Smile

I admittedly went into this expecting very little. Brian Wilson is reportedly pretty hard to work with and so I couldn't think his breakout stuff was gonna be good. Wow. I struggled through half of this album and couldn't do it any more. My first 1 rating. This was awful.

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.

This is a very interesting album. It has the nostalgia of the Beach Boy hits mixed with surprising sounds and composition. The sound production is wonderful and makes this worth the listen even if the songs are not your cup of tea.

I grew up hearing a lot of the Beach Boys' "surf music," which I enjoyed. At some point in my late twenties, I asked for 'Pet Sounds' for Christmas, and I was blown away that the same guys who sang "Surfin' Safari" and "409" could make an album like that. I've never listened to any of Brian Wilson's solo work, but I consider him to be the one that led The Beach Boys into their post "surf music" era, so I had high expectations for this album. I was not let down. This album is incredible. Wilson's ability to create beautiful harmonies is showcased throughout this album. The experimental and varied instrumentation is showcased here too; there's plenty of strings, keyboards, guitars, whistles, and Christ-knows-what-else to go around on this album. But even with all of the different instrumental sounds, the album never feels bloated or busy; everything is in its rightful place to create an incredible experience. I don't know much about the history of how this project evolved from its foundations in the sixties to what Wilson put together over 35 years later, but this album reminded me of what I loved about my first time listening to 'Pet Sounds.' I wish that I would have had time to listen to this album a second time today, so that I could put together some thoughts on individual songs, but it just wasn't meant to be. However, I'll definitely be revisiting this album soon.

This album grows on you, just like Pet Sounds. Keep listening and you will become entranced.

It's like being back in the 60s <3

Solid 3.5 here

1.5

Great timing, as I recently finished reading Brian Wilson's autobiography (the one from 2016, not the earlier one). Brian Wilson's story overall in fascinating - the abusive father, the rise of a musical genius, mental health and drug issues, a controlling therapist, and then finally finding love and his recovery and resurgence as an artist. The legend of this album was always the anchor weighing him down, and the fact that he was able to finally complete it almost 40 years after its inception is incredible. Is it as great as the Beach Boys in their prime, i.e. Pet Sounds? I don't think so, but there is still a lot of the brilliance and magic of those earlier times. That, combined with the backstory of this album, is enough to make this a 5 star album for me.

Not sure what this was?

i can't imagine how ambitious of a project it is to finish an album from several decades ago! music changed a lot in those 30 years. but brian wilson managed to catch the same beach boys sound in their later years, including their lean towards experimental. i found that showed itself through the variety of instruments used. wilson used the early beach boys' sound of playful pop, too. "heroes and villians" is a good example of this! of course, like the beach boys, some of this was just too on the nose for me. i don't need to hear wind chimes in a song titled "wind chimes." but i realize i'm being grumpy--i'll refrain from telling kids to get off my lawn. also, there are some small easter eggs. i'm not the biggest beach boys fan so there were some that i missed, but hearing a light melody of "good vibrations" in "song for children" was adorable. i think that's a nice treat for the fans after so many years of an unfinished album, in addition to covering the beach boys' biggest hit toward the album close. anyway, this album convinced me that the beach boys were primarily driven by brian wilson.

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.

The back story is maybe a bit better than the end product.

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

Bad!

Originally drafted after “Pet Sounds” as a “teenage symphony to god”, SMiLE was abandoned by Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson after numerous setbacks and mental breakdowns, as well as the release of Sgt. Pepper. Now, nearly 40 years later, Brian finally brought a fully matured version of SMiLE to listeners, presenting what is probably the greatest pop album in the 2000s. The album lives up to its title and then some. It’s just so… fun. Are there better performances of the songs on other existing Beach Boys albums? Yes. But this album’s flow between them all is unmatched. Infectious pop hooks framed with an orchestra and packed vocal section, glazed with witty lyrics by original SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks, all come together with the trademark Beach Boys harmonisation to dazzle the listener. And not a dull moment is heard on this album. Truly one for the ages, and a worthy fulfilment of Brian’s promise all those years ago. Standout Songs: “Heroes and Villains” “Roll Plymouth Rock” “Surf’s Up” “Vege-Tables” “In Blue Hawaii” “Good Vibrations”

good vibrations

I get that there is some intense history to this, but I found it an irritating listen. It actually knocked my Grump-O-Meter from standard surly to amplified. I won't begrudge others their enjoyment of this, but I found very little myself.

Not really my thing. Songs were like 1 minute long.

Couldn't get into this.

Lovely soundscapes and great writing

I remember when this came out and not getting why it was so popular. I still don't get it. In fact, I hate it. The whole Beach Boys sound is so strange, but it at least fits with other genres of the 60's. Listening to this now, it just seems like the musical version of boomer nostalgia. If the opening statement "back in my day..." could be captured in a long-play format, this would be it. It's nearly as hateworthy as the acapella scene from Trading Places where the four Wall Street frat bros sing barbershop quartet style about their shared sexual conquests. At least that scene is satire; Brian Wilson is just up his own ass. The only time this sound has ever been good in my opinion is when Mr. Bungle used it behind the lyrics "...rots your brain just like a catchy tune, yeah. You will hate life more than life hates you. Happiness is your illness in an air-conditioned nightmare". The sentiment of Mr. Bungle's Air Conditioned Nightmare matches my experience of Brian Wilson Presents Smile perfectly; kill me now.

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

Incredible. If Brian was able to record this at the Beach Boys’ prime as intended, this would have undeniable GOAT status, but even now it’s unbelievably gorgeous music. A

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.

C'est un 5 mais "The Smile Sessions" est meilleur

Maybe this isn't the best entry-album for someone who has never heard a Beach Boys song outside of the really big hits. For records like this, the story and context plays just as big of a role as the actual music does - I bet Beach Boys & Brian Wilson fans always felt a heartwarming and probably bittersweet pang of nostalgia whenever they listened to this. As an "outsider," I can still appreciate it. The album title is very apt. I found myself smiling through its whimsical nature, imagining waltzing around Disneyland or sailing the ocean singing sea shanties. But that doesn't make it feel like an album. It's more like a musical act in audio form, which is to say that by themselves the songs aren't that strong and don't necessarily warrant independent listens. They're mostly carried by the fact that the album as a whole is bright and cheerful. That's not a bad thing, but it's not really a compelling reason to go back to this record anytime soon. I will say though, when Good Vibrations (which I had not heard in full until today) started, I immediately understood the appeal of the Beach Boys and what this album probably achieved for its fans. What a song. Looking forward to seeing Pet Sounds come up, as I can only assume that's on the list too.

The man is obviously talented and there are a couple of bangers in here, but overall it’s a bit of a mess.

