COMING SOON: Monkees Album Release Dates (comparing them with The Beatles, Beach Boys...)

It likely won't take days or all that many hours, but after seeing the common quote from media interviewing some of The Monkees, talking about how they outsold The Beatles and BB's (or The Rolling Stones?) combined.

It makes me want to look back at release dates of The Monkees albums and when certain Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones..maybe Hendrix and The Who (and Pink Floyd and Zeppelin perhaps)

Also some of the British Invasion and West Coast Psych/Jam bands. CSNY for example per Peter Tork's friendship with Stephen Stills.

I know the Monkees guys went over to England when The Beatles were making Sgt.Peppers, so the thought might be, what was the latest Monkees album out at that time?

I also may try and look at TV Air Dates with the likes of Star Trek (TOS) and maybe Batman as those are 2 shows The Monkees show sort of get associated with. I think some of the scenes were shot at the  same studio, and the same production company? etc.

I may even check out the ole tviv.org with TV Lineups when the show aired.

Curiosity and recreational research I guess.

hopefully sooner than later (maybe before the Mike and Micky show on 3/14?)

Kai Danzberg - Pop-Up Radio (2017-2018)

So per Jellyfish and most recently Beck's band, Roger Joseph Manning's post on Facebook about this guy

Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery, so w that in mind...thank u Kai Danzberg

I discovered the video below, and despite the blatant references, as a Jellyfish, Beatles, Pink Floyd fan, etc, it kind of hit home. And it does sound like a JF track.

So naturally I went to check out the album the track "Welcome to the Show" comes from, Pop-Up Radio, which was released on January 1, 2018.

So Kai Danzberg's music, at least on this song is rather power-pop-ish. I couldn't help but be reminded of Jellyfish or even the likes of Bend Sinister and Timmy Sean in some ways.

This guy I guess is from Germany, and this is his debut album I guess. Although he put out an EP titled Unacceptable last September which is catchy, but also has a New Jack Swing element to it. And he mentions Michael Jackson among the music he's inspired by, Which I actually hear a bit of sElf in the stuff on there.

At any case, I'm going to try and check this whole album out more (I've listened to maybe 2/3 of it, but there wasn't much time at work today = new job, etc), but it's great hear someone new doing proggy Power-Pop.

And that video: I wonder how he did it/how much time, money, etc it took.

Kai Danzberg on Facebook




1. Overture 00:42
2. Welcome To The Show 03:47
3. Yes We Can 03:38
4. Just Listen To Me 02:59
5. You're The One 03:02
6. Puppet On A String 03:45
7. Stranger 05:37
8. How Can You 03:01
9. Too Late 03:35
10. What The F 03:50
11. Sophie 03:28
12. I Should Try 04:22
13. Sleep (Tell Me) 04:08

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Giles Martin Remixes)

50 Years Ago today, June 1st 1967, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released by The Beatles.

A landmark record that opened up the flood gates for modern music, rock and roll, and THE ALBUM FORMAT in general.

And now The Beatles have released a Deluxe/Anniversary REMIX version in a huge Boxed Set, etc.

And 1 I may have to pickup soon. But in the mean time, I am finding means to check it out online. And as I the other day posted on Facebook

The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Giles Martin remix is pretty surreal to hear. It sounds like if the album were recorded last week as opposed to 50 years ago.
I can't help but wonder what other records, namely from a similar period, would sound like with similar treatment.

And I'm listening to these again today, back-to-back, track-by-track with the 2009 Remaster/Reissue that I can conclude is in Mono, like many older recordings.

But even beyond the fact the 2017 Giles Martin (George's Son of course) remixes are in Stereo, there is A LOT MORE to them. They sound much more FULL and LAYERED.

Many sections are heavily BOOSTED to the point on the 2009 version you could barely hear them.

And this mind you is listening WITH HEADPHONES ON. Which frankly, can make a very big difference.

I guess I sort of feel like this is Sgt Pepper's reborn, recaptured, touched up, etc and clarity sounds incredible. Almost like they were playing these songs right in front of me live at times.

I suppose some songs differ in the changes than others. "When I'm 64" I suppose just sounds a little boosted. There aren't huge amounts of tracks brought up or anything.

But like "Being for the Benefit of Mr.Kite" and "Within You Without You," 2 of my favorites on Sgt Pepper's really sounds fresh and modern in the up-ing of the levels and clarity.

