The white whale of '60s record-making, the Beach Boys' aborted SMiLE album gradually gained a legend that not only inflated its rumored importance and complexity, but gave credence to an odd notion -- that completing it, then or ever, was impossible.
In truth, SMiLE should have been released and forgotten, reissued and reappraised, and finally remastered for the digital era and ushered into the rock canon ever since Brian Wilson halted work on it in May 1967 (after an exhausting 85 recording sessions).
Instead, it languished in the vaults and remained the perfect record -- perfect, of course, because it had never been finished.
Reports that the recording of "Mrs.
O'Leary's Cow" had caused a nearby building to burn down and whispers of "inappropriate music" gave it the character of a monster, one that cursed all those who approached it and claimed the heart and mind of its major participant.
Wilson's love of "feels" -- short passages of cyclical music that could be overdubbed and rearranged countless times -- had made 1966's "Good Vibrations" the ultimate pocket symphony, but had also quickly spiralled into the instability that consumed him during its follow-up, "Heroes and Villains," projected to be the centerpiece of SMiLE.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Our Prayer/GeeWilliam Davis, Morris Levy, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:09 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Heroes and VillainsVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Roll Plymouth RockVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | BarnyardVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 00:58 | 2 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Old Master Painter/You Are My SunshineJimmie Davis, Haven Gillespie, Beasley Smith | Brian Wilson | Play | 01:03 | 2 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Cabin EssenceVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | WonderfulVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:07 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Song for ChildrenVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Child Is Father of the ManVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:17 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Surf's UpVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | I'm in Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/WorkshopJohnny Mercer, Van Dyke Parks, Sadie Vimmerstadt, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 01:56 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Vega-TablesVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:19 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | On a HolidayVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Wind ChimesVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Mrs. O'Leary's CowBrian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | In Blue HawaiiVan Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Good VibrationsTony Asher, Michael Love, Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | Heroes and Villains (Instrumental) | Brian Wilson | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Asher | Composer |
| 2 | Scott Bennett | Guitar, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Percussion, Vocals |
| 3 | Scott Bennett | Guitar, Keyboards, Mallets, Vocals |
| 4 | Nelson Bragg | Main Personnel, Percussion, Vocals, Whistle, Whistle (Human) |
| 5 | Jasper Dailey | Photography |
| 6 | Jimmie Davis | Composer |
| 7 | William Davis | Composer |
| 8 | Kevin Deane | Assistant Engineer |
| 9 | Staffan Findin | Trombone (Bass) |
| 10 | Andreas Forsman | Violin |
| 11 | Jeffrey Foskett | Guitar, Hammer Dulcimer, Main Personnel, Vocals |
| 12 | Haven Gillespie | Composer |
| 13 | Probyn Gregory | Brass, Guitar, Main Personnel, Vocals, Whistle, Whistle (Human) |
| 14 | Phillip Hardy | Project Consultant |
| 15 | Jim Hines | Drums, Main Personnel, Mallets, Musical Saw, Percussion, Sound Effects |
| 16 | Eric Holm | Viola |
| 17 | Gary Imhoff | Project Consultant |
| 18 | Jay Krugman | Project Consultant |
| 19 | Anna Landberg | Cello |
| 20 | David Leaf | Liner Notes |
| 21 | Morris Levy | Composer |
| 22 | Mark Linett | Engineer, Mixing |
| 23 | Bob Lizik | Guitar (Bass), Main Personnel |
| 24 | Mark London | Artwork, Package Design |
| 25 | Dennis Loren | Graphic Layout |
| 26 | Michael Love | Composer |
| 27 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 28 | Pete Magdaleno | Assistant Engineer |
| 29 | Daniel S. McCoy | Assistant Engineer |
| 30 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 31 | Paul Mertens | Electronics, Harmonica, Main Personnel, Saxophone, Woodwind |
| 32 | Taylor Mills | Knee Slaps, Main Personnel, Sound Effects, Vocals |
| 33 | Van Dyke Parks | Composer |
| 34 | Darian Sahanaja | Keyboards, Main Personnel, Mallets, Mixing Producer, Percussion, Vocals |
| 35 | Björn Samuelsson | Trombone |
| 36 | Viktor Sand | Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone |
| 37 | Markus Sandlund | Cello |
| 38 | Beasley Smith | Composer |
| 39 | Stockholm Strings and Horns | Horn, Main Personnel, Strings |
| 40 | Dave Stone | Acoustic Bass Guitar, Bass (Acoustic), Main Personnel |
| 41 | Sadie Vimmerstadt | Composer |
| 42 | Nick Walusko | Guitar, Main Personnel, Vocals |
| 43 | Guy Webster | Photography |
| 44 | Brian Wilson | Arranger, Audio Production, Composer, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Mixing Producer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 45 | Melinda Jean Wilson | Photography |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |