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Post by filledeplage on May 20, 2021 19:17:34 GMT -5
Did anyone get this version released by EMI in France? Interesting bonus tracks. I purchased this before the 2001 Capitol Re-Releases.
The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile Label: Magic Records – 4975762 Format: CD Country: France Released: 1998
Tracklist: 1. Heroes And Villains 2. Vegetables 3. Fall Breaks Back To Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony) 4. She's Goin' Bald 5. Little Pad 6. Good Vibrations 7. With Me Tonight 8. Wind Chimes 9. Gettin' Hungry 10. Wonderful 11. Whistle In
Bonus Tracks: 12. You're Welcome 13. Heroes And Villains (Alternate Version) 14. Good Vibrations (1st Version) 15. Do You Like Worms 16. Our Prayer 17. I Love To Say Da Da
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Post by filledeplage on May 20, 2021 19:18:27 GMT -5
Did anyone get this version released by EMI in France? Interesting bonus tracks. I purchased this before the 2001 Capitol Re-Releases.
The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile Label: Magic Records – 4975762 Format: CD Country: France Released: 1998
Tracklist: 1. Heroes And Villains 2. Vegetables 3. Fall Breaks Back To Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony) 4. She's Goin' Bald 5. Little Pad 6. Good Vibrations 7. With Me Tonight 8. Wind Chimes 9. Gettin' Hungry 10. Wonderful 11. Whistle In
Bonus Tracks: 12. You're Welcome 13. Heroes And Villains (Alternate Version) 14. Good Vibrations (1st Version) 15. Do You Like Worms 16. Our Prayer 17. I Love To Say Da Da
Well, I have it and I think I bought it in Borders. Yes, I agree that the bonus tracks are awesome. It is one that I keep on my phone. Sorry for the double post - I quoted when I should have edited one word. Duh.
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Post by ohm on May 29, 2021 1:07:15 GMT -5
My favourite BBs album, and on a certain kinda day my favourite album ever. It takes me to a place no other music can reach. The childlike atmosphere that hangs over it all, the sense of failure and sadness that underpins it, the collapse of all of their egos (and careers, as far as they knew at that time) captured on tape. It's got such depth to it. And I love the fact it was ever made at all, that the other guys went along with it so we have it today is a remarkable piece of good fortune.
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Post by dauber on Jun 9, 2021 10:26:20 GMT -5
[another review of mine copied over from the old PSF]
I first heard Smiley Smile I think in 1990 (just a year into my fandom). Found it on cassette and I didn't even know it was out at all -- I had heard Peter Noone mention it on VH1's My Generation and thought I found something rare. But anyhoo...I listened to it, and...I really liked it! Mind you, this was before I knew about Smile.
So to my ears, it was basically....a goofy album. An album with a theme of wackiness. I had already been familiar with "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes And Villains," of course, and I had heard "Vegetables" courtesy of the Sunshine Dream compilation, and I had heard Dr. Demento play "She's Goin' Bald," but the rest was new to me. And I really, really liked it! I thought it was a hoot.
If you take Smiley Smile at face value, it's really enjoyable. If you don't take it seriously, it's a good listen. Almost like a semi-psychedlic sequel to Recorded "Live" at a Beach Boys' Party! in a way.
But if you spend too much time focusing on how this was the album that was released instead of Smile, you'll have less of a chance of really liking it.
And I love telling this story...
Some years ago my wife and I met up with our friend Dan (of denniswilsondreamer.com fame) at Beatlefest (back when it was Beatlefest); he stopped by the hotel to hang out. He figured while he's there, he might as well add to his CD collection, and he asked me what Paul McCartney album I'd recommend. I thought about it, and it hit me: Dan is a big fan of Smiley Smile (and he even included bits of it in a puppet show he was hosting at the gallery he runs) and really hates Carl's "bunt instead of a grand slam" statement.
So what exactly is Smiley Smile? It's an album that has a couple of well-known songs ("Good Vibrations" and "Heroes And Villains"), some songs that started life in a previous project ("Wonderful," "Wind Chimes," "Vegetables"), some tunes that are just short phrases repeating over and over ("Whistle In," "Fall Breaks..."), an instrumental ("Fall Breaks"....)
And it occurred to me: McCartney is an album full of....well-known songs ("Maybe I'm Amazed," "Every Night" [it's a fan favorite, trust me]), some songs that started life in a previous project ("Junk," "Teddy Boy"), some tunes that are just short phrases repeating over and over ("The Lovely Linda," "That Would Be Something"), instrumentals ("Hot As Sun (Glasses)," "Kreen-Akrore")...
Verdict? He loved it.
