Smile

Missing the energy and fun of The Beach Boys. Ambitious without a payoff. Also kind of weird.

spamming Beach Boys harmony

A bit all over the place - mixes several genres in one album, hard to follow.

That's not my taste in Musik. But ok

I don't have the patience for this jolly hokum. Immaculate production of course; of a caterwauling cavalcade of sideshow tinged, swanee-whistle riddled, clippety-clop, honky-tonk nonsense.

big meh

So clownish, not the best Top tracks: Good Vibrations

A reason i'm not a big 60s fan is because there often are a lot of silly musical ideas used. The hits are still good but a lot of songs sound like musicals or kids songs which is not really my cup of tea. Not bad, just not my style

This style of music really doesn't carry well to today.

Ok so normally people say this was not what I expected and I loved it…..so here we go - this was not what I expected and it kinda sucked. It all feels a bit half assed. I like the Beach Boys which is what saved this from getting 1 star. Barnyard was a particular low point but by no means the only one - that’s right I am looking at you Vega-Tables! I feel I am starting go on a bit but this reminds me of the solo efforts of Syd Barrett and John Frusciante. They were all better in their respective bands where they had others to rein in the worse of their creative excesses.

I guess it was an answer to an interesting question... what would a more modern take on the Beach Boys sound like? For this, Brian seems to have doubled down on classic harmonies and declared success. Unfortunately, though the harmonies are clean, I have the same enthusiasm for a barbershop quartet or some sideshow singers. Its nothing without actually having good songs. And maybe this was intended at a elementary school audience (i'm looking at you vegetable song), but that you can still have decent songs. The fact that they put a version of Good Vibrations on the album is just a painful reminder of what a good song would sound like. A slog to get through.

So at first I liked it but then I was just confused and stayed that way. I wanted to smile but I just couldn't get past my sense of confusion plus burning was particularly amazing or revolutionary. It felt like the guy at the party that is way high and thinks he is amazing and making something amazing and everyone is looking at him like he is crazy

I don't even know. I'm going to leave alone terms like "good" and "bad" and just say that I was very confused by this album. My ears really had a hard time hearing it. Not my thing.

Mostly not my sound but has a couple of good songs that sound a lot like Animal Collective

Cant tell if this is a band just doing covers? Not my thing

ugh. why does it sound like that. llike someone d wording....anyway

vilssonin veljekset taas riehumassa heheh mussukoita mussukoita.. dementiikkoja elää menneisyydesdä, nähnyt monta kertaa tälläistä surutapaus, murheellusten laulujen maa oikeesti vaikka kuulostaa ensikuunnelma whimsical, hulvaton. kun jaksaa miettiä oikkiriikkuisen syvemmälle, aivan vitun kauhistuttava teos.. portti ihmismielen kierouteen ja kaamokseen... selkäpiitä alkaa karmimaan karmivaan pikkuhiljaa jos vähä mietuskelee.. good vibrations

The Beach Boys are an iconic band and have such a unique sound. Not a ton of variety in the sound, but what they do works. I expected a lot of that to carry into this album, and it kind of does, but it also has so many other things going on--mostly to the album's detriment. Many songs feel like they change completely verse by verse, and it really starts to sound like it was made in an asylum. The schizophrenic nature of the songs mixed with the happy singing style is almost unsettling. Couple that with the title Smile it almost gives off the elements of the Joker. However, it's obvious that wasn't the intention so that just makes it a bit awkward. Favorite track "Good vibrations" 2/5

It’s just really not my jam

First few songs were aight, but I cant stand a whole album of these songs parodying old rock and roll a cappella

Kinda slow

Never was a fan of his music but I certainly appreciate his genius. 2

Buddy, I’m frowning.

Felt really dated and many of the songs were incomplete.

Was not a fan of this music. Beach Boys were legendary and revolutionary but still doing the same thing but worse in 2004 was not what I was looking for

This is compositionally very interesting but I can’t say I enjoy listening to it. I feel like maybe it’s intended for small children?

i hold mr wilson in very high esteem but this record is fkn annoying

Does not suit my "type" of listening. But a good album, anyway, always thankful for your suggestions ;-)

I thought I was gonna like this one a lot more. Normally I’m into kid music but this was kind of frantic and a little too weird to fully enjoy. I found myself waiting for the album to just be over.

Un disco raro. A veces alegre, a veces con llamados de pájaros al fondo. Me gustaron algunas canciones, pero muchas otras no fueron de mi agrado. Estoy comenzando a ver un patrón en los discos que salen en ésta lista, para ser escogidos: han de tener ruidos raros mezclados con musica.

I *think* I like the Beach Boys. I hear snippets on the radio or whatever and often note "I should listen to more Beach Boys". Then I listen to more Beach Boys and realise that I actually find their sound deeply irritating. I don't know why, it's objectively pleasant. So this is 51 minutes of music that, for some reason, irritated the life out of me.

Kinda same old same old

Actual children music

Como disco conceptual tiene un pasaje buenísimo. Pero no me alcanza, separados los temas son flojos como para playlist. Parece música de circo.

I didn’t quite “get” the brilliance of “Pet Sounds,” so I was probably unlikely to get the long-lost follow-up that saw Brian Wilson collapsing under the pressure to live up to the label of “genius.” It is kind of amazing that Wilson came back to this music decades after his mental health deteriorated during the original recording sessions. That had to dig up some trauma. I feel like most of this music would benefit from more simplicity, but instead Wilson adds layers upon layers - of backing vocals, or unconventional instruments. And sometimes he really just lets the weirdness flow. Is it music intended for children? Hippies on a trip? Or just a statement of challenge to those calling Wilson a genius? Sometimes I think artists who receive that label test the critics (and the public) to see just how far they can take things, just what they can get away with and have people fawn over this oh-so-very deep art. We could analyze the art all day, but in the end, the album rarely made me smile, instead just leaving me quizzically curious. Wilson might have come back to the material after decades, but it’s not something I would return to.