I can't imagine what many other records from this period of time (late 60's, maybe up through the mid 70's) might sound like with this level of mix improvement.

Now I suppose many prefer the original mixing and even just in Mono, for nostalgia and just wanting it to exist from the time it was made. Myself? I dunno now. This may not hold up over time and I'll just feel the album is still best as it always was, in the original mix. But regardless, this is something cool to check out in the short term for this album and hopefully others (just Abbey Road alone makes me awfully curious).

Pop Music History Website (1958-2016, Billboard Top 5's)

https://pudding.cool/2017/03/music-history/index.html

I shared this the other day on Social Media and some forums, after seeing on the dreamtheaterforums.

It had myself and my wife kind of addicted for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon, until it unfortunately crashed her 2012 Macbook Pro (she's not a PC person, and I am, but regardless, 2012 sadly, kind of says it all at this point in that she needs a new Mac laptop).

Pick any year and it goes through week-by-week, month-by-month, etc showing the top 5 songs, playing #1, which I believe is from Billboard.

It starts at 1958 and goes all the way up through the end of 2016 I guess.

Seeing the mid and even late 90's on, it was reminder, like many of the WatchMojo lists for music, of how gawd awful Popular Music, and specifically the stuff that charted/people bought, the last 20 years or so.

Many of the songs from 2000's that literally spent months at #1, I had never heard, or even heard-of the artist, lol.

Even stuff like Coldplay or whatever, didn't unseat some of them.

But the counter to that is looking at the charts in the 80's or a lot of the late 60's and 70's, it's neat to see certain songs take down others, or not be able to for the #1 song. Beatles vs Monkees, Michael Jackson vs Madonna.

And the Bee Gees, good lord, between their own hits beyond Stayin Alive, they had something like 12 #1's. And then the solo members/Gibbs brothers had a number of them in the late 70's early 80's. And I guess also some of the #1's that were from others were actually written by some of the Bee Gees.

Talk about dominating the Charts.

Why when Watchmojo Did a Top 10 Billboard #1's for each decade, it was baffling none of their songs were in there. 1 comment said because the list was for "Rock" which the Bee Gees weren't, but stupid semantic arguments didn't really reflect their domination of the charts at all.


Now, and I posted to this site's twitter account, they should try and setup another 1 of these for ALBUMS charted, which I think may not be highly better, but still worth comparing to for the last 2 decades, and of course the "Album Era" per 1967-1975 especially.

But this site is not exclusively for music, it's like a graphing statistical display analysis site for any number of topics, so Music may not be a priority necessarily. But if they do do an ALBUMS one eventually, I'll try and pass it along of course.

Random Artist Feature: The Beatles

Came out to 20 minutes, but for good reason. I just don't have much of the early albums to show. I can talk about them, which maybe I will at some point.

Also as I noted on YouTube in the description, when I'm pulling out Sgt Peppers, I said accidentally "Magical Mystery Tour"..multi-tasking can do that sometimes I suppose.

I also should eventually pickup The White Album I suppose and maybe Let it Be.

Retro Favorite Albums: 1965

Okay, well I gave it some more thought, and instead of 1980, why not start at the full 50-year mark, so this is the 1st of which may end up being 50 (or possibly less) entries about my favorite albums.

Now with this entry though, it probably will be the 1 exception of a list of albums that I don't really consider favorites for the most part. Only Rubber Soul really, but I didn't think it would be worth posting only 1 album for the 1st year, so I figured why not include some popular and quite influential albums that I at least know somewhat.

But this likely will be the only year/entry like this as from every year after this, I don't think I'll find a lack of albums to include. So, in other words I only have 1 or maybe 2-3 3.5+-star albums on this list, but I have plenty from every year after this.

That all being said, just glancing at these albums, 1965 did at least have a decent race, even tho '65 was still more or less the era of the singles. And 1 of the last years per say, of that.


John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
rel February 1965

A classic to some, even not among Jazz fans. I need to revisit this one again, as I know when i checked it out like 10 years ago, I was tired that day at work and may not have been able to fully take it in well. But I do remember it being rather slow and methodical. It is only 3 pieces, and may meander, but to many, in a good way. And did certainly influence the "Free Jazz" movement.


