Smile

I find Smile in all of its forms to be overrated, but IMO there’s little reason to listen to this version, now that the original, superior performances were finally assembled and released on The Smile Sessions (2011).

His voice just annoys me so much, I cannot take to this at all

A 5 for the fame, minus 3 for the Glee.

Brian Wilson has an amazing voice, this is a good mix of old songs and new ones in that oldie style. I enjoyed it a lot!

This album gave me good vibrations

Brian Wilson is a mad genius. There's no denying it. I wish I could find out why Good Vibrations is on this album if it is an album of new recordings of songs written for an abandoned project in 1967.

This album has such a great reputation I went into it thinking it'd be a work of world-beating genius, but it was just kind of ok? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't partiuclarly great. I think f it'd been released when originally written it'd be wicked. Now it just seems very dated.

Really bright album, Brian Wilson’s voice is so uplifting which is crazy to think about given his depression in real life. That being said, I am docking 1 star for it almost having an artificial nature, nobody can be that positive all the time

Will I reach for it? No. But what a special album.

It's not bad, but also not exciting either.

It's pretty dull but relaxing enough

This wasn’t my thing really. I felt like this wasn’t really a progression for Brian Wilson from the beach boys. Like if you told me this was the original I wouldn’t be surprised but it came out so late and just feels like a carbon copy of the existing stuff. I don’t think I’d listen again and didn’t enjoy listening today

There's a great Ian Penman essay on Brian Wilson which is how I think of this unusual, troubled man. Undoubtedly some great songs here, and a whole range of moods and experiences but musically this isn't really my thing. I can still appreciate the artistry and devotion of a complex artist.

Weird, boring, and annoyingly silly. The definitive album that is musically a mile wide and an inch deep. Smile probably should have remained unreleased if this is the final product

Okay. Good.

This album is what happens if The Beach Boys made music inside a carnival Haunted House whilst being inspired by The Wall. Overall, for me, it doesn't work.

Besides Good Vibrations, I found really not much of value here. If you were a Beach Boys fan, you would get much more from this album. I'll give it 3/5 for what it represents to Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and their fans.

For context, I have listened to “The Smile Sessions”, an unfinished album by Brian with the Beach Boys, which this album is a rerecording of some 40 years later. When I first heard the sessions, I had a rather emotional response to it, and I can’t really explain why. I thought, and still think, it is a beautiful album. It’s an easy 5 star. But this is a review of the rerecording, so here’s what I think… While it tries to be pretty faithful to the original vision, I simply can’t get over how Brian’s singing voice has changed. The original album displayed a youthful, almost child-like cadence. The new vocals are kind of just dopey and kitchy. Seriously, listen to Cabin Essence, the difference is stunning. It was my favorite song on the original, and the newer version just doesn’t hit. Do yourself a favor and just listen to the original. Fave tracks (going off the original): Heroes and Villians, Do you like worms, Cabin Essence, Good Vibrations

Album #244 Brian Wilson: Smile It seems like Brian Wilson’s reputation these days, and especially since his unfortunate passing, has undergone the Mousa Dembele effect: Despite being largely recognized as great during their prime, it was only after their heyday that they began to receive their plaudits. In fact, they received so many plaudits and claims of being ‘underrated’ that they swung around to becoming overly praised and overrated. The Beach Boys, but really mostly Brian Wilson, have become a badge of honour that music fans attach themselves to to prove that they are “in the know”. I’m not saying that people enjoy their music facetiously; I’m a fan myself, but it does seem like people have gone a little overboard in their reevaluation of the band. Yes, Brian Wilson is incredible at composing melodies; no, he isn’t a better songwriter than fucking Paul McCartney. Smile is to Brian Wilson what the 95/96 college basketball season is to your dad; if it wasn’t for those injuries holding him back, he would have accomplished greatness. The legend goes that if that pesky Mike Love had just let Brian Wilson cook, he would have created something that blew Revolver and Pet Sounds out of the water, and changed pop music forever. Now, that’s a pretty steep reputation to live up to, and it being forty years since the album was meant to be released, it seems almost impossible that this would be a one hundred percent faithful recreation, so I went in with that context in mind. What I found is that Smile is a pretty fantastic album, and whilst it was always going to be impossible to live up to its colossal expectations, I doubt that this would leave any fans of Wilson disappointed. Brian Wilson’s songwriting to me has always struck me with a sense of childlike wonder. Whereas most pop singers focus on adolescence and love as themes, Wilson is singing about surfing, eating your vegetables, and comic book heroes and villains. Those themes combined with the ever-present slide whistle, goofy vocal stims, and animal noise onomatopoeia make for an album reminiscent of a childhood fever dream. Though I don’t think he is the undisputed greatest to ever do it, I would never deny that he is in the conversation, and I absolutely admire Wilson’s innovation and singularity. The Beach Boys catalogue has always been really lopsided to me; sometimes blowing me away, and other times leaving me entirely bored. But one thing I can’t say about Smile is that it is ever boring. There are three pretty obvious standout tracks here, so obvious in fact that I don’t feel the need to mention them by name, but the supporting cast is still a fun time, and I can’t say there was really a bad track. So even though it might not be the album that was prophesied in the 60s, Wilson’s Smile is still a quality album well worth the time to check out. Best Songs: Surfs Up, Heroes and Villains, Good Vibrations Worst Song: In Hawaii Blue Score out of 10: 8.5

Plutôt fun

If I wanted to listen to the Beach Boys I would go to the beach, boys.

Less of an album and more of personal closure and healing for Brian Wilson. Definitely a bit over the top, but a pleasing record.

What I love about this album is the creativity. The arrangements are complex and layered, and I respect the musicality and genius at work here.

Slightly more modern sounding Beach Boys with less harmonies.

Some weird interesting stuff.

It’s good but to my ear, monotonous.

It feels like sunshine

a lot going on here 7.5/10 best song - good vibrations

Aren’t The Beach Boys represented well enough? We have to also be subjected to this drivel? Ugh just terrible. No cohesive sound and too many “do do dos” I couldn’t get through it fast enough. Easily one of the worst albums on this list.

I wasn’t excited for this one but I WAS WRONG. This album is like a strange dream. It’s inspiring to me in many ways. The fact that Wilson returned to this project after so many years, the melancholic nostalgia that every track is somehow marinated in. This album is a run down fairground. It is the heartbreak of wasted potential and the hope of starting again. This album is the spare bedroom after family from far away have been and gone. It’s wacky and weird and strangely beautiful to me. I want to listen to it while writing. I want to listen to it again, right now. In conclusion, I loved it.

What a legend… beautiful textures in this thing, some of the best songs ever, and an incredibly beautiful/emotional backstory too!

totally fucked my shit up, started tearing up from the opening notes on Our Prayer... obviously I am lucky to live in a post SMiLE Sessions world so I have loved these songs practically my whole adult life... I can't imagine putting this thing on in 2004 it must have melted people's brains haha... it has all the energy of the older recordings!! so so so amazing to hear. I enjoyed the fun additions and added orchestrations to these versions that aren't on the 60s sessions... just overwhelmingly fun and joyful.. rip brian, i hate that people die but he gave us so much... i know he is resting in peace :)

An interesting album, but not really a fan.

Best Track - "Good Vibrations"

Since it was released over 20 years ago I’ve always meant to sit down and listen closely to this album but never got around to it. Thought it would have appeared last year on this list when Brian Wilson died but got Surfs Up instead. So getting the album today was a good opportunity to listen in full. Can’t understand all the bad reviews for this album as it stands as just a funtime album. The clue is in the title and not to be taken seriously. Furthermore the music was always meant for a full blown Beach Boys release. What did the Beach Boys stand for? Good times in the California sun, embracing youthfulness and all that is good in life. So this album should be viewed in that context. That said I was never a big BB fan but always admired what they stood for and also as creators of some of the most melodic and memorable pop songs ever, some of which are reimagined in this album. So glad this album has made an appearance on this list otherwise I would have continued in complete ignorance of it. An album I will now add to my collection. 5/5 4/8/26

The making of this album had to be an incredibly emotional experience for Brian. And if you like the sound of The Beach Boys, and don’t mind some experimental stuff, then you’ll like this one.

