The Beach Boys "SMiLE" Is The Greatest Album Of All Time

[Music] when people refer to the greatest album of all time people tend to lean towards the obvious choices Dark Side of the Moon Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Purple Rain or thriller some may regard some of the slightly lesser known alltime Classics like kind of blue what's going on and rumors or some may even go as far as to say that more recent releases can be considered in that Echelon of quality like to pimp a butterfly in rainbows and a personal choice of mine I let it in and it took everything but most people probably would never consider qualifying an album that technically doesn't exist but I think that one of those albums should count the Beach Boys never finished smile it nearly killed its main songwriter Brian Wilson it caused a rift in the band that resulted in Brian Wilson ceasing to be the group's main Visionary and I think that it is unequivocally the greatest album of all time in 1961 in a little suburb of Hawthorne California Three Brothers one cousin and one friend started a band that would soon capture the attention of the entire world and launch careers that led to success Fame Fortune tragedy despair loss faith and acceptance this little group that could was called The Beach Boys the beach boy output is more than double that of The Beatles spanning five decades and providing hundreds of classic songs to those who decide to seek them out but that's really the thing why is it that the beach boy output is hardly ever recognized by the general public as much other than silly surf music about cars beaches and girls and I'm asking this to you if you're not super familiar with the Beach Boys what song do you think of when I say The Beach Boys is it surfing of Ari is it cooko is it in my car is IT Help Me Rhonda maybe Good Vibrations or heroes in villains sure those are great songs and for years that's all I thought about when I heard the name the Beach Boys I knew that they rivaled The Beatles for a period of time but I also knew that Brian Wilson had a mental breakdown at some point during the 60s and according to my mom he was and a quote a bit of a nut job Rock and Roll history is littered with tragedy and thousands of what ifs what if the Beatles never broke up what if Sid Barrett was able to have continued with Pink Floyd what if Stevie Ray vaugh didn't die so prematurely what if hendrik survived his drug induced night what if the Beach Boys had released Smile Smile For Those not aware was the beach boy followup to their critically claimed Pet Sounds an album that significantly changed the face of rock music it Incorporated orchestral and unconventional instruments that Aid in the beach boy classic pop sound but also showcased not only the leader of the group Brian Wilson songwriting but it defined him as a forward-thinking music producer to this day people often ask who is the fifth Beetle and while that debate can rage on until the sun disappears into the void of space I firmly believe that it is George Martin George Martin's contribution to the Beatles later output is impossible not to acknowledge or admire he is single-handedly responsible for a significant portion of the Beatles orchestral Arrangements that propelled The Ragtime pop group from not only a household name but firmly cemented them into the pantheons of rock legend not to say that the members of The Beatles can't write orchestral arrangements as Paul McCartney is no slouch when comes to doing so but for the Beatles in those later years cooped up in the studio not touring it was without a doubt John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Star and George Martin The Beach Boys didn't have a George Martin they had Brian Wilson Brian Wilson was if I may hyperbolize for a moment was essentially John Paul and George Martin wrapped up into one person there was no fifth Beach Boy for Pet Sounds Brian stayed in the studio for months with Studio musicians while the rest of the Beach Boys left on tour to promote their newest album at the time you can listen to cataloged audio of Studio sessions of Brian in the control room directing these musicians for hours giving precise directions and instructions for people playing on anything ranging from a banjo a clarinet a guitar to a [ __ ] Tac piano when Pet Sounds released it blew people's minds no pop album had ever come close to sounding as Lush as delicately produced and as Forward Thinking as Pet Sounds some even consider it a rough concept album covering a very specific flow of emotions regarding the LSD counterculture autobiographical songs and the front and back end tracks wouldn't it be nice and Caroline no being potentially the beginning and the end of a young couple's love well the idea of a concept album wasn't technically really a new thing as big names had done something in the past like Frank sasra with this album in the Wii small hours the concept of a concept album for something as carefree and Adolescent as the Beach Boys was still a pretty new thing but the funny thing about Pet Sounds is that while even though it was a landmark achievement or considered to be the greatest album of all time it was really only seen as so in the collective Consciousness for about 3 months in August of 1966 The Beatles who were the Beach