The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!
rel March 8, 1965

This album has Help Me Rhonda notably, and some other fan-favorites I guess. But I'll again admit to not being all that familiar with it.


The Beach Boys - Summer Days (And Summer Nights!
rel July 5, 1965

This one includes Help Me Rhonda as well, along with California Girls among the hits. Again, unfamiliar, so my comments and overall take is limited.


The Moody Blues - The Magnificent Moodies
rel July 23, 1965

This is the Moodies debut and I honestly don't know it, but I know from accounts that even with this album, they were more experimental than most groups, which is why some people consider them among the earlier psych or even progressive groups.


The Beatles - Help!
rel August 3, 1965

The title track, "Ticket to Ride" "Yesterday" "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" and the night before come to mind as some of the best tracks on this album. Some people adore this album, I guess I find my love for The Beatles starts and goes further on the record they released just a few months later. But for what this is, it's still a pretty good record and 1 I in some ways prefer over many of their earlier records.


Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
rel August 30, 1965

Like A Rolling Stone has always been one of my favorite Dylan tracks, which honestly, there aren't that many. And I do appreciate the fact the Highway 61 referred to in the title does refer to the Highway I drive on on occasion in the Eastern St.Paul suburbs.


The Rolling Stones - Out of Our Heads
rel September 24, 1965

This is one of the better early Stones albums, and my familiarity are with many of the hits/singles like "Satisfaction," "The Last Time," and "Play With Fire."


The Beach Boys - Party!
rel November 8, 1965

"Barbara Ann" is on this along with a cover of The Beatles "I Should of Known Better." I get the sense this was kind of compilation of sorts, with some new tunes. But it is worth noting, this is the album that preceded Pet Sounds.



The Beatles - Rubber Soul
rel December 3, 1965

Norwegian Wood,  Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, Michelle, If I Needed Someone, In My Life, You Won't See Me are all tracks I've loved for years. Nowhere Man is trippy as hell. While this isn't my favorite Beatles album, it did really show they were experimenting and would pave the way for their near future work which I also love., which if I was around in '65, I would have been a fanatic which each album coming soon after the other, and all the more amazing.


The Who - My Generation
rel December 3, 1965

The Who's debut album, which includes the title track and "The Kids are Alright" notably. Even though many bands also seemed to show their Beatles influence clearly, there was definitely ambition with them and Pete Townshend at points here.

WatchMojo.com: Top 10 Concept Albums

Not a bad list

for what it's worth, here's the actual link/with the site's voting results

I guess I have no issue with them having Thick as a Brick (as I happen to love that record) and Sgt Pepper's as well..; the Volta, Queensryche, The Who and even Rush and Dream Theater titles I would personally take a different record from

Frances the Mute
Promised Land
Quadrophenia
Hemispheres
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

but I like more or less all of those albums at least. Although I consider Quadrophenia a MUCH better album in general to Tommy, I still enjoy Tommy, but maybe not the concept nearly as much as Quad's.

Now with The Wall, like Tommy, I like a lot of the music (probably about 2/3), but find both with the concept to be too overblown and preachy; and just doesn't work as a whole.

I noticed Animals relatively high on the voting list, and I would easily choose it over both in terms of the music of course and the CONCEPT in fact. Less is definitely A LOT MORE with Animals vs The Wall.

The David Bowie I can take or leave. I enjoy Bowie and that album, while not my favorite Bowie record, I still can understand why it may make this list.

Green Day? so typical, but blech..terrible concept and maybe even more terrible music from a terrible band; but I suppose it hardly is surprising to see based on the voters and what kinds of picks WMJ tends to include in these lists.

It was nice to see in the HM's Genesis The Lamb among a few others.

What albums did they miss? for my personal taste, I would look no further than basically my 4 favorite albums of all-time

-Marillion - Brave (or Misplaced Childhood I would have had no issue with still)
-Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True
-Soundscape - Discovery (no chance it'd ever make this list, but it is a concept album and it is an all-time favorite. I suppose if Fates Warning had been included, something like A Pleasant Shade of Gray or Awaken the Guardian I'd be satisfied at least in a way)
-Apes and Androids - Blood Moon

Pat Metheny - And I Love Her (The Beatles)

It's Pat Metheny covering a classic Beatles number, nuff said.
Facebook Post


"And I Love Her" (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)

“The Beatles were huge for me. Without them, I don’t know if I even would have become a musician or a guitar player. When their hits started coming out, I was 8 and 9 years old and it had a tremendous impact on me. I saw the movie “A Hard Day’s Night” multiple times when it came out and I always loved that song. It is kind of impossible to imagine doing a record like this without including at least one Beatles song.”

