Brian Wilson Presents Smile

This post has nothing to do with medicine! This post represents my reflections while listening to Smile for the 4th time today!

A bit of history must accompany every Smile review. The Beach Boys helped define my teenage years. A new Beach Boys song was cause for rejoice. Brian Wilson’s sense of harmony and melody captivated me from the first.

After the Beatles arrived (1964) many critics did not take the Beach Boys seriously. They released a classic album (yes boys and girls, we bought albums in pre-CD days) Pet Sounds. Apparently (I was clueless at the time) Brian then started working on his next project – Smile.

During the work on this album Brian probably suffered a psychotic break. He was unable to finish the album as originally conceived. Several songs were released on Smiley Smile and Wild Honey, including 2 of their greatest songs – Heroes & Villians (my personal favorite) and Good Vibrations.

Reading now, the promise of Smile intrigued those “in the know”.

Slowly Brian Wilson become functional and able to contribute to the world of music again. Over the past year or two he (along with his new band and his original collaborator Van Dyke Parks) put Smile together as a concert and now a CD (released today).

I started reading about the CD last week. Rolling Stone has a gushing review. This morning I searched Napster (now a legal pay service) and the CD was available for listening. After listening to it on and off all morning, I went to buy it and have been listening every since.

So I am sitting here, listening to a CD of music originally promised during the year before I started college – 1966. I am so happy that Brian Wilson and his colloborators were finally able to record this CD. It exceeds my dreams and hopes.

Smile has the sound of the Beach Boys, but more resembles a symphonic piece. Like a symphony, Brian Wilson often takes ideas and plays with them. He rearranges, repeats in different ways, and then creates something new.

Smile is divided into songs, but it is really 3 stories. Each story has a different feel. The songs in each story flow into the next song.

The sound is outstanding – the sound that you expect if the Beach Boys were recording in ’04. As I listen, what strikes me is the variety of sounds, the beauty of the sounds, and the way the CD makes me SMILE.

Many listeners will find this CD inaccessable. They will miss the simple sounding songs of the early Beach Boys. This CD is more complex than most pop music. It has layers and nooks and crannies.

I would recommend that you try to listen to the CD prior to investing. For those who appreciate it, Smiles will become an essential part of your collection. It is already part of mine.