reactions to SMILE?

Sounds like a winner! I am waiting for my vinyl version now. Can't wait to hear this masterpiece produced in all it's analog glory...

My understanding is that it's not a complete analog recording, but a digital mix of analog and digital parts.

It turns out to be quite a complex recording process. The basic instrument tracks were recorded thru a custom mixer (tube?) at 24/88 directly in ProTools. The converters were Apogee. With the exception of the bass tracks, no compressors were used. The vocal tracks were recorded via an API mixer (solid state) into ProTools using both solid state and tube mic preamps and tube (Fairchild) compressors. Mix down was a combination of ProTools and the API with both hardware and software effects. dCS converters were used during the mix.

Here's a link to the article containing the complete details in EQ Magazine.

To offer a dissent, I'm still not very keen on it. It's very impressive in parts, but much of it comes across as a series of vignettes, or sometimes even novelty pieces. I'm finding too much artifice and not enough flow, which makes it very different from Pet Sounds. But I'm keeping my mind open for now.

I'm feeling like Jayboard. I'm listening to it right now, and this would be about the 5th or 6th time through, and it's just not sinking in. I've nothing negative to say about it, and I do think the tracks form a cohesive whole. I remember Pete Townshend talking about "Tommy" and stressing that the 3-minute pop song had to stand on its own within this "opera" concept. I think Brian was trying with "Smile" exactly what Pete feared wouldn't work. You have to admire Brian for doing it his way, nevertheless.

Cheers