Pat Metheny "What's It All About" | patmetheny.com/nonesuch.com

Significant Albums: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

The 1st vinyl record I ever bought. I have a vague yet certain memory of buying this album on vinyl LP in the year 1987, likely in the Summer. And after I bought it, which I am guessing was at the old 'Great American Music" store at Harmar Mall (or possibly Rosedale). My parents and I went to dinner after that, at I think the Green Mill at Rosedale

It was around that time I had seen "Complete Beatles" which my folks had recorded on VHS tape off I think the local PBS affiliate in the Twin Cities, Channel 2. And of course that documentary spoke glaringly about this album. I recall there was one guy whose title was "musicologist" praising it to no end. I remember after seeing that title, wondering what a "musicologist" was exactly, and how does one become a musicologist. How much money could a musicologist make? etc.

"Within You, Without You" in my 2nd or 3rd revisiting/renewal of my love for The Beatles music, was the song I became the most in awe of. Some of the best Beatles songs are the one's where they incorporated spiritual and middle eastern elements.

Try to realise it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows within you and without you.

When you've seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you

A therapeutic and meditative track, that I love the call and response between Lennon's vocals and the sitar played by George Harrison, which I'll fully admit, I use to assume was Ravi Shankar.

The triippy nature of "Being for the Benefit of Mr.Kite" I also have probably appreciated more recently than back in 1987. The *circus* atmosphere Lennon wanted-to and more or less created is wonderful. It's 1 of those tracks, like "Tomorrow Never Knows" or "Strawberry Fields Forever", that is a head rush that I can't help but love. And I can't even imagine how it influenced a lot of psychedelic rock that came after it.

And actually the same could be said about "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" which I know received more notoriety (and airplay), for one reason alone, just the whole LSD thing with the title. That tune I distinctly remember hearing as a kid and liking. I think maybe even more than the trippy odd tones coming from the music, the lyrics told a story to me. "The girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes"..the 11 or 12 year old me found that freaky. But I also remember picturing a tale of 2 younger people sort of in love. The different adjectives and references, honestly may have been the 1st time I'd heard them. "Marmalade" I remember once hearing in a kids story, that was British, because I came to often associate that word and food with the UK.

Cellophane Flowers and Marshmellow Pies? yeah, I don't think I had been exposed to those before hearing this tune.

Getting Better, When I'm 64, Lovely Rita, the title track and the reprise, A Little Help From My Friends were all kind of Beatles staples I got to know about, I think on the compilation record my folks had they would play. And songs like She's Leaving Home and Fixing a Hole also add to the charm of this album.

And then you have "A Day in the Life," which to many is the quintessential Beatles tune. It seems like an experiment of studio technique and little movements that worked perfectly. "I heard the news today Oh Boy"..which leads And then the McCartney voiced

Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream

 to that trippy moaning from Lennon.

So relate-able at first, the whole rush in the morning (which maybe the fact there is a song titled "Good Morning" was made or influenced this song, or vice-versa). But the way the lyrics talk about "a dream" this song and maybe the album as-a-whole is meant to be kind of a dream.

Like Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz (or even The Secret Life of Walter Mitty even..the whole idea of a DAY DREAM). I mean this by many is regarded as the 1st *concept album* of sorts. So it sort of tells a story, but fictional. The ending of A Day in the Life kind of wraps up the experiences of the album and offers where the story of the band or just one person.

I have no idea if the band intended it to be that way, or if the songs just seemed to go well together lyrically and musically. Even down to the cover art, with all the famous people and what not. It's almost like this fictional band, Sgt Pepper's, is taken or takes you, to a world where all those famous people are. Whether they were alive in the real world The Beatles themselves were in, or not.

I guess I haven't read boat loads of material about the analysis of this record to know if many others interpret it in a storybook almost fantasy or scifi way, but it wouldn't surprise me. A Day in the Life though, is just one of those songs that included a ton of ideas, from dynamics, to sampling, to like I mentioned before, some clever, original studio tricks.