Lost me at the barnyard animals

Je kan zeggen wat je wil over Brian Wilson, maar ik vond dit helemaal niks

Ja er kann es und zitiert sich eifrig selbst. Leider ist es nicht meine Musik.

It’s a beautiful sound, but I find the album too long and uneventful.

2 stars only, because 1 star wouldn't be considered Good Vibrations

Geht so

Deze muziek was zo oppervlakkig dat ik me afvraag of ik het überhaupt geluisterd heb.

Ja zit wel vet in elkaar ofzo maar had er echt ff geen zin in

Hard to hear this album without thinking of the story of it. Clearly not Pet Sounds and way past prime but there is still quality here. It almost sounds a bit zanier and like a circus at times. Vega-tables shows what happens after a mind is damaged. I can't give this album a one but isn't the best.

Decent album with a lot of varying sounds and instruments. I like how it would transition suddenly into new sections or songs. But I always feel underwhelmed by Brian Wilson/Beach Boys, to me the hype around them always make it seem like it's going to be way more experimental or varied than it actually is. At the end of the day I'm left very underwhelmed, but it was a pleasant listen.

That album cover looks like a Veggie Tales logo. Music sounds like the soundtrack for a clown on a surfboard. Super tight harmonies and minors, but too many twiddly-dinks, boinks, and wabba-wabbas to take too seriously.

The only fun thing about this album was its name. Kinda just drug in and to me sounded off pitch. Don’t see myself returning for this band again.

It's like they pulled the fun out of the Beach Boys. There were definitely some creative parts, but that didn't make them good. I don't see myself returning to this. 2/5

I found it all over the place. Not bad but strange, I guess the legacy of something unfinished and the earlier context. The Wikipedia entries were useful backstory. Mrs o'learys cow was very strange.

An old man recording an album he wrote in his 20s which caused him to have a nervous breakdown is always going to give off quite specific vibes. I thought it was fine. Some well known tracks like Good Vibrations had less of an impact because he obviously went on to record them anyway with the Beach Boys. Happy for him he got to make this. I found it inessential and with too many comedy whistles

I remember this coming out and it was such a big deal. It’s just retread Beach Boys harmonies. Not good.

If Brian Wilson intended this to be some opus of a rock opera, he missed the mark. It's more like a bury it under a rock and never listen to it again opera. The Beach Boys at least had life in their music. This is DOA from the get

Some parts were ok, some parallels to revolver, overall very self indulgent

Overall, I did not enjoy this album at all. I am not a fan of this type of music and it felt kinda boring sometimes. I did enjoy the newer rendition of "Good Vibrations", so thats something. Favorite Song(s): "Good Vibration"

no sir, i don't like it (besides good vibrations)

Beach boys were better

Bleh. Late career Brian Wilson not for me. Youthful and upbeat but just felt like unexciting pop overall.

Here's a fun story. Brian Wilson was doing an autograph signing for this very album, when none other than Don Henley showed up wanting his very own copy of "Smile" signed by the former Beach Boy. Or maybe it wasn't an autograph signing at all. Maybe Henley saw Wilson backstage after a show and asked him to sign the album. Or Henley just happened to be in the neighborhood and did an unannounced pop in at Wilson's home with album and marker in tow. Whatever. So Henley hands the album to Wilson to sign, to which Brian writes, "To Don, Thank you for all the great music. Brian Wilson". But that wasn't all. Wilson then crossed out the word "great" and wrote the word "good" above it, so that it read "Thank you for all the g̶r̶e̶a̶t̶ good music". It made Henley laugh, and he enjoyed it so much he framed the album and proudly displayed it in his home. Now I have no idea if that story is true or not. I've heard it told by John Cusack of all people, and lately I wouldn't refer to Cusack as a reliable narrator of any sort. All I know for sure is that I prefer to live in a world where that story is true. And I enjoy that story a lot more than I enjoy listening to this album. The harmonies sound fake, like they were all computer generated. It's like the hangover album to Pet Sounds. I'm down grading from a 3 to a 2 as my way of crossing out the word "good" and replacing it with "fine".

Did not really enjoy

An easy listen, but unremarkable. Nothing here really stands out and I was finished with the album before I knew it. I do get Temptations vibes from it though.

Sounded like a carnival.

This week of albums has been testing my willpower. Can I please get a good album?? Top Tracks: 1) Good Vibrations 2) Cabin Essence 3) Roll Plymouth Rock

genuine question, why was this album created? bro was part of one of the biggest 60s bands and then 4 decades later he's like "yo, let's re-release most of the songs from that era cuz i mostly wrote and i need more money. Plus here's some filler songs to add to the album so it's not only Beach Boys songs" Does this album really need to be on this list?

I don't know the background to this album but it felt long and meandering and goofy at times with instruments like the kazoo, didn't like it

Olipahan laimea kokemus.

Omaan makuun aika basic. Ei erityisesti huomiota herättävää, vaikka varmastikin aikansa huipputuote

I saved Heroes and Villains because I know I have heard that in multiple movies, possibly Fantastic Mr Fox? Other than that, a lot of skips. I'm not a huge Brian Wilson fan, nor do I know why he remade songs like Good Vibrations when the original did just fine. I know that this is one of his best albums I think so it makes sense why it is on this list, but I wasn't a huge fan. UPDATE: I have checked and H&V is on Fantastic Mr. Fox...as The Beach Boys. So is this album just all covers? Further investigation into the wiki slot above states "It features all-new recordings of music that he had originally created for Smile, an unfinished album by the Beach Boys that he abandoned in 1967". I wonder what Brian thinks constitutes "all new recordings" when most of these are just the same songs. Not sure how this was "an intense emotional undertaking" for him, unless he felt so torn on whether to reuse his songs to an unsuspecting public. Maybe there is a more true version of this but I really don't care.

Not my thing

Still can't figure out how a band who sounds like childrens and Christmas music were pop sensations.

Spongebob music. I keep forgetting this is an actual genre of music and not just something you put in a movie opening to symbolize a happy day.

babe you left your legendary stamp on rock n roll no need to rehash old ideas. it’s fine Brian but really just play the hits , nobody cares about your post beach boys career. even you know it, because you rerecorded one of your biggest hits for this project. why? just hang it up man. you did your hard. legacy acts can’t create music that’s better than what they’re known for so why bother. what was that shit about the barnyard. what? heroes and villains? what about them brian ? what’s your fucking point? just looking for words to full the syllabus? jeeeesus man. shit is too long also.

I know people love Brian Wilson but I just don’t get it, and I did try

I'm torn on this one. I mean it's SMiLE! And it has Good Vibrations on it! But so much of the album just seems meandering and lost that I can't say I liked it overall.

Soooo it really is like children's music adapted to adult tastes, but unfortunately in that process it didn't mature too much. I like the lush instrumentation and more atmospheric songs, but it really was just too children/christmas music vibes for me. I think the story behind this record is better than the record itself. 4/10

I feel bad for asking, but is this a joke?

Didn't do much for me...

All of the worst things about the Beach Boys. Okay he harmonizes well and has a high voice. Why does everyone fall over themselves to worship this guy?

This album is just okay. The story behind it is more interesting.

There's a reason I don't like The Beach Boys.... and this album was a reminder of that. I'm sure there are those who really love this album. I am also sure I'm definitely not one of them.

Trop d’harmonie. Trop de sons differents. Overwhelmed 4.5/10

I was unsure whether this was a sprawling work of genius or a sprawling mess and I’ve definitely alighted on the latter.

Vocal harmonies are impressive, but only listenable personally when driven by other musical components. Like... you know, psychedelic surf rock-ish guitars and bass, or maybe some dumb pop beat... Folksy arrangements driving the signature Beach Boys harmonies are great and I can see why people would love it. But in my case, it gave me more earache than wows.

Prehappy za moj ukus

Realizing I’m not a fan of The Beach Boys without the vocal harmonies - the songwriting here is good, just not a fan of the execution vocally or with some of the instrumentals.

sounds too much like the Beach Boys - I don't 'get' the Beach Boys

I don’t know if it’s possible to be derivative of your past self. If you can, this would be the first album I’d add to that list. It’s so disappointing because Brian Wilson can be pure magic, but this just feels like flaccid covers of a past life. I’d have preferred 52 minutes of chorale arrangements like that first song. That song was beautiful.

i first listened to this right after watching love and mercy, and i was so excited because the soundtrack of that movie includes all my favorite beach boys songs. this album, however, was a massive letdown. it has a few good moments, but otherwise it feels like a parody of itself more than anything real. it’s a shame, because i feel like wilson had the ability to do something really great.

I really like what Brian Wilson did back in the 60’s but then he went a little too hard with the acid and coupled with his rough upbringing and depression and spent the next 4 decades finishing this album off and on. It sounds like it. I imagine this is what Pet Sounds sounds like on LSD. I don’t hate it, but it’s hard to get into certain songs when they just go, ummm, crazy.

Not sure what this was?

From the opening notes, I could tell this was intended as Beach Boys material. It sounds more like a Beach Boys concept in some places, and in other places seems far more experimental. Much of the music is "there" from a Beach Boys perspective, but only some parts feel like they were done to completion, while other things feel a bit more disjointed, unfinished, and pieced together, making this all a bit anemic and lacking cohesion to me. That said, I don't think I was able to disconnect it from its source and embrace it for what it is. While it is cool to see an unrealized album get new life breathed into it (and with equipment similar to what was used back in the 60s), it also just rang as a bit sad. Considering Good Vibrations was intended for the original "form" of this album back in 1967, Smile stands as a bit of a sad tribute to the music that was and what could have been. Music that lit up the 60s as sunshine pop has kind of a weird cloud overhead on this album. But I guess if you're a Brian Wilson/Beach Boys/surf and sunshine music aficionado, this might come off more as a triumph of musical restoration after years of it not getting created. All a matter of perspective, I guess. But for me: I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I am glad I heard it and read about its very bumpy history, but I also think it went over my head. I appreciated the weirdness, but I didn't connect with it.

Yup, sounds like The Beach Boys. Yup, sounds like someone’s sanity slowly collapsing

Couldn't get into this.

I couldn't get into this at all. It just seemed a little unhinged and would need lots of edits to become something I'd be interested in listening to. 2/5

Je peux reconnaitre la qualité de cet album dans le sens que clairement il y a un fil conducteur, une idée, un aspect progressif très travaillé. Mais ce style de musique ne réussit juste pas à m'intéresser, principalement à cause de tout les "mbop" et aurtes vocalises en background.

Stay in the 60's bub.

Poe, dat was wel ernstige zoete Beach Boy muziek. Niet geschikt voor de zondagochtend

Het kan misschien het verkeerde moment zijn voor Brian, dus ik ga overwogen of ik het later nog eens probeer... Ok, ik heb er over nagedacht, maar nee!

