The Beach Boys - TheSmile Sessions

Wed 7th Dec, 2011 in Music Reviews

Few albums have had such a sense of mystique surrounding them as Smile. Originally recorded between 1966 and 1967, the same time as the enigmatic and notoriously eccentric Brian Wilson’s strongest ever songwriting purple patch that produced arguably the single most significant cornerstone of pop music, Pet Sounds, the songs effectively lay dormant for 45 years until they finally saw the light of day on this release, The Smile Sessions.

While some tracks appeared on 1967’s Smiley Smile in the form of fragments and rushed versions, as well in completely re-recorded form as a 2004 Wilson solo record, it has taken until now for the original sessions to be made available in official and largely unadulterated form (nothing here was re-recorded but small parts were cleaned up and finished off by a team of producers). It is only logical to look at Smile as a natural progression from Pet Sounds, and as expected, the sound of the record contains a vintage warmth comparable to the Pet Sounds-era recordings. The songs themselves, however, stray from that record’s more conventional pop arrangements and structures to explore more psychedelic and at times hypnotic elements.

Our Prayer is hymnal Beach Boys at their finest, showcasing saccharine pop harmonies in a haunting, stripped back a cappella arrangement. It wordlessly recalls the purity and earnest youthful innocence explored in other tracks of the era like You Still Believe In Me and That’s Not Me. Gee on the other hand takes the largely a cappella – though this time accompanied by minimal instrumentation – ideas and filters them through a more ‘trademark’ Beach Boys surf pop lens. Heroes and Villains marks the first appearance of the more hypnotic, looped style of backing that Wilson would use in much of the band’s later work – the beat and bassline during the opening section here is revolutionary in terms of the way it incorporates Rastafari dub styles like King Tubby and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry into American surf-pop music; this very instrumental palette went on to inspire a plethora of modern auteurs ranging from Four Tet to Panda Bear. The amount of slightly disjointed changes in the arrangement here still exudes an unfinished ‘sketchbook’ feel, which is to be expected given the circumstances, but the structural complexity of the track is astounding.

Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) at times takes cues from the brilliant I Know There’s An Answer, before a section of euphonious lilting harmonies towards its conclusion, while I’m In Great Shape showcases soul and jazz influences and Barnyard sounds like an aural representation of the Pet Sounds album cover. My Only Sunshine sees Wilson croon over a sombre string arrangement before transforming into a more up-tempo, country-inflected tune complete with harmonica and pizzicato strings. Cabin Essence is perhaps the finest example here in terms of hinting towards the band’s later psychedelic direction, its hazy, semi-tribal sections drenched in reverb and a heady ambiance reflecting Wilson’s then-recent discovery of hallucinogens – comparisons can clearly be drawn between the band and their acid rock contemporaries such as The Doors and 13th Floor Elevators. The harpsichord-backed baroque pop of Wonderful incorporates subtle woodwind sections and whimsical imagery while Look (Song For Children), an atmospheric and primarily instrumental piece in the vein of the magnificent Let’s Go Away For A While, is one of the record’s strongest moments, utilising a similar melodic motif to the record’s lead single Good Vibrations.

Child Is Father Of The Man explores the band’s typically anthemic pop style, while Surf’s Up is much more emotive and melodramatic than its title suggests, devoid of surf pop influences entirely and containing elements of Child Is Father Of The Man to create a seamless, symphonic feel. The sombre instrumental ‘I Wanna Be Around/Workshop utilises stock samples of home DIY and construction work and is led by a vibraphone and softly strummed acoustic guitar, leading into Vega-Tables, a piece that feels like a children’s nursery rhyme during an acid trip. The opening bars of Holidays give off the impression that one is in a Wind In The Willows-esque woodland fairytale scene, with this feeling further enhanced when bird whistle comes in alongside the twinkling xylophones, carnival-like oboes and fantasy flutes. Wind Chimes is subtly reminiscent of I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times, with Wilson experiencing a similar sense of longing and loss. The track really expands and bursts into life at the halfway mark and is a fine example of the band’s keen collective ear for melodic baroque pop.

The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow) is an ominous horror movie theme that incorporates a vast array of sound effects to evoke fairground ghost train imagery, and the experimental, eastern-inflected _Love To Say Dada- exhibits the most boundary-pushing vocal arrangements of the record, bringing things full circle by closing with the vocal motif of opener Our Prayer. The album proper closes with the iconic Good Vibrations, a Wilson/Love collaborative piece rarely given credit for its sonically adventurous nature, with theremins, cellos, harpsichords, Hammond organs and harmonicas all appearing in some capacity. Rumoured to have spanned seventeen recording sessions at four different studios, costing $50,000 and using up over 90 hours of tape, the song occupies a highly regarded place in the western pop canon, its feel-good atmosphere and sugary vocal harmonies providing the perfect way in which to conclude the record.

Of the multitude of bonus tracks tacked on to the single disc version of this release, the stereo mix of Heroes and Villains and the backing vocals montage are the most worthwhile, while the overly staged Psycodelic Sounds piece is clearly the product of far too many bad pills and the depressing and embarrassingly corporate retail promo advertisement is an interesting curiosity. The sessions have also been released in a double CD format and a 5CD format that collects the complete recordings from the sessions, devoting entire discs to Heroes and Villains and Good Vibrations.

To be able to say that The Smile Sessions does not disappoint is to pay it the highest of compliments – the weight of expectation on this release has been one of the most monumental of any in recent memory and it is testament to how remarkable it is as a complete work that it does not fall short of the mark. To label the record transitional implies that the band were at a crossroads or possessed an element of unsureness – of course, that is far from the case, but while the songs here are largely brilliant, perhaps the most important reason for The Smile Sessions’ immense significance is the way in which it serves as a chronicle of the move from Pet Sounds’ immaculately constructed purist pop towards a more psychedelic and experimental direction. If only as a mark of respect to the songwriting genius of Brian Wilson, we should not take it for granted either.