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For many years, The Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions were considered to be rock and roll’s “great lost record.” But now, Brian Wilson has reworked the record and will be releasing it in a massive box set tomorrow. The set includes five CDs, two 12-inch records, two 7-inch records and a 60-page book. For fans willing to pay $6,000, the package even comes with a custom surfboard.
It seems that the Beach Boys are releasing every clip from the recording period, no matter how arbitrary. Tracks include: “Brian Falls into Piano” and “Brian Falls into Microphone.”
This package may be far too in-depth for the average Beach Boys listener, but the release is still historic. Rock legend has it that Smile was the Beach Boys’ response to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band but was not released due to tension within the band.
The album follows on Pet Sounds’ path of increasing psychedelia and features more experimental sounds than ever before. The 11-minute “Heroes and Villains (The Barnyard Suite)” is a major departure from every other song in their catalogue. Random sound bites of audiences laughing and police officers yelling seem to match the drug-fueled paranoia that Brian Wilson was feeling at the time.
There is little of the classic innocence that made the Beach Boys “America’s band” on this album, and you can practically feel the tension between the experimental Brian Wilson and the conventional Mike Love. The Beach Boys’ distinctive harmonies are sparse on this album, and they rarely fall into a recognizable chorus, relying more on mantra-like musings from Wilson.
“Our Prayer” opens the album, setting the mood with angelic vocals before embarking on a psychedelic journey.
Sandwiched in the middle of less popular tracks is the familiar tune “Good Vibrations.” In the context of the album, its unconventional qualities become more obvious. The soaring vocals and strange synth tone make this their most experimental hit to date.
“Vibrations” is reprised again several times in the trippy mash-up “Elemental Suite.” The song is seven minutes long and feels like a few short song fragments spliced together. It quickly cycles through smooth saxophone solos, Hawaiian jams and the sound of a waterfall. This song, like the album, is disorganized but still enjoyable.
The full release of The Smile Sessions is long overdue, though it is far too in depth for the average fan (the fifth disc is dedicated to each of the 24 takes of “Good Vibrations” from the sessions).
The two-disc edition is a very practical version of this historic release, however. For anyone interested in tracing psychedelic rock back to its roots, this album is a must-have.
It is unfortunate that the album took so long to release, but now it is sure to leave a lasting effect on music lovers everywhere.
