No, his voice is NOT what it once was when the "SMiLE" sessions were first launched, but there is something of a transcendence...A vindication, almost, of having survived long enough to come this far and perform this music, at last, the way it was MEANT to be heard...that is what makes this version so WONDERFUL...
"He brightened the formal and rhythmic structure of the concerto, in which he looked for harmonic contrasts and innovative melodies and themes; many of his compositions are flamboyantly, almost playfully, exuberant."
That was about Vivaldi. Replace concerto with pop music and you have Wilson.
Glorious. And that's coming from a Republican, Heliodope. Too bad you can't see beyond your own moronic politics into the reality that Brian wilson's music was about beauty, rather than third-rate socialist talking points, which seem all you are able to repeat.
@DD52 This song is about the killing of JFK, and that signaling the end of the Wide-eyed optimism of the early 60's that the Beach Boys were born out of. Take this song line by line, and interpret as I speak of, and you will then be blown away at the actual full, complex meaning of this song.
This song goes to many places and all of them are heavenly. It cannot be played in the background-- it requires one to listen deeply. The reward of engagement is worth the time and attention.
The most infamous three words Van Dyke Parks wrote for the album, the phrase which so irritated that pinky ring-wearing Republican Mike Love, is "columnated ruins domino." IMHO, this refers to the slow-motion collapse of the American empire which was just beginning in 1966-'67 due to our morally bankrupting Vietnam War, and continues today thanks to our ongoing economic disaster. Brian and Van Dyke truly saw the future..."SMiLE" 2011 baby!
@heli0tr0pe i invite you to take a broader interpretation of the lyrics. smile is an album that tries to encompass the historical american experience, which includes a lot of immigration of europeans disgusted and tired of the status quo maintained by the monarchies and bourgeois of their mother countries, which eventually proved unsustainable. no empire is immune from ruin. even in pre-colombian america you find, repeatedly, brilliant civilization brought to its knees by nearsighted elites.
I do like this version, but I'm so glad the Smile Sessions have come out...hearing the original parts of this song make me want to lay down and weep tears of joy. For me, this is the greatest song ever written. and if I ever happen to die (technically I'm a robot) - it will play at my funeral...
Naw, dude chain smoked and did a fuckload of coke which blew out his voice. Damn shame, because he had one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Notice how his vocal gets quieter on the really high notes? Terrible shame, never be able sing "Don't Worry Baby" or "California Girls" perfectly again...
My understanding is that Brian is a wonderful guy with some unfortunate painful scars. Clifburton333, you have a point. This music has Zen like qualities of majesty likely not appreciated by Mike, who, concerned for Brian, may not have understood this for what it is. Mike didn't want to "Mess with the formula". Were the Beatles to have stayed there, they'd have never gone beyond "I want to hold your hand" and what a tragedy THAT would be.This is a great watershed tune for Brian and for us all.
brian wilson was outside of mike love's realm of consciousness. doesn't make mike a bad person, from what i understand he was concerned (and rightly so) for brian. the guy just didn't have a clue what brian was getting into and saw it as druggie hogwash.
This song is so complex it blows my mind. The lyrics don't make sense until you really think about them, and then the music just adds to it. I also like how Brian shows off his vocal range in this song with those ridiculously high notes. You get bonus points if you can hit them (like I can). Just wow.
his voice sounds heartfelt and he is trying, the range is different but what is better and worse are a matter of differnt ideas of singing, his voice sounds like he cares about the song alot and wants it to be the best it can after everything that has gone before this, that is what you are hearing.
@RussMaxable Yes, a bit forced here, trying to make it his most memorable, perhaps, and too bad this version cuts short the magnificent final refrain. Wilson is relaxed on the recorded version and the refrain rolls on and on, the Beach Boy's greatest moment, I think.
The Surf's Up album version, and a bunch of bootlegs with the original vocal are a lot better than this version, but its kind of amazing how good this version is given how old BW was at the time of its recording.
This song is so complex and you need the words to fully understand what's going on, and then some!! Still, it will always remind me of being around my brother's dining table listening to hours of Beach Boys' special songs, just like this one. Alas, they are no more.
@simonbnyc - I think you're just nostalgic. The recording is better, the arrangement is fuller and more defined, and the musicians are all extremely talented and on point. This is fantastic.
@mrcannabis94 - Haters gonna hate, I suppose. His voice does sound different, and I'd agree that I'd prefer his youthful voice to this, but overall this is an excellent recording. All the old elements are here, and more. And the recording doesn't sound pieced together and incomplete. But yeah, it all comes down to personal preference. I'm glad that both versions exist.
@mateovillalpando Its on the Thirty Years Box Set. There are two versions of it inthe box set. One is the released version on disc 3. On disc 2 is Brian's sol masterpiece. If you dont have the box set, I highly recommend it.
Im grew up with surfing and can hear things, might sound strange to some but Im pretty convinced that he was interested in rennaisance painting, old masters as well.Theres a lot of minds eye juxtaposition in this album after all.
