A few nights ago, I was reminded of a talk I had with Gwendolyn many MANY years ago about how 1967 was a really good year for music, what with the Beatle's "Sgt Pepper's" and the Monkees "Pisces, Acquarius, Capricorn and Jones, LTD." among others, and she mentioned the Beach Boys had an album scheculed for 1967 called SMiLE that was never finished.
I was curious, but I didn't think much of it at the time as I figured "well, it just didn't happen, cest la vie" until I was reminded of it about a week ago.
I'm not the hugest fan of the Beach Boys. I felt they had a very 50s style well into the 60s, and they felt like a throwback. But at the time, I'd only heard their hits like Good Vibrations, Sloop John B., and I Get Around, which I liked, but very much put in "1950s sound."
It was listening to a version of Sloop John B from folk singers in the 1930s that got me thinking about the Beach Boys again and SMiLE. So I started looking it up and since I'd talked with Gwen, apparently not only had the sessions finally been released after decades hidden away, but an official version of the album was finally released using the (unfinished) recodings.
I didn't quite expect what I heard - it's still absolutely that "50s Sound" to me, but it's what the 1950s would have sounded like had LSD been as much a part of the recording as it was for Sgt Pepper's. It's in between Sgt. Pepper's "Wall of Sound" and My Lovely Valentine's "Beautiful Noise" time travelled back to the 1950s. It's REALLY good. I didn't expect this from The Beach Boys.
Probably should go listen to Pet Sounds. Everyone seems to gush over that one, too.
@dolari Oh I really have to give both those albums a listen. Thank you for reminding me, I've been meaning to since before SMiLE got that release
@dolari Pet Sounds is fantastic. On a related note, The Zombies' album "Odessey and Oracle" is also really good