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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2019 9:10:39 GMT -5
Even though it’s more of a scrapbook than anything else, this is probably my favourite of the BB related books that I’ve read. I couldn’t put it down. Reading the clippings was illuminating in terms of getting the “in the moment” context of what was going on from Good Vibrations through the aftermath of Smile’s collapse. It pulled me all the way in and I finished this book over a couple of days.
10/10 for this really cool little collection of snapshots that did an amazing job of setting the scene for me, allowing me to “time travel” to a fascinating time in Beach Boys history, and in history in general.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 12:50:26 GMT -5
I have a love hate relationship with this book. Some of that isn't the book's own fault and doesn't effect my score. Some of it does.
--It's an absolute must-own if you're a SMiLE fan. I'd argue that since the definitive book on SMiLE has yet to be written, this sort of wins by default. It's great to have all the press releases and everything all collected in one place.
--There's no real glossary, index or analyses of these articles to make navigation through the book easier or put all the information together into a unified summary that spells the whole thing out. I appreciate just laying everything there for a person to come to their own conclusion, however I don't think Dominic Priore allows the reader to do that either. Which leads me to my next point...
--I hate Dominic's version of the SMiLE sequence and how he pushes it on the reader. I recall reading the foreward and being turned off by his smug assuredness that he alone had figured it out and anyone else with an alternate idea is wrong. I don't think his America/Elements framework is that creative nor cohesive and I think it's helped cement a lot of anachronisms like Wind Chimes and Dada as elements even though there's a lot of evidence that was never the intention. I don't care what Dominic or anyone else does with their own SMiLE mix but I hate it when people use him as a source as though he's some unapproachable scholar on the subject just for compiling these articles.
--Similarly, I dislike how fans (at least on the SS forum when I was there) used this book as a gatekeep against newer fans. If you hadn't read it from cover to cover yet you're a stupid idiot dummy-head who has no right to offer an opinion on the album. I can't stand that kind of bullying, especially when their own apparently enlightened untouchable mix ideas didn't reference the book at all and were just based on their own personal opinions. This complaint doesn't effect my score of the book, it's just an unfortunate negative association I've had with it ever since.
I give it a 9 out of 10. Unparralelled collection of contemporary sources about SMiLE but without a glossary/index, a thesis/summary and it's done a good deal of damage to how the album has been perceived ever since. If you go against the Priore Americana/Elements framework you're often treated as a pariah in my personal experience.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 13:53:10 GMT -5
--It's an absolute must-own if you're a SMiLE fan. I'd argue that since the definitive book on SMiLE has yet to be written, this sort of wins by default. It's great to have all the press releases and everything all collected in one place. That's a good one. It definitely qualifies for the description "broth of a book" and it's a fascinating time capsule to boot. Nine sound reasonable to me, for all the points you mention.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 9:03:19 GMT -5
I'd argue that since the definitive book on SMiLE has yet to be written, this sort of wins by default. But it has been written! It just needs turning into a book. Don't be modest now. I'm sure Sheriff and others would agree.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 9:12:46 GMT -5
I'd argue that since the definitive book on SMiLE has yet to be written, this sort of wins by default. But it has been written! It just needs turning into a book. Don't be modest now. I'm sure Sheriff and others would agree. Absolutely! I think iluveniloud should contact a business attorney and start laying the groundwork for a SMiLE book. The music is timeless and will always find an audience, and the story is fascinating and ultimately a tragedy, so that will always sell, too. From what I've read of iluveniloud's writings, and thinking how she could expand that into a comprehensive piece (including articles, interviews, photos), her book could be the "go to" book when it comes to SMiLE, eventually surpassing Priore's. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 14:31:02 GMT -5
That's really kind of you both to say, jk and @sheriff ! But I don't know if it's *that* good myself. Certainly I do want to publish it (along with my old film and political analyses as well as off-beat "Aquarian" musings that used to be on PSF) onto a more professional looking Wordpress blog in the near future. From there, who knows. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 15:52:44 GMT -5
That's really kind of you both to say, jk and @sheriff ! But I don't know if it's *that* good myself. Certainly I do want to publish it (along with my old film and political analyses as well as off-beat "Aquarian" musings that used to be on PSF) onto a more professional looking Wordpress blog in the near future. From there, who knows. You're most welcome, C. (That's two copies ordered already. ) As Sheriff says, SMiLE is a riveting tale in itself. In your hands, it can really take flight. Agreed, publishing your SMiLE writings onto a Wordpress blog is a huge step forward and perfectly satisfying in itself. But a book would do them the justice they really deserve. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 16:18:51 GMT -5
That's really kind of you both to say, jk and @sheriff ! But I don't know if it's *that* good myself. Certainly I do want to publish it (along with my old film and political analyses as well as off-beat "Aquarian" musings that used to be on PSF) onto a more professional looking Wordpress blog in the near future. From there, who knows. You're most welcome, C. (That's two copies ordered already. ) As Sheriff says, SMiLE is a riveting tale in itself. In your hands, it can really take flight. Agreed, publishing your SMiLE writings onto a Wordpress blog is a huge step forward and perfectly satisfying in itself. But a book would do them the justice they really deserve. I'd definitely consider it. It'd have to be re-edited because writing for a general audience is different than for a forum of people who, if they haven't already read about it elsewhere wouldn't be here. And that's cool but it'd have to wait until after I'm done doing what I'm working on now--setting the blog up and continuing some essays about political reforms I've had on the backburner for over a year now. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 16:35:30 GMT -5
You're most welcome, C. (That's two copies ordered already. ) As Sheriff says, SMiLE is a riveting tale in itself. In your hands, it can really take flight. Agreed, publishing your SMiLE writings onto a Wordpress blog is a huge step forward and perfectly satisfying in itself. But a book would do them the justice they really deserve. I'd definitely consider it. It'd have to be re-edited because writing for a general audience is different than for a forum of people who, if they haven't already read about it elsewhere wouldn't be here. And that's cool but it'd have to wait until after I'm done doing what I'm working on now--setting the blog up and continuing some essays about political reforms I've had on the backburner for over a year now. Of course.  |
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Post by lizzielooziani on Feb 11, 2019 18:41:39 GMT -5
iluvleniloud, I would definitely also desire a more informative SMiLE book. I eagerly awaited Priore 's book because everybody said it was so wonderful. Anyway, I found the book to be overwhelming and ultimately not satisfying. As you said, those articles without enough analysis to help make sense of it.
