Computer Age

Brian Wilson
Smile
Nonesuch 2004

They say that in 1967, when the Beach Boys came back on tour and met with what Brian Wilson was creating thought they had finally gone crazy, nobody in the group doubted the validity of the themes of "Pet Sounds", but what it was too.
Wilson left pretty soon the growing mass of group tours, and little by little it was distancing itself from everyone, taking advantage of the solitude to imagine the music that was in his head, a music impossible, impracticable for the period. a music that only thought possible, and that was devoted to creating in the summer of 1967 on a disc that was intended to be the majestic and final continuation of "Pet Sounds".
The rejection by his brothers and his father, problems with drugs and emotional instability of a Wilson increasingly distant from reality finally ended by provoking the project of "Smile" was paralyzed and abandoned.
Although in the following years there was speculation about a potential finalization of "Smile" this never came to happen, with subsequent publication of the Beach Boys, where he entered some of those songs, began to circulate pirated versions of "Smile" created from cuts to fuel these albums significantly legend on the disc lost the Beach Boys.
It took 10, 20, 30 years and everything was forgotten, even by Wilson himself that, although continued composing and recording with the Beach Boys never overcome the disappointment of that time and their emotional problems.
In 1995 Brian Wilson collaborated on "Orange Crate Art", the new album by Van Dyke Parks, composer and lyricist who actively participated in the sessions original "Smile", and it seems that there emerged a large extent the idea of taking over the disc damn, that same year Wilson married Melinda Ledbetter which resulted in his own words, a radical change to his life, also claimed by then began to actively figure of Brian Wilson, with tributes, documentaries and reviews and soon began raised the idea that Brian undertake a tour, the idea before they finally gave in to a large extent thanks to the insistence of his support group, the Wondermints, authentic music fans of the Beach Boys, with whom he worked at Wilson and The surprising "Imagination" (1998), these tours were interpreted classic themes of "Pet Sounds" and also some of the sessions of "Smile", so entering the study was an almost natural consequence.
To tackle this record, a first question is almost bound, is this "Smile" in 2004 faithful to the original concept of "Smile" 1967?, Well, for me it is definitely on the original sessions of 67 always have moved hundreds of legends and various speculations, which have put various items and improvisations that have been preserved as part of any final mix, the main value of this new record is definitely end up with all these speculations, "Smile" is structured three parts or distinct suites built around three main themes, well known and of vital importance: "Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up" and "Good Vibrations" with other issues and movements that were also available in various Official and unofficial recordings of the Beach Boys, therefore there is (almost) new songs, which does not value this "Smile" and that its true meaning is the sort of cohexionar and, in a final form that all material.
The voice of Brian Wilson (obviously) is not that the kid (he was 24 years in 1967!) Who could not overcome their own frustrations, but the whole recording breathes the original spirit of those years, we have used the same study and the voices have been treated in the same way, some items are authentic casts of the originals, perfectly integrated (now if) in the set, adding musical passages where missing letters where needed.
At last we can enjoy, as imagined, this "Sinfonia Teen for God" that Brian Wilson promised more than 30 years ago. Without a doubt a historic moment that will be long remembered.