Right, I better clear some space on my credit card because very soon the Beach Boys Smile Sessions will hit the stores after what seems like an eternity of waiting.  Smile is probably the most legendary unreleased album of all time. The mythology around it has been built up steadily over the years. Bootlegs first began to be shared amongst fans in the early eighties and its status began to grow rapidly as tapes upon tapes were traded.

There were various bootleg outfits such as sea of tunes who released many different smile sessions on various formats. They were eventually shut down but not before a wealth of smile material was available to fans. No one knows for sure how the tapes began to leak but certainly around the time of the making of the Beach Boys American Band documentary some session tapes went missing.

Brian Wilson as many people will know has had various mental problems over the years. His failure to complete Smile! hit him hard as his studio work became more sporadic as the years past with him often having to be coaxed from his bed by his brothers and bandmates to lend a hand in the studio. That’s not to say his career ended after Smile as he wrote many great songs in the following years however Smile was arguably the peak of Wilsons creative powers.

Smile was built heavily around songs such as Heroes & Villains, Cabinessence, Surfs Up and Vega-Tables. The upcoming box set will include an entire disc devoted to the heroes & villains sessions as well as an entire disc devoted to the good vibrations sessions. This is stuff for the hardcore fan as you can tell.  You dont have to buy the large boxset however as there are other options. There is a 2cd option as well as a vinyl LP option and for the ones with quite a bit of cash to spend there are limited edition options such as the surfboard option which will set you back a cool 7k. For me its gotta be the regular box set priced at around 140 dollars or so. This contains 5 CDs, 2 12″ vinyl records, 2 7″ records and a booklet. I know its a lot of money but I really cant wait!

A few years back Brian Wilson released his “Brian Wilson Presents Smile!” album. This album was recorded with Wilson’s current band with a final track listing been put together from listening to the old session tapes. Original lyricist Van Dyke Parks was also invited back into the fold to contribute lyrics to unfinished pieces and I would imagine to help jog Brian’s memory. The resulting album was critically acclaimed as was the Smile! tour which I had the privilege of attending.  The Brian Wilson band are a superb group who have provided wonderful backing over the year however for me no one sings harmony like the Beach Boys so while BWPS was great, I cant see it living up to the Smile! session box.

There have been many books and stories traded about what exactly happened during the Smile! Sessions. Wilson’s behaviour seemed to become more bizarre as time passed. There was talk of meeting in the swimming pool as Wilson believed he was being bugged by rivals such as Phil Spector. Songs were written in a sandbox as Wilson positioned it so his feet would be in the sand. The sand box quickly became a mess as Wilson’s dogs made it their toilet. Al Jardine spoke of being drove frantically by Brian around a car park in a car hire as Brian explained to him various meanings behind the project. Mike Love objected to many of VDPs lyrics which eventually caused Parks to quit the project. Wilson has spoke of excessive cannabis use and LSD use during the project as a reason for its demise. The already fragile Brian probably needed more support from those around him including his band members and who knows what may have happened had Smile! been released before Sergeant Peppers.

I am going to set aside plenty of time to listen to this set once it arrives. One of the rarities dug up by the people putting the project together was a rare demo of Brian playing Surfs up at the piano. Fans appetites have been whetted long enough at this stage. This one will be worth the wait!

I was really sad to hear the news recently that Glen Campbell had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. He has decided to release one last album before retiring called “Ghost on the Canvas”. You can only imagine what a difficult situation it must be for him and his family. Its gotta be a mighty strange feeling to think that in time you may not remember so may precious memories or who the people you love in your life even are.

Campbell has a had a long successful career starting out in LA as a session musician. He played on numerous hit singles working with Phil Spectors wrecking crew. His session guitar work made him a highly sought after individual. He even joined the Beach Boys on the road at one stage as a replacement for Brain Wilson who suffered a mental breakdown.

He became a recording star in his own right in the mid to late sixties with songs such as “Gentle on my mind” and the Jimmy Webb penned tunes such as “By the time I get to Phoenix” and the sublime “Wichita Lineman”. He continued to record albums regularly but success levels were low until the mid seventies release of  “Rhinestone Cowboy” which propelled Campbell back to the top of the charts.

Campbell is currently touring for the last time in the UK and Ireland as well as several dates in the US. The album has been widely acclaimed by critics with appearance on several top US chat shows. Glen has appeared happy on the shows putting in good performances. He occasionally has to be reminded of things by his wife but for a seventy five year old guy he certainly seems to be doing well. I hope to get a chance to catch him one last time. He has led one hell of a life!