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Mega64 Record Club Ep. 47 - Brian Wilson - Smile (#399)

Hello everyone!! Just a heads up that I have converted all the episodes into mp3's and linked them to the episode link on Pateron if you'd rather listen to the episodes this way.  This week I am once again joined by special guest Dick Botte to talk about one the most infamous albums of the 1960's that ended up taking over 40 years to release, Brian Wilson's Smile. Was it worth the wait, or did we think it should have stayed locked away...Got to watch to find out!

Mega64 Record Club Ep. 47 - Brian Wilson - Smile (#399)

Comments

Everyone should listen to Smile Sessions (2011) rather than this Brian Wilson remake.

Bo Z

Yea i wasn't feeling this. It felt really uninspired, and each track seemed to feel the same as the last. Fully feeling a 1-1.5/5.

Tyler Lajevardi

It’s also really inspiring as a chronic quitter and leave things unfinished-er that this finally got finished decades later. I think a lot of people would have just left it incomplete and released whatever pieces as-is

Mary and Steve

I was surprised to hear such a negative reaction myself. The Beach Boys Smile Sessions album, reconstructed in the mold of Brian Wilson's 2004 sequencing, is one of my favorite albums of all time. I think the Wilson version is pretty good too, but I don't necessarily need all the added verses.

Jason Cryer

Say it with me, We Love Dick! It's funny having all of this information and context (not to mention prestige) around an album just for me to figuratively shrug. I have such little patience for this era of music outside of The Beatles.

Burke

Hell yeah, Dick’s own music show! Perhaps an episode on David Cassidy’s the Higher They Climb??

Mary and Steve

Jan and Dean are so great - their Batman album is nuts! If you liked what little snippets you heard, start there - then the J&D cover of Norwegian Wood and then the big hit Dead Man’s Curve. Heroes and Villains was like some Spike Jones shit with the weird instruments and sound effects and everything. Big vaudeville energy.

Mary and Steve

Vegetables is my favorite Beach Boys song - and one of my favorite songs in the world. When the Mama Says interpolation started I was like ‘oh shit! Wild Honey!’ I think I’m in the minority here, I really loved Brian Wilson’s Smile. I dug into Smiley Smile, the Smile Sessions and then BWP. The movements really ran together so smoothly that it’s hard to pick a favorite tune, I can really see myself listening to it a lot this year. There’s something about Brian Wilson’s aged and matured voice that I can’t get enough of. He did a Disney covers album a few years later that is excellent - I think my exposure to that really helped me out here.

Mary and Steve

lmfao lfg Shawn 1.5 gang

Garrett Vacation 🔪💖🩸

Please give Dick his own music show alongside Shawn’s, I would absolutely love that. This was a great episode as always and especially funny. I kinda hated this album the first time I listened to it but throughout the week I ended up liking a lot more. A lot of the songs really got stuck in my head. 3/5 but man this book is very Beach Boys cucked and I don’t fully understand why yet.

Pearstrike

I always appreciate Dick being on and if he starts making videos talking music I'm definitely here for it! I always appreciate his perspective. This was a very interesting episode. I'm a little surprised Shawn didn't enjoy it more, but I can definitely see the music not being for everyone. I agree more with Dick, though I'm younger than you both, so I'm not sure if it's really a generational thing. I think the album is incredible and I love all the different sounds and ideas implemented here. Though I honestly like The Beach Boys Smile way more. Brian did a great job obviously, but the original recordings definitely have a slightly different feel to them. Having all the Beach Boys there singing with each other in their prime especially adds a lot more imo. It is less polished in a way, but they did remaster the old recordings and I think they did a great job. It's really hard picking favorites on here but I love Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Surf's Up, Wind Chimes and Good Vibrations. Keep up the great work Shawn!

DoflamingoSnailPhone

Thanks for the mp3s! Perfect for me to listen at work

nap

I'm sure Dick will make me appreciate Smile much more because I've always loved the lore but, man, the actual music was some of the most disappointed I've ever been with an album. I have this stupid habit where I need the "perfect time" to listen to or watch something. This should stand as an example for me to rip the band-aid off because there's nothing that can live up to building that sort of hype. With that being said; this may have been the worst week for me to do anything I've ever looked forward to and I acknowledge that my mental-state could have easily took away from what is a... very colourful and childish album. 💿 1 piece of vinyl, for the story. /𝟓 Maybe 💿.𝟓/𝟓. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow was kind of a cool hellscape, I'll say.

Garrett Vacation 🔪💖🩸


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