Interesting, I like this funny chaos

I have been known to not like the Beach Boys as a knee jerk reaction, so upon first seeing today's album, I didn't hold out much hope that Brian Wilson's solo stuff would be any different. Boy was I right. This is actually much worse than anything the Beach Boys ever put out as a group. Apparently Brian started this album as a Beach Boys record, as a follow up to their album Pet Sounds in the 60's, then had a mental breakdown, and ended up taking 40 years to get his life back in order. As a nod to the Barenaked Ladies song: Brian Wilson should have stayed in bed. First off, as with every Beach Boys song ever released, there are so many layers of La La La's, Ooo Ooo Ooo's, and Do Do Doo's that it's sometimes hard to hear what Brian is saying. Not that it matters, because his lyrics are mostly nonsense. Also, I found it very hard to get into the groove and listen to this album because in one song, Brian may change up instruments, tempos, and storylines about 50 fucking times. I don't know if Brian was on good drugs, or bad meds but my fuck, at least the Beach Boys music had a direction. A lot of the time this music made me think there was someone who owned an obscure music shop who kept going out back and fetching new instruments, and the exchange would be like: I have this trumpet.. OK, I'll play that for 22 seconds... How about this choir bell? Perfect, I'll use that for 36.5 seconds... A tambourine? Excellent I'll wail on that for 56 seconds... How about this fucking drill and hammer? Excellent, I'll make a whole song using them!! For some reason, it seems like Brian was obsessed with the harpsichord on a lot of this record for some reason, so all I could think of is the Addam's Family theme song with many layers of shit laid over top. This "compilation album" is garbage, and I truly think I would take the lowest rated album on this list: Einsturzende Neubauten's Kollaps over this any day. A horrible listen, and I will never listen to it again. I barely got through it once today. Favourite song: if forced to pick, Heroes and Villains Least favourite songs: the whole album, but most of all, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow 1/5

lame pokusaj pet soundsa

I liked the album as a whole, I could see how it was close to a regular beach boys album. However, none of the songs stood out that much to me. The two songs I liked the most were Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains

Is a 4 at times, but no song in particular stuck out

A brave album that Brian Wilson completed unexpectedly considering it was unfinished from the 60s. I don't particularly love that the other members on this record are other musicians not from the original Beach Boys, but Brian Wilson still has a strong voice here. Enjoyable overall.

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!

Gaaf album hor. Misschien nog wel beter dan Pet Sounds.

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.

Draaiorgel.

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.

Olis kannesta pitänyt päätellä musikaali. En inhoa, meni lähinnä ohi. Vähän ärsytti välillä. 60-luku...vai oliks tää ees sieltä.

Parhaimmillaan hymyilyttää.

Lovely

I like the Beach Boys but have never been a big fan. This is an interesting What If and starts off well. The melodies of the 60's realised with post-Millenial production values but it ends up being a well produced Medley of tunes and sounds. It's a bit sad really but goes to prove that rerecording the past is not what you think it will be.

This was fantastic. 5 stars.

it got better as time went on. the beginning was pretty boring. instrumentally it got much more interesting as it progressed. the vocals weren't bad but felt pretty generic, like beach boys. turns out theres a reason for that. 3.

there is a strong case to be made that this is better than pet sounds. and depending on the day, i just might think so. while i prefer the production and atmosphere of the smile sessions version over the solo brian wilson version, the overall cohesion is way better. but either way, good vibes.

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.

As I walk through the valley of a shadow of meth, I can't believe what I'm hearing from Brian Wilson. The sounds melt through my brain and tickle my soul with enough force to wake a walrus who's been in a coma for 6 month after being run over by a downbeat cyborg. The cyborg wasn't paying much attention to the road as it had recently found out that its wife had been sleeping with the local mayor.

More of a smirk

4.5/5. Never knew this even existed. It's rich in its instrumentation and definitely sounds like a record from the 60s, would've blown everyone's mind back then. Wilson is an incredibly talented musician and I'm just happy that he was able to move on from his past trauma enough to fully realize his vision from decades ago.

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

I was really into this at the time of its eventual release in 2004. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Slightly heavy-handed construction, but lovely melodies. Bit too long and "twee" in places, but Beach Boys melodies from the late 60s. High 3.

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.

So on films or cartoons whatever, when a character is sitting there and that weird effect comes on the screen as there about to daydream and it goes a bit warped with a strange sound as the transition takes place, that’s this whole album. I felt like I was on my way to daydream but never fucking get there. I dunno man. I couldn’t tell you if this album was 40 minutes long or if I am going to look in the mirror and I am 62 years old.

Quite distracting for studying, otherwise very fun.

eh

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

I was vaguely familiar with the story of this album but didn’t know that several of the songs written for it ended up on other Beach Boys releases. Most notable among them is Good Vibrations, which is comfortably the best thing on here, and I now realise I still haven’t heard anything else quite like it, even after all these years. Trying to make a whole album as good as that would cause anyone to have a breakdown. It’s a pleasingly odd record but I don’t think it’s a masterpiece; there just aren’t enough great tunes. Still, I always respect albums that flow seamlessly, have recurring motifs, and are greater than the sum of their parts. Even without the mythology behind it Smile offers something different to this list. 3.5

It's not better than Pet Sounds, but it's just as special

“Lying in Bed Just like Brain Wilson Dead” I understand Brian Wilson covered this Bare Naked Ladies’ song on one of his tours. Why wasn’t there room on the 1001 for a Bare Naked Ladies’ LP? They could have left this Brian Wilson album off the list.

I believe I gave a 2 to Pet Sounds and the other late-career Beach Boys LP we received. I’m bumping it up a point for Smile because 1) I like the story behind it, the idea of trying to recreate an album that was semi-recorded 4 decades earlier but never released, using the vintage equipment 2) I actually like the songs better. Brian Wilson’s voice isn’t quite up to the task, but compared to late vintage Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, he hits it outta the park.

There's a ton of love for the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson but it just doesn't do anything for me. I'm not a fan of this the harmonic vocals and the showtime sound. I see a whack of 5 stars and also an equal number of 1 and 2 star ratings, so I guess this just another love it or hate it album.

Exaltação da qualidade do pop e rock em simbiose.

Not really my bag, but it IS a tremendously well-made album and it sounds lovely.

this album was originally written in 1967 - it's the follow-up to pet sounds, the greatest album ever, and a reply to sgt. pepper, another one of the greatest albums ever (but not the greatest. suck it, beatles). in 2004, this wasn't doing much, but in 1967 - yeesh. this would have blown it all wide open the first time i ever listened to this album was not on a beach boys binge, actually - it was after seeing its placement on rolling stone's 500 greatest albums ever. i had always heard that smile was a bit of letdown, so to see it ranked 399 was a surprise to me. i decided to try it out, risking the perfect image i had of brian wilson as a songwriter after listening to pet sounds countless times. not a letdown, not a blemish on wilson's record. a credit to his talent, even in 2004, a little less than 40 years than it was originally written. it's goofy, it's earnest, it's loving, and it's really really good. it's nowhere near pet sounds though, but that's not its fault. nothing can touch pet sounds. thanks again, brian, for this and for everything.

Not a fan

This album is nearly perfect and just absolutely incredible. Particularly for how good it sounds after so much time and history and gestation. What an accomplishment for Brian Wilson--a true masterpiece. We should consider ourselves lucky and fortunate that this even exists.

Amazing album that shows Brian Wilson’s range and genius.

