravitas or   

The eight bar bass-throb

Wind Chimes the delicate “whispering wind…”

Who knew that Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony) is in fact the legendary lost Fire from Smile, reduced to the flickering flame of a candle.

Cool, Cool Water the purist psychedelic vocal soundscape

We surface within landfall and the refuge of a Little Pad “…in Hawaii”

The portentous Surf’s Up pulls together, elevates and deepens all that has preceded.

Cabinessence is truly majestic, as stepping into a vastness, cathedral-like

Must close the song cycle as nothing can possibly follow it

Except perhaps a snippet of the vocal tag, minus vocals, that miraculous reveals a delicate Arabesque dancing as thru a window

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Smiley Smile was done right. It's one of the most perfect little albums they ever made. To try to 'improve' it is to completely miss the point of the record, which revels in its imperfections and invites us to do likewise. Oh, and She's Goin' Bald is way more fun than He Gives Speeches, so why swap 'em over?

[Lonely Summer]

Smiley Smile was done right. It's one of the most perfect little albums they ever made. To try to 'improve' it is to completely miss the point of the record, which revels in its imperfections and invites us to do likewise. Oh, and She's Goin' Bald is way more fun than He Gives Speeches, so why swap 'em over?

I agree with that 100%. There isn't one thing  I would change about Smiley Smile. Just thankful that we have both the Smile Sessions and Smiley.

[Micha]

SIDE ONE
01) Heroes and Villains - 'Smile Sessions' version, spliced to single version (so that the last chorus fades)
02) Vegetables - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
03) Mrs. O'Leary's Cow - 'Smile Sessions' version
04) He Gives Speeches - obviously standing in for "She's Goin' Bald", it's short but it fits.
05) I Love To Say Da Da - since there isn't a Smile equivalent of "Little Pad", this seems to be the best fit, complete with Water Chant at the start.

SIDE TWO
01) Good Vibrations - 'Smile Sessions' version with hum-de-dums.
02) With Me Tonight - 'Smile Sessions' version??  Doesn't that one end rather abruptly when someone knocks something over, though?
03) Wind Chimes - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
04) ...................no clue.  I need to fill the spot left by "Gettin' Hungry".
05) Wonderful - 'Smile Sessions' version
06) You're Welcome - Seems like a reasonable replacement for "Whistle In", another round chant.

My recommendations: Replacement for Little Pad should be Cabin Essence - Call it "Little Cabin" if you want to Replacement for "Whistle In" should be the Hawaiian chant section of DYLW.

[The Shift]

1. Well, You’re Welcome (Smile Sessions)
 2. Heros and Villains (2001 Stereo Mix) edit sections sequence from 1,2,3,4 to 1,3,2,4
 3. Wonderful (2012 Stereo)
 4. Gettin' Hungry (2012 Stereo) edit out 1st instru section to “I wake up in the morning…”
 5. You're With Me Tonight (Previously Unreleased)(Hawthorne)
 6. With Me Tonight (2012 Stereo)
 7. She's Goin' Bald (2012 Stereo)
 8. Whistle In (2012 Stereo)
 9. Good Vibrations (Concert Rehearsal) (Previously Unreleased) (Hawthorne)
10. Mama Says (2000 Wild Honey)
11. Vegetables (Stereo Extended Mix) (Previously Unreleased) (Hawthorne)
12. Wind Chimes (2012 Stereo)
13. Fall Breaks And Back To Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony) (2012 Stereo)
14. Cool, Cool Water (Track)/ Water [Stereo Mix] (Unsurpassed Masters)
15. Little Pad (2012 Stereo) edit out
16. Surf's Up (1967 Solo Version)(Bonus Track)(Smile Sessions)
17. Cabin Essence (Smile Sessions)
18. Cabin Essencence Tag (Unsurpassed Masters)

I like this much better but ditch Cabinessence - too grand for this stripped back statement. I always though Gettin Hungry stood out like a sore thumb, like SDT on Surfs Up.

