I have to say, the SMiLE two-CD set has been a HUGE disappointment. I am a Beach Boys fan, and Pet Sounds is an all-time favorite album...but this is a mish-mash of obviously VERY overrated sounds. To call it a masterpiece is beyond honest criticism. I liken it to the "music critics" that claim Forever Changes is better than Love's debut album. Ain't no way. I'm not knocking Forever Changes but I don't care how experimental or advanced it is; give me the first LP any day. Music needs to be enjoyed - not overanalyzed to the point where the enjoyment of listening isn't taken into consideration. That's what's missing from SMiLE. How many times will it get replayed? Not many...
I agree it's silly to call
Smile a masterpiece, as it was never finished. And it is as silly to say it might have been a masterpiece.
As I said there is/was some kind of enjoyment in imagining a masterpiece (especially when reading Priore's book), putting it together in your head. But, of course, not everyone can relate to an enjoyment like that. Also, there can be enjoyment in listening to fragmentary music. I listened to the bootleg with outtakes more than once. It's a bit like soundtrack music, which I like a lot. I also love
Smiley Smile, which is very fragmentary and hardly a masterpiece. It's kindergarten!
If you like
Pet Sounds you might know how difficult it is to explain to anyone who doesn't like it. I will surely not try to explain
Smile, but when I saw them perform it it was pretty ultimate, the Church of Pop, heaven, totally amazing. I saw
Pet Sounds too, which was great, but a live copy of the original. Smile went beyond that. It was a masterpiece if there ever was one.
And
Forever Changes? Experimental? Advanced? Who cares! It is a damn perfect pop album. If you're not into beautiful melody lines and such, just skip it. No need to compare it to the first album.
But in general, you're right, talk about masterpieces sucks.
)