Dit schijnt dan een vergeten Beach Boys project uit eind jaren 60 te zijn, wat weer nieuw leven in is geblazen door Brian Wilson. Wat mij betreft was het gewoon ergens op een plank blijven liggen want ik snap niet zo goed wat hier nou zo briljant aan is. Heel veel harmonieen en heel veel tum-ti-tum whooo-hooooo's.

Kinda boring album, doesn't really move me.

A little too dated and while has some beach boy vibe on some, kinda different and not enjoyable for me to listen to for an album or many of the songs.

not as good as dennis. i get why this was always referred to as a masterpiece and after reading about dennis' album i understand more that this is a joining of classical and pop music which makes it make more sense to me. however respect and enjoyment don't always go hand in hand. the worst bit about the beach boys was their high pitched harmonies of which there are quite a lot in here and the whole feel of the album got boring to me pretty quickly.

This is a 60s album without the charm, beach boys nostalgia but doesn’t quite do it for me. 2.5

Having grown up with Smiley Smile & various bootlegs of Smile, I was stoked to check this out when it came out in 2004, but frankly 2011’s Smile Sessions, Smiley Smile & the various bootlegs sound so much better than this re-recorded tripe. The best thing about this album is that there is a definitive track listing/sequencing, but would Smile have actually been released as a 52 minute double album in 1967? This release should be replaced in the book by the Smile Sessions.

Started off okay and I was like “Brian Wilson - toe tapper city”, but as it went on it just started to annoy the shit out of me. A large gripe of mine is that there shouldn’t be any period in history where an album is composed of instruments found in a clown’s handbag. There is absolutely no need for the amount of whizzle poppers and snazzle bangers that appear on this album - whatever you want to call them, you know what I mean. A lot of my annoyance may be down to the fact that I was walking the dog in the dark when listening to this and a rogue whizzle popper came out of nowhere and scared the shit out of me, but you’ll never know for sure. I felt things were made okay again by the time I got around to Good Vibrations, but then I remembered this lasting image of Brian playing a festival somewhere (might have been glasto), singing this song and the crowd having a great time, but he just looked gutted to be there. Like a bad night in the casino had forced him to play a gig purely to take him out of the red. Hate that. It’s getting a 2. I know it’s harsh but I’m at odds with how an album called ‘Smile’ can put me in a bad mood. Seems almost patronising thinking about it. “Smile - it may never happen.” Fuck off, Brian.

Kinda cool, but a bit too weird to be going back to it much, if at all.

Not a fan

Generally dislike Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. I can only handle the sound for so long.

This is a weird album. It's like Beach Boy fan fiction. The story behind it is weird too. Apparently Brian wrote this with the original Beach Boys in the 60's. Something happened that blew everything up. He agreed to come back and continue work on it in the 2000's, and finally released it. It's too over the top for me.

It’s just fine. Felt like something was missing, but I didn’t know why. I enjoyed listening to Good Vibrations but will just add the original to my playlist when that comes around. This is a 2, no playlist adds.

Brian Sneedson

The instrumental tracks were the only ones I found interesting. I read the description after listening to the album and it really helped me understand the mess I had just heard. It’s basically an unfinished Beach Boys album that only Brian Wilson contributed to. While no doubt he was a creative powerhouse in the band this is proof that creativity is not just about adding things it’s knowing when to stop or remove things that aren’t adding to the overall piece. A lot of good ideas here but they’re mostly ruined by being sandwiched in between nonsense; leaving very few tracks that I would willingly return to for a second listen. Had I heard this for the first time in 1970 I would’ve undoubtedly been blown away but being released in 2004 it was decades late and outperformed by many other artists. Can’t imagine how this made it on this list

Honestly I dont get this album ...

It mostly sounds half baked.

From my understanding, this album was definitely a labor of love and trauma for Brian Wilson, but unfortunately it missed it's mark for me. It read as very creepy and nightmarish to me with it's harmonies and child-like themes...would have worked as the soundtrack for a horror movie in my mind 😳

I wanted to love this, but it is way out there conceptually for me. I know how obsessed Brian Wilson was with completing this, but the end result is something out of time to me. That Beach Boy sound is on full display though, but I feel he broke this ground already prior to this album, even though this was his vision all along. I just don't really get it.

Inte jättedåligt men för mycket trams för mitt tycke. Lyssna på Beach Boys istället.

too beach boy slike

this is way too goofy for me

Better than I thought it would be because I generally hate the Beach Boys and that style of music but there were a couple interesting creative songs or parts of songs. Still only a 2 though.

Brian wilson has a very unique voice, tone and lyrical style. Not totally for me. I'm not throwing this record on

Oh ho ho, what's all this then? Genuinely, this sounds like a reasonably advanced AI that doesn't quite 'get' how popular music appeals to humans, but has nonetheless been fed a bunch of Beach Boys songs and told to get on with it. Some really abrupt handbrake turns in the music, which are most unpleasant; and those goofy harmonies are so sweet my teeth itch. Just a completely foul vibe - yet strangely compelling for all that.

Didn’t make me smile. But that’s not to say it won’t ever make me smile.

This is fucking stupid. 2

This feels like a time capsule. I do love The Beach Boys, but found this too washed-out and whimsical for my taste. And I found it hard to hear the lyrics in a lot of places. And where I could hear them, he was going on about vegetables. Having given the whole album a spin, I then had a listen to the ‘original’ Smile Sessions. I MUCH prefer this. I mean how can you even try to improve on Good Vibrations? The Smile Sessions are just as bonkers, but also feel much more layered and, importantly, in context of the time. It’s a shame it never got finished. Just say no, kids.