I don't believe that this album would be on list without Beach Boys heritage. This opinion is just based on my gut feeling. Well made album with style, singing harmonies are following best Beach Boys practises. Still being somewhat boring

#448 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ While I like some of Pet Sounds, it's not the "perfect recording" it's proclaimed to be, in my opinion. It's fun pop americana as far as I'm concerned and nothing more. The fact these albums were obsessively recorded and re-recorded doesn't make it better, it just means it was obsessed over and that doesn't make the end result better. It sounds like Beach Boys, except that it doesn't, really. I don't know why, and to be fair I don't care enough to keep on thinking about this more. This is also just a fun pop americana album, it is taking itself way too seriously and all that plastered on "psychedelic vibe" is just ruining the motion of it all, again and again. Sure, I'll give it 3/5 while some tracks are 4/5 on their own.

Moments of brilliance, but almost everything sounds like an unfinished sketch or a working idea of a song.

Didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting

This is closer to what an acid trip feels like than any psch rock album I’ve ever listened to. Absolutely devoted to melody and harmony, to the extent that this feels more like one big listening experience than an album of individual songs. Works like “lush” and “surrealist” feel appropriate. It’s beautiful, and it’s also difficult. A lot to digest. An American pop symphony any way you put it. Strong three, but I could see myself revisiting to try and get a better grasp of it, even though I was kind of stressed out by it. I think my favorite vegetable is cucumber.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, not it wasn't this. There may have been a whole story here (that I didn't follow). But not actively offensive to my ears.

I....what.

I got a beach boys album just a few days ago and I still just find their music somewhat boring and samey. I know this was culturally significant but that background doesn’t really elevate the listening experience for me. Although as I said before, maybe I just don’t have a discerning enough ear. Not bad, just boring

When I listened to this previously, I thought it was really quite inventive and great, while being weirder than anything I need in my life in that particular avenue of weird, and also that I didn't need to ever listen to it again. I made good on that by not listening to it again.

Layers.

The Beach Boys have never done anything for me, despite my repeated attempts to get into Pet Sounds. (Their more straightforward "Surfin' USA"/"Little Deuce Coupe"/"Little Surfer Girl" claptrap actively repulses me.) I don't remember anything being different when this came out, despite its mythical status. So imagine my surprise when I actually enjoyed it this time around! Specifically the orchestral pop songs, not the stuff that sounds like novelty circus music or Yo Gabba Gabba (and the slide-whistle use is excessive). What a plot twist! 3.5 stars.

The harmonies are cool but why is the album so eerie

Excellent vocal harmonies

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this album because, when it comes to The Beach Boys, I like certain eras of their career, while other parts I think are best left in the past. The era I enjoy the least is their early hot rod, and surf music period. This album definitely has influences from that era, but for some reason I really enjoyed it, and I actually think it's better than a lot of The Beach Boys' albums. Maybe it just goes to show how burned out I am from hearing those same hot rod, and surf era songs over and over again. This album takes those familiar sounds and does something much more creative with them.

Real nice stuff, but slightly incoherent

#200/1001 🇺🇸 Sorry Brian, this one just doesn't do it for me. Abandoned demos from the 60's that were never going to live up to Pet Sounds. I get the idea that one idea segues into another but by 2 thirds of the way i'd just got a bit annoyed by the concept. That said, 2 of the best tracks are at the end. Best tracks: Surfs Up, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations.

Is this sacrilege? I’ve never really loved The Beach Boys. I couldn’t care less about Pet Sounds. Don’t like their harmonies much. Some of their early beachy tunes are Fun (fun, fun). This album was all the stuff I dislike about The Beach Boys, with more pretension. I suppose it’s more “ambitious”, but man you really feel how hard he’s working. I feel like his mental strain comes through, and I do not want to share his burden.

its nice Will I listen to again: 15%

It's like a Temu copy of a Beach Boys album. The components are there, it looks right, it smells right, but it just isn't right. Pet Sounds this is not.

I guess it wasn't terrible but not sure I would've missed it if I hadn't listened.

Good vibes and a do-over of "Good Vibrations" (the Beach Boys).

One of rock's great might-have-been stories, finally told. Smile was conceived in 1966-67 as Wilson's attempt to make the greatest album ever made — a teenage symphony to God built from orchestral pop suites, staggering vocal arrangements, and studio experimentation that was genuinely ahead of its time. It was shelved, partly due to Wilson's deteriorating mental health and partly due to the weight of his own ambition, and became one of the most mythologized unreleased records in history. That it took until 2004 to arrive makes what it actually is even more remarkable. The vocals are ridiculous in the best possible sense — harmonic architecture so complex and so precisely realized that it's genuinely difficult to understand how one person's brain conceived it, let alone executed it across four decades of struggle. Wilson's choral layering has no real peer in pop music, and hearing it reconstructed and completed with the full vision intact is the kind of experience that recalibrates what you think the form is capable of. The early quibble about dynamics gets its answer in "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" — a genuine wall of noise that Wilson reportedly believed caused a studio fire during the original sessions, arriving as a direct and almost too-perfect response to any complaint about the suite's range. From "Song for Children" to that moment to "Good Vibrations" closing the whole thing with one of the greatest singles ever recorded — the emotional arc is real and it builds. The vocals earned the five early. The dynamics confirmed it late. "Good Vibrations" as a closing statement is Wilson making an argument that was already won.

Ihan kivaa musiikkia, ehkä ei ekalla kuuntelu kerralla vielä silti jääny korvamadoksi. Kivoja harmonioita though

Ihan mielenkiintoinen kokonaisuus, todellakin jotain semmosta mitä en oo aiemmin kuunnellut. Toisin kuin Pet Soundsissa, tässä koitin nyt keskittyä enemmän lyriikoihin, vaikka olihan ne ajoittain aika kryptisiä. Musiikillisesti tämä ei kolahtanut, ja mulle se pienentää aika paljon sitä mahdollisuutta, että kuuntelisin tämän joskus uudelleen. Love & Mercy leffa alkoi tosin kiinnostamaan, ois kiva tietää tämänkin levyn syntyprosessista vähän jotain…

More less.

Meh

Fine but won’t listen again

Too long for what it is. More or less Good Vibrations bur not to that level and absent that feel. Its much better than many albums on the list but no more than a 3.

Fav song: Good vibrations

It is an inclusion I expected and an album that definitely has a lot of artistic merit despite not being as great by the end as Brian Wilson envisioned. Its unfinished business gives it some interesting feel that make it be a cool musical snippet. However, I would much rather listen to 'the Smile Sessions'. 7/10 [DROP]

It’s great to hear his amazing harmonies on this. I’m not familiar with the Smiley Smile Beach Boys version so I don’t know what all changed. But this was nice.

First thought was, huh, this sounds alot like the beach boys. Makes sense, very interesting story behind this. Sounds quite nice too.

Why would I listen to this when the beach boys proper are right there? Thats my big takeaway. There isnt much wrong with this per se but I have better versions of alot of these songs just on a different page of any music app. I cant deny the songwriting skills. The songs are still good songs. Just cant get behind these like a capella or just way stripped back versions. I didnt even save any of these songs I knew even out of curiosity. Id just rather hear the originals. It kinda sucks to say that but its what I got. Brian I hope your well wherever you are in the universe but damn im not with this record much at all.

2 i really hate giving stuff a low score based in the context of the list. However, i was not excited to see more beach boys. 3 beach boys albums is already too much. I never seek them out, and i groaned when i saw this as the album today.

Pleasant, but nothing I'd listen to again.

What I imagine advanced dementia feels like. Absolutely grating montage of snippets of the most annoying melodies and lyrics. I understand it’s a great musical accomplishment, like the arrangements are very intricate, but intricacy does not replace listenability for me on this

I appreciate it for what it is but definitely didn’t capture me aside from a few of the actually realized songs. At some points I could’ve sworn I was listening to the Barney theme song, then a song about vegetables, just a bit corny.

Smile is a tragedy. It should have been done in its time period when Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys were at their peak. Brian’s voice doesn’t sound the same and also the technology of the time would fit the music better. I prefer listening to the Smile Sessions for that reason but the album is incomplete. However, imo, let’s not kid ourselves, while smile is also a stroke of Genius from Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds is better.

so you’re telling me he recorded these songs with da boyz (beach) and then said hmmmm i think i can do it better by myself! feels sus, unnecessary, and conceited. unless there’s some hidden genius here that i’m missing (cough cough, MATT) this just felt superfluous.

It's a cool thing that we eventually got to hear something approaching the original vision for Smile. If it had been finished in 1967 and to it's full potential we may have got an even better album than Pet Sounds In and if itself this is still a very fun listen and bears the hallmarks or Brian Wilson's best writing. We get Beach Boys style harmonies and quaint jolly songs about vegetables. It's definitely quirky and quite unique It's a bit odd to hear a lot of tracks like Surfs Up, Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains which are better known as recording for earlier albums like Smiley Smile. I also can't quite shake the feeling this was more of a dug up relic than something cohesive. Still, it's good and it definitely belongs in the book for it's story even aside from the music

It’s really funny getting this right after Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Lijkt wel de beach boys

on sent que c'était censé sortir ya des lustres ptdr mais le lore est intéressant Chanson préférée : heroes and villains

Nope. Didn't need doing again. I respect the genius of the originals, but this is 4 decades late.

weird mix of stuff, bro was born in the wrong millenium

Really great rerecordings of their songs. A few songs I didn’t love

Saved by Heroes and Villains imo...

I spent last year listening through the Beach Boys discography, and it is crazy how everything seemed to be building and building, then they got to Smile, Brian had his breakdown, and then everything crumbled to pieces. The Beach Boys still have some fantastic albums after Pet Sounds, but they never recovered, not really. Brian got really weird. Just look up the stories of people who visited his grocery store in LA. The other members got caught up with the Manson family and transcendental meditation. Actually, the post- Pet Sounds Beach Boys are the prime example of what will happen to you if (and why you shouldn’t) take psychedelics every day for years. This version of Smile was made as a way for Brian to right himself and conquer his demons, and good for him. It isn’t bad. It’s just not the album it would have been or could have been. Far more interesting are the hours of ‘footage’ of the initial attempts to record Smile just before his mental break. All in all, with how excellent Good Vibrations is, how catchy Heroes and Villians is, and how great some of the lyrics are throughout- I don’t think the real Smile would have surpassed Pet Sounds. I think Brian knew that too. He’d realized he’d peaked, and he was finished trying to top an untoppable mountain.

Yes, these are all incredible. Everything he writes is incredible. My beef, which I don't necessarily think he can really help, is that they're all very.....ADHD, sound impression-y? There's not really much in the way of structure or, I wanna say, forethought. It's just a lot of frantic sound energy. But again, that energy is amazing and I do actually love all of it. This is all very nit-picky, and it's honestly just that little bit off from perfect.

This album could be absolute garbage and it would still need to be on this list. The history and story behind Smile is legendary across the music industry. Nevermind that Brian Wilson's push for weird soundscape stuff has undoubtedly left a large impact on the future music scene. Who knows what the original Smile album in the 60s would have been and whether or not it would actually be close to the version Wilson was able to conjure in 2004. Either way, it's an interesting listen. It does feel manic and all over the place, which feels very 60s Brian Wilson for sure. It's interesting, but it's not something I'd put in a regular rotation

weird stupid and pointless

Brian listen to me I'm the voice in your head Brian listen carefully you cannot release Smile it isn't going to do what you want. It's not going to sound like you think it will. Brian I'm so sorry this hurt me more than it hurts you.

dude like a 2.4? its complicated

Smile is an album that i didn't really like all that much. It definitely feels like Brian Wilson needed the rest of the Beach Boys to keep him grounded because he went way too off the rails here. The musicianship on offer is decent even if it does sound like something i would hear in something like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or some other kids show. The main issue with this album is that it just feels incredibly unfocused. It was messy, disorganized and the songs just kept changing themselves up without any rhyme or reason to it. And that is the thing that is really holding back this album because without it, it would be fine, but as it stands, This album is very flawed. Best Song: Wonderful Worst Song: Mrs. O'Leary's Cow

This must be what listening to the Beach Boys on acid is like. An extra star because Brian Wilson was a genius, but mostly I felt like I didn’t really understand what was happening here.

Listened

This threw me down a rabbit hole and i’m so glad that it exists.

Album #129, Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson Presents Smile ⭐⭐⭐ I’ve only ever listened to three Beach Boys albums: Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile, and Wild Honey (very underrated). I am in the majority of people who think Pet Sounds is a masterpiece. While it’s not really my kind of music per se, I do think the Beach Boys kind of lack an element of darkness, edge and grittiness that I tend to look for. But I also think Pet Sounds, and some of their other work too, shows the absolute extent to which you can take pop music. What they do with chord progressions and melodies is just unbelievable. I think they’re one of the great music-making bands. That’s a very loaded sentence, but it’s the best way I can describe them. They’re geniuses at making music, even if they don’t always make music that I personally gravitate towards. This being the famous lost successor to Pet Sounds, I went into it really interested to hear what Brian Wilson could do. I do think it’s a worthy successor. If he’d managed to complete and release it back in the 60s, I think it would have been considered an all-time classic in much the same way. But, it’s not as good as Pet Sounds and it’s hard not to make that comparison. There’s some amazing stuff on here. Great chord progressions as always, brilliant melodies, and the whole thing sounds fantastic from a recording and production perspective. Brian Wilson, despite his voice being a bit deeper, doesn’t sound like he’s aged a day since his peak with the Beach Boys. Some of the songwriting is just masterful. Although I don’t think I’ll be listening to Heroes and Villains regularly, I really appreciate just how complex it is. This is complicated music. There are all kinds of different movements and motifs, and the whole thing feels like one big song cycle that really should be listened to as a complete package. That being said, I do think it drags a little. Even though it’s made up of lots of very short songs and little snippets, it still feels long at times. I do think it picks up again towards the end though, and it gets very strange, especially on tracks like Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow. I also don’t think it should have ended on an instrumental version of Heroes and Villains. They were obviously very proud of that piece of music, and rightly so, but I think Good Vibrations would have been an incredible closing track. Pet Sounds was a massive grower for me. I didn’t fall in love with it instantly, and I haven’t fallen in love with this instantly either. So I do think this is another grower if I give it the time. I definitely want to come back to it, and I also want to explore more of the Beach Boys’ catalogue. So it’s three stars for the moment, but who knows? This could become something really special for me.

Really annoying and gimmicky how the music keeps slowing down for transitions Sounds like the Beach Boys but not as good Really basic I do not understand the rave reviews for this album. Were they sympathy votes for BW?? This is so recycled—Good Vibrations? These were good songs when they came out but not again in 2004.

Good stuff but doesn’t reach beach boys level

This just makes me mourn the album that never was.

A classic mix of Wilson songs with the sunny harmonies we’ve come to associate with his work. Lacks some of the star quality/ big hits of the BB albums though.

Weird divide on this one. Had some great trippy sequences on Child and O’Leary’s Cow but also some ridiculous stuff (Vegatables/Wind Chimes)

I wanted to like this album. I wanted to enjoy this album. I was disappointed and managed neither. Entirely too much indulged "genius" here along with slidewhistle and other sound effects.

These sound like memories of Beach Boys songs rather than actual Beach Boys songs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

A few good ones and musically complex but overall not something I would listen to

Didn't like it that much, except for Good vibrations.

It’s really great but I did not like listening to it. Truly beautiful compositions, but the aesthetic choices are bonkers to me.

It's an album, and nothing about it is bad? But it isn't particularly good or interesting.

Pre listen: This is the first album I get that I know absolutely nothing about. Nothing about the musician, nothing about the work itself, none of the songs. I’m excited. ——— Deeply well composed music, layered, and well written. I’m enjoying Roll Plymouth Rock. ——— Old Master Painter X You are my Sunshine - that’s creative. ——— Wonderful is the peak thus far. It wrapped the album in the psychedelic mood the previous songs were reaching for. love how it blended into the next track. ——— ok but how many times can you say father in one album? ——— the more i listen the more it sounds like a deconstruction of a musical. i sort of just want it to be over. ——- yeah this got annoying. the father is the child and he is the man and the child is the child. and the music is cartoonish but there is no clear direction of where it’s going. and the father is the father of the child. child. musically, it’s fun but it’s not something i think i would ever listen to again. ——— Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow was crazy tho lol. That’s fun. I was excited for Good Vibrations - but it’s soooo loud. Idk! feeling so many mixed things POEM: Brian Wilson Presents Smile Brian Wilson He was much more unique than the other guys A mechanical canine if you see him, you might be in for a big surprise (These things happen all the time) The doom and gloom up in his room Is broken instantly (These things happen all the time) And you don't know where you are now Seeing trouble from a distance It was then that he knew what he had to do (These things happen all the time) creepy stuff happens in nowhere (These things happen all the time) If nautical nonsense be something you wish We got the world to see So many things to do and not much time (These things happen all the time) You and me, Heroes in a half shell One is a genius, the other's insane Just know that I am on my way I know somehow we're gonna get there (These things happen all the time) But you might find out it'll go to your head (These things happen The end will no doubt justify the means all the time)

Dog water!

Another pretty dull, forgettable album for me

just unbelievably cool. im not musical enough to even comprehend brian wilson, but i laughed and cried and jammed through this. not as weird as beach boys love you, will return to this. fave track surf's up

Not for me at all but I understand the cultural influence and its significance

RIP. I watched the documentary Beautiful Dreamers before listening and it gave a lot of context on what makes this album so legendary and kind of a culmination of Brian's rise and fall. The Beach Boys essentially rejected it all those years ago and that experience really messed him up to the point of mental breakdown and stepping away from music completely. It took a ton of courage to revive it and move forward from that experience, and I'm glad he did before he passed. But it does make you wonder what could've been if his bandmates had been a little more open minded and gave it a shot. I think it would've been a very influential and well known concept album right among Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper if given the chance to be finished. I don't think the 2004 released version is really complete, if I'm being honest, and I mourn the potential in a similar way I'm sure Brian did. But I am glad to have listened to it and learned about Wilson's struggles.

Smile may be historically significant, but I found it exhausting to listen to.

erm her was echt een random mix van mid nummers

dit was echt niet leuk

The sound of eternal youth.

It was like listening to Barbershop Quartet and a little Beach Boy mixed in. Wasn’t great.

🤮

Оце вже точно не відома мені фігня. Виглядає несерйозно. Це чувак з Beach Boys. Він писав цей альбом 40 років, тобто почав, закинув і закінчив аж через 40 років. Ну таке, досить annoying. Цікаве, абстрактне, але доволі дратує своєю несерйозною подачею.

favs: i’m in great shape / i wanna be around / workshop good vibrations heros and villains (instrumental) rating 0.8/5

Most know the story that this tool decades to make and Brian Wilson’s struggles. To me it still doesn’t feel complete and like a series of work in progress ideas around Beach Boy tropes like the Harmonies etc Despite all that I really quite enjoyed it. I’d give it 3.5 stars but I can’t but it is on the good side of middling.

Dull and pale. He tried to spice it up by injecting some good vibrations near the end, but the corpse of an album was long gone. Avoid this, nothing new, nothing special.

Til hvers er þessi plata segi ég nú bara. Brian Wilson ákvað að fara í stúdíóið með hálfkláraðar hugmyndir og ýta á Rec og stoppa ekkert á milli laga. Hlustaði á hana á leið frá Fellabæ til Akureyrar og það lá við hjónaskilnaði. Good vibrations í lokin reddaði því 🙏

Really nice album! The calm summer vibe of this album is super nice and ahead of its time in so many ways, especially with the harmonies and found sounds! Definitely their most experimental of that time. Another one of Brian Wilson’s genius stuff but it isn’t as good as Pet Sounds sadly. I’d recommend Heroes and villains, Vegetables, She’s goin’ bald, Little Pad, (Obviously) Good vibrations, With me tonight, Wind chimes and (honourable mention: gettin’ hungry)

As a curiosity it's pretty great. As a record on regular rotation...not likely. It certainly sounds great, albeit just shy of the Beach Boys' golden days. I'm happy Wilson was able to make his dream a reality.

This is the album Walk Hard made fun of isn’t it? Yep, there’s the goat. Although it is absurd and absolutely wacky at times, I kind of love it. Good Vibrations is the best Beach Boys song. 9/10

Baroque pop and psychedelic chamber pop built from intricate orchestration, shifting vocal harmonies, modular song structures, and whimsical arrangements feels like walking through an enormous handmade toy city where every street reveals another ingenious detail—fascinating, imaginative, and occasionally more admirable than emotionally engaging. The album overflows with musical ideas, textures, and ambition. Its creativity is extraordinary, even if its fragmented nature constantly keeps me at arm's length.

Well after yesterday’s shitty mood I was in because of the record I was forced to listen to this one seems appropriate. Smile. No fuck off Brian Wilson - maybe I don’t want to. I am guessing this is the beach boys guy. 2004 beach boys guy. I don’t have high hopes. Yeah what was the point of this. Was this like re-recorded stuff. This pissed me off for real. Not like beach boys records I listened to here. Corny.

This feels historically important, and I'd even argue has a few good songs on it. Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Vega-tables, and In Blue Hawaii are all bops, plus there's a very good version of Good Vibrations, which is still up there as one of the best songs to ever do it. But most of this album is half finished songs that seem to just stop. It feels like the notes for the 1960s album finally played out but never moved to full songs. Also, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow is just straight up terrible, why is that here? Worth a listen to still.

No Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ enough Revisit ❌️ ★☆☆☆☆ (2/10) Total reviewed : 343 Already owned : 77 Purchased : 16 To buy : 3 Nope : 247

Appreciated the instrumental depth, mellow beautiful and well executed Def a keeper

My second time listening. I've grown more of an appreciation for Wilson in recent years and I enjoyed it much more this time around. A very well-crafted record with impeccable instrumentation & harmonies. I've got the live bootleg bookmarked on YouTube to listen to one day.

The most whimsical album I’ve ever listened to

A very unique album with an interesting history. While the songs are not my style, I am giving an extra star for the story behind the album

Мужик загрустил от сержанта пеппера и 40 лет писал альбом. Опоздал на столько же

Is it a Brian Wilson album? Yes. There are much better examples of his work.

I see why this album is called Smile, I am getting nothing but good vibes from this so far. I loved the mix of vocal ideas, guitar, and piano. It was like it was made to be happy. Roll Plymouth Rock was interesting, I really liked the big bass drum pounding throughout. Ughhh, I always love hearing You are my Sunshine. It has such nostalgia for me in any form it takes. Cabin essence has a sorrow to it, but I love it. Wonderful was wonderful. I thought some of the lyrics were great! I also love how all these tracks feed into one another. Song for children blended in seamlessly with the and of wonderful. Same with child is the father of the man. Surfs up again had those really cool vibes. On a holiday sounded exactly like being on a holiday. Obviously Good Vibrations to end it off is the best way an album could be ended off. 4/5 ⭐️ 150/1089

Corny music similar to show tunes.

It should be no surprise Smile is good when Brian Wilson is by far the best Beach Boy, but I’m still impressed that he made music of this quality for so long much like Fiona Apple.

I get choked up thinking about the realization of this project almost 40 years after it was started. It contains the most adventurous and forward thinking compositions in Brian Wilson’s career. One of pop music’s greatest comebacks & triumphs ❤️.

Not great

Orquestra divertida e suave.

Our prayer / gee - 3 Heroes and villains - 4 Roll plymouth rock - 3 Barnyard - 3 Old master painter / you are my sunshine - 3 Cabin essence - 3 Wonderful - 3 Song for children - 3 Child is father of the man - 2 Surf's up - 3 I'm in great shape / i wanna be around / workshop - 3 Vega-tables - 2 On a holiday - 2 Wind chimes - 3 Mrs. o'leary's cow - 2 In blue hawaii - 3 Good vibrations - 5

I personally like the beach boys versions of these songs more as Brians voice at this age doesn't sound as whimsical and sounds more annoying to be honest. But without context this is still a great album. The production and melodies are great. 8/10 Favourite: Heroes & Villains Least Favourite: In Blue Hawaii

Enjoyable, but some of the songs were very weird (Vega-Tables!). Overall, very easy listening and fun to sing to.

This album felt bizarrely unmoored in time, like something simultaneously modern and from the 60's... which makes perfect sense when I look up the history of it. Unfortunately, it is kind of a mess. I can't shake the feeling that it sounds like someone is being forced to make this album against their will, and tracks like "Vega-Tables" I find more annoying than endearing. Favorite track: "Wind Chimes"

Is that Bill Murray singing on this? But seriously, beautiful arrangements, harmonies, and singing from Brian. I am happy for him that he was able to finish this. This rating reflects the fact that Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains had already existed for ~45 years.

I try, I really do try. I just find his music so grating and annoying.

Four stars out of respect for Brian Wilson and how he reclaimed his songwriting crown with this album.

This has the same vibes as someone who peaked in high school but makes who they were in school their whole identity. I liked Heroes and Villains, but every other track should’ve been left in the 60s. I almost burst out laughing at how bad Vega-Tables is. I am in shock that Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow won a Grammy.

i liked bits and pieces, but it rather unremarkable

The dream is realised! I am so happy this exists.

A little boring

Didn’t live up to the hype

🏄 😢 ☀️

While I am receptive to artists picking up unfinished projects, I strongly protest the inclusion of this particular effort on this list. Lame, boring, and immature.

Brian Wilson is pure genius. This record is an amazing feat, but tinged with sadness and a little bit unhinged. A very good album.

