Smile

Brian Wilson died yesterday (6/11/25) and then this album pops up. This album is not that bad but it’s not music for me. It’s music for boomers that grew up with The Beach Boys and are nostalgic for that. Some of the songs are catchy but some sound unfinished and silly.

Rip

Interesting for sure, but did I actually enjoy it? Not really.

I like the idea of returning to an unfinished project, and the music by no means is bad and I didn’t mind listening at times, I think the bigger question is was this needed? To me it’s trying so hard to be another pet sounds and because of that it can sound dated especially with all the musical moments that are call backs to it. If I wanted pet sounds I’ll listen to it. I can tell this is especially for the really big beach boys/Brian Wilson fans but probably not for me

A few high points but not really for me 2

Not for me....

A collection of fairly tales, nursery rhymes, children's stories with a dash of music hall. Had heard Smiley Smile before but this is different, feels more like a theatre performance than an album. I can see some of the appeal but it just didn't click for me. Brian Wilson died yesterday and he gave us some brilliant music over his lifetime, which was very troubled. If anyone deserved a chance to rerecord their dream album it was him, even if I'm not a fan!

Happy but redundant

Well done but not my vibe

I don’t really have anything novel to say about this. I listened to it and didn’t hate it, but it just felt majorly drab and I can’t say I would actively listen to any of it if I happened to hear it again. Most likely I would switch the radio/skip.

He literally died day before this came up. Couple of great songs and that was it for me. This can't match beach boys surely. It's just 60/70s pop that hasn't lasted? It's not bad but quite samey. I will avoid the long waffle I just don't think this breaks through.

Bra musiker men jag skulle inte lyssna på det igen.

It was odd. I'd like to know why the author chooses the specific albums he does. Some of these are just odd choices for, presumably, the best 1001 albums or most influential or whatever the reason is.

Is Brian Wilson ok? This album sounds like it was written by his child. Lots of strange sounds from slide whistles and questionable lyrics about vegetables.

Nisam imala pojma za ovo! Moram priznati kad sam pročitala da sam očekivala puno više. Neke stvari su mi čak kul, ali overall bih rekla underwhelming. 2/5, 4/10

Boring.

#Rally Review - Day 5# Sorry to hear you carked it, mate. Not to state the obvious, but this is extremely reminiscent of Pet Sounds - but that's not necessarily a good thing here. A lot of the soul of this thing feels lost to the past. The production on this thing was really good though. The mixing was spot on, but the real high vocals did pierce my eardrums a bit, similarly to Bob Dylan's soul screeching harmonica. I just think this one was a bit boring, and fuck me did it drag. Jamie: Really not sure when in my life I'll be putting that back on.

Oddly auspicious to get this album the day after BW dies. I don't really care for this record, I understand there is history behind this album and all but I really couldn't get into it.

Only smiling i did was when this was over

RIP Brian Wilson🥲 An odd album of snippets of good parts of tracks that are clearly not fully formed. It makes it a very fragmented effort that jumps about all over the place. Dragged on and partly redeemed by good vibrations.

Presumably not a coincidence to get this the day after he died, but can't give this a sympathy rating. Some of these tracks were just kind of annoying and his singing is just not my favorite

Gotta be honest, this was a tough listen. I appreciate his process (watched the "Beautiful Dreamer" doc on the making of this album), but these are sonically not enjoyable. I feel like his reputation of "musical genius" preceeds him and excuses his weird arrangements and music as good. I think how the Paul and John were able to reign in each other's songwriting to make each other better. I wish Brian was able to take feedback and work with a more pop-oriented co-songwriter in his later stages. I think he needed to be reigned in. In other words, if Mike Love wasn't such a douche, and Brian wasn't so crazy, just imagine what they could have done with this material. see the only enjoyable song on this album: "Good Vibrations" , which was much better performed by the beach boys in the 60s.

I listened to this the day after his death. It's a shame, then, that I don't "get" it, even today. I understand that he's truly revered in musical history, and still important to lots of people. I hope that returning to this music was a good experience for him. But. With the exception of a handful of tracks that I really enjoy (eg God Only Knows) his music usually either annoys me (all that quirkiness and stopping and starting!), or sends me to sleep. Simultaneously, in some cases. Sorry.

