Smile

Good

6/10 - the aura is bigger than the music

I’m enormously happy for Brian that this exists but it’s also fair to say that there are fragments of genius here that are struggling to form a coherent whole

Kind of sad

What a talented man, may he rest in peace. I loved the sounds from this album and I can see how this solo album was a departure from the Beach Boys.

Seeing the date of 2004, I was utterly confused why it felt so much like the Beach Boys until I really thought about Brian Wilson's name. That aside, the album did feel a little scattered not in the way I really enjoy. It's interesting that this second part to Pet Sounds never made it in the 60s production and that it was so publicly troubled and controversial. That all aside, I just didn't love it that much, it's an ok album

RIP Brian. We'll remember you for better albums than this.

Expected to like this one more than I did. Probably if it came out when it was originally worked on it would be viewed differently (although I don't know if I would like it more). Technically, sonically it's very cool but a little "crowded" in a way that doesn't bring a lot of punch for me.

Raro, se nota que había muchas ideas y conceptos en la cabeza de Brian Wilson que no creo hayan podido ser bien implementados. El sonido en general está bien pero se me hizo largo.

Could live without hearing

If he’d finished in 1969, this would have changed poo music forever. As it is, it’s a fascinating time capsule of what could have been.

3.5. Good music, really stupid lyrics.

Diving deep and researching this album, I wasn’t aware of the history of this project. It’s cool that this was realized after 37 years on a shelf. I wish it had been carried out with The Beach Boys, but undertand why it didn’t. Overall, cool album. May not be my favorite, but I agree everyone should give it a listen. Do yourself a favor, read up on this album before you listen to it. 1001 album worthy: yes - 94/172

From Wikipedia: "Revisiting 'Smile' was an intense emotional undertaking for Wilson, as he had been deeply traumatized by the circumstances that had originally surrounded the project." Me: stop acting like a f*cking baby it's just an album But then: "Jardine, who did not use drugs, compared his position to 'being trapped in an insane asylum', citing an incident during a 'Heroes and Villains' session when Brian instructed the band to crawl around the studio and mimic pig-snorting noises." Also me: hollup what the f*ck type of album was this

This album is barely a 3 It's all over the place and not the best from a man who had some great musical talent

It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if this had been released when it was originally made by the Beach Boys in the 60s. And I’m glad that Brian Wilson was able to release this in a version he was happy with. I’m glad I got the opportunity to hear it, but I don’t think I NEEDED to hear it. I just don’t think the vocals are a patch on the original Beach Boys at their peak. That might be harsh, and Brian still had better pipes than people half his age, but I’d probably prefer to listen to the Smile Sessions. Again, RIP Brian. And again, NAGAPS.

Enjoyable enough …

It’s aight

Not that interesting RIP though

You can hear the beach boys in most songs

Listens: 2 Standout tracks: Heroes and Villains, Child Is the Father Of Man Wild coincidence. Brian Wilson has passed away and the very next day I get to listen to (one of?) his solo album(s). This is barbershop quartet meets acid trip. Musical layering, harmonies, weird sounds, farm animal noises, singing about "vega-tables", kazoos!?. Pretty out there if you ask me, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. There's a carousel-like quality to the music; its evocative of the kind of music you'd here on a carousel, at a theme park. Round and round... It also kind of reminds me of the Beatles, probably Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band or Yellow Submarine. All the whistles and kazoos. It's quite the piece of music for a solo musician.

Can't deny Good Vibrations and I do love a"No, this is how it should have sounded" release 40 years later. Weird animal bits tho

LIstenable.

Incredible harmonies. Really great voice and a tragic loss.

i’ve gotten this album the day after brian wilson’s passing :(( i don’t really have much knowledge in brian wilson or the beach boys. i’ve listened to pet sounds and i know good vibrations. that’s about it. it’s not quite my thing but it is sounding really nice. i’ve always enjoyed the harmonies from the beach boys. movement two; wonderful to surf’s up is really lovely. i enjoy this a lot! but in general it’s quite uninteresting and nothing feels particularly coherent. good vibrations is an absolute choon tho. 3/5

so random to get this album today after Brian Wilson just died. Such fun and joyful tracks- great distinction between tracks.

Nice harmony's, very reminiscent of the Beach Boys days, but for me rather forgettable. Perhaps it needs more listens to appreciate the nuance.

shoo wop wop wop

Chill

🎧Some of these songs showcase Wilson’s unique brilliance and others make me feel like I’m in a funhouse mirror Beach Boys hell.

"alte" Musik im neuen Gewand, wird dadurch nicht besser

Quite enjoyed In Blue Hawaii but I've never really gotten into the beach boys so this one was a bit of a miss for me. I think maybe some of his other records might be better but this just felt all over the shop.

❤️ 3.5

I don’t think, as someone who didn't grow up with the Beach Boys in the same way I did The Beatles (with parents who listened to the latter and not so much the former), have the context to understand why this piece is so important to so many people, and why it hits so hard for some. I used to think the Beach Boys were a gimmicky band. Even once I moved past that notion, I didn't and still don't "get" Pet Sounds. I wrote that in my review, but I don't understand how it competes with or why people compare it to "Sgt. Pepper's." So with my ignorance acknowledged, I came to this album with an open mind, but also ready to be blown away based on people's reactions and feelings about it. I wasn't blown away, but I also wasn't overly disappointed. This felt like something on the same level as Pet Sounds for me, something that I can appreciate for its quality of production, the vocal harmonies, and the intent of the creator(s). But I just don't get it. I guess I need someone to explain to me what else the Beach Boys have to offer besides the harmonies. I'm not hating on them when I say that, I just don't understand the hype and need it explained to me. Maybe I'll never get it... Anyway, the album. There's some beautiful stuff here, and knowing that Wilson saw this as a sort of redemption of material he really believed in does add to how I enjoy and view this album. "Our Prayer/Gee" opens the album and the harmonies there are stunning. On from that, it does feel an awful lot like a Beach Boy's album, which I've never been totally on board with. The amount of whimsy and silliness in some of these songs (the slide whistle?) is kind of off-putting for me. It muddles the message, or at least makes it harder to understand what it's supposed to be. Like there's a whole song about a barnyard...? Ok. And vegetables? Like, ok man, cool. Whatever you say. The production of each song is layered, with different vocal elements and instruments stacked on each other to create what is sometimes a really interesting collage of sound, and what sometimes falls flat for me and is distracting. I know this was my album for this day because of Wilson's death. I can acknowledge the importance of this man, his music, but I still don't understand it. Three stars. It wasn't bad, it was always interesting, I just didn't get it. Standout Tracks: Our Prayer/Gee, Old Man Painter/You Are My Sunshine, Good Vibrations

What's there to say? Very Beach Boys. Good harmonies, sometimes undermined by instrumentation, and usually silly lyrics (often involving a cappella / scatting style nonsense). I get that the siliness is mostly intentional, but come on. And melodies are recycled from song to song here, it just feels like someone doodling around the same ideas over and over. I feel bad picking on this album so soon after Brian Wilson's death, but it just ain't my jam. "Good Vibrations" is what saves this from a 2-star rating.

Familiar voice and sound.

3.5 Nice vibes and good to hear, but no song which completely flashed me

This one gets a 3 for the unique circumstances

Not Brian in his prime, some remakes of classic songs that aren't quite as good as the originals.

# Playlist Track - Surf's up # Notes - What an amazing coincidence. Just read all about this album, because of Brian Wilson's death a couple of days ago. - Pretty sure that knowing the story and paying attention to the melodies affects the experience a lot. - It's interesting, it's super rich. Chockfull of beautiful harmonies, I'll give it that. - But it's also too long and gets tiresome. A worthy listen, but not on my favourites.

Rest easy, Brian.

It was ok. standout songs: Heroes and Villans On a Holiday

I liked it. Never heard of him before.

Reviewing this the day after Brian Wilson's death. I didn't know anything about this album, really, except that it took a long time for him to finish it. It's very experimental, with random sounds, some goofy like slide whistles and birds chirping. And laudable attempts at doing harmonies and the old bop-bop Beach Boys-like stuff with his more limited and kind of flat vocals. The remake of Good Vibrations was pretty good and saves this album from a 2/5.

RIP

Not my cup of tea

I understand the timing of receiving this album. He was a fine musician but how is this one of the must listens of the year 2004? Must be something I'm missing. Album is fine but that's about it.

