Artwork and packaging for BWPS

[nobody]

Did anyone else find it sort of... tacky? I bought it when it came out and I immediately disliked the overuse of white. The CD is in the basement and I haven't touched it in years (got the music on my computer) so I am going on memory here. I remember a white box that held the CD case, and between the two was a fairly nicely done booklet with a few pictures of Brian, the lyrics, and a few other things. The CD case had one sheet of the white and logo "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", etc. I never liked it, especially because I had known of the original album cover before getting it.

[Smilin Ed H]

You wanted to discuss something that's in your basement but you can't be bothered to look at. LMFAO. Not.

[nobody]

You wanted to discuss something that's in your basement but you can't be bothered to look at. LMFAO. Not.

Give an old man a break. The basement is two sets of stairs away. Plus, I think my memory was fairly accurate, no?

[buddhahat]

Did anyone else find it sort of... tacky? I bought it when it came out and I immediately disliked the overuse of white. The CD is in the basement and I haven't touched it in years (got the music on my computer) so I am going on memory here. I remember a white box that held the CD case, and between the two was a fairly nicely done booklet with a few pictures of Brian, the lyrics, and a few other things. The CD case had one sheet of the white and logo "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", etc. I never liked it, especially because I had known of the original album cover before getting it.

I don't like the packaging either - I think a much better job could've been done if they wamted to do 'retro'. I think most people probably wished that Frank Holmes' original artwork was used. I wonder, psychologically, if less fans would've disliked BWPS if the Holmes artwork had been used. I know many people picture the album cover in their heads when they listen to music (or at least I do - I'm sure I'm not alone - Pet Sounds sounds sort of green, right? Surf's Up is sort of moody, blue, indian-slouched-on-horseback type of music?! Anyway, I always picture the BWPS sleeve when I listen to it and I wish I had Holmes art in my head instead.

[nobody]

Did anyone else find it sort of... tacky? I bought it when it came out and I immediately disliked the overuse of white. The CD is in the basement and I haven't touched it in years (got the music on my computer) so I am going on memory here. I remember a white box that held the CD case, and between the two was a fairly nicely done booklet with a few pictures of Brian, the lyrics, and a few other things. The CD case had one sheet of the white and logo "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", etc. I never liked it, especially because I had known of the original album cover before getting it.

I don't like the packaging either - I think a much better job could've been done if they wamted to do 'retro'. I think most people probably wished that Frank Holmes' original artwork was used. I wonder, psychologically, if less fans would've disliked BWPS if the Homes artwork had been used. I know many people picture the album cover in their heads when they listen to music (or at least I do - I'm sure I'm not alone - Pet Sounds sounds sort of green, right? Surf's Up is sort of moody, blue, indian-slouched-on-horseback type of music?! Anyway, I always picture the BWPS sleeve when I listen to it and I wish I had Homes art in my head instead.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I also think of the album cover whenever I'm listening to something. When I hear the original SMiLE tapes I see Frank Holmes' stuff in my mind. It's fairly important - if you consider a face to be the doorway to the personality within then an album cover is the same sort of thing.

[Dr. Tim]

It would have been nice to have the Smile Shop picture out front and the other booklet drawings interspersed, at least.  AGD can fill us in but I understand there was a ball dropped by Brian's people. Holmes was in the mix at first (he did the "coming soon to a face near you" poster), then they couldn't work out terms, or there were copyright issues, all I recall is it was clumsy, and then Holmes was out.

In a backhanded way, though, not using Holmes's work (along with the legal title of the album being "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", not just "Smile") made the final product more lawsuit-proof* - absolutely no likelihood of confusion with the original cover, not that most people would remember it to be confused by.  And as we know subsequent events validated this choice, if choice it was.

*more precisely - judgment proof.  Any douche can file a piece of paper saying anything and call it a lawsuit, so from that standpoint nothing is lawsuit-proof.  But you know what I mean.

[Mr. Wilson]

Dr.Tim..I heard or read the same stuff as your post..

[PongHit]

Well, maybe they'll use the Holmes designs for the box-set.

