Trying to 'Smile'

It's been one of those days. You know, when your dreams and aspirations are so big you feel helpless to actually do anything about them ...

Last night I bought Brian Wilson's infamous 'Smile' album and have been listening to it almost every moment I've had it home. Meanwhile, I'm prepping for next week's release of 'Rent' and a feature I'll be writing about it by listening to the soundtrack during my commutes to and from work, and reading and re-reading the full script in my down time.

And I'm thinking, God, when will I find the inspiration and motivation to write something as influential and powerful as these works of art!? ....

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Thank you Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, McDonald's and Best Buy for giving me the ability to finally bring home a copy of 'Smile' ...

Amid the storm of snow flurries last night, I left work for Old Navy to return a pair of black, pin-striped pants I'd bought a couple weeks ago and decided they weren't really my style and I'd never wear them. ... From there it was on to Barnes & Noble where I previewed a couple CDs with that cool little swipe-it-and-listen device they have. And my mind was made up: 'Smile' it would be.

Next stop: Best Buy for 'Smile.' With a $1-off any purchase coupon I got a couple weeks ago during the McDonald's Monopoly game, 'Smile' was mine ...

Kates and I had made a pact to limit spending on unnecessary items for the next couple months with the holidays and tax season coming up ... but since I returned a $30 pair of pants at Old Navy and bought a CD for about $13, thus putting about $17 back into our bank account, I convinced her it was OK ...

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About 'Smile' ...

It's the story and album every avid Beach Boys fan knows. It was shelved in '67 and rose to legend status as the greatest album never completed. Finally Brian Wilson took it back into the studio and last year it was released to much fanfare... And the only reason it took me this long to get a copy was the aforementioned pact on unnecessary spending.

Knowing the backstory, I bought the album, opened the fancy album cover and inserted it into my CD player with high anticipation and trepidation ...

I found it tough initially to get past the absence of Al Jardine's, Mike Love's and pre-drugged Brian Wilson's distinctive voices, and the realization that this recording is not the Beach Boys in their glory years but an entirely new studio band accompanying post-drug-induced Brian.

But after listening a couple more times ...

'Smile' truly is a masterpiece of musical art ...

It's full of innovative composition, melodies and production, all stretching across vivid American themes. And the instrumentation is convincing enough to make you believe this album actually was recorded in the '60s. ... 'Heroes and villains' rocks and has an element of fun the original lacked. 'Good Vibrations' (although I don't think the original lyrics used for this album are as good as the Mike Love-Wilson lyrics of the 'Good Vibrations' we all know and love ...) is still one of the greatest pop songs ever created. ... Yet 'Child is Father of the Man' with its bouncy melody, followed by the haunting high notes, harmonies and instrumentation of 'Surf's Up,' just might be my favorite section of the album.

For a good read on the journey that was Brian Wilson's 'Smile,' start with this entry on Wikipedia.