Before this album was recorded and release, I had a friend who was obsessed with the mythical Smile. So I've always felt that this album was for people like him. Ride or die Brian Wilson fans who were absolutely in it for the long haul. I'm not a huge fan of Smile but I appreciate the songwriting and the lush vocal layering.

New artist Interesting. Really enjoyed some songs and wasn’t a fan of others.

What an interesting coincidence to randomly be assigned this album the day after Brian Wilson's passing. RIP.

I got this to review the day after Brian Wilson died. Spooky! It's a hard album to review in many ways. Firstly the songs are good to great, ignoring the odd interlude numbers. Possibly, it should be rated as a whole, rather than the individual songs? It was a good listening experience. Very much an album out of time, as it retains its essence of the late 60s. Lovely vocal arrangements and beautiful melodies. The second movement was good, pleasant enough but nothing memorable for me, the same for the third. Ultimately I liked this a lot when it had its 'Beach Boy' moments. This album did make me Smile. 3* Would I listen again? Yes Would I buy this album? No. Movement one 1. "Our Prayer"/"Gee" 2:09 - Nice choral introduction. Beautiful harmonies. As a track on it's own 3*. - In the context of this album it fits 4* 2. "Heroes and Villains" 4:53 - This is a well known song and is quite brilliant. 5* 3. "Roll Plymouth Rock" 3:48 - Nice enough. Interesting soundscapes and instrumentation. Harmonies are good. I won't repeat that. Nice repeating melodies. 4* 4. "Barnyard" 0:58 - 3* 5. "Old Master Painter"/"You Are My Sunshine" 1:04 - 3 * 6. "Cabin Essence" 3:27 - 5* This is a great song. Movement two 7. "Wonderful" 2:07 - 3* 8. "Song for Children" 2:16 - 3* 9. "Child Is Father of the Man" 2:18 - 3* 10. "Surf's Up" 4:07 - 3* Movement three 11. "I'm in Great Shape"/"I Wanna Be Around"/"Workshop"1:56 - 4* 12. "Vega-Tables" 2:19 - 3* Silly nonsense. Made me smile! 13. "On a Holiday" 2:36 - 3*. Quirky 14. "Wind Chimes" 2:54 - 3* 15. "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" 2:27 - Silly nonsense again, to begin with. It then gets interesting. 4* 16. "In Blue Hawaii" 3:00 - 3* 17. "Good Vibrations" 4:36 - 5* all the way. Superb song. Iconic.

Brian Wilson died yesterday, so I guess this is pretty good timing. I really like this because it sounds like a beach boys album, but the vocals sound slowed down, probably because of Wilson’s voice changing as he ages. It’s an out there album, and almost everything feels like “good vibrations” could start at any moment. A lot of this feels like stream of consciousness turned into beach boys do jazz, not a huge fan of that but there is something very compelling about it and I bet if I listened a few times it would work for me. I think it’s because my mind is trying to predict what is going to happen next. Once I don’t have to do that, I wonder how I would feel about it. I did not look at the track list and when good vibrations started I was honestly surprised! A lot of this album, especially the more experimental sounds, reminds me a lot of experimental Beatles songs.

Not sure I necessarily 'get' this album - fun and whimsical in places but does feel like a bunch of snippets of songs. I haven't listened to other beach boy songs and maybe in context it makes more sense

It's an interesting artifact, but honestly, sometimes experiments don't really work. It's very piecemeal, jarring, and strange.

Okay, Brian Wilson is an undisputed genius. However, this is what happens when even a genius is unchecked by a producer. It's wildly overproduced and he throws everything including the kitchen sink into it. Subtle banjos, penny whistles, circus organs, you name it. The harmonies are brilliant, as usual, and the songwriting is great. But it's just got too much in it. Kinda like late Beatles, actually, same problem. Good album, potential to be great, but needs someone with a critical eye to edit.

This was a fun listen to celebrate the life of Brian Wilson.

I feel like I should like the Beach Boys more than I actually do. I really liked this album but something just felt really off about it that I can't put a finger to.

Weird middle but you can’t say no to some good vibrations

okay so this is a bit contradictory because i couldnt wait for it to end (sorry it was TOO long for my liking) BUT at the same time i knew it was a good album as i was listening to it, hard to explain. i think if i took the time to properly listen to it, id enjoy it so much more, so for that, ill give it 3 stars. my fav was Good Vibrations

It's a musical score? This is tough. It's technically brilliant but not terribly enjoyable.

Definitely sounds like a Beach Boys record, Wilson has a very unique songwriting style. Overall album sounds good and was easy to listen to, didn’t hear much that made me want to give it more listens.

Cute, but not as good as actual Beach Boys stuff, kinda just a bummer

First off I’m not a fan of The Beach Boys. At all. I find them annoying and repetitive. I wasn’t looking forward to listening to this. I did find it better than I expected, but that’s only because it’s so weird. Most of the fully fleshed songs were the stuff I don’t like, but the whistles and silliness were at least something different.

Same as Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel: beautiful production, perfectly composed songs but not something I’m going to seek out on my own. Cool that the generator assigned it the day after his death, though.

3/3.5

5/10

This sounds like the beach boys, *looks up Brian Wilson*, ah because it is. I don't know why, but his specific sound doesn't hook me very well. Despite that, I can't deny the musical complexity and impressiveness of his work. This album goes easily, with an air of silliness, but it's not bad at all.

Better than coldplay

I like the beach boys hits but was not overwhelmed by the albums. This is no better, a few ok songs and a lot of questionable material. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

3.3

Quite disparate, sounds fragmented, the sounds of a genius trying to wrestle with a mind fragmenting united by strong harmonies but lacking the cohesion of pet sounds.

RIP Brian Wilson.

This was an interesting album I can definitely hear the influence of it being a show that was on Broadway, but I definitely hear the beach boys obviously! But it was still pretty good to hear and see what he was thinking about for the beach boys!

3,5

Largely forgettable, but then again, I was listening on the airplane where I was drifting in and out of sleep. But obviously the album wasn't doing much to keep me awake. Truthfully, I don't remember much about the album so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt with a 3.

I enjoy this but I'm not always in the mood for it. I do like this reworking of the old album, though.

What I'd hope a late era Wilson album to be. Pet Sounds it ain't but it is still a fun listen

I think everyone got this the day after Brian Wilson died, 11-Jun-2025. This showed up the next day. I have heard this album when it was released and I felt at the time that it was incomplete, and had to be listened to as a whole, not individual songs. On the whole, the album is very good. Individual songs, not really. Even the version of Good Vibrations isn't that good compared to the original. I really understand why people say that Brian Wilson was a true genius when it came to song writing and melody and harmony, as that's why the Beach Boys were so popular. This album probably would have not done so well if it were completed in 1967. Surf's Up from The Beach Boys which was released in 1971 was what I think came from this work. It still feels incomplete to me. I love the direction it was going. I don't know if it ever got there. 3/5

the legend is better than the songs, but there's something particularly ghastly about this late-career reenactment. yer better off listening to smiley smile, which is a better album than its reputation and a lot more fun than this. those unsatisfied can dig the smile sessions released in 2011, or dewey cox's masterpiece "black sheep" ("i want an army of digeridoos... fifty thousand digeridoos!")

12/06/2025 Obviously this was for the passing of Brian Wilson. It was okay.

Top track: Wind Chimes

Wow, crazy timing here considering the unfortunate news of Brian Wilson's passing yesterday. Unless this ISN'T random today... I'm well aware of the story behind this album, despite not listening before today. For those who aren't; "Smile" was originally supposed to be the Beach Boys' follow-up album to the massively successful "Pet Sounds", but ended up being scrapped and mostly reworked into "Smiley Smile". This did a number on Brian Wilson (always one to be hard on himself), and he eventually re-recorded the material from the original "Smile" concept many years later. This was actually debuted beforehand via a session of live concerts too. I can only imagine being an older Beach Boys fan in 2004, with the almost mythical "Smile" album finally seeing the light of day in this form. As for the album itself, it sounds and feels like an amalgamation of ideas pasted together. It's very avant-garde and ambitious (to be expected from Brian Wilson). I think the context of how this album came to be overshadows the content itself. The re-recording of "Good Vibrations" is still high quality, though. "Heroes and Villains" and "Vega-Tables" were other fun highlights too.