I’ve realised that songs that stop abruptly, change tempo/genre and have novelty background sound effects irritate the living hell out of me so it’s a lost star for the necessary track skipping.

Brian Wilson’s (beach boys) life and talent is often likened to Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd). Musical geniuses plagued by mental health issues that eventually forced them out of their respective bands. That said, the surf sound, falsetto harmonies created by Brian just annoy me!

Of its time. Overdue, overrated and probably should have been left unfinished.

I don’t get why everyone thinks Brian Wilson is such a genius. I figured this was a movie score or something until I read up on it. Good vibrations saved it a little but I wasn’t a fan.

Ten eerste; RIP, blijkbaar is deze man gisteren overleden. Luguber wel. Ik ken nummers als Good Vibrations enzo wel, maar moet verder bekennen dat ik niet super bekend ben met het werk van de Beach Boys. En wat ik weet van de Beach Boys is dat het een beetje surfy rock is. Lekker chill om te luisteren. Dit is veel experimenteler, veel meer in de folk hoek. Nummers lopen in elkaar over, er zit ontzettend veel meerstemmige zang in, de instrumenten zijn interessant maar ook heel erg vreemd..? Ik heb hiervoor wat gelezen over hoe dit album tot stand is gekomen en daarin stond dat de beste man zichzelf opsloot met een giga hoeveelheid LSD om het album te maken. Dat geloof ik METEEN. Dit hele album bestaat niet echt uit nummers, het is 1 grote in elkaar overlopende brei aan muziek. Zeg maar, zo'n lekkere typische LSD plaat, waarin je overtuigd bent dat ALLES connected is en je de sleutel tot het universum hebt gevonden. Een FAVO hieruit lichten is ook ontzettend moeilijk en ik denk ook niet echt te doen. Ik weet niet man. Dit album voelt alsof iemand ALLE IDEEËN OOIT in 1 album heeft willen proppen. Nummers voelen niet af, productie is bij tijd echt slordig en het is nou niet zo dat Brian een lyricaal genie is of een heerlijke zangstem heeft. Ik vind het album heel vet, omdat het een soort van mythisch album is, maar dit voelt alsof Half-Life 3 nu uit zou komen en dan een voetbalsimulator, racesimulator, shooter, zowel 1st and 3rd person is en dan ook nog eens een volledig turn based combat stuk zou hebben. Terwijl de art style elke 10 minuten volledig anders is. Het is te veel, het is te experimenteel, voor mij althans. En ik vind dit gewoon niet heel goed. Daar kan zelfs het ontzettend domme, maar toch ook een beetje grappige, Vega-tables niets aan veranderen. Sorry Brian, nogmaals RIP.

Well it has Good Vibrations, I guess. Otherwise it sounds like the disheveled ramblings of a very troubled guy with a lot of talent and studio time. RIP Brian Best song: Good Vibrations

Hints of excellence in a sea of self indulgent garbage. Brian Wilson's head was simultaneously in the clouds and deep up his own ass.

I feel bad giving this album a low rating a day after Brian Wilson’s passing, but it didn’t really work for me. I’m vaguely familiar with the story behind the original “Smile” album — an epic, unfinished Beach Boys album that was plagued with problems during the recording — and it’s cool that Wilson went back years later and ‘completed’ it. But it feels more like a curiosity than anything else. I think something gets a bit lost in the decades that passed between the 60s and 2004. And, I don’t know, I find the music kind of grating and pretentious. It’s big on orchestral sweep, but short on pop melody. The Beach Boys always struck a nice balance between those two poles, and I think that balance is missing here.

Didn't know the history, didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't that. I appreciated his voice sounded good, the album sounded decent, really like the idea of a whole musical experience rather than just a few tracks. But this was wild man, it was disjointed, didn't flow to me, didn't make sense, I didn't know whether to laugh at animals and vegetables, cry during some of the children ones, mostly I was confused, but I definitely didn't smile.

