Video = 5 of 5
Audio = 5 of 5
Perhaps, with its album-length musical theme tied around using the "Heroes & Villains" chorus, and its lyrical theme of crossing America in a historical fashion from the east coast to west coast, it would have been, at least in Europe, a critic's favorite and a logical successor to "Pet Sounds". However, in America it possibly would've still been quite difficult to be seen as relevant, no matter how good, considering the Beach Boys prior success and clean image, in what was quickly becoming a era of anti-establishmentism. No matter what, though, I think it's safe to say "SMiLE", considering how its legend has grown over the years, would've ultimately been considered innovative for the times, at least in retrospect.
We had to wait almost 40 years, but thanks to a Brian Wilson solo effort, we finally got to hear an official, full-release version on CD back in 2004. I like it, and it seems to get better with each and every listen. It's too bad that we couldn't get a true, multi-channel DVD-Audio or SACD release of "SMiLE". As it is, the closest we've got is the live concert video on DVD, which is so good that I actually prefer it over the CD version. (Each must be purchased separately, by the way.)
With the DVD, you get two discs. The first disc is an interesting documentary on the Beach Boys and the history surrounding the album that would have been "SMiLE". The second disc, the prize of the collection, is the live performance complete with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
The video on the concert disc is top notch! It captures the band and orchestra perfectly by not cutting away too quickly to be dizzying. Conversely, it doesn't ever stay on one angle too long to get boring. It's just right, kind of like the feeling I get when thinking about the wonderful band that Brian has surrounded himself with on this DVD. Everyone is fairly animated and in good spirits. The only questionable moment comes during "Vege-Tables" where everyone is seen playing around with vegetables. It's a fun, playful song; but the visual accompaniment, at least with that one song, is a bit much. As for the picture quality itself? At first, I wondered if somehow the DVD were a true high-definition HD-DVD or Blu-Ray since the widescreen image looked so crisp, clean, and colorful when upconverted on my HDTV. It's not HD, of course. And further examination reveals that the picture does, indeed, lack some of the finer details that a true HD experience would have yielded. Still, it's amazing how sharp the picture looks, even if only in standard definition.
Similarly, it's surprising how good the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio sounds considering the fact that it isn't a high-resolution SACD or DVD-Audio. It's rich, full, and airy. Most of the load, including vocals, is handled by the left/right front speakers. The center channel has a minor role, mostly helping to fill in the sound with barely noticeable light percussion and bass. The rears don't draw too much attention to themselves, but I am confident that if removed their contributions to the overall soundstage would become obvious in their absence. A close examination reveals the rears contain light bits of instrumentation and vocals which often mirror the fronts. It is most definitely an ambient-feeling surround mix, which is appropriate considering this is a live performance.
This is a recommended DVD for fans of Brian Wilson and his music. The production is top notch and it's such a pleasure to see Brian having some fun out there in front of an audience.
Note: The stereo version, if you prefer, is encoded as LPCM.
