If SMiLE had been completed in 1967, who thinks it would have blown Sgt. Pepper out of the water?

I heard the quality of Amazon MP3s are much lower than the itunes mastered tracks. I prefer itunes but the best way to go with "The Smile Sessions" is physical. (CD,Vinyl)

 

Yeah. On the recordings available, the drum parts are mostly just Dennis doing what a drummer does with input/comments/remarks from everyone but mainly Brian and Chuck Brtiz.

 

Maybe I should have used "teeny bopper". Same thing to me - Monkees, Chad & Jeremy, Hermans Hermits, Beach Boys, and yes some early Beatles - particularly the singles. Sgt Pepper is a whole other world though and shouldn't be compared to this fluff, let alone "be blown out of the water" by it.

 

Yeah, wanted the physical discs so went with amazon instead of itunes.

 

How is "SMiLE" fluff?

 

??? I'm guessing you're implying that one great songwriter with the greatest studio musicians couldn't better the self contained group? I don't get this???

 

Not to speak for him, but I kinda do feel that a bunch of session musicians, no matter how good, hardly ever match that elusive THING a tight, self contained band with great chemistry has.

 

I see how you view these bands. You would be wrong on some accounts but like the Beatles believe it or not the Beach Boys progressed quite nicely. Fluff?? There are many Rock N Roll fans that feel Sgt Peppers ruined Music..What do you think of that? I'm not saying I agree but good Rock N Roll is always cool to me. It all had to start somewhere and all these artists you list Matured with some great creative sounds. Some feel 1965/1966 were the best years in Music..I guess you wouldn't agree..lol

 

With Brian Wilson producing I just can't agree He knew what he wanted and the Musicians were instructed what to play. Also one guy may quite possibly be able to write a full LP of better songs than Two or Three together. Witness Bob Dylan...I'm not arguing that one is better than the other. Enjoy it all is what I say.

 

You must not be a musician. Brian's works are great and I love both these Beach Boy LPs, but Pepper was complete music chemistry. The vocals on Pet Sounds and Smile are stellar and are in fact the Beach Boys, but there's something to be said when a GROUP of guys can musically put something special together as erikdavid5000 mentioned. If anything, Brian was a combination of Lennon, McCartney and George Martin. But hell even Brian didn't play on Pet Sounds, and that's okay to me because I love Carol Kaye.

Now if Brian used studio vocalists too, then it really starts to be a charade.

 

Actually I have played in quite a few bands. Sure there's something to be said about a self contained band that has great set skills and chemistry. However that's not always the case. I think the Wrecking Crew had great chemistry. Brian always had a vision. I mean we know the Beatles had that the whole is greater than the sum situation and I love them. However they don't play all the instruments on everything they did including Pepper. I happen to think Within You With You is a Highlight on Pepper..Guess what? Also when I hear about Pet Sounds and Smile aren't these often considered "Musicians Albums"? Meaning Musicians cherish them more than an Average listener?

 

Hal's discography has caused some of this confusion as he lists I Get Around, on which he plays percussion, but not drums.

 

I think you kind of said it. I love the Wrecking Crew and of course I appreciate the intricate arrangements of Pet Sounds-probably still more than Smile though I had the original bootleg, the disc set, Brian's set and the recent "official" release. They are "musician's albums" but they are not the Beach Boys. Same goes with my enjoyment of the Monkees, the Mamas and Papas, Three Dog Night and Simon and Garfunkel. So much brilliant musicianship and arrangement. I enjoy those groups as much as the Beatles, but there is something extra cool when those guys are creating those sounds themselves even with the help of a George Martin, Dave Mason or a bevy of top notch Indian musicians. Personally I like the Inner Light much better.

 

And for the record- I think Carl and Al would have been fine contributors to both albums, but I understand what Brian was trying to accomplish.

 

Carl is on many of the songs. Again, sometimes he sat in and other times recorded his parts after the sessions. Because they were on tour a lot of time, they couldn't be quite the self contained band that so many place so much importance in. Brian was into making great records and used great musicians to that end. For Brian, it was all about the production and getting the sounds down that he was hearing in his head.

 

Smile was largely the Wrecking Crew and Brian working on backing tracks while the boys were on tour. But the incredible amount of effort put into Smile by the other Beach Boys is well-documented on the Smile Sessions; it's clearly a group effort.

One thing about Dennis - he was ambidextrous. He played left handed when using the hi hat, and right handed when using the ride. There are a few others that drum like this, and I'm not sure it helps, but as a drummer myself, it's very cool .

 

Actually, now that I look for it, I can't find video of Dennis playing with a ride cymbal to the right. Maybe I'm mistaken that he played righty at times (although I am almost sure he did). In any event, it is unusual to see people playing with feet right handed (bass drum right foot) and hands left handed (hi-hat left hand).

 

I have been reading along from the start, and have resisted entering the fray until now. I'm still not sure if contributing is wise, but I am emotionally moved. Self expression is not a sport, so I cannot condone this way of perceiving. I am a self taught musician, and have been working (if you can call it that) since I was 13 in 1977. I love the Beatles. I love The Beach Boys. I love all sorts of creative endeavors. Would SMiLE have dwarfed Sgt. Pepper's? No. I don't think so. Would SMiLE have added to the psychedelic landscape? Beyond question. Would SMiLE have influenced the next Beatles album? Maybe. All I know is, there was a moment in time when "Rubber Soul" inspired "Pet Sounds" which inspired "SGT. Pepper" while Brian was working on SMiLE, that will probably never be repeated in our lifetime. The gods have smiled on us. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

I think the group effort was part of the problem. Mike had no patience for the sessions.

 

I voted yes just to be ludicrous.​

 

As much as I love The Beatles, I have to say yes. It is a phenomenal work that Brian created. Years and years of collecting all the Bootlegs and then finally seeing all of the Smile shows in London really cemented how utterly brilliant and beautiful it is as piece of work. One man's vision. Genius.

 

I suspect that leeroy jenkins has never listened to anything by The Beach Boys past Surfer Girl and wasn't paying attention when he listened to that.

Not that there's anything wrong with very well done fluff either.

 

Apparently you haven't listened to the sessions.

 

How so? For the tracking sessions, it is doubtful that Mike was at many of them, due to either being on tour or not being needed. As for vocal sessions, while the guys may have been taxed by the time spent on them, you can hear that they put everything they had into them. I believe from what I hear on the session tapes that maximum group effort was afforded to get Smile finished. Brian led those vocal sessions and the guys only work when Brian is ready for them.

 

Mike's band needs to play more SMiLE and less "Catch A Wave" to change the public's perception.