Review Summary: This album does and always has intended for you to do one thing - smile. And now it finally can.
SMiLE!
So much has been said about Brian Wilson's masterpiece. After the extremely influential, favorite of Paul McCartney, breakthrough landmark album Pet Sounds, everyone wanted to know what Brian was gonna do next. Instead of telling you about exact details, all you need to know is that Good Vibrations came out. From that day on, music was (in my opinion) changed. It had the weirdest effects and a new kind of "feeling" to it, different from most music before it. That being said, The Beatles were doing that kind of thing, and their album Revolver was released, causing a little bit of competition. And when SMiLE came out, the Beach Boys were supposed to be right on top, right up there with The Beatles, and they were supposed to be known for this masterpiece. But somewhere in between masterpiece and genius, was a man going insane, taking cocaine, marijuana, and god knows what else. Brian Wilson shelved the project and instead released "Smiley Smile" a slow calm gem or a psychedelic bore fest, depending on how you look at it. SMiLE was gone. The world, over the years, has said so much of it, declaring how great it would have been, if only it came out.
So Brian, healthier now, declares that he will give people what they want. Was it a good idea though? I don't think anyone thought it could be too great. But back at Wilson headquarters (or whatever you call it) people were excited as hell. The lost masterpiece would be released at last!
And what an album. Totally worth the wait, it's just magical. The amazing harmony of Wilson's Beach Boy soundalikes stands out like a flashlight, and though Brian has aged, his voice is still great! Starting with an a Capella "prayer", the song flows into a tune called "Gee." It starts with a purposely treble - filled "doo do do doo do doo doo do doo do doo doo" that sounds like the kind of thing you'd pick up on your radio at the top of Mount Everest while your starving to death, yet it still makes you Smile (pun half intended). It fades into "Heroes and Villains" masterfully, which has a new verse added in by the way, about a cantina. Of course, by "different", I mean different from the version released on Smiley Smile, seeing as they had that original bit in the SMiLE sessions. The album fades into every next song brilliantly, like a medley but not quite. And of course, they re-recorded Good Vibrations, this time adding in a new "Hum be doo, hum be day oh-oh", which sounds like the guy on Mount Everest having a bit of fun.
Buy this album - if you are a fan of The Beach Boys, like The Beach Boys, or just kinda think they're alright, you'll love it. I didn't even know them very well until I heard this, and when I did, I became an instant fan.
SMiLE has gathered a lot of weight over the years. 37 years. But almost fighting all possibilities, Brian Wilson knocked the weight right off, so you can listen to this album and enjoy it without thinking of it's long, tiring past, and do what it does and always has intended for you to do. Smile.
