“Dumb Angel”, original title, then renamed as: “Smile”, It was defined by Brian himself as: "a teenage symphony to God". it´s the most famous unreleased rock album of all time , was the next projected to follow to extraordinary “Pet Sounds”.
It began recording in February 1966, but was abandoned for many reasons after a final backing track session designated for "Love to Say Dada" on May 18, 1967; fSome of those reasons were by example the departure of the band on a European tour, broke the pace of work. Brian's mental health worsened. Brian's lyricist: Van Dyke left and the pace of recording slowed even further and the group, Mike Love, questioned this new type of music that Brian was trying to do And if all this were not enough, the released “Sgt.Pepper´s lonely hearts cluib band”, ,by the eternal rival: The Beatles, definitely ended with Brian Wilson´s masterpiece
“Smile” it became in: “Smiley Smile”, released on September 18, 1967, this new studio work was a simplified version, recorded at full speed in just a month and a half, whose versions from “Heroes & Villains”, “Vega-tables” or “Wonderful” were of inferior quality.
The influence and the memory of "Smile" was always there, because when they lacked material for a new album, borrowed some songs like; “Cabin Essence”, “Our Prayer”, “Cool, cool Water” or “Surf Up”. Smile was Brian Wilson's most poignant point as a composer, the not finishing it, was his personal decline in every way, as the slow but progressive decline in the group's popularity.
In the beginning of the new decade, when The Beach Boys signed to Reprise, they took with them the rights to all their post-Party Capitol albums, including “Smile”. In March 1972, when Carl Wilson was in London, announced that they would be finishing Smile to follow up on the critical and commercial success of Surf's Up. Shortly after, Carl Wilson & Steve Deper did review the tapes and made one version from “Smile” much simpler than the original, no longer than 36 minutes. Tis tape was only as reference, to start working later on it with possible overdubs, if they were necessary .
This tape had four parts: the first with a complete mix of the song “Heroes & Villains” of around 12 minutes, Bit.ly/72smlbb The second, included a summary of the best "Smile" songs, as: "Wonderful", or "Cabin Essence". The Elements Suite, the thrird, with his lost intro and the last section:“Surf´s Up” and his coda: “Child Is Father Of The Man”.Something like this:
Side One: (18:43)
1.- Heroes & Villains Suite.(11:22)
2.-Barnyard. (0:48)
3.-My Only Sunshine.(1:04)
4.-Wonderful.(1:59)
5.-Cabin Essence.(3:28)
Side Two - (17:29)
1.- The Elements Suite (13:00)
a. Into the piano
b. Vega-Tables
c. Wind Chimes.
d. Fire.
e. Cool,Cool Water
2.- Surf´s Up.(3:38)
3.-Child Is Father Of The Man.(0:51) - "Surf´s Up" coda.
This demo tape was mounted for shown to Brian Wilson but the project to re-live Smile, it was impossible; Brian refused to participated in any further Smile-related reworkings. As the album was not released to the market and the Beach Boys breached the contract, were penalized with 50,000 dollars to be deducted of the fees for the next LP: “Holland”. And once again the project was forgotten.
But this was not the last attempt to return over this lost work. On the next decade, without Dennis Wilson, deceased in 1983, “Smile” return once again in june 1989 and after in September 1995 and two years later, with no luck. until Brian got his own version in 2004; Capitol Records released the original project in 2011 as “The Smile Sessions”. A special box set.
Photo: The new version of Smile, third attempt to release the album, was to be done with a cover lined in red velvet with the letters in gold.As it is shown in the picture. At least in its first edition, late 1972; because the original cover was owned by Capitol Records and was not going to give permission for it to be used. It was an error not to have taken advantage of the occasion to offer us a different "Smile", although years later the original one would have been published.
Ok, this is another surprise, I will bring you more.for now enjoy this. See you soon.
