Customer Reviews

Smiley Smile / Wild Honey

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Here we have two Beach Boys albums from 1967. Many people already know the history of Smiley Smile, but I will go over it briefly. Brian Wilson was working on Smile, an album that was being hyped as a masterpiece before it was even finished. For whatever reason, Brian abandoned Smile before it was completed. Instead, Smiley Smile was released in it's place. Most of the songs on Smiley Smile were originally meant for Smile, but they were rerecorded in much less intricate versions. The songs on Smiley Smile are all right for what they are, but they fall pretty flat compared to the Smile versions. Still, they are not bad judged on their own merits. "Good Vibrations", which is the same version that would have been on Smile, is my personal favorite Beach Boys song. Now, as for Wild Honey, it has often been called the Beach Boys "soul" album. It does have more of an "r&b" feel to it than other Beach Boys albums. It's an enjoyable album, with the highlights being "Wild Honey", "Darlin'" and "Let the Wind Blow". The CD also includes six bonus tracks. "Heroes and Villains" is an interesting alternate take. There are several minutes of fascinating instrumental session outtakes from the "Good Vibrations" recording sessions, plus a complete early take with different lyrics. "You're Welcome" is the b-side of "Heroes and Villains". "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" is, of all things, a song from a rehearsal for a Hawaiian concert. "Can't Wait Too Long" is an incredible piece of music made up of several different takes of the same song. While not everything on this CD is good, it still has some great moments. Recommended to Beach Boys fans.

Smile was supposed to be Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys' magnum opus, their masterpiece. The album was to be an absolute groundbreaking collection of music on the par with the greatest music ever released. Unfortunately the sessions for the album broke Brian Wilson and its full genius was never realized. Bits and pieces of the sessions did see the light of day and they are fabulous. "Good Vibrations" was recorded prior to the Smile sessions and at the time was the most expensive single ever made costing in the range of $100,000. to produce. The money was well spent as the song is a mini-symphony that employs strange and unheard of instruments and sounded like nothing before and really nothing since. "Heroes & Villains" is the best known song from the Smile sessions and it kicks off Smiley Smile, which is the remains of the aborted sessions. It is done in a "Good Vibrations" vein and a good song. Other Smile leftovers include, among others, "Vegetables", "Wind Chimes" "Gettin' Hungary". There are some other solid songs like "With Me Tonight" and "Wonderful" and the album is well above average, but it has a what could have been feeling hanging over it. Wild Honey on the other hand is an unexpected surprise. The album has a loose feel to it without all the heavy production of the previous release. The songs are straightforward and have a R&B flavor to them. The title track is a marvelous song and one of their more underrated numbers. "Country Air", "I Just Once Love To See Her" and "A Thing Or Two" are good as well. "Darlin'" is a pretty song and one of their most enduring. This collection is great to listen to as you get two sides of the Beach Boys. Smiley Smile shows the tortured genius of Brian Wilson and Wild Honey shows the simpler side of the band after Brian Wilson's input waned.

The reaction you will have to these albums will depend on the type of Beach Boys music you prefer. Smiley Smile, the substitute for Smile (many say Smile would have been the greatest album ever) is....interesting. Songs like "She's Goin' Bald" and "Little Pad" demonstrate what happens to the human mind when drugs are introduced to it. "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes and Villains" demonstrate what happens when a musical genius is introduced to a recording studio and allowed complete artistic freedom.

Wild Honey is a great, although quite short album. It appears that Brian Wilson gave up trying to produce great songs, and instead the group made decent songs. The difference is clear if you compare Wild Honey with Pet Sounds. On Pet Sounds, Wilson used a lot of studio musicians to capture the sounds he heard in his head. On the other hand, on Wild Honey, it appears the band just tried to do the best they could - on their own. The results are good, but not excellent.

I recommend this album because it symbolizes the musical fork in the road that the Beach Boys faced in the late '60's. Did they choose the right path? I don't know.

Letting go of the "what could have beens" with Smile hasn't been easy for many Beach Boys fans- yet it tarnishes a lot of what they did afterwards. There have been many bands that have had aborted projects- some songs found life in other projects. In the progression of The Beach Boys circa 1966-67 there's Pet Sounds, the "Good Vibrations" single, Smiley Smile, and then Wild Honey. There was a time when I might I have thought that Smiley Smile and Wild Honey were steps back artistically; especially when I would put myself to wondering about the aborted Smile project; but in my maturity the steps back artistically have become steps forward humanly. The proceeding albums had less flair and "ambition"; the staple became more and more friendly and subtle- especially when you include the wonderful Friends album.


The enormous ambition that was so much the core of Brian Wilson's progress had turned into personal flights of fancy. The remnants of this, Smile, was rerecorded and turned into Smiley Smile. Parts spooky and haunting, parts comical and silly, the music is complex yet at times astonishingly simple- it was an exorcism and slow return to being the Beach Boys. One major change that started occurring during the recording of this album is that the Beach Boys started recording the music themselves without the assistance of the Wrecking Crew (a famous group of LA session musicians).

