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Rating:
The 1960s were underway, and the great book of rock was just on its first pages; probably no one could have foreseen the incredible amount of genres and experimentation that would follow in the coming years, but despite this, the first experimenters didn’t delay, and groups like the Mothers of Invention or the Velvet Underground (just to name a couple) would brand history and music as a whole. But among the bands destined to make their mark and contribute to the evolution of the sector, there were also two seemingly unsuspected groups, the Beatles in the old continent and their “cousins” across the ocean, the Beach Boys.
Starting as pop bands devoted to catchy tunes and cheeky melodies, these two groups decided, more or less simultaneously, to evolve and take their sound further, with the goal of finally giving artistic dignity to the so-called pop music. This led to a relationship of competition-admiration where the two bands responded to each other album by album in an attempt to outdo their competitors; but as we all know (and after reading this review even those few who previously ignored it can finally assert: "I know!"), after producing what is considered the group's peak (Pet Sounds), to which the Fab4 responded with the well-known Sgt. Pepper, in an attempt to go even further, the leader of the B.B. had a nervous breakdown that led to the halt of what was supposed to be the group's most ambitious work: "Smile".
For years, indeed decades, it seemed to be over, except for two attempts to resurrect the project first with the group in 2004 with Smiley Smile and then as a solo artist (Smile), works that however did not fully convince many listeners and seemed to most like a sort of reheated soup, as well as long overdue. In 2011, 44 years from the originally scheduled release date, Capitol decided to release the original sessions of the work, presenting what should be the least edited version and therefore the most faithful to the original project. Obviously, such a juicy opportunity to cash in among the fans couldn't be missed, hence for these sessions, you can choose from a wide range of alternatives, up to, if you're really hardcore, the super mega ultra limited deluxe edition consisting of no less than 4 vinyls and 5 CDs (in which, I imagine, you'll be able to listen to essential things like a thousand alternative takes or remixes per track and burps and farts made in the studio; oh well as it will have been understood, I have never understood the utility of these things...).
I, on the other hand, being a poor broke student with no means, settled for the simple version which limits itself to the bare essentials and provides 19 pieces of excellent psychedelic pop at my disposal. Clearly, nowadays nothing you hear will even remotely shock you (as we are used to blasting our ears with kraut, noise, industrial, black metal, etc.), but this release represents an excellent opportunity to take home what, for better or worse, represents a piece of the history of popular music; without having to resort to some lousy bootleg version and with all the trappings of officialdom.
Of course (and impossible) to give it a rating, but as lovers of the genre, you will find music to your ears.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
03 Heroes and Villains (04:52)
I've been in this town so long that back in the city
I've been taken for lost and gone
And unknown for a long long time
Fell in love years ago
With an innocent girl
From the Spanish and Indian home
Home of the heroes and villains
Once at night Catillian squared the fight
And she was right in the rain of the bullets that eventually brought her down
But she's still dancing in the night
Unafraid of what a dude'll do in a town full of heroes and villains
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Stand or fall I know there
Shall be peace in the valley
And it's all an affair
Of my life with the heroes and villains
My children were raised
You know they suddenly rise
They started slow long ago
Head to toe healthy weathy and wise
I've been in this town so long
So long to the city
I'm fit with the stuff
To ride in the rough
And sunny down snuff I'm alright
By the heroes and
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
06 Barnyard (00:48)
Out in the barnyard
the chickens drew their numbers
out in the barnyard
the cook is chopping lumber
jump in the pigpen
next time I'll leave my shoes on
hit the dirt
do two and a half
next time I'll leave my hat off
oooh oooh oooh ooh
oooh oooh oooh oooh
oooh oooh oooh oooh
oooh oooh oooh oooh
09 Wonderful (02:04)
She belongs there, left with her liberty
Never known as a non-believer
She laughs and stays in the
Won- won- wonderful
She knew how to gather the forest when
God reached softly and moved her body
One golden locket quite young
And loving her mother and father
Farther down the path was a mystery
Through the recess the chalk and numbers
A boy bumped into her
Won- won- won- wonderful
Na na na na na na na
Hey bobba reba
----Everybody should
Wa bobba lee
Just start collecting
Hey bobba reba
Oh yeah
Wa bobba lee
Kept a-comin on
Hey bobba
Just to be a cool guy
Hey bobba
He bobba reba
Don't think you're God
He bobba reba
Vibrations
Go for a ride
Wa bobba lee
Just go for a
He bobba reba
Just keep goin
Wa bobba lee
Said it
Just keep goin'
Hey bobba
All you gotta do is
Hey bobba
Cool it vibrations
He bobba reba
Ah just gotta do it vibrate
la la
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
She'll return in love with her liberty
Never known as a non-believer
She'll smile and thank God
For one won- won- wonderful
Na na na na na na na
14 Vega-Tables (03:49)
I'm gonna be round my vegetables
I'm gonna chow down my vegetables
I love you most of all
My favorite vege-table
If you brought a big brown bag of them home
I'd jump up and down and hope you'd toss me a carrot
I'm gonna keep well my vegetables
Cart off and sell my vegetables
I love you most of all
My favorite vege-table
Oh oh taba vega vegel
I tried to kick the ball but my tenny flew right off
I'm red as a beet 'cause I'm so embarassed
Sleep a lot eat a lot brush em like crazy
Run a lot do a lot never be lazy
Sleep a lot eat a lot brush em like crazy
Run a lot do a lot never be lazy
Oh oh dum do dum de dooby do
Oh oh dum do dum de dooby do
Oh oh dum do dum de dooby do
oh yeah
Oh badumday oh dum do dum de dooby do
Oh badumday oh dum do dum de dooby do
I throw away my candy bar and I ate the wrapper
And when they told me what I did I burst into laughter
I know that you'll feel better
When you send us in
Your letter an'
Tell us the name of your
Your favorite vege-table
16 Wind Chimes (03:06)
Hanging down from my window
Those are my wind chimes
On the warm breeze the little bells
Tinkle like wind chimes
Though it's hard I try not to look at my wind chimes
Now and then a tear rolls off my cheek
Close your eyes and lean back now listen to wind chimes
In the late afternoon you're hung up on wind chimes
Though it's hard I try not to look at my wind chimes
19 Good Vibrations (04:15)
I, I love the colorful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
I hear the sound of a gentle word
On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
She's giving me excitations
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
(Oom bop bop good vibrations)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
Close my eyes
She's somehow closer now
Softly smile, I know she must be kind
When I look in her eyes
She goes with me to a blossom world
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
She's giving me excitations
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
(Oom bop bop good vibrations)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop excitations)
(Ahhhhhhh)
(Ah my my what elation)
I don't know where but she sends me there
(Ah my my what a sensation)
(Ah my my what elations)
(Ah my my what)
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations
A happenin' with her
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations
A happenin' with her
Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations
A happenin'
Ahhhhhhhh
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
(I'm pickin' up good vibrations)
She's giving me excitations
(Oom bop bop)
(Excitations)
Good good good good vibrations
(Oom bop bop)
She's na na...
Na na na na na
Na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na
Do do do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do
Do do do
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