 The Beach Boys Smiley Smile is probably most commonly regarded as the ill-conceived album that finally materialized in the wake of the fiasco that was the aborted Smile album. Carl Wilson was famously quoted as saying of the album "It was a bunt instead of a grand slam." I won't go into the whole tired "Smile would have been the best fuckin' album ever, man, yeah, Brian Wilson is a genius" blabber, which is available copiously elsewhere. What I will say is that Smiley Smile is a pretty cool album, apart from it being compared to "what could have been." In fact, the album was not really assembled from the aborted tracks at all, but mostly recorded quickly after Brian gave up on Smile. Some of the cuts were slated for Smile, but appear here in rerecorded versions ("Heroes and Villains" for example), and others feature different mixes (like "Vegetables," one of the quirkiest and funniest Beach Boys songs ever). Capitol was not foolish in slapping "Good Vibrations" in the middle of the album, because without that the album really would seem quite like one giant pot buzz. Smile would have seemed like that to a great degree, too, but it would have been an undeniable piece of art, whether or not it would have been the "greatest pop album of all time, man, yeah, what a genius Brian Wilson was." Smiley Smile is not a piece of art, but as an album it's nothing to be ashamed of at all. "With Me Tonight," a pretty semi-a cappella song, is one of the group's most wonderful songs off any album. "Wind Chimes" (one of the songs originally destined for Smile) is amazing, and there's no need to get into all that "But the mix on Smile would have been genius." Yeah, yeah. I'm not saying I disagree, I'm just saying stop crying over your miscarriage and start loving your kid already! He's in college, for chrissake. "She's Goin' Bald" is a total weirdo piece of comedy; "Wonderful," another Smile track, is warm and gorgeous. Several of the cuts are slight ("Little Pad" is ridiculous, but actually fits in), and by itself Smiley Smile might rate a five. Wild Honey is a great complement, included here on Capitol's 1990 two-fer. Thought of as the Beach Boys' "R&B album," this is a solid album that is really the heart of the CD. The bitter taste in the group's mouths on Smiley Smile is almost tangible, but on Wild Honey they sound like they're enjoying themselves. As an album released in 1968 it's a baffler, and it's not hard to see why it was a commerical stinkbomb. But who cares, the music is really good. "Wild Honey" the song is a great one, featuring a cool synth line and some cool percussion, plus a fantastic Carl Wilson lead vocal, right at the top boundary of his range. "Aren't You Glad" is a poptimistic tune not too far from the Lovin' Spoonful or some of Bacharach's sunnier moments. A cover of "I Was Made to Love Her" works much better than you'd think. The album is very sparsely produced, which works well, and actually I find the post-Pet Sounds albums to be more interesting than that well-regarded studio classic. They're probably not better albums, per se, but I sure like to listen to them more. I never listen to Pet Sounds, but I listen to this disc a ton. "Darlin'" is a driving number that is a good example of how hard the band tried a lot of the time. It's probably not the greatest song in the world, but again, I sure like to hear it. "Let the Wind Blow" is a bona fide great song, right up there with "Surf's Up" and some of the more commonly mentioned Beach Boys brilliant moments. Al Jardine's stupid "How She Boogalooed It" remains a favorite for some reason. Not much to it, but always a fun listen. "Mama Says" brings the two-fer back into Smile territory, using a vocal part from the original "Vege-Tables" (not the pop version used on Smiley Smile). Then the disc adds six bonus tracks, including an alternate take of "Heroes and Villains" and session tracks from "Good Vibrations" that deconstruct the song and give a detailed look at some of the guts. "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" and "Can't Wait Too Long" are two absolutely gorgeous tunes that make a great closing for this disc, which is a nice tour through a difficult two years of the Beach Boys' career. Clocking in at just over 74 minutes, this is a great CD for anyone hooked on the Boys' post-Smile stuff, which I find has more and more to offer as I get deeper into it. This two-fer series is out of print in the US, but available as imports; apparently they may see re-reissue sometime in the not-too-distant future, though sans bonus tracks. Ideally, the BB catalog would be restored to an appropriate level of glory and the bonus tracks made available somehow, perhaps as a box set. No doubt I will be there as soon as that stuff gets released, 'cause this is great music, chubbo.
Review by Lorna Mighty |