Good luck with your book!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 23:06:33 GMT -5
iluvleniloud, I would definitely also desire a more informative SMiLE book. I eagerly awaited Priore 's book because everybody said it was so wonderful. Anyway, I found the book to be overwhelming and ultimately not satisfying. As you said, those articles without enough analysis to help make sense of it. Good luck with your book! Thanks so much, lizzie! I really appreciate that as well I have yet to read Priore from cover to cover either, which might get me in trouble for admitting  I've read the most important articles everyone talks about, the Foreward and thumbed through the rest. By the time school winded down a bit I was a lot more preoccupied with other books in other subjects and just never got back to reading the rest. Someday, probably not for years and years, I might finally sit down and write a reaction/analysis for every article. But for the time being, when I have other interests taking up my free time, I'm content to leave it at the 6 sources I analyzed already. I guess I'm writing a book now (but not for awhile...) |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2019 5:55:11 GMT -5
I have yet to read Priore from cover to cover either, which might get me in trouble for admitting Nonsense, C. This is Endless Harmony!!  Of course a book would be wonderful. But right now it's just good that you know your writings on the subject are appreciated, that people actually say it in so many words. |
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Post by AGD on Feb 19, 2019 12:33:06 GMT -5
iluvleniloud, I would definitely also desire a more informative SMiLE book. I eagerly awaited Priore 's book because everybody said it was so wonderful. Anyway, I found the book to be overwhelming and ultimately not satisfying. As you said, those articles without enough analysis to help make sense of it. Good luck with your book! Thanks so much, lizzie! I really appreciate that as well I have yet to read Priore from cover to cover either, which might get me in trouble for admitting I've read the most important articles everyone talks about, the Foreward and thumbed through the rest. By the time school winded down a bit I was a lot more preoccupied with other books in other subjects and just never got back to reading the rest. Someday, probably not for years and years, I might finally sit down and write a reaction/analysis for every article. But for the time being, when I have other interests taking up my free time, I'm content to leave it at the 6 sources I analyzed already. I guess I'm writing a book now (but not for awhile...) It's the ultimate dipping book ! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 12:36:25 GMT -5
AGD Im afraid I dont know what that means
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Post by AGD on Feb 21, 2019 18:07:52 GMT -5
Means you can dip in at any point you like: no need to start at page #1 and read sequentially. It is loosely structured chronologically, but slavasish adherence isn't required.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2019 23:36:42 GMT -5
Means you can dip in at any point you like: no need to start at page #1 and read sequentially. It is loosely structured chronologically, but slavasish adherence isn't required.
Ah I see, thanks for clarifying. I agree. It's basically a coffee table book, meant to be flipped through here and there. Even being a massive fan of the source material, I've never felt particularly compelled to read the whole thing cover to cover. (Plus, contrary to popular belief, I actually have other interests I want to learn about and books I want to read  ) |
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kirkk
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Favorite Album: Pet Sounds, SMiLE, Sunflower... but I could go on and on...
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Post by kirkk on Feb 23, 2019 21:22:59 GMT -5
This book is maybe my favorite Beach Boys-related book, for sentimental reasons. It was The Bible to me as a 13 year-old in 1996, getting into the SMiLE myth, pouring over the articles for clues others may have missed, etc. I spent one summer slowly downloading the Sea of Tunes SMiLE box track by track over a dial-up connection. It’d take 30 minutes to get a 2-3 minute track, so I’d go outside on my porch, devour part of LLVS, go inside and check the download, and then spend 2-3 minutes listening to another take of “Do You Like Worms?”, then repeat the process over and over and over, with a re-read of Lewis Shiner’s Glimpses thrown in every so often.
Coming to this book now, when so much more is known about the album, so many more tracks are out there, it is woefully outdated. However, the compilation of contemporary articles still makes it a worthwhile read. Its importance at keeping the flame burning cannot be overstated either. I agree with previous posts that criticise Priore presenting his own theories as fact; it is the single most damaging aspect of the book by far, but until a more recent and definitive volume is written, it’s the best you’re gonna get.
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I've read the most important articles everyone talks about, the Foreward and thumbed through the rest. By the time school winded down a bit I was a lot more preoccupied with other books in other subjects and just never got back to reading the rest. Someday, probably not for years and years, I might finally sit down and write a reaction/analysis for every article. But for the time being, when I have other interests taking up my free time, I'm content to leave it at the 6 sources I analyzed already.
)