Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile (Paperback)

by Domenic Priore (Author), Becky Ebenkamp (Editor) "Idea? Can't you see the ideas just being dreamed up in this photo?..." (more)
Key Phrases: van dyke parks, cool cool water, mind gangsters, Brian Wilson, Heroes and Villains, Smiley Smile (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp; Revised edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867194170
• ISBN-13: 978-0867194173
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #627,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Curio, September 29, 2000

By	kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

For the time being this book stands as the difinitive book on the famous "Smile" abandoned album project, but it does so by default. As far as I know it is the only book on the subject. I do hope that eventually someone will sit down and write a coherent and better one. A lot of what Priore gives us is primary source material, articles and clippings and recording charts from the 1966-67 period. Some of these articles, especially "Goodbye Surfing, Hello God" and a few attempts to reconstruct a proper list of what was recorded for the project are of value. A lot of the newspaper clippings are repetitive and meaningless, and some of the photographs are marred by the author's writing his own unfunny voice bubbles on them. Indeed, Priore's own writing is poor (especially his ridiculous reliance on the word "bitchin'"), though it does convey a lot of enthusiasm. This is the personal scrapbook of an obsessive fan. There are nuggets of good information in this mess, but you will need to sift. It's a shame that a more coherent and scholarly digestion of this material hasn't yet been written, and I eagerly await the day. Meanwhile, curious fans should all be listening to the "Smile" era recordings that are provided, with excellent sound quality, on the box set "Good Vibrations - 30 Years of the Beach Boys."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Beach Boys/Brian Wilson Fans., November 16, 1998

By	Joseph C. Clark "clark_j" (Hyattsville, MD USA) - See all my reviews

In late 1966, the Beach Boys and their leader/creative mastermind, Brian Wilson, were on top of the music world with the million-selling "Good Vibrations", and having been voted the #1 rock group (over The Beatles) in the world in England's prestigious NME music poll. The Beach Boys album "Pet Sounds" had been issued that May and had astounded many with its innovative beauty and emotional depth. At this time, Brian set out to write an even more ambitious album masterwork, originally titled "Dumb Angel", but eventually known as "Smile". For many reasons, this album never came out, and The Beach Boys went from being on top of the music world to being outcasts by the end of 1967.

Domenic Priore masterfully blends period articles, personal accounts from group members, Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, David Anderle, Jules Siegel, David Leaf, etc., interviews, artifacts from the era, and his own lucid, no-holds-barred writing to describe the beautiful music that would've made up "Smile"; and all the tragic events that derailed Brian Wilson in his search for the musical holy grail. Ultimately, it is a fascinating music business soap opera pitting an extremely gifted and innovative artist fighting to be creative against great pressures operating both within and without himself. Domenic Priore deserves credit for taking a very complex subject, and making some sense for the reader out of the chaotic events of this crucial period in rock music history. A must-have for Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fans, as well as fans of mid-late '60's rock music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Revered, Essential, but Outdated, April 16, 2002

By	Peter A. Beyer (Delaware) - See all my reviews

"Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile" is the definitive work on Brian Wilson's aborted SMiLE album. This endearing, lovingly crafted scrapbook has been instrumental in turning many people on to the beauty of the music and has earned a spot in Beach Boys' history. Everyone that is into SMiLE respects Domenic Priore and this book.

That said, Priore jumps to a lot of conclusions (and he does so with amusing forecefulness and candor) that are not based in historical fact. Some of the information about the music itself (theories, dates, titles, etc.) has since been disproved. Worst of all, Priore actually edited some of the essays contained in the book without the authors' permission.

One of the strong points of the book is that, by using a scrapbook format, it puts SMiLE in context, giving a good sense of time and place. But Priore often fails to clearly document sources and dates, and some pages are downright confusing to the reader.

If you want to get into SMiLE, I would recommend three things. First, buy the Good Vibrations box set (on amazon.com of course). Listen to Disc 2 repeatedly and learn it by heart. Second, buy this book. Read it from cover to cover and experience it. Third, empty your head of all "facts" and visit the Smile Sho... Browse through the entire site, read all the essays, print out the session logs for your files, then go to its message board. Live there silently for a month or two, and start connecting all the dots. Then join the rest of us in waiting for a new SMiLE book to be published that will pick up where Priore left off.