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Post by jk on Aug 4, 2021 4:16:17 GMT -5
I bought Smiley Smile (together with the Mothers of Invention's Absolutely Free) when it was first released (there are bound to be others here who bought it at the time). I was aware of SMiLE and the big build-up it was getting and I must have seen Derek Taylor's "SCRAPPED" article--I read all the music papers in those days. Whatever the case, I was bewildered by this oddity, with its almost laughable discrepancy between the oils of the two hits and the pastels and charcoal sketches of the rest. It took me a couple of months to come to terms with it but come to terms with it I did. And I've loved it ever since. In retrospect, the pairing with the Zappa record was pretty neat. To me, it's a nocturnal album. I have just the slightest misgivings about the verse in "Gettin' Hungry" so I'll give it 9. Bumping this post from my first stay here. I still agree with it, although I've since upped my vote to ten. Back then, my slight (and I mean very slight!) misgivings concerned one very specific moment in the verse. It's the guitar note you hear first at 0:20 (the B# -- it occurs in the second verse at 1:08). Perhaps it's the musician in me or something but it irked me when I first played "GH" and continued to irk me for decades. I've recently come to accept it because it was clearly planned that way -- hence the ten.
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Post by boogieboarder on Aug 4, 2021 9:39:28 GMT -5
Before you think I’m trashing this album, hear me out.
This album will forever have the stigma of being “not Smile.” That matters because it was supposed to be Smile, everybody was expecting Smile, the advance publicity described these upcoming recordings as most advanced production ever in the history of rock music, it was going to make Pet Sounds stink by comparison, and published articles talked about some of the actual songs and sessions. There were workshop sounds, vocals used as instruments, animal sounds, talking horns, Brian’s a genius, the public was teased for months. You know all this. Whole books have been written about Smile. The record industry was teased and given a release schedule that was apparently postponed. The two advanced singles, “Good Vibrations,” and “Heroes and Villains” actually lived up to the hype. Brian sang “Surf’s Up” on TV, a complex and haunting performance that really whetted our appetites. Paul McCartney was reportedly at a recording session. And then, belatedly, after months of endless delay, this little album popped out. The biggest WTF ever, before “WTF” was a thing. Before “being a thing” was a thing.
Worse yet, they said Smile was scrapped. Then they said Smile would come later. Which was it? Why were some of the proposed songs on Smile here, and some not? How could they release the real Smile if they already hijacked half the songs for these simple remakes. And thus Smile became a legend, a myth, lost in time for 40 years or more. And Smiley Smile became fodder for those in the know to put together their own home tapes of the real Smile album.
In the meantime, the Smiley Smile album is the first Beach Boys album you wouldn’t put on at a party. But I played it for myself and my brothers often enough. Disappointed at first, after a while, I discovered we were singing along to these lovely melodies. Singing them to ourselves in the car, from memory. In fact, until today, I never realized how much these simple arrangements bring out the melodies and how interesting the songs are, without a lot of complicated harmonies and instruments.“Little Pad,” “Vegetables,” “With Me Tonight”, “Wind Chimes”, and “Wonderful” being the standouts for me, along with the previously mentioned singles, of course. So do I give it a 10? If I gave it a 10, I’d have to give almost all their albums a ten. If Smile and Pet Sounds are tens, this would have to be less. I’m still deciding.
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Post by filledeplage on Aug 4, 2021 10:11:03 GMT -5
Before you think I’m trashing this album, hear me out. This album will forever have the stigma of being “not Smile.” That matters because it was supposed to be Smile, everybody was expecting Smile, the advance publicity described these upcoming recordings as most advanced production ever in the history of rock music, it was going to make Pet Sounds stink by comparison, and published articles talked about some of the actual songs and sessions. There were workshop sounds, vocals used as instruments, animal sounds, talking horns, Brian’s a genius, the public was teased for months. You know all this. Whole books have been written about Smile. The record industry was teased and given a release schedule that was apparently postponed. The two advanced singles, “Good Vibrations,” and “Heroes and Villains” actually lived up to the hype. Brian sang “Surf’s Up” on TV, a complex and haunting performance that really whetted our appetites. Paul McCartney was reportedly at a recording session. And then, belatedly, after months of endless delay, this little album popped out. The biggest WTF ever, before “WTF” was a thing. Before “being a thing” was a thing. Worse yet, they said Smile was scrapped. Then they said Smile would come later. Which was it? Why were some of the proposed songs on Smile here, and some not? How could they release the real Smile if they already hijacked half the songs for these simple remakes. And thus Smile became a legend, a myth, lost in time for 40 years or more. And Smiley Smile became fodder for those in the know to put together their own home tapes of the real Smile album. In the meantime, the Smiley Smile album is the first Beach Boys album you wouldn’t put on at a party. But I played it for myself and my brothers often enough. Disappointed at first, after a while, I discovered we were singing along to these lovely melodies. Singing them to ourselves in the car, from memory. In fact, until today, I never realized how much these simple arrangements bring out the melodies and how interesting the songs are, without a lot of complicated harmonies and instruments.