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 Best album of 2004? October 19, 2004
Thomas Bumbera (Maplewood, NJ USA)
71 out of 88 found this review helpful
Cutting to the chase: SMILE (2004) delivers. The new versions of songs like "Vegetables" and "Wonderful" are actually improvements over the originals, and, placed in their proper sequence, songs that were dealt out piecemeal over a period of several years now make sense as part of an organic whole. Brian's voice is not what it was in 1966 but that lends an added poignancy to many songs. Masterpiece? Well, it represents some of the best work from one of pop's most brilliantly original talents. This CUTS TO RIBBONS most music released this year. Pop music has reached a sorry state when the best albums of this year were either conceived (SMILE) or recorded (LONDON CALLING) decades ago.
 Thunderbird September 29, 2004
Peter M. Gaynor (Malvern, PA)
41 out of 67 found this review helpful
There are two ways of looking at this album. You can look at as part of the Beach Boys' (and Brian Wilson's) history, or you can take it by itself, independently, and evaluate it as if an unknown artist had released it today. On the latter basis, you would rate the CD five stars and be absolutely stunned, and google every website to learn if others had discovered this amazing pop Mozart -- Mr. Wilson. There would be a sense of wonder that an aging voice could navigate such incredible melodies. You would wonder what he had been up to for the last 40 years. You would delve into his background and seek lost treasures. But that is not the timeline. We know the history of the Beach Boys and we have a rough idea of what Brian has endured. And there are plenty of CDs out there with his previous work. That is the problem. I don't think this "Smile" is at all what Brian Wilson would have released in 1966 if he had been able to complete it. This version sounds like a re-enactment, a Broadway tour-de-force, a celebratory homage to a mythical album that, frankly, remains mythical after this calculated release. "Smile" is a musical show, even recorded (ironically?) as if the performers were on stage. Truth is, there are outtakes of the original thing, which fans have been able to listen to, in snippets, over the years. For heaven's sake, does anyone really think this CD's "Heroes and Villians," "Good Vibrations," "Wonderful" and "Wind Chimes" can even remotely stand up to the anguished, angst-ridden originals?? With Brian's voice in its chilling youthful falsetto? I can't see giving the CD an award for song sequencing or production tricks better suited to filmmakers (that is, foreshadowing and repeating themes). This is my opinion: You don't disparage Brian's legacy by saying the CD is a soul-less overproduced mimicry of the original conception, you honor his legacy. Buy those earlier CDs, and ask yourself what's missing. It's like the new Thunderbird against the old. The chrome may be brighter, the controls tighter and up-to-date, but something is missing -- what is it -- heart? Art? I don't know. But I know the difference.
Listen to this CD and then find the DVD with Brian performing "Surf's Up," shirtless, by himself, on piano, as his breakdown was enfolding. One is pain recited, the other, pain felt.
I wish Brian Wilson all the happiness in the world. His late 60s work could inspire a religion. I guess that's why people still post reviews here, eager to defend. It is a temptation.
How can you bash this? October 17, 2004
Morbid Koala (Northampton, Massachusetts)
37 out of 55 found this review helpful
If you are even remotely a Brian Wilson fan, the simple fact that he completed an album that destroyed him mentally 30 years ago speaks volumes about yourself. You don't have to buy it. You can keep your scattered bootleg recordings and whatnot. Sure, he doesn't sound like he did in 66' but the simple fact that he overcame all his demons and actually produced something the rest of the world assumed was lost forever is simply a testament to the triumph of Brians spirit. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
This album flows so well, I sat underneath the stars one night with a set of great headphones to take this album in. It really is amazing how close Brian got the harmonies to sound like the original Beach Boys. The production sounds remarkable to the same sound created in the 60's, especially the drums and bass sounds. I thought the drum sound would be the hardest thing to recreate but it is dead on.
Basically it's like this: if you like good music and think Mike Love should move to the North Pole and rot, pick this up. If you think the Beach Boys are Fun Fun Fun and Surfin USA, then stay away and catch the "Beach Boys" at a local fair near you.
 Did the hype kill it, or was it lame to begin with? September 28, 2004
Robert Mobbs (Toronto, ON, Canada)
34 out of 88 found this review helpful
I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of the Beach Boys, or of Brian Wilson. Although I like quite a few of their songs, I don't own any of their albums nor do I feel the need to. But almost everybody has heard the story behind "Smile", so when it finally came out I thought I should check it out. Simply based on the strength of the ancient single "Good Vibrations", I believed that I would be in for a collection of sonic and lyrical masterpieces. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. This album just didn't live up to my expectations, which is particularly bad considering how low my expectations were.
The first major weakness of this album is Wilson's age. His voice, although technically capable of delivering the necessary notes, detracts from the experience. He simply sounds like an old man singing. His presentation is mushy and a bit croaky, particularly evident in the (needlessly) updated "Good Vibrations". It's like listening to your grandpa singing about surfer girls.
Lest I be slammed for picking on an old man, I have to say that I don't think the majority of this material would have been the stuff of legends even if Wilson had recorded it 30 years ago. It's just weird for the sake of weird, and off-putting. Every instrument you can imagine seems to be included, from slide-whistles to cowbells, fronted by a man singing about vegetables or cooing out a single note for almost two minutes. It seems to have no purpose except to allow the listener to say "man that was weird" and pat himself on the back for being clever and listening to weird music. And the one good song on the album is "Lucasified" - pointlessly reconstructed and re-recorded, destroying its original magic.
I imagine if you are a rabid fan of Brian Wilson - as most of the people who have posted seem to be - you'll love this album before you even hear it. And there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone can have their likes and dislikes, and I'm not trying to ruin anyone's parade. I'm glad the man finally realized his vision. I'm glad there's experimentation in music and I'm glad that people are open to new things. But just because it's experimental doesn't automatically make it good. Listening to "Smile" is much like watching a Tarkovsky film: you keep trying to force yourself to continue, believing naively that the true genius is coming. This party feels strictly invitation-only, and mine must have been lost in the mail.
an album to smile about October 15, 2004
R. Bates (New York, NY United States)
30 out of 36 found this review helpful
If you're new to this music ... I can just say give it a chance. It IS different -- and strange -- and child-like and silly, in a way that can be initially unsettling. But let it grow, and you will realize how great it is. Forget "Good Vibrations" (never that into it) and "Heroes and Villians" (ditto). Songs like "Surfs Up," "Wonderful," "Wind Chimes" and the end of "Cabinessence" have melodies that are flat out beautiful. And there's nothing like a song like "On a Holiday" to shake up a bad day and make me -- well -- smile. I can talk about how "Blue Hawaii" (basically a new song) is irrestably catchy, how I'm addicted to the little melody at the end of "Wonderful," and the startling way it all flows together but it's probably better that you hear it for yourself. I'll admit I'm a BB/Brian fanatic, and while I love the "Smile" bootlegs too, they are fragmented and unfinished. This, for all the small quibbles I have with it, is a fully realized work. The biggest bummer is the lack of the classic cover art, which added so much and really set the tone. But such is life. Yes, it's sad that Brian's voice has lost its angelic purity, that the original Beach Boys aren't on it, and that the original plan for the record has probably vanished forever. But life is disappointing sometimes. The fact that this CD exists, against all odds, shows that it sometimes can be wonderous too.
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