7 Years Later, is The Beach Boys Smile Sessions Box Set Worth it?

Honestly, I don't find it any more or less interesting than other BB sessions through the 60's. IMO, stuff like this is just a relevatory as anything on 'Smile", and often more moving:

 

The Smile Backing Vocals Montage is worth the price of the 2 CD by itself!

 

Especially at that price!

 

Speaking of this a quick check on Amazon US it seems the super box is now Out of print.
So what editions are still in print? And will the single CD end up being the in print catalog item.
Beave

 

Get it and a decent CD player. You sound like an elitist hipster

 

Seems to be true! Smile Sessions Box is now OOP!
There's still a few around on eBay, I wonder if purchasing another would be
an investment?

 

I bought the single disc European import SMiLE Sessions CD which alongside the Unsurpassed Masters 16 is plenty of the sessions for me. Love em

 

Missed opportunity imo

 

Pretty incredible.........the box is done.
It'd be so cool to know the figures for the different issues.
This and the Beatles Sgt Pepper's box were incredible.......
It'll be strange when they are no longer available at retail.
Beave

 

However, it is 7 years almost to the day (worldwide) that is was released, but it's still hard to imagine
those years have passed. I guess they cannot keep it in print for those years passed, considering it's a
decent produced set with the box and all.
Can't see a reissue anytime in the following decades, so I better hang on to mine.

 

probably not worth it.

 

What could have been done better? I feel like they included most of what they could

 

I personally couldn’t live without the full box. It’s a great package!

 

If you're going to ignore all the great music on the CDs because you "don't listen to CD's", then you may not be a big enough Brian/Beach Boys fan to bother with the set.

 

How does listening to a bunch of outtakes make a person a big enough fan? You can find them on streaming, anyways.

 

For $80, I really feel like its a no brainer to get the box... but at the same time just sticking with the vinyl is good enough. I listen to the vinyl very very often and will pull out the book sometimes while listening, but the rest of my box collects dust on my shelf. I have the outtakes ripped to my Apple Music library and give them a listen ever so often while working. The 45s I probably havent touched since 2011.

 

The Smile album “reconstruction” on CD1 could have been done better - no flyins, don’t copy the BWPS sequence and editing, and the sound quality was poor - harsh and compressed.

Then I would argue they should have included more session extracts (for Cabinessence particularly), more period mixes of sections (like Child and Cabinessence and Worms), and they left out a major track - Barnyard in stereo with the backing vocals, which they had but they opted to give us it without the backing vocals.

That said, it’s still indispensable for Brian/Beach Boys fans IMO.

 

A must buy!

 

I didn't like it, but I'm glad it came out. For me, it finally put to rest the notion that this was some hidden work of "great genius."

"Pet Sounds" and "Good Vibrations" were the end of the creative road for Brian. He's an amazing composer and arranger, but beginning with "Smile," he lost the plot.

 

Ah, yes. But, for how long?

 

Perfection on every level. And this is an obscure album track.

 

I had a chance to procure this used at Amoeba Hollywood last year but passed on it as I didn’t want to have an excess baggage. I’m fine with the 2 disc set.

 

Well, that's wrong.

 

agree with the first sentence

 

Sensational video. Just a pity we didn't also get the SACD/quadrophonic mix, not to mention the original demo or the legendary sandpit/bedroom version which completists say has an extra three seconds of aaaggghs at the end.