Recycled

Brian Wilson is not The Beach Boys. I'm not sure why this album makes it onto this list, it doesn't have anything to make we want to listen to it again

Ik dacht effe dat ik in de kerk zat, totdat de rock 'n roll begon! De liedjes doen me aan de Beach Boys denken, maar dan iets minder vlot. **

Whimsical, self-assured, undeniably ambitious, features elaborate harmony and melodies. Unfortunately too often grating and irritating. Feels like it's trying to bite early Zappa, but comes up woefully short. A VERY generous 2/5, only for the ambition and the relatively unique sound. Best tracks; Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and I want to say Good Vibrations, but the original Beach Boys version is better.

Meh. It all just sounds like Beach Boys.

This whole album feels like a fever dream. The whole album just blends into one long extended play. Fave: Heroes and Villains

oooof can i just be polite and say "I recognize that Brian Wilson is a musical genius"?

Meh.

Shitter Pet Sounds

Not for me

if this came in 1960 it will be a very good album but for a 2004 release this a very lazy and monotonous record which bases it self only in the lyrics. Definitely not a 1001

4/11/2022 Today's Album: "Smile" by Brian Wilson - I already reviewed this album and it got deleted so I am just going to say this. This album is made by the bassist of the Beach Boys and it sounds exactly like what you imagine from one of the members of the band making music on their own. It just has that typical beach boys falsetto and every track begins to sound the same by track 6. It isn't a terrible listen, but it has flat production compared to any Beach Boys record and the only standout songs are the opening track and what is just a re-recording of the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations. My research indicated this record had a lot of hype behind it's release, but I think it totally isn't worth it and disappoints any expectations of a Beach Boys spiritual successor record. Listen to it if you are a die hard Beach Boys fan and have to hear every release, but even then I don't think it's that enjoyable. Score: 4/10 Incredibly underwhelming. Highlights: Heroes and Villains, Good Vibrations

Why would I need to listen to this throwback album that was out of it's time before I die?

I bought this on CD when it came out . I was expecting 10 “Good Vibrations “, and how good would that have been ! This is obviously not . I can see why it was shelved for 40 years . I love Brian Wilson regardless and I’ve seriously tried to get into this .

Interesting idea by Brian Wilson, to go back and make an album that he tried to record 40 years previously. For me though it sounded like it belonged in the 60s, and the more recent versions of Heroes and Villains and Good Vibrations weren't really as good as the original ones. A decent listen, but I'll stick to Pet Sounds.

Ich mag seine sülzigen Vokalharmonien einfach nicht.

Lots of cool stuff on this album, particularly with voice. It is bright, optimistic, experimental, and very busy. Often it is downright hectic. Sadly, all of those features come together to become grating long before the runtime is elapsed. Imagine being in a car with someone you've just met, and, at first, found very charming. They were affable and superficially interesting. The conversation was instantly lively. But, over an hour drive to the next city, you realized they were doing all the talking and you just wanted the drive to end. They wouldn't stop making animal sounds, and telling you about their half-baked song ideas, and pronouncing vegetables "vega-tables" like they thought they were goddamn Steve Martin on the stand-up circuit. Once, a siren went off in the distance, and they produced a siren whistle, you know, the ones with the little fan in them that makes the rising wwhHHIIIRRR sound, and blew along with the siren and just laughed their goddamn head off at their own spontaneity. That was my experience with this record. I appreciate Wilson's willingness to be surprisingly weird on record. Music needs that. But I will never listen to this again. I suspect the band Fun took a lot from this record when they made Aim And Ignite, and that is a much better record.

Lo- Rock Plymouth Rock, Barnyard "The Beach Boys never broke up...we still have concerts and record albums in my mom's basement while she's at work"

Truly weird Sergeant Pepper vibes.

Beach Boys and prog rock had a fever dream baby. I like the ingredients, but not the recipe.

Odd - a couple of wonderful beach boys elements, but the rest is just fragments. It was never going to beat or be in the same league as Pepper

Didn't love it. Sounds a lot like the beach boys original stuff but also kind of like a children's album. Liked the slowed down 'Good Vibrations'. Hated 'Mrs. O'learys cow'.

I remember being SOOO pumped when this album came out...spiritual successor to Pet Sounds...hell yes! I probably got through it twice before dismissing it. Approached this listen with hope that maybe I missed something 20 years ago, but my memory was affirmed. Something is overall missing from the "Beach Boys" sound in this release. 2/5

this was the follow up to Pet Sounds? That was supposed to be the next Sgt Pepper? Not so much

Welp. I am not sure what to think. - Yes! I know Good Vibrations! And I like it. (not enough to make me excited for the entire album, though...)

Felt like a fever dream. It's going to be hard for me to see this from the right perspective I get, but I just didn't understand it. A mess of vignettes, random noises (work tools and barn animals?), layered harmonies and orchestration that's bizarre and jolting. I have loved Brian Wilson singers before, but 50 minutes was a dark trip overload. Which is weird because everything I take as dark is, I think, meant to be sunny.

Couple of cool songs (roll Plymouth rock is great) but overall not really my vibe

This is a bit of a struggle... I like some Beach Boys stuff but it's a "small doses" sort of affair. Singles good, whole albums are a stretch. This feels like an entire album of b-sides - which it kinda is, reading the history. There's not much substance to any of it. I'm really at a loss as to why it's made it into a list this prestigious (lol). 2/5.

Just another album that really did nothing for me.

weird stupid and pointless

Dog water!

dit was echt niet leuk

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

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.

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.

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.

Pretty disjointed. Didn't care for it.

This song will bring you so much johoyyy

didn tmake me smile false adveritsting

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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

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*.