You're right about the 2012 remaster too, one of Mark Linett's finest achievements to my ears and sets the original album up for a complete reevaluation.

[stack-o-tracks]

Smiley Smile was done right. It's one of the most perfect little albums they ever made. To try to 'improve' it is to completely miss the point of the record, which revels in its imperfections and invites us to do likewise. Oh, and She's Goin' Bald is way more fun than He Gives Speeches, so why swap 'em over?

This, entirely. Smiley Smile was meant to happen, and is perfect the way it is.

Honestly, if Pets Sounds did as bad on the charts as it did, the likelihood of the aborted Smile album doing much better than Smiley Smile is pretty low.....

People seem to forget The Beach Boys' Smile is just an idea, not a completed, cohesive artistic statement like Smiley Smile ended up being.

[TheLazenby]

Really surprised no one agreed with swapping "You're Welcome" for "Whistle In"!  Ending the album with a repetitive chant song?  Hmmmm?

As for "Smiley Smile" being a cohesive artistic statement......... isn't it simply 'we threw together lousy stoned versions of Smile songs instead of just using the amazing Smile versions'?  I mean come on, "Wind Chimes" on SS is truly, truly spoiling a wonderful song.

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

Really surprised no one agreed with swapping "You're Welcome" for "Whistle In"!  Ending the album with a repetitive chant song?  Hmmmm?

As for "Smiley Smile" being a cohesive artistic statement......... isn't it simply 'we threw together lousy stoned versions of Smile songs instead of just using the amazing Smile versions'?  I mean come on, "Wind Chimes" on SS is truly, truly spoiling a wonderful song.

It's odd that you should pick "Wind Chimes"; that's the one song, in my view, where the Smiley Smile version blows the Smile version out of the water.  The "whispering winds" section at the end is one of the most beautiful and haunting harmonies that the band ever did, to my mind.

As others have hinted or pointed out, I'm curious how your version of "Smiley Smile done right" is different from just offering another possible Smile track listing.

[grillo]

Really surprised no one agreed with swapping "You're Welcome" for "Whistle In"!  Ending the album with a repetitive chant song?  Hmmmm?

As for "Smiley Smile" being a cohesive artistic statement......... isn't it simply 'we threw together lousy stoned versions of Smile songs instead of just using the amazing Smile versions'?  I mean come on, "Wind Chimes" on SS is truly, truly spoiling a wonderful song.

couldn't agree less!  Maybe Smile could have been a cohesive statement that showed bw to be far ahead of the pack, except it never was any kind of statement since it never was anything at all...
though wind chimes on Smile is amazing, i would pick the SS version any day, always and forever. all those voices...and then the whispering winds...come on!

[SenorPotatoHead]

Don't be messin' with my Smiley Smile!  Wind Chimes was only ever a pleasant little tune until Smiley Smile - THEN it was (and is) an effin' Masterpiece!   
oh, and btw, you're under arrest!    lol (where the heck is Surfer these days?)

[MugginsXO]

The biggest clue to the fact that Smile is far more a construct of fans' imaginations and an artistic ideal than an album is how easily Brian Wilson's artistic choices are disregarded on Smiley Smile. Particularly on Heroes and Villains! He finished the damn song! That some don't think it is good enough is entirely irrelevant. The only real Smile is the one created after the fact in 2004 and on the box set, essentially a piece of work about the concept of what a real version of a fantasy album would sound like.

[Steve Latshaw]

"The biggest clue to the fact that Smile is far more a construct of fans' imaginations and an artistic ideal than an album is how easily Brian Wilson's artistic choices are disregarded on Smiley Smile. Particularly on Heroes and Villains! He finished the damn song! That some don't think it is good enough is entirely irrelevant. The only real Smile is the one created after the fact in 2004 and on the box set, essentially a piece of work about the concept of what a real version of a fantasy album would sound like. "

I agree completely.  And the stereo mix of Smiley Smile also turned that album around for me.  As was said above, the muddy mono release from 1967 was an interesting curio; the stereo mix turns this album into one of the Beach Boys' greatest and most interesting albums.

[schiaffino]

I've just been kicking around an idea, since I was disappointed with the results of Priore's SMiLE... what would it sound like if one put together a 'proper' version of Smiley Smile?  Well, take a look at the track list, you'll see what I mean:

SIDE ONE
01) Heroes and Villains - 'Smile Sessions' version, spliced to single version (so that the last chorus fades)
02) Vegetables - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
03) Mrs. O'Leary's Cow - 'Smile Sessions' version
04) He Gives Speeches - obviously standing in for "She's Goin' Bald", it's short but it fits.
05) I Love To Say Da Da - since there isn't a Smile equivalent of "Little Pad", this seems to be the best fit, complete with Water Chant at the start.

SIDE TWO
01) Good Vibrations - 'Smile Sessions' version with hum-de-dums.
02) With Me Tonight - 'Smile Sessions' version??  Doesn't that one end rather abruptly when someone knocks something over, though?
03) Wind Chimes - 'Smile Sessions' version without opening segue
04) ...................no clue.  I need to fill the spot left by "Gettin' Hungry".
05) Wonderful - 'Smile Sessions' version
06) You're Welcome - Seems like a reasonable replacement for "Whistle In", another round chant.

Sorry dude, Smiley Smile is already done right...a wonderful album, no need to fix anything there, its a time stamp of psychedelic culture and a testimony to Brian's failed attempt to catch lightning in a bottle

[Micha]

I didn't take it as "fixing" Smiley Smile but rather creating a SMiLE variation using Smiley Smile as a template. I admit, the thread title doesn't reflect that.

[TMinthePM]

Here's the link to the article that had set me to thinking:


http://earcandy_mag.tripod.com/rrcase-2.htm


Quote: In his book “Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile!” (1988), Domenic Priore reasoned that, "even though the world missed SMILE, SMILEY SMILE is not without merit. Actually, the reason most people didn't care for SMILEY SMILE is that it came out in place of SMILE." But the bizarre truth is: they got Smile. The finished version. Only, they didn’t like it. Or didn’t “get it”.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Makes sense to me, Smiley is the distillation of Brian's creative process during "The Smile Era" (which may or may not have been effected along the way by various things, like Beatles, Mike Love, Drugs, etc.).  It is Smile.

In an alternate universe Smiley was followed by an EP entitled Dumb Angel with the following track list:

A: Prayer
    Do You Like Worms

B: Cabin Essence
    Surf's Up

This is accompanied by an animated film, shown as part of a televised live in concert special, called Lei'd In Hawaii

Parents in Salt Lake City note the title with some disapproval but still feel the Beach Boys are more acceptable than the Beatles, but less so than the Osmonds. 

[sockittome]

I gotta admit I'm quite intrigued by the polarization over Smiley....on this board (I say on this board because the outside world doesn't even know what a Smiley Smile is....and probably never will).  The folks who are big fans of Smiley seem to be at odds with the actual SMiLE material.  "Don't mess with my Smiley!"  Wow, take it easy, man!  Nobody's going to confiscate your beloved.....er, whatever it is!

If Smiley Smile was such a statement, how come nobody in '67 got it?  C'mon!  '67, man!  They got Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Sgt. Pepper, and uh....Incense and Peppermints!  And a bunch of other stuff.   

[TheLazenby]

Because it was the Beach Boys doing slooooooow, whispered versions of songs that everyone heard were supposed to be grand and majestic, thus major boner-kill?

[Jim Rockford]

Because it was the Beach Boys doing slooooooow, whispered versions of songs that everyone heard were supposed to be grand and majestic, thus major boner-kill?

I thought stuff like that was age related.

[Imperator]

It seems like your 'Smiley Smile done right' is just Smile - which I guess sorta makes sense...

It's more like Lifehouse ---> Who's Next, an attempt to salvage what was accomplished during the project by disregarding the original concept and bringing the finished pieces into a serviceable whole.

[TMinthePM]

What month was Smiley smile released?  I have September stuck in my mind.