@delaythepickup Well, he hasn't responded so I'm calling B.S. on the claim he made. Although, I suppose if you looked really deeply into "Canvas the town and brush the backdrop" then you could MAYBE see what it had to do with surfing.
One of the five best popular songs ever written? Up there with A Day in the Life (among other amazing and envelope-stretching pieces)? I've got no problem with that.
I might have a mental disorder like Brian, but I kinda feel as if their own record company didn't allow him to release smile, because it would have made the beatles look like amateurs , smells like a conspiracy that never was taken into consideration.. think about it
abbey road is good, but white album is not really, has some very very good tracks but huge amounts of garbage and filler (they should'nt have made it a double album)
@alexandertarangerkin Can't really agree with the White Album comment, but thats what opinions are for. Your liking of the Beach Boys makes up for this in my mind though :)
@alexandertarangerkin Can't really agree with the White Album comment, but thats what opinions are for. Your liking of the Beach Boys makes up for this in my mind though :)
@jswaffxxx Mike Love is a pathetic fucking peasant compared to Brian Wilson. He deserves credit as a musician, but I despise him for how Brian suffered under his "reign" as "king" of The Beach Boys. When Brian released "Smile" finally in 2004, I'm sure part of it was a way to say "Fuck you" to Mike.
@RazrHack I somehow feel you are correct in the statement. Maybe Brian shouda changed the lyrics from " Hang on to your ego" not to " I know theres an answer ", but to " Let go of your ego"... Just a thought. Brain Wilson Forever.
@RazrHack. I'm with you 100%. Mike Love is an artless pratt, very very lucky to ride on Brian's genius soaked coat-tails. The crap Brian had to go thu cos of MK, so much of his illness was down to MK. You put it well!
@braybeatles Agree! Smile and That Lucky Old Sun prove that Brian is the REAL Beach Boy not Mike Love. All Mike can do is imitate. Brian can INNOVATE!
I personally prefer the timbre of his voice in this version. There's a fullness and a warmth and his falsetto is still completely gorgeous. Every second is perfect.
Brain Wilson was a musical and production genius, and after listening to Smile, it's obvious why the rest of the group was so resistant to it. While the guys were still in the "surf and girls and fast cars" musical mindset, Brian decided to take things to a whole new level. In essence, Brian grew up musically and decided to expand his musical horizons; while the rest of the guys were content with the status quo; choosing to play it safe; especially Mike Love.
@WestwardOneOH Yeah! On the "Surf´s Up" album from 1971, Carl sings the beginning "a diamond necklace..." etc. in 1971 and the middle lead vocals are by Brian and were mixed from the original out-take(s) from 1967. The 1971 mix was/is beautifully produced by his brother Carl. These lead´s on this one are, of course all Brian. Wonderful!
@chaylitoots Yes that's the unreleased album but it didn't break up the band. After the album was abandoned Brian became more reclusive and took less and less part in what the band was doing.
brilliant master at his work,i have this album also and would like a time travel back to the 60s to see the beach boys and other groups/singers of that era
ok, its sounds finished but with the smoothed sound of 60 ´s analogic sound production, arrangements from the "beach boys originaly version" and carl wilson voice, we would imagine how perfect it would be if finished 1967
I see Smile still as unfinished project. I do not see this as final release. The version of surf's up should be 5:15. It is time that the originals from bootlegs or youtube are put together and smile is released with the original voices.
Although Brian has his doubts, most people don't realize that this music is easily as profound as that of Lennon and McCartney. There's a beautiful dance between these two venues of the most profound artists of our time. The sound of The Beach Boys is every bit as special as that of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
@ConstantinPictures Teenage girls evidently continue to be the most musically challenged species on the planet. Brian Wilson is widely considered a musical genius. Britney is a pop princess who has her shitty music made for her by a bunch of men and prances around on stage to a pre-recorded vocal track. IMPRESSIVE!
love this song whether from '66 or from 2003. question: exactly what was UNFINISHED in 1966 that required a re-do in '03? THis song seems the same structurally, lyrically , as '66.
@idic5 Well this song is pretty much the same as the version from the album Surf's up of '67 but the rest of the album was pretty much a work in progress, you can listen to it here on youtube and find out for yourself. Anyways, it's all good BW arrangement, songs and lyrics, as usual :p
@idic5 the introduction of strings, horns, woodwinds flute but that really is about it. I would have layered Carls voice into this production to blend with Brian's. maybe at the next Carl Wilson foundation concert? I live in hope
Just to know that Brian was actually going to make this album was the thrill of a lifetime! It was worth the 4 decade wait. Sheer brilliance. This man continues to surprise us when we least expect it.
As other people have said...this is quite possible the greatest song ever written...Brian sings beautifully here considering the aging his voice took. Amazing work by a not just a wonderful musician but a wonderful soul
I agree, the BB version (or at least Young Brians version) is better as is most the album....except for the part where moonerboy3's balls drop. 3:09 is exceptional.