Boys British rival released revolver which absolutely shocked the world for the band's foray into pure psychedelia and it primarily focused on Studio Shenanigans for example just the final song on Revolver Tomorrow Never Knows utilized five separate tape Loops that were all manipulated through the song John Lennon's voice being artificially doubled by using a technique where his vocals were sent through two separate tapes but the second one was slightly delayed it contained manipulated drum tracks continu was a loop of tape through a tape recorder among many many more Innovative techniques all assisted with the aformentioned fifth Beetle but Brian Wilson wasn't going to go down swinging and not long after the release of Pet Sounds with the other Beach Boys on tour to promote that album Brian Wilson would coup himself up in the studio again this time with Lyricist and assistant arranger van djk parks to work on his next album which he described as a Teenage Symphony to God Good Vibrations one of their most well-known songs had come out in October of 66 and was a preview into the window of what smile would sound like often referred to as a pocket Symphony Good Vibrations showcase not only the writing talents of Brian Wilson but his absolute control of the studio recorded over the course of 8 months Brian Wilson crafted and fine-tuned a masterpiece of sunshine psychedelic pop over six separate sections of Music composed of several different interchangeable modules the song was and still is a revelation to listen to whenever I do listen to Good Vibrations it sounds like a very straightforward pop record but the more you listen and the more that you delve into the details the more you realize that there is so much going on at any given second that it's a miracle that it doesn't sound like an awful cacophony Good Vibrations went on to be the beach boy's first million selling single as well as their first number one in Britain it came out at just the right moment to the burgeoning hippie scene as well as the explosion of psychedelic records that were just around the corner but while Good Vibrations topped the chch and revolutionized the art of Studio production Brian Wilson was already underway with the work of his next album his magnum opus smile The Beach Boys simply just didn't really know what they had Brian Wilson had been working on the album for roughly a year and a half half with the last scheduled recording session being held on May 18th 1967 and just the very next month the Beatles released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band what the Beatles managed to accomplish with that album with its layers upon layers of Studio Wizardry assisted by that fifth Beetle cannot be understated but I don't think that it's even arguable that Sergeant Peppers revolutionized pop music forever and firmly cemented The Beatles as a testament to the part of Studio craftsmanship and what it could be capable of but here's the thing the little thing a little little baby thing smile was bound to be even more revolutionary and more Forward Thinking and so much more intricately crafted than anything The Beatles had made or would make in their entire career smile in my opinion had it been released would have shifted the landscape of pop music so significantly that I think it's possible that the Beach Boys would be where the Beatles are in the cultural eye and Zeitgeist today the entirety of smile is generally speaking one cohesive album it tells the story of someone's journey across the country to find peace and prosperity in the land that they believe to be a Saving Grace smile begins with our prayer G and warms you in with its Angelic harmonies and Promises of bright times to come and transitions beautifully into the song here heroes and villains which was the companion piece to the band's previous single Good Vibrations it's just as complex just as intricate and in my opinion showcases the style of smile much stronger than Good Vibrations as it immediately showcases one of the songwriting touches of the whole album which is very concrete distinct and flourishing sections of songs that at first glance can almost confuse you as to where the songs can start and stop this can be easily seen as a negative against the album but to me it's the birth of progressive rock right here in the recording Suites of 1966 with Brian at the helm this is also the first instance of the album showcasing non-m musical bits or fragmented story segments you can clearly hear a story playing out in the song's lyrics but the sudden Cry of you're under arrest truly implies an underlying story going on beneath the song So to say it's a theme that will carry out as the album Carries On Smile is so bold in its Vision so eclectic in its maneuverability of instruments passages themes and ideas that no matter how often the album throws completely different sounds feels textures and Concepts at you it never feels out of place enough that you're truly off-kilter confused for a brief window maybe but the harmonies of the Beach Boys are always The Guiding Light in any of these moments SLE a lot a [Music] lush a lot be [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la smile likely would have contained roughly 19 tracks consisting of three movements the Americana which is the first section presents the work care and love that was ingrained into the hearts and minds of the idealized western America that so many people around Brian's age at the time were raised on but now viewed with the Psychedelic tinged angle the 60s brought the world the first movement is riddled with children's Melodies playful callbacks to childhood but also it has this undeniable malevolence between its Melodies that often clash with that and can't help but make the music slightly ominous in its Joy the childhood Nostalgia is also a theme that recurs throughout the album bringing the concept of its concept album nature even further to the Forefront going so far beyond the standard at the time of what a concept album even was even the Psychedelic classic SF Sorrow by the pretty things which was one of the very first clear and concise narratives in a concept album was recorded throughout ' 67 and released in ' 68 while smile doesn't tell a clear narrative it was so far ahead of its time in ambition and Clarity of that Vision that it's almost insane to wrap your head around it some songs will last no longer than 30 seconds only adding personality and life to the greater picture movement number two in the album is dubbed the cycle of life and in my opinion this is easily the highlight of the album as not only does it contain the most conventional songs in one chunk compared to the rest of the album but those songs in particular are some of the best The Beach Boys ever had to offer depending on which version of the album that you're listening to whether it be the Smile Sessions from 2011 or Brian Wilson's redone version of the album back from 2004 this cycle of Life movement has two or three of the best songs The Beach Boys ever produced with a lice of Cabin Essence wonderful and Surfs Up Cabin Essence is genuinely one of the most mind-blowing songs to ever come out of the 1960s let alone of the entire 20th century what begins as a silly jangly little tune suddenly turns into a magnificent Coral arrangement with a pulsing beat and an Angelic descending Melody only to fall directly back into that innocent jangle but yet again BEC something so Heavenly and so beautiful in its production and composition that its final Crescendo and Cadence is one that has stuck with me over a decade since first listening to it wonderful is another beautiful piece that really exemplifies that Vision that Brian Wilson had for the album being a teenage Symphony to God I personally am an atheist and a pretty hard groved one at that but listening to this song with bra's clear love and affection for that heavenly father with the lyrics talking about someone being touched moved and led by the hand of God himself despite falling for a non-believer and returning back to her faith is enough to make me believe if not only for the time frame of the song the two songs that follow wonderful look song for children and child is Father of the man are perfect buildup pieces to the album's crescendo Surfs Up Surfs Up is Brian Wilson's Masterpiece the song Moves In In Waves no pun intended breathing a relatively simple chord progression singing about the Viewpoint of someone in a grand ballroom and realizing that the world around him despite the beautiful luxury they're in is nothing more than a facade and the song deals with the Heartbreak that they experience while they give a toast to those around them Surfs Up is a song that you just need to hear It's haunting it's tragic it's reflective of a life that has led to everything and yet still brought them nothing it also brings back a Cadence from child's father of the man which when I heard that for the first time it blew my [ __ ] mind and the fact that this is the Beach Boys the same band that made Surfin Safari little dece Coupe and Help Me Rhonda and they're now bringing me one of the most incredible pieces of music that I've ever heard even after listening to this album over 200 times by now Surfs Up never fails to truly Astound me and leave me heartbroken movement three of the album is the elements and in my opinion it's the most interesting as it's the one that's filled with the most interludes or at least the ones that feel most like a medley I think that the whole album es and flows pretty effortlessly but there is no denying that these last seven songs of the album are essentially all part of one one giant piece all together all living and breathing and truly can't really be listened to without the other it begins with the pairing of workshop and vegetables which is another fantastic little Jolly tune which brings the tone of the album back down to a playful Vibe because it's a song about eating vegetables eating candy wrappers and brushing your teeth and sleeping holidays brings us a journey across the sea into to the calm Breeze of Windchimes and thinking about the pain that the past can give exploding into fire and the horror of the mind and then casually into love to say daada which is a song that literally sounds like water itself lost and forgotten inside of a cave trying to be still despite knowing that it will never be found and then the whole album concludes with Good Vibrations the song that started this whole journey and in the first place Smile as a record is one to be experienced if you haven't and one that I truly believe to be miraculous its power continues to defy my expectations every single time that I've listened to it and despite hearing the album over 30 times while just making this video I can still say that its songs have lost no power on me the intricacies of all of these different pieces only continued to amaze me and make me yearn for a world where this album was able to have been released the world of popular music truly would never have been the same The Beatles may have been known worldwide for changing the landscape of music but nearly 3 years before Abby rad before the famous medal and the birth of progressive rock Brian Wilson was in the studio away from his bandmates and crafting the best album that never would be and the album that would have defined the 1960s so what happened why wasn't smile finished what prevented this potential Masterpiece from seeing the light of day well the complicated parts are really lost to time as the stories between the members of the band and even van djk Parks himself tend to vary WI wild L between different retellings of the series of events but the easy part and what we know for sure is that when the Beach Boys got back to the studio after touring for Pet Sounds despite vocals being put on a vast majority of the songs there was a point where the tensions between the groups started to flare up it was likely either from them not fully appreciating what Brian had been doing thinking that the songs just weren't very good or Brian Wilson just began to feel the pressure of getting the album done and began to crumble under the weight of that burden he began to doubt himself and was never fully reciprocated by his bandmates to see the end of his vision what has lasted in the following decades is a series of random bootlegs some completed songs showing up on subsequent Beach Boys albums and a lasting Legacy that up until 2004 with Brian Wilson presents smile was something that people could only imagine with the release of the Smile Sessions in 2011 it was closer to that realized Vision with the actual Beach Boys appearing on the album songs but it was never or will never be that album that was cancelled what makes the Smile Sessions so heartbreaking to me is hearing just how close it was to completion I remember hearing the compilation back when it was new and thinking that they could honestly have just put this out as is and it still would have blown people away but even more tragic than that is the 2004 version that Brian Wilson made it's not even that much different than the compilation it's more full sure a couple of more songs are a bit more fleshed out but and I mean this sincerely if the Beach Boys probably had like another month or two at the most smile would have been finished but it wasn't and what was eventually published in 2011 under under the Smile Sessions moniker only Brian Wilson back in the 60s could have finalized what was recorded back then and Brian Wilson's 2004 versions is as close to the original Vision as it probably would have been isn't the Beach Boys version of smile and what this ends up making Smile by proxy is an album that is malleable one that is as much owned by the fans as much as it is Brian Wilson if you do even a little bit of searching on YouTube you'll find fan edits and fan versions all compiled together showing their own personal vision for what the album would have sounded like I've heard professional sounding edits AI assisted edits fullon covers versions in the Super Mario 64 sound font just to name a few and it says something not only to the power of the Mystique that this album holds over music fans but the power of the music inside it unlike dark side or purple rain or Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band among all of the other albums that I named at the beginning of this video those albums have a start and a stop a moment where the artist behind those records said that's enough and put it out for the world smile doesn't have that nor will it ever this album is alive one that can be a first time listen and blow your mind basically whenever you want it to and I think that there is something to be said about recapturing the magic of a piece of art that you love it's what many works of art fail to achieve because you've likely engaged with ones that you love a countless number of times or at least to the point where those initial feelings have been doled to some extent you know the twists you know the mechanics you felt the feelings and heard the Melodies to the point where it can no longer surprise you but smile still can it can still throw a curveball at you it can surprise you with a new transition into a song or take you off guard with a completely different track listing smile can be there as a Teenage Symphony to God or as whatever you want it to be and in the cancellation of album smile became something different but it will always be there whenever you need it in whatever form you desire it to be in and I promise you that no matter which version of the album that you decide to listen to it will still do what it has always promised to do make you [Music] smile [Music] tomato is a fluid but it also a vegetable

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Length: 25min 12sec (1512 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 02 2024