As the primary songwriter and producer for the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson had already developed a reputation as one of the true visionaries of American pop music when, in 1966, he created {^Pet Sounds}, a song cycle of love, growing up, and heartbreak that despite modest sales was acclaimed as a masterpiece (and was cited by Paul McCartney as an inspiration for the Beatles when they made {^Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band}). That year, Wilson planned an even more ambitious follow-up, a "teenage symphony" called {^Smile}. However, for a number of reasons, {^Smile} was scrapped at the last moment (though jackets had already been printed for the LP), and it developed a reputation as one of the great "lost albums" of American rock. In 2004, Wilson and collaborator Van Dyke Parks belatedly revisited the {^Smile} material, first with a series of concerts in which they presented the songs in their proper sequenced form for the first time, and then by re-recording the tunes for a Grammy-winning album. Brian Wilson Presents Smile features Wilson and Parks performing the {^Smile} album in concert (with Wilson's band joined by an orchestra). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi