Smile

1 stern

Eh not a fan

So... let me get this straight...this is a fragmented collection of scaps and debris that wasn't good enough for The Beach Boys, but it's good enough for this oft questionable list of "must hear" misfits? Got it.

Some things are best left unfinished. In this case the album shouldn’t even have been started.

Meh

So shite it’s unbelievable.

Not in the mood for this at all, awful. And when those farmyard animals kicked in, I burst out laughing. Urgh.

Really weird and long, maybe good for dnd lol

Mostly, deliberately listening to these albums without context makes for a great experience. I come in fresh, with no expectations, and can hear the music with no external noise clouding my opinion. Going and reading the Wikipedia article afterwards is just the delicious icing on the cake - I don't need it to appreciate the artistry, but it adds something unique to the overall flavour. Listening to this album without context however, was ghastly. What is it? A children's album? A gospel album? Why am I listening to 80s music that was made in the early 2000s? What's with the lyrics? Is this some kind of cult I'm not aware of? Once I had context, it made more sense, but it didn't make it any more enjoyable.

This album dropped about 40 years after his prime and is forgettable.

I'm sorry but I fail to see the perceived genius of Brian Wilson/Beach Boys.. One well known album does not maketh a music career.. Barnyard and Wind Chimes sounds like kids songs and would not be out of place in Sesame Street album just lacks any lyrical depth just a lot of repetition, their UK contemporaries Kinks Ray Davies and Beatles later albums The Who were so much better.. One of my all time favourite bands XTC were influenced by The Beach Boys and I love them! Andy Partridge has the intelligence wit and humour to make it work and that makes him a genius!

This album is how I found out that the Brian Wilson scenes in walk hard were almost not parody what the fuck man

thankful he stuck good vibrations on the end there bc this was maybe the most solidly mediocre listen i've had so far, and we're over a year in

no

This is just not for me. Usually I can find a redeeming quality on almost any album, but this one I just couldn't sit through. I had to pull the plug half way through the second song.

I feel like 2004 has better representative albums, no need to dust off the 1960s vibes of The Beach Boys.

acapella beach boys wont be listening again

What was this? Good Vibrations was good. The rest....self-indulgent? Unfinished songs? Drug-trip?

This did absolutely nothing for me. The songs were bordering on nursery rhyme, and honestly I was bored throughout. Standout Song: Good Vibrations (although I’d rather just listen to the original) Score: 1/5

Shit

Brian Wilson may be a genius, but whatever this is, I don't get it. The whole album just blends into one. I could put any track on from this album at random and it wouldn't matter. The whole thing is 'Good Vibrations' (but slightly less good) 17 times. It sounds like when a character in a cartoon or dumb film daydreams, then the weird effect plays on screen. Strange sound effects, warped, dream like or on acid sounding music. That's this whole album. The type of music a 70+ year old would put on and then says that music in their day was so much better. I feel like the whole album suffers from the bad stuff from prog rock and psychedelic music. The weird sounding, dream like, LSD inspired noises. Weird, quirky eccentricity in place of where the actual music should be. One star does seem very harsh considering who it is, but I genuinely don't think I'd go back to any of this unless I had a real hankering to listen to cartoon daydream music.

So abrasive I can’t even

This was not enjoyable.

Absolutely zero smiling going on when listening to this album. Cheers Brian.

I fucking hated this.1/5

This sounded like a YouTube parody video where someone is doing prog songs in the style of the Beach Boys. I really didn’t enjoy it, it was just a bit strange.

Nada comercial, parece muito um continuum de músicas de um musical da broadway ou da disney. Talvez se houver um contexto, uma história por trás, faça algum sentido legal. Mas, pra ser sincero, sentar e ouvir isso é um pé no saco, se dissociado do contexto que parece existir por trás. A música não é cativante sem o contexto ou filme que deveria existir com ela. Portanto, pra mim é nunca mais.

Hate the fucking Beach Boys

Not good. Some tracks are a vague harmony with a bunch of noise. Despite it's mellow tones, somehow it's not pleasant to listen to. Good vibrations is a good song I guess. But this is just a rehash of the old version. I don't get what the big deal is about Brian Wilson. Seems pretty mediocre.

I really never understood the hype about The Beach Boys. Their stuff is ear wormy, bubblegum surf pop. Yeah, they did nice harmonies, but, like, what else am I supposed to be hearing? This is much worse. I don’t get it. This sounds like a less lispy Randy Newman. And I don’t get him either. Third song has me homicidal, so I’m abandoning. 1/5

Maybe need to relisten but did not care for it at all, not interested in the weird, whimsical, almost fantasy-esque stuff. Maybe just not in the mood for it now, but did not like it

I dislike everything about the Beach Boys. It was crappy, schmalzy music back in the 60s and is worse now. I didn't enjoy it even a bit.

Just annoying isn't it

So cheesy and awful.