Maybe this just caught me on a sad day, but this album made me sad even though it's literally called "Smile." As great as Brian Wilson was, there's just something missing without the harmonies from all of the Beach Boys. 3/5

2.5/5

On the day of his passing. Brian Wilson was a genius in the truest sense of the word and made a significant cultural impact that will be remembered for generations. Smile seems to me like a collection of partially developed sketches that given time and attention could have been amazing. But life didnt go that way so its not.

I’ll give this to Brian Wilson, despite all the boozing, drugs and mental illness his sound and style remained constant.

It was definitely a weird feeling to listen to an album by an artist who died a day before and find out it traumatised him.

RIP Brian Wilson

Sounds like heroes and villains almost through the first half of the album

Rip 😔🙏

This was an interesting album. Brian Wilson is clearly incredibly gifted as far as composition is concerned. This kind of reminded me of some outsider music like Daniel Johnston lyrically but with very interesting production. Rest in Peace Brian Wilson.

As a Beach Boys-adjacent album, this album caught me off guard—I even wondered for a minute if it was made for kids (Vega-Tables). It’s different… psychedelic, a bit manic—like I’ve been dosed and can’t tell if it’s about to be a great trip or a total spiral. Thankfully, Good Vibrations is there to anchor the high. My favorite moment, though? “Eggs and grits and lickety split”… absolutely stealing that line for daily use.

Brian Wilson's Smile is a journey through the history of modern music. It places timeless A cappella sounds from a period of popularity during Wilson's youngest years at the forefront, fusing them with musical motifs of the '60s (namely soft backing guitar, subtle bass tones, and emphasised mid and treble ranges) and with the crisp, clean mixing available to producers from early 2000s technology. Whilst not the biggest fan of vocal heavy music, Brian Wilson's Smile demonstrates experience cultivated over years in the musical industry, with few rivals to match such a prolonged and successful career. At many points, I found the music enjoyable and tantalising, as the flow and the changes in tone and key, even within songs, keep the listener entertained. As the namesake suggests, the album's overall feel was playful, showing the bones of an artist who is past chasing fame and money (very much achieved over his career), and focusing on music that feeds the soul. RIP Brian. Even to someone who barely knew of your existence until after your death, your tenure is apparent. Pass on, my GOAT.

The dude died yesterday and (despite some of his music being pretty annoying to me) I can't give less than 3 stars. From a technical perspective, this dude has skills. Experienced lasting psychotic symptoms after taking acid while part of the beach boys. Interesting story. Check it out if you weren't aware.

Brian Wilson was undeniably a genius and knowing the history of this album perhsps makes it difficult to judge. It’s a story of what could’ve been had the beach boys clung together and completed Smile. As it is it lacks any spark of magic and the inclusion of Good Vibrations judt highlights this is far from Wilson’s best. A solid album but not a classic

In some moments, this album had flashes of what it could have been. Whilst the inclusion of “Good Vibrations” might have seemed like a good idea at the time, it only highlighted all the ways this album felt like a let down. Listening to this album the day after Brian Wilson passed away was still a lovely thing, though.

About halfway thru rn and it’s a vibe but don’t think I could listen consistently

Very Beach Boys, kinda blended together as the album progressed but the sound is solid overall

I liked it a surprising bit starting out, buuut it sorta just floats around after that. Not bad though! Just maybe too long and not reeeeally for me.

I was very very curious about this one and desperately wanted to like it more than I did. It felt like holding a masterwork of some instrument or tool that I could appreciate the beauty of but would never actually want to pick up and use. The craftsmanship is beautiful but not for me.

I like this album a lot but once again it is way too long. I'm happy Brian Wilson got to do his masterpiece but a lot of the stuff on here would be happier as bonus tracks on a second disc. Nothing is bad, just mildly off putting.

pet sounds 2, malo zzz

Smile isn’t a bad album but I am not sure why it makes the list. Maybe because it was never released in its original form by The Beach Boys. It’s alright but not sure if I’d listen again.

Being a funny person I know a thing or two about laughter, so when I saw the concept behind this album I knew I had to listen closely. And it's a very good album. Its inevitably a maximalist endeavour, but the sheer range of sounds and cadences you get thrown at you is dizzying but exciting. Heroes and Villains & Good Vibrations (which I gather didn't debut here) are such meticulous musical journeys that they almost sound strained, but they're great songs. Parts of this get so quaint and off the wall that it brings the good vibes to a screeching halt. ("I threw away the candy bar and I ate the wrapper/when they told me what I did I burst into laughter"). But even some of those tracks - like Barnyard - retain such musical vision that it's hard to write them off in any real way. I wouldn't say any of this left much of an emotional mark on me, but I'd happily give another shot in future. High 3.

It’s a bit of a challenge to review an album with such a storied history as this - especially on the day its creator died. BWPS is pleasant enough through its runtime, but it’s difficult to untie tracks like Good Vibrations from their historical context. Had 2004 been the first time the world got to hear it, would it have received so much universal love? Probably not. But it’s still a marvellous song, and serves as a perfect showcase for BW’s singular talent for instrument arrangement in the rock genre. I do enjoy that this work doesn’t take itself too seriously. But the whimsy grows a little wearisome, occasionally crossing over to being downright asinine at times. But it’s all inoffensive, and it is endearing. BW took big risks; and the release of this album is best seen as a triumph over one man’s personal demons. ✨

This feels incredibly rigged. Man died today, going to try to rate this objectively. I’m glad I read the Wikipedia article to learn this was an abandoned album that he finished 30 years later, explains a lot. It’s a lot of snippets and unfinished ideas and it sounds like demos for a beach boys album. It’s no pet sounds but I did fluctuate between indifference and thinking about how cool his vocal layering is. Nothing is bad, most of it is good, some of it is monotonous. I’m feeling a strong 3. RIP.

I am so happy Brian Wilson was album to put this project to rest with a result he felt good about. There are some lovely little nuggets of psych and champer pop in here that I really enjoyed. The doo-wop pop orchestral arrangements don't land with me, but I'm glad this exists

Tricky. Why do I feel conflicted?! As an album listening experience, not quite a 3 I’m afraid.

I can see how it's be really innovative sound, and Good Vibrations is of course good vibes, but overall I feel like Id need to be tripping to get full enjoyment out of this

RIP Brian Wilson (1942-2025). The story of this album is tied up with the 60's rivalry felt between the Beach Boys and the Beatles. The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" pushed in a new direction that inspired the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper." At which point, Brian Wilson threw in the towel and apparently sunk into a depression. It's too bad Brian Wilson broke down and didn't keep those good vibrations a-happenin' because he apparently had more to offer. As for how this album sounds, re-produced a few decades later, it sounds...OK.

I would call this album anachronistically good. Hats off to Brian and crew to produce music that sounds like The Beach Boys and only really misses the mark because it isn't The Beach Boys. It is a good alternative, but in reality, it Is more alt Beach Boys than an example of unrealized Beach Boy material/vision. To me, it delivered in the same way a Beatles reunion with Julian Lennon filling in for John would have delivered. (this was actually floated for a few minutes when Julian had his 15 minutes in the 80s). In the case of the latter, I am glad it didn't happen. I am glad Smile happened, if only to give Brian Wilson some resolution.

3.5 stars

But why?

Love the story of the release and the production ended up wonderful. Feels like step down from Pet Sounds in terms of songs and lyrics though. 3.5.

po não sei se foi proposital mas meter um brian wilson 1 dia depois da morte do mano é meio assustador............ álbum ok, não é o tipo de som que me agrada mas entendo pq tanta gente gosta tbm....

aparentemente todo mundo recebeu algum do brian wilson/beach boys. eu aprecio mto o criador do site por essas coisas. mas eh, nao eh dos melhores não. mas eh inegável o impacto desse mano na música que deus o tenha

3.5

I think it is the lore behind this album that makes it essential more so than the album itself. I kind like *Smiley Smile* it it's cutesy artsy fartsy way, but I've always felt they (or he) were trying to be too silly for the good of the album. I think I'd much rather some carved together version of the original *Smile* recordings over this remake, which tbh, are not as good as *Smile* material that the Beach Boys subsequently released. I'm gonna go with a light 3, I guess out of respect for Wilson as an artist, and the material itself, which is better than its execution. (6.2) ★★★

This sounds great and has really intricate arrangements, but unfortunately most of the songs just don't do it for me. "Heroes & Villains", "Good Vibrations", and "Vege-tables" are probably the standouts for me, though I'm not sure if I prefer them to the Beach Boys versions. 3.5 stars.

