If you could change Smile...

[Bean Bag]

-- gotten ahold of a flux capacitor and the necessary jigga-watts to get the delorean back to 1967.

[NimrodsSon]

I agree with Mitchel--get "False Barnyard" in there! And more importantly, "Vega-Tables Part 3"! I really wish they would have used fades on the album. I think it could have been much stronger. Not everything has to completely flow together in order for it to be coherent. And sometimes I feel like it suffers because they put the songs immediately after each other with no breaks. For example, I think the break between "You Are My Sunshine" and "Cabinessence" should be at least a couple of seconds in length. It just seems too rushed, like they were trying to scrunch the songs right up next to each other, whereas with a two second break you would steel feel the coherency, in fact I think it would have been even smoother. I also wish they would have incorporated more of the "Heroes and Villains" intro, not necessarily at the beginning of the song, but somewhere on the album.

The second movement is flawless in my opinion, except for the outro to "Surf's Up." Once again, I think this definitely would have benefitted from a fade; and I also think they should have done it like the original. On the original it starts out with a few bars of just the "Child" vocals, and then the "A children's song..." voclal kicks in, whereas on BWPS it starts off immediately with the "Children's song..." vocals. I don't like it that way nearly as much. Also, Mike's bass vocals on this part really make the original recording fantastic. I'm not saying they needed Mike up there singing it on BWPS (though it would have been nice, but I'm being realistic), but they desperately need a decent bass vocalist.

I love the third movement, but I don't think the "I'm in Great Shape" intro fits in with the rest of the album.  I know it's the Cantina section, but the orchestration doesn't fit in with anything else on the album, though it does sound nice. I also don't like the transition between "Workshop" and "Vege-Tables." I'm not sure how I would have done it myself, but come on, a crossfade?!? You can do better than that, Brian! Everything else is great (except for the "Good Vibrations" lyrics)! "In Blue Hawaii" is amazing! It's probably my favourite song on the album, and I love the transition between "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" and it. Looking at that preliminary trackllist, I'm really thinking "Fall Breaks" would have sounded really good in the third movement, and the rest of the tracklist looks like it might be very interesting. Then, of course, the fake tack piano and harpsichord are completely inexcusable! I don't really mind if they record it on Pro Tools (though it probably would have sounded much better had it been recorded analog), but please use real instruments! As I said, it's inexcusable. That's the best word to describe it. Anyways, overall it's a great album, and I enjoy it very much.

[chris.metcalfe]

I thought the bass-area vocals on the CD version of Surf's Up make it one of the fullest sounding tracks - and Brian's lead is stronger here compared to many songs (on which the live DVD has the better leads).

My one and only change would be the structure of Child Is Father - i.e. use the '3-minute backing track' version which returns to the final (half-) chorus at the end; you could lead from this directly into Surf's Up without the slightly (ok, very) artificial bridge on strings.

Having said which, the Brian tracklist is fascinating - never seen it before. How confidential is that source?

[Chris D.]

Isn't that alternate list just a list of songs that could be included, given to Brian?  I thought that was gone over a lot in the past.

We're not going to have a Secret Smile Shop now, are we?

[Mitchell]

Oh, I missed a few that others mentioned:

-Tag to Surf's Up, I like the fade and delay before "A children's song" part, too
-I don't like the strings in the Child is the Father of the Man bridge to Surf's Up, I'd rather there be none at all (that goes for all of the extra string flourishes, actually, though I do like the intro to I'm in Great Shape)

[JRauch]

"...without the slightly (ok, very) artificial bridge on strings."

NO WAY!!! That´s one of my favourite parts on the album. Gives me shivers almost every time I hear it.

[TV Forces]

I think SMiLE is breathtaking and I am sure glad there is a studio album and not just a live recording.  I made a cd of the performance on the DVD and it's a nice alternate listen, but doesn't hold the candle to how well recorded and produced that album is.

- I would remove the "woo woo" before "Barnyard."  No need for that and it sounds idential to the one before "you're under arrest."

- I'd include the extra bit of "bicycle rider" in "Worms."  Where it plays again and slows down like a music box, etc.

- I love the second movement, but I agree on whoever suggested using the longer "Child" backing track.  It's too short, but wonderful.  And I love how it goes into "Surf's Up."

- I would have included more parts of "Vega-Tables."  It's too short and we're missing a lot of the great segments that Brian recorded for it. 

I have no problem with Asher's lyrics on "Good Vibrations."  I think it's a good change.  It's a wonderful performance as well.  Very powerful.  And I'm glad they included some new sections.  I love that "hum de dum" part.

I'm not really buying that supposed list of Brian's early ideas for the 2004 SMiLE.  It has "Child" in the middle and "Surf's Up" at the end..  and in the documentary, we see Darian playing "Child," and Brian excitedly saying "was that before Surf's Up"?  He knew how it was supposed to flow!  There's no way "Time to Get Alone" would work.  "Diamond Head" would be nice, but never in the '67 version.  That version of SMiLE would have been an hour long.  Interesting to think about, but nowhere the cohesive whole the brilliant 2004 disc is.

[Mitchell]

Yeah, the tracklist there was songs considered for the live "Songs from SMiLE" thing that they were pushing Brian to do, not "Finished SMiLE". It's still really neat. I wonder if it was just elements from some of the songs, not the songs themselves, that he meant.