Never knew about this, the backstory neither. What an amazing thing to be able to do at the end of one’s creative journey.

a nice ambience choir

Sorry Brian, your incessant vocal harmonising was not for me

Meh

I'm not too familiar with the Beach Boys, I feel like this would have affected me way more if I was. That being said, this album starts out really stongs with Our Prayers -> Hearoes & Villians, and is then a generally good vibe after that.

It's a very messy record packed with lots of different instruments and multi-tracked harmony vocals. Sometimes the vocals are mimicking other instruments or providing rhythm. It's nice to hear that Wilson still has that magical singing talent, but the overall effect is disjointed and busy. You can hear some of that Pet Sounds sound, particularly in Child is the Father of the Man which borrows and rearranges the Good Vibrations motif. The lyrics and some of the music remind me of late-period XTC - goofy and naive, wistful, punny, ambitious, wordy. It also often sounds like musical theater. Includes a version of Good Vibrations with different lyrics.

Pretty disjointed. Didn't care for it.

The more I listened to this, the more it started growing on me. I appreciate the smaller instrumental details and just the genuine quirkiness of it all. Likes: Our Prayer/Gee; Heroes And Villains; Cabin Essence; Surf’s Up; In Blue Hawaii; Good Vibration

Heroes And Villains

Nope, not a Beach Boys fan. I could not really get into this album. I just don't get Brian Wilson.

I've only had experience with the SMiLE Sessions, so it's a big revelation to hear how an older Brian went along and finished that puzzle. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 10. I can’t even explain why, honestly. It just really fucking clicked for me. The Abbey Road medley taught me that I love when tracks flow into each other, even with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Todd Rundgren’s 26-minute medley to start “A Wizard, A True Star” taught me that manic shifts within that flow can be incredibly appealing if the musicality meets the moment. This album is comprised of 3 of those medleys / suites, each focusing on their own subjects: the industrialization / colonization of modern America, a very loose look at puberty & its effect on how one slowly loses their childhood after going through their first truly emotional experience, and an entire suite on the human condition as it relates to the 4 elements of earth, air, fire, & water. Brian Wilson did not invent Avatar: The Last Airbender, but don’t be surprised if anyone thought to use Good Vibrations in an Avatar AMV years later as a result of listening to this album. While I understand exactly why this album conceptually crashed & burned in 1966/67 (it is unbelievably ambitious for that time, assuming the same general structure is intact here), I feel like I need to listen to the Smile Sessions just to see how much of it was able to be realized back then, as well as Smiley Smile just for the hell of it. Obviously, this 2004 version is not what Brian Wilson & friends would’ve made back then, but it’s something that was good enough to release in Brian’s eyes, which makes me think it’s worth calling a somewhat definitive version. There’s just a lovely flow to all of these suites, and the transitions in each one feel flawless. Thematically, while I don’t quite see the connections between all 3 suites, the musicality of it all overrides any minor nitpicks I could have about it. This is a 1960s album made with 2004 tech, giving a much greater range to the production & the clarity within. The horn work, the pulse to the percussion, the sense of drama on certain tracks (“Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” as a shining example), and the multitude of instruments & vocal harmonies that layer this album all come together brilliantly. It is a miracle that it’s as cohesive as it is, but I guess that’s a testament to all that “genius” talk they were praising onto Brian back in the day. I’m also glad it’s a quick album. Well, “quick” comparatively – 47 minutes is nothing to scoff at, but it flies by given the pace / entertainment factor of each track. There’s always something with appeal, whether it’s in the wordless vocals or the quirky slide whistles or a sense of hypnosis brought upon by… well, anything here, really. It never feels like there’s a missed beat or a wasted second, and having an album that knows its purpose while achieving it so efficiently is just extremely welcomed, given the amount of directionless ones we’ve had recently. There are shorter tracks here, and there might be a track or two in the middle suite that sort of stalls vocally, but none of that ever felt like a bad thing to me. “Good Vibrations” as the peppy closing finale it was intended to be just feels right. Ultimately, I really liked it. I think it’s futile to try and cover all the tracks here, as this is an album you’re just meant to feel out & follow its flow. If you can ride Brian Wilson’s wavelength, you’ll really, really enjoy this. If you can’t, you’ll still probably like a few tracks here. If you hate everything & you give this a 1, I’m going to assume you were born without any sense of joy or whimsy. For me, it’s a 10. It’s just a great album, and I was delighted by the entire thing. Thank goodness this was on the list. Rest in peace, Brian.

This sounds like I took four tabs of LSD and put on Pet Sounds

Sounded like another breach boys album, which makes sense, but it seems like nothing changed musically for Brian between the 60s and 2000s besides his sabbatical.

every song sounded like good vibrations and eventually that song played so slay. also was like wow this sounds like the beach boys! apparently this guy was the founder of them. lol

Sounds like the most depressing Beach Boys reject songs all on one album... then I read the wiki which pretty much confirmed my thoughts 2 ⭐️

I'm so glad this ended with Good Vibrations! The true album felt like a tribute to the song. Up until good vibrations it felt like The Beach Boys grew up and met Morissey and Brian Eno asking the way. I grew up loving The Beach Boys and I lived this album.

I don't mind this,very jolly and Sunshine's 2.5/5

This song will bring you so much johoyyy

didn tmake me smile false adveritsting

I may have heard this album before, not sure, but I've certainly heard and read a lot about it. This is a very interesting listen. It is cut from the same cloth as Pet Sounds. It is a shame it couldn't be finished at the time it was started, but it is still a good work once completed. I would listen again.

Favorite track: Mrs. O'Leary's Cow

In my opinion, this never took off (in a musical sense). There was maybe one song I truly enjoyed, but everything else felt average. Don't get me wrong - the songs are creative and playful. This same creativity and playfulness kinda turned into a trap, though. I couldn't take the songs seriously. Like there is only one that I would listen to outside of the context of the album. I can appreciate the story behind the album's creation, but I don't think this stands strong as an album, for my own personal taste. Favorite Track: Wind Chimes

I'm Pickin Up Good Vibrations 1001 Albums Generator 291 (5/14/2026) Smile is probably the most famous unreleased album of all time. The Beach Boys had their work cut out for them to follow up Pet Sounds and Brian Wilson just couldn't handle it. The album was shelved and became a thing of legend and bootlegs. Finally, in the early 2000's, he re-recorded and released his approximation of Smile. We now live in a world where The Smile Sessions exist as a compilation of original recordings of the album from the 60's, but Brian Wilson's Smile is still an interesting take. From the a capella choir of Our Prayer that opens the thing, this is quite a strange pop album. Heroes And Villains is a classic, and I love Roll Plymouth Rock as well. It's super cool how the melody from HaV makes its way into this song. The whole "first act", which spans the first six songs, is really good. The "second act" or the childhood suite, as I'm calling it, is okay; I like Child Is The Father Of Man, and I love Surf's Up, but the "third act" is by far my least favorite. Vege-Tables is funny in concept, and Good Vibrations is an al-timer, but everything else here is pretty forgettable. Smile is an album written by a young man and sung by that same man 40 years later. That is an interesting concept, but I don't think this album holds up to my favorite Beach Boys stuff. RIP Brian Wilson. 3.5/5, rounded down to a 3. Favs: Heroes And Villains Cabin Essence Good Vibrations Least Fav: Mrs. O'Leary's Cow

Love how there’s a silly song about vegetables shortly followed by an evil instrumental that seems to exist just to induce dread

fascinating orchestral offering from Wilson; delayed in its production and release. Can definitely hear the experimentalism that he has always been famous for. Too eclectic for me.

I don't get the hype for this. I think people love it because of the context around the album, not the music itself

Interesting history and ok album

This might have been okay if it was released when it was first conceived. By 2004, however, it just sounds like a guy stuck in the past, trying to re-live his glory days. Wait, that’s exactly what it is. I’m sure the story of his mental illness is heartbreaking, but this is just overindulgence and does not belong on this list.

It cost him his sanity- or was a symbol of its fragility- but still great

The mix is so focused on the vocals that by the time you get to the horns in Wind Chimes it feels like "Finally!" And then Mrs. O'Leary's Cow is a breath of fresh air. Is Good Vibrations not a Beach Boys song? Wait this album is from 2004!? This album has a really interesting story, and it sounds like it's crazy this exists at all. I really enjoyed it, especially on a closer second listen. I would listen to this again.

It’s not a bad album, but it’s definitely out of is time. It not surprisingly sounds 60-ish and Beach Boy-ish. Certainly doesn’t deserve the Grammy it got, but then again these awards have long ago stopped being about talent and are feel good things.

2.5

To my ear, it sounds like a late 60s Beach Boys album. I don't like the Beach Boys and I didn't like this. It wasn't quite awful enough for one star, but there's no way I'm awarding it more than two stars. For this to be released in 2004, I imagine there's a nostalgia element. It does sound strange, with modern production quality, but archaic songs. The vocals are the killer for me, harmonising sickly sweet and cloying. Everything else sounds superficial and almost like a novelty record.

There are too many Smiles, but thankfully our intrepid list maker specified we're to listen to the 2004 release. Not Smiley Smile, not the Smile Sessions. Brian Wilson's version. I don't think this is marred by that, if for no other reason than Mike Love isn't associated with it. But I've never really -gotten- the Beach Boys. I don't love their harmonies. I find their music always feels a bit too stuck in a high school era that never really existed. This isn't really resolved by the album being recorded by a more mature, older Wilson. But the bigger statement is how weirdly structured these songs are. Harmonies that don't really resolve morphing into new keys, multiple movements in one song, songs that blend together… this is Wilson's White Album, in that, while I will stand for no argument against the White Album, this similarly feels like throwing every idea at a wall and seeing what sticks. And also, because Heroes and Villains’ instrumental is basically “I Want to Tell You” with a carnie organ solo (not that that was a white album track). The problem is, these don't feel like wholly baked ideas. They also often feel thinly composed, which is a weird thing to say about a man who never met a note he didn't want to harmonize thrice. And lots of this is goofy in ways that don't feel intentional. And as a concept? I mean, I don't know what he's going for, unless the concept is a man who just keeps starting new songs in his head as he looks at things. Maybe this is why there is a song about looking at wind chimes. Maybe that explains Child is Father of the Man's chanted chorus. Maybe this man sings Vega-Tables to himself every night at dinner. I like weird things and all. I like unconventional music choices. But I'm just so beyond what makes this genius. Even the most interesting bits of this never gel, or shift into a completely different idea too soon. And with that reliance on chaste 50s nostalgia that hampers so much Beach Boys music, it never really feels like experimentation so much as a very distractable former Beach bum. 2*

I’m a fan of XTC and now I know where a lot of Andy Partridge’s influences come from

What a genius!

A parte mais divertida de ouvir Smile de Brian Wilson foi poder me debruçar sobre a história de criação do álbum e sobre a vida do cantor, o que tornou o processo de audição do disco muito mais divertido por me fazer perceber a sua genialidade. Simplesmente incrivel

Imagine if Brian Wilson didn't have a mental breakdown and Beach Boys could have finished this album in time?

Просто рад, что мужик довел этот проект до конца спустя столько лет. Проект, который чуть не отправил его в дурку. Но хорошо, когда дедлайн не давит, начальник не пилит, и можно взять паузу на несколько десятков лет и допилить когда настроение будет. Тем не менее, могу лишь представить, какой огромный гештальт для себя он закрыл. Альбом классный, как раз в духе классических бич бойз периода pet sounds, очень психоделично, изобретательно в плане аранжировок, но все еще мелодично и вайбово. Еще позже вышли The Smile Sessions, где были более сырые и менее отшлифованные версии этих песен, и это звучит даже интереснее. В целом, еще бы пару композиций уровня Good Vibrations, и была бы железная 5

Не поняла, почему в 1001 именно эта версия, ноу и ладно.

Лучшая реклама шизофрении

Не понимаю культа бич бойз, не моя музыка

beach boys были крутыми в 60е, но идентичное звучание в 00х уже не качает, 2.5

It’s good, however it gives me an uneasy feeling throughout, similar to a Daniel Johnston album

was it fun? sure! sure it be on here? no! it is a beach boys style rock opera, and we let him get away with it because: say it with me, brian wilson invented music!

I enjoyed this pop/rock album from Wilson! Some of the songs were kind of corny and fun which I enjoyed. You can still hear the influence of The Beach Boys and their iconic sound and song structures in a lot of these songs. Overall, I enjoyed this album but it didn’t blow me away. I would listen to it again in the future but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

I approached this album with less weight than listening to Pet Sounds. The latter has greatest of all time expectations that I have never quite gotten, while this reworking of its ill-fated follow up had far less of a burden to overcome. I found Smile far more pleasurable than Pet Sounds. Whimsical, child-like and imaginative are a few descriptions that come to mind. The use of innovative multi-part harmony singing as the lead instrument gave the record a strong dose of originality and fun. Maybe the absence of Mike Love’s grating nasal vocals boosted these songs as I found the singing wonderful. At times the vocals and elementary music class lyrics got in the way of the terrific bass and piano parts that supported the songs. For the most part I found everything complimented each other, and the numerous percussion instruments Wilson and his collaborators used were as interesting as the vocal parts. The more famed songs stuck out. Other stand-outs like “On a Holiday” were strong enough to make up for questionable tracks such as “Vega-tables” and the lyrics to “Roll Plymouth Rock.” Nice to see Brian Wilson overcome the obstacles that originally got in the way of this album

I'm on the edge with this one. It's great at times, kitschy for sure, which can edge from fun to odd ("Vega-Tables"). The transitions are without a doubt the highlight of the album, but it can also blend songs together. I love the opener so I will label that as my favorite. Why is this on here over other late in life classic rocker outputs? I don't know. But it's fine for being exactly what Brian Wilson was put on this Earth to do.

Oh yeah

Favorite songs: Heroes and Villains, Good Vibrations

Was a lot going on. Appreciate these guys and all but if I was looking for some harmonies and an acapella vibe I would go for the Pitch Perfect soundtrack over this.

A few days ago I had 'The Rise and Fall' by Madness - another concept album about childhood. That, though, was more like childhood memories from a culture I am familiar with. This felt more like a mythology of childhood: a dream trying to capture a mythical purity that never truly existed. Maybe that is what 'Smile' will always be

Fínt hjá Brian Wilson að koma þessu frá sér, en þetta er utan Good vibrations, sem þegar var frábært, ekkert spes fyrir mín eyru. Lögin eru ekki eftirminnileg og nokkrir góðir sprettir lyfta þessu ekki yfir þrist.

me guarde un tema ngl pero wtf con los lyrics😀

The infamous lost Beach Boys album. It's a bit fragmented at times but when it's good it's very good. Favorite track: Heroes and Villains

Deels unhinged, deels geniaal, maar weet me nergens écht te pakken

Rare lore heeft deze plaat. Het hit mij in ieder geval niet zoals een plaat als Pet Sounds doet. Dat het in 2004 is uitgebracht heeft daar misschien mee te maken, het klinkt daardoor ook wat... opgepoetst? Alsof de sfeer volledig uit briljante nummers als Good Vibrations is gezogen. Anyway. Hou van Brian Wilson, maar ik zie weinig redenen om hier naar te luisteren in plaats van de jaren 60 BB platen.

Some sections feel more admirable than emotionally overwhelming. Some transitions and miniatures register more as brilliant architecture than as songs you will live inside forever. The record is so conceptually loaded that people sometimes respect it before they love it. That is a real issue. This is not a casual, throw-it-on pop album. It asks for attention.

This guy must’ve been fuckin crazy

it's fun and weird but i don't think i really feel a spark... reviewing albums like answering the question 'do you want to see each other again?' on first dates.

Mid 4 After listening to this and the version with original recordings you get a good sense of what the album would of been. Thats what im going to judge here. The legend is "pet sounds but taking it even further". Pet sounds has incredible songs and probably the best production ever. Which of these are taken further here? There are nearly no songs and the production and arrangements are quite basic. The trouble is simply a lack of good musical material. Most of the songs are the barest scratch of an idea. "Heros and villans", "wonderful", "vege-tables" and even "wind chimes" have a great initial idea and are almost good songs. They fail to develop these near their potential. They all kind of putter out with later sections that dont add anything. "Surfs up" and "good vibrations" are both incredible. They show that if you have a songs worth of good ideas this "stick different bits together" method can really work. "Surfs up" has such an atmosphere, every section is haunting and beautiful i love it. Both these songs are waaaay better on the 60s version. The rest of the album is a kind of smiley soup with not much to write about. Judged against pet sounds this album is a complete and utter failure and it was a good choice not to release it in the 60s. HOWEVER im judging it against the other albums in this challenge. Id much rather listen to Brian's weird barnyard song then lots of other stuff. I like Brian. Also this has "good vibrations" and other highlights mentioned above. This gives it a mid 4. Pretty good.

