Beach Boys/Smile Reconstructed and a Stereo mix of the Sessions Edition

This summer, a 2025 stereo remix of “SMiLE,” one of rock’s most famous unfinished albums, is being released. Some say that if it had been released in 1967, it would have rivaled Sgt. Pepper’s masterpiece. The “SMiLE: 1988 MARK LINNETT ROUGH MIXES COMPILATION,” featuring Smile from a time so beloved by enthusiasts, was a mono mix by Mark Linnett. This time, we’ve also released a super-clear version of the entire album in stereo! At the end of the century, Yellow Dog’s Sea Of Tunes label released a series of “UNSURPASSED MASTERS” box sets, dramatically expanding Smile’s studio session recordings, which had previously only been the tip of the iceberg. This, combined with the rapid spread of computer-based music editing, led to a frenzy of activity in the early 21st century, as fans eagerly compiled their own versions of the unfinished “Smile.” However, with the release of Brian Wilson’s solo album “BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMiLE” in 2004 and the Beach Boys’ official album “THE SMiLE SESSIONS” in 2011, the fan-made Smile craze quickly died down. The 2005 Purple Chick version of Smile, the only one that garnered attention for its bold authenticity, incorporating Brian’s version, became the final version of the fan-made “SMiLE” series. Twenty years have passed since the Purple Chick version of Smile, and that version, built solely on available recordings from those days, is now undeniably outdated. Therefore, the enthusiast who provided the soundtrack for the highly acclaimed “PET SOUNDS: UNPROCESSED STEREO & REEL TO REEL MONO,” has used his latest technology to create a new, reconstructed version of “SMiLE” based on the same concept as the Purple Chick version. The meticulous process involved using multiple sound sources for each song to achieve a rich stereo experience. It took five years and numerous reworks to complete the final master, demonstrating the incredibly meticulous process behind Brian’s Smile production. While tracks like “Our Prayer” and “Cabin Essence” retain their original 1960s stereo mixes, “Child Is Father Of The Man” is a stereo version of the 1988 Mark Linet mix and the 2011 mono mix, while “Surf’s Up” is a hybrid, combining the 2011 mix for the first half and the 1971 mix for the second half. Another difficult part of building Smile is “I’m In Great Shape.” The project was abandoned before the official vocal recordings could be made in the studio, and only Brian’s piano demo remains. This technique of combining these elements has been around for 20 years, and even the finished product on “SMiLE SESSIONS” was unnatural. However, this time, just like Brian’s version of “SMiLE,” “Heroes and Villains: Cantina” is used as the intro, and the studio-recorded backing and demo vocals are beautifully combined to create a complete album that finally feels like part of the Smile suite. Then there’s “Good Vibrations,” Smile’s most challenging track, which was impossible to create in stereo due to the loss of the session tape containing the vocal track. This time, by combining both official and fan-made AI-separated stereo mixes from recent years, we’ve achieved a never-before-seen stereo version. The separation in the ending, in particular, is captivatingly vivid. Furthermore, the second disc includes a stereo version of Smile released in 2023 by a fan using AI-separated software. The concept behind this release is to fully convert all tracks into stereo, combining the mono versions from Disc 1 of the 2011 official “SMiLE SESSIONS” album with the 2011 stereo session recordings, the stereo mixes released in bits and pieces on the 2013 compilation album “MADE IN CALIFORNIA,” and AI-separated mono mixes. This stereo version faithfully reproduces the track order, inter-song timing, and structure of the official “SMiLE SESSIONS” album, resulting in a completely different finish from the first disc. For example, “Cabin Essence” uses AI-separated audio to extract only the vocals from “20/20” and combine them with the backing tracks from “SMiLE SESSIONS” to create a completely different stereo mix. “Good Vibrations” is also based on the stereo version of “SMILEY SMILE,” so it’s also completely different from Disc 1. Above all, “SMiLE SESSIONS” is thought to have been compiled in mono, following Brian’s design. However, even at that point, stereo Smile was possible, and many enthusiasts felt it was lacking something. This title finally resolves that dissatisfaction with the official release! Both versions of Smile, recorded on two discs this time, are based on the structure of Brian’s version of Smile, providing an easy-to-understand summary of the legendary symphony album. Each disc offers natural sound spread and clarity, whether played through speakers or listened to carefully with headphones. Enjoy this luxurious two-disc set of Smile in full stereo, something that could never be achieved officially! Includes a new 2025 reconstructed version and a stereo mix of the SMiLE Sessions version. Disc1: 2025 Stereo Reconstruction (46:48) 01. Our Prayer/Gee 02. Heroes And Villains 03. Do You Like Worms 04. Barnyard 05. Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine 06. Cabin Essence 07. Wonderful 08. Look 09. Child Is Father Of The Man 10. Surf’s Up 11. I’m In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop 12. Vega-Tables 13. Holidays 14. Wind Chimes 15. The Elements: Fire 16. Love To Say Da Da 17. Good Vibrations Disc 2: The SMiLE Sessions Stereo Mix (48:09) 01. Our Prayer/Gee 02. Heroes And Villains 03. Do You Like Worms 04. I’m In Great Shape 05. Barnyard 06. Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine 07. Cabin Essence 08. Wonderful 09. Look 10. Child Is Father Of The Man 11. Surf’s Up 12. I Wanna Be Around/Workshop 13. Vega-Tables 14. Holidays 15. Wind Chimes 16. The Elements: Fire 17. Love To Say Da Da 18. Good Vibrations