Would Brian have continued to fuse classical and pop had Smile been released?

[Smile4ever]

Brian brought so many musical influences including jazz and (especially) classical into his beautifully symphonic work, Smile.

I know there is no way to answer this, but do you think he would have built on this direction had Smile been released to at least moderate success? It's interesting that in the mainstream a lot of bands namingly The Beatles retreated from more of an art rock approach of 1967 to a back-to-the-basics Rock sound in 1968.

I've always felt Brian was still at a point of untapped potential and could have been like a George Gershwin of pop music. I believe he could have brought us some absolutely amazing things beyond what we would ever dream of for pop/rock music. He viewed music so broadly and wasn't confined by conventional pop music constructs. I think Pet Sounds and Smile are unparalleled. He may have continued in that direction of Smile had worked and I think it would have been mesmerizing.

[jiggy22]

Seeing and hearing all of the work Brian put into SMiLE, I always assumed that had it been released in early 1967, Brian would have been somewhat "burned-out" from working on music that complex/complicated. It's my guess that Wild Honey (an album described by members of the group as "music to cool down to" or whatever) still would have happened, though maybe a few months earlier. Same goes for other SMiLE-esque tracks such as "Cool Cool Water" and "Can't Wait Too Long". With a Wild Honey release in, let's say, October of 1967, the Beach Boys would've been a good year ahead of the Beatles of the Rolling Stones in the "back to basics" approach.

[Wata]

Brian brought so many musical influences including jazz and (especially) classical into his beautifully symphonic work, Smile.

I know there is no way to answer this, but do you think he would have built on this direction had Smile been released to at least moderate success? It's interesting that in the mainstream a lot of bands namingly The Beatles retreated from more of an art rock approach of 1967 to a back-to-the-basics Rock sound in 1968.

I've always felt Brian was still at a point of untapped potential and could have been like a George Gershwin of pop music. I believe he could have brought us some absolutely amazing things beyond what we would ever dream of for pop/rock music. He viewed music so broadly and wasn't confined by conventional pop music constructs. I think Pet Sounds and Smile are unparalleled. He may have continued in that direction of Smile had worked and I think it would have been mesmerizing.

He is!!

...As for the question, that's the same what I've had for a long time. I think, if Brian have finished Smile, he would have gotten into experimental music much more deeply, and soon would have broken down.

[ryan9699]

In my opinion, Brian would've gone to a point of no return, so to speak. Think about this for a second, how much farther and deeper than SMiLE could you go? I know Brian certainly was at his peak and capable, but remember, at the time it was definitely more complex than anything ever attempted, even by today's standards.

[Rick5150]

In my opinion, Brian would've gone to a point of no return, so to speak. Think about this for a second, how much farther and deeper than SMiLE could you go? I know Brian certainly was at his peak and capable, but remember, at the time it was definitely more complex than anything ever attempted, even by today's standards.

The idea that this was done by physically splicing tape still astounds me. Modular songs that can be moved around and fit together to create something bigger than the sum of its parts.