The Beach Boys / Smiley Smile (US, Brother Records, T-9001) <September 18, 1967>

The Beach Boys / Smiley Smile (US, Brother Records, T-9001) <September 18, 1967>
(1) T-1-9001-F-3
(2) T-2-9001-F-3

Recorded ; February 17, 1966 – July 14, 1967
Initial pressings of this LP had no credit for Barry Turnbull on the back cover.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0yoiBYbT2I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8de_EbOd22M

"Smiley Smile" is the twelfth studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on September 18, 1967. It reached number 9 on UK record charts, but sold poorly in the US, peaking at number 41—the band's lowest chart placement to that point. Critics and fans generally received the album and its lead single, "Heroes and Villains", with confusion and disappointment. "Good Vibrations" and "Gettin' Hungry" were also released as singles, but the former was issued a year earlier, while the latter was not credited to the band.

Conceived as a simplified version of their then-forthcoming album "Smile", "Smiley Smile" contrasts significantly with its stripped-down approach and lo-fi production. Following principal songwriter Brian Wilson's declaration that most of the original Smile tapes would be abandoned, the majority of recording sessions lasted for only six weeks at his makeshift home studio using what was predominantly radio broadcasting equipment, a detuned piano, electronic bass, melodica, found objects for percussion, and a Baldwin theater organ. The unconventional recording process juxtaposed an experimental party-like atmosphere with short pieces of music edited together in a disjointed manner, combining the engineering methods of "Good Vibrations" with the loose feeling of "Beach Boys' Party!" (1965).

From late 1966 to mid-1967, Smile was repeatedly delayed while the Beach Boys were subject to a considerable level of media hype that proclaimed Wilson as a "genius". After settling payment disputes with Capitol Records, "Smiley Smile" was distributed in collaboration with Brother Records, the band's new self-owned record company. The album's production was unusually credited to "the Beach Boys", marking the point where Wilson began ceding his leadership of the group. "Smile" was left unfinished as the band immediately moved onto the recording of the albums "Lei'd in Hawaii" (unreleased) and "Wild Honey" (December 1967).

"Smiley Smile" has since become a critical and cult favorite in the Beach Boys' catalog, influencing the development of ambient music and bedroom pop. It is often cited for having positive effects on listeners experiencing an LSD comedown, and it was used by at least one drug clinic to help relieve users from bad trips. In 1974, it was ranked number 64 in NME's list of the greatest albums of all time. Some session highlights from the album are featured on the compilations "The Smile Sessions" (2011) and "1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow" (2017).