Can we talk about how good this is?
It's like The Beach Boys' "Donuts", just an outpouring of great ideas and creativity.
Easily their best work.
Can we talk about how good this is?
Isaac Rogers
Josiah Sanders
It really is. It would've been a seismic event in music history had it been released. Brian Wilson was on an unmatchable creative peak during that period.
Nathaniel Kelly
This. The Beatles would hardly be remembered today if it came out.
Gabriel Torres
That's a bit of a stretch to me, but I definitely think it would've knocked them down a peg or two. Rubber Soul and Revolver were two phenomenal albums and I bet Sgt Pepper would've still been received very well, but Smile would've really gave the Beatles their first big competitor in the music world. People would revere the Beach Boys even more today, and the Beatles while still hugely acclaimed wouldn't quite have reached the messiah level mythical status that they have today.
Jace Smith
I've always seen the significance of Sgt Pepper to be it's recording production under George Martin. It had revolutionary use of effects and studio tricks which essentially obscured only okay songwriting from the beatles. Conversely, Smile had incredible songwriting with very little actual studio effects. Delays, reverbs, some fuzz bass, but that's really it. Everything else is just pure musicianship.
Carter Richardson
The Beatles still hadn't released their two best albums though, Abbey Road and their s/t
although now that I think about it, they might've been a lot different if Smile was released before
Angel Ramirez
That's true. On the one hand I love Abbey Road, but there's no telling what a longer rivalry between the Beales and The Beach Boys would have lead to for both bands.
Anthony Miller
the thing about the Beach Boys was that the genius was all Brian Wilson, meanwhile The Beatles had McCartney, Lennon, Martin, and Harrison (well, wasn't as essential as the rest, but still). That's why The Beatles managed to produce so many great albums, while Brian Wilson had a mental breakdown while making The Beach Boy's second truly great album. They not only had a lack of brain power, but Brian Wilson also had the obstacle of Mike Love wanting to take the band in a completely different direction.
Joseph Ross
I see where you're coming from. I think part of the reason Pet Sounds, Smile, and even Today were so good though was because they were ONE man's vision, at least musically. It was a lot coherent as a result.
Abbey road is great and all, but because it's had three songwriters it lacks a single unified sound. I mean you've got Lennon's She's So Heavy, and right after Harrison's Here Comes the Sun. They're both great songs, but they are completely different sounds. Whereas on say, Pet Sounds, Everything felt like it belonged there (except maybe Sloop John B).
Brandon Butler
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