The Beach Boys are fine but this is just boring

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.

Ganska kaotiskt men älskar Brian Wilson och Van Dyke Parks, borde lyssna flera gånger, strong strong 3 for now

Brian Sneedson

Strange that this s the first time I’ve heard of this album. Knowing the mythical status of the original ”Smile”, some might be disappointed by this rendition. I think it’s nice

Boss

Genius

This album is breathtaking. I nearly wrote a whole thing about separating art from its context. About how my appreciation of BWPS really has very little to do with the music itself. About how Smile plays more like a great documentary about the making of a great piece of art that was never actually made. About how it all feels a little nostalgic, a little "Disney." About how there's a quality to the mix and production of BWPS that I find unpleasantly nostalgic, stale, flat, over-produced. There's an element certainly that feels like a museum piece—the ornate stitching around the album art helps hit that home, as does the word "presents" in the album title. Not too mention the fact that there are far better recordings of many of these songs scattered across various post-Smile-sessions Beach Boys' albums, and that BWPS doesn't feature any other Beach Boys members. But—now that I've gotten those asides out of my system—I can reaffirm that this album is truly breathtaking. I think those struggles I have with BWPS are accurate, but the truth is listening to this album is an experience unlike any other I can think of in modern music. Recorded and released nearly 40 years after the 24-year-old originally sat down and attempted to record it, had a nervous breakdown, and ultimately abandoned the project, Smile is packed with so much emotional drama, so much story, so much humanity...it really makes me want to cry just thinking about Brian Wilson's personal struggle and ultimate success with this piece art. Sure, a part of me wonders constantly about the version of Smile that might have been recorded in 1967 as originally envisioned (and I can't help but miss the younger Brian Wilson's falsetto in these songs, either). But that doesn't take away from my thoroughly enjoying the version that the elder Brian Wilson released in 2004. In fact, it's an essential part of the experience of listening to BWPS. Listening to this album is to reflect on time, art, and age. To wonder about our younger selves and older selves, and if they're really the same person. To wonder if the art that we might have made in our youth could ever truly be re-created in our middle-to-old age. And to marvel specifically about the emotional journey Brian Wilson took in revisiting this material; reflecting on his younger self—a younger self in the throes of his traumatic, emotionally wrought, defining hours no less—and reclaiming a forgotten dream. I admire this album a great f***ing deal. This album is as great a champion of the human spirit as I can think of. And actually listening to the music, only heightens the emotional pull of that experience. Many moments on this album seriously make me want to cry in the same way I almost always cry listening to "God Only Knows." It's the music itself, but it's also the tragic, heartbroken figure of Brian Wilson inside of it. To hear him struggling through his music. Expressing his deepest feelings and personal anguish and doing it through the traditionally rigid confines of a 1960s pop format. Not to mention, there are some wonderful melodies and great pop experiments here. The whole album has a wonderfully cohesive, downriver flow to it. It's a very strange storybook sort of experience to actually sit down and listen to it. To unpack its movements, its textures, its characters, its geography, and musical histories. It's magical. But I'm also a Brian Wilson fanatic. In the liner notes for this album, author David Leaf asks, "Does Smile exist?" It's a legitimate question. And as an album that I think requires knowing some backstory to appreciate, it's hard to argue that this album really stands on its own in the way it might have in 1967. But does anything? BWPS is the realization of dream. It's music that soars well beyond the confines of music. It exists in our cultural unconscious; in our minds and in our hearts. Of course Smile exists. It always has. I was going to give them album a 4 but screw it, it's a 5.

So much music history lore in this one! Brian Wilson placing a flaming log in the middle of the studio for the recording of the song Mrs. O'Leary's Cow to evoke the Great Chicago Fire caused by the aforementioned cow, then a fire randomly starting in the building next door, causing Brian to freak out. Heroes and Villains being the most expensive single the band ever recorded, consuming months of the band's attention, then having a lackluster release and sending Brian into a nervous breakdown. The whole album being shelved for 35 years until Brian could finally return to it and see his vision through to the end. There are moments of true greatness on this album. The line "And sonny down scruff I'm alright" from Heroes and Villains; the mournful interpretation of You Are My Sunshine, some of the most beautiful use of the harpsichord in rock music, the unbelievably angelic harmonies on Surf's Up. And going back to Heroes and Villains, that is simply one of the most beautiful uses of the human voice I've ever heard in music. Much of the absurdism and goofiness is a little bit lost on me (Vega-Table). And there are moments when Brian's age shows in his voice, making me wonder just how good this might have sounded if it was released all those years ago when it was first written. Which begs another question- obviously this album would have been super revolutionary and cutting edge if it came out in 1967. But released in 2004, so much has changed in music that it feels like this weird relic that finally made it to the party long after the other guests left. It's an important album in the sense of it being this grand vision of this brilliant man that finally got its cathartic ending. There is a beautiful poetry in that. Is there more significance to it than that?

I can't believe I never listened to this album! What an emotional conclusion to Smile. The first two songs made me tear up, thinking of what this must have been like to actually finish after so many years. I'd listened to the Smile sessions dozens of times before, but I would always come away confused its overall direction. It felt beautiful and far advanced from Pet Sounds, but incomplete. This really feels like all the pieces of the puzzle are in their place. And what a treatment! Brian's writing is incomparable... wide-eyed and childlike, but always with some complexity lurking. Now that everything is arranged the way it was intended to be, it makes so much sense. The album plays out like a film or musical... very strong arcs. I could gush about this more, but I mean... it's one of my favorite and most cherished songwriters, finally realizing a vision that was a dream for 40 years. Emotional and captivating. 5 absolutely deserved stars. As an album, it feels completely realized, in a way that I never appreciated before

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

I would very likely have rated this perfect had this album been made 4 decades earlier. Smile is the best album that's never been made, and here we have the closest piece of art to Brian's vision. Compared to what I've heard in Smiley Smile, tracks like "Heroes and Villains" are much better put together and less chaotic. "Vega-Tables" and "Wind Chimes" are the two really enhanced by this. And as a whole, the album is perfectly coherent, with one track flowing smoothly to the next. It all comes together beautifully, with wonderful harmonies and full to the brim with countless creative and mindblowing ideas in every song. It pulls your attention in how amazing it all sounds. The production is clean, and this is essential to understand how Brian aimed to put together all of his hard work. I love the goofy imagery that evokes a sense of childlike playfulness and curiosity in the classical-inspired soft and warm melodies. Every song is great and stands out one way or another, and many of their masterpieces like "Cabin Essence" and "Surf's Up" are here. I noticed a shift in the silliness of the songs starting with "I'm in Great Shape", with more attention on the strange instrumental techniques compared to the baroque harmonies, but it does feel a little disordered here, especially with the sudden conclusion with "Good Vibrations." That being said, I can't fall in love with this. It doesn't have the charisma of their 60s production style, and although this might sound better, it lacks the character from their 60s albums. The tracks smoothly flow, but sometimes it feels a little too fast for me, not as patient and warm as their 60s records. The harmonies are there, but they merge too closely together and feel mostly supplementary and a bit artificial at times... I much prefer the voices of the Beach Boys. But for most of all, Brian just has a rusty aging voice. This is mostly noticeable on tracks like "Surf's Up" where he can't hit as high as he could in the 1971 version, but really I just don't like his voice overall too much here.

Maybe I wasn’t concentrating but I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected to. Still love the Beach Boys sound and really feel for Brian Wilson but feel this only warranted a mean 3*

Fine.

3 - must be much better live but a bit muddled

I went through a phase a few years ago when I had Pet Sounds on very heavy rotation, so it’s fair to say I love the songs by the Beach boys that I’ve already heard. Google says this is Brian Wilson’s version on an unreleased Beach Boys album from many moons ago. I’m excited to listen! Songs I already knew: Good Vibrations Favourites: Heroes and Villains, Cabin Essence I know this is a bold thing to say, but this was an actual perfect album. I’ve never been a believer of there being no such thing as perfection and this is a prime example of this. Brian’s composing is far beyond anything I’ve heard before. The opening track Our Prayer is comparable to a symphony, but with only voice. Heroes and Villains is much the same, but with a typical orchestra thrown into the mix too. There is so much going on with this music, and yet it manages to never sound too busy or overwhelming. It’s common knowledge that Brian Wilson isn’t the most mentally well man in the world, and being able to write something as beautiful as this in the midst of ongoing hallucinations should inspire people everywhere to never let anything stop you from doing what you love.

Pop.

Beach Boy floored by Sgt Pepper. Is it better than Pet Sounds? No. Is it great? Yes. It's hard to separate the album from the narrative - a lovely redemption story of a sad old man who lost his way and then found it again three decades later. And why would you? It's a heart warming slice of nostalgia that happily diverts from the shitty world right now.

Well… that was a bloody brilliant, beautifully bonkers ride through Brian Wilson’s mind. A true creative maverick and songwriting genius.

Honestly I dont get this album ...

Don't get this at all. Clearly I'm in the minority, as it's so loved ... but to me, load of old guff

I love this! I love Brian Wilson. It's like Pet Sounds lost prodigal sibling.

Confession, I have never listened to this album before. I know lots of people will judge me for that. It's very jolly. I see why people love it. And respect it for it's craft. But probably not something I'd listen to as an album again.

I hate the Beach Boys and I hated this.

First time I've heard this and it's great.

Enjoyable enough, but very much of its time

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 😳

Overall I enjoyed this. Classic sounds and good harmonies. Went off the rails a few times but I didn't mind it.

This album is certainly experimental, but hard to listen to at times knowing the abuse he suffered as a child. The child-like melodies were purposeful which is brilliant and heartbreaking. There’s touched of the signature Beach Boys sound that I really liked, and a song full of farm animal sounds that my 18 month old enjoyed.

After the first couple songs I was ready to hate on this album. Oddly, I loved it. I feel like it was lighthearted, whacky, but also pleasing to listen to.

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.

nej

Beach boyssss, simple men solide pop/rock melodier

Really interesting album. At times inane (for me), but I listened a little more closely as I read about Brian Wilson (didn't know a lick about him before) and Mrs. O'Leary's Cow was really unexpected. Ended up liking the album and learning from it. Not sure I'd listen to it again.

too beach boy slike

Stands as a reminder of what could have been.

this is way too goofy for me

Bit of an odd one this. I mostly enjoyed it but it was a little bit too "zany" for me.

Awful

The Beach Boys' legendary lost album rerecorded in its entirety by Brian Wilson in 2004. He did a pretty good job. Despite no other Beach Boys being involved, this delivers the classic sound and characteristic harmonies. It will be interesting to compare this to 'The Smile Sessions' from 1967. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Heroes and Villains Date listened: 28/09/22

Dacht al klinkt oud, blijkbaar al in 1966 opgenomen. Wel lekker vrolijk en best goed, maar wel klinkt ook wel wat oud. 4*

I didn't like this music when it originally came out and I definitely don't like it now. Just terrible.

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.

Really interesting, especially reading the history. Like a symphony at times, but bouncing between rich harmonies, complex songs, and goofy, childish tunes. Only a few that can really be called songs. A huge range of instruments.

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

Classic Beach Boys vibes, stoner rockish fun.

I’m so glad he finally finished this album.

this one sounds like a musical for sentimentals who yearn for the past

报道完毕

I bought this one when it came out, mainly because of the hype around it. This was an album rescued from oblivion - a hell of a backstory. And there are some great moments on this for sure. But I've never successfully listened to this all the way through. It's just a smidge over 45 minutes - not that long a stretch. But it feels like twice that to me. Maybe that's because it has so much to live up to? Still, Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Surf's Up, Child is Father of the Man... all good stuff. Good Vibrations strikes me as a tug of war between Wilson and Mike Love. Those verses are hauntingly beautiful. Then the chorus busts in and "She's giving me excitations" - jesus that's bad. It's always been bad. I can't stand it. So this is better than background, but it always ends up in the background for me. 3.5 stars.

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

Well produced album

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.

I liked the soap opera style of the album. It benefits from not knowing the back story and listening as a standalone piece of work. Heroes and Villains is the standout track. I was left feeling happy that something positive came out of what sounds like a very negative creative process going back over the years. Smile...

Good album just dated

Smile seems to have a kind of concerto form: The middle slowed things down and apparent lyrical themes lost me a bit. Every track has a bit of substance, and Heroes and Villains grabbed me hard at the start. The project in retrospect, though, feels overproduced and under-something (certainly not -worked, given the time involved).

Recycled

It's the beach boys

Stuck it on repeat all day and listened to the original sessions and Smiley Smile. I like the grandiose scope of the project but don't feel like it achieved what it set out to do at all. The modules seemed to break up the quality rather than add texture. For me, part of the joy of the forms that he's working in is their simplicity so this treatment just feels fussy. Great orchestration and 'Good Vibrations' is near perfect. These recordings sound every bit as rich and warm as the originals to my ears despite the presence of no original Beach Boys beyond Brian, so this version to me is a success. Finally, if you're trying to stake a claim as a genius, move away from the siren whistle.

Amongst some of the great "what could have been" musical events of the 20th Century, Smile exceeds its expectations simply by finally being created. One can wonder what would have happened had Brian Wilson been given the encouragement and the proper support needed to see Smile through and gave the world its "teenage homage to God" in the year of Sgt. Pepper and Surrealistic Pillow. Instead, all that was showcased was blueprints and scattered songs across their later discography and visions of the supposed masterpiece that never came. Good thing Brian finally found the courage, support and care necessary to finally bring this monument to it's most complete structure; for its existence does bring about a smile amongst this listener. Favorites: Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Wonderful, Song for Children, Child is the Father of the Man, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations.

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

Easy listening and enjoyable

I struggled with some of this but don't want to be unfair as I was in a stressy bad mood. Some of those songs were generally irritating BUT some of them are classics. I think Good Vibrations is one of the best songs ever. Luke told me the sad history of this album, that it was long awaited whilst Brian Wilson struggled with drugs and was feeling intimidated by the Beatles.