A really really good album for the fact that Brian Wilson is finally able to nail a version of Smile after 37 years with a little help from some friends. Compositionally it is propers glorious at times and coursing with so much frothy fevered genuisness - Heroes & Villains, Cabinessence, Wonderful, Surf’s Up and Good Vibrations. The first third of the album carries the most momentum. The stretch from Wonderful to Surf’s Up is just has the pretttiest chords ever and is absolutely splendorific. The last third of the record definitely gets a bit lost at sea though. The main plus point of the record is that it sets the template for 2011’s Smile Sessions which uses all archived material and sounds much, much better. Brian’s voice is super fuddy-duddled at this point and sunshine pop scourge The Wondermints who help with the backing arrangements and harmonies sound very icky, lame, plastic and children’s novelty like some Veggie Tales house band. On top of Vege-Tables being an actual poisonous track, this album overall frankly is a 3 star one at best.

It's weird that this album still exists on this list since they released actual Smile. This sounds good but he clearly sounds so much older than on the original sessions. I think people love Brian Wilson a little too much personally.

The Good: Smile, you’re on candid camera! The Bad: Oh wait, that was a lie… The Ugly: My teeth… which is why I don’t smile so much… Mr Wilson, RIP. Don’t know if it is coincidence that the album presented himself the day after he passed away, but needless to say it was a little different listening to an album knowing that the person had just passed… Having said that, I could have past on the album. Not that it was bad, but there is a point where I just can’t stand falsetto harmonies any longer. I would rather have a root-canal performed… All over the intrawebs “God Only Knows” was being heralded as the most perfect song, and I will agree that it is as close to perfect as songs are going to get. However, this album does not include that song, so I am going to shoot down the middle… 3*

Sounds like the Beach Boys, which is expected. Kind of whimsical and fun, could've been shorter. High 3. Seems like the 1001 generator can give an album based on real world events, since we got this the day after Brian Wilson passed. Please don't go lead singer Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers!

fine, I kinda tuned it out

It was alright. About what I’d expect from a beach boys solo album; sounds like The Beach Boys but a little less interesting. I know he died which sucks and I feel bad complaining but this probably doesn’t need to be on the list

I found this mostly very annoying. Its so disgustingly clean cut and major. Of course some moments are nice - melodically it's all "nice" - but its just so sickly sweet, give me some grit Brian. Why is Good Vibrations here at the end? Obviously its a good song, but it kinda makes the rest of the album sound like poor imitations in comparison. Its a reminder at the end that this twee pop can be magic - but that the majority of Smile isn't it. Fave Tracks: Cabin Essence, Wind Chimes 2.6/5

This album has the energy of a dj set! It’s just nonstop one song after another. It’s stated that Brian Wilson had a hard time going back to this stuff because of the conditions surrounding it as well as his deteriorating mental state at the time. I hope he overcame that in some capacity through the realization that he still had it upon recording this album. It was more of a marionette circus up in that head of his than I realized, at least based on the music I heard here. I heard that a lot on “Roll Plymouth Rock”, one of my favorites on the project. But “In Blue Hawaii” into “Good Vibrations takes the cake. Must’ve been nice for Brian to reach back and still find the fastball. While this album isn’t perfect, it’s a wonderful, joyous example of how music can alter one’s sense of time - this came straight out of the late 60’s and stuck the landing, with Brian Wilson as the pilot. RIP

I’m not a Beach Boys guy at all, this is maybe the one kind of exception. I think it’s real cool and neat to come back to a project after that much time and see it through. It’s probably not all that close to the original vision, but it’s something. Probably felt good for Wilson.

Wall of sound = lots of noise. Seriously, he was a tortured soul. So many demons. But he made pretty music.

A pleasant enough lesson but I'll be sacrilegious and admit that aside from a handful of (excellent) Beach Boys songs, I find them and Brian Wilson good to listen to but not mind-blowing. Solid 3 stars, no more. ...Possibly 2 and a half as it does go on a bit.

I think this album did this genre well, but it's not my jam

First few songs start the album off strong, even if I'm not a fan of Heroes and Villains many false ends. Definitely some really strong stuff here - especially the transition into In Blue Hawaii - but it can be a little uneven in places.

Turns the baroque pop of Pet Sounds up to twelve. Wilson’s vocals suit the vibe and the lyrics. Love the interpolation of You Are My Sunshine, but comes a bit out of nowhere. Cabin Essence is a great song that shows Brian Wilson in microcosm. Vega-Tables is a very strange, but on-brand song with a catchy melody and some off-putting vocal tracks.

If I were older I'd better appreciate the history of the album. But as a young whippersnapper, I thought it was just alright.

RIP to him, such a fun and whimsical sound

The opening track left me awestruck! Sometimes in the right hands, less is more, less production, less tracks on a record. In the case of Brian Wilson ... he does a lot more with less. His music captivates with meticulously placed arrangements and harmonious vocals. Buckle up because single track can have many unexpected twists and turns that keep the listener engaged such as with Heroes and Villains. This is not a mainstream album. It is an album that implements minimalism and showcases good vocals and arrangement placing. If I were to find this album in a vinyl crate at a good price I would scoop it up.

I did not use a private spotify session for this one as I have listened to it before. This was my album for the day after Wilson's death was announced , coincidence or not, it was still nice. This album has it's moments, I like how it reminds of Pet Sounds, but it's uneven, even the different parts of the songs are uneven.

Bit of an odd album.

3/5

It's a bit of a trip seeing as it was written mostly in the 60s and abandoned for decades before being reshaped into the album before us. It sounds like if the 1960s got dropped into the early 2000s in the best way, but still isn't what I want to listen to on the daily.

It's good. Perhaps even genius! But it's not entirely up my alley as far as what I find interesting to listen to or am likely to come back to time & time again. RIP Brian Wilson. Here's to a real one.

I mean... Boy. The Beach Boys are iconic. Brian Wilson by himself... much less iconic. This is fine. But its really just a less good Beach Boys album.

I have zero knowledge of Brian Wilson's mental issues until fairly recently and even now just a superficial awareness of it. I also know now that Smile is sort of a justice album, a chance to right a wrong. As such, it could never be what was originally intended. However, as a product of its time and context is a fairly good album.

Sounds like walking without a map around a busy regional religious theme park in the best possible way. An album that is anti boredom - whenever I thought I knew what was happening it changed direction again. I appreciate this utter mania.

No idea what this album was about but fun and sunny

Dear god this is awful. He can't keep an idea in his head for more than 20 seconds.

Pues meh, un album pop indie, no estuvo malo como el de The hives, pero no es muy destacable pero tiene sonidos como Elton Jhon, pero aún así no me termina de gustar al 100% No veo un mood como para volver a escuchar este album

Best listened to from start to finish as it almost plays like a stream of musical consciousness. Tracks change up frequently so you're tempted to check whether you've moved onto to the next one and youre only a third of the way through the same song. Boombastic yet chill, and those harmonies........perfection. RIP to a singular composer, songwriter, and a one of a kind artist.

Cantant dels beach boys aquest album es un recopilarori de cançons que no havien arribat a treure (segons wiki) i es nota totalment com mantenen el so tan peculiar dels beach boys dels 60 a un album fet als 2000. Escoltar aquest album just el dia despres que es fes noticia la mort del cantant doncs toca a dins. Es pot notar a la veu com ja és més vell hahaha Pero cançons molt mones i cuques. Sí el tornaria a escoltar pero crec que cançons puntuals.

I really wanted to love this, and have tried many, many times in the past. I admire the musicianship, but it just leaves me cold. It's an example of a very good thing that's not for me.

Hmm

I enjoy The Beach Boys, but I'm not a huge fan. This album is great for a great fan od the Beach Boys, but since I'm not, it sounds like a bad album from a band I kinda like. It is easy to see the effort, sound quality, production and composition effort, but it's not for me. Our Prayer/Gee was a great song, my favorite so far. joyful, the album name is on point (SMILE!)

Not quite my cup of tea

He has just passed away. I didn’t know he was a beach boy.

Never listened to this album before, but it was really cool reading abt the history of it! Seeing how hard it was for him to complete this album and then hearing the song ‘Vega-tables’ was kinda funny to me lol. Will eventually have to listen to The Beach Boys smile album. Not really what I was expecting but pleasantly surprised Favorites: Vega-Tables, Mrs. O’Learys Cow, Blue Hawaii Rating: 6/10

Justo salió cuando acababa de morir Brian Wilson. Buen homenaje y buen disco chill.

Decent album, when it's good, it's really really good. Some weak tracks though and some that don't quite work.

Very breezy

Good album. I like Brian with The Beach Boys better.

Hmmm, I don't know what to make of this album. Very lush and grand. I guess I liked it and definitely worth a listen. 3/5

Pet Sounds is one of the greatest albums of all time. Beautiful and deep. Brian Wilson has been trying to replicate that magic even since….unsuccessfully.

When I saw this was a solo project, I was expecting a different sound. But as I listened to it and read about it, I learned it was a self-published release of a shelved Beach Boys album and definitely hit that vibe. Some of the songs were good, some were a little weird (did not expect to hear goats until I noticed the track title was "Barnyard")

Can feel the Beatles inspiration. A few odd songs. Overall enjoyed, but no tracks jumped out

I was so ready to be like "ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN BEACH BOYS!!!" but as I kept listening, it got more and more schizo-sounding, not necessarily in a bad way but not a good way either. Still unfortunately too Beach Boyish for me. Imagine my surprise when I googled Brian Wilson and found out he was ACTUALLY schizophrenic. I'm not laughing, you are. Anyways, I am all for mental health issues in music, being BPD myself - I do draw the line when it sounds like it came out of the Wonka factory, though. Maybe it's the fucking harpsichord, idk. Not for me, but a LITTLE bit more tolerable than the god damn Beach Boys.

RIP Brian Wilson and I’m glad 1001 albums listeners got his albums yesterday. Rating this is an impossible task. On the one hand I’m glad he got to finish Smile and be at peace about it. On the other, it feels like an unfinished product or a collection of outtakes. Good Vibrations still a classic though.

It's like the Beatles white album slams into the beach boys. It's interesting, but I won't listen to again

Fitting I got this the day after Wilson's death :( RIP Mr. Wilson. This album has such crazy lore behind it. I'd been vaguely aware of Wilson's issues with the Beach Boys but was never really into them or his solo work, so this was an interesting album to read about and dive into. BWPS is a wild ride. It's full of crazy rich sounds; it's truly a Beach Boys fever dream. There'll be a banjo strumming one second then a slide whistle layered with some crazy harmonies the next. It's really interesting and chaotic. The best example is how Nelson Bragg is credited with playing the celery in the band, then the song "Vega-Tables" rolled around and... yeah, there's some chomping. Standouts for me were "Our Prayer/Gee," "Heros and Villains," "Roll Plymouth Rock" and "Good Vibrations" (duh) This was a fun, weird album but I probably wouldn't listen to too much of it again. There were some really good highlights and some songs I'd skip, so this one is a 3. I'm glad it exists.

I admire Brian Wilson but this album is not the greatest. Despite of really terrific moments it feels unfinished.

There's no denying that Brian Wilson was a huge influence on popular songwriting (even though some of these songs are a bit bonkers).

I liked it a lot. Wouldn't mind having this on CD, Brian sounds refreshed and reenergized. Him adding all the string sections got my attention for sure.

It’s The Beach Boys without the rest of The Beach Boys. Do I appreciate the history? Sure. Is this my kind of music? No

I’m going to end up dating this review, but this must be said. I got this album the day after Brian Wilson died, which means either this site has a nice tribute feature where it will auto-generate an album after a death, or I have the weirdest luck. Regardless, this is going to be complicated for a few reasons. Let me start by saying that I don’t particularly care for The Beach Boys. They always felt like a gimmick band to me; the surf doo-wasp group. Outside of God Only Knows and Kokomo, I always felt that were one trick ponies. So I had no idea whatever Smile is or was. The whole ordeal is one big fucking rabbit hole that I don’t have the time to research right now. I was eight when this came out so I have no idea how much the hype was for something like this. Honestly, the story of this album is more interesting than the actual album… or whatever this is. Smile is perhaps the most confusing album I had ever heard. I might go as far as to call it a mess. Every song felt like five songs crammed into one. I swear to God I had to keep looking at Spotify to make sure I was on the same song. And some of these songs just…suck. I’m sorry, but what the fuck are some of these? Here’s a fun experiment: if you are ever given control of the aux cable, play Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow for the whole car to hear. Anyone that still wants to associate with you are your real friends. But for real, I felt like I was listening to a kid’s album, with the overused of slide whistles and whatnot. I got secondhand embarrassment from this at moments. Despite this, there are a few beautiful moments. I’ll just say that for Brian Wilson to finally see his project come to life, sort of, after all the shit he went through is an achievement in itself. There’a also some songs like In Blue Hawaii and Surf’s Up that were actually pretty good. This is probably the most awkward album to get at the most awkward time. Given it’s status, I can’t say it was really worth it and it was ok at best. But albums like this intrigue me and it’s fun when an album goes beyond the tracks and has a weird history of its own. If Smile ever did get released, I don’t know if I would react the same. But it a bit for an album to stick with me, for better or worse. So Smile’s got that. Rest in peace, Brian Wilson. You didn’t have an easy life, but it left an impact on many people. Favorite track: Surf’s Up Other hits: This one’s hard because of the weird nature of the album. I’m just going to list Good Vibrations and Wonderful here.

3 out of 5. Modern yet still sounds straight out of the 60's.

getting a brian wilson album the day after he passed is a crazy coincidence. not necessarily his best work but man did he have talent. It's groovy, feel good, and dare I say makes you want to smile. Everyone should listen to brian wilson's music

It’s a good piece of pop orchestral music. But then good vibrations hits at the end and I can’t help but compare it (unfavorably) to Pet Sounds.

This was fine. You can tell it was supposed to be a Beach Boys album and honestly would have been better if it was. Brian Wilson’s voice isn’t what it used to be, and sadly sort of detracts from the songs since so much of the appeal of The Beach Boys is their harmonies and melodic voices. “Heroes and Villains” is definitely the standout song, but there’s no real clunkers here. Wish I could give this 3.5 stars, but it’s just not quite a 4 for me, so I have to round down.

A really nice and light feel, nostalgic sounds.

Excellent production and feel-good songs.

Listened while I mowed. Not bad

was having fun at the beginning but then I got bored

Weird, unexpected, quite good(?). Definitely challenged me with this one and left me feeling weirdly conflicted. This is musically top notch and recorded impeccably. It has an awesome warmth and depth of sound. But also wtf is this?? It has the feeling of an artists pet project where they have given up on any commercial considerations and have just thought, "Fuck it, I'm recording what I want". I'm here for it, but equally I'll never listen to this again off my own bat.

Brian Wilson c'est un mélange de génie et de one-trick pony. Album inclassable, ambitieux, original, mais semi-écoutable. Qu'on reçoive cette suggestion le lendemain de sa mort soulève beaucoup de questions et j'exige des réponses de la part du créateur de ce générateur aléatoire.

the album is overall pleasant, reminds me of church at times. it's alright.

This was OK, kind of obnoxious. It had some highlights though, Good Vibrations, slidewhistles and what not. 3/5

Impressive how much this feels like vintage Beach Boys. But like a lesser album than pet sounds. Does it recapture the old glory? At times. Heroes and Villains is pretty solid. But the beach boys schtick wears quickly. And this album is quite long, with sharply diminishing quality over its runtime. But how wild is it that this was assigned the day after his death? That's so odd it makes me suspicious of the randomness...

This album was a playful one and I can appreciate an artist in their fifth decade of music still having that kind of energy. But at the end of the day, there doesn't appear to be enough new sounds or anything really interesting that grabs your attention too much. 3.5 stars, but rounding down to 3.

Ultimately this is Brian Wilson trying to reconvene and recover a lost album, and while there’s great music and concepts, it all mushes together after the first 1/3 of the album. It’s not that I wouldn’t listen to it again, but it clearly takes some dedicated time to enjoy each song as it is and also find the common threads. Unfortunately it’s just not there for me now, but at least there’s some killer tunes.

I love Brian Wilson’s producing style and he does a lot of interesting things. However it’s a mid-3 from me, based on how much I liked listening to it. There are interesting components but it’s not interesting over all to just listen to. At risk of sounding pretentious, this would be a fun album to listen to someone who’s knowledgeable in music theory to dissect.

