Brian Wilson - "Our Prayer (Freeform Reform)"

A week ago, news broke that Capitol/EMI is going to officially release SMiLE, the legendary lost Beach Boys albums that Brian Wilson planned as his follow-up to the immortal Pet Sounds but proved unable to complete in 1967. The project had seen innumerable promises of and attempts at ressurection over the years, but outside of bootlegs, the album has never seen the light of day. The release is set for a still-to-be-determined date in 2011, and as is standard industry practice nowadays, it will be available in a wide assortment of normal and deluxe editions.

Assuming the plan comes to fruition, it will provide an even happier ending to the strange story that, in fact, already had one. Though bits and pieces of SMiLE had been released on Beach Boys albums throughout the rest of the 60s and into the 70s, in 2004 Wilson decided to revisit and newly record the album. This time, the project was a success, and SMiLE was rapturously received upon its release, marking the end of a remarkable comeback for Wilson himself after decades of instability in every sense of the term.

An odd footnote to the 2004 album was the release of the ethereal opener, "Our Prayer," in the form of an electro remix single by London DJ Freeform Five. Pressed on one-sided, clear 10" vinyl, released only in