Capitol/EMI, with the participation of original Beach Boys Al Jardine, Mike Love and Brian Wilson, has collected and compiled the band’s 1966-’67 sessions for their never-completed Smile album.
The Smile Sessions will be released November 1 (October 31 internationally) in multiple physical and digital versions. Artwork and complete tracklists also have been unveiled for what Rolling Stone calls “the most famous unfinished album in rock 'n' roll history.”
In the spring of 1966 and the summer of 1967, The Beach Boys recorded songs and drafts for Smile, an album that was intended to follow Pet Sounds. The master tapes were shelved, and The Beach Boys’ version of Smile has never been released. There was, of course, Brian Wilson's version, which was released in 2004.
The Smile Sessions’ 2CD lift-top box, double vinyl LP, digital album and iTunes LP formats feature an approximation of what was intended to be the completed Smile album, compiled from The Beach Boys’ original masters. Additional session highlights and bonus tracks are included, including demos and stereo mixes.
An expanded, boxed edition of The Smile Sessions will be released physically and digitally, featuring the main Smile album tracks, plus four CDs of additional audio from the legendary sessions, a double vinyl LP set, and two 7-inch vinyl singles. The deluxe box will also contain a 60-page hardbound book with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia from The Beach Boys’ archive and new by Jardine, Love, Wilson and Bruce Johnston.
The album was produced by Wilson, Mark Linett (They Might Be Giants), Alan Boyd and Dennis Wolfe in Los Angeles.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