[smackdaddy]

But it's presented as a cohesive whole, with parts not of the whole listed seperately (and Holidays listed twice, hmm.)  This is clearly more than a "random songs for Brian to pick from" list.   I'm inclined to believe it's from Brian as I don't think anyone else would have a precedent for including "TTGA.'

[Jonas]

Add He Gives Speeches
Subtract Good Vibrations (I agree, if they used the original lyrics and maybe spruced it up a bit, would be better)

I dont hear the click track in Our Prayer...

[GP1138]

I would have used real pianos throughout the entire album, rather than synthesized ones.

[JRauch]

According to Linett hey used real pianos! Only the tack-piano and the harpsichord were faked.

[Chris D.]

I'm inclined to believe it's from Brian as I don't think anyone else would have a precedent for including "TTGA.'

Didn't we all know about it before Smile was done?

[NimrodsSon]

Yeah, the regular piano is definitely a real acoustic grand piano, no question about it.

[jazzfascist]

I'm not really buying that supposed list of Brian's early ideas for the 2004 SMiLE.  It has "Child" in the middle and "Surf's Up" at the end..  and in the documentary, we see Darian playing "Child," and Brian excitedly saying "was that before Surf's Up"?  He knew how it was supposed to flow!  There's no way "Time to Get Alone" would work.  "Diamond Head" would be nice, but never in the '67 version.  That version of SMiLE would have been an hour long.  Interesting to think about, but nowhere the cohesive whole the brilliant 2004 disc is.

I agree that “Time To Get Alone” and “Diamond Head” seem a little out of place on Smile, but maybe Brian didn’t intend them in the arrangements and with the lyrics we know today.  He reworked a lot of songs over and over again. I don’t think TTGA seems like a strong enough album opener, but who knows what version he might have intended, it’s just interesting, that he apparently connects these songs with Smile, even though I think most people, who was presented with that list would say “Brian, are you sure those songs were intended for “Smile“, and of course maybe people would be right, maybe he mixes songs from different periods up.
Anyway the tracklist seems very much like an americana/elemental type of tracklist, like suggested by Domenic Priore and it’s also interesting that it’s presented as a whole, with link tracks and so forth. About him saying that “Child” was before “Surfs Up” he might as well have just been referring to the finished version.

Søren

[Chris D.]

it’s just interesting, that he apparently connects these songs with Smile, even though I think most people, who was presented with that list would say “Brian, are you sure those songs were intended for “Smile“, and of course maybe people would be right, maybe he mixes songs from different periods up.

Do we know Brian wrote it?  I thought Darian made it and presented it to Brian for consideration, which is why some of that stuff isn't in the final version.

[Mitchell]

I dont hear the click track in Our Prayer...

It's not a click track, it's a sound. You're better off not hearing it. Once you do, it'll be obvious every time.

[jazzfascist]

it’s just interesting, that he apparently connects these songs with Smile, even though I think most people, who was presented with that list would say “Brian, are you sure those songs were intended for “Smile“, and of course maybe people would be right, maybe he mixes songs from different periods up.

Do we know Brian wrote it?  I thought Darian made it and presented it to Brian for consideration, which is why some of that stuff isn't in the final version.

It's called "Brian's list" and as far as I remember it has also been presented before, as a list Brian had written and if it was made to Brian for consideration, where is "Good Vibrations". It would also seem strange that a Smile scholar like Darian would give songs like TTGA and DH such a prominent place in the lineup, and what about the link tracks,  but of course I don't know for sure.

Søren

[Mitchell]

I think there were several lists presented over the course of the preparations for the SMiLE tour. Does Andrew G. Doe know more about them?

[Howdy Doody]

I would have used the DW " You are my sunshine."  I would have nixed the merda lyrics Asher wrote.  I think BW does a heartfelt vocal performance.  I love BWPS alot but it does suffer a tad in the vocal glistening due to the fact that the harmonies sound a bit too isolated part-wise(you can tell who is singing what part).  I don't truly believe BW with all his faculties would have envisioned SMILE the way it was released.  As far as a western theme of the wild west, Nah it is there in fragments sort of but not thematically.  BW's semi-roasted voice is nice though IMO.

[smackdaddy]

We knew about Time To Get Alone, just up until the list came to light it was never considered as part of SMiLE.  (As far as I know.)  Therefore it seems awkward that anyone but Brian would insert it in a proposed tracklist.

[SurferGirl7]

On BWPS I would have loved to have seen George Fell Into His French Horn in it and All Day complete.

[Ken.W]

I would've cheated and flown in the original: " .. you're under arrest!" line.

[Don't Back Down]

I'm sure these have probablly been said already (didnt read every post) but changes:

-Have the whole band do the "Gee" section on the album (Brian's layered vocal on this just doesn't do it for me. Give me the original BBoys vocals on this segment anyday)
-Original Good Vibes lyrics  for sure
-REAL Instruments (harpsichord, tack piano, etc. etc. etc.)

That's pretty much it for me.

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

On BWPS I would have loved to have seen George Fell Into His French Horn in it and All Day complete.

Right smack in the middle of Surf's Up would GFIHFH be placed.