40 years have passed since the original concept. I'm not sure if that made it better, like simmering a sauce or if it made it worse like leaving out perishables. What I do know is that this is an artistic vanity project brought to fruition many years later. What I also know is that it's... not good. To me, it's cluttered, it's disorganized and it's not interesting. It's art-rock that goes in so many directions that I lost interest keeping up with it. It forgets or disregards what the Beach Boys were about and that may well be intentional in the name of "art". It just does nothing for me. It has no catchy songs, no melody and no... fun. About half-way through it, I was done with it. It's just not for me. I was happy when it was over.

Hard to listen to. 1.4

listened to 9 and a half of it and i couldn’t for the life of me finish it but i feel like i deserve to rate it as a treat for the effort

I do not understand the appeal of the Beach Boys at all. This is like stuff for a primary school music class.

that didn't vibe with me, like at all..

Nothing to smile about in my life.

Nope.

Definitely should have remained in the past unfinished. Terrible

Frown

I went into this, knowing I didn’t really like Brian Wilson, but as with other albums here, I was willing to give it a try. For those other albums, I was at least able to see why people appreciated it, and could admire the musicality, even if it wasn’t my taste. Not so with this album. I get why The Beach Boys were popular in the 1960s. I don’t understand why anyone would pay Brian Wilson money to produce this album in 2004. The best way I can describe it is juvenile. The chimes, the church bells, the choir boy voices. The simplistic lyrics. My God, there were even farm animal sounds, chickens and goats. It’s childish, and more than boring, actually irritating. Sorry Brian Wilson fans. I don’t get it.

Muy teatral, no me gustó

Dear God, does this album suck. It’s like weird barber shop quartet clown music. Fucking way worse than The Black Album.

1/10 - Favorite song: Wonderful

Sounds like the Beach Boys but he forgot the tunes

I was really excited to listen to this one, I quite like a lot of the Beach Boys and reading so many superlative reviews of this one, but my God that was just awful - disjointed, fragmented half finished ideas squashed together, a total racket. Can’t help but think there’s a case of the emperors new clothes here.

I'll admit that Smile fully deserves a place on this list, if only for its weirdness and over-the-top nature. With its strange mix of pop, complex vocal harmonies, circus music and even animal sounds, it really is one of a kind... That being said, I personally found it unsufferable. Its novelty surprised and amused me at first, but after the 3rd or 4th track, it just became physically painful to listen ; the constant high-pitched choruses, the fake cheerfulness and the cartoonish vibe made me want to claw my eardrums out. It sounds like an unfinished Broadway musical about clowns living on a farm. Queen might be the only band flamboyant enough to get away with this kind of silliness ; but Brian Wilson is no Freddy Mercury, and the end result feels like the parody of a parody, somewhere between the grotesque and the unnerving. I wanted to give it at least a 2* for originality... but by the end of the album I was so exasperated that I just couldn't. I'm glad I'll never have to listen to this again. 2/10

Was it worth waiting 37 years for? No! Will I come to like it over the next 37 years? Poss!

Poor album, not like the Beach boys, similar, but found it dull

Not very good.

I don’t like it

Poor

Mention spéciale pour "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine" Sinon on est vraiment sur une ambiance hippy en vadrouille dans un combi WW. Ca me dérange pas mais c'est pas mon truc. Après en avoir écouter 10 min je dirai meme que ce genre de son m'agace.

bof

not a fan

No one for me.

Nope

He was OK when with the Beach Boys but as a solo artist? Come on man! Ain't nobody got time for that. I feel like I could passionately defend this take via the 'Change My Mind' meme with the dude behind the table: If this album was Joe Schmo's work instead of having the name Brian Wilson there is zero chance it makes this list.

singing like it’s a capella but there’s instruments? personally dont get the appeal, not a fan

Just happened to have watched the Brian Wilson bioptic Love & Mercy, so I know the history behind this album. I think I listened to it a couple times back when it first came out, but didn't spend a lot of time on it. For good reason. I can hear Brian Wilson's ambition to push the boundaries, but folks, this album sucks. Some of the songs are cringe-worthy, others are simply meh. You get an early version of Good Vibrations, but that's about it. Not an album I'm going to revisit.

I just don’t like The Beach Boys. Cool, you got your £76 house because you didn’t buy avocados or whatever

Could not finish it

Im good 🫩

what is this??

It sounds like many ideas unfinished or polished, sounds the same throughout.

I appreciate the history and story behind making this. I recently watched ‘Love & Mercy’ (a must watch I think if you have this album come up) which really looks into Wilson’s mental health issues and everything that came with it when he originally started writing this album. I listened to this album and was like yeah I get it but also, I don’t really like it, at all. Personally, I think ‘Pet Sounds’ is an alright album and ‘Good Vibrations’ is a brilliant song on it, and it was the only one I enjoyed on this album. It was so long, and I looked down at one point thinking “jeez this song has been going on forever” but it was three tracks in and it just had all blended into one noise. I think if you were a huge Beach Boys fan back in the day you would really get off on this album just on the nostalgia alone.

What a mistake to put Good Vibrations on this album to remind the listener of what was. It’s certainly made me appreciate every “genius” musician that died young.

You know those scenes at the start of a really shitty children's movie where the main character goes through their breakfast routine, dancing around the kitchen, all that stuff, then they go for a nice walk done the street to wherever, sun shining brightly, and has that annoying upbeat music to go along with it? That's this album, but instead of it being 10 minutes long, like those scenes, it's an hour long. I'm not even listening to it anymore and the idea of it pisses me off Everything pisses me off about this one. The backup "singers" (the ones going dum dum dum all the time), they piss me off. The production pisses me off. The fact that Brian in the big 2004 released this thinking it was worth the time of it's listeners pisses me off. Even the fucking album cover pisses me off Long story short, I am pissed off because this album does a phenomenal job of pissing me off

High school boys choir set to either 1) adult contemporary soft rock or 2) Disney movie soundtrack. This was released in 2004? Not worthy of a 2nd listen…this is not my thing. 1/5

To listen to this the day after he passed away is great. Personally, not a great album for me. Great production and a few stand outs but just sounds like mental illness. Fly high Brian!

