Smiley Smile – THE BEACH BOYS****

Heroes & Villains/Vegetables/Fall Breaks & Back To Winter/She’s Goin’ Bald/Little Pad/Good Vibrations/With Me Tonight/Wind Chimes/Gettin’ Hungry/Wonderful/Whistle In

A curiosity from The Beach Boys. Apart from the two hit singles, most of these highly melodic tracks seem musical doodles rather than fully rounded off songs. Smiley Smile contains the transatlantic chart topper Good Vibrations and the top twenty hit single, Heroes & Villains. (US:41 UK:9)

"Smile was supposed to be Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys' magnum opus, their masterpiece. The album was to be an absolute groundbreaking collection of music on the par with the greatest music ever released. Unfortunately, the sessions for the album broke Brian Wilson and its full genius was never realized. Bits and pieces of the sessions did see the light of day and they are fabulous. Heroes & Villains is the best known song from the Smile sessions and it kicks off Smiley Smile, which is the remains of the aborted sessions. Other Smile leftovers include Vegetables, Wind Chimes and Gettin' Hungry. There are some other solid songs like With Me Tonight and Wonderful and the album is well above average."

"The main thing to keep in mind while listening to Smiley Smile is that it was never constructed as a proper 'album', and that while beautiful in their own way, only a few of the tracks can really be considered proper songs. Instead what we get is a collection of experiments, minimally written vignettes and gorgeous miniatures; built from a seemingly random hodgepodge of leftovers. Despite the oddness and rampant experimentation of the songs, most of Smiley Smile is downright pretty and accessible. The Beach Boys would never record anything as interesting or beautiful as Smiley Smile again."

"The two singles from Smiley Smile, Good Vibrations and Heroes & Villains are established classics. But most of the obscure tracks hold up well too."

"This album is dwarfed in comparison to Pet Sounds, lyrically and musically, but it's still a fun listen."

"It is a great little album, unlike any other in the rock canon and even if Brian Wilson gave up loftier pursuits, this is still an amazing record with not a wasted note or word."