The BEACH BOYS History Part Four SMiLE |

Matt dives deep into SMiLE, the Beach Boys infamous unreleased album from 1967. As with many other band histories, Matt tests the integrity of the myths that surround the SMiLE project and lays out the history via a timeline
Listen to Matt's Mix of SMiLE: tinyurl.com/mu...
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[@dadaveda]

This is the best analysis of Smile and what was going on with Brian in this period that I have ever come across. Congratulations on this thorough work.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, that is very flattering.

[@ms8596]

I have to second that. I have been familiar with the Smile story for 56 years now, researching it like crazy since about '77, and as much as I've researched, read, talked to participants and a number of well versed journalists (Tom Nolan, Steven Gaines, David Leaf), you still opened my eyes to a number of things.

[@burlingtonbill1]

@@ms8596 Yes he did.

[@ATOMIKAGE]

Great video Matt. I’m 72 years old and followed The Beach Boys as they were happening in the sixties. Because of your in-depth analysis, I never realized all that really went on with this group behind the scenes. Sure, everyone knew Brian was having some problems. However, I was so into the music of that time the Beatles, Stones, I never gave it a second thought. Thank you, Matt for all your great analysis on these iconic artists. All the best…….Philip C.

[@oldermusiclover]

you are a year older then myself sadly after the drugs took over I have read that Mike got so mad at Denny he sent a couple of guys over to his house and had him beat up things got really sad among the brothers for a while

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure, Phil. Thanks for watching!

[@pedrorocha9722]

This is a very complex moment in rock'n'roll music history. That's why this video is a masterpiece in conciseness, touching all the keys and never losing oneself in them.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Hello Pedro. Thank you for the kind words. This took a long time to lay out because of all the drama! But Smile is a story without an ending, so you'll stay tuned for part 4!

[@burlingtonbill1]

Excellently-put !

[@ministerofdarkness]

We all know how Mike Love could be a thorn in Brian’s side. But to his defense about the “ Cabinessence “ lyrics, Mike wanted to understand the lyrics for not only the studio, but also singing them live in concert. Understanding the lyrics he could potentially tell an audience the meaning behind them. The Smile songs definitely would’ve been challenging to perform live within the group setting of that time. Anyways, great overview of the album. PLAY LOUD

[@misternewoutlook5437]

Yep, definitely with Mike on this one. Image is one thing, but you need at least some clarity. Even Al Jardine was sick of all this stuff. He missed the days of the simple genre of girls, cars and surfing.

[@robertzastrow4648]

@ministerofdarkness The lyric example Matt gave (which I've also seen given in books about the Beach Boys) is "Over and Over, the Crow Cries uncover the Cornfield (s)" from the song Cabinessence. Since the song is about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, I take the line about the crow cries/train whistles civilizing "uncivilized" lands/displacing Indian tribes who occupied the land the railroad tracks/civilization was being placed on. Cabinessence has always reminded me of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, which Brian also liked when he first heard it.

[@matthewrider5906]

@@robertzastrow4648 Also took umbrage w/the 'Surf's Up' lyric "columnated ruins domino...." How did that NOT paint a picture in Mike's mind??!!🤦

[@ms8596]

@@matthewrider5906 Mike's mind was filled with constant banality. It's like taking a thug to the ballet.

[@matthewrider5906]

@@ms8596 Aye... You're right.

[@micolsen9824]

Great episode. This makes me want to dig out my 1993 Beach Boys box set and listen to all those cool Smile outtakes. Thanks!

[@hejla4524]

The trouble with the so-called 'enlightened' is they lack the self-discipline to see projects through. They needed someone 'unenlightened' like George Martin to pull all the threads together and get some product out.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Exactly. They needed someone who wasn't loaded to steer the ship when someone got seasick!

[@Harriet-Jesamine]

😂Brilliant

[@burlingtonbill1]

Exactly what I was thinking. (And it couldn't be Murry or Mikey.) They needed Jack Rieley 5 years before he showed up.

[@BrendanJSmith]

They needed a manager who understood Brian's creativity and encouraged him to see it through to the end.

[@johnnymonroe]

I suspect, like many on here, back in the pre-internet 90s I once compiled my own shabby 'Smile' album on cassette and had to make do. Brian Wilson's solo version 20 years ago was wonderful, though it's great to hear the Beach Boys originals in a proper mix - one which I downloaded and then burned onto CD (always got to have it physical). Thanks for that mix, Matt, and for another engrossing episode in a fascinating story up there with the best of your band histories.

[@kristian_goddard]

Brilliantly done, Matt! I’ve been obsessed with the SMiLE sessions for years and got to see Brian perform it live for the first ever time at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Very cool!

[@familydogg1234]

A friend of mine much older went to Capitol and asked for a copy of the cover prior to - cancellation.I was unaware Van Dykes Park did all those recordings. Saw " The Swan" film. ( wonder how VDP was ablevto claim songwriting credit for Number Nine? Its a classical piece) I became interested in " Smile" around the same time it was released on bootleg- May 1984. I was hooked. A couple things about the Lp- "Barnyard" and " I Love to Say DaDa" are listed and NOT included. " Holidays" is NOT the BBs - it's GERSHWIN!( something from Porgy and Bess I think?). Our Prayer, Wonderful, Heroes, Cabin Essence and Surfs Up are all studio LP LATER recordings. George Fell into His French Horn is NOT A Smile song. My source you ask? Bbs fanzine at the time expert enlightened us. I wrote the info down at the time. Anyone remember " Sunkist" soda commercial using Good Vibrations music in the US??? Thanks Matt. Dominic Priorie wrote the best book on Smile😊

[@KittyPurrfect100]

Smiley Smile was used at a clinic in Fort Worth to help people get off bad acid trips. I think it helps out in stressful situations and brings relaxation.

[@SurferJoe1]

Couple comments: (1) In line with what you said, I've always felt that Mike was seeing his entire role in the band diminish by 1966 and I think that accounts for a lot of the tension. Track his lead vocals, etc. over a span beginning with the "All Summer Long" album and watch what's happening by "Pet Sounds". (2) I've always rated the album as 80% complete, with missing vocals for "Look"/"Child Is Father", "Great Shape", "Worms" etc.; missing tracks for the Elements, and much sweetening, as well as sequencing, which was changing quickly and erratically as Brian's state of mind devolved and his impulsivity was unravelling him. Interestingly, a tracking session for "Surf's Up Pt. 2" was done and is lost. This is presumed to be strings for the "Dove-nested towers" sequence. That's why the 2004 version has a string arrangement. I think vocals for "Look" once existed, too. (3) In regard to the tracks with no vocals sounding o.k. as-are, my view is colored by having been a bootleg fanatic since the eighties: we got dribs and drabs of incomplete stuff that sounded great, but when another leak provided a more complete version, it was always stunning and unexpected. Like Danny Hutton said about hearing a Brian track in that era, you were never prepared for where it was going next and that's never more true than with this album.

[@burlingtonbill1]

FANTASTIC comments !

[@rppvt]

Thank you for a considerate and intelligent perspective of VanDyke. He'd been diminished and maligned in recent bio-pics, and this is refreshing and honest.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Yeah, Park is occasionally razzed - some deserved, some not. I will be continuing some more discussion on Smile that will speak more about the reasons Smile didn't happen and also to review the project.

[@CaJoAuGy]

SMiLE is an incredible album, but needs to be digested over time, years it has taken me to fully embrace it, and am still exploring it. It has to be heard through headphones and preferably in the dark (wink to Brian). A great example of the complexity of the music is 13:32 where Mike’s ”… field” perfectly harmonizes with the sitar (?) and I actually just discovered that perfection via this video (different version than on Spotify?), must have taken countless hours to get that right.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Agreed. I spent a couple years digesting this material and then I created the album so I could listen to it that way in an effort to get as close as I could to some semblance of an album. Now I’m taking a break from it and I think the distance with help me appreciate it even more when I decide to come back to it.

[@kookadams85]

*The whole b.s narrative of Smile wasn't released is exactly that. Half was on Smiley & by the release of Surfs Up in '71 3/4 of it was public. 22 years later Worms came out on the box.set leaving Old Master Painter(my only sunshine) & I'm in Great Shape the only official unreleased cuts. 💯*

[@Doctor_Robert]

28:50 I got into SMiLE a few years before the SMiLE Sessions release of 2012 (which I have on vinyl as well), so I got the best of the last of the big bootleg era (and being all on the interwebs at that point, it was easy to download and compare/contrast). At the time, after Brian's "completion" and before the long-belated official release, it seemed to make perfect sense to have SMiLE be a double album with these three movements (as Brian completed it in the early-2000s). With time and reflection, it's very clear now that unless you were Bob Dylan or Frank Zappa in '66/'67, you weren't gonna be able to pull off a double album... So, for fun, here's my personal mix of SMiLE's tracklisting: Side One Our Prayer Heroes And Villains Roll Plymouth Rock Cabin Essence Wonderful Child Is The Father Of The Man Surf's Up Side Two (The Elements Suite) Earth (I'm In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Vega-Tables) Wind (Holiday/Wind Chimes) Fire (Mrs O'Leary's Cow) Water (Cool Water/Water Chant/I Love To Say Dada) Aether (Good Vibrations/You're Welcome) The sides come out to about 22 minutes each, which would've made Capitol balk, but they were trying to escape them anyways. Is this particularly accurate apart from running time to what would've appeared in 1967? Probably not. Am I a huge dork for The Elements Suite, to the expense of other pieces of the album? You bet. The tracklisting would almost certainly not be this, for example, Surf's Up would've most likely been album closer with Good Vibrations included only at the behest of Capitol and closing side one. You're Welcome would've remained Heroes And Villains' B-side. I suppose I make up for it because in my imaginary re-listing of the Beach Boys' discography, I have a SMiLEY SMiLE which is a combination of everything left off of this variation of SMiLE and what was left off Smiley Smile that it didn't share with SMiLE.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for your track listing. I think a double album would have watered down the finest material so I think that would be a stretch. I do plan to talk about Smile in future videos so stay tuned!

[@edwardmeradith2419]

I just listened to your mix/sequencing of SMiLE - I love it! Damn, there’s SO MUCH substance in those 39 minutes, it’s hard to think of it as unfinished- of course it is, but you sequenced it in a cohesive and masterful way. Thank You !! 😘

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure. Thank you for listening to my mix!

[@TheBitterSweetgr]

Splendid job as usual, Matt. a big thumbs up! The 1966-67 story of Smile and its sad demise is one of the most crucial chapters in the history of the development of pop music.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[@erniericardo8140]

Great video Matt on this chapter of The smile Album👍-When talking about The Beach Boys Smile Album and Brian Wilson's meltdown, I cant help but think of the movie Walk Hard-The Dewey Cox Story, in particular the scene that I remember about the bubbles being blown into the microphone Not sounding right 😅🤣😂

[@kc0lif]

i like beach boys wonderful music. thanks.

[@tombruny207]

Magical album!

[@waynedurham5194]

Awesome work

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Wayne. This episode was very satisfying to do.

[@peterjoslyn1]

Smile not being completed was a disaster but more importantly by this time Brian was burned out, nothing left. He needed a huge break rather than being made to carry on producing. Artists just weren’t cared for in those days. Smile could have been finished, who knows what he would have done next with a bit more good advice and support. For what it’s worth, he did go on to produce great work. But the cost was so high.

[@burlingtonbill1]

Couldn't agree more...

[@robbieburns8746]

Another great show, Matt!!!

[@DrDooDah]

Fantastic stuff, dude!

[@tylerthompson1842]

That thumbnail is hilarious lol they look like frat boy bros

[@chuchusdaddy]

Another excellent presentation, Matt. But, Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE was not a live recording. It was Brian’s (and his excellent backing band led by Darian Sahanajah) recreation of SMiLE as it was meant to be. I saw the live performance at Carnegie Hall, and it was amazing and very moving for me.

[@glenngreenberg2712]

I was at the Carnegie Hall performance too. A magical night.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You are correct, I didn't explain that well at all. Thanks for the correction.