Beach Boys repetitions

Feel like I should like it more but it’s just what you expect

Bleh

Nope.

"You should try to Smile more." No.

It's admirable when someone with mental illness takes their meds and returns to the pursuits that may have once given them joy while also contributing to their stress. But I don't know that that back story makes me like this any more than other Beach Boys albums. There's some interesting elements but a lot of it ultimately feels fragmented and unfinished - which I guess it largely was.

Most people who are really into music and the Beach Boys have heard about Smile, but I personally have never heard the album. This one feels a lot like some songs from Pet Sounds where they feel like snippets of songs parsed together into one track. I am sure this will be defined as "brilliant" but smarter people than I, but there are a lot of ideas here and nothing that I find to be terribly compelling. I tend to agree with the other members of the Beach Boys in that if I wanted to hear a better version of this music then I would listen to one of the band's albums in the late 1960's. It seems to me the story behind this album is more interesting than the music on the album is.

Das Album Smile wurde in den Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles aufgenommen, ergänzt durch Sessions in den Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank. Brian Wilson, US-amerikanischer Musiker und Mitbegründer der Beach Boys, veröffentlichte hier eine überarbeitete Version eines ursprünglich in den 1960er Jahren begonnenen Projekts. Smile enthält unter anderem die Stücke „Heroes and Villains“, „Surf’s Up“ und „Good Vibrations“, die bereits in früheren Fassungen bekannt wurden und stilistisch eng mit der Spätphase der Beach Boys verbunden sind. Das Werk lässt sich dem Genre Artpop mit deutlichen Einflüssen aus Psychedelic Rock und klassischer Popmusik zuordnen. Die Veröffentlichung stellt eine retrospektive Auseinandersetzung mit einem lange unvollendeten Konzeptalbum dar und bietet einen Einblick in Wilsons kompositorische Herangehensweise sowie seine persönliche Interpretation des ursprünglichen Materials.

I won’t question the talent of this guy, but this just feels like “Pet Sounds: Part Deux,” like it’s a “Naked Gun” style parody of the first one. I’m guessing a lot of artsy types forced themselves to like and find meaning in this one.

Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys. Didn’t know all the back story and drama surrounding them and this album in particular. Good vibrations is a bop, interesting story hearing about how it was made.

#576. I don't really want to listen to this whole thing. 2/5: please stop.

could i write poetry to this? n

Meh, didn't hate it. But it sound suspiciously like the background music in a Goodwill.

Interesting instrumentals brought down by short songs with strange lyrics.

Es ist zu durcheinander, in den Liedern passiert zu viel auf einmal. Und die guten Lieder dieses Albums höre ich lieber als Originalfassung

After listening, I read that this was (based on) a previously abandoned album, and I could tell why they abandoned it.

Bit weird

I get that there is lore and history to this album. And I get that the Beach Boys are "legends" and Pet Sounds is "Good Music". But this is straight up bad Best Song: Surf's Up Rating: 3/10 Stars: 2/10

Being géneros with my score

There are bits of this I like but none of them amount to a song, rather a load of fragments carved up into songs. At best, touching, lyrical and melodic, at worst oddly comic, repetitive and off-putting.

Should've stuck to his instincts which had decided not to finish this for almost 40 years. Some absolute nonsense

Once left a Daft Punk set to go and see Brian Wilson at a festival. A decision that haunts me to this day.

While listening to this I thought it was recorded in the golden era of The Beach Boys and was shocked to find out that it was recorded in 2004. Great harmonies like all of Brian Wilson’s stuff, but not interesting to listen to. Kinda ho-hum on the excitement scale.

Loved the a cappella opening as it reminded me of Fleet Foxes. Have always loved (the original version of) Heroes & Villains, mostly because it’s on the Fantastic Mr Fox soundtrack which is one of my all-time favourite movies. Good Vibrations obviously another huge classic. The animal sounds on Barnyard are so kitschy it’s kind of insane but also I can’t be too mad about it because it’s pretty funny. Most of the album is just very ‘eh’ however and the whirring and jingling sound effects etc. get a bit grating. Also one of the worst album covers I’ve ever seen, Microsoft Word Art looking-ass.