Pretty good

This was chaotic, eclectic and jumped all over the place like a cricket on amphetamines... I liked snippets of the songs but overall it just felt clumsy.

fine. Would probably like it more if I listened to beach boys

Removed

Pet Sounds tapped directly into the sound of the feeling of young romance in a way that just about everybody can relate to no matter the generation. Smile taps directly into the sound of the feeling of Brian Wilson attempting to confront his own mortality by feigning immortality. The world did not need this.

I really am just not the target audience here. There are some genuinely beautiful moments and instrumentation on here but at the end of the day I don’t really want to come back to this. The toybox falsetto aesthetic just isn’t my thing. Glad this exists though. Barnyard and Vega-tables should have just been scrapped. Maybe I’m just not versed in the background of this album but they feel so tonally clashing. Maybe that’s the point and I’m just dumb but I don’t enjoy the sound enough to dig deeper here.

Moyen de fou

Très intéressante l'histoire de l'album et du coup d'avoir un mélange d'époques. Le son est bien typiquement Beach Boys, j'en écouterais pas tous les jours mais sur un album c'est ok. Et Good Vibrations les frissons wow, ça donne le... Smile !

Interesting project, it is very particular, and its history is tightly linked to it, and honestly having the balls to deliver anything after the anticipation is worth at least a star in itself. It's bold, the harmonies are great, but what I found most interesting is the blend of music from different time periods in the sound. Its quite unique, and though at time the song writing is a bit child oriented for my taste, it did pick my interest.

Ni slabo

Nothing exciting here. Though I aren't a fan of of the beach boys.

I got very little from this. I feel like all of the things I've heard about it probably led to some expectations, but the album felt very underwhelming. I just hear it and wonder why it caused so many issues and was such a big deal. It's fine at best, but often worse than that. I don't see why it gets so much fanfare. Maybe it's a me thing. Overall: 1.75/5

The sound and melody Brian always wanted the world to hear.

The one thing Len Houmous always used to say about Brian Wilson was how unusual his smile was. 2.5 2/18 Heroes & Villains

Interesting lore around the music. Music itself is enjoyable, and the lore gives good context to the way some of the songs progress into chaotic disorienting sound or sad, low vibes 3/5

Master of harmony, Brian Wilson delivers a pretty solid collection of songs. It felt like a nursery rhyme the whole time for some reason, probably due to the instruments in use. Some of these I wouldn't necessarily even call songs, and a couple are just covers of his old tracks? A few songs are the same as others as well. Nothing here is bad, but I'd rather just listen to the original Beach Boys.

This is as good a any beach boys' album I've ever heard.

Nei. Skal ikke høre på dyrelyder...

What a fucking disaster, the only reason you’d care about this is if you knew this poor guy had a mental break trying to make this. And then he felt he had to and it just sucks. It sounds awful, nothing sounds finished.

Kinda liked it. Not my genre.

Orkestrale pop in zijn puurste en meest verfijnde vorm. Ondanks dat het mij dan al snel wat té kunstzinnig klinkt, moet ik zeggen dat vooral de overgangen tussen de nummers me echt verwonderen. Waanzinnig hoe het orkest de melodie net een beetje tweakt waardoor de melodie van het opvolgende nummer subtiel het podium betreed, zoals goed hoorbaar in de overgang tussen 'Child Is Father of the Man' en 'Surf's Up'. Die tweede is dan ook wel echt de piek van het album. Dus, in essentie niet echt mijn dingetje, maar aan de magie van Brian Wilson is niet te ontkomen. 7/10 Highlights: Roll Plymouth Rock Cabin Essence Surf's Up

"SMiLE is misschien wel het bekendste album dat nooit gemaakt is". Laten we dit even goed begrijpen. BW produceert de opvolger van Pet Sounds, knijpt er tussenuit en de Beach Boys maken zelf iets af in de vorm van Smiley Smile. 35 jaar na dato doorgaat BW een emotionele rollercoaster met het naleven en 'afmaken' van Smile en brengt deze solo uit. Persoonlijk vind ik twee dingen ingewikkeld. 1. Smiley Smile is gewoon een vette plaat. Natuurlijk zonder BW maar toch één van de beste werken van de Beach Boys. Dus hebben we echt iets gemist destijds? 2. 2004 is niet helemaal het moment om iets uit te brengen wat eigenlijk bij het jaar 1967 hoort. Ineens is het dan gewoon outdated. Bij het beoordelen op kwaliteit hoort ook het zien in het tijdsgewricht. Ondertussen was er zoveel meer mogelijk en uitgeprobeerd dat Smile in 2004 niet perse speciaal klinkt in mijn oren. Dat gezegd hebbende. BW is een fenomeen. En de periode voor SMiLE - na Pet Sounds - was prime Beach Boys en natuurlijke essentiele jaren voor de popmuziek die daarop volgde. Smile is dus een best interessant album om te luisteren en klinkt heerlijk zoals de Beach Boys. Maar een hoge score zit er ook niet uit in, want zie hierboven. 7/10 Highlights Good Vibrations?

Not for me.

I appreciate that there is a story behind this recording, a saga may be a better description. I didn't know what I was listening to as I was listening to it. To me it felt like a soundtrack lifted from a stage play with snippets here and there or various songs. I suspect that this is one for the fans and not for people like me.

I liked Heroes and Villains.

Silly me. Since this project is Beach Boys-adjacent, I thought this was going to be a rock 'n' roll album. It is *not*. It's a vocal harmony 'n' keyboards concotion with barely a backbeat in sight. As a result, it sounds like half an album, like a mix where the drums, bass and guitars have all been muted. It doesn't sound beautiful as much as it sounds empty - there's no spine to counterbalance all of the airy parts. (OK, the rhythm section *does* show up halfway through "Wind Chimes", but it's a case of too little, too late.) It also sticks to a very limited emotional range, meaning not only that it gets a little redundant after a while, but also that there isn't any hint of the longing or despair that would occasionally appear on Beach Boys tracks like "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" or "God Only Knows", songs that gave the band's catalog some depth. (Only the instrumental number "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" has any moments of tension, and it's a relief when they finally appear to spice up the proceedings.)

No standouts

Me senti como en una obra de teatro, en un castillo como en la realeza, ambientado en Francia, vestidos estorbozos, peinados extravagantes, tiene un piano con un campaneo. Sientes que te están contando una historia, con un toque de ritmos infantiles, como si fuera la ambientación de Candy Candy o Remi.

I see what he's doing, I see why he's doing it. That's about it

5/10

Man I didn’t like this. Felt like it was trying to push music forwards but instead was just a mess. Even the best song on the album was just a beach boys song.

This definitely wasn't my jam. It almost sounded as if Brian Wilson wanted to create a soundtrack for a Disney film that never got released. That being said, liked the ambition and the scale behind it and I can totally understand how it resonates with a lot of people. There's an orchestral grand feeling throughout that paints vivid pictures by mixing elements from various styles. It missed the mark for me but I respect it. I liked "Surf's Up" and "In Blue Hawaii".

I love Brian Wilson and I have read enough about this album to know how happy it made him to record and release this. And in his very troubled life he deserved all the joy this album brings. RIP Brian

It’s a delightful lighthearted album. Melodies are nice for most songs. Nothing too special stands out but it’s a good listen.

mad respect for brian wilson, but this album did not do it for me. im trying to think of any song that came out of that album that i would want to re-listen to, and i can't do it. sorry Brian, but this wasn't it

I can see why this made the list, it’s another showcase of Brian Wilson’s talent, but I don’t know if it still hits the same way after almost 40 years after The Beach Boys hit the scene. It’s not bad by any means, it just feels like a long journey to get to a remake of Good Vibrations (which in all honesty still slaps). I wouldn’t be mad to hear it again, but I wouldn’t seek it out.

I did not like this. I was waiting the entire time for it to be over. I don't know if this deserves to be a 1 star, but I really don't see why someone would enjoy it. Caught me in a bad mood with a bad album.

I love Beach Boys so this was a fun surprise. Definitely has a similar sound.

I have to dive deeper into the Beach Boys to get a better understanding of this album's context, but what I heard wasn't too bad. There's definitely a lot of songs to keep track of, so it got a bit monotonous. However, it's an interesting take on pop music with some unique instrumentation and silly lyrical moments. Not too much to hate, but it's not something I'll come back to too much. Favorites: Heroes and Villains, Song for Children, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, Good Vibrations

Hard to approach this without any consideration to its complicated history, but I've never been a huge Beach Boys guy so the circuitous path and alternate versions and original recordings and Brian Wilson losing his mind and slowly getting to a place where he could make this doesn't mean a whole lot to me. The music itself is nice. It definitely feels like Brian Wilson and a bunch of people standing in as the Beach Boys. There's some sparks of the old magic, and the compositions are nicely baroque and ever-changing. Words are mostly nonsense. It's a neat glimpse into Wilson's skewed vision of American pop music and where it might've gone, but a glimpse is all I need.