A big surprise from me. I didn't think I was going to like this but it was a great time. Good wholesome fun the whole way through.

Convenient this one popped up the day after Brian Wilson died. Ok album.

What a strange album but I definitely didn’t hate it. I definitely appreciate the writing because I have no idea how any of these ideas would have came up. And a song all about vegetables? Made me laugh.

Fun, but once is enough

Not bad, I really liked the song Heroes and Villains.

Bit too long, a couple of nice songs and the rest unremarkable. RIP though

Well, I'm sure quite a few people will be visiting this one today. It certainly lives up to the name in terms of the upbeat nature and tone which permeates through each track. If that goofy picture of the dog with the propellor hat and lollipop had a spotify playlist, you could guarantee a good chunk of this album would be there. Where I have problems as a listener is more or less the same that I had with Pet Sounds, I can recognize the production talent on display but can't say it gels with me stylistically. RIP Brian Wilson, I may not find a lot of your tracks to be something I could listen to regularly, but to downplay the joy you have brought to others and the influence your talents had on the music industry would be impossible.

Heroes and Villains was great. The rest was very pleasant. Interesting to hear the history of the album! Look forward to listening to some Beach Boys albums when they inevitably come up here!

I found this boring. We had to wait 30 years for this...

I suspect the random generator isn't so random. RIP Brian Wilson and your experimental odd harmonies.

Some of this is standard Beach Boys, and some of it is pretty experimental. Good Vibrations stands out as being very well developed and richer; the others sound lighter and more whimsical, mostly xylophone and vocal harmonization. Sometimes a kids show or singalong (Vega-Tables, On A Holiday), some a soundtrack for a travel advert (In Blue Hawaii), This album doesn't want to be a big thing, just a bit of occasional whimsy to match its title.

I know he's a musical genius and I appreciate his career and contributions, but this isn't something I would ever listen to.

This album is like some ultra manicured stately home garden where everything is so perfectly in place, including the striped lawn. It’s impeccably written, recorded and produced. Packed with perfect harmonies, interesting fills, and bits of whimsy. It feels more like a piece of art than an album in the normal sense. But like that garden, it also seems very fragile and not quite real, touch something and it will break. So while it’s extremely nice and pleasant to listen to, it’s hard to feel that you belong to it; like a stranger visiting someone else’s dream.

Cool grouping of tunes that play like the soundtrack of a pleasant day at a seashore; nay a beach. Much like Pet Sounds, this feels transparently dream-state in nature. Is that too obtuse of an analysis? Probably.

Prefer smiley smile, which has a lot of overlap. this was pretty long

I feel like I'm being gaslit that Brian Wilson is actually a genius because I thought that this was fine

This album also drove me crazy!

Sometimes beautiful, but sad in a lot of ways

His music is always pretty and ridiculously well produced.

I think I liked that guy’s review about how this is like a museum Art piece more than I like this album, but the man’s producer skills are undeniable.

It sounds like two things: The Beach Boys from the sixties, even though it was recorded in '04, and a musical or something. The result feels like a bad acid trip.

Interesting

this album almost broke my brain. almost. won't be able to listen again tho.

- war auch ganz moody, aber etwas zu lang für meinen Geschmack / mittig deutlich schwächer, als am Start u. am Ende

I hope there are lots of slide whistles, unnecessary banjos, crazy layered harmonies, songs with way too many sections and psychedelic circus tunes for you in the after life Brian! Vale! (not-so-random generator today!)

I am sure this came up because Brian Wilson just passed away. RIP. The music is quality, but the Beach Boys sound has never doe it for me and this was no exception.

What a strange album. This apparently supposed to be the follow up album to Pet Sounds in '67, but was then re-recorded and released by Brian in 2004? It also features 'Good Vibrations', which I remember being a Beach Boys song, not Brian Wilson specific... though I'm sure he wrote it. Anyways, to the music. This sounds like a straight up Beach Boys album to me mostly, which is not surprising given Brian seemed to be one of the main songwriters. You lack some of the choir voices usually heard on Beach Boys, but otherwise this is pretty bang Beach Boys on for me. I usually associate Beach Boys music with being cheerful, a bit up-tempo, experimental, and a bit quirky and nerdy somehow. This record has most of that as well, but adds some darker soundscapes in some songs at the of the album in 'Wind Chimes', 'Mrs. O'Leary's Cow', and 'Blue Hawaii', which I would never have expected from Beach Boys, so that might be where Brian puts some of his own identity stamp in. Beach Boys have never been my favourite band really. I always feel like they're on the border of sounding a bit too much like a Tom & Jerry's main theme, and that sound is still very present here. The overall experience was decent, but I had trouble finding songs that stood out that I liked.

Pleasant enough to work to

Nice summer time vibe with some classics thrown in

It's good, but it doesn't really speak to me.

I was first encouraged to listen to this in 2004 and I was curious to see how my engagement had evolved since then: turns out, not much. I have the same reservations and appreciations. Flashes of brilliance and confusion. I can't separate the showtune bedrock, insightful critique of American history, the pop sensibilities of heyday Beach Boys, classical references, operatic drama, mature wonderment, and pop Freudianism into the appropriate boxes. I can see how it has become mythic for some, but don't share the acolytes' wonderment.

This is apposite in light of his death this week. Are we due for a Sly Stone offering now as well? This feels like a grower but following a terrible international news week and a head that can barely carry a thought, I just can’t bring myself to smile.

Despite many (many) pundits and fans and Scott professing the genius of Brian Wilson, I've never been able to understand what it is that evokes the superlatives and insistence that he's the all-time greatest (or at least one of the all-time greats). And I don't mean to be dismissive — the arrangements are one-of-a-kind, the harmonies are distinctive, he's been massively influential, there's a lot to praise. It's the material, mostly, that keeps me at a distance. Whatever is turning Wilson on — the wind chimes, carrots, Plymouth Rock — doesn't connect. And I guess it's me... there are other artists I love who I might wax poetic about when they take ordinary things — like wind chimes, carrots, and rocks — and find beautiful stories and marvel at the simple truths they reveal. But here, they just seem so weird and covered in harmonies that sound like the ones from the other song. Good Vibrations is easily the best track on the record, IMO. I want to rate it higher, I know this is regarded as a masterpiece. I'm kind of flat down the middle.

I mean I always liked the Beach Boys. But to be honest, I never understood when people (whose music taste I mostly agree with...looking at you, Scotty) speak about the brilliance of Pet Sounds and the musical mastermind of Brian Wilson. Thought this album was fine but I hear his voice and all I'm doing is waiting for him to start singing God Only Knows. RIP though. I appreciate his contribution to the American musical canon....god only knows where we'd be without you.

Nice album but not really a favorite of mine from the bunch of Brian Wilson / Beach Boys collection. I enjoy just about all of his / their output, but this one feels a little too cinematic for the sake of being cinematic, and less like brilliant pop songs with great melody, harmony, and arrangements. It feels like as soon as you get into a section and start to groove to it, it switches to something else. One section is a complex multi-voice vocal arrangement and then 10 seconds later it's a big concert-bass drum / clean electric guitar part, and then 10 seconds later it's a minor harpsichord part, and none of these switches have been gradual, all sudden. It kind of demands your full attention- even writing this review while listening is a challenge. With every sentence, I've missed some short section. Because of this, the album feels a bit disjointed. I still think it's a nice record though, and it's really a testament to Brian Wilson that he can do something like this and it will still work to an extent. RIP.

It's good, it's beautiful, but outside of the big hits I must say that very little of Smile ends up being memorable. Big respect for finally putting this out, but I didn't hear the masterpiece some claim it is.

I think the original idea would have been amazing in 1967, but sometime some things should say in the Land of Imagination. I also don't think Jodorowsky's Dune would be great if it was finally made today, for example.

This album is difficult for me to judge. The music and unique harmonies are undeniable. The themes are childish and just not my style. I believe that this fully represents Brian Wilson's art, which is great, but just not to my taste. I probably won't listen to this much. 3.5/5

This album is an audio fever dream. I had violent swings between absolutely hating this and finding certain parts bringing me back in and enjoying it.

Man, these looney tunes noises are just not doing it for me. Otherwise a very pleasant listen with a very interesting history.

