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==== "Good Vibrations" and ''Smile'' ==== [[File:The Beach Boys September 16 1967 Billboard.png|thumb|The Beach Boys accepting a gold record sales certification for "[[Good Vibrations]]" at the [[Capitol Tower]], late 1966]] Throughout the summer of 1966, Brian concentrated on finishing the group's next single, "[[Good Vibrations]]".{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=5}} Instead of working on whole songs with clear large-scale syntactical structures, he limited himself to recording short interchangeable fragments (or "modules"). Through the method of [[tape splicing]], each fragment could then be assembled into a linear sequence, allowing any number of larger structures and divergent moods to be produced at a later time.<ref name="ARP"/> Coming at a time when pop singles were usually recorded in under two hours, it was one of the most complex pop productions ever undertaken, with sessions for the song stretching over several months in four major Hollywood studios. It was also the most expensive single ever recorded to that point, with production costs estimated to be in the tens of thousands.{{sfn|Harrison|1997|pp=41–46}} [[File:Van Dyke Parks 1967.png|thumb|upright|[[Van Dyke Parks]], Brian's lyricist and collaborator for the unfinished album ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]'']] In the midst of "Good Vibrations" sessions, Wilson invited session musician and songwriter [[Van Dyke Parks]] to collaborate as lyricist for the Beach Boys' next album project, soon titled ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]''. Parks agreed.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=129}}{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=114}} Wilson and Parks intended ''Smile'' to be a continuous suite of songs linked both thematically and musically, with the main songs linked together by small vocal pieces and instrumental segments that elaborated on the major songs' musical themes.{{sfn|Williams|2010|pp=94–98}} It was explicitly American in style and subject, a conscious reaction to the overwhelming British dominance of popular music at the time.{{sfn|Priore|2005|p=94}}{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=117}} Some of the music incorporated chanting, cowboy songs, explorations in Indian and Hawaiian music, jazz, classical [[tone poem]]s, cartoon sound effects, ''[[musique concrète]]'', and yodeling.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Sean|title=The Once and Future King: 'SMiLE' and Brian Wilson's Very American Dream|url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/161935-the-once-and-future-king-smile-and-brian-wilsons-very-american-dream/|website=Popmatters|access-date=July 17, 2014|date=August 28, 2012|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728143335/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/161935-the-once-and-future-king-smile-and-brian-wilsons-very-american-dream/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' writer [[Jules Siegel]] recalled that, on one October evening, Brian announced to his wife and friends that he was "writing a teenage symphony to God".{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=101}} Recording for ''Smile'' lasted about a year, from mid-1966 to mid-1967, and followed the same modular production approach as "Good Vibrations".{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=390}} Concurrently, Wilson planned many different multimedia side projects, such as a sound effects collage, a comedy album, and a "health food" album.<ref name="Nolan1971">{{cite magazine|last=Nolan|first=Tom|title=The Beach Boys: A California Saga|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=October 28, 1971|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beach-boys-a-california-saga-19711028|issue=94|access-date=May 13, 2018|archive-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718092340/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beach-boys-a-california-saga-19711028|url-status=dead}}</ref> Capitol did not support all these ideas, which led to the Beach Boys' desire to form their own label, [[Brother Records]]. According to biographer [[Steven Gaines]], Wilson employed his newfound "best friend" [[David Anderle]] as head of the label.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=164}} Throughout 1966, [[EMI]] flooded the UK market with Beach Boys albums not yet released there, including ''Beach Boys' Party!'', ''The Beach Boys Today!'' and ''Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)'',{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=476}} while ''Best of the Beach Boys'' was number 2 there for several weeks at the end of the year.<ref name="Mawer/OCC">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217020406/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1966.php|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1966.php|first=Sharon|last=Mawer|title=Album Chart History: 1966|publisher=[[Official Charts Company|The Official UK Charts Company]]|date=May 2007|archive-date=December 17, 2007|access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Over the final quarter of 1966, the Beach Boys were the highest-selling album act in the UK, where for the first time in three years American artists broke the chart dominance of British acts.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Andrews |first1=Grame |date=March 4, 1967 |title=Americans Regain Rule in England |magazine=Billboard|volume=79 |issue=9 |pages=1, 10 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=CykEAAAAMBAJ |page=1}} |access-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref> In 1971, ''[[New York (magazine)|Cue]]'' magazine wrote that, from mid-1966 to late-1967, the Beach Boys "were among the vanguard in practically every aspect of the counter culture".