Brian Wilson: SMiLE
Grade A+

Edited by Mike Breen

“Our next album will be better than Pet Sounds,” Beach Boy Brian Wilson announced in October 1966. He further explained that the upcoming Smile would be “a teenage symphony to God.” Smile, however, was scrapped in May 1967, at which point it became the most famous album never heard. Steeped in myth and legend, fans have long wondered if it was the true successor to the very great Pet Sounds.

Late last year, Wilson’s keyboardist Darian Sahanaja convinced his boss to resurrect the long-lost project. Was it worth the wait? Simply put, yes. Brian and his band, joined by original Smile collaborator Van Dyke Parks, finished and assembled the album we thought we would never hear. The until-now unheard tracks should convince doubters, particularly “Roll Plymouth Rock” and “On a Holiday.” The new versions of previously released songs like “Heroes and Villains” and “Good Vibrations” solidify the overall sound, while 21st-century recording techniques only advance the cause and never bog it down with gimmicks.

Still, you can’t help but lament the exclusion of the surviving Beach Boys, even though their participation would have been problematic, what with Mike Love (Brian’s cousin) having sued Al Jardine just before the Smile sessions commenced, and the fact that Love and Van Dyke Parks never worked and played well together. But these are minor considerations compared to the brilliance of this long-awaited album. No matter where your expectations were, Smile delivers.