Smiley Smile is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on September 18, 1967. Conceived as a simpler and more relaxed version of their unfinished Smile album, Smiley Smile is distinguished for its homespun arrangements, stoned aesthetic, and lo-fi production. Critics and fans generally received the album and its lead single, Heroes and Villains , with confusion and disappointment. The album reached number 9 on UK record charts, but sold poorly in the U.S., peaking at number 41 the band s lowest chart placement to that point.
Following principal songwriter Brian Wilson s declaration that most of the original Smile tapes would be abandoned, the majority of the recording sessions lasted for six weeks at his makeshift home studio using radio broadcasting equipment, a detuned piano, electronic bass, melodica, found objects for percussion, and a Baldwin theater organ. The unconventional recording process juxtaposed an experimental party-like atmosphere with short pieces of music edited together in a disjointed manner, combining the engineering methods of Good Vibrations 1966 with the loose feeling of Beach Boys Party 1965 . Despite leading these sessions, Wilson deliberately credited the album s production to the group collectively for the first time.
From late 1966 to mid-1967, Smile had been repeatedly delayed while the Beach Boys were subject to a considerable level of media hype proclaiming Wilson to be a genius . After settling payment disputes with Capitol Records, Smiley Smile was distributed in collaboration with Brother Records, the band s new self-owned record company. A second single, Gettin Hungry , was credited to Wilson and Mike Love and failed to chart. Smile was left incomplete as the band immediately moved onto the recording of Lei d in Hawaii, an unfinished live album featuring performances in the style of Smiley Smile, and Wild Honey, released in December 1967.
Smiley Smile has since become a critical and cult favorite, influencing the development of the lo-fi, ambient, and bedroom pop genres. It is often regarded as one of the finest chill-out albums for having positive effects on listeners experiencing an LSD comedown, 10 a usage adopted by at least one drug clinic. 11 In 1974, it was ranked number 64 in NME s list of the greatest albums of all time.