Nice but I did get a bit bored by the end

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. **

All I can hear in my mind as I am listening to this is "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody "Pancreas." And I _KNOW_ I shouldn't be thinking of it, but it's stuck in there as I am listening to this. The whole thing feels very... childish. But then, I always felt that way with the Beach Boys. Like, the songs never dealt with overly mature stuff, and the music reflected this (Good Vibrations and all). It's too clean cut. Speaking of that, Good Vibrations to me will unfortunately be linked to Sunkist soda. I remember seeing the commercials when I was 13 or 14. I didn't realize the corporate linking, I just assumed the song was for the soda. Little did I know... So now I cannot unlink it in my head. So I think it was a great accomplish for Brian Wilson to come back to this work over 35 years later. Are the melodies hummable? Probably. But it's so... light and sugar-y. It's an important album in the history of rock, but I just don't know if it's something I would come back to and listen to again and again.

There was a lot of Beach Boys on in my house growing up so I'm probably a little partial here. Though never any solo Brian Wilson. I really enjoyed the opening from Our Prayer / Gee to Heroes and Villains and I think that kind of hooked me. It's a little strange of an album, but in a good way. If you listen to it a few times, you really appreciate how it all blends together. Pull out a song here or there and yeah, it's going to be meh, especially because the lyrics can get pretty childish. But stay in any one of the three movements and it's pretty cool (and really try to ignore the lyrics in movement three - downright silly except for In Blue Hawaii and Good Vibrations). Not a classic, but neat concept and all the moving parts are executed pretty well.

This is what it would sound like if you were having a nightmare and someone put a Beach Boys album on in the background (particularly Mrs. O'Leary's Cow - that's some dark stuff for a Beach Boy). Overall, this album is...interesting. Probably more relevant as a musical curiosity (long unfinished album finally gets finished) than as a great album. I also listened to Smiley Smile (the sort-of Smile album the Beach Boys released in 1967) - it's interesting to compare the same tracks on each (where available). Heroes and Villains is a pretty cool track and compares pretty closely to the version on Smiley Smile. Good Vibrations is a classic, of course - interesting that this version has different lyrics from the original. I'm interested enough to want to keep digging into this album, which is usually at least a 4 for me, but it's also seriously weird. I don't necessarily mind weird, but I'm going to have to go with a 3 because it's just a little too weird.

I like the beach boys and all but I feel like I just haven't quite got all the way there with them yet.

Self-indulgent, backward looking, and mostly mediocre. Dennis > Brian. Best track: Heroes & Villains

Must have been surreal for Brian to revisit work from 4 decades prior and the personal challenges that came with it. Clearly the man is an absolute genius. The production and vocal layering is incredible. But over an entire album, it lacks dynamics and changes to the songs to really provide something more worthwhile.

A throwback to the Beach boys days however it still doesn't really reach me. The pop music is relaxed and easy listening but it doesn't really grab my attention etc

I love the history (damn near mythology) around SMiLE, and this is probably the closest we will ever get to having the original vision be realized. And it's good! But still, in some places it does feel unfinished or inadequately realized. However, it also feels like a final breath of relief to settle the whole thing, as well. Cathartic, I imagine.

It is how I expect the Beach Boys sound. It is not bad, but a little tired and not surprising in any way.

I listened with an open mind and even tried to like it, but, sorry folks, just bored me.

A very wild ride!

i cant stand this album. 1 star. like a bad cover of beach boys.

In some ways, this was a very awkward album. It's the re-visiting of a 60's album in 2004. At the same time it's a boy-band album sung by an aged man. At times it's also more psychedelic than how I imagine anything related to the Beach Boys should be. All that said, it doesn't sound bad. But despite it's weird aspects, it does not sound very memorable at all.

This was a fun album, lots of good vibes. Good vibrations aside tho nothing really stood out for me. It's a little all over the place, and the acapella oooooo's wear a bit thin after a while. Also vege-tables gave me horrible flashbacks to Mr Bloom's nursery and Sebastien the aubergine

The fact that this album exists in a form that Wilson was happy to release it is just amazing Now that the Smile Sessions are out, it's hard not to compare the two and I don't think this recording holds up as well as the sessions from back in the day, but it's still just a delight to listen to

I'm not sure how to place this album genre wise. Kind of weird, choiry and acapella but not really. Weird vibe that changes with each song. Hmm.

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.

It can't get a 5 because I feel it is lacking the magic and fun of the original recordings. It's brilliant and beautiful but original flavour is always the best.

Kuulad ja aru ei saa, mis aastast see on. Kõlab nagu Beach Boys. Midagi kõlab vist siiski 00ndate indilikult, võib-olla neutral milk hotellikult isegi. Selgus et ta oli Beach boysi asutajaliige ja see plaat on avaldamata materjal :D

Meh. It all just sounds like Beach Boys.

A trip into Brian Wilson’s mind…as I expected, it was interesting, weird, super creative, and surprising. Not the kind of album I’d spin most days, but I appreciate it for the art that it is.

Interesting and at times really beautiful. I thought about The Fleet Foxes a lot when listening to the harmonies.

I get that this album was mythical for decades, but I dunno if it was worth the wait... I like the really diverse instruments and structures. But I think Brian Wilson's melodies are usually just too smart for me. The through-composed nature of most of these songs gives you nothing to latch on to. Those with at least a little bit of motif (e.g. Vege-Tables, Wind Chimes, and obviously Good Vibrations) are therefore the highlights.

Do I appreciate the history? YES Would I ever listen to this again? NO

I just don't like the Beach Boys and I don't like this. There is the odd OK moment - but those slide whistles - jeez!

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

Solid studio sorcery with a wacky back story! Fave track - "Good Vibrations" is obviously iconic. "Vege-tables" is another fave!

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

Complex and ambitious. Lovely layers and motifs connecting the album. Maybe a touch bloated/overbearing but the ambitious vision and good vibrations makes this a strong 4.

A really problematic album. Its listening to 500 tracks at once style is basically unlistenable

9/10 Goofy ass album cover 💀 Really fun. Brian Wilson is a genius. I always have “Caroline, No” from petsounds in rotation bc it sounds like he’s talking to me and I like to talk back. I love the way that he keeps fluctuating with volume. I especially love the moments when it’s really big and loud. So childish but in such a good way. SO MUCH FUN. I love the recurring elements of this album and how things seem to tie together very often. So silly. Reminds me of an episode of Mickey Mouse clubhouse Reminds me of the circus. Glamorizes rural America in a way that could make anyone want to run away to Idaho or smthn. ++ Super beachy I just love how cinematic it is. I can feel the strings and harmonies from the depths of my SOUL. Standout tracks: Heroes and Villains, Child is Father of the Man

That wonderful period of pet sounds

Rock muy a lo Beach Boys. Un 4.

Olfos, es que es el de los Beach Boys. De hecho, por eso le doy un 3, porque me ha parecido un poco tostón.

Holy cow, I don't even know how to talk about this album. You'll never catch me driving down the road, Smile blaring from my windows, but it's really cool. It feels a little like a hodgepodge mess initially, but every inch of this is deliberate and kind of wonderful. Beautiful arrangements, wild sonic experiments, and a sense of humor on top. The symphonic elements are gorgeous, and I love the musical threads that wind through multiple songs, which is really brilliant. This actually did make me smile. Fave Songs: Heroes and Villains, Good Vibrations, In Blue Hawaii, Vega-Tables, On a Holiday, Wind Chimes, Child Is Father of the Man

I don't know. I guess I'm glad I heard it so it's hard to give it too low of a score, but it was really not very compelling. Not sure what was going on in "Vega-Tables" but it was a weird failed attempt at being clever. A lot of the songs had really cool parts but then the whole mood and style of the song changed into something worse. Probably won't listen again.

Meh.

Shitter Pet Sounds

Took a minute to warm up to, but ultimately this album had beauty and charm. Sometimes thrown off by some of its weirdness (vege-tables?). I will have to look into the history of this one more, and might gain more value from this one.

Not for me

God this is tiring. It's everything the Beach Boys did well sixty years ago, diluted with twee baroque guff interespersed with novelty tracks like "Mrs O'leary's Cow". If ever there's an example of the artist being put before the art, I think this is it. What utter wank. Good Vibrations is the only good track on the album, and it was done better sixty years ago.

What the actual hell ? That was just annoying

An album of its time. In this case, ‘time’ being the aborted sessions of the late 1960s rather that its belated release in 2004. It does have its charm, but it doesn’t add anything to the Beach Boys canon (completists, you can pretend I don’t exist. I’m cool with this)

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

Необычная судьба у альбома. Но то, что он был доделан, меня радует. И по звучанию он здоровский. Необычный :)

2004? decent 60s songs

choir boys

I've always heard comparisons between the evolution of the Beach Boys to that of the Beatles, but never really dove into their discography to find out why since the singles I knew I wasn't super into. This album really illuminated those comparisons, and taking those hits and really building on the musicality of it while making each song flow into the next shows how strong Brian Wilson is with crafting a piece of music. Really enjoyed this and opened my eyes to the band, can't wait for more of their albums to show up on this project.

Aug. 5, 2025. Going into this with an open mind and heart as a Beach Boys hater, or at least a Beach Boys “appreciates their tremendous influence but finds them grating and thinks they’re overrated”-er. Listening to this I feel like I am finally seeing some of Brian Wilson’s “genius” that I’ve heard so much about, so many decisions just made exactly right, even if the songwriting still isn’t my favorite. The way the vocals swoop and fade in and out is really nice. 7/10

7/10. Like Pet Sounds, except this album actually has some pet sounds in it.

Not very interesting but I guess it sounds alright. 6/10

sonic genius on this lost gem... not sure it is masterpiece on a pet sounds level

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

A fast-paced, epic record from music icon, Brian Wilson. This concept record's tracks seem to blend into one another, there are some great songs on here, though it's a bit of a jumble at times. Not really a big fan of the Beach Boys, but enjoyed it and glad this finally got a real release!

Brian Wilson is a genius, I don't know if I need to say anything else. I honestly think I like SMiLE more than Pet Sounds. The fact that this was unable to be released in this manner in the 60s is a tragedy. This world has been so unkind to Brian and I am so glad that he found the strength to fulfill his dreams after so many years of abuse and adversity.

I like beach boys but I’ve only herd a best of album and pet sounds before so I’am looking forward to seeing what they ( well Brian Wilson) took so long working on… Our prayer starts off the the album just as a little bit of humming prayer like music makes sense as an intro. Gee is a very short bit at the end of prayer ,as it should, sounds very beach boys. Hero’s and villains us really enjoyable with how sonically distinctive each part is other than multi part song I’ve never herd such variety. But i do vaguely remember this one. I love the drumming at the start at roll Plymouth Rock also I like the change for the chorus and the bridge bit is good. Barnyard is alright for what it is but it’s just super short. But it works into the small small instrumental old master then the depressing cover of you are my sunshine. Cabin essence is another one without such great verity between the different parts which I love and it’s great for ending the first ( of 3) parts. The backing vocals are great and the that subtle trumpet makes wonderful a good listen if its not one of their best. It flows perfectly into song for children actually quite a childish sounding in the verses then the chorus just sounds depressed ( which isn’t a problem). Then child is the father of the man is fairly weird in the chorus but i like it especially the piano work and the trumpet at the end. Surfs up is truly a favourite of mine now it’s just so fascinating and I like it’s one of the slowest beach boys songs. I’m in great shape starts off the final part it’s alright its just a lead into the slow cover of I wanna be around and then the short workshop to end this three piece mini tracks. Then workshop leads into a separate track vega-tables quite an odd one probably my least favourite “full track” as i don’t like the “ wa, ha’s” in the background and the lyrics are very filler. On a holiday is a nice piano track with some filler but still good lyrics and the closing moment is great flowing into… Wind chimes has these great orchestral moment and the piano bit bridging these parts, but i’am not huge on most of the song. Mrs o Leary’s cow is a great piano led instrumental which has a good intro then it spirals off into this stranger part being intriguing but not a re listen for me. The downtempo start of in blue Hawaii swoops in then builds up to a piano section which is cool then it gets much happier only to be met with great strings and horns near the end. What hasn’t been said about good vibrations? It’s definitely the top track and a solid closer to this album i can’t say what hasn’t said before so i’am not gonna say anything. Overall I enjoyed the album but with that many tracks it felt a bit too long and without good vibrations the final part would be a really huge quality drop.

This album has been a top five album for me for quite a while. Though I’m more partial to the 2011 release made with the original 1967 tapes, this release is more fleshed out and features lyrics that were never recorded by The Beach Boys. I won’t rehash the history of this album, but it was intended as The Beach Boys’ follow up to Pet Sounds. I firmly believe that if this album had been completed and released, it would have eclipsed Sgt. Pepper in its influence. Just its mystery alone, along with bootlegs cobbled together by fans as speculative releases gave credence to this album’s supposed genius. And genius is exactly what I would call this album. It is a kaleidoscope of Americana with ponderous and abstract lyrics by the great poet Van Dyke Parks told through Brian Wilson’s incredible and complex songwriting. Themes arise and are revisited and inverted to thread the album together to culminate in the emotional release of Good Vibrations in what is perhaps the most satisfying ending to an album ever. Surfs Up remains my favorite pop song and this album is always in heavy rotation.

Boomer nostalgia shit

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

Wat een chaotisch samenraapsel van muziek. Absoluut niet van genoten... Enkel het laatste nummer is leuk

Love Brian wilson. Not quite as good as pet sounds

the best!

there was some good vibrations in this one

Rock muy a lo Beach Boys. Un 4.

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.

Always got time for a bit of Brian.

