The Beach Boys Network

Re: Best Summation of SMILE. [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 05:47 AM CDT

Hey, maybe it's just me but I've always thought of Smile as, oh, a teenage symphony to God. Roll Eyes

Re: SMiLE questions, of course! [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 05:43 AM CDT

Thanks Bill, but it wasn't me - can't recall who, but someone else asked along the lines of "is it just me or does the list handwriting look nothing like Brian's ?"... and a whole bunch of us so-called 'experts' all did our best Stan Laurel impressions as we realised that no, it didn't look anything like Brian's cursive of the period. Like so many things, once it was pointed out, it was so damn obvious. Shocked

BTW, Peter added that when he showed Brian the list circa 1983, he said it was the first time he'd ever seen it. The smart money's still on Carl or Diane: I'd favor Diane as she was the contractor for those sessions. Not to mention around Brian a whole lot... Roll Eyes

Re: MAD Album Version for your listening pleasure [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 04:38 AM CDT

It sounds similar to the demo, I haven't A-B'd it to the other one but I think some of the 'sounds' of it are different, ie; more natural. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of the demo were used in it as obviously that is very easy to do these days.
I'm not sure of it being the first single?
Maconie and Radcliffe think the song is amazing but think the vocal is a bit dodgy - but that's part and parcel of being a Brian fan!

Re: MAD Album Version for your listening pleasure [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 04:32 AM CDT

Meh. The demo had a subtle and enriching dynamic. This... doesn't.

MAD Album Version for your listening pleasure [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 04:16 AM CDT

Thanks to Mr. John Etherington on the blue:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00cqf23

Drag forward to exactly 1 hour 50 minutes.

Re: Best Summation of SMILE. [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 03:06 AM CDT

I agree, but at the same time, it is obviously a psychedelic trip ("anything that is happening right now is psychedelic", "psychedelicate", etc...) with a lot of subtle, beautiful things happening beneath the surface. I think there is more to Smile than the average 66-67 pop album, and yeah, it gets dark....but if it wasn't cryptic, why was Mike Love freaking out about things like over and over the crow cries uncover the cornfields? Bottom line for me is I do believe there is an underlying spiritual intent, albeit one delivered through a foggy paisley lens

Re: Al Jardine [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 02:57 AM CDT

Quote from: HeyJude on July 30, 2008, 11:50:24 PM

I was at the show where Brian had that "episode." June 11th, 2007 at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. There is no evidence, and I saw nothing that indicated his "episode" had anything to do with Al. Al showed concern when it happened and was asking Brian if he was okay, etc. It was in fact Al who sort of took charge and called for an intermission. But that whole thing sort of got skewed and overblown, mostly by people that weren't even at the show. But that can all be re-traced by going back on the various boards to last year and reading the various posts.

As someone else pointed out, whatever the reason was for Al dropping out of the European tour dates, that decision had been made prior to this show. Al came out and did the show apparently even though he knew he wasn't going to be going on the European tour. Al hadn't even been advertised as being part of the Saratoga show.

Further, I don't even think it's really accuate to say that Al stopped touring with Brian's band as if it was a permanent thing that now will never happen again, because in the instances where Al joined Brian's shows, it wasn't advertised or touted as a permanent thing. If Al had done that European tour, I don't think he would have then permanently started touring with Brian. In fact, even when he was slated to do the European tour, I believe it was put around that he wouldn't be at the shows later in the year for "That Lucky Old Sun." Also, while I'm not holding my breath, it certainly doesn't seem totally impossible that Al might sit in with Brian again at some point. Al in total only did like 10 or 11 shows with Brian by my count. I consider myself lucky that I got to see two of those, including to date the last show they did together.

I agree with the above; from what I read, Brian's "episode" had nothing to do with Al not touring Europe with Brian.

Can see Al singing with Brian again in future. After all, Brian was there in court with Al the week Mike Love's latest lawsuit was settled. Weren't they singing together at some point while waiting for a late Mike Love to arrive? (HEY, WE'VE NEVER HEARD ANY DETAILS OF THAT SETTLEMENT. ANYBODY?)

What I was trying to say was that Al's appearances with Brian were somewhat informal. Just like an offer from Brian to show up and play some gigs - and give Al Jardine some good exposure. And, from what I read between the lines, that there was no financial offer from BRIMEL for Al to tour Europe with Brian.

Just typical Beach Boy 'loosy goosy' management and planning.

Re: Best Summation of SMILE. [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 31 Jul 2008 02:54 AM CDT

Smile was just another pop album being made in 1966-67. Nothing more, nothing less. While it's become commonplace to glorify the LP as some kind of cryptic thing with an incredible reputation, it's not always such.

I do believe, however, that Brian, like Beethoven in his late years of true creativity, was going into deeply disturbing, fractured frames of mind musically. Some of the musical passages on Smile are among some of the most frightening I've ever heard. That muted trumpet in Child Is Father Of The Man, an eerie piano motif for the same track with the band chirping the chorus....wow. Parts of Heroes and Villains with the piano figures...and of course Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. Surf's Up as well....an apocalypse-themed lyric set to a beautiful melody. This stuff is so far out that I doubt it would have been received openly if it came out then. Truly scary stuff.

And it was the most bitter of ironies that this album came to be called Smile.

Re: Al Jardine [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 30 Jul 2008 11:50 PM CDT

Quote from: Loaf on July 29, 2008, 02:55:00 AM

They tried adding Al to the band...it didn't work out. Brian had an on-stage episode. Too many bad memories? Exit Al. End of story.

It's a shame, i'd love to see Al back in there, his voice was like pure crystal, but it doesn't look likely.

Hopefully this also means the end to any possible BB reunions.

Re: Al Jardine [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 30 Jul 2008 11:12 PM CDT

I think, if I remember , they had decided Al's run was done before Brian fainted during 1 show. I don't think that had anything to do with it. I'm not sure what did. Shame too, they put on a great show in NYC. If it made Brian upset, why would he go to Red Barn and sing on Al's album?