[runnersdialzero]

I think, had the Holmes cover been used, it would have gotten a negative response from the same fans. They'd be saying how it's an attempt to ignore the original sessions and concepts, that it's misleading, that it's blasphemy to just include the original cover, etc. etc. etc.

Yet, I bet a lot of those same people don't like the BWPS packaging as is, either, because they probably feel it fails to capture the spirit of the original artwork.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Did anyone else find it sort of... tacky? I bought it when it came out and I immediately disliked the overuse of white. The CD is in the basement and I haven't touched it in years (got the music on my computer) so I am going on memory here. I remember a white box that held the CD case, and between the two was a fairly nicely done booklet with a few pictures of Brian, the lyrics, and a few other things. The CD case had one sheet of the white and logo "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", etc. I never liked it, especially because I had known of the original album cover before getting it.

BWPS is not Smile, ergo the original artwork would be inappropriate.

[nobody]

Did anyone else find it sort of... tacky? I bought it when it came out and I immediately disliked the overuse of white. The CD is in the basement and I haven't touched it in years (got the music on my computer) so I am going on memory here. I remember a white box that held the CD case, and between the two was a fairly nicely done booklet with a few pictures of Brian, the lyrics, and a few other things. The CD case had one sheet of the white and logo "Brian Wilson Presents Smile", etc. I never liked it, especially because I had known of the original album cover before getting it.

BWPS is not Smile, ergo the original artwork would be inappropriate.

Doesn't mean the new artwork has to be tacky and bland... which was my main point, really.

AS someone said, it would be really cool of the Frank Holmes artwork made it to the box set which is something that I think will have to happen. Besides it would make really great artwork for a nice fat box set

[juggler]

BWPS is not Smile, ergo the original artwork would be inappropriate.

That's a valid argument, but it's probably not the reason Frank Holmes' work wasn't used.  As has been pointed out above, Frank WAS iniitially involved in the project and then there was a falling out -- supposedly over money. 

Personally, I think that Frank should have been retained, perhaps to design a new cover.   Count me as among those who don't like the BWPS packaging at all.  On the other hand, Frank's work complements the music.   Just as Brian didn't bring in a new lyricist, the original artist should have been given more of an opportunity to contribute.

[Andrew G. Doe]

BWPS is not Smile, ergo the original artwork would be inappropriate.

That's a valid argument, but it's probably not the reason Frank Holmes' work wasn't used.  As has been pointed out above, Frank WAS iniitially involved in the project and then there was a falling out -- supposedly over money. 

Personally, I think that Frank should have been retained, perhaps to design a new cover.   Count me as among those who don't like the BWPS packaging at all.  On the other hand, Frank's work complements the music.   Just as Brian didn't bring in a new lyricist, the original artist should have been given more of an opportunity to contribute.

The feeling was that as Frank had been paid already, there was no need to pay him a second time for the artwork. Fine, except for one small point - Capitol never paid him in the first instance, back in 1966. Frank requested a reasonable sum of Brian's management (he'd held on to the copyright), they declined to pay same. End of Frank's involvement.

[buddhahat]

BWPS is not Smile, ergo the original artwork would be inappropriate.

That's a valid argument, but it's probably not the reason Frank Holmes' work wasn't used.  As has been pointed out above, Frank WAS iniitially involved in the project and then there was a falling out -- supposedly over money. 

Personally, I think that Frank should have been retained, perhaps to design a new cover.   Count me as among those who don't like the BWPS packaging at all.  On the other hand, Frank's work complements the music.   Just as Brian didn't bring in a new lyricist, the original artist should have been given more of an opportunity to contribute.

The feeling was that as Frank had been paid already, there was no need to pay him a second time for the artwork. Fine, except for one small point - Capitol never paid him in the first instance, back in 1966. Frank requested a reasonable sum of Brian's management (he'd held on to the copyright), they declined to pay same. End of Frank's involvement.

I'm an illustrator myself, and seems like Holmes got a pretty crap deal here. Not sure what fee he proposed but you've got to feel for him. Let's hope that if there ever is a Smile box released, and capitol do the right thing and use his original artwork, that he gets his dues.

[Wirestone]

The packaging is pretty stunning. Not many CDs have slip cases with die-cut foil and raised detailing. Nonesuch really went all out.