WTF just happened? I’m not sure if Brian Wilson is a mad genius, or just mad (and I don’t mean angry; although maybe he is, I’m not sure.) To be completely candid, 'Smile' simply went right over my head. I’m guessing the first of Wilson’s three movements was something of a lament over the early white settlers illegal and unjust occupation of north American lands upon which the Indians had lived for millennia? If so, a western saloon-sounding piano might not have been the best choice of instrument for ‘Roll Plymouth Rock’- and yes, I know Plymouth is in the eastern United States. Reason for further confusion. That said, the choice of banjo and harmonica on ‘Cabin Essence,’ three songs later, was very appropriate to the mood. So, what do I know? Wilson’s more the master of this. On ‘Blue Hawaii’ (the third movement- hey, why go in order? I’m lost anyway) his outstanding harmonies ‘water, water, etc.) actually sound like, well, water. I’m not learned enough in musical theory and composition to explain why this is so; it just is. Listen for yourself. Lyrically, however, that’s a whole other story. Assisted by Van Dyke Parks, Wilson’s co-writer, 'Smile' is chocked full of lines like ‘Columinated ruins domino,’ from a tune entitled (just as curiously) ‘Surf’s Up.’ Or ‘I’m in the great shape of agriculture,’ from ‘I’m In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Proud/Workshop.’ Would someone, could someone, please explain what Parks and Wilson are expressing? Captain Beefheart probably could. Syd Barrett? That’s a good bet. ‘Course they were both mad hatters as well. I’m not sure it I liked 'Smile' or hated 'Smile.' No, on second thought, I definitely did not hate it. But I might not know for a while to what extent I either did or did not like it. The highlight of this whole thing was the final track, ‘Good Vibrations.’ No surprise why this became such a huge hit, and it holds up today, over half a century later. In fact, I wish the entire album would’ve been a little more like it, a mostly sustained tune with some interesting melodic and tempo changes; but not too much, unlike the rest of the LP. All the stopping and starting finally wore me out. Sometimes an artist can be too clever. On the plus side, though, Wilson does excel in creating lush harmonic soundscapes, from the beginning acapella ‘Ooos’ all the way to the end. Add to that the splendid orchestral arrangements of the Stockholm Strings ‘n’ Horns. Bravo! And, finally, the band itself, close to a dozen players with no instrument left behind! No wonder the other, original Beach Boys mostly panned this LP with a lot of snarky, jealous comments to the press. ‘Course these boys have been bitching amongst themselves like an elderly women’s church quilting bee for decades now, so why should the 21st century be any different? In my opinion, The Beach Boys need Brian Wilson a lot more than Brian Wilson needs The Beach Boys. The question unanswered remains: What does the listener need? Imagination? Hallucination? Conversation? Consultation? I’d add Explanation, but I doubt Wilson’s entertaining that anymore, if he ever did at all. Or, maybe the answer’s right in front of me: to smile and listen through my teeth, while my ears take over chewing duties. Or as the saner Bob Dylan once replied to Mona when she warned him to stay away from those bloodthirsty railroad men, ‘… there’s only one I’ve met, and he just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette.’ OK, now, I’m smiling.

Brian Wilson is a universal treasure xxx

Weird, but good. Pretty sure it works best as a whole piece, given the songs all meld together. I would love to have more time to listen a few more times through

I prefer the smile sessions version of this, but it's still very good. Gotta commend the fact this got made in the first place. Favourites: "Heroes and Villains", "Cabin Essence", "Surf's Up"

Can’t get behind this one. Couldn’t even finish the whole album. Not my type of music

I think a lot of people are familiar with the "lost album" this album shares it's name, as well as possibly knowing the story about how it drove Brian Wilson mad. I can somewhat see why. I think "ambitious" isn't an ambitious enough word to describe the undertaking here. Each song changes phase so frequently it's tough to keep track of them. It's well arranged and flows well together, just maybe a little insane. Favorite tracks: "Heroes and Villans", "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"

Like

This is is, an album to make you smile. This is really fun.

3/5. Most of the songs are enjoyable.

Ich mag seine sülzigen Vokalharmonien einfach nicht.

Again, out of my element. Believe this will be a recurring theme with this list. Hit and miss. But, overall enjoyable. With some welcomed odd wtf moments. And an excellent reimaging of "Good Vibrations."

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.

Jeden z najdziwniejszych odsluchow jakie sie pojawily na liscie, muzyka ktora tak lubie brzmi tak nie na miejscu, Smile pana Braiana Wilsona, ktorego raczej kazdy kojarzy glownie z Beach Boysow jest dziwna kompilacja wlasnie Boysowej tworczosci, legenda glosi, ze biczowie nagrali tak cudaczny material, ze Beatlesow trzeba by bylo zeskrobywac z chartow, album mial sie nazywac Smile, wiec jak dzisiejsza plyta, ale nie wyszedl w 66 czy 67, tylko mial swoje rozne wcielenia na przestrzeni lat, rozpoczynajac od Smiley Smile z 67, bedacego mini epkiem, bo zaledwie 27 minutowy krazek, pierwsza smilowa kompilacja byly good vibrations, jako krazek na 30 lecie boysow, drugi byl wlasnie projekt solowy pana Briana z 2k04 i ostatnim jest the smile sessions z 2k11, jakos nigdy mnie nie naszlo zeby az tak zaglebiac sie w lore smilowe, ale pierwszy i ostatni tributowy projekt to orginalne nagrania poprawione jak sie dalo, z lepszym lub gorszym efektem, ale na dzisiejszym picku jest cos calkiem nowego, kawalki te same, ale nagrywane calkowicie od nowa, z poteznym zapleczem instrumentalnym, wiec brzmi to jeszcze bardziej orkiestrowo niz w latach 60, nie chce mi sie nawet sprawdzac czy jakies nazwiska sie pokrywaja z wczesniejszymi kolaboratorami boysow, bo ciezko mi znalezc traka dla ktorego warto by to bylo zrobic, nie ma tutaj tego czegos, nawet jesli klawisze klikaja tak samo, to jednak brzmia calkowicie inaczej, ponad 30 lat roznicy a slychac regress pod wzgledem masteringu, co najbardziej zabolalo na surfs up, kawalku ktory tak otula sluchacza to z jeden to z drugiej strony w zamykajacej czesci kawalka, ale jednak najslabiej slychac samego pana Wilsona, teraz pytanie czy to przez ten dziwny mastering, czy jednak lata nie oszczedzily go tak dobrze jak chocby pana Bowiego, ktory do samego konca mial tak potezny wokal, wiec dziwny to byl odsluch, zapomne go bardzo szybko, a im wiekszym fangejem Beach Boysow jestem tym wiekszym hejterem tego krazka, ktory jest jak dla mnie apokryficznym dzielem pana Briana

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

Man, I’m tripping…

Uplifting. 7/10.

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

While I appreciate the complex vocal harmonies and enjoyed some of the arrangements, this is probably not an album that I would listen to again. 3.5/5 stars

Un bon album de wilson, je dois reecoute car jai bien aime ce que j’ai ente du 4

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...)

Heavy on the slide whistle, but definitely the spiritual successor to Pet Sounds. I said it about that album: “Brian Wilson has a time machine.” Enjoyable.

Really starting to grow on me. Interesting album with interesting sounds. 3/5

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Good vibrations

A multitalented songwriter with a tremendous grasp of musical styles, but the songs are all too disjointed to feel like you ever really get “into” it.