[@chuchusdaddy]

@@popgoesthe60s52 one more thing Matt. I was surprised when you said that Van Dyke Parks played Tommy Manicotti on The Honeymooners. I just looked it up. According to what I read, it wasn’t him. It was someone named Ralph Robertson. In my opinion, these are minor errors and do nothing to diminish the quality of your work. I dig what you’re doing!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

@@chuchusdaddy%22%22 Thank you for that correction. I got taken in by that one! I appreciate the comments

[@Neal_Schier]

Any idea off hand as to how long it took them to film the BW Presents Smile program? I have always been curious about this and have thought it must have taken at least a week or longer. There are multiple close-up shots and then a back shot but you never see any of the other cameras. They were not edited out, they seemed to have set up a completely new shot. I would think to do this to sync with the music would have been quite laborious.

[@Onio_]

I agree with you regarding the 'unfinished' nature of Smile, it could have been released by May or June 1967 if they knew what to do with it. As you said, the instrumental passages like Look (Song For Children) and Holidays are very charming and create their own moods without the need for lyrics, much like on Pet Sounds. Brian was too ambitious for what he was capable of doing when it comes to assembling an album, I think he focused too much on Heroes and Villains which took up precious time to finish the rest of the material. I think Surf's Up could have been a very promising single to compete with Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane, it might not been very radio-friendly but it would be an affirmation for the critics that some fantastic music was actually being made.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

There was no downside in releasing what they had. Who would have known parts were undone?

[@codex3048]

Brian should've just stuck with Mike Love, and maybe brought in another lyricist to help. No one would have been impressed by a "psychedelic" Beach Boys; they were too anchored to the past. What they needed to do was release an album like the Millennium did later-- adult pop/rock, similar to Pet Sounds, still in their unique style, but less teen-age. Brian couldn't accept that they were never going to be able to compete with the new bands -- the Doors, the Dead, et al, and the competition with the Beatles ended with Revolver. He needed Curt Boettcher; not Van Dyke Parks. Brian ended up with the worst of both worlds -- he alienated their old fans, and didn't gain any new ones in the incipient hippie movement. A total disaster that he didn't recover from for 30 years.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Boettcher would have been an interested pairing - and you're right- that may have turned the tide.

[@oldermusiclover]

if you read anything written by any of the Wrecking Crew they really admired Brian, when they were working in Pet Sounds. and felt bad about what happened to him I know Hal Blaine did

[@miked6335]

Can't decide who's the biggest villain in this story; the guy who introduced Brian to LSD or the guy who introduced Brian to Van Dyke Parks. Following up Today, Summer Days and Pet Sounds with this pretentious tripe. Yeesh!

[@markmiller903]

great video. however the song you posted I'M IN GREAT SHAPE is the wrong title, that song was called BARNYARD

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I have some combined songs from Smile that i probably should have hyphenated. I'm still confused by some of the tracks! Thanks for letting me know.

[@stampede4107]

Tune x and I don’t know both sound good. I find the rest of the smile stuff to have really bad audio quality, why is that? Pet sounds and good vibrations both have good audio quality

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I think the audio quality was a result of lots of bouncing down of the tracks. I suppose with Brian constantly re-recording things probably added to the poor sound.

[@bruceink9]

Great work, Matt. Surely the fact that the Beach Boys' label, Capitol, also was the American label of the Beatles must have contributed to Brian's conspiracy-theory paranoia.

[@denniswood1437]

It is a pity that Smile wasn't released in 1967 as it would have been a great 1-2 punch by the band and put them in the artistic stratosphere of the Beatles. At least the core songs of Smile bejeweled late 60s & early 70s Beach Boys albums such as Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, 20-20, Sunflower & Surfs Up. Well researched, interesting presentation!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Dennis. Now to work on part 5!

[@MarkK-hs1xc]

Jann Wenner should be banned from rock journalism. His Lennon/Ono bias probably came out against Wilson, even though the genius label was over the top.

[@adm712]

If released in 1967 this album would have bombed big time with the casual listening public but probably would have a small cult following. However, I think decades later in retrospect, it would have been categorized as a pop and technological masterpeice.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I think you have touched on the eventual praise of Pet Sounds, which also took time to be considered a classic.

[@kkwok9]

Brian fried his own mind and crippled his own growth. Gotta love those drugs...leave nothing but ruin. Sad

[@vickielawson3114]

No way. It already blew my mind that Van Dyke was the guy on the Fairytale Theatre I watched as a kid, but to also learn he was on the Honeymooners I watched as a kid… what?

[@vickielawson3114]

I fell in love with Smile in 1999 when I was 21 and to learn he was involved in 2 different things I loved as a kid is mind-blowing.

[@matthewrider5906]

Yes... Mike, for once(!), wrote a superior set of lyrics for their biggest hit, Good Vibrations. But(!)... Let's not pretend like Good Vibrations wouldn't have reached #1 w/the alternate set of lyrics! I mean... Both sets of lyrics are pretty generic. Because SMiLE!, as debuted live in London, *w/the alternate, non-Mike lyrics,* DID RECEIVE a nonstop, 15-minute-long(!) standing ovation, after all. Was Mike screwed outta some songwriting royalties by his Uncle Murry Wilson? Absofuknlutely, he was! But was he also CLEARLY the most disposable member of The Beach Boys? Today, even though Brian might not sing a single note during the show, ppl fill up theatres, auditoriums, & even places like The Hollywood Bowl to see Brian Wilson, w/his fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine, of course. Meanwhile, Mike Love & Bruce Johnston (& maybe still w/'Uncle Jessie' from Full House🤦) tour under the name The Beach Boys, NOT selling out county fairs & appearances on Fox & Friends all over certain parts of America to some of the squarest audiences around! Take that however you will.💯

[@caavoom]

Had Smile been released at the time, I think it'll tank. Lost in the dominance of Sgt. Pepper but would be regardless as an underrated masterpiece years later and far superior musically, lyrically and technically. Great video! Hoping you tackle Love - Forever Changes next.

[@jeffclement2468]

I have to agree. I think it may have been too sophisticated musically, and possibly the subject matter would've gone over people's heads at the time. I'm glad I finally got to hear it when I did...the restored version with the new band. I saw them perform the album along with a few Beach Boys chestnuts that I wasn't expecting ("Please Let Me Wonder") A very special event. 😻

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I do have Love on my radar so do stay tuned!

