The Beach Boys: Smiley Smile and Friends

Oddly enough, while thumbing through my record collection for these two albums, so that I might fashion a more perfect set of introductory notes, I found Smiley Smile comfortably ensconced next to Friends. Equidistant from Surfin' Safari and Beach Boys in Concert at either end, their proximity told me something I should have known: 1967's Smiley Smile and 1968's Friends aren't such an odd couple of shelfside companions at all. They suit one another equally well back-to-back on the turntable.