I got SMiLE yesterday.

[Magrittes Pipe]

And it's fucking brilliant.

No, Brian isn't the same singer at 62 that he was at 24. And the fact that they used a keyboard instead of an actual theremin in "Good Vibrations" sort of annoyed me. But it is a phenomenal record.

The centerpiece songs -- "Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up," "Good Vibrations" -- are superior in every (non-theremin) way to their primitive incarnations (although 'twould be tough to top the single versions of H&V and GV), and the rest of the album is finally fully realized. It's no longer the snippets we found in bootlegs over the past 38 years, it's the real shiznit.

I still haven't had a chance to let it all sink in yet. But if you have ANY interest in American pop music AT ALL, you need this album.

[Wat_Tyler]

1. I'm not going to buy it or listen to it.

it just doesn't interest me in any way.

[Magrittes Pipe]

2. Why do you hate America?

[Wat_Tyler]

3. Because everyone keeps telling me how great it is.

Therefore it needs to die.

[johnnie]

4. I am getting it tomorrow

I have heard a lot of the stuff that was released from the original sessions, but I have heard so many good reviews of the new release that I am looking forward to getting it.
A while ago I got me a print of the original artwork signed by the artist. I talked to him for a little and it was pretty cool to hear what he had to say.

[Magrittes Pipe]

7. Wow. Very cool.

I've heard a couple of different boots of the "it coulda been" album. This blows them all away. I imagine if Wilson COULD have kept his shit together and made this in '66, it would have been better. But it is still an incredible record.

[redqueen]

5. No theremin?!

:cry:

[Magrittes Pipe]

8. Yeah. I know.

x(

A minor quibble, though. The synth sounds *almost* right. :P

[redqueen]

9. Almost....

guess it will have to do... but really... that's so disappointing. :(

I'll still get it, though. :)

[AverageJoe]

6. I got it two days ago

and haven't stopped listening. Yes, brilliant.

The first time I listened it was with my 21-month old son. Jesus, it couldn't have been any more special. I was hearing this AMAZING album that I'd anticipated for so long and my son was there with me...ah....

I got him to sing a long a bit, too. Wa wa ho wa....

The SMiLE experience was great on the first listen and it gets better each time I hear it. We're in for a lifetime of musical bliss from this one.