Although I have preferred the "Smile" versions of Wonderful, Vegetables, Wind Chimes they are not without plenty of charm. She's Going Bald and Little Pad are fun ditties that have some experimental elements. Although this is a personal estimation I think some of the songs could be very disregarded by the most serious fans such as Fall Breaks Back Into Winter and Getting' Hungry.


Within the same year they had switched tracks to a much more earthy less psychedelic sound. The result is the highly enjoyable Wild Honey. This is a truly great album by the Beach Boys- this was their back to basics album with a new found interest in R&B. It was a group effort on many levels- the song writing was very good and the performances had a passion and honesty that I have found on Pet Sounds without the self indulgence. Songs like Darlin', Wild Honey, Here Comes The Night and Aren't You Glad are on my list of top Beach Boys songs. The Stevie Wonder cover I Was Made To Love Her is actually a surprisingly good cover; Carl sounds quite soulful.

Finally I have to mention Let The Wind Blow- a touching reminder of the power of love- the deepest and most important thing in the world. The sentiment came during a time when many were writing protest songs about everything that was wrong with the world. The simplicity of the desire to give and feel love to one special person in his life resonates so strongly in contrast to the protests and criticisms of inhumanity. The song itself is so simple that it's easy to past right by it but with the feeling of the song hits you it is a sincere plea for more love.


The bonus tracks a cool- there is an amazing live recording from another aborted album; Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring is a cover of a Four Freshmen song that harkens back to Brian's youth. There's also a good version of Can't Wait Too Long once again from the Smile sessions.


I highly recommend these albums. They come as a twofer but both albums are remarkably short; many albums back then clocked in at 40 minutes long because of the time constraints of records-- Wild Honey is only 23 minutes long!)
Also check out Sunflower, Friends, Holland, and Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blues (if you can find it) all top notch albums.

OK, so Smile was supposed to be the Rosetta Stone, The Golden Fleece, the Holy Grail. Get over it...We all know the sordid tales of substance abuse and manic depresssion that nearly distroyed Brian. And with his self distruction, so too were the Smile sessions obliterated. Well it's been more than thirty years and endless speculation over what Smile may have been. Never the less, Smiley Smile, which followed on the heels of Pet Sounds was as Carl Wilson so aptly put it, "more of bunt than a grand slam". So the world, myself included, was under-whelmed by Smiley Smile. But, the years have been kind and Smiley Smile stands on it's own as one of the Beach Boys more satisfying efforts. Not only did they score two top-40 hits with Good Vibrations and Heroes & Vilains, but Vegatables, Wind Chimes and With Me Tonight all qualify as minor masterpieces.

Wild Honey released in 1967 was a real departure for the BB. Not only was Brian's hand at production down-played to the extent where he really takes a back seat to brother Carl and cousin Mike, but the biggest change was the R&B influence. Here the boys jump into Stevie Wonder's I Was Made To Love Her with blue-eyed soulful abandoment. While it's true most of the BB albums of this period are spotty and somewhat uneven, Wild Honey holds together rather well. In fact I do believe the bulk of these two albums sound a whole lot less dated than much of what was permeating the air-waves at that time. Do I dare say "Along Comes Mary", It's A Sign Of The Times", I've Got A Brand New Set Of Roller Skates"....I could go on and on.

Well, it's about time! I've been waiting a very long time for definitve reissues of the Beach Boys catalog on CD. The old CD issues generally sound pretty lousy, and many of the discs were unavailable or out of print. I'm so glad that this series is being released, and they really are doing it right. First, they represent awesome values, especially considering the price-gouging going on with major label CD's. You can get two full-length, unedited albums on one disc for less than the price of many single-album CDs. Oh, and these records are $%&^$#$$*#@! brilliant!!! The sound is amazing. The 24-bit remastering process reveals details and a sense of air that anyone with a half-way decent stereo will appreciate. The leap in quality is comprabable to that heard with the new CCR remasters that came out last year. The music is great. Of course, Pet Sounds is THE best record ever, but... Smiley Smile and especially Wild Honey would have sounded like full-on masterworks if Pet Sounds hadn't come out first. If these were the only two records the Boys had ever put out, they would still be remembered fondly. If you have never heard these discs, this a great package to pick up. If you love Pet Sounds, you'll probably love these almost as much and... who knows? Maybe even more... If you are not really familliar with the Beach Boys and only know 'Surfin' USA" etc. try these albums, they may change your mind about one of the most talented, misunderstood bands in the history of pop music.

I'm so tired of hearing what a big dissapointment Smiley Smile is supposed to be. Perhaps many Beach Boy fans are just waaaaaay too conservatve for their own good. If you like far out, experimental music (Sun Ra, Velvet Underground) you're absolutely going to love this album! People often complain about the minimal production on this album, especially in light of Pet Sounds and the famous SMiLE sessions, whch feature very elaborate production. My response is - So what!? Production is not the only reason to listen to an album. As long as their are good songs with creative arrangements, who cares how the production compares to Pet Sounds? To be honest, I find the understated beauty of this album to be extremely refreshing. The sparse arrangements anticipated the "back to basics" movement that the Beatles and others would adopt soon after. Despite the hype of SMiLE, some of the songs on Smiley Smile are actually better (if not as grand) than their SMiLE counterparts. Please don't make the mistake of listening to some of the more conservative reviews about this album. Buy Smiley Smile and partake your drug of choice. This is simply an awesome listening experience!Wild Honey continues with the low key production. Only this time the boys are embracing R'n'B music instead of artsy experimentalism. Wild Honey is simply unpretensious good time rock'n'roll music! While not as sriking as Smiley Smile, Wild Honey stands up to any other Beach Boys abum. Simply great, uncomplicated fun! Buy these two albums and embrace one of the most creatice bands of all time. A must!!!

Two different albums deserve two different reviews.

Smiley Smile -- By now, everyone knows this album was scraped together from the remnants of Brian Wilson's intended opus Smile, featuring "Good Vibrations," "Heroes and Villains," and other new songs. When Brian couldn't finish the album, the other members stepped in, recording several other new songs, re-recording a few intended for Smile, and slapped the whole thing together as a new release. And the result is -- fairly dismal. Of the new songs, "With Me Tonight" is pretty nice, but the rest sound more like outtakes from the Beach Boys' Party sessions -- "She's Goin' Bald," for example, is a not-terribly-funny goof that never should have been released on LP. And the Smile remakes are agonizing to hear -- "Wind Chimes" and "Wonderful" were far superior in their original versions (and are available on the Good Vibrations box set).

Carl once noted Smiley Smile was a bunt instead of a grand slam (referring to Smile). A truer baseball metaphor would be Smile was a solid two-base hit (Pet Sounds was their grand slam); Smiley Smile was a popup to the second baseman. It's a bit unfair in some ways to have expected the other Beach Boys to have been as brilliant at producing and writing as Brian was. And one should remember this was released when The Monkees had the great controversy over only singing on their records while not playing instruments, so perhaps the Beach Boys figured rather than having a second consecutive LP where they barely played a note (after Pet Sounds), it would be better to have a rough-hewn, homemade sound. But there's rough-hewn and there's half...uh, baked -- and Smiley Smile, with the exception of the transcendent "Good Vibrations," is far closer to the latter.

Wild Honey -- Now this is more like it. Solid songs, a nice cover of "I Was Made to Love Her," a few well-earned laughs, and a neat funky sound. "Darlin'" and the title track were the hits, and deservedly so. It just came out at the wrong time -- white rock & roll was in the psychedelia phase, and white r&b was a few years down the road. "Here Comes the Night" is far better than its disco reincarnation a decade later.

The bonus tracks are fascinating. 10 minutes of "Good Vibrations" outtakes show how Brian painstakingly put the song together, and "Can't Wait Too Long" would have fit nicely on either Smile or Wild Honey. Good stuff. Pity about that first album, though.

The Brothers Records "2-fer" reissue fest continues with the runner-up for best in the series (next to "Sunflower/Surf's Up"). The remastered "Smiley Smile" and its related "Good Vibrations" sessions bonus track alone is worth the price of admission. Too much obsessive musicologist handwringing has occurred lamenting over the "shoulda-coulda-wouldas" that "Smiley Smile" "hints" at. Listen folks, lets get over it, it's been 35 years, two Wilson brothers are gone, Brian still drags himself out in public beyond all possible odds (Syd Barrett hasn't ventured back onstage since 1968...think about it!) to please his fans and 95% of the "artists" currently charting can't show me anything from thier set list that is one-half as creative as any 30 seconds from "Smiley Smile". The experimentation of "Smiley Smile", coupled with the rootsier rock/R & B sound of the "Wild Honey" album almost turns this compilation into the Beach Boys' "White Album", unique in thier canon. Excellent remastering and interesting bonus tracks make this one a winner.

To really appreciate these albums, you have to understand the circumstances under which they were recorded. But at the same time you have to remind yourself before putting the album on, that this isn't SMiLE. Indeed, in many ways these two albums are as far away from SMiLE as The Beach Boys ever got.

Smiley Smile is probably best described as The Beach Boys "drug" album. The boys sound incredibly stoned at times on this album ("Little Pad", "Wonderful"). And you would have to say that of the songs that were originally intended for the SMiLE album, the versions on Smiley Smile are inferior to the originals. That's not to say they aren't good, they are. It's just that they sound like nothing else in The Beach Boys catalogue.

Wild Honey has been described as The Beach Boys rythym and blues album, and while that's true to a certain extent, Wild Honey may be better seen as the beginning of The Beach Boys phase 2. You can hear the beginnings of the style they would develop on such classic albums as "Friends","Sunflower","Surf's Up", and "Holland". The album is also notable for featuring the first original song by the band not written, or co-written by Brian Wilson. The times they were a-changin'.