Wilson's Wipe-out

"The album that flew too close to the sun", is how critic Paul Williams described Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys' legendary lost album, Smile.

Since Wilson's masterpiece was scrapped 28 years ago, speculation on just how much it might have altered the course of pop music history has been rife. And much of the fascination rests on exactly why Wilson abandoned his labour of love after he had already invested it with so much of his creative genius. Tipped to be one of the greatest records ever released, the bizarre tales surrounding the studio sessions, and thrall in which it held Wilson's deteriorating mind, served only to heighten the air of expectancy. Smile was scheduled for release in early 1967, but Wilson's 'Teenage symphony to God' never saw the light of day.

One school of thought has it that Wilson's ego was so crushed by the release of Sgt Pepper, that he sabotaged his own claim on immortality. His meisterwork robbed of its thunder, he retreated further into isolation and madness. The tragedy is that if he had been able to complete Smile as planned, it would almost certainly have matched, and possibly even eclipsed the cultural significance of Sgt. Pepper. It's a shame we'll never have the chance to find out.

Although there were several more mundane reasons for Smile's non-appearance - The Beachboys' lawsuit against Capitol, and the other band members' consternation over Van Dyke Parks' poetically obscure lyrics, for instance - Wilson's emotional turmoil was unquestionably a determining factor.

The textural brilliance of 1966's 'Good Vibrations' hints at Smile's promise, but beyond that, a picture of the full work can only be pieced together from the adulterated shards that surfaced on subsequent albums, singles and bootlegs. Although Wilson had supposedly completed a six-minute version of 'Heroes And Villains', it was a cruel abbreviation of the song that reached Number 12 on the US charts in 1967. The album Smiley Smile was a hastily assembled shadow of its precursor, while several other mutilated tracks from the sessions added little to the lacklustre Surfs Up and 20/20 albums. In 1973, Warner Bros, tried to coerce The Beachboys, who were then under contract to the label, to complete Smile, but without success. And in 1988 Columbia Records publicised their intentions to release a Smile package. Again, despite reports in the international press, nothing materialised.

However, in 1993 Capitol did score considerable success with their five CD boxed set Good Vibrations: 30 Years Of The Beach Boys, which, with almost thirty minutes of previously unreleased material, offered perhaps the most poignant insight yet into what might have been. Spurred on by the positive reaction to that collection, the company has now embarked on a three CD compilation under the working title of The Smile Era. Their aim here is to include every song that was intended to be part of Smile, and to cull from some fifteen hours of existing tapes a coherent image of the work in progress. It's a mammoth task, not merely because of the amount of material to be sifted through, but because it's doubtful whether Brian Wilson ever achieved a complete vision of what the album would be.

Capitol insist the album will be more of a testament to Wilson's brilliance as a composer, arranger and producer, than a re-creation of Smile. Which might come as cold comfort to those who have waited in vain for this extraordinary work to finally reach fruition. But, unfortunately, it seems that the real Smile is destined to be lost forever; captured and consumed by that long dark night of the soul which engulfed Brain Wilson thirty years ago.

Class of '68

Guitar legend John McLaughlin has been working on a new project at Clinton Studios in New York. Making full use of the studio's classic Neve 8078, McLaughlin's producing talents were abetted by engineer Ed Rak, while contributions were forthcoming from no-less legendary drummer Elvin Jones, and keyboard player Joey DeFrancesco.

Also getting down to it this month was Marianne Faithfull, who has been holed up at NY's Excalibur Studios with the, again, pretty-damn-legendary Angelo Badalamenti. The pair were working on Faithfull's upcoming Island release A Secret Life, which is co-written and coproduced by Badalamenti.

Caught in the shuffle

By rights, Van Halen should have been swept away in a post-grunge deluge. However, proving once again that they are an immovable island in the swirling streams of public taste, they recently released Balance, their tenth studio album and further evidence of their seamless virtuosity.

Much of the album's appeal rests on a more mellow, motoring sound courtesy of producer Bruce Fairbairn, who was responsible for rejuvenating the Aerosmith vibe, with Pump and Get A Grip. It's to Fairbairn's credit that he hasn't invested Balance with a more 'contemporary' sheen, but has placed a darker spin on the trademark Van Halen pyrotechnics, while allowing the boys to do what they do best. The album is headed straight for Platinum-ville, where every other VH release to date is awaiting it.

Recolections

David Cole, one half of the duo behind C+C Music Factory, died on January 24 1994, of complications arising from spinal meningitis. He was 32 years old.

With his partner Robert Clivilles, Cole was acclaimed as a producer and songwriter for the likes of Maria Carey, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. As the heart and soul of C+C Music Factory, the pair first achieved major success with the Grammy-nominated 'Gonna Make You Sweat', and dictated the direction of dance music with such groundbreaking cuts as, 'Things That Make You Go Hmmm', and the multiformat, 'Do You Wanna Get Funky'. Their current single, 'Take A Toke', was lifted from their acclaimed 1994 album Anything Goes!

Cole's career dates back to 1985, when he and Clivilles cracked the New York club scene as DJs - Cole playing keyboards while Clivilles scratched. They soon caught major label attention and, in the late 80s, delivered some classic remixes, including a hot reworking of Natalie Cole's 'Pink Cadillac'. Later, the duo moved further into production, and scored their first smash with Seduction's, 'Two To Make It Right', penned by Cole. C+C Music Factory was born when they were signed to Columbia in 1990.

Another Cole/Clivilles project was S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., whose single, 'It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day', was featured on the Bodyguard movie soundtrack. A massive chart success, it earned them both 1993 Grammy awards for Album Of The Year.

For their debut alone, Cole and Clivilles were honoured with an estimated 28 awards, including five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

At the time of Cole's death, he and Clivilles were working on new material for S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., and a collection of house tracks for Sony Japan. His funeral service is due to take place in New York City sometime in the near future. Cole will be missed as a genuine pioneer in dance music, and as a talented, innovative producer and musician.