Each week Spinning On Air takes you to the meeting points of Art and Pop. One of the most fascinating and&until nowelusive pieces of music to have flowered in that nexus is "SMiLE" by Brian Wilson. Wilson's group, The Beach Boys, had a string of hits in the early Sixties, but by 1966 he conceived a different kind of music in which themes would be intricately interwoven through a seamless suite of songs. The words would be poetic, the music full of surprises, and conceptually it would touch on American history, slapstick humor, and good vibrations. For various reasonsincluding what's described as a mental breakdownWilson was unable to complete his ambitious project. Until now. The album will finally be released at the end of September. In this show host David Garland provides background on SMiLE, recordings from the original sessions, plus a special advance preview of some songs from the forthcoming album.
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