[@jldraw]

I've heard the argument of "SMiLE" being unsuccessful if it was released in 1966/1967. Where this argument loses credibility with me is that albums at the time were still be largely sold off the back of successful singles and "Good Vibrations" was about as big of a hit as the pop/rock world had seen at the time. The fact that Capitol allegedly insisted that "Good Vibrations" be plastered all over the cover of Frank Holmes artwork tells me that a major selling point of "SMiLE" would've been "Good Vibrations" alongside ostensibly "Heroes And Villains". In the end it all comes down to timing. As Matt mentioned in the video if The Beach Boys had managed to get "SMiLE" out of the gate prior to the summer of love, it's fortunes would've been much better than it's eventually successor ("Smiley Smile"). The album would have sold and coasted on the strength of "Good Vibrations" alone which would have prevented it from tanking regardless of the rest of the music contained within.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

@@jldraw I do think it would have sold well and as you said, Good Vibrations would have helped promote it. It's really too bad they couldn't get it together.

[@ms8596]

@@jldraw I agree. Brian was "it" with the "it" crowd until the disasters of mid-67. First cancelling Smile, then pulling out of Monterrey, it put them so deep in the rear view mirror of the audiences of that era. Another thing too, members of the Wrecking Crew were there to perform for performers who didn't have bands, so they surely could have augmented the Beach Boys stage delivery of Pet Sounds and Smile material. They definitely were familiar with it! Actually I take something back - I think the first mistake was the Leonard Bernstein special. It was supposed to be about Brian initially, an incredible opportunity, but not being able to give a good interview killed that. But when Surf's Up did air, it also created a bigger buzz about all of this great music everyone had been reporting on. The lie about it all being destroyed was something I never believed or how would pieces of it start emerging on subsequent albums? One thread throughout their career - bad decisions and bad luck over and over again. Decisions that cost them millions and millions of dollars and numerous opportunities to be the pinnacle.

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

That very dramatic piano sequence at the end of Child Is Father of the Man, which is then accompanied by strings, and which comes just before Surf's Up on the Smile album is IMO the greatest musical moment of the Smile album and one of the greatest musical moments of all time.

[@davidkieltyka9]

Great stuff, Matt! I first heard a version of Smile back in the days of tape trading…mid 1980s. Wasn’t really a Beach Boys fan apart from some of the hits, but Smile knocked me out with its richness and complexity. I got to see Brian Wilson & band perform his 2004 version live at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Wasn’t altogether sure how it might turn out but it was a fantastic show. There are parts of that 2004 album I prefer to the Beach Boys recordings too.

[@JohnHancotte]

Loved every minute of this. It's a dark story and that chapter certainly did not end well. Who could compete with Billy Shears and the gang, after all? George Martin was the fifth Beatle and really helped them realize their project. Brian didn't have that semi-fatherly figure who could arrange, perform, advise, and ultimately produce. Love your version of Smile with the alternate mixes and that wonderful Surf's Up to close it out. There was a noticeable lack of strong drumming in this era of Brian's output that, to me, acts a a bit of a commercial poison. Vegetables comes to mind. Still, I like it.

[@Psycho-Nomics]

By the time Brian Wilson worried that he'd mystically started a fire with his recording sessions, he'd already suffered his first psychotic break, as his schizo-affective disorder emerged.

[@randalclarke5487]

I don't completely understand Love's aversion to the drugs, as according to his autobiography he was smoking cannabis himself still during the time of Smile...I don't think he dug the speed and LSD however. Really puts people on a different waveform, especially speed taken regularly

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Jardine and Johnston (and obviously Brian's wife Marilyn) also had strong reservations about the hangers on whose intentions with Brian were not all pure. Love did smoke but I think he viewed Brian's coterie as interlopers and when Brian started to decline is when Love voiced stronger opinions against Parks' lyrics.

[@greggildersleeve3484]

I think it's interesting that the Beach Boys' refusal to play Monterrey proved to be a turning point. Like the Association, they were rapidly becoming uncool and unhip as the music scene changed by the minute. Striped shirts certainly looked like a thing from the past even though it had only been two or three years since the Beach Boys defined California cool. It's a shame, really. The Beach Boys had so much talent with and without Brian. But a contrast can be drawn with the Beatles since Lennon and McCartney always had each other to bounce off of and to keep each other in check (and George and Ringo to complete what the Beatles were). In the Beach Boys, it looked very much like Brian Wilson was the be-all and end-all. The pressure on him must have been enormous. When you're 24 and the world calls you a genius, where do you go from there? Devolving into perfectionism and second-guessing, apparently. This was the beginning of a long personal decline for Brian and of the Beach Boys adapting a little too late to the changes in popular music. To their credit, they stuck with it and stuck it out. I'm glad you've chosen to take a multi-video look at their history, Matt. They certainly deserve it.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I appreciate the comments, Greg!

[@CoinOpTV]

Pretty epic deep dive!

[@feber16]

I love the Smile album. I bought a bootleg CD a long time ago- probably in the mid-late nineties. I saw Brian Wilson play Smile on tour in 2004 and bought his solo version of Smile that I have listened to many times- and will take it out soon for another listen. The harmonies are fantastic. (Of course!) I bought the Smiley Smile album when it was released in 1967. I like that one too! Great series, as usual.

[@waynesilverman3048]

Yes Paul Weller was in high spirits the night he saw Brian WILSon I London 2004 smile in full (apart from worried and getting a bit mad over his change from round of drinks his m8 Paulio Hewitt ( oasis ,Steve Marriott Paul Weller books) got with Weller s cash

[@tawnieriekena7]

The Van Dyke Parks song you exerpted is based on Beethoven's 9th Symphony. A song probably best remembered by pop culture fans as the one sung by the woman in the milk bar in the opening scene of A Clockwork Orange.

[@bandcouver]

I found your version of what could have been the Smile album a very concise and enjoyable listen. Bonus points for adding the reverb-heavy 'dum dee dum oh ho' vocal harmonies that weren't included on the offically released version of 'Good Vibrations'. It makes a stellar tune even better. I feel they belong in there. Fine work, Matt.

