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Brian Wilson - Smile


As most who care will know, Smile is finally getting a release at the end of this month. The Beach Boys great lost record, Smile has been the root of much myth making and many bootlegs containing the original sessions. Brian Wilson's reputation almost rests on this record as much as it does Pet Sounds. Imagine the movement based nature of Good Vibrations spread across a whole record with arty lyrics about America's history, nature and the elements. It's a record of over reaching ambition where, like Icarus, he flew too close to the sun and fell back to Earth.

This isn't a release of the original sessions which is what everyone expected would happen especially after the release of the Pet Sounds Sessions box and the few tracks that turned up on the Good Vibrations set. After that it seemed the ideal time to dust off the Smile sessions. Instead the new release is a new recording and a reconstruction of what Smile should have been, or at least what The Wondermints, Wilson's backing band think it should have been. I can't help but think that they've heard all the bootlegs that we have and that they've created their own Smile mix, the only difference being they actually got to record it with Brian himself. How much new input Wilson had into the structure I would question.

How should the record be judged though. Should it be judged along side the records that it would have been released beside 37 years ago or should it be judged alongside the releases of today as a new album. No doubt it will be judged against both. From what I've heard of it online it'll easily stand up against anything. It's been recorded very sympathetically when compared to the original sessions. This album could very easily have been a grave-robbing disaster especially when it involves rerecording not only unreleased tracks but also long time favourites like Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains. Thankfully Brian's band know what they are doing and bring the same care to the record as they brought to the live shows. Also, involving original lyricist Van Dyke Parks has helped with including some new lyrics and also recovering lyrics for songs that only existed as instrumentals on the available boots.

Roll on the 27th!

10:21 | 0 Comments, | permanent link

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