Sgt Pepper's is historically a highly praised record, and by many, The Beatles peak. I'm not sure if I feel that way entirely, but the influence it had on not only on so much music I love, but just personally myself I can't deny. Even for the fact there was a period in the 90's, I came to shun The Beatles, I suppose due to hearing bands like Rush and thinking much of their music was too simplistic and overrated. My best friend from High School felt similarly (probably more so), and used to criticize them frequently. But I came to realize how naive I became in that thinking (whether I ever feel the same about bands like Nirvana or Radiohead, I dunno, I have my doubts though).

But no, Sgt Pepper's is a work of art, a very experimental/forward thinking record that I still honestly am marveled by for nostalgia sake and for just the quality of the songs, production and historic importance of. I might even say in some ways, it was my 1st favorite album, even though I wasn't so into "albums" when I was 10 or 11 years old. Thriller and Purple Rain, I think I mainly think of the singles 1st, but Sgt Pepper's still was then and still is an *album* greater than the sum of its parts. And it really set the standard for the millions or more artists to make *albums* as opposed to just a bunch of songs.

Significant Albums: Jellyfish - Spilt Milk (1993)

This album. I can't recall the exact time, even year exactly, but it had to have been in the mid 90's, possibly 1996 or 1997, when I would guess Mike Portnoy had dropped the name Jellyfish in 1 or more interviews I read. Per Metal Edge or maybe even on the old "Under a Cyber Moon" Dream Theater website.

But I distinctly remember checking this album and Bellybutton out, and finding both for not a lot, likely at Cheapo. And the truth was, I wasn't crazy about them. Maybe it was the title "Spilt Milk" or the girl on the cover, but it didn't jump out at me.

So, they both remained in my cd collection, and I think the next point their name came up was when I was at KFAI around 2000, interviewing of all bands, local prog metal/Queensryche-like band Conditioned Response. And one of those guys on the air mentioned that he was listening to Jellyfish.

So, at that point I recall re-checking them and those cds I had out. And I do remember liking them, actually Bellybutton more.

And in the coming years, with listening to both albums more, and also seeing Mike Portnoy and some others online use their name more and more, I became pretty won over by them.

And I'd say over the last 7 or 8 years at least, maybe more, they have stood out more and more as being ahead of their time in a lot of ways.

Now with this album compared to Bellybutton, I came to see them as about equal, but in the past 4 or 5 years, I've given in to the fact this is their finest work. It just works so well on a production level, and on a flow or track-2-track level.

I recall once thinking and telling people about them as being like The Beach Boys doing progressive rock, which in a vague sense still makes some sense. But I also hear a ton of Beatles influence, as well as Queen, XTC and even groups like ELO. Along with sharing some qualities with some of their contemporaries like King's X, Galactic Cowboys and even Faith No More to a small degree. And Toy Matinee even I would later come to hear/agree with.

Even people like local Minnesota songwriter/popstress Jenny Case and Jimmy Gnecco of Ours have spoken about their love of Jellyfish and this album.

They just found a way to combine power-pop with a classic rock feel, that somehow sounded really clean and modern. When you listen to Jellyfish, and Spilt Milk specifically, you think it was music made in the 70's, but like it was remastered or something, because the recording sounds very hot and almost glitzy and layered.

To not name some of my favorites would be silly. Songs like "New Mistake" and "Sabrina Paste and Plato" are just so catchy and ear-worm like, they are impossible to not love, the more I hear them.
"So serene, Sabrina makes me feel..dah dah dah dah dah dah dahhhhhhhhhh"

"Joining a Fanclub" is a great sort of track to kickstart this album off, which I always think of Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning being in some Beatles fanclub.

Andy Sturmer, not only is an incredible drummer, but his voice is 1 of the biggest reasons I think Jellyfish stands out. It is just so crisp and the little raspy element makes it sound so distinct.

I have always felt the 1st half of this album has this amazing energy, which has only seldom been matched, so much so, I always look for, but rarely find other albums that have that.

Also the lyrics seem to stay with me frequently,

like from Ghost at Number 1:

 "how does it feel to be the only one that knows that you're right"

That certainly is a line that I can and have related to in many ways.

