'Smiley Smile'

After the relatively disappointing sales of Pet Sounds in May of 1966 and the subsequent release of the Best of The Beach Boys compilation a few months later. One would think Brian Wilson would have taken the advice of Capitol Records executives and return to churning out more hits about Surfing, cars and other creatively stifling teenage themed subject matter. Thankfully, That wasn't Brian's way. Instead he followed his muse into even more adventurous and unique sounds. He was at first very successful at this spending most of the summer of 1966 at various Los Angeles Studios recording what he called his "Pocket Symphony". Various sections of music were recorded at many different studios and assembled into a final piece. While Pet Sounds lyricist Tony Asher did attempt an early draft of lyrics for the song ultimately titled "Good Vibrations". Ultimately Brian's most frequent collaborator, Bandmate and cousin Mike Love dictated to his wife while driving to the studio one day the final lyrics. He also added the vocal hook of the song based on the songs bassline (A fact he will never tire of pointing out.) Carl Wilson would sing the ethereal verses of the song. The song featured extensive use of the Electro-Theremin instrument designed and played by Paul Tanner which had briefly appeared on the Pet Sounds track "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times." The outro features a thumping cello part suggested by Carl Wilson. The final song was finally edited together for release in October of 1966. It went on to become The Beach Boys second number one hit and a defining piece of 60s popular culture. At the end of the year a poll in a British music publication saw the Beach Boys top the Beatles in their home country as the biggest vocal band in the world. Unfortunately after this Brian and the Beach Boys winning streak would come to a bitter end following the non-release of their next planned album SMiLE originally slated to be released in January 1967 to follow Good Vibrations. Now the story of the SMiLE album will be featured in a separate future article because it is way more complicated than can be addressed here. Brian had been working with lyricist Van Dyke Parks on the songs for SMiLE during the fall of 1966 and spring of 1967. However due to a combination of the resentment of his fellow bandmates (Mike Love in particular.) and uncertainty about how to finish the final edit along with drug exacerbated mental health problems. Brian would abandon the project in the Spring of 1967. Still contractually obligated to deliver a new album. The band re-grouped at Brian's new house with his wife at the time Marilyn on Bellagio Road in Beverly Hills. The resulting album called Smiley Smile, whose name was suggested by Brian's young cousin Barry Turnbull, was recorded mostly by the band doing all the instrumental and vocal parts themselves as well as sharing the final production credit. This would be the first Beach Boys album since Surfin' USA not to feature Brian Wilsons credit as sole producer. It was released in the fall of 1967 to a world still in thrall from The Beatle's Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album earlier in the summer and the Monterey Pop Festival which the Beach Boys famously pulled out of at the last minute which would permanently taint their reputation with the burgeoning counterculture.

What is strange about the album is that while one of Mike Loves objections to the SMiLE project was it's strangeness and over-complicated music. Parts of Smiley Smile are FAR weirder than anything that was planned for SMiLE.

The album opens with "Heroes and Villains". Which was originally slated to be the western-themed centerpiece of the SMiLE album. Numerous sessions for the song were held in the Fall of 1966 and Spring of 1967. The final version on Smiley Smile is a relatively scaled back version of a song that was at one point planned to be a two-sided single with numerous originally planned sections missing.

Track Two was another song originally intended for SMiLE "Vegetables". This version of the song is much more scaled back than the original version intended for SMiLE which reportedly included the sounds of Paul McCartney of the Beatles munching on celery.

"Fall Breaks and Back To Winter( W. Woodpecker Symphony)" uses the structure and vocals of the abandoned SMiLE track "Mrs. O'Learys Cow" or "Fire". A track which famously scared Brian into believing he was somehow cosmically responsible for a warehouse across the street from Gold Star Studio where the track was recorded, burning to the ground.

Again this track is far stranger than "Mrs. O'Learys Cow would have been in 1967. The track features mostly organ and harmonicas.

"She's Goin' Bald" is based on a SMiLE outtake called "He Gives Speeches". Again the most notable thing about the song is it's outright bizarre nature.

"Little Pad" is heavily based on an section from the abandoned SMiLE song "Do You Like Worms?" also and more understandably known as "Roll Plymouth Rock" which lyrically was about the European exploitation and colonialization of the North American continent from the settlement of Plymouth Massachusetts to the "Sandwich Isles" of Hawaii. Little Pad is obviously closely linked to the Hawaiian chant section of "Worms".

"Good Vibrations" which on this album quality-wise sticks out like a sore thumb. So much so, that Brian is said to have not wanted it on the album but was out-voted by the other Beach Boys as well as Capitol Records who were always sticklers for the current hit single to be on the album.

"With Me Tonight" is a mostly a capella track from the Boys along with Brian Wilson's recently purchased Baldwin organ.

"Wind Chimes" is another scaled back version of a track intended for SMiLE. again, the Smiley Smile version is far weirder than the original intended version from the SMiLE sessions.

"Gettin' Hungry" is a primitive organ and basic percussion laden experiment of a song to put it lightly.

"Wonderful" was originally a harpsichord-laden ballad with cryptic but beautiful lyrics by Van Dyke Parks and a lovely lead vocal from Brian which would have made it especially memorable had the original SMiLE version had been released instead of the bizarre version with Carl on lead vocals from Smiley Smile.

"Whistle In" closes the album which is a vocal harmony piece prodded along by subtle bass guitar.

Naturally, due to the hype of how great the SMiLE album was rumored to be. This bizarre half-assed seeming somewhat bastardized version was a major disappointment to both British and American audiences. However as would become apparent over the course of the next few Beach Boys Albums ,The British audience was FAR more forgiving.