[@JohnHancotte]

And the longer fade out with the woodwind horn motif. Always wanted a longer ending as a resolution after such a build up. Very cool mix with the other tunes as well, at least I noticed in Heroes In Villains a difference.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you! I'm sure some purists would cringe at my mix, but like I said, I hit the highlights!

[@anthonykimball7463]

Great photo of Van Dyke with members of The Mojo Men at 2:37. As far as the Smile material, I think much of it is extraordinary and beautiful, but Brian was going down the wrong path with this stuff....he was writing more to impress his new entourage of educated hipsters and had, in the process, forgotten who made up the majority of Beach Boys fans; namely, teenage girls. Most of the Smile stuff, to be brutally honest, was far too esoteric & avant-garde for the typical pop music fan of 1966-67. These sounds would have been accepted coming from The Beatles, but not from The Beach Boys. What Brian should have done, in the wake of Good Vibrations, was move the group into a more guitar-centric mode, with much more emphasis on aggressive, "heavy" rock and much less emphasis on the kind of (admittedly awesome) elaborate, lush ballads that appeared on Pet Sounds (and their earlier LPs). Of course, that didn't happen & we all know what ensued, but just thought (after nearly 40 years of obsession regarding this band & the Smile period in particular) I'd toss in my "alternate universe" scenario to see if anybody out there agrees.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You are right as history shows, guitar rock was where the whole industry went and if the Beach Boys could have included a bit of that, they would have maintained some relevance.

[@michaelrochester48]

About a year ago, the Beach Boys had played in Syracuse New York, and I was waiting to get some autographs. I asked Bruce Johnson to sign my Smile album and he refused, saying loudly “ I hated that goddamn album!”

[@hejla4524]

He prefers Smiley Smile. The Smile album has too many bad memories.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

He actually refused? Wow. I do have some quotes from him that I would like to use in my 10 Reasons Why Smile Didn't Happen video. Thank you, Michael!

[@nathananthony7517]

I think Smiley Smile is a complete mess. It sounds like a tired muffled pile of garbage, which is weird since it's actually not far removed from the original album. @@hejla4524

[@burlingtonbill1]

@@popgoesthe60s52 I hopoe you will use them at some point. For me, Bruce has always been the quintessential nice-guy yes-man.

[@uhoh007]

Incredible.....I learn so much from your shows, and relive my youth considerably "enlightened" :)

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you for watching!

[@vicbertfartingclack4559]

I always thought the lyrics churned out by Van Dyke Parks were unnecessarily ornate, awkwardly constructed and pretentious. Sorry. On this single point at least I reluctantly have to kinda agree, sort of with Mike Love.

[@MonsieurC64]

It bothers me too. I can understand why Van Dyke Parks wasn't a fan of the Beatles : They could come up with great poetry in their songs, mostly using simple words and understandable lyrics. Takes huge talent.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You are not alone in finding Parks' lyrics as a weak link in the Smile project. I will probable delve further into this with a proper critique of Pet Sounds and Smile.

[@jldraw]

@@popgoesthe60s52Parks’ lyrics were extremely esoteric and while ornately beautiful were more likely to leave the majority of his audience scratching their heads. At his best his lyrics compare favorably to the works of James Joyce or perhaps even John Lennon. That said, point in case around a million years ago I was tasked to write a thesis on a piece of performance art and selected “Surf’s Up” by Wilson/Parks because I was correct in my assumption that it is the type of lyric that those at the University level who spent their days studying the works of Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Blake would absolutely perform cartwheels over. That was essentially Parks’ audience which likely would made up around 1% of the public who were buying The Beach Boys records in 1966, a fact Parks alludes to in “An American Band” where he contrasts “ding shorty pearl hang ten” (or early Beach Boys lyrics) to his own “Columnated Ruins Domino” and recognizes the discrepancy between the two.

[@rppvt]

@@jldraw Fine assumption. Brian's musicality had outgrown the board shorts and demanded deeper thought. The intent was to elevate and illuminate. When the majority is head-scratching, you might just have done your job.

[@johnyarusso4953]

Excellent job Matt! You even covered some things I didn't even know about.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Glad to hear! I appreciate the comment, Johny.

[@ricjan58]

Your Beach Boy history is a stellar piece of work, easily your best yet. Thank you for your commitment to the 1960's.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I appreciate that ric!

[@tomasfagerberg6323]

A colleague of mine at our music school in Hallstahammar, Sweden, a young female cello player, played on Smile 2004. She's in the video. I think her name was Anna, but it's more then 20 years, so. Maby no one else cares, but for me it's a bit fun.

[@jblassio]

I think one thing to remember is the abuse Brian suffered at the hands of his father growing up. Brian was the oldest and was constantly receiving the wrath of Murray Wilson. Carl was lost in the shuffle and was probably ignored, while Dennis was the most rebellious and one who gave it right back to Murray. Had Brian gained some coping skills from counseling he could have dealt with the pressure he had in his career. Throw in the high expectations he put on himself, the pressure for writing hits for the band, drug use and his PTSD and you have a perfect recipe for disaster. The Beach Boys only went on due to Mike Love and Carl Wilson’s efforts; who kept the band touring and pushed the band to continue making music. I just bought some of the post-Pet Sounds albums to listen. Surfs-Up, Holland, Sunflower are good listens so far. Not all the tracks are perfect, but you could tell that The Beach Boys weren’t done as a band yet. There was still something there. Thanks Matt! This video made my Sunday!

[@Lance37a]

Counseling in the 50's? Not going to happen, his dad seemed almost as bad as Joe Jackson.....Almost. Murray saw Brian's talent at a early age and was very envious of his talent.

[@jblassio]

@@Lance37a you’re right, but I’m talking about what could have made a difference had it been available to Brian in the 1950s. He did eventually get treatment and was able to overcome all his demons.

[@philOKC]

Remember that Brian told Howard Stern, in a 1998 in studio interview, that Murray’s own father nearly severed Murray’s ear from his head with a hammer, when Murray was a child

[@clydekimsey7503]

That brian Wilson painted reminds me of the style of Klimt.

[@jeffreyg4626]

Brian needed therapy for childhood trauma. Therapy wasn't quite a household word back then but it was available. Seems like The Beach Boy's didn't have any mature and genuine leadership/management at that time. Drugs made the situation worse.

[@THECLARENCES]

Long live the memories of Dennis & Carl Wilson. xoxo The Clarences

[@harrysmusicroom]

I'm really enjoying this series, thanks.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure, Harry.

[@BrixtonTone]

I'm not a Beach Boys fan but have found this series informative and entertaining . Thanks again for all the work you put in Matt .

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Brix.

[@BrixtonTone]

@@popgoesthe60s52 You're welcome Matt, I've got a story about some soon to be Beach Boys playing in my house, I'm saving it for the right moment to include (Carl and the Passions ) : )

[@bzydad]

I'm really enjoying this series on the Beach Boys, keep up the great work.

[@sallybrown4947]

For all the bashing of Mike Love that goes on all over the place now, just look at all of the songs he wrote for the beach Boys. He also sings on every track on Pet sounds and Smile, the album people like to use to vilify him. Imagine writing all of the beach boys hits and your name being off of the albums and singles for 35 years.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I agree, Sally. Mike Love has a legitimate gripe as the publishing royalties wasn't resolved until the 1990s. The "Brian is a Genius with a capital 'G'" crowd conveniently uses Love as the scapegoat for why Smile didn't come out, which is laughable. Thank you for the comment.

[@burlingtonbill1]

@@popgoesthe60s52 I think we reallty should try to define the "genius" label a little more clearly. Musically, he was/is one. Creatively (concepts, lyrics) - not so much. Personal life - no. Mike is loyal, but is imperfect in other ways.

[@murdockreviews]

Never heard the SMiLE-Sessions, only 'Smiley Smile', which is just charmingly weird and lo-fi, and later on Brian's official 'Brian Wilson presents SMiLE'. Even though it may not be the original finished recordings, I still believe it is the closest we get to what his artistic vision for it was. And yes, I think it would have been greater than 'Pet Sounds'. Probably a commercial failure had it been released in 1967, but ultimately a masterpiece!

[@Mandrake591]

Won-won-won-wonderful job, Matt! The original “Smile” sounds complete to me too.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Definitely! Thanks David.

[@soulfoodie1]

Just to note the vital work Darian Sahanaja of the Wondermints and Brian Wilson 's live backing band did helping to put the 2004 version of Smile together alongside Brian and Van Dyke Parks This owes something to the mixes and research he and his friend Domenic Priore (who kept the legend of Smile alive with his work. 'Look listen, vibrate, smile') . Also to note the Smile Sessions box set was released in 2011, several years after 'Brian Wilson presents Smile' and it used this as the template for the 'completed' version of the original session. It's fascinating that the Smile Sessions and bootlegs of the sessions would be enormously influencial on 1990s indie rock with The Elephant 6 collective and bands like the High Llamas a d others in particular exploring what Brian was doin

[@ryangettig274]

Word on that-the Wondermint's stalwart support of Brian Wilson is directly akin to the Arthur Lee & Baby Lemonade musical collaboration!:)

[@MikeE_Fab4]

Thank you very much, Matt - excellent work! A truly complex time period in Beach Boys history that you've distilled to become understandable. Listening to your mix of SMiLE right now! MikeE

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Hey Mike! Thank you for checking out my mix!

[@kookadams85]

P.s- Most crucial thing here that gets disregarded & is very much relevant today is the fact that in '67 , definitely '68 the communists (z.o.g) had infiltrated the music industry & that's what "hippies" & "the counterculture" was; it had NOTHING to do w/ what was hip or cool, this was the Decline of rockNroll & it lasted nearly a decade til the beginning of '77 when punkrock came as the new renaissance of rock; but unfortunately the reds infiltrated punk as well... When politics & fashion took precedent the quality of the music waned & the majority of what was recorded for historical purposes ended up being the most bogus invalid garbage imaginable. The Beach Boys were never "uncool" , their cemented image epitomized the institution of brilliance to the utmost degree. *Period* Rock against communism 🇺🇲🎼

[@christianstough6337]

Another great recap and review. Being seen as cool was/is everything in Pop Music. Maybe not everything, but so very important and not to be underestimated. Being seen as a California surf band was not helping in this regard in 1967. Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations was their way out of that stereotype, but they had to keep it going. Monterey- and the way they presented themselves at Monterey was half the battle. If their performance had fallen into the barber shop quartet zone- they were screwed. Good Vibrations had to be front and center, with some of the cooler tracks from Pet Sounds and their earlier records mixed in. If they had trotted out their early surf and car hits it would not have gone down well. The second piece of the puzzle was Smile. Why Brian was pushing for Heroes and Villains and not Surf Up is beyond me. Surf's Up was the perfect song for this moment. It's a great song, references the past and mocks it at the same time. Make sure Good Vibrations is on that album and make the rest album tracks and get that thing out by March at the latest. Because the truth is, the album is unique, but it's not that great. It's quirky and interesting, but far from brilliant and a step down after Pet Sounds. Smile would have ranked with Pink Floyds first album (also done by someone going insane) or Satanic Majesties. A unique sound, but nothing brilliant beyond that. Certainly better than the common pop garbage which is always released in every era. But no one is going to be humming those tunes walking down the street. Your quote of Brian nails it, " I Feel like I am losing my talent ". He was, and it showed. Even worse , he was losing his mind. I listened to bootlegs of these songs for years and they are scary. because it always seemed to me that he had created a musical puzzle that he could not solve. Listening to these tracks is so eerie for me as I feel like I can hear him slowly losing his mind and his grasp on reality. Making the leap from teenage oriented material to adult oriented material and doing it successfully , is a hard hard leap to make. With Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys had pulled it off, but then they broke and the couldn't sustain it. Or more accurately, Brian broke and no one else in the band had enough vision to carry them through. It is such a tantalizing moment in their history- they were so close. Wild Honey was interesting, but they would never reach those heights again.

[@burlingtonbill1]

Nice overview. I think the point to remember is that after PS, you could never predict what they'd do next. Brian's domination never fully returned, but look around! The music kept changing, and they changed with it. The individual members stepped up and started contributing solidly. Personally, I love "Sunflower," and only wish Dennis could've lived longer so we could be treated to more "Slip On Through"s and "Forever"s.

