The Tragedy and Genius of The Beach Boys' Unreleased Masterpiece: Smile
The Beach Boys, known for their complex and emotive sound, faced a significant turning point in their career with the album Smile. This ambitious project began in the late 1960s with everything in place for a masterpiece, but ultimately fell by the wayside due to the team's internal struggles and Brian Wilson's mental health issues.
Introduction
Even with great pieces of detailed, carefully thought-out music, at some point artists must be content with their creation and allow its release to the public. This was especially challenging for the legendary band The Beach Boys. In 1966, Brian Wilson had half of his ambitious project, Smile, nearly complete. Capitol Records was ready to release it in January 1967, with artwork already prepared. The album’s single, 'Good Vibrations,' was out by October and was already a hit, hyping the upcoming album.
However, it was at this point that Brian Wilson's descent into mental illness began. He became increasingly obsessed with perfecting every detail, and this drive for unrealistic perfection eventually led to paranoia and a deep sense of dissatisfaction. In a studio-battle metaphor, Mike Love can be said to 'defeated' Smile, leading to its ultimate abandonment.
The Unfinished Symphony
Spiritual and Avant-Garde
Smile was not your typical Beach Boys album. Instead of surf music, it was a serious avant-garde project, a 4-dimensional symphony titled "Teen-age Symphony to God." The album was to consist of three movements:
Physical travel: tracks 1-6, based on the song "Heroes and Villains." Time travel: tracks 7-10, with the song "Heroes and Villains" at its core. Spiritual travel: tracks 11-17, focused on the 4-elements of earth, air, fire, and water, culminating with the unfinished "Blue Hawaii."Due to Brian Wilson's mental health issues and the influence of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, work on Smile was halted in July 1967. Only one song, "Blue Hawaii," was unfinished, leaving the album just one song short of completion.
From Ambition to Reality
Post-Smile
When Smile was released in a revised form as the 1967 album Smiley Smile, it was a mixed bag of both fully-realized songs like "Good Vibrations" and snippets of what was meant to be Smile. Smiley Smile peaked at 41 on the US Billboard chart, far from the ambitious 1967 version of Smile.
Mike Love's decision to steer the band back to simpler, more commercially viable surf music was a strategic move, but it ultimately left Smile as a footnote in the band's history. As a result, the band was seen by many as a 'vintage band' and a 'patriotic' good-boys group, rather than a cutting-edge musical innovator.
The Revival of Smile
The 2004 Reimagining
Years later, in 2004, Brian Wilson relaunched the album as Brian Wilson Presents Smile, featuring the full version of the project. This album was a massive success, winning a Grammy for best instrumental, and charting at 13 on the Billboard chart. The live performance in San Francisco from the final leg of the 2004 US tour was particularly remarkable.
Final Thoughts
The story of Smile is one of ambition, dissatisfaction, and ultimate failure. While Smiley Smile was a commercial success, Smile itself remains a tantalizing glimpse of what could have been. The tale of Smile is a poignant reminder of the delicate balance between artistic vision and commercial reality in the music industry.
Watch a live 2013 performance featuring Brian Wilson backed by The Wondermints to get a sense of the magic of this unfinished masterpiece.