"Surf's Up" is included on the Best of the Beach Boys"The Brother Years", along with 19 other pretty fair tunes! It is without a doubt a marooned on a deserted island disc! This and "Sail On Sailor"are the highlights! It is common knowledge that Brian is a By God Genius! And many other fine musicians found their way on to Beach Boy recordings! "Surf's Up", so sail on and ROCK ON SHINDIGGERS!
At 1:40, I still hear the 1966 demo version of Brian in my head, singing along with 2004 Brian. Sad, but beautiful at the same time. Needless to say I've been listening to this song (in all its versions) too much) lol
i think brian's vocal on this is just awesome. Probably his best since he lost his voice. it really doesn't lose anything here. and i much prefer this to the one with carl singing. i don't like carl's voice for this song. but not sure compared to the Purple Chick version. so good.
BW & Jeff Foskett combine for this vocal; that BW is doing it at all, is a miracle & I salute you Brian; it took unimaginable courage to face this demon, get up on stage, & put it out for the world. GBY, & All of your fabulous Band. Wolfsky9
it's not just you. Although the boys have created something really special with albums like Merriweather Post Pavillion and Strawberry Jam, they owe a lot to past masters-- especially Brian wilson.
I'm going to be honest and say that the song could have had a better ending than the one kicking in at 3:09. It's nothing bad about it per se, but it doesn't hold up the same quality as the rest of the song.
That's because you obviously haven't heard the album in its entirety. Smile is like a concerto, and the songs are like movements. The ending of Surf's Up segues seamlessly into the next song.
I have heard the album in it's entirety. The end of Surf's Up is the end of the second movement to begin with, so it's not that related to the track after musically (and therefor don't need to be).
The ending makes a lot of sense in the context of being in the second movement though, but I still experienced it a somewhat of an anti-climax.
I waited about forty years for this CD. When I get to this cut I put the CD changer on repeat for awhile in car and just cruise and think back to those days in SoCal in the 60's.
@mortygwhiz I am envious of you that I can't describe it...I was born in the early 70's, so I only got to be raised by the people influenced by this...if it's any consolation, it finally came out for me in my late 30's, and I am stunned speechless everytime I listen to it...
And to think how much of my adolescence was spent listening to Pet Sounds :D
The production value here is awesome. And God knows I love Brian Wilson. But this version is missing something. Maybe it's as simple as the other Beach Boys' voices missing.
The original Surfs Up released by the Beach Boys is very haunting and spiritual and it moves me. I don't get that from this one.
This song is an oblique reference to innocence and Fun, Fun, Fun in the days of JFK, to the point of innocence lost and southeast asian war in 1966-7, causing people like Brian to look towards his offspring/the next generation, culminating with the two words at the end, "A Child", with beautiful cluster tones of vocals. Amazing piece of music.
Anyone else think he kinda sounds like Bruce Campbell now?
235T1NGR4Y23 1 day ago
No, his voice is NOT what it once was when the "SMiLE" sessions were first launched, but there is something of a transcendence...A vindication, almost, of having survived long enough to come this far and perform this music, at last, the way it was MEANT to be heard...that is what makes this version so WONDERFUL...
Survivor2002 1 month ago
@Survivor2002 Won-won-wonderful!
SofaCitySweetheart 1 month ago
"He brightened the formal and rhythmic structure of the concerto, in which he looked for harmonic contrasts and innovative melodies and themes; many of his compositions are flamboyantly, almost playfully, exuberant."
That was about Vivaldi. Replace concerto with pop music and you have Wilson.
dijons 2 months ago
Glorious. And that's coming from a Republican, Heliodope. Too bad you can't see beyond your own moronic politics into the reality that Brian wilson's music was about beauty, rather than third-rate socialist talking points, which seem all you are able to repeat.
DD52 2 months ago
@DD52 This song is about the killing of JFK, and that signaling the end of the Wide-eyed optimism of the early 60's that the Beach Boys were born out of. Take this song line by line, and interpret as I speak of, and you will then be blown away at the actual full, complex meaning of this song.
wygakyl 2 months ago
@DD52 you say "socialism" like its a bad thing! but yeah, this music transcends petty ideological bickering, on that i absolutely agree! cheers!
philipkthompson 2 months ago
my pops was playin this a few nights ago and its soooo good. had to come by and play it on repeat
801forlife 2 months ago
This song goes to many places and all of them are heavenly. It cannot be played in the background-- it requires one to listen deeply. The reward of engagement is worth the time and attention.
thatisso80s 2 months ago
The most infamous three words Van Dyke Parks wrote for the album, the phrase which so irritated that pinky ring-wearing Republican Mike Love, is "columnated ruins domino." IMHO, this refers to the slow-motion collapse of the American empire which was just beginning in 1966-'67 due to our morally bankrupting Vietnam War, and continues today thanks to our ongoing economic disaster. Brian and Van Dyke truly saw the future..."SMiLE" 2011 baby!
heli0tr0pe 2 months ago
@heli0tr0pe i invite you to take a broader interpretation of the lyrics. smile is an album that tries to encompass the historical american experience, which includes a lot of immigration of europeans disgusted and tired of the status quo maintained by the monarchies and bourgeois of their mother countries, which eventually proved unsustainable. no empire is immune from ruin. even in pre-colombian america you find, repeatedly, brilliant civilization brought to its knees by nearsighted elites.
philipkthompson 2 months ago
I do like this version, but I'm so glad the Smile Sessions have come out...hearing the original parts of this song make me want to lay down and weep tears of joy. For me, this is the greatest song ever written. and if I ever happen to die (technically I'm a robot) - it will play at my funeral...
Dominicfoneill 2 months ago
Bacon....! Bacon.....!
GarlandFraser 2 months ago
The demo version of this is also worth a listen, search for it on youtube if you haven't heard it already...
n0wave 2 months ago
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!!!
WilsonVanGarneau 3 months ago
the 3rd recorded version by Brian/the Beach Boys...
kincaide67 3 months ago
brian wilson's voice is still pretty good. but the older he gets, the more it sounds like he's singing with a mouth full of food
GtoThaillDog 3 months ago
@GtoThaillDog
Naw, dude chain smoked and did a fuckload of coke which blew out his voice. Damn shame, because he had one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Notice how his vocal gets quieter on the really high notes? Terrible shame, never be able sing "Don't Worry Baby" or "California Girls" perfectly again...
mothafuckajones666 2 months ago
My understanding is that Brian is a wonderful guy with some unfortunate painful scars. Clifburton333, you have a point. This music has Zen like qualities of majesty likely not appreciated by Mike, who, concerned for Brian, may not have understood this for what it is. Mike didn't want to "Mess with the formula". Were the Beatles to have stayed there, they'd have never gone beyond "I want to hold your hand" and what a tragedy THAT would be.This is a great watershed tune for Brian and for us all.
LakewooodWestPark 3 months ago
brian wilson was outside of mike love's realm of consciousness. doesn't make mike a bad person, from what i understand he was concerned (and rightly so) for brian. the guy just didn't have a clue what brian was getting into and saw it as druggie hogwash.
cliffburton333 4 months ago
...a children's song...
DDechoes87 4 months ago
He wouldnt be doing the really high notes, that would be his fellow singers such as jeff foskett
landondonovanify 4 months ago
@MasterBastard1000 nothing to do with 60s version, apples and bananas. Different monster.
mikeaa000 4 months ago
If it wasn't perfect Brian wouldn't have released it. It's perfect.
Mrlostinterest 5 months ago
ehh ya gotta listen to the 60s demo version, from when the pain and style was fresh. I can hear his jowels flapping around in this version.
As far as I'm concerned, that album is rock n roll legend because it never happened.
Cue "shut up you don't know anything" and "you're a douchebag" comments..... now.
CultofAdonis 5 months ago
Those 5 dislikes must have been DMV workers. They never like anything.
ronetteloverz 5 months ago in playlist BEACH BOYS 2
five people should fucking put there heads in the sand forever
joydivision808 5 months ago
"Surfs up" is a masterpeice, and SMILE could perhaps the best CD ever recorded, if it would be releaeses in 1967.
Mekaniktom 6 months ago in playlist Beach Boys - Brian Wilson - Smile
5 dislikes equals 5 people who have no clue at all about art and music.
bakedzale 6 months ago 2
This song is so complex it blows my mind. The lyrics don't make sense until you really think about them, and then the music just adds to it. I also like how Brian shows off his vocal range in this song with those ridiculously high notes. You get bonus points if you can hit them (like I can). Just wow.
1obxeclipsedriver 6 months ago
Massive.
dickshawny 7 months ago
I cannot hear this song and not weep.
MisterMojoSinkin 7 months ago in playlist Beach Boys - Brian Wilson - Smile 20
his voice sounds heartfelt and he is trying, the range is different but what is better and worse are a matter of differnt ideas of singing, his voice sounds like he cares about the song alot and wants it to be the best it can after everything that has gone before this, that is what you are hearing.
RussMaxable 7 months ago
@RussMaxable Yes, a bit forced here, trying to make it his most memorable, perhaps, and too bad this version cuts short the magnificent final refrain. Wilson is relaxed on the recorded version and the refrain rolls on and on, the Beach Boy's greatest moment, I think.
stevesewall 6 months ago
the most beautiful song ever? simply stunning
Mountprospect1 7 months ago 11
@thestarproject80 The band have not exploited Brian in any sense of the word, they've been supportive and fantastic since he found them.
Karateworm 7 months ago
The Surf's Up album version, and a bunch of bootlegs with the original vocal are a lot better than this version, but its kind of amazing how good this version is given how old BW was at the time of its recording.
ZedgetRedd 7 months ago
Would you get mad at me if i said that the origional is a lot better than this one?
Legoairborne101 8 months ago
@Legoairborne101 Not at all, I completely agree. But it's still amazing.
Arquenemeh 7 months ago
@thestarproject80 Couldn't disagree more, I'd say his voice sounds as good or even betetr now.
GuardofOlympus 8 months ago
Amazing genius = Description of Brian Wilson
GuardofOlympus 8 months ago
This song is so complex and you need the words to fully understand what's going on, and then some!! Still, it will always remind me of being around my brother's dining table listening to hours of Beach Boys' special songs, just like this one. Alas, they are no more.
1966mybestyear 8 months ago
Not even close to the Beach Boys original. Pointless. I don't care if it's Brian Wilson. The original is far superior.
simonbnyc 8 months ago
@simonbnyc - I think you're just nostalgic. The recording is better, the arrangement is fuller and more defined, and the musicians are all extremely talented and on point. This is fantastic.
DarknessHowls 8 months ago 3
@DarknessHowls hes voice has aged alot, and the original just sounds younger, more innovative, and fresher.
mrcannabis94 8 months ago
@mrcannabis94 - Haters gonna hate, I suppose. His voice does sound different, and I'd agree that I'd prefer his youthful voice to this, but overall this is an excellent recording. All the old elements are here, and more. And the recording doesn't sound pieced together and incomplete. But yeah, it all comes down to personal preference. I'm glad that both versions exist.
DarknessHowls 8 months ago 2
The most beautiful song I've ever heard.
omgbetch 9 months ago
Does anyone know where I can find the Brian Wilson solo piano version? I cannot find it anywhere!
Thanks!
mateovillalpando 9 months ago
@mateovillalpando Its on the Thirty Years Box Set. There are two versions of it inthe box set. One is the released version on disc 3. On disc 2 is Brian's sol masterpiece. If you dont have the box set, I highly recommend it.
JoSlicknuts 9 months ago
@mateovillalpando Piano solo version is also on youtube under tag Brian Wilson Surfs Up Demo
JoSlicknuts 9 months ago
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this song is fucking insane!
alesisgolden 9 months ago
this song is fucking insane!
alesisgolden 9 months ago
Im grew up with surfing and can hear things, might sound strange to some but Im pretty convinced that he was interested in rennaisance painting, old masters as well.Theres a lot of minds eye juxtaposition in this album after all.
MrTrescojones 10 months ago
Does anyone know the line repeated in counterpoint to the verses in the beginning of the song? Sounds like "my god, my god".
EG: To a muted trumpeter swan...my god my god
jmb92555 10 months ago
@jmb92555 I always thought it was "bygone, bygone"... could be wrong though.
ThijsteVelde 10 months ago
@ThijsteVelde
thanks, given the context that does make more sense doesn't it? I'll try to hear bygone, bygone in future :)
jmb92555 10 months ago
God the lyrics are haunting.
jswaffxxx 10 months ago
Truly one of the greatest surfing songs of all time. Hang ten, dude!
MikeTooleK9S 10 months ago
@MikeTooleK9S ...did you actually listen to the song? Because it has literally nothing to do with surfing.
delaythepickup 10 months ago
@delaythepickup do you surf? it has everything to do with surfing. almost all of those phrases are surfing terms.
MikeTooleK9S 10 months ago
@MikeTooleK9S No, I don't. Enlighten me. Only, you can't use any of the lyrics from 2:37 - 3:00
delaythepickup 10 months ago
@delaythepickup Well, he hasn't responded so I'm calling B.S. on the claim he made. Although, I suppose if you looked really deeply into "Canvas the town and brush the backdrop" then you could MAYBE see what it had to do with surfing.
RazrHack 10 months ago
The original version of this song is a lot better. D:
xXJuriaXx 11 months ago
@xXJuriaXx For me, it's really close. I think I'd give both versions a tie since both are really good.
1obxeclipsedriver 11 months ago
Comment removed
omgbetch 1 year ago
One of the five best popular songs ever written? Up there with A Day in the Life (among other amazing and envelope-stretching pieces)? I've got no problem with that.
cutdatoikey 1 year ago
I might have a mental disorder like Brian, but I kinda feel as if their own record company didn't allow him to release smile, because it would have made the beatles look like amateurs , smells like a conspiracy that never was taken into consideration.. think about it
tandie13 1 year ago
@tandie13 shut up you cunt
echobears 1 year ago
@echobears If you want to say that. Tell us who ur talking to. Let us know, unless you can't take what you're hiding. Perhaps ppl won't dislike you.
mrkystrky 1 year ago
@tandie13 The White Album and Abbey Road. Pretty sure that stuff isn't amateur.
MichaelLawlorRojas 11 months ago
@MichaelLawlorRojas
abbey road is good, but white album is not really, has some very very good tracks but huge amounts of garbage and filler (they should'nt have made it a double album)
alexandertarangerkin 11 months ago
@alexandertarangerkin Can't really agree with the White Album comment, but thats what opinions are for. Your liking of the Beach Boys makes up for this in my mind though :)
MichaelLawlorRojas 11 months ago
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@alexandertarangerkin Can't really agree with the White Album comment, but thats what opinions are for. Your liking of the Beach Boys makes up for this in my mind though :)
MichaelLawlorRojas 11 months ago
@tandie13 in did´t Capitol distribution in AMERICA due
juanangelsanchez 11 months ago
Four people accidentally hit dislike.
gregtthomas 1 year ago
The most dreamy, beautiful song ever written, close your eyes and let it take you away.....
boobyscooby1 1 year ago
It sounds like it was left frozen in the fridge, for SO LONG!
maruthamarutha 1 year ago
Love Michelangilo to paint this. He's the only one who could... but they didn't even have THE FLINTSTONE's sound system...
mrkystrky 1 year ago
Mike Love must've watched this "4" times... How the hell could anyone dislike this?
jswaffxxx 1 year ago 39
@jswaffxxx Mike Love is a pathetic fucking peasant compared to Brian Wilson. He deserves credit as a musician, but I despise him for how Brian suffered under his "reign" as "king" of The Beach Boys. When Brian released "Smile" finally in 2004, I'm sure part of it was a way to say "Fuck you" to Mike.
RazrHack 10 months ago 2
@RazrHack I somehow feel you are correct in the statement. Maybe Brian shouda changed the lyrics from " Hang on to your ego" not to " I know theres an answer ", but to " Let go of your ego"... Just a thought. Brain Wilson Forever.
jswaffxxx 10 months ago
@RazrHack. I'm with you 100%. Mike Love is an artless pratt, very very lucky to ride on Brian's genius soaked coat-tails. The crap Brian had to go thu cos of MK, so much of his illness was down to MK. You put it well!
braybeatles 10 months ago 2
@braybeatles Agree! Smile and That Lucky Old Sun prove that Brian is the REAL Beach Boy not Mike Love. All Mike can do is imitate. Brian can INNOVATE!
choosing2lookeast 9 months ago
@jswaffxxx He's apparently watched it 5 times now!
MattHatter 4 months ago
@MattHatter I see that... Hater.
jswaffxxx 4 months ago
I personally prefer the timbre of his voice in this version. There's a fullness and a warmth and his falsetto is still completely gorgeous. Every second is perfect.
omgbetch 1 year ago
Both versions are beyond words.
j4wn 1 year ago
Brain Wilson was a musical and production genius, and after listening to Smile, it's obvious why the rest of the group was so resistant to it. While the guys were still in the "surf and girls and fast cars" musical mindset, Brian decided to take things to a whole new level. In essence, Brian grew up musically and decided to expand his musical horizons; while the rest of the guys were content with the status quo; choosing to play it safe; especially Mike Love.
trilogypart3 1 year ago 2
@trilogypart3 God, that sounds like the Hollies, but even more momentous. Brian is just the best there is, not even Graham Nash could touch this.
NewHopeNashFan 11 months ago
An absolutely amazing song. I love both this version and the Beach Boys version from 1971.
WestwardOneOH 1 year ago
@WestwardOneOH Yeah! On the "Surf´s Up" album from 1971, Carl sings the beginning "a diamond necklace..." etc. in 1971 and the middle lead vocals are by Brian and were mixed from the original out-take(s) from 1967. The 1971 mix was/is beautifully produced by his brother Carl. These lead´s on this one are, of course all Brian. Wonderful!
robinwikman1 1 year ago
Comment removed
WestwardOneOH 1 year ago
is this the unreleased album that broke up the group? its amazing! very Beatles-like
chaylitoots 1 year ago
@chaylitoots Yes that's the unreleased album but it didn't break up the band. After the album was abandoned Brian became more reclusive and took less and less part in what the band was doing.
ingsve 1 year ago
this album is perfect
OhNoItsGojira 1 year ago
The master of his art forever timeless
creccy 1 year ago
brilliant master at his work,i have this album also and would like a time travel back to the 60s to see the beach boys and other groups/singers of that era
1968davidcassin 1 year ago
brilliant master at his work,i have this album also and would like a time travel back to the 60s
1968davidcassin 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Terrible excuse for music, should never have been released.
barcopter1 1 year ago
@barcopter1 - what is your problem?
pleasureman666 1 year ago
@barcopter1 Go back and listen to lady gaga then idiot.
yeoGlover 1 year ago
@barcopter1 go to hell teenybopper.
bzzkirk 1 year ago
ok, its sounds finished but with the smoothed sound of 60 ´s analogic sound production, arrangements from the "beach boys originaly version" and carl wilson voice, we would imagine how perfect it would be if finished 1967
matheusdoria 1 year ago
so awesome
SabbraCadabra 1 year ago 2
I see Smile still as unfinished project. I do not see this as final release. The version of surf's up should be 5:15. It is time that the originals from bootlegs or youtube are put together and smile is released with the original voices.
Sharkwhisperer 1 year ago
@Sharkwhisperer It sounds finished to me.
passonno 1 year ago
@Sharkwhisperer what are you trying to talk about? the original versions sound like garbage.
OhNoItsGojira 1 year ago
Although Brian has his doubts, most people don't realize that this music is easily as profound as that of Lennon and McCartney. There's a beautiful dance between these two venues of the most profound artists of our time. The sound of The Beach Boys is every bit as special as that of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
paulgermana 1 year ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
o,g what is this shit? britney is far better
ConstantinPictures 1 year ago
@ConstantinPictures Teenage girls evidently continue to be the most musically challenged species on the planet. Brian Wilson is widely considered a musical genius. Britney is a pop princess who has her shitty music made for her by a bunch of men and prances around on stage to a pre-recorded vocal track. IMPRESSIVE!
FuckingStanz 1 year ago 3
@FuckingStanz Omg YESSS what Brian Wilson should do to be popular! !!Omg I'm soo happy that we agree and see this in the same way!
ConstantinPictures 1 year ago
Going through my all time favourite tracks today - not sure why - wanting to find the perfect ones. This is better than that - it is miraculous!
zthetha 1 year ago 2
this is what i will be listening to if the world begins to end around me
lps738 1 year ago 2
surf's up is brilliant of course. as a poet i am a bit reluctant : the lyrics are disarranged?
I am very grateful that Brian gives a fair share of the next song: child is the father of (the) man. So very very beautiful!
stunned
Serge
moudiwort 1 year ago
love this song whether from '66 or from 2003. question: exactly what was UNFINISHED in 1966 that required a re-do in '03? THis song seems the same structurally, lyrically , as '66.
idic5 1 year ago
@idic5 Well this song is pretty much the same as the version from the album Surf's up of '67 but the rest of the album was pretty much a work in progress, you can listen to it here on youtube and find out for yourself. Anyways, it's all good BW arrangement, songs and lyrics, as usual :p
greyjedi76 1 year ago
@idic5 the introduction of strings, horns, woodwinds flute but that really is about it. I would have layered Carls voice into this production to blend with Brian's. maybe at the next Carl Wilson foundation concert? I live in hope
IainB1511 1 year ago
Genious Brian Wilson.
ericbhr 1 year ago
Just to know that Brian was actually going to make this album was the thrill of a lifetime! It was worth the 4 decade wait. Sheer brilliance. This man continues to surprise us when we least expect it.
lakefloor 1 year ago
As other people have said...this is quite possible the greatest song ever written...Brian sings beautifully here considering the aging his voice took. Amazing work by a not just a wonderful musician but a wonderful soul
jwild611 1 year ago
Quite possibly the best song ever.
TheDanDiegoShow 1 year ago 6
Mine are on the floor too.
twinoak170 1 year ago
I agree, the BB version (or at least Young Brians version) is better as is most the album....except for the part where moonerboy3's balls drop. 3:09 is exceptional.
Upfold808 1 year ago 4
This is a great version. But! But Il lthink The Beach Boys version on the album with the same name sounds even better.
Kanarie1973 1 year ago
3:09 is where my balls drop
moonerboy3 1 year ago 20
@moonerboy3 Ha! Thanks for that.
moonscore 1 year ago
@moonerboy3 Absolutely!!! Goosebumps...tears
Upfold808 1 year ago
@moonerboy3 god what's with beach boys fans and mentioning "balls"?
unfortunatebeam 8 months ago
I cry listening to Brian. He is so precious. I cant believe he is real.
MajorsGirl 1 year ago 4
@MajorsGirl overly dramatic
richees2222222 1 year ago
"Surf's Up" is included on the Best of the Beach Boys"The Brother Years", along with 19 other pretty fair tunes! It is without a doubt a marooned on a deserted island disc! This and "Sail On Sailor"are the highlights! It is common knowledge that Brian is a By God Genius! And many other fine musicians found their way on to Beach Boy recordings! "Surf's Up", so sail on and ROCK ON SHINDIGGERS!
9erfandex 1 year ago
Hooray for strings
BucketFurter 1 year ago
I really hate to say this because there's such a history in music as long as mandkind has been around,but is this the greatest piece or what?
samueljb111 1 year ago
I'm only 29,but I can't recall much coming close to moving me like this does.Quite possibly so.
yeoGlover 1 year ago
Love that piano at the start
captinweestain 1 year ago
The man is a genious - saw him in London couple of years ago - he was in much pain. Gave his all
headlock56 2 years ago
At 1:40, I still hear the 1966 demo version of Brian in my head, singing along with 2004 Brian. Sad, but beautiful at the same time. Needless to say I've been listening to this song (in all its versions) too much) lol
BigKCunningham 2 years ago
@BigKCunningham From 1:40 to the end, I meant
BigKCunningham 2 years ago
GREATEST suicide TUNE EVER MADE
lyricskani 2 years ago
3:09
Greatest song ever made!
rab2591 2 years ago
Best song ever written!
barrenboy1 2 years ago 2
Oh my god...Brian...you're...alive.
darkcrimson23 2 years ago 5
i think brian's vocal on this is just awesome. Probably his best since he lost his voice. it really doesn't lose anything here. and i much prefer this to the one with carl singing. i don't like carl's voice for this song. but not sure compared to the Purple Chick version. so good.
mangoshakess 2 years ago 3
one of my favorites but i think the original was better. brian wilson is a national treasure
legman138 2 years ago 3
That was really amazing.
