I heard a rumor that after the excitement surrounding recent concerts that brian wilson has done (playing "smile" material) there are plans of an official "Smile" re-issue. Has anyone heard any similar information? And also, what do you think about this? Overall, I have mixed feelings. There is a possibility that it could be digitally re-mastered to shit and sound like garbage. I hope that if this rumor is true that someone who knows what they're doing and Brian Wilson are in charge of the re-mastering. I also kind of feel like it might ruin some of the mysticism surrounding Smile which I find to be one of the most fun and interesting aspects of the album; I feel like gourmet is going to turn McDonald's.

To clarify- it's not a rumor, it has been officially confirmed. Wilson and Van Dyke Parks have reunited and are going to do it. The only question is whether they'll be editing together the album out of the hundreds of hours of studio tapes, or actually recording new material with new musicians (like the Wondermints, Wilson's wonderfully-authentic current backing band). Also, it's not a "reissue"- "Smile" has never officially been completed or released, which is part of the major buzz and hype - "it's finally going to be finished and released." There are excellent bootlegs like the classic "Sea of Tunes" boot or the mp3 one from "Ryan's Smile Page" - both of those are of such quality that they could be officially released and marketed. I just downloaded the live recording from the 2/20/04 performance of "Smile" in its entirety in England, and it's amazing- I was expecting it to be a big flop, but Brian and his backing band are truly in top form, and are more than doing the material justice. It sounds just as fresh, vital, and full of ingenuity as the original tapes do. andrew