BRIAN WILSON
presents Smile DVD
Rhino Home Entertainment 2005
www.brianwilson.com

Sample it here

What’s the 4-1-1?
To commemorate the long-overdue release of Smile (30+ years), Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson celebrates with a double DVD that chronicles the task of finishing and releasing Smile, as well as a live performance. Both discs are formatted to 5.1 sound and 16 x 9 letterbox.

Genre
Pop-rock

The Good
Disc 1: Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile

The first disc is a two hour documentary on Brian’s beginnings, his success with the Beach Boys, his agonies with Smile, and his triumph return. It’s chock-full of information and insight. One thing I didn’t know is that Brian Wilson is deaf in one ear. As Brian tells his story we find out that his father was very controlling and abused his children. Brian was inspired to write music by George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. Wilson had to fire his father as manager and do everything himself at a young age. It was a bad LSD trip that inspired him to write “California Girls”. The Beach Boys constantly fought with him over the ever-changing sound that he created for them.

While composing the music for Smile, Brian set his piano in a sandbox. He also set up an Arabian tent for inspiration. He used it until he realized how hot it was inside. Smile was originally set for release in January of 1967. It was shelved because of Brian’s frustrations with the Beach Boys adapting and accepting the music and pressures from the record company. Smile is a concept album that depicts a bicycle trip from Plymouth, Massachusetts to Hawaii (I know, how do you get to Hawaii on a bike?).

It wasn’t until Brian got married in the nineties that he got the psychological help that he need as a result of a nervous breakdown he suffered in the sixties (there’s more to it than that). His wife inspires him to perform live again and revisit Smile. It all culminates with a historic concert in England 2004. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more—I didn’t ruin it for you. Bonus materials included on this disc are a theatrical trailer, highlights from the show in England, an after-show featurette, and interview highlights.

Disc 2: Smile Live Performance

The second disc features a liver performance that was recorded in Los Angeles, California. Brian Wilson appears center stage seated behind a keyboard. He is backed-up by a 15+ member band that included a string section, back-up singers, percussionists, and more. The show begins with the spiritual, hymn-like “Our Prayer/Gee”. The albums centerpiece “Heroes and Villains” shows that Wilson’s signature sound is still intact. “Roll Plymouth Rock” has great vocal harmonies and catchy keyboard work. “Barnyard” is quite playful as everyone is assigned an animal noise. With its banjo and harmonica accents, “Cabin Essence” makes you feel like you’re sailing down a river bank.

Wilson continues to show his playful side with the healthy eating promotion of “Vega-Tables”. A carnival atmosphere is set with “On Holiday”. On “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow”, the string section, keyboards, slide whistles, and kazoos combine to create the panic that a fire causes. Do you need me to talk about “Good Vibrations”? Bonus materials included on this disc include outtakes from the documentary, a Brian Wilson photo gallery, Brian Wilson at the piano (which includes brief performances), a recording of featurette, and a video for “Heroes and Villains” that was arraigned by a contest winner.

The Bad
Brian Wilson sat behind a keyboard throughout the whole live performance, but I’ll be damned if he played one note.

The Verdict
I was skeptical going into the live performance of the DVD. I’ve heard time and time again that in recent years that Brian Wilson just doesn’t perform well in a live setting. That’s why I was shocked when so many reviewers put Smile on their Best of the Year lists. I avoided it. That was a mistake! This particular performance is spectacular, inspiring, and fun. Brian brings along so many great musicians to help capture the unique and complex sound of Smile. The outcome is flawless.

I think the reason why the music of Smile is so enjoyable and special is because it harkens back to a more innocent time. Who sings about wind chimes and a barnyard these days? Although stuff like that may seem laughable in today’s music, the arrangement and music that Wilson uses for Smile is just so enticing that you forget how silly some of the themes can be.

Did You Know?
Classical composer Leonard Bernstein once sited Brian Wilson as one of his favorite rock composers, despite admitting that 95% of rock music is pure rubbish.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne