Smile
Anyone heard the newly released Smile cd by Brian Wilson ?
I personally haven't heard it yet, not surprisingly it's recieving very positive reviews. When I heard it was being re-recorded by Brian and his band I was very skeptical, expecting Smile to be released as the original Beach Boys recordings, however I'll keep an open mind and I do have my trusty Beach Boys Smile bootlegs to compare it to.
There's no question the bootlegs would be better, The Beach Boys original recordings were just magical and sounding so ahead of their time (I mean Mrs. O' Leary's Cow !?) Although I have yet to hear the new Smile, I can just assume it wouldn't be near as good, Brian being every bit the casualty after years of self sabotage through smoking, drinking, drug taking and of course his much documented mental illness. Brian is also 62 years old and that magic couldn't possibly be recaptured, his voice just isn't as sweet as it used to be. If Smile had been released as scheduled in early 1967 it would have surely changed the course of pop music and culture and have definatly made Sgt Pepper look inferior in comparison. 😄