This still just sounds like touched up demos honestly

Album Rating: 4.5

Touched up to near perfektion yeah

Album Rating: 3.5

"Touched up to near perfektion yeah"



Not at all.



There's nothing you could do to the Smile demos to make them better than Pet Sounds or Smiley Smile honestly.



The only way to make Smile ACTUALLY better than those two would be to take a time machine back to the 1960s and convince The Beach Boys to make it back then.

Album Rating: 4.5

Pet sounds and this is prob close to what he intended i think

Album Rating: 3.5

How can you even know that? He made this over 40 years after the actual Smile sessions, Wilson suffers from Schizoaffective disorder (which is different from schizophrenia, but kind of close,) and honestly he probably only said that to appease the audience who didn't like Brian Wilson Presents Smile. And most of it is so touched up that it doesn't even sound like 60s music anymore...



I doubt that if Wilson got his way in the the 1960s, that Smile would sound THAT similar to this. And Smiley Smile's lo-fi, creepy, experimental atmosphere is more interesting and personal sounding anyway...

Album Rating: 5.0

Ars, he recorded the Smile Sessions in multiple big budget studios with the Wrecking Crew. He recorded Smiley Smile (except for the singles) in his house. Which one sounds like a demo?

Album Rating: 4.5

Wow, speculation and all haha

Album Rating: 3.5

"Ars, he recorded the Smile Sessions in multiple big budget studios"



Exactly^



"He recorded Smiley Smile (except for the singles) in his house."



And how does this not make the amazing lo-fi atmosphere of Smiley Smile even more impressive?



"Which one sounds like a demo?"



The 2011 album that took 1960s demos, touched them up in multiple fancy studios and a claim attached of "this is how Brian Wilson wanted it" to help sell it.

Album Rating: 5.0

If you're attaching the word "demo" to the absence of releasing something to the public, yeah it's a demo. 95% of Smile Sessions was recorded from 1966-1967 and the rest finished by 1971 with the arrangement for Surf's Up. It was pieced together in 2011, but nothing was re-recorded. They mastered it to get the volumes right and that kind of stuff.



The argument has always been what sounds like the music of Brian Wilson at his peak. If you think Smiley Smile is it, that's fine. Typically demos are lo-fi recordings done in a short period of time (aka Smiley Smile) and not large budget symphonic arrangements that take months to record, so it's quite the opposite of which one sounds like a demo. So what, though? If you like lo-fi than what the heck that's the masterpiece. I've always been more of a maximizer when it comes to production.

Album Rating: 3.5

"If you like lo-fi than what the heck that's the masterpiece. I've always been more of a maximizer when it comes to production."



I don't necessarily prefer lo-fi overall, I just thought it worked better for The Beach Boys. I know I wasn't using the correct definition of demo, but I meant that The Smile Sessions sound unfinished and even less genuine. But hey that's my opinion, which like a lot of my opinions, isn't too popular lol

UnpopularOpinion true identity confirmed 2015

Album Rating: 3.5

lmao fuck that guy, he gave Wish You Were Here a 2.5 lol

Album Rating: 5.0

You know Ars, I was thinking now there are two ways to slice the Smile Sessions/Smiley Smile dilemma. I've always thought Smile Sessions was the more logical continuation of what Brian was doing with Pet Sounds, but thinking about it that's purely from an instrumental/musical standpoint. In terms of feel or thematics, Smiley/Smile is going deeper into depression and uneasiness. It's the real antithesis of the surf era.

Album Rating: 3.5

"I've always thought Smile Sessions was the more logical continuation of what Brian was doing with Pet Sounds, but thinking about it that's purely from an instrumental/musical standpoint. In terms of feel or thematics, Smiley/Smile is going deeper into depression and uneasiness. It's the real antithesis of the surf era."



I agree with all of this and I think you get a huge part of why I consider Smiley Smile a masterpiece, and this only "pretty good"

Album Rating: 4.5

Because it isn't as depressive lol

Album Rating: 3.5

"Because it isn't as depressive lol"



No Skylark, not even close keep trying. Friday13th hit the nail on the head though.

Album Rating: 4.5

Joke into the abyss ya go

Album Rating: 5.0

This is a beautiful trip

Album Rating: 5.0

You guys are also forgetting that Brian recorded EVERYTHING in mono because he only has hearing in his left ear. So Ars, the "demo" quality you're referring to is just the stereo modification of the mono which naturally sounds less clear and more muddled than a stereo version would

Album Rating: 3.5

Still not as good as Smiley Smile