SabbraCadabra 2 years ago 4
BW & Jeff Foskett combine for this vocal; that BW is doing it at all, is a miracle & I salute you Brian; it took unimaginable courage to face this demon, get up on stage, & put it out for the world. GBY, & All of your fabulous Band. Wolfsky9
Wolfsky9 2 years ago 3
Jeff doesn't double him on this song, I believe. Just Brian.
runnersdialzero33 2 years ago
is it just me or did animal collective take a leaf outta brian wilson's book?!
MicGraph555 2 years ago 2
it's not just you. Although the boys have created something really special with albums like Merriweather Post Pavillion and Strawberry Jam, they owe a lot to past masters-- especially Brian wilson.
acinemajunkie 2 years ago
I agree! Haha
MicGraph555 2 years ago
Brian Wilson-core??
MrJihadjared 2 years ago
I'm going to be honest and say that the song could have had a better ending than the one kicking in at 3:09. It's nothing bad about it per se, but it doesn't hold up the same quality as the rest of the song.
SwedxSimon02 2 years ago
That's because you obviously haven't heard the album in its entirety. Smile is like a concerto, and the songs are like movements. The ending of Surf's Up segues seamlessly into the next song.
TheScoutFinch 2 years ago 2
I have heard the album in it's entirety. The end of Surf's Up is the end of the second movement to begin with, so it's not that related to the track after musically (and therefor don't need to be).
The ending makes a lot of sense in the context of being in the second movement though, but I still experienced it a somewhat of an anti-climax.
SwedxSimon02 2 years ago
I think the final minute is what kicks an already great song up to masterpiece status.
clashwho 2 years ago 3
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psyingo 2 years ago
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psyingo 2 years ago
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psyingo 2 years ago
Actually I think it happened more int he 90's.
Watermark0n 2 years ago
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psyingo 2 years ago
What lyrics..a master,,Americas greatest song writer..a LEGEND!!!!
ventues97 2 years ago
The lyrics are Van Dyke Parks.
borskyviolin 2 years ago 2
I'm crying
adrahaxxen 2 years ago
this song far out performs the beatles she's leaving home in tone, linguistic inventiveness, melody and execution.......
an achingly beautiful song. i'm shocked its not oft remembered nor played. a huge dazzlingly magnificent jewel in the crown of pop history.....
naughtyboymessiah 2 years ago
I waited about forty years for this CD. When I get to this cut I put the CD changer on repeat for awhile in car and just cruise and think back to those days in SoCal in the 60's.
mortygwhiz 2 years ago 25
@mortygwhiz I am envious of you that I can't describe it...I was born in the early 70's, so I only got to be raised by the people influenced by this...if it's any consolation, it finally came out for me in my late 30's, and I am stunned speechless everytime I listen to it...
And to think how much of my adolescence was spent listening to Pet Sounds :D
ogami1972 1 year ago
@mortygwhiz
I haven't been in CA for over 20 years, but there is nothing like Brian Wilson cranke while diving on Highway 1.
mriseborough 1 year ago 2
@mortygwhiz I also waited to hear this. When I heard it live I cried.
nytaylorj 1 year ago
Just wonderful.
Crel1957 2 years ago
surf's up, aboard a tidal wave
that is life
bmdola 2 years ago 4
fantastic worth waiting for
GlAsSaRm 2 years ago
The production value here is awesome. And God knows I love Brian Wilson. But this version is missing something. Maybe it's as simple as the other Beach Boys' voices missing.
The original Surfs Up released by the Beach Boys is very haunting and spiritual and it moves me. I don't get that from this one.
johnisallin 2 years ago 2
This song is an oblique reference to innocence and Fun, Fun, Fun in the days of JFK, to the point of innocence lost and southeast asian war in 1966-7, causing people like Brian to look towards his offspring/the next generation, culminating with the two words at the end, "A Child", with beautiful cluster tones of vocals. Amazing piece of music.
wygakyl 2 years ago
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iPL2001 2 years ago
this is imo as good as the original, brians voice still stands up
liamako 2 years ago 2
I was always scared to venture into Smile because I was scared it wouldn't live up to Pet Sounds.
Silly me! How dare I doubt the Brian!
iPL2001 2 years ago 2
"The music hall a costly bow"
Hall-a-cost?
Van Dyke Parks is a wordplay genius.
DonZabu 2 years ago 7