Brian Wilson has described his long-awaited Smile as "a teenage symphony to God", which is a perceptive assessment of this majestic but flawed work.
There are celestial interludes, notably Heroes And Villains, Surf's Up and Good Vibrations, where Wilson's genius for conceiving and delivering shimmering music is at its peak.
But there are also depressing moments of adolescent nonsense when Wilson's brain, splintered by LSD, cannot process the heavenly sounds within him. It has taken 37 years for the whole of Smile to emerge and, as such, it is of huge historical significance.
However, Barnyard and Vega-Tables, combined with Van Dyke Parks's off-the-wall lyrics, make Smile no match for Blonde On Blonde, Exile On Main Street, Sgt Pepper or, indeed, the Beach Boy's own Pet Sounds.
Updated: 09:09 Thursday, November 11, 2004
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