It’s been 45 years since the release of the Beach Boys infamous masterpiece Pet Sounds, but it was during that magical year of 1966 that recording began for what would become the almost mythical follow up, Smile. While it has seen the light of day in a number of forms, including the Beach Boys subtle attempt Smiley Smile and Brian Wilson’s 2005 release Brian Wilson Presents: Smile, the renowned album has never surfaced in an official Beach Boys release…until now.
While a track listing hasn’t yet been finalized, Billboard is reporting that Capitol Records has announced the release of The Smile Sessions, an initiative between Mark Linett, Beach Boys archivist Alan Boyd, and Brian Wilson himself.
The Smile Sessions is said to be released in a number of varieties: a two-disc CD set, a limited-edition boxed set withholding four CD’s, two vinyl LP’s, two vinyl singles, a 60-page hardcover book written by Domenic Priore, and a digital release, because it just wouldn’t be the same if iTunes weren’t involved.
No official release date has been set, but EMI’s Senior VP of Catalog Marketing, Bill Gagnon, assures it will be out before 2011’s close.
(Via Billboard)