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Pet Sounds|magazine=Cue|date=1971|volume=40|issue=27|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=EwgwAQAAIAAJ}}}}</ref> {{Listen |pos=right |filename=Beach Boys - Good Vibrations.ogg |title="Good Vibrations" (1966) |description="[[Good Vibrations]]" was the Beach Boys' third single to top the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. It proliferated a wave of pop experimentation with its rush of riff changes, echo-chamber effects, and intricate harmonies.<ref>{{cite web|last1=John|first1=Bush|title=Review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/good-vibrations-mt0028092523|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=November 16, 2014|archive-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112102732/http://www.allmusic.com/song/good-vibrations-mt0028092523|url-status=live}}</ref> }} Released on October 10, 1966, "Good Vibrations" was the Beach Boys' third US number 1 single, reaching the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December, and became their first number 1 in Britain.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=155–156}} That month, the record was their first single certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=86}} It came to be widely acclaimed as one of the greatest masterpieces of rock music.{{sfn|Harrison|1997|p=34}} In December 1966, the Beach Boys were voted the top band in the world in the ''NME''{{'}}s annual readers' poll, ahead of the Beatles, [[the Walker Brothers]], [[the Rolling Stones]], and [[the Four Tops]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=86–87}} Throughout the first half of 1967, the release date for ''Smile'' was repeatedly postponed as Brian continuously tinkered with the recordings, experimenting with different takes and mixes, and appeared unable or unwilling to supply finished versions of songs. Meanwhile, he began to suffer from delusions and paranoia, believing on one occasion that the would-be album track "[[The Elements: Fire|Fire]]" caused a building to burn down.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=118}} On January 3, 1967, Carl Wilson refused to be drafted for military service, leading to indictment and criminal prosecution, which he challenged as a [[conscientious objector]].<ref name="CW">{{cite web |url=http://reasonabledoubt.org/index.php/criminallawblog/entry/january-3-1967-beach-boy-carl-wilson-becomes-draft-dodger-today-in-crime-history |title=January 3, 1967, Beach Boy Carl Wilson Becomes a Draft Dodger – Today in Crime History |last=Buchanan |first=Michael |date=January 2, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225084530/http://reasonabledoubt.org/index.php/criminallawblog/entry/january-3-1967-beach-boy-carl-wilson-becomes-draft-dodger-today-in-crime-history |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The FBI arrested him in April,{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=100}} and it took several years for courts to resolve the matter.<ref name="MF1976">{{cite magazine|title=The Beach Boys|magazine=Music Favorites|volume=1|issue=2|date=1976}}</ref> After months of recording and media hype, ''Smile'' was shelved for personal, technical, and legal reasons.{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2017|pp=xiv, 60–63, 77–78}} A February 1967 lawsuit seeking $255,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|255000|1967|end_year={{Inflation-year|US}}}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}) was launched against [[Capitol Records]] over neglected royalty payments. Within the lawsuit was an attempt to terminate the band's contract with Capitol before its November 1969 expiry.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=170, 178, 243}} Many of Wilson's associates, including Parks and Anderle, disassociated themselves from the group by April 1967.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=120}} Brian later said: "Time can be spent in the studio to the point where you get so next to it, you don't know where you are with it—you decide to just chuck it for a while."<ref name="An American Band">{{cite AV media | people = Leo, Malcolm (Director) | year=1985 | title =[[The Beach Boys: An American Band]]| medium =Documentary}}</ref> In the decades following ''Smile''{{'}}s non-release, it became the subject of intense speculation and mystique{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=118}}{{sfn|Harrison|1997|p=55}} and the most legendary unreleased album in pop music history.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=72}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=63}} Many of the album's advocates believe that had it been released, it would have altered the group's direction and cemented them at the vanguard of rock innovators.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=119}} In 2011, ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' magazine staff voted ''Smile'' the "greatest [[bootleg recording]] of all time".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Beach Boys' 'Smile' named as the greatest ever bootleg by Uncut|url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-beach-boys/59950|magazine=[[NME]]|access-date=December 12, 2014|date=October 21, 2011|archive-date=May 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506060911/http://www.nme.com/news/the-beach-boys/59950|url-status=live}}</ref>
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