Smiley Smile

What we have here is a very strange album. The “Beach Boys” had just released “Pet Sounds.” Critics loved it but the fans didn’t know what to think of it. Forty years later it’s considered one of the greatest albums ever. Now with Brian Wilson on a high (no pun intended) he was going to work on his masterpiece, a symphony to God, “Smile.” Brian started writing with Van Dyke Parks. Parks lyrics were different from the normal Beach Boy lyrics, they were more abstract. Mike Love even asked Parks what the hell the lyrics ment. Parks said it don’t mean anything, it’s good poetry.During the making of the album, Brian Wilson was doing a lot of drugs and things got out of hand. He was recording a song called “Fire.” Down the block a fire broke out in a store. Brian Wilson thought his music had so much power that it cause the fire. Well he couldn’t unleash a power like that on the world so he shelved the project.

From what I read, none of The Beach Boys were too wild about “Smile.” Which brings us to “Smiley Smile.” What The Beach Boys did was to get some of the “Smile” tracks, some new stuff and rerecord the whole thing. It makes no sense. If they didn’t like it why bother doing it again. Only thing I can think of is that they needed material and this was around.

If fans didn’t know what to think of “Pet Sounds,” they were really baffled about this. This is the weirdest Beach Boy album ever. It’s really basic, stripped down. The only thing that saved the album at the time was “Good Vibrations” was included on the album. A song Brian Wilson begged the record company not to put on the album.

Forty years later, opinions have changed on “Smiley Smile.” Critics now love the album.

(painting by Ralph Rumpelton)