For the first time in 250 albums I feel like I can't give an album a proper rating. At first I questioned why an album from a washed up star 50 years ago was on here but I looked into the history of the album. I feel like the context is important here and not the music (for the most part). While I do like some of the more popular Beach Boys songs I wouldn't really call myself a fan. (That being said, I saw them last year at a festival and the blew the metaphorical roof off the place. 45 minutes of straight bangers) 5/10 I guess because I don't really have a good score for this. Will definitely change on a re-listen.

Honestly really enjoyed this. The vocal percussion is fun throughout, and the fact that he has what sounds like a whole damn orchestra on top of that makes you feel smothered in sound. In a good way. It's also such a happy album that easily put a smile on my face, which seems to have been the goal. Best: Child is the Father of the Man Worst: Vega-Tables

This album also drove me crazy!

this sounds like a very personal album and it also sounds very beach boys. unfortunately i don’t really care about brian wilson and i don’t love the beach boys. essentially this album wouldn’t be anywhere near the list if he wasn’t in the beach boys so idk if it should be here now. low 3 because there was at least some interesting stuff there but we’re very close to a 2

Ikke helt min greie, om æ vil høre Beach Boys-aktig musikk hadde æ nu vel like gjerne hørt på Beach Boys, ikke det her? Men bonuspoeng for at vi kjørte forbi en gård med sauer og lam ute på jordet i det «Barnyard» begynte med et bææ.

Thought it was okay, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Pet Sounds. It was interesting to read the history of the album and I can see why people love it but it just didn’t do it for me. Fav song: Good Vibrations - also quite liked Cabin Essence and Heroes and Villains - Instrumental Least fav: Mrs O’Leary’s Cow

It's strange to hear an album released in 2004 that belongs so squarely in the 1960's. I like the Beach Boys sound (I'm always a sucker for harmonies), but it's interesting that he didn't evolve the sound much. I listened to this album over and over today. It has a great sound, the same harmonies, the interesting mix of instruments/sounds, and some interesting progression in the songs (not just a simple verse/chorus), etc. But none of the tracks really hooked me, besides Good Vibrations, which is the one track from other albums.

Historic. But 33 years too late. So, not historic.

Has those classic Beach Boy type harmonies. Brian is a master composer, album feels like a musical. Enjoyable, just not an everyday type listen for me.

La tête pensante des beach boys. Un homme plein de talent et longtemps plein de drogues dures mais bon ça rend créatif. Après franchement je trouve que l'album est un peu vu et revu. C'est sympa mais rien de nouveau.

I was interested to listen to this having seen the film and being aware of the story, but the music really did nothing for me, especially when Good Vibrations came on and I realised that's what I'd rather have been listening to for the last 40 minutes.

It’s good, but I don’t get the acclaim. Maybe I need another listen, or for someone to explain to me why this album is so worthy of this list. I mean it isn’t bad, it’s actually quite enjoyable. It just didn’t knock my socks off.

I understand how influential this guy and The Beach Boys were, just can’t listen to more than a song or two at once.

Pet Sounds is one of the greatest albums ever made. This ain’t Pet Sounds.

Thoughts before listening: The Beach Boys' lost masterpiece that was finally finished and released by Brian Wilson in the 2000s. I think that's the story here. I assume the music here will be similar to Pet Sounds or Surfs Up meaning orchestrated pop songs as opposed to surf rock. Review: This is okay, but the best songs on here are the ones I already knew..."Heroes and Villains" and Good Vibrations". There are some moments that I enjoy throughout, but none of the other songs really do much for me as a whole. This feels like a bunch of different ideas that got strung together as a full album...which I guess is true. I feel like this album's history as Brian Wilson's lost masterpiece makes for a better story than it does a listening experience. 3-stars

Compositions are incredible - Abbey Road/White Album come to mind. But too many of them are a little too odd to get me really excited about the album as a whole. The big hits are great, but beyond those, I didn't connect with as much of the cute/weirdness of it as it's clear other people do.

I know I only got into the Beach Boys last year in tandem with getting Surf's Up and Pet Sounds in my album journey thus far. Of the members in that group, I have praised Brian Wilson for taking on the bulk of the songwriting, encouraging his bandmates to tackle more ambitious, progressive songs than the standard surf rock affair they were known for. So naturally, the pressure was placed squarely on Brian for the follow-up to Pet Sounds. Brian worked closely with session musician Van Dyke Parks for what would have been the Beach Boys' twelfth studio album Smile, aiming for a more ambitious album that would have further rebuked against contemporary rock bands and the then-rampant British Invasion. Unfortunately, due to a combination of legal entanglements with their label Capitol Records, Parks' withdrawal from the project, and more importantly, Brian's deteriorating mental health, Smile was scrapped. It was just too much for him to handle, spurred on by all the drug use, personal drive for perfection, and the perceived competition he had with the Beatles, who were working on Sgt. Pepper during this time. Songs written and recorded during the Smile sessions were repurposed for the Beach Boys' next album, Smiley Smile, and subsequent releases through the 1970s. Recordings from those sessions were bootlegged and shared around fans as they tried to piece together what the original Smile album would have been like. Brian himself would be haunted for decades by the abject failure of the unfinished album, reclusing himself from his bandmates and turning to drugs and alcohol on multiple occasions through the years. After a second intervention, Brian bounced back and pursued a successful solo career. Then, in 1995, Brian reunited with Parks for a collaborative album, and afterward was invited to a concert performed by the Wondermints, a group led by keyboardist Darian Sahanaja who were fans of Brian Wilson's work with the Beach Boys. After impressing Brian, the Wondermints accepted an offer to join his live band, and they collectively enjoyed a few successful tours. After warming up to the idea, Brian and his new backing band performed a live set of the Smile album. Through working with Parks and Darian, Brian wrote, recorded, and completed a new album under the name Brian Wilson Presents Smile, a collection of the tracks from those original sessions reworked and organized into three separate movements. That was a lot of exposition before even talking about the album. Getting Smile done in some fashion had to have been cathartic for Brian after it hung over his head for all those years. In a sense, I'm glad this album exists to free a man from the mental shackles he carried all that time. I just wish the album itself clicked more for me. Don't get me wrong; this album is good. A lot of care was taken during the recording process to make these albums sound like they would have in the 1960s, as Brian, his backing band, and the accompanying strings and horns section played effortlessly through this curated work. Some excellent songs got translated well here, including "Heroes and Villains", "Cabin Essence", "Surf's Up", "In Blue Hawaii", and of course "Good Vibrations". My frustrations stem from how this album comes across as a hodgepodge of good ideas stitched together under the loose concept of American history and iconography without a cohesive narrative. From the recolonization of America on "Roll Plymouth Rock" into the animal noises that accompany "Barnyard" and the short medley of "Old Master Painter" and "You Are My Sunshine" in movement one, the medley of "I'm in Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop" that leads to the tongue-in-cheek "Vega-Tables" to start movement three, and the complete insanity that is "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow", there are so many ideas that tonally clash at each other even as Brian and Darian tried sequencing each track into the next. The closest semblance of a thematic tie is movement two, where the sequence from "Wonderful" to "Child Is the Father of Man" works in the shared contemplations of spirituality and childhood, followed by the still-excellent "Surf's Up" about one's spiritual awakening. At the end of the day, I'm glad that Smile is out there in some form as the much-overdue unburdening Brian needed. It is important that the artist themselves enjoy the art they put out in the world. If Brian himself enjoys it, then I respect that, even if I don't fully connect with it.

Kinda disappointing, noodly, self indulgent and quite annoying with all the slide whistles and circus crap. Maybe Mike Love was the talented one. Gets a bonus star for the version of Good Vibrations tho.

I really wish I liked this more. Unfortunately, it's just a replica of an antique artifact. Decades too late, the spark that could have made this album truly great has been long extinguished. Add a half-star because the song, "Barnyard" was the inspiration for a hilarious scene in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."

Sort of a jumbled mess. It's like he needed a couple Beach Boys around to tell him every dooo weee ooo and slide whistle didn't need to be included. 2.5.

Incredibly creepy fall out vibes

Nurse, I think we are going to have to increase the dose.

Didn’t realise Brian Wilson was from the beach boys initially until I did a bit of reading. The album was ok, no stand out tracks for me

Not for me. Too many slide whistles.

This is by no means a bad album. But it's too bubble gummy for my taste to listen to it for too long. But again, this is not a bad album.

