Brian Wilson's "Smile" sucks

[bif]

Well, it doesn't totally suck. But based on all the rave reviews I read here last week, I have to say that I found it somewhat dissapointing.

[johnnie]

1. I got it Saturday

I was impressed. I found it to be better than the reviews I have read.

[CO Liberal]

2. I Think He's Had a Stroke or Something

His smile may be a bit crooked, but I wouldn't say it sucks.

Oh....you're talking about his new CD.

[demnan]

3. The only song I liked

was Surf's Up and that was released decades ago.

But I had the misfortune(?) of also buying Pet Sounds on the same day and playing them back to back. There is no comparison.

[AverageJoe]

4. I love SMiLE

and, to my ears, it's a quantum leap beyond Pet Sounds, which, imho, is a masterpiece.

I s'pose the bottom line is that art speaks to different people in different ways.

[Mike Daniels]

5. It is over-rated

About 1/3 crap lyrics and music that was already being done within a pop-framework by lesser known bands (Good Vibrations and Heros and Villains excepted). It would have been totally overwhelmed by Sgt. Pepper's even if it had come out on schedule.

Not that the Beach Boys had much of a critically successful career after Pet Sounds but Smile would have crushed it commerically more so than the half-assed stuff they released after Brian's mental collapse.

I have to agree with Jimi Hendrix's assessment of what he heard of the work - "psychedelic barbershop quartet".