In 1967, The Beach Boys released a work that will never be given a fair chance. An album condemned to inferiority as a matter of principle, simply because of what it is not. "A teenage symphony to God," Beach Boys' creative genius Brian Wilson famously called the SMILE project, a hotly anticipated but never completed album that may be the most well-known unfinished work of music in the world. When the project failed in 1966, the Beach Boys re-recorded several songs from the SMILE sessions and put together Smiley Smile, to the disappointment of music fans and critics. Yet the decades of "what ifs" and derision have only succeeded in obscuring and unfairly burying what is a bonafide landmark of twentieth century popular music.
With Pet Sounds, Wilson and the Beach Boys came perhaps the closest of any popular musicians to achieving the elegance, intricacy, and perfection of composition found in classical music. Its carefully planned order and wonderfully arranged songs, as well as the purity and naivete of its emotional impact, place it among the all-time great musical compositions in history. Understandably, with the promises of a follow-up album that would surpass Pet Sounds' greatness, listeners have never quite known what to make of Smiley Smile, which in many ways does sound quite like the demo recordings of an aborted pop symphony. Yet to define the album as such and be done with it is to completely overlook its brilliance.
With Smiley Smile, Brian Wilson brought us the very opposite of Pet Sounds: an album that finds beauty not in detail and perfection, but in the odds and ends of life. As a musical work, the album is an endless stream of ideas arranged in haphazard perfection. Smiley Smile is so stupendously off-the-wall creative as to be completely charming, challenging, and inspiring. Its homespun, unfiltered feel allows us an exclusive insight into the ravenously creative mind of a true musical genius.
However, it can be a difficult work as well. It frustrates us in the same way as other under-appreciated classics like McCartney: by showing us a musical talent so massive as to be effortless, writing greater throwaway songs for the sole purpose of testing equipment than most of us could hope to compose in a lifetime of aiming for greatness. Albums like Smiley Smile make us uncomfortable because they seem so reachable. Shouldn't someone so talented be composing untouchable musical monoliths like Pet Sounds or Abbey Road? Those kinds of works are beyond most of us, filled with such expert professional production, songwriting, and musicianship that we could never hope to duplicate them. But what are we to make of the minimalist production, homemade musical arrangements, and low-key style of Smiley Smile? It's something we could do-- in theory --but then again, can we?
Thus, in some ways, Smiley Smile represents the shadow-self of Pet Sounds: crude where it's predecessor was polished and more scattered than focused. Still, the album is not without its share of Pet-Sounds-esque mini-symphonies. It boasts maybe the greatest pop single of all time in "Good Vibrations," and the similarly wonderful musical confection "Heroes and Villains," which kicks off the album with a dose of poetic lyrics (courtesy of Van Dyke Parks) and beautifully choreographed intertwining harmonies. The real unique charm of the album, however, rears its head with "Vegetables," a brilliantly slight tune featuring band members (and Paul McCartney!!!) chomping on carrots as the primary percussion. The catchy melody weaves freely in and out of a wonderful homemade arrangement anchored by a too-loud bass guitar and the Beach Boys blowing into empty bottles until the final breakdown, a sleepy, breathtaking passage of harmonized humming.
All the different ideas and sounds come fast and varied. "Fall Breaks And Back To Winter" sounds kind of like a child and his elderly dog concocting a score for a horror film, and the dreamy, sinister "Wind Chimes" is a drudging tune accompanied by haunting voices and, well, wind chimes. Meanwhile, "Getting Hungry" is a thrilling, organ-grinding blues jam that almost sounds like it could have been recorded by a post-punk band. These songs are sketches, and they can change mood completely without notice, as in the radio-drama-like middle section of "She's Goin' Bald" or the doo-woppy interlude of "Wonderful." We hear all manner of instruments: a ukulele, wood blocks, bongos, a kazoo, an electrotheremin, and a slide whistle. Best of all, the Beach Boys' harmonies have never sounded clearer, dreamier, or more breathtaking. The stripped-down arrangements push the vocals to the fore, and though they are never ostentatious, they do not disappoint. One highlight, the serene "Little Pad" begins with a soul-warming, lilting passage of harmonized voices and hums before breaking into a precious seaside ukulele ballad. Meanwhile, the sensational precision of the a capella breakdown in "Heroes And Villains" needs to be heard to be believed.
Smiley Smile is perhaps the only album that manages to be simultaneously unassuming and earth-shattering. Its unique sound directly established the model for the likes of R. Stevie Moore and other homespun bedroom pop mavericks, who in turn led us the lo-fi sound of bands like Pavement or Guided by Voices. In this way, one can draw a clear line from Smiley Smile to the current Indie Music explosion. The well of creativity found on the album is an unmistakable influence on many groups today. The Beach Boys would sadly never create music on this level again, and even Brian Wilson's 2004 edition of SMiLE cannot come close to matching the magic of these original recordings. They represent the musings of a musical genius, totally free and having a ton of fun in his absolute prime. For that reason alone, Smiley Smile should earn its place in every music fan's library, standing tall as one of the great albums of all time.
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