First conceived in 1966 but only completed in 2004, Brian Wilson
Presents Smile has been called "the best-known unreleased album in pop
music history" and "an American Sergeant Pepper." Reading Smile
offers a close analysis of the recording in its social, cultural and
historical contexts.
It focuses in particular on the finished work's subject matter as
embodied in Van Dyke Parks' contentious yet little understood lyrics,
with their low-resolution, highly allusive portrayals of western
expansion's archetypes, from Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts to Diamond
Head, Hawaii. Documenting their multiple references and connotations, it
argues that their invocations of national self-definition are part of a
carefully crafted vision of American identity, society and culture both
in tune and at odds with the times. Critical of the republic's past
practices but convinced that its ideals, values and myths still provided
resources to redeem it, the recording is interpreted as a creative
musical milestone, an enduring product of its volatile, radical,
countercultural times, and an American pop art classic.
Of particular relevance to American Studies and popular culture
scholars, Reading Smile will also appeal to those interested in 1960s
popular music, not least to fans of Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks and the
Beach Boys.