I'm sure there are a ton of points I am not remembering at this very moment about this album, that I may or may not try and edit in eventually. But the thing about Jellyfish and Spilt Milk is, it was clearly to me ahead of its time, and frankly. there has not been a band to make a record as good or quite like it since in this sort of progressive power-pop. Combining similar if not the same influences. Some have tried like The Wondermints or recently The Pillbugs (or even Bleu), but it hasn't happened. I guess I keep waiting for it to happen. The New Pornographers and The Apples in Stereo are sort of the closest thing to modern bands who have made power-pop I enjoy a lot (or getting a bit looser, stuff like Self, The Dissociatives, Bend Sinister and many others), but neither have come close to matching either JF LP, and this being their Swan Song thus the 1 to think of.

A reunion would be a miracle at this point as Roger and Andy can't stand each other I guess, so their likely is a better chance I join 1 of them live or in the studio, but I guess I still keep a small fraction of hope it could happen before I die.

If only I had been a fan and been old enough to go, I probably would have seen them at First Ave supporting this album in '93 (or '94).

The thing is, when Jellyfish came out, they were such a contrast to the whole Grunge movement, that it probably was as big of a reason they ended. Why a band like Dream Theater didn't go by the wayside, and they did? I dunno, maybe personalities. But the 90's pop and alternative music really doesn't compare to them in so many ways. A band like Weezer for example, were around not long after, but because they had enough of a garage sound, I think made it.

It's kind of a shame, but also likely a case where had Jellyfish continued on, their music may have suffered. So in that sense, their legacy never got tainted.

It is also definitely worth mentioning how this was their Swan Song, after 3 years from Bellybutton their debut album. Spilt Milk does not include the work of singer/songwriter Jason Falkner, who was on Bellybutton. Why this album is as good as it is may speak to why Jason left, i.e. he wasn't getting enough of his songwriting involved with the band. Of course there's no way to know what this or other work may have been like with him, but it may have ultimately been for the benefit of both JF and Jason.

The Beach Boys vs. The Beatles note

I am pretty sick of fans and even journalists getting this wrong.

The jousting that went on between The Beatles and The Beach Boys in the mid 60's went like this, pretty much due to the shear chronological time frame of each album's release dates.


The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Recorded: June 17th; October 12th – November 11th, 1965
Released: December 3rd, 1965.


The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Recorded: July 12, 1965; November 1, 1965 – April 13, 1966
Released: May 16, 1966

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys are so impressed by Rubber Soul they go ahead and create Pet Sounds (I imagine primarily in the period of time between November '65 and April of '66 since presumably hearing all of Rubber Soul in December).


The Beatles - Revolver

Recorded: April 6th - June 21st, 1966
Released: August 5th, 1966

The Beatles, after hearing The Beach Boys Pet Sounds in May of 1966, wrote and recorded much of this album which is seen as a reaction to it.


The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (Single)

Recorded: February–September 1966
Released: October 10, 1966


After hearing The Beatles Revolver, The Beach Boys, or rather Brian Wilson specifically reacted so strongly with trying to top that album, he wrote and had the band go through an incredibly meticulous and expensive process to make this single song.

"The production of the song is reported to have spanned seventeen recording sessions at four different recording studios, and used over 90 hours of magnetic recording tape, with an eventual budget of $50,000."

Originally, Brian Wilson never intended this to be included on a full-length LP, but in the process of making the music for Smile, and also the reaction to The Beatles Revolver, it was then intended to be included on Smile.


The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Recorded December 6th, 1966 – April 21st 1967
Released: June 1st, 1967

The Beatles released this as a reaction to The Beach Boys Good Vibrations, but also a follow-up to Revolver.


The Beach Boys - Smile/The Smile Sessions

Recorded: May 11, 1966 – May 19, 1967
Except "Good Vibrations": recorded February 17 – September 1, 1966
Released: November 1, 2011

So if you're one of these people who thinks Pet Sounds or even Smile was part of the jousting from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, take a look at the actual RELEASE DATES and you may realize you're off by 1 album.

However, based on the dates Smile/The Smile Sessions were actually RECORDED, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys hadn't even heard Sgt Pepper's, because they finished recording for Smile a few weeks earlier in May.

The ole story goes is when Brian Wilson heard Revolver he freaked out so much he labored for all that time over what never got released until this year in The Smile Sessions. Then after completing work on that, he heard Sgt Pepper's and decided to give up. But it was REVOLVER not SGT PEPPER'S that inspired Smile. Sgt Pepper's was basically just salt in his already deep wound.