From: rknroll@sympatico.ca   
      
   You raised a very interesting debate.   
      
   I was working in a CD store when SMiLE '04 was released and it was the   
   subject of much debate amongst the staff.  I, being a huge B.W./B.B. fan,   
   was the only one that wanted to open and play it.  Then over the next couple   
   of weeks, I was put in a position to try and defend playing a CD that made   
   most of my co-workers bitch and moan!  I had one ally who got it (and was   
   always asking me details of it's history) and another one who took the   
   stance of "if you play it, I'm turning it off"!  In the first couple of   
   weeks of release I had many customers inquire about it, but not many who   
   purchased it.  Then around Christmas, I had it in the car while driving with   
   my girlfriend and mother and found myself having to defend the album again!   
      
   The point of my ramblings is that I've started to wonder the same thing:  Am   
   I just that obsessed with the SMiLE legend (and Brian Wilson's work in   
   general) that I'm blind to the fact that it's really not that good?  A   
   couple of my thoughts on the matter:   
    - From the first time I heard it, I knew it was not as beautiful, majestic   
   and perfect as Pet Sounds or any of the work leading up to that (i.e. Today   
   or 'California Girls').  But this is a very different artistic statement,   
   never meant to be a companion or "follow-up".  It's coming from a very   
   different place.   
    - All the best songs are the ones that were released already.  Everything   
   that remained unfinished, unreleased or bootlegged over the years come   
   across like half-finished ideas.  But there are some really neat ideas in   
   there (I love the minor key 'You Are My Sunshine' and 'Roll Plymouth Rock'   
   is not without it's charm).  And I prefer these versions of 'Wonderful',   
   'Vega-tables' and 'Windchimes' to the re-recorded ones on Smiley Smile.   
    - If there is supposed to be a unifying concept in it (i.e. a story to   
   follow), I can't find it.  Even in the third "movement", there is very   
   little in it that suggests a suite about 'The Elements' to me.  But I do   
   love the re-occurring musical motifs throughout the album and it does flow   
   along nicely, unlike some bootlegs I've heard.   
    - I think the Grammy's reflect this debate, in that they nominated it in a   
   few categories.  It even won in the instrumental category.  But was it for   
   the quality of SMiLE or because of "recognition".  "Well, it's not his best   
   work, but he's done so much in his career and we never gave the Beach Boys a   
   real Grammy...  Let's throw him a bone!"  Similar reasons to how Ray Charles   
   won so many awards this year (and many others in previous years) - it was   
   hardly his best work, it was just to recognize him.   
      
   Despite these and other thoughts I have, I love the album.  It never ceases   
   to be interesting and I remain very grateful to hear it the way Brian   
   (supposedly) intended it to be.  I look forward to hearing the vinyl version   
   that's been much discussed on this board and I hope there'll be a 5.1   
   DVD-Audio mix or something sometime soon as well.  And I'll just keep doing   
   what I've been doing since it came out:  If anyone doesn't like it, I'll   
   shrug, say "to each their own" and keep playing it!   
      
   Rock dawg   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)