[@buzzawuzza3743]

An excellent look at these troubles. At what point does a sane man stop and think about this notion of competing with other artists? You make the best music you can and release it when it's ready.

[@Lance37a]

Was he sane? He probably had all sorts of emotional damage from his father growing up. It seems like his father just wanted yo use him

[@jdd3786]

Man, think about the change of course in music history if Smile was released and if the Beach Boys played Monterey Pop. It's insanity inducing. Edit: I just finished listening to Matt's SMiLE mix, and it really doesn't sound like a finished album. More of a collection of cool ideas.

[@johncoltrane7899]

A great deep dive into Smile, thanks very much. The sequencing of the timeline in context with other outside influences really explains why the world never received the album when it should have.

[@johnlorinc2081]

Great video once again. Really enjoying this series. The story of the Beach Boys is sometimes just as fascinating as their music.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Yes, I'm finding the drama at time overshadowing the actual music! Thanks for watching.

[@johnlorinc2081]

That's why Heroes and Villains was a perfect title for the book written about them. Lots of heroes and lots of villains. But regardless the music lives on.@@popgoesthe60s52

[@ms8596]

I've heard that same Capitol Smile promotion for Dec 1966. Same wording as this one for Jan '67 other than selling a million units for Christmas.

[@allenf.5907]

There were so many problems and Capitol surely was one of them. However, their printing the jackets one would think otherwise. Their putting out the Greatest Hits albums in the Pet Sounds timeframe, the lawsuit beginning, Brian's change in how he worked, the NOT playing Monterey International Pop Music Festival, the Beatles' competition. It was too overwhelming. Brian was losing his confidence it seemed in the wake of his highest point in creativity. He was far ahead of the curve but there was pushback. And what comes out as a result? Smiley Smile - which Carl Wilson aptly dubbed - a bunt, not the homerun that the Beach Boys needed with Smile.

[@jeffclement2468]

Been waiting for this one, and you did not disappoint. Thanks Personally, I think "Smile" is head and shoulders more sophisticated and generally more adventerous musically and lyrically than "Pepper." But had it been released at that time...I think it may have gone over people's heads, who knows...🤷‍♂️✌

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Jeff. I do find Smile more sophisticated than Pepper, but as history shows, by 1967 guitar rock trumped symphonic sophistication, so I think Smile would have given way to Pepper based on that trend alone.

[@drummer78]

If Carl Wilson was arrested onstage at Monterey that would have been the most epic anti-war stance. Can you imagine…The Beach Boys could have put bands like The Jefferson Airplane to shame. Too bad.

[@joebrewer4529]

Is much is a love the album ever since the persons box that came out in the late 90s everything‘s been a little overhyped. And everybody keeps relying on clichés if they complain about whatever Brian situation was at the moment even though I seen Brian was a really smart guy and did some really great work in retrospect just like with John Lennon I think he was an idiot And this whole thing about his father and this and that and blah blah blah solve this bunch of mumbo-jumbo. If that’s the case, he just shows how weak of a person he was the couldn’t stand up for anyone to be a man and I’m tired of the disrespected Mike love gets, that’s overstated as well. Everything Michael ever said was rational. Brian was just for whatever reason a person who was disturbed by the same could be said of Dennis and Carl is really the only one that turned out normal and as far as small in the hole. I guess if you want to talk about it, it should be me in the late 80s no one cared about the beach boys everybody hated beach boys all of you people say you love the beach boys would’ve said you hated them 30 years ago because all the underground music he would’ve been into would’ve hated the beach boys so you would’ve hated the beach boys. Island, underground record store and everybody hated the beach boys and no one likes Paul and no one even knew what smile was to begin. And even though I love pet sounds and have since the day came out in 1990 although I have a concert in 88 the worst song on pet sounds it doesn’t even fit the album is the song pet sounds it doesn’t even work for the record at all, and yes I could tediously go to detail with anyone I’m talking about small I bought the last coffee in 1997 and existence of look listen vibrate smile and so now everybody’s just doing like my leftist do which is a rhetorical talking point it was extraordinary, but also somewhat my Dane at the same time and trying to give it a life bigger than God. It’s just an album we’re all the influences of the moment coalesce. Same for anything else from that time.

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

Amazing job Matt. Look forward to the next one!!! I learned something new about Van Dyke Parks today, that he was working with Alec Guinness (Obi Wan Kenobi) and Grace Kelly many moons ago!!!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Mike!

[@GianlucaAbbadessa]

The greatest pop music work of all the times.

[@Diggers5]

Fascinating viewing - well done! 👍 I love learning new things about BBs history. Thank you for your efforts Matt.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You are welcome, Diggers5!

[@impalaman9707]

I always gave Mike Love credit for being a good sport and singing (albeit grudgingly) the songs that he didn't like with lyrics he thought were questionable, on both Pet Sounds and Smile. He could have walked out on Brian at any moment and refuse to participate. Some people would. But he went along with the program to humor his cousin Brian, and that is to his credit

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Yes, the "Brian is a Genius' cultists really blame Mike Love for everything, which is the height of ridiculousness.

[@burlingtonbill1]

@@popgoesthe60s52 I think we reallty should try to define the "genius" label a little more clearly. Musically, he was/is one. Creatively (concepts, lyrics) - not so much. Personal life - no. Mike is loyal, but is imperfect in other ways.

[@buzzbabyjesus]

SMiLE! is my favorite beach Boys album.

[@BIZARBIES]

And you'll never hear surf music again... *Jimi Hendrix*

[@georgemcgown8310]

Great video. Can't wait to hear about Friends, Sunflower and 20/20, and Smiley Smile

[@nathananthony7517]

Van Dyke Parks was on The Honeymooners??? Even when I know a lot about your subject, I still come away learning something from your videos. I agree that SMiLe really feels like a complete album. Brian Wilson was so close. All those pieces and fragments were just too hard to conceptualize altogether back in 1967. If he'd had ProTools, he easily would have finished it. Hard to say if it would've been hailed as a masterpiece or ended up as a flop. I'm really not sure either way. But, I'm pretty sure Sgt. Pepper's would've overshadowed it, regardless. I love your mix of the album. I think of SMiLe a bit like "Let It Be". There are so many fan mixes of both of those albums, mainly because there were so many unused takes and fragments, and both official versions only feel about 93% complete. Another fantastic mix floating around out there right now is the AI mix by Dae Lims. It's on his KZbin channel and definitely worth a listen (though your ordering of the album is far more cognizant).

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Nathan I will give that Dae Lims version a listen.

[@DocDoccus]

Utterly fascinating: the story of the imploding of "America's Favorite Band" I never cared for The Beach Boys output past 1965. However on this listen, Heroes and Villains main melody part sounds like it was composed by Jeff Lynne. Hmm!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

That is a good observation Doc. Thank you for watching!

[@Fool3SufferingFools]

Always good to hear another sequencing of Smile... I made many of them myself over about 15 years back in the day, and yours is as good as any I've heard. Anymore I mainly listen to Brian's 2004 version, because after such a long journey it was nice to arrive at a destination. Listening to Strawberry Fields, it's easy to hear why Brian thought the Beatles had "gotten there first"... considering the way he was working with brass instruments in the Heroes & Villains and Surf's Up sessions ("George Fell into His French Horn," etc.), cellos doing glissandos and staccato figures ("The Old Master Painter," "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"), and way-out lyrics by Van Dyke Parks.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you. Yeah, the Beatles certainly had the drive and ambition to keep cranking songs out, which the Beach Boys lost because all control was with a guy who was losing his mind.

[@burlingtonbill1]

One of the things seemingly no one has mentioned is that Strawberry Fields utilized a Mellotron. Most folks immediately think of the Moody Blues, but Mike Pinder (R.I.P.) actually introduced it to the Beatles before the Moodies incorporated it into "In Search of the Lost Chord" and beyond. Its sound may have been part of what staggered BW.

[@rockingbirdey]

I always believed that The Beach Boys pulling out of Monterey Pop Festival really hurt them, especially in regards to their image and for the rest of the 60s and the early 70s. It basically made them irrelevant amongst the counterculture and the rock press and was a painfully uncool move. You can't really make the excuse that The Beach Boys wouldn't have fit in with all the heavy rock, folk rock, psychedelic and acid rock groups like The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, etc when AM pop acts like The Association and Johnny Rivers and several other non-counterculture acts all played at the festival. The Beach Boys probably wouldn't have been a highlight, but I'd easily think they'd have been better received than The Byrds (their set was really bad) and Johnny Rivers (who was just mediocre).

[@TheRealDrJoey]

A college girlfriend took me to see the Association at big field house at Michigan State University. Having never paid any particular attention to them, I was amazed at how good they were live, and at how MANY hits they had.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I think some Smile songs at Monterey would have made total sense. Too bad they blew it.

[@UnderTheCovers1]

Great breakdown on the making or unmaking of SMiLE.

[@TonysMusic1974]

Do you record your video in 1080? It's a bit low quality. Love your stuff though!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Yes, there are some technical reasons why but that may change.

[@georgemixis2172]

Excellent and deep look into this period of the Beach Boys, Matt. It seems that the Boys were hesitant to leave the "formula" that gave them their earlier success with Brian as the main writer... but it seems that Brian had too much pressure. It is as since the writing process was on his shoulders, it was a lot as opposed to the Beatles (in spite the Lennon/McCartney push, George and Ringo still had part of the process.

[@jimhuxley9643]

Another master class in documentary-excellent work Matt.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Jim! This was a tough one to do - more to come!

[@burlingtonbill1]

I own and have read a ton of books on BW and the BBs but your concise hit-list graphic of Brian's enlightened friends was impressive. Also, I had never actually thought much more about the one-off & handshake deal with Mike, post PS and GV... You make a compelling argument that Mike was a bit less of a snake then previously thought, although ML may have been creatively blank about going in any future direction LYRICALLY other than back to the beach, dragstrip, or the ladies. THAT, as far as I know, has never been discussed by anyone. Your comments about the "Fire" sessions were especially good. It was amazing to see VDP's quote as well. This is well-considered, really solid discussion. It's a tough period for any longstanding BBs fan to have to dissect, and then when you think it's in the rearview, along comes Wenner's comment like a gut punch, and the "Beatles Are Greatest Ever & Forever" crowd does their endless "I Told You so's." This is some of your best work ever. Thanks.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Bill. I am proud of this series and I felt that Smile cried out for its own video. I spent about 2 years collecting information, researching and outlining the story, so it was daunting but very satisfying to do. I appreciate the warm comments.

[@Bigchet1223]

Do a review of the loving spoonful, the doors or even canned heat. Sly and the family stone, hendrix,spencer davis group,ten years after traffic. Country joe and the fish,the grass roots. Just giving suggestions.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I did do the Spoonful. Check that one out, many of your suggestions are on my long list🙂

[@kristian_goddard]

Wow, I took that photo of Brian playing live!

[@robbiedetroitstigermanviny8883]

You need to get the Super Deluxe Edition

[@syater]

Smiley Smile sounded disjointed and odd to me at first listen (1968-69?), especially when compared to Good Vibrations. Someone told me "that's Paul McCartney chewing carrots!" That didn't help me appreciate the album any more, it only confirmed that I didn't want to bother with it. Years later, backtracking from 1968-1973, that is, once Carl Wilson appeared to assert his influence more, I listened to Smiley Smile to see if I'd missed something. Maybe the roots of Friends, Sunflower, Surf's Up, Holland, were there in Smiley Smile all along and I just wasn't savvy enough to notice. One thing seemed clear, Van Dyke Parks participation in a song always stood out lyrically. I didn't know until now that he was anti-British Invasion. He seems more influenced by Broadway and riverboat lore, or whatever. Parks doesn't have much Rock in his soul. That's okay with me, I enjoyed his Song Cycle album for what it was. But I also think he didn't fit perfectly with The Beach Boys. Looking forward to Part 5 !

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks! Yes, Parks didn't have a rock and roll bone in his body! I think Smiley Smile is weirder than Smile which tells me the rest of the band wasn't as straight as reported.