Forty-four years after they completed recording their legendarily shelved “Smile,” The Beach Boys will release the album sessions this year.
According to a press release:
Co-produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, all of The SMiLE Sessions’ physical and digital configurations will include an assembled album of core tracks, while the box set delves much deeper into the sessions, adding early song drafts, alternate takes, instrumental and vocals-only mixes, and studio chatter. The SMiLE Sessions invites the listener into the studio to experience the album’s creation, with producer, singer and bassist Brian Wilson’s vision leading the way as he guides his fellow Beach Boys, singer Mike Love, drummer Dennis Wilson, lead guitarist Carl Wilson, rhythm guitarist Al Jardine, and newest member Bruce Johnston (who’d replaced Brian Wilson in the touring group during 1965), through the legendary sessions.
When “Smile” was discarded, the band released whatw as widely considered to be an underwhelming replacement, “Smiley Smile,” in 1967. Brian Wilson in 2004 revisited and completed “Smile” and released it as a solo album. It will be interesting to hear how his take on the album in 2004 compares with the original sessions once they are released.
In other Brian news: He’ll be underatking a tour that will find him playing last year’s “Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin” album in its entirety, as well as Beach Boys classics. The tour includes a June 9 show at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, N.J.
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