Although I was vastly impressed by Brian's 2004 Smile, and have played it tons, I prefer the bootleg I have of the 1967 album -- essentially this sounds like what was left in the stacks when the project was abandoned, so there are rough spots, but from the first notes (the "Prayer" bit) the depth of the sound + the general ambiance (sorry) are better. The band's voices are great. To sum it up, I told a friend it sounded like Disneyland after closing time while on acid; you definitely get a feeling of Brian's monomania in the cuts (some of which is imparted by the repetition of the Heroes & Villians refrain, which keeps popping up).
Thanks for your column --
Neddie Jingo
· 2 years ago
I rather thought that "Never Mind the Bollocks" was our generation's "Midnight to Six Man" by the Pretty Things; our "Sergeant Pepper" was the Talking Heads' "Remain In Light."
But I'm also the guy who thinks that our generation's "Village Green Preservation Society" was "English Settlement," our "Surrealistic Pillow" was "Marquee Moon," and our "Are You Experienced?" was the first 1:03 of "Wurlitzer Jukebox" by Young Marble Giants, believe it or not. Our "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" was the version of "Good Vibrations" that appeared in an ad for Dr. Pepper in 1978, our Dr. Pepper was Jolt Cola, and our LSD was this used kleenex I just chucked at my podmate, who's glaring at me and preparing revenge.
Dan Leo
· 2 years ago
I'm feeling left out here, because my generation's "Sgt. Pepper" was "Sgt. Pepper'.
I'm actually listening to The Seeds' first album as I type. I think it was Morrissey who sang, "There must be something horribly wrong with me."
Tom Watson
· 2 years ago
“Penny Lane†and “Strawberry Fields Forever†- exactly. Put those on there and it whips way past Smile, to me. (I still prefer Lennon-McCartney to anything Wilson has done - probably because of the combo/sounding board).
I'll ignore the Hillary-snark! (I like her - and shudder at the thought that any of the Republicans might become President).
OutOfContext
· 2 years ago
I listened to Sgt. Pepper for the first time in a while on a long night ride a couple of months back and was amazed at how open and sparsely instrumented it is. Pet Sounds is one of my all-time favs but I have to admit, I've never heard smile. Guess I should track it down. By the way Dennis, its nice to be able to comment on your posts. See, we can be nice. I do appreciate that you answer all your emails, but there's something about comments...
Dan Leo
· 2 years ago
Tom, "Strawberry Fields"/"Penny Lane" has to be the single most amazing pop single ever. (And I'm not even much of a McCartney fan.) The next few runners-up are probably by this obscure 80s band called the Smiths.
Frank Weaver
· 2 years ago
Once the lads started getting interested on the recording side of things, each Beatles albums began to have a definable sonic template, as well as certain influences. For example, I will always remember hearing the songs off of Revolver with the early head-numbing, cleanly split-stereo of Rubber Soul (some of Revolver too) in one ear a guitar, in other a voice. In this respect, what Sgt. Pepper's brought to the table was the feeling this music had evolved to another kind of studio and another kind of headspace, an atmosphere. Somewhere other than the recording studio, yet precisely only possible in the recording studio. That sense of discovery, which the best music-culture artifact brings with it, I still get when hearing some of those tracks today, especially in sequence. But now it's part of my own recollection as well. The outstanding sonic-fingerprint is crucial to the albums that stand out in your list - "Never mind the..." was argued about when it was released, specifically due to the fact it was such a production quality, not "punk" at all. But even though, sonically it precisely encapsulated the moment being expressed through the stance, the atitude. It's also hard to listen to the Pistols and Lydon's voice though, let's face it, unless you were "there". As for "Smile" - yes, yes, but ... except for two songs, you can't even manage to sing any along with him! And that remains a VERY important psychological character for an iconic work. Brian Wilson is so divided and that album reflects it, it isn't inviting but more an empty smile like that on Wilson's face and the expression of his condition at that time. He was an iconoclasts who wants mainstream affirmation but yet did not then. His "Smile" is never going to be a rewarding listen as "pop" culture, but as one you have to "listen" to, to think about. That's just another kind of category. Wilson recalls that, left to their own devices, certain performers are happy to convert the subtle complexities of their compositions to overly-complicated.
Jason Chervokas
· 2 years ago
Sgt. Pepper vs. Smile is a false choice, esp. since Smile wasn't finished in 1967.
And Good Vibrations was actually conceived of for and recorded first during the Pet Sounds era. I always felt is was uncomfortably tagged on to Smile's meditations on Americana.
Interestingly, in the end, Smile is a much more radical and ambitious album. Sgt Pepper in the end comes off less like a "concept album" and more like a collection of great tunes. It was never high on my list of Beatles albums (the white album, Revolver, Help, Abbey Road, Rubber Soul and A Hard Day's Night are all records I listen to w/ more frequency). I understand the contemporaneous and historical fuss. But how often to people actually play the record, I wonder? (Like, who plays Tommy? for example).
Tom Watson
· 2 years ago
Tommy - not a bad comparision. Some of the songs on Tommy I listen to, bt the album? Never. Quadrophenia's a different story.
Generally, I prefer the albums just before and after to Sgt. Pepper as a finished piece.
Neddie Jingo
· 2 years ago
I listened to Sgt. Pepper for the first time in a while on a long night ride a couple of months back and was amazed at how open and sparsely instrumented it is.
The genius of Geoff Emerick. My own reintroduction after a long separation was only last week, on the anniversary if its release, and what struck me was the buttery creaminess of Paul's bass. I've still got the bass line from "Getting Better" reverberating around in my head.
In this respect, what Sgt. Pepper’s brought to the table was the feeling this music had evolved to another kind of studio and another kind of headspace, an atmosphere.
"Revolver" fascinates me precisely because it's so clear that a quantum leap is just about to take place. You can hear them assembling the pieces -- Here's ADT, here's varispeed, here's Paul putting the bass on last, here's the Leslie speaker.... The element of play is very satisfying.
Frank, have you ever heard the mono mixes of Rubber Soul? Worth seeking out if you can find them. (I have a copy if you'd like it -- neddiejingo at aol dot com)
Michael Gerber
· 2 years ago
Nice post, Dennis--thoughtful and well-considered as always, which is all anybody can bring to a chocolate/vanilla discussion. Like Old Jack, after the 2004 Smile appeared, I assembled a "1967" version from a CD I got from Project Smile, a CD tree run by Wilson fans to disseminate the best available versions of every original Smile track. And like Old Jack, I think the old one is superior to the '04 edition in ways that are hard to describe.
IMHO the fairest comparison would be that '67 mix of Smile, alongside the monophonic mix of Pepper. As this article notes, the mono mix was the one personally supervised by The Beatles and most if not all of the group and its inner circle expressed a preference for the mono mix. Perhaps now that Apple's being run by a reissue expert, EMI will finally release it.
Sorry to geek out so hard on everybody. I may have to blog about this just to get it fully out of my system. Damn you, Dennis, DAMN YOU!
Frank Weaver
· 2 years ago
Neddie Jingo - getting Mono / Soul ....hm... Thanks - but I don't dare. All my recollections are based on that sensation, the first time I heard such a divisively clean split, and turning the stereo to the left and right to listen to some instrument at work, or just their harmony lines. You know, it's the Beatles I grew up with. I still haven't gone for the de-Spectorized LetitBe, probably should try that first!
All Comments
Thanks for your column --
But I'm also the guy who thinks that our generation's "Village Green Preservation Society" was "English Settlement," our "Surrealistic Pillow" was "Marquee Moon," and our "Are You Experienced?" was the first 1:03 of "Wurlitzer Jukebox" by Young Marble Giants, believe it or not. Our "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" was the version of "Good Vibrations" that appeared in an ad for Dr. Pepper in 1978, our Dr. Pepper was Jolt Cola, and our LSD was this used kleenex I just chucked at my podmate, who's glaring at me and preparing revenge.
I'm actually listening to The Seeds' first album as I type. I think it was Morrissey who sang, "There must be something horribly wrong with me."
I'll ignore the Hillary-snark! (I like her - and shudder at the thought that any of the Republicans might become President).
By the way Dennis, its nice to be able to comment on your posts. See, we can be nice. I do appreciate that you answer all your emails, but there's something about comments...
In this respect, what Sgt. Pepper's brought to the table was the feeling this music had evolved to another kind of studio and another kind of headspace, an atmosphere. Somewhere other than the recording studio, yet precisely only possible in the recording studio. That sense of discovery, which the best music-culture artifact brings with it, I still get when hearing some of those tracks today, especially in sequence. But now it's part of my own recollection as well.
The outstanding sonic-fingerprint is crucial to the albums that stand out in your list - "Never mind the..." was argued about when it was released, specifically due to the fact it was such a production quality, not "punk" at all. But even though, sonically it precisely encapsulated the moment being expressed through the stance, the atitude. It's also hard to listen to the Pistols and Lydon's voice though, let's face it, unless you were "there".
As for "Smile" - yes, yes, but ... except for two songs, you can't even manage to sing any along with him! And that remains a VERY important psychological character for an iconic work. Brian Wilson is so divided and that album reflects it, it isn't inviting but more an empty smile like that on Wilson's face and the expression of his condition at that time.
He was an iconoclasts who wants mainstream affirmation but yet did not then. His "Smile" is never going to be a rewarding listen as "pop" culture, but as one you have to "listen" to, to think about. That's just another kind of category. Wilson recalls that, left to their own devices, certain performers are happy to convert the subtle complexities of their compositions to overly-complicated.
And Good Vibrations was actually conceived of for and recorded first during the Pet Sounds era. I always felt is was uncomfortably tagged on to Smile's meditations on Americana.
Interestingly, in the end, Smile is a much more radical and ambitious album. Sgt Pepper in the end comes off less like a "concept album" and more like a collection of great tunes. It was never high on my list of Beatles albums (the white album, Revolver, Help, Abbey Road, Rubber Soul and A Hard Day's Night are all records I listen to w/ more frequency). I understand the contemporaneous and historical fuss. But how often to people actually play the record, I wonder? (Like, who plays Tommy? for example).
Generally, I prefer the albums just before and after to Sgt. Pepper as a finished piece.
The genius of Geoff Emerick. My own reintroduction after a long separation was only last week, on the anniversary if its release, and what struck me was the buttery creaminess of Paul's bass. I've still got the bass line from "Getting Better" reverberating around in my head.
In this respect, what Sgt. Pepper’s brought to the table was the feeling this music had evolved to another kind of studio and another kind of headspace, an atmosphere.
"Revolver" fascinates me precisely because it's so clear that a quantum leap is just about to take place. You can hear them assembling the pieces -- Here's ADT, here's varispeed, here's Paul putting the bass on last, here's the Leslie speaker.... The element of play is very satisfying.
Frank, have you ever heard the mono mixes of Rubber Soul? Worth seeking out if you can find them. (I have a copy if you'd like it -- neddiejingo at aol dot com)
IMHO the fairest comparison would be that '67 mix of Smile, alongside the monophonic mix of Pepper. As this article notes, the mono mix was the one personally supervised by The Beatles and most if not all of the group and its inner circle expressed a preference for the mono mix. Perhaps now that Apple's being run by a reissue expert, EMI will finally release it.
Sorry to geek out so hard on everybody. I may have to blog about this just to get it fully out of my system. Damn you, Dennis, DAMN YOU!