Half genius and half freewheeling crazy circus with a dab of movie soundtrack… but incoherent, maybe should have been two albums. Good vibrations is tops though but does not save it 3.33

Enjoyed this. Felt like summer.

With the best will in the world, this is a tiny bit of a disappointment. It still gets a decent score, because Brian Wilson is outrageously talented, creates heart-soaring melodies and is often lyrically interesting, but actually there is waaaaaaay too much noodling around, sub-outtake level stuff and half-baked ideas on here. It felt longer than it was, is what I'm saying. Still, I'm reserving the right to be totally negative and then contradict that with a score in the high threes.

A wonderfully produced concept album that unfortunately goes for a vibe I don't care for at all. It's hard for me to come up with any criticism for this album. It has great, detailed, lush production with fantastic vocals. I think it's really good. The only problem that ruins that whole experience for me is that I don't like this pastoral, lively vibe. As a person who hates everything about the countryside, I obviously find the atmosphere this album presets significantly less romantic than Brian Wilson. It is also almost entirely vocal-focused—the vocals are on the top of the mix in most songs—and since I don't particularly enjoy vocals, this is another point that brings this album down for me. Yeah, I think Smile is a great album that just happens to combine a couple of things I don't enjoy, therefore ruining the experience for me.

Bien

This one grew on me. I really didn't care for it at first but the more I listened, the more I enjoyed it. Parts of it kinda feel like if the Beach Boys were slightly psychedelic.

Unfinished beach boys album

This is so odd I don’t even know what to do with it.

I dig the harmonies, not so much the random slide whistles.

Alright, just sounded like Pet Sounds songs that were left on the chopping floor.

I most of the orchestration and music. But it did sound like an old man trying to be young. Something about it made it sound like an imitation of the beach Boys but I can't put my finger on it.

I think it's a bit overrated, although what the original would have been I can't say. Not bad though.

Interesting story behind this, finishing the album nearly 40 years after it was originally conceived. It does have a sound that is at its core a 60s beach boys album but with a much more modern production. I can't say pet sounds, this or the beach boys in general are really for me, when they are singing barber shop quartet songs about surfing they are fine if a bit one note, the more experimental stuff is in that 60s Beatles/kinks style that I don't like. Was an interesting listen and not terrible but won't be back. 2.5.

Very clearly beach boysey. Sounds very 60s, but released in 2004, makes sense knowing the story. I don't think there was anything here that wasn't done better by the beech boys at the time.... Which again makes sense given this was made up of a lot that didn't make an album back then! 2.5

I love me some good vocal harmonies in rock and pop music. Brian Wilson is a genius. However, I feel like on long time these songs sound too similar. An album that has much historical value but as a listening experience I would look for other Wilson and Beach Boys stuff.

I don’t get it. Here’s what I think happened: Brian Wilson is a genius. He is also a perfectionist. Faced with the singular failure of his 60s-era career, he spent approximately 35 years tinkering with this album, ultimately producing a work filled with half-baked ideas. Again, he’s a genius, so some of them kind of work on their own, but there’s no sense of cohesion.

I like the way it was put together, but wasn’t wowed by it.

Bri guy

I read a little blurb about this before listening that talked about this concept of "feels" which were looped portions of sound to maybe be used in songs, and I really liked that. I don't know that this is something that feels like an album of songs for listening to, but it's a pool of nice sounding little bits of music and sound.

Go watch Love & Mercy for this album's lore but also a heartbreaking performance by Paul Dano!

Han pasado muchos años desde su composición.

2,5

Trippy!

beach boy hangover. not better than the original

This album’s necessity has been surpassed by 2011’s Smile Sessions, but its significance is not to be overlooked. This is my first exposure to anything Smile-related, and even the Beach Boys as a whole are still fairly alien to my ears. But this is what I’d expect from Wilson. A forty-seven minute exposition in sunshine-y harmonies, taking on various mid-century pop hits and a fair few Beach Boys originals. Capitulating in a (barely differential, but noticeable all the same) rendition of one of the most stratospheric songs in popular music, Good Vibrations. Looking at each individual song of itself will likely reveal all sorts of intricacies with songwriting and production excellence, but an overview of the entire escapade will only produce a haze of baroque harmonies, and that’s just fine, I suppose. I guess I need to listen to “every good song by the Beach Boys. All the underground hits. All the Modern Lovers tracks.”

Not my thing

Weird mix of beachboys find and kind show band yacht Rock. Not terrible

Not great but a interesting add on to pet sounds personally. Would recommend to listen it after Pet Sounds if someone haven't heard it yet. Makes the album better in my opinion.

This is hard. I wanted to love his magnum opus more than I actually did. It pains me to say that the actual, finished Beach Boys albums that Brian Wilson did were the best versions, in my opinion.

cabin essence is the only song on here that i prefer to the beach boys smile

Brian Wilson is in that category of “he’s so genius he’s crazy or so crazy he’s genius” (he’s mentally very similar to David Lynch to me). He’s undoubtedly unique though and it was quite an experience listening to this all the way through, I love the way the sound smoothly progresses across the album. It sounds like the ache of nostalgia, pretty and sad.

This album gets 6 stars from me for originality and inventiveness. Brian Wilson finally realized his vision for the follow up to "Pet Sounds" and it's quite amazing. Bands like the High Llamas and others owe their careers to the atmospheres created by the likes of the various versions of "Smile" that have circulated across the decades. For me, though, this album is "Good Vibrations", an absolute '60s masterpiece of production, performance and songwriting, and "Vega-tables" and "Heroes & Villains" and a bunch of other tracks that I don't have the patience for. I don't know why I imprinted on "Vega-tables" in it's "Smiley Smile" incarnation back in the day, but I still like that version better than the cacophony of this "Smile"'s version. I get why people call this a masterpiece, but if someone told me I had to listen to a Beach Boys album I would almost always pick "Pet Sounds".

I much prefer Smiley Smile to this boomer nostalgia tour. I mean, it's good and all, but there's nothing new here except Brian Wilson's less-good voice.

Ok, pretty much justs the beach boys

It’s ok… a little over the top

Usually I try to judge an album on its own merits and mostly ignore the story behind them. This one makes that pretty easy. Good album though. Favorites were Good Vibrations, Roll Plymouth Rock, and Old Master Painter (s/o my goat)

A psychedelic album about Americana and humor really only appeals to that generation who had access to less tainted drugs, could own homes with ease, and every job they fell ass first into had a pension waiting for them. I like The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson is clearly talented. But I’m not smiling.

I don’t get it. Why are you having me listen to an album of children’s music? I’m a grown up.

I know Brian Wilson is part of the Beach Boys, but this records is too Beach Boys. Shouldn't it be different? Or else, shouldn't this be a Beach Boys record? Cool, but not cool.

The Beach Boys have never been my thing, and this is the same thing.

What a really strange album. The story behind it existing is pretty incredible and I'm glad to see that it came to fruition, but I do want to be sure to take that element out of because I think that would give it an unfair advantage in ranking. Without the story of how the album came to be in mind, this feels a bit unfinished. It's like a bootleg of demos and tracks that often stop in the middle of the song and pick back up with something else which makes it feel all over the place. There's an extremely haunting, melancholy darkness to this whole thing. The music is often child-like and carnivalesque with lyrics that sound brooding and dark. I can appreciate what the album is trying to do, but I just don't feel like this wholly works for me. There's something about this that reminds me of that revival of 'Oklahoma,' where everything appears sunny and cheery but there's a dark underbelly hidden below the surface. I appreciate that artistic intent, but wish it was executed fully (or even purposefully?).

Excellent recording but I don't see myself listening to it again

unrelated but im too dedicated to this 1001 album journey. you ever just get home from a long ass of doing work with very little breaks and you want to sleep but then you remember you have to listen to a Brian Wilson because a website told you to. im lowkey a weak minded individual its cute i supposed. its a fine body of work, i like the acapella stuff its so jolly. never listening to this every again tho. type of album that you to be miserable and insufferable to not like. im might be miserable and insufferable because i lowkey hate some songs on this album

I appreciate this album for what it is and for what other people see in it. Wilson's vocals are great and I love the harmonies, but the more experimental style is a little lost on me. Great musically but not for me conceptually. A little sporadic.

Maybe I don’t get this one, pretty nice though

Good vibrations

It was pretty neat, but not really my jam. I'm glad he was able to make this on his own terms though.