“Little Pad,” “Vegetables,” “With Me Tonight”, “Wind Chimes”, and “Wonderful” being the standouts for me, along with the previously mentioned singles, of course. So do I give it a 10? If I gave it a 10, I’d have to give almost all their albums a ten. If Smile and Pet Sounds are tens, this would have to be less. I’m still deciding. It was interesting but I gave it a 9. Petsite mentioned a French Version of Smiley Smile with the extra tracks - released in the 90s. That did not help much in the 60s. And, no it was not a hit but there is a certain fly-on-the-wall feeling with Smiley that is pretty rare, I think. A certain intimacy (not the sexual type) but feeling as though you are right in the room watching those Wind Chimes, Wonderful and even Vegetables hearing them blow into empty (presumably glass) bottles to achieve a particular sound goal of Brian (it would not work with plastic bottles now.) I’m not sure how to categorize that. Even Woody Woodpecker’s symphony (Fall Breaks and Back to Winter) has an air of mystery. I like that. If you’re into percussion and have the patience to get quiet enough to listen to the subtleties, and what simulates those sounds -it is a delight. Or, maybe I could find it so, in that window of time, with even art - pop art emerging.
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Post by radiokingdom on Mar 13, 2023 9:48:54 GMT -5
I had the same complex feelings about Smiley when I first heard it, knowing it was in some way "not" Smile.
That said, I think I always loved it. The hours I spent listening in headphones to Little Pad and Whistle In...trying to hear every little thing, every intake of breath, every whispered consonant...
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Post by Awesoman on Mar 17, 2023 8:49:05 GMT -5
I always viewed 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 as the lofi, facetious and almost lackadaisical rewrite of 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸. Even the title "Smiley Smile" suggests that they aren't really taking things seriously here with what could have been the most ambitious album of all time. It's like a budget version of 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸; sort of akin to promising to take your kid to Disneyland and instead you take them to your neighborhood playground (that just happens to have a lot of stoners frequenting it).
That's not to say that this is a bad album by any stretch though; it's just a downright *bizarre* offering from the band. But take it for what it is and you've got some pretty "out there" music in it's own right. "She's Goin' Bald" and "Little Pad" are about as trippy and weird as any of the Beatles' most psychedelic songs. Some of the more stripped down versions of former 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸 tracks like "Vegetables" still manage to deliver in this configuration. And one thing the 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤 compilation unexpectedly pointed out is that there are some truly creepy and ominous undertones going on here especially when listening to the remixes or track-only versions of "Fall Breaks Back To Winter" and "Wonderful" respectively. Try adding those specific versions of those songs to video, specifically old home-movie footage and there's an automatic unsettling feeling that kicks in.
It's a strange piece of Beach Boys history but required listening for any fan of the group.
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Post by filledeplage on Mar 17, 2023 9:23:48 GMT -5
I always viewed 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 as the lofi, facetious and almost lackadaisical rewrite of 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸. Even the title "Smiley Smile" suggests that they aren't really taking things seriously here with what could have been the most ambitious album of all time. It's like a budget version of 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸; sort of akin to promising to take your kid to Disneyland and instead you take them to your neighborhood playground (that just happens to have a lot of stoners frequenting it). That's not to say that this is a bad album by any stretch though; it's just a downright *bizarre* offering from the band. But take it for what it is and you've got some pretty "out there" music in it's own right. "She's Goin' Bald" and "Little Pad" are about as trippy and weird as any of the Beatles' most psychedelic songs. Some of the more stripped down versions of former 𝑆𝑀𝑖𝐿𝐸 tracks like "Vegetables" still manage to deliver in this configuration. And one thing the 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤 compilation unexpectedly pointed out is that there are some truly creepy and ominous undertones going on here especially when listening to the remixes or track-only versions of "Fall Breaks Back To Winter" and "Wonderful" respectively. Try adding those specific versions of those songs to video, specifically old home-movie footage and there's an automatic unsettling feeling that kicks in. It's a strange piece of Beach Boys history but required listening for any fan of the group. That is pretty close to the way I look at it. The only gaffe was not using the cover meant for it. The green was ghastly and did not stand out in the racks to say “buy me!” Or Beach Boys. Nothing wrong with the music. Yes, trippy enough to pass muster for 1967. And then buy time to get the rest of it out. But that was not in the cards at that time. They were up against too much, starting their own company and other issues.
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