Annoying artsy-fartsy music with no groove or whatsoever. I'm so sleepy. Wulle, wulle, wap, wap, kille, kille, klapp, klapp.

If this algum were realeased in the 70’s, maybe it would be good.

Terrible stuff. Not my vibe at all!

No thanks

this blowed

Nicht meine Richtung

Not my style

Not *everyone* wants to listen to *everything* by Brian Wilson. It's that simple. I love Pet Sounds as much as the next music nerd and I am sympathetic to Wilson's personal struggles, but the circus-sounding music grates on me. Even the best songs on this record are tough to enjoy.

Couldn't even finish heroes and villains. One of my least favourite bb songs. Was not my cup of tea at all.

Convoluted

Nope.

Ei vittu mitä disney musikaali meemi musiikkia

i just don't like the beach boys. beatles are better.

I don't have any constructive criticism, just not into it.

This album felt like it was trying to recapture it's Beach Boys era, but it felt so hopelessly antiquated. Even for 2004 (almost *forty* years after the Beach Boys heyday at the time of release) that era was *long* gone. If this released in the 60's or 70's I would just find it boring like the rest of the Beach Boys catalogue. But to come out with that style in 2004 with no evolution to make it fresh, makes this such a dud and so obsolete that it makes you realize the original material wasn't even that great to begin with and doesn't have that much holding it up, aside from nostalgia This would be like if Curtis Blow decided to make a sequel to "The Breaks" in 2024 using the same rhyming ability, beat selection, flow patterns, and writing structure. Unless you do something to make it feel like it's building off of that style or doing something different to make it feel new, that genre and music as a whole has progressed so far beyond that style, that doing now is just aggravating.

i did NOT like this 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

"Let's get braces!" Based on the album art I would've thought Brian Wilson was an orthodontist rather than a Beach Boy. It seems to offer the promise of happiness and elation. In reality, I think the marketing machine got ahold of this one. Smile is an overhyped comeback from a 'band' whose drama, at times overshadowed the music it preformed. The history of this album is only mildly interesting but was the main driver for why Smile got the praise it did. The original performance, album and documentary behind the album ignited sales and found an audience who was energized by little more than sweet nostalgia surrounding the Beach Boys. it may have been a passion project to someone, but more obviously was a money grab. According to Brian Wilson, himself he refers to the audience as a 'market.' When asked what completing Smile had meant to him he says "it means reaching people in a market that's so dead, so out of it. Breathing some new life into an old market is what this music is about." Smile sounds like it's halfway between a Broadway musical, and a barbershop quartet resting on an outsized narrative created by a record label.

This shit was awful. I feel bad about all the other 1 stars I've made because this clearly deserves a score much lower.

eins og eitthvað sem kom ut aður en goð tonlist var fundin upp

Oof. No thank you. I prefer rhythm over harmony though.

Ich mag die alten Beach Boys Klassiker. Die stehen für sich und gut ist. Warum so eine Reanimation? Es komponiert heute doch auch keiner mehr Barockmusik.

Very melodic and not for me at all.

Wtf was this

Terrible. Nothing sadder than a boomer who just can’t let go. You’re 50 years too late dude.

Too weird and orchestral. Nothing worse than having an orchestra for orchestras sake

I absolutely hate any version of You Are My Sunshine which doesn't help my rating of this album.

What was he trying to achieve. No idea didnt dig!

Rating: 3/10 Hell no.

I hate this album

It’s not for me. Mrs Leary’s cow is an awful song, sorry Brian

not better after a third listen...

I can only give this album a 3 seeing as it's a Beach Boy

yeah yeah, Brian Wilson's a genius and this is his magnum opus. Except Beach Boys style pop music just kind of falls flat for me. It's like poppy barbershop quartet.

I’ll put it this way, the world would have been a better place if we just had the Beach Boys without this.

Boring

Very disappointing. Had higher expectations. It tries to be Sgt Pepper, Pet Sounds, early Genesis and even Tommy but not even close. Major dud.

Nope

Tried to listen to the first two songs but couldn't get past them

Another opportunity for the authors to sneak in psychedelica. Decades too late

I admittedly went into this expecting very little. Brian Wilson is reportedly pretty hard to work with and so I couldn't think his breakout stuff was gonna be good. Wow. I struggled through half of this album and couldn't do it any more. My first 1 rating. This was awful.

1.5

Bad!

I get that there is some intense history to this, but I found it an irritating listen. It actually knocked my Grump-O-Meter from standard surly to amplified. I won't begrudge others their enjoyment of this, but I found very little myself.

Not really my thing. Songs were like 1 minute long.

I remember when this came out and not getting why it was so popular. I still don't get it. In fact, I hate it. The whole Beach Boys sound is so strange, but it at least fits with other genres of the 60's. Listening to this now, it just seems like the musical version of boomer nostalgia. If the opening statement "back in my day..." could be captured in a long-play format, this would be it. It's nearly as hateworthy as the acapella scene from Trading Places where the four Wall Street frat bros sing barbershop quartet style about their shared sexual conquests. At least that scene is satire; Brian Wilson is just up his own ass. The only time this sound has ever been good in my opinion is when Mr. Bungle used it behind the lyrics "...rots your brain just like a catchy tune, yeah. You will hate life more than life hates you. Happiness is your illness in an air-conditioned nightmare". The sentiment of Mr. Bungle's Air Conditioned Nightmare matches my experience of Brian Wilson Presents Smile perfectly; kill me now.

Olis kannesta pitänyt päätellä musikaali. En inhoa, meni lähinnä ohi. Vähän ärsytti välillä. 60-luku...vai oliks tää ees sieltä.

Parhaimmillaan hymyilyttää.

There's a ton of love for the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson but it just doesn't do anything for me. I'm not a fan of this the harmonic vocals and the showtime sound. I see a whack of 5 stars and also an equal number of 1 and 2 star ratings, so I guess this just another love it or hate it album.

The Beach Boys are fine but this is just boring

I hate the Beach Boys and I hated this.

nej

Awful

I didn't like this music when it originally came out and I definitely don't like it now. Just terrible.

this one sounds like a musical for sentimentals who yearn for the past

i cant stand this album. 1 star. like a bad cover of beach boys.

A really problematic album. Its listening to 500 tracks at once style is basically unlistenable

God this is tiring. It's everything the Beach Boys did well sixty years ago, diluted with twee baroque guff interespersed with novelty tracks like "Mrs O'leary's Cow". If ever there's an example of the artist being put before the art, I think this is it. What utter wank. Good Vibrations is the only good track on the album, and it was done better sixty years ago.

Wat een chaotisch samenraapsel van muziek. Absoluut niet van genoten... Enkel het laatste nummer is leuk

Can’t get behind this one. Couldn’t even finish the whole album. Not my type of music

Jeden z najdziwniejszych odsluchow jakie sie pojawily na liscie, muzyka ktora tak lubie brzmi tak nie na miejscu, Smile pana Braiana Wilsona, ktorego raczej kazdy kojarzy glownie z Beach Boysow jest dziwna kompilacja wlasnie Boysowej tworczosci, legenda glosi, ze biczowie nagrali tak cudaczny material, ze Beatlesow trzeba by bylo zeskrobywac z chartow, album mial sie nazywac Smile, wiec jak dzisiejsza plyta, ale nie wyszedl w 66 czy 67, tylko mial swoje rozne wcielenia na przestrzeni lat, rozpoczynajac od Smiley Smile z 67, bedacego mini epkiem, bo zaledwie 27 minutowy krazek, pierwsza smilowa kompilacja byly good vibrations, jako krazek na 30 lecie boysow, drugi byl wlasnie projekt solowy pana Briana z 2k04 i ostatnim jest the smile sessions z 2k11, jakos nigdy mnie nie naszlo zeby az tak zaglebiac sie w lore smilowe, ale pierwszy i ostatni tributowy projekt to orginalne nagrania poprawione jak sie dalo, z lepszym lub gorszym efektem, ale na dzisiejszym picku jest cos calkiem nowego, kawalki te same, ale nagrywane calkowicie od nowa, z poteznym zapleczem instrumentalnym, wiec brzmi to jeszcze bardziej orkiestrowo niz w latach 60, nie chce mi sie nawet sprawdzac czy jakies nazwiska sie pokrywaja z wczesniejszymi kolaboratorami boysow, bo ciezko mi znalezc traka dla ktorego warto by to bylo zrobic, nie ma tutaj tego czegos, nawet jesli klawisze klikaja tak samo, to jednak brzmia calkowicie inaczej, ponad 30 lat roznicy a slychac regress pod wzgledem masteringu, co najbardziej zabolalo na surfs up, kawalku ktory tak otula sluchacza to z jeden to z drugiej strony w zamykajacej czesci kawalka, ale jednak najslabiej slychac samego pana Wilsona, teraz pytanie czy to przez ten dziwny mastering, czy jednak lata nie oszczedzily go tak dobrze jak chocby pana Bowiego, ktory do samego konca mial tak potezny wokal, wiec dziwny to byl odsluch, zapomne go bardzo szybko, a im wiekszym fangejem Beach Boysow jestem tym wiekszym hejterem tego krazka, ktory jest jak dla mnie apokryficznym dzielem pana Briana

Niks an

Yeesh I mean the Beach Boys def get their sound from Brian but I am just not a fan of this album. It's almost like an experimental album. Ironically, the best song was "Good Vibrations", a song originally released in the 60s. Really? 3/10.

Standout tracks: Heroes and Villains Skipped tracks: Every other song. I could not finish the album Summary: Apparently Smile was originally supposed to be a Beach Boys album. I don't mind some Beach Boys songs, but I think they're a singles band. Smile is no different