One of the small number of albums I didn't listen to all the way through.

gosh, no, not for me. Too good-natured for my taste, I think. Maybe it lacks some kind of contrast for me to appreciate it more. I definitely need some blast beats now!

Still don't understand the appeal of The Beach Boys or Brian Wilson

Slightly creepy again. Never liked this sound. Dragged on for a long time

Disappointed. Sounds like the Beach Boys went to the circus. Was weird.

tf

This is a joke right? RIGHT?? Basically unlistenable. I understand Brian Wilson's mental health issues. If he meant this as a joke/prank then haha, but also fuck you for wasting an hour of my time. If it's supposed to be taken seriously then it just adds to the sadness and tragedy of his story.

Standout Songs: Cabin Essence This feels like an album made for children, there is even a song titled Song For Children. Why is this on the list of albums I need to hear before I die? I might have likes this when I was 2 but listening to it today was just a drag.

I tried. No.

This album made me feel physically ill.

RIP Brian Wilson. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for me, similar to The Beach Boys work as a group with harmonies I can’t find a better way to describe than annoying. Much of this album is bizarre. Sorry!

I was originally gonna go 2.35 star, but then I read the widlki article. 1 star

Brian Wilson died today, I wonder if everybody's getting this album tonight. RIP, but I despise the Beach Boys, and this sounds exactly like them.

I just don't get the hype with this one. It's not like the back story is even that interesting, people are just so over invested in dull 60s lore and desperate to rehabilitate a lost genius. The album itself has lots of sophisticated harmonies, thoughtful arrangements, and tons of dense layers to the production, but what does it amount to? A wishy washy hour of schmaltz that goes nowhere - incredibly boring. Good vibrations' inclusion only underscores how lacking the rest of it is. Favorites: wind chimes, child is father, good vibrations

This is a miss match of sounds akin to Ross from friends with his keyboard. I found it manic with no clear direction.

I did not enjoy this, it felt like when you have strange dreams and a really long night on strong antibiotics.

:)

Not really my kind of music, all the songs kinda sound the same

Not smiling with this one.

Beach Boy sound is not really my thing.

I don't hold the Beach Boys close to my heart, and therefore, I don't know that I idolize Brian Wilson enough for this to blow me away. I understand his place in R&R history and as a songwriter, but it doesn't make me enjoy listening to this stuff.

I get that Wilson is considered a musical genius. I've always hated the Beach Boys "constant wall of harmonies" vocals. It seems his approach to music didn't change at all over the years. He may have been a genius, but to my ears this was torture.

So ... it's the Beach Boys without the Beach Boys!

Nope.

This is high on my list of unnecessary sequels. I'm not a member of the cult of Brian Wilson; I don't even like Pet Sounds that much, but at least it's better than this.

Geen toeval waarschijnlijk, want als ik even piep in de public reviews, zijn er wel significant meer reviews op 13 juni dan op eender welke dag. Nu, met alle respect voor Brian Wilson, dit is geen geweldig album. Je hoort wel de vibe van de Beach Boys, maar dan een afgekalfde versie. 1.4

I have never understood what prople like about Brian Wilson or Beach Boys music. It either bores or annoys me depending on the song. 1 star or F.

Beach boys + Gary Come home + Slow Christmas Music. Nauseating.

Unbelievably bland, I hated this. 1/5 stars.

Not great. An obvious attempt to capture the feel of the Beach Boys without the same energy or talent.

boring.

Not for me. 1/5

i didn’t want to finish this album. seems reoccurring lately. sorry brian wilson but u are just not for me !

Not really a fan of yacht rock

0. Listened to the first 2 tracks and wasn’t into it

just not a fan

Thanks for making me review this on the day of his death. Smile is unlistenable, like a book that took too long to finish.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get into The Beach Boys.

definitely not my style of music

I feel as I've done more of these I'm becoming harsher. A weird remake of a Beach Boy album by one of the members, but almost 30 years later. Now I like Beach Boys but didn't vibe with this experimental tone, it felt like a Christmas album, hard to listen to.

Old music, did not enjoy. Vocals were okay, but just totally not my style. 1

Nope

I thought it was perfect timing to get a Brian Wilson album a couple days after his death. I know that he pioneered a lot of recording techniques that bands use today. The man changed entire musical landscape all while dealing with lifelong mental illness. I respect him for that. Now I got that mini eulogy out of way, I just need to write that album was a schizophrenic mess. It was really hard to listen to. The lyrics did not make any sense to me at all. I do not think I will be revisiting this album again.

I really find it hard to believe that people are sitting in silence listening to these zany children's songs and slide whistles and marveling at the genius behind them. Maybe the fact we are much more in a "Four dead in Ohio" moment than a "Good Vibrations" one is clouding my perception of this music, but it fell completely flat for me. I was getting angry listening to it, and that signifies a one star rating for me. R.I.P. Brian Wilson...you were a musical genius, but it had a time and place.

This was kind of embarrassingly bad in my opinion. Like Pet Sounds is great, but the Beach Boys were done by this point and this album feels to me like a nostalgic attempt to recapture the magic of something that's better left in the past, uncorrupted by necromancy. Something about it feels soulless and repetitive. The random slide whistle noises are also very jarring

1. Don't tell me to smile, Brian. 2. Don't try to make me do it with the most corporate, saccharine bullshit. This album doesn't feel like it has an ounce of truth in it.