At times very similar to a Saturday morning preschool show. One of the terrible ones. 2 Stars since I found myself whistling one of the tunes later in the evening, which is also reminiscent of terrible Saturday morning preschool shows.

Blech

I like the other Wilson brother more

Maybe it's better on drugs? Good vibrations is good because I know it. Otherwise it's too much.

Very beach boys like, understandably

I'm afraid I don't really enjoy the genre so my thoughts are clouded by boredom. Appreciate the very high production quality, and the recording of Good Vibrations is excellent. A solid 2.5 album - it seems Brian didn't credit the other Beach Boys enough for some of the conceptualisation behind this album, despite his trauma in the original attempt to make Smile. Tut tut, -0.5 points.

I listened to this album twice to be sure. This album didn't make me feel good. It made me feel a little uneasy, in fact. It wasn't the sort of music I'd go back to, aside from 'Good Vibrations', which was originally released almost 40 years before this album (so that doesn't count in this album's favour). 'Child Is Father of the Man' is a pretty interesting song, at least. There may be others, but I'm not the biggest fan of this album, in spite of how highly it's rated by music critics (I usually try to avoid that kind of information before rating, but in this case I discovered it while looking up something else). If I were rating it by how interesting it is, maybe 3.8/5. If rating it by how it made me feel, maybe 2.5/5. The latter seems far more important, so I expect I'll give it two or three stars.

I didn’t like this at all

Oh really? Ugh. *Deep breath*. Not a beach boys fan. Brian Wilson is not the Messiah. Someone put organ music and a theremin over barbershop. None of these things are appealing to me and by combining them you've just made it worse. No Bueno. But this album reminds me of my mum. I'll give him a two for that.

Frustratingly boring, a hard listen. 1.5

interesting doesn’t necessarily mean good, brian

eh

This is one of those albums that I think if I liked the Beach Boys at all I would have cared so much more but as it stands it just really didn’t make an impression on me.

As an unrepentant Beach Boy fan, this was delightful suggestion. However, I can see why the project was originally scrapped in the 60s. Nothing on here is as compelling as early Beach Boy stuff. In fact most of it seems very childish - they always had some playful songs, but these are just too much at times. Barnyard is a very weird song. So is Vega-tables...I am deducting points just for those two. Bummer, I so wanted to like this.

It’s like a drug fueled Beach Boys children’s album. Unsettling.

RIP Brian. Unfortunately this did not work for me - its a sonic assualt of ideas / snippets and lesser versions of Pet Sounds tracks and a song about effin vegetables.

Brian Wilson was a tortured genius, and Pet Sounds was proof of the genius. Smile, in it's resurrected effort decades later, is proof of the torture. It attempts to revive the brilliance of Pet Sounds, but it just comes off as chaotic and haphazard. Even the reworking of Good Vibrations is just...less. Perhaps that's why it's was included, so Brian Wilson could subtly tell us not to judge this effort against the 1960s brilliance, but use this as a guidepost on which to compare where the true high water make may have been if this had been completed back then. As it is, it feels like a disoriented children's album.

Sorry but this is an irritating mess. Good Vibrations is great though

So there are a couple iconic songs on here, namely Surf’s Up and Good Vibrations. But outside that, it’s pretty self indulgent

Beach Boys without the name

Some instrumental - not my fsvorite

Not for me personally

I did not get this at all. The random noises, sound effects, and the incessant whoops were just annoying. Every time I started to enjoy a song (which was rare), it would be drowned out by the noises, or a completely different song would suddenly interrupt for a few seconds. Songs that I particularly hated include Barnyard and Vega-Tables. Contrary to the title, this overly long and irritating album did not in fact make me smile

really boring, and I lost interest really quickly. The only reason that this isn't a one-star is because it looks like someone has created this album cover on Microsoft Paint

It was fine. Although I spent the whole album thinking I’d rather be listening to Pet Sounds

Heroes and Villians is an alright track but the rest of it is kinda forgettable

Listen to Wonderful. This is when I decided no higher than two stars.

Not one for me.

Sounded like a beachboys album...

Good vibrations is the only song I enjoyed on this album, and that's because he actually changed pitch for once. Even then I skipped it towards the end just to get over this album. Didn't enjoy the high pitched singing over high pitched layers of him going 'Do-Do' all the way fucking through. Literally felt like I was trapped in a Willy Wonka Nightmare. Another old white man track to the list of 1001 boomer albums.

I think Brian Wilson is a genius, Pet Sounds is an incredible album. A very interesting man, a sad and complicated life. A lot of this albums hype came from the achievement to BW, having finally released it after it sat unfinished since the 60s, overcoming his mental battles ect ect. It's a bit circus music in places, just doesn't have the same charm as Beach Boys, all a bit Disney at points with the slide whistles and sound effect. I certainly wouldn't pop this album on. Good Vibrations always slaps though tbf It's a shame because I think the man is brilliant otherwise lol.

I just couldn’t get along with this. It was very hard work. Harmonies just like the beach boys but I never felt like any of the songs actually came together as songs. Just Brian Wilson doing Veian Wilson.

Horseshit, lahme Songs, manche Songs einfach nur komische Geräusche, holt mich nicht ab. Für die Geschichte und einzelne Songs, gerade noch 2 Sterne gerettet.

I could not get into Pet Sounds when I tried years ago, so a discount Beach Boys album is obviously not going to be epiphanic. (Though I remain slightly hopeful for when the former inevitably shows up for me on this list.)

I don't see how this appeals to an audience beyond hardcore Beach Boy fans of which I was never one.

Sorry, but this is so unappealing to me.

Wince.

I don't get it

Great in retrospect. But this sound is very dated. Good historical reference but no longer valid or listenable.

The Brian Wilson harmonies you expect, but with much fewer hooks and choruses to sing along to.

It's like they just gave Brian Wilson some acid and let him loose in the studio playing with the equipment. PEt Sounds may be a masterpiece, but this is some real half baked sort of songs that wasn't a great listen

I saw Vega-Tables and was thinking about options... and then it went into health food. -sigh- :P

I accidentally read reviews on this album before I listened to it, so my rating is a bit skewed, I think. I like the Beach Boys, and I liked the new versions of Heroes & Villains and Good Vibrations, but the stuff in between sounded like unfinished songs that were pieced together.

I could respect the history behind the making of this album, but I wasn't a fan

I'll need to relisten to this. Some I enjoyed, some I appreciated, some just wasn't what I wanted to listen to at the time.

2.5/5

Its rich, more like robust. Like he used every knob in the sound room and every instrument in the studio and used that constantly irritating beach boys harmony.

Not my type of music

A little indulgent, maybe?

Irritating songs with some interesting musical effects.

Acapella, more like acapell-NAWWWW Mrs. O'Leary's Cow was a trip. Interesting concept, didn't care for the execution. Definitely grew on me towards the end though.

Well that was really weird. I felt like I was stuck in a terrible acid trip that I could not escape. It at least had some portions of cool instrumentals but the singing was freaking me out the whole time. This get a 2.0000000000000001 star

2.5

took Brian Wilson nearly 40 years to get this album made and then i just came on here and gave it two stars for having too many annoying clown sound effects

I’m not much of a Beach Boys fan. I can appreciate some of their more upbeat material, and I admire their commitment to psychedelia, but I just don’t connect deeply. The harmonies are pretty, of course, at least for a little while, but that seems simply a matter of technical skill. I just don’t understand the need to revisit a whole bunch of old tunes so many years later. They’re clever tunes, but not emotionally engaging, and I woulda just left ‘em where they were. Actually, I listened to the demo sessions of the old material, and quite preferred it.

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.

I was not at all prepared to dislike this so much but oh boy I did not like this.

Terrible album art The music is somehow worse ahahaha what is this

L'histoire derrière est géniale. Ca rend l'album touchant, mais je ne réécouterai JAMAIS avec tout le respect que je dois aux garçons de la plage

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

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

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

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

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.