Such a fantastic album. It's funny that this is our 1001 albums of the day, on the same day when Godspeed You! Black Emperor's famous lost album officially released. Love both of them.

um okay beach boy

4.5 - It seems like every one of his records post-Pet Sounds comes with a litany of caveats and disclaimers about the record's originality and authenticity. I'm going to assume I'm listening to a finished record as the artist intended it to be released because I can't be bothered to dive into Brian Wilson's messy backstory. So all that aside, I loved this record! I hear the labor of a tortured artists trying to create something multi-layered and inspired. The flow on this record is top-notch - it leads me on a pleasant journey both between songs but also within songs that often unfold into separate sections. There's so much playfulness, some good and some goofy. On the good side are tracks like "Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine" that incorporates an old spiritual into the mix. On the goofy side there's "Cabin Essence" that has some weird vocal back-up ("doing doing...").

Un dels grans àlbums perduts del pop. La versió finalment editada de Brian Wilson va ser molt celebrada a la seva publicació. Però no és més que un bon disc de pop simfònic, amb dos o tres grans temes, ja coneguts, i la resta de petites píldores amb gran atenció pels arranjaments, i menys per les melodies

Half a dozen great songs, and then a bunch of snippets and unfinished music fragments stitched together and padded out to album length. Lots of good ideas, but most don’t really feel fleshed out. Not the masterpiece that critics and a lot of people will tell you it is.

Utter rubbish, only managed to listen to a few tracks before giving up. Beachboys on an extremely off day.

This album was so good! It was about time I gave this a listen. The only song I didn't really like was Mrs O'Leary's Cow, but that's not enough to give this album less than a 5.

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.

Niks an

Solid 3, Jolly album

Surf music

Assez incroyable

J'imagine pas la force d'esprit qu'il faut avoir pour terminer le plus gros échec de sa vie 40 ans plus tard. Prefs: Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations. Moins pref: Barnyard

feels like 2 albums, possibly due to time taken to write vs release date, loved the instrumental finish

It's a beautiful album, and I appreciate it so much for what it represents: Brian's triumph over past traumas and a return to his best creative self. A lot of songs and arrangements remind me of They Might Be Giants. He's such an impressive and influential artist. I love to see him being fun, quirky, and oddball in his lyricism, it pairs so perfectly with all of the playful instrumentation.

The sound of one acid casualty revisiting losing his mind. It's curious to wonder what would've happened to music if he'd managed to complete it during the first attempt. Best Tracks: Heroes and Villains; Surf's Up; Good Vibrations

Bon jovi

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.

sounds like other beach boys songs

This is pretty amazing, a resurrected labor of love from decades previous. Rather than a collection of songs, it is a musical work in movements, full of interesting vignettes complete with sound effects. Although that sounds very high and mighty, it is still a lot of fun. Each listening reveals another gemstone. It is impossible to separate this work from its long, complicated history, but beyond that amazing achievement, it's a joy to listen to. "Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up," and "Good Vibrations" were each amazing as Beach Boys recordings, but they sound absolutely incredible here. Each of them is composed of their own internal movements. This is an absolutely amazing experience!

I have heard of this album and even had added it to my library a while back, as I was curious about it. Today was my first listen, however. I am glad I have finally taken the time to explore it! The album was not an assembly of singles, but rather a musical event meant to be experienced in it entirety. The recurring musical themes and deliberately designed transitions make the album more of a work of art...one that I can appreciate. I will say that for some of the tracks where I am already familiar with the versions from The Beach Boys, I was not always thrilled. However, as an overall album, I can totally dig it!

Wow. This is something. I'm glad I had the time to give it a focused listen. I think it might not be quite so great in the background but, as an activity all its own, this album's got layers galore to explore. It's symphonic with its movements and recurring motifs, one piece of music rather than a collection of songs. Tantalizing snippets of the familiar melody from Good Vibrations appear early in the album in Song for Children. Heroes and Villains and Surf's Up are similarly teased before those songs actually start. The instrumentation is incredible: strings, brass, woodwinds, a deep percussion bench, whistles (so many whistles!), power tools. So much to discover on repeated listens. (I appreciated the inclusion of the instrumental Heroes and Villains bonus track to hear some of the sounds I missed the first time through.) Lyrics are often child-like and nonsensical, often just repeated words, phrases and sounds, using the voices as more instruments as opposed to a means to tell a story. I'm so grateful that Brian Wilson found the strength to come back and finish this after a tough 40 years. It did indeed make me SMiLE.

I still feel like a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson novice - I haven’t even listened to PET SOUNDS yet for crying out loud - so I’m not sure I’m ready for SMiLE, but here goes… Talk about an aptly named album! The choir opening leads into “Heroes and Villains” and I couldn’t help but smile. It’s fun and inventive and I instantly loved it from beginning to end. Old favorites like “Surf’s Up” and “Good Vibrations.” Vegetables. Sea shanties. Barnyard animals. SMiLE is a genuine adventure! Despite the inevitable changes in Brian Wilson and the world in the nearly 40 years it took to complete SMiLE it feels like a vision fully realized. I’m stunned by this mythical creature that has appeared in my headphones. I love listening to this. I love that Brian Wilson created this. I love that this can exist. I love SMiLE.

Amazing album! Brian Wilson is my hero

Nice

Yeesh I mean the Beach Boys def get their sound from Brian but I am just not a fan of this album. It's almost like an experimental album. Ironically, the best song was "Good Vibrations", a song originally released in the 60s. Really? 3/10.

Love those Brian Wilson harmonies!

Standout tracks: Heroes and Villains Skipped tracks: Every other song. I could not finish the album Summary: Apparently Smile was originally supposed to be a Beach Boys album. I don't mind some Beach Boys songs, but I think they're a singles band. Smile is no different

Euh Brian t'as pas l'impression de te foutre de nous là ?

Robert nous a pour ainsi dire bien baisé, choisissant parmi la maigre sélection d'albums des années 2000 un album préhistorique, composé dans les années 60 au Abbey Road studio.

Lots of harmonies. Sounds like a compilation of nursery rhymes. Good vibrations.

Good vibrations, but don't like most of it.

I love Brian Wilson!

Just another album that really did nothing for me.

This is a concept album, so I think you either get it or you don't. Maybe I would appreciate it more if I paid closer attention to the lyrics. There are also too many vocal harmonies for my taste. Still, it is really impressive that this project was revived and brought to a complete form after so many years!

I waited all my life for this, there's no way it's getting a bad review. I loved Smiley Smile, the 'best effort' that was put out when the label realised it would never be finished. Any album that contains Heroes and Villains and Good Vibrations is a clear contender for best album ever. That it also contains the delightful Vegetables too is just gilding the lily. Is it better than Pet Sounds? It's genuinely a possibility. One was ambitious but still sounded traditional. This might be a step too far ambition wise (certainly it was for Brian Wilson's mental health), but it reaches for the stars and sometimes comes tantalisingly close to touching them.

So many harmonies

Like a lot of it’s ilk this is damn twee… I do like the beach boys, but this is too faux psychedelic.