Way for Brian Wilson to ruin "You are my sunshine," a tune so simple and classic I didn't think it could be done badly. This album was actively unenjoyable.

Dryer than cardboard. At least I can use cardboard for something practical.

This is a disjointed collection of song ideas. If you enjoyed the sparse musicals combined with barbershop quartet vocals the Beach Boys were known for you can perhaps stomach this. But I never understood the appeal and am thus having a hard time finding things to love. As I listened I was wondering how long this thing went on for... The answer is too long.

The man just passed yesterday, I don’t want to be too harsh so I’ll just say this: Some of the Beach Boys stuff is fun, but this is not really my favorite style of music.

Let's just admit that Brian Wilson isn't an actual genius. He's a gifted musician with an ear for catchy songs. However, this particular unfinished album should have stayed in the vault and not seen the light of day. It's overstuffed with flourishes and isn't coherent in anyway. It's more of the Pet Sounds feel and it suffers from the same overworked, overproduced "genius" of Brian Wilson. It's not good, it's not entertaining.

Without trying to disrespect the recently dead, this is not my thing. Literally sounds like circus music to me. Even as a single album I'd dislike this. As a double it is infuriating, and I HATE it.

Brian Wilson may be a musical genius. But I just find this awful.

I sincerely don’t get it.

Ok, sorry that he died, but the guy was a bit of a knob and he had the most annoying voice.

Filed under Tedious

Why is this on this list?

1. prayer - 1 2. heroez - 1.5 3. rock - 1.5 4. barn - 0 5. painter - 0 6. cabin - 1 7. uuonderful - 1 8. children - 1 9. father - 0 10. zurfz - 1.5 11. zhape - 0 12. vegetablez - 0 13. holiday - 0 14. uuind - 0 15. couu - 0 16. blue - 0 17. good - 2 18. villainz - 1 PIECE OF ZHIT ALBUM , ONLY 1 GOOD ZONG / FUCKING ZERO BUT ONLY ALLOUUZ A 1 ZTAR

Chato

The songs on this album seemed like they were written for some strange musical that never made the stage. The music and arrangements sounded complex …. and maybe that was the goal. I would never listen to this again.

I’ve never seen the appeal of the Beach Boys. Good vibrations is maybe good for about a minute then it becomes tedious. Same can be said for all other songs, but the tedium sets in sooner.

1 stern

Eh not a fan

So... let me get this straight...this is a fragmented collection of scaps and debris that wasn't good enough for The Beach Boys, but it's good enough for this oft questionable list of "must hear" misfits? Got it.

Some things are best left unfinished. In this case the album shouldn’t even have been started.

Meh

So shite it’s unbelievable.

Not in the mood for this at all, awful. And when those farmyard animals kicked in, I burst out laughing. Urgh.

Really weird and long, maybe good for dnd lol

Mostly, deliberately listening to these albums without context makes for a great experience. I come in fresh, with no expectations, and can hear the music with no external noise clouding my opinion. Going and reading the Wikipedia article afterwards is just the delicious icing on the cake - I don't need it to appreciate the artistry, but it adds something unique to the overall flavour. Listening to this album without context however, was ghastly. What is it? A children's album? A gospel album? Why am I listening to 80s music that was made in the early 2000s? What's with the lyrics? Is this some kind of cult I'm not aware of? Once I had context, it made more sense, but it didn't make it any more enjoyable.

This album dropped about 40 years after his prime and is forgettable.

I'm sorry but I fail to see the perceived genius of Brian Wilson/Beach Boys.. One well known album does not maketh a music career.. Barnyard and Wind Chimes sounds like kids songs and would not be out of place in Sesame Street album just lacks any lyrical depth just a lot of repetition, their UK contemporaries Kinks Ray Davies and Beatles later albums The Who were so much better.. One of my all time favourite bands XTC were influenced by The Beach Boys and I love them! Andy Partridge has the intelligence wit and humour to make it work and that makes him a genius!

This album is how I found out that the Brian Wilson scenes in walk hard were almost not parody what the fuck man

thankful he stuck good vibrations on the end there bc this was maybe the most solidly mediocre listen i've had so far, and we're over a year in

no

This is just not for me. Usually I can find a redeeming quality on almost any album, but this one I just couldn't sit through. I had to pull the plug half way through the second song.

I feel like 2004 has better representative albums, no need to dust off the 1960s vibes of The Beach Boys.

acapella beach boys wont be listening again

What was this? Good Vibrations was good. The rest....self-indulgent? Unfinished songs? Drug-trip?

This did absolutely nothing for me. The songs were bordering on nursery rhyme, and honestly I was bored throughout. Standout Song: Good Vibrations (although I’d rather just listen to the original) Score: 1/5

Shit

Brian Wilson may be a genius, but whatever this is, I don't get it. The whole album just blends into one. I could put any track on from this album at random and it wouldn't matter. The whole thing is 'Good Vibrations' (but slightly less good) 17 times. It sounds like when a character in a cartoon or dumb film daydreams, then the weird effect plays on screen. Strange sound effects, warped, dream like or on acid sounding music. That's this whole album. The type of music a 70+ year old would put on and then says that music in their day was so much better. I feel like the whole album suffers from the bad stuff from prog rock and psychedelic music. The weird sounding, dream like, LSD inspired noises. Weird, quirky eccentricity in place of where the actual music should be. One star does seem very harsh considering who it is, but I genuinely don't think I'd go back to any of this unless I had a real hankering to listen to cartoon daydream music.

So abrasive I can’t even

This was not enjoyable.

Absolutely zero smiling going on when listening to this album. Cheers Brian.

I fucking hated this.1/5