SMiLE!

Psychedelic Barbershop

I've never been much of a Beach Boys or Brian Wilson fan and, until recently, owned exactly none of their albums. After reading some of the rapturous reviews of SMiLE, the "new" Brian Wilson album that he began working on in 1966 and then abandoned for 37 years, I decided to buy it, however. I'm glad I did. How can I describe it? Try this: a melodic meditation on American history, childhood and the four elements, as meditated upon by a psychedelic barbershop quartet, using multi-layered, four-part harmonies and surreal lyrics. Words are inadequate, but that may give you a hint of what this strange pop masterpiece is like. I wonder what its impact would have been had it been released as planned in 1967. It doesn't sound like a 60s relic, nor like anything on the current pop-music scene.

Here's an entire website devoted to SMiLE (past and present), which is often described as the most famous and legendary "lost" album in popular music history: The Smile Shop.