This is objectively a brilliant album musically but I find it challenging to listen to

Pretty much what the top guy said. I've spent way more time listening to the filth that is the Cocaine Sessions. Oh Lord is the best piece of outsider music ever recorded, by some of the all time most famous boys.

Honestly couldn't wait for this to be over. This was just not interesting to me whatsoever. A nothing burger of an album. 2/10

Honestly, it's just a bit of a repeat of the same.

I could barely get through this. This album is definitely built on history and reputation, as opposed to objectively judging it based on the music, which just isn't very good.

Listening to Brian Wilson is something else. I don't know if Pet Sounds, Surfs Up and Smile all need to be on this list but they really stand on their own like some kind of alien artifact. I love Heroes and Villains and Vege-Tables. I couldn't stop singing Vege-tables and my 2 year old starting singing what she heard from me in the bath. It was a delight and so now I associate that with this album.

This was an interesting album. From the get go, it feels and sounds like any beach boy album. But there’s just this sadness to it. It wasn’t even necessarily in the lyrics: it just felt like a farewell note. A goodbye to the music that made his career. The harmonies were magnificent as they always have been, and the beach vibes were there. It just felt bitter sweet as love letter.

It should have been an EP back in the 60’s instead of an LP back in 2004. Too many unfinished ideas. It sure is a bizarre album. There are some nice songs here but it’s out of its era.

Best Song: Good Vibrations. A classic. Worst Song: Vega-Tables. You cannot convince me that this Veggietales-tier song is the product of some kind of "pop music genius". Overall: The whole album teeters between soulless and downright annoying. Yes: they are tight harmonies. No: that isn't sufficient to make the music interesting or listenable.

Sounds like the same old shit! I know Wilson is considered a genius by many but I’m not so sure. I bought Pet Sounds many years ago and apart from a couple of tracks I wasn’t smitten, I think Smile is pretty much the same.

Is... is this a prank? This is just a goofabout, right? Like a generational long con meant to dunk on pretentious music critics? Because it's not even an album! There's barely any actual songs! The only reason it's not a 1 is because Good Vibrations exists, and it's still a bop. Otherwise? Loopy clown music.

Super interesting sonically and musically, but not very catchy and I couldn’t re-sing a single song.

......why am I suddenly at the farm? Nah that took me completely out if it. I was about to say "Very nice" between two bites of music but it's joever unfortunately. Was this album made for children? Sure feels like it.

Heroes and Villains was always a favorite of mine, so this gets off to a good start. This version of it, sounds good to me. Overall this is a good effort with lots of things that put a *SMILE* on my face, but not a completely great album. It was retreading old ground that I had been hearing since I was a child. There was new nuance, but in the end a retread is a retread.

No good. Was gonna say this sounds like a cheap beach boys. My bad. The story behind it is really cool and very sad. However, a cool story does not instantly make something good. Mid. Maybe better than mid this is rad especially when paired with smiley smile

Inte alls särskilt intressant. Ser fram emot att lyssna på Beach Boys men detta var ganska tråkigt. En 2a.

:)

This album did nothing for me. I've never cared for the Beach Boys, and this album felt childish at times,with weird cartoon-ish noises. I appreciate the struggle Brian went through to get this out there... it just didn't interest me at all.

I like The Beach Boys' version more.

This is an okay album, but yet another baffling inclusion. We really needed a beach boys solo album from 2004 that hasn't evolved musically since pet sounds? Is there no other influential musician or niche genre that could be represented here?

😭

the album is good but it didnt make me smile. because everytime theres some sick harmonies coming up i want to kms as im just never able to create such sick shit in a trillion years. 5/5

Revisiting an abandoned project.. a lot could easily have been left abandoned, quite boring. Then again the album contains Good Vibrations which provides some edge after all

Brian Wilson, c'était déjà moyennement ma tasse de thé à son prime en 65, alors en 2004 voilà hein.

Beach boys vibe, decent but not anything special, wont be going back.

4.5

When this came out in 2004, I wasn’t old enough to appreciate it. And now, decades later, I’m still not, which is why I gave it a 2.

Had this been completed in the 60s, this would rival Revolver, Sgt Pepper and Pet Sounds as a contender for the greatest album of all time. It's that good. Thank you, Brian, for finishing it, no matter how many years, trials and tribulations it took. 5/5

Beach Boys Lite. Less filling. Less taste.

Good

This would be a 4-5 if it was actually released in 1967, it's basically a 2nd Pet Sounds. But instead it sat on a shelf and was released in 2004.

# Album Name: Smile # Artist: Brian Wilson # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Middle of the road kinda album. Definitely didnt need to listen to it and probably wouldnt again. Theres better beach boys than this. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

Beautiful genius

Not a fan of Brian Wilson post Beach Boys. Sadly, a pale imitation

This did not make me smile. There is no place for sheep noises and pop whistles on any album let alone one that is in the 1001. A grudging 2* because he is a legend

Sounds (unsurprisingly) like a 60s throwback. Really don't get anything Wilson did after the Beach Boys' heyday and this hasn't changed my view. Dull music and even worse lyrics (Vega-Tables anyone?) make this pretty much unlistenable. Even the gorgeous harmonies can't keep this from a woeful 1*.

I didn’t enjoy this unfortunately, it mostly just felt goofy

No. 382/1001 Our Prayer 3/5 Heroes and Villains 3/5 Roll Plymouth Rock 3/5 Barnyard 3/5 Old Master Painter 3/5 Cabin Essence 4/5 Wonderful 3/5 Song for Children 3/5 Child Os Father of the Man 3/5 Surfs Up 4/5 I'm in Great Shape 3/5 Vega-Tables 3/5 On a Holiday 3/5 Wind Chimes 3/5 Mrs Leary Cow 2/5 In Blue Hawaii 4/5 Good Vibrations 3/5 Average: 3,12 Alright listen, but pretty unremarkable.

This is one of those albums which is never going to fully reveal itself to you on a singular listen, requiring time and patience, however the one listen will have to suffice for now as I'm craving some metal in my ears. That said, this is absolutely bonkers and ceremoniously diverse, with plenty of overlap with other psychedelia artists which feature highly in my estimations, whilst feeling unique to itself in how it apportions progressive pop sensibilities, orchestral arrangements, rock opera-scale ambitions and contemporary means of production, whilst still heavily invoking the 60s in terms of its "no holds barred" approach and broadly optimistic tones. However, it even channels late-career experimental Scott Walker towards its back end on a track such as "Mrs O'Leary's Cow", completely flipping the vibe of the album on its head when you'd least expect it. I'm fairly certain I have heard Smile before as it's saved in my Spotify library from several years back, when I was working through a list of the "most challenging albums to listen to" list on AOTY/Sputnik/similar, but it was more or less a fresh listen this go around. It will be joining my physical shelves, incredible stuff.

Just so unimaginably creative. A very inspired record. Brian Wilson really has a childlike wonder in his music. There’s an openness to every song, where you feel like there’s no limit in the way he expresses himself. Even the songs where the subject matter or writing may seem immature, the sincerity of the approach comes through clearly. You will always have something valuable to grasp on to. Revisiting his unfinished Beach Boys album and deciding for a redo makes this album so interesting from a structural point of view. So many changes here are just different, where I can go back to some of The Beach Boys’ recordings and get the same amount of enjoyment, if not more. However, the songs on this record work together perfectly. Sonically, there’s great progression with repeated elements that help to emphasize a certain sound, and thematically you get a great sense of the power of childhood and the changes throughout a life. Brian Wilson through all his struggles with his self and with finishing this album was able to create a record that was thrillingly cohesive. I will always thank him for sharing his art with the rest of the world. Faves: Heroes and Villains, Song For Children, Child Is Father of the Man, Good Vibrations, Cabin Essence, Wind Chimes, Vega-Tables, Barnyard

6/10 Some great songs (if not always in their best version), some nice compositions, but also a lot of pointless filler. Highlights: Surf's Up Good Vibrations Heroes and Villains/Roll Plymouth Rock

Wow! I’ve never heard anything like this to be honest and I loved it. What a beautiful concept and amazingly executed. I think this album just acted as a gateway to my future deepdive on acapella albums.