Capitol Records says it’s official. All surviving members of The Beach Boys are on board and there will FINALLY be an official release for “SMiLE”, the 1967 album project by the band, abandoned and shelved for lo these past .. wait for it…….44 YEARS!
No release date yet, which still gives us the slightest kernel of doubt. But we’ve never been closer than we have in the past , that much is certain. Many details have surfaced today that result in a true cause for celebration.
It will be released in three formats. Digital download, 2 CD set, and a deluxe box set consisting of 4 CD’s, 2 vinyl LP’s, 2 vinyl singles, and a 60 page hardcover book written by long time Beach Boys historian Domenic Priore.
Two longtime Beach Boys associates -- engineer Mark Linett and archivist Alan Boyd -- are co-producing the release, which Capitol has titled "The Smile Sessions."
In a statement released through Capitol Records band leader songwriter, arranger and producer Brian Wilson said, “I'm thrilled that the Beach Boys' original studio sessions for 'Smile' will be released for the first time, after all these years,". I'm looking forward to this collection of the original recordings and having fans hear the beautiful angelic voices of the boys in a proper studio release”.
Fans can expect a combination of both mono and stereo tracks, including a complete mono mix of the record pieced together as closely as possible to Wilson’s 2004 solo release of the same name. While it’s been debated to death by fans whether or not “Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE” is an accurate sonic document of how the original album would have been sequenced, all parties have to at least begrudgingly admit that it’s the only template we have. Additional bonus tracks will appear in either mono and/or stereo.
Most important will be the likelihood of vastly improved sound quality. The bootleg versions that have circulated among collectors vary widely in this regard, and just the thought of a first generation copy of “Child Is The Father Of The Man” is enough to make me want to jump and weep for joy.
The Beach Boys: Poster children for the criminally under-rated. I've never thought of Brian Wilson as self-indulgent; only as a composer reaching for the next level of expression -- whatever it is. Where genius would often visit Lennon and McCartney, it had a permanent room and personalized hand towels at the Wilson's.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was either that or get the shit kicked out of him.
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