Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

The Smile version all the way. A solid substantial part of the whole thing. 5

 

The "Good Vibrations" stereo extraction is good enough for my ears, I'm not super picky about these things.

"our Prayer" available in stereo on Made in California (smile version) or 20/20 (20/20 version.)
"Heroes and Villains" is on the Smile Sessions as a bonus track. Though if you use the theoretical single mix, I go with soniclovenoise. Otherwise, the stereo single is on the 2012 Smiley Smile, as well as earlier compilations.
"Cabin Essence" from 20/20.
"Surf's Up" from Surf's Up or from the vinyl Smile Sessions side 4.
"Vega-tables" from Smile Sessions or Made in California.
"Wind Chimes", ditto.

Just about everything else I go with soniclovenoise, some vocals are missing though.

 

WC 5/5

One of the core tracks, imo.

 

I should have clarified. I am wanting the SMiLE Sessions versions of the songs. Is the SMiLE Sessions Surf's Up available in stereo?

Thanks!

 

My Smile is like 90% stereo.

Prayer - made in cali
H&v cantina- verses still mono, everything else stereo pieced together from sessions
Wonderful - mono synced up with stereo backing track
Holiday - from.sessions
Cabin - 20/20
Fire - from sessions, crackle added
Child - stereo verses and bridge from sessions, chorus 2 different vocal choruses panned into a pretty good pseudo stereo (I forget who made this chrous)

Gv - Smiley Smile
Wind Chimes - made in cali (removed prolonged intro)
Look - sessions
Vegetables - cali (removed intro)
Do You Like Worms - session parts aligned with vocals from highlight track
Surfs Up - Brian fly in lead vocal, from vinyl

Phew.

 

So not an easy task at all.

 

It's on Side 4 of the vinyl smile. It has some studio chatter at the beginning, though that needs to be edited out.

 

Having the "tinkling winds" piece before or after is lovely! I should have given "Holidays" a higher score because of it. The "On a Holiday" version makes me think of pirates now when I hear the instrumental version. "Wind Chimes" - My favorite is the stereo version on MIC, or it's mono counterpart. The GV take has a bad edit @1:09, but I like it, as well. But! I grew up with the Smiley Smile version, so that's also fantastic with the stoner vocals. And, that one has the "whispering winds/tinkling winds" as the tag. A youtuber, Summertime Blooze, has a mix I like, too. It's a 5/5 song in all variations. "Dorothy, it's time to go!

 

soniclovenoise does some wonderful stuff. Should have mentioned him, myself.

 

Wind Chimes is another favorite. The first time I heard the Smile version I thought the abrupt change after the first two verses was a bit jarring. Now I really like it. I think of it as an insight into Brian's creative process. He's chilling, listening to his chimes tinkling in the wind and a melody occurs to him. He then takes his newfound musical idea and turns it into a big Beach Boys production. So you have a soft, dreamy section (perfect for Carl's voice) followed by a big rollicking chunk of kitchen-sink style Brian Wilson weirdness. I can't help but want the song to end with Brian returning to his chimes-induced reverie via the whispering winds coda. So I always tag it onto the end. Not really that revisionist since that's what he ending up doing on Smiley Smile. However you approach it, it's a fun listen and an unusually ear-pleasing piece of avant-garde music. 5/5

 

Yeah, the GV boxset has that clunky transition but it is more concise than the SMiLE sessions, which goes on a bit too long for me. 4/5

 

In response to your first question, yes indeed. Nice analysis and I concur, re: Water Chant.

 

Wind Chimes:
Goes from a relatively humble beginning to something big and quite amazing. The Smile Sessions version is nearly perfect, IMO. The layered piano verses---three of them, from about 1:42 to 2:11---are terrific and (to me) show how Brian was thinking big with this project. The cool bass riff just before the end of the song is so inventive. Brian really outdid himself on this one. 5/5

My only complaint about the version on the Smile Sessions box is they omitted a fourth and final layered piano verse (a stunner) that would have begun at 2:12, but I think that was probably because of damage to the session tape for this take.

 

WC 3/5

 

Your ratings for Wind Chimes [SMiLE Sessions Ver.]:
1-0 vote
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4-1 vote
5-8 votes

 

Today's song is The Elements: Fire:

 

Big fat 5.

Love the flown in vocals. Wish we had a stereo version with them.

 

Essential (elemental) piece of the Smile project. I prefer it without the intro, though. Placing that shortened Fire piece between whispering winds and some iteration of Cool, Cool Water creates a powerful and dynamic flow for me. 5/5

 

I'm angry at myself for missing all of the Smile action here! "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" is powerful, frightening piece of work, quite unlike anything else in their catalog. I don't know if I can give it top marks as a composition because it's a bit too monotonous, but I still dig it. It definitely evokes a sweltering inferno. 4/5

For my own personal mix, I nixed the "H&V Intro" part and replaced it with that little bonus crackling effect from the end of disc 4 on the box set. It's like the figurative lighting of the fuse.

 

Fire - 5/5

Really amazing piece of music. He conjures fire with sound. As I only listen to my own version of Smile my "Fire" doesn't have the fly-ins, but they are pretty well integrated here. The remake earned Brian a Grammy.

The addition of the H&V intro was a modern idea (David Leaf) but I like it's placement and use it myself, shamefully.

 

It’s a very interesting piece of music and I’d like to know the inspiration for it. It always made me think of the scene in the 1960 movie The Time Machine where the Eloi are entranced by sirens and led to the Morlocks’ underground lair. It even has the pounding underground machinery for percussion. And the protagonists’ pounding on the metal door at the end of the scene reminds me of the fire extinguishing percussion at the end Fire. In addition, the Smiley piece derived from Fire—Fall Breaks and Back to Winter—reminds me of the underground scenes with the Morlocks and their creepy grunting. Both the music and the title of FBABTW make me think of creatures burrowing into the earth. So maybe that piece has some connection to the earth element. Anyway, I wonder if Brian liked that movie or was impacted by it. I know it freaked me out as a kid.

Here are some clips from the movie to show what I’m referring to:



The Time Machine (1960) Morlock Fight

 

"Fire" is great.. The sessions we have are very interesting to me.. it's very well thought out. Controlled chaos..
and maybe the only time flown in vocals on "The Smile Sessions" worked.

5/5

 

Fire - 3/5

Should probably be higher. It does evoke fire, and I love the percussion at the end. I take off the intro, and I meld it to Water Chant for The Elements (still thinking about adding the Tinkling Winds also, and following it with Wind Chimes although I do love the Water Chant into Good Vibrations). I also really like the flown in vocals here.

 

The percussion at the end reminds me of a house collapsing in upon itself.

 

Fire 4/5

The ones I missed:
Wind Chimes 5/5
Vegatables 4/5
Surfs Up 5/5

WIND CHIMES IS MY FAVOURITE BB TRACK AND TO MY EARS IS MILES AHEAD OF THE Smiley-Smile version