Holy Grail Alert! ‘The most famous unfinished album in rock & roll history’ as Rolling Stone recently called it is finally… available.
Like many fans of The Beach Boys I am thrilled about the release of SMiLE Sessions. ‘Pet Sounds‘ might be considered one of the greatest albums of all time, but the SMiLE Sessions surely represent the Californians‘ true masterpiece. Al Jardine, Mike Love and Brian Wilson have worked hand in hand with Capitol/EMI to collect and pile up the 66/67 sessions in order to finally release the album, and the result is sublime.
For those who might not be aware these recordings have acquired legendary status over time taking on mythical propotions. Bringing it to life now is plainly surreal. Originally he album was supposed to be released subsequently to ‘Pet Sounds‘, but because of Wilson‘s (mental) health issues, the growing animosity within the band and their problems with the record company… it never saw the light of day.
Anyway, to add to our excitement/happiness, The Beach Boys have created all sorts of videos to go with the release, including an animated video of the long-awaited ‘Heroes and Villains‘ and interviews of the band members talking about the whole experience and the album’s creation.
I think this BBC quote precisely illustrates this magnificent album: ‘Memories are fuzzy, but the music now it’s here is pure and gorgeous, the familiar mesh of brotherly voices exquisite as ever.’
Go listen to this musical milestone, nothing more needs to be said.
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Post by Olivia
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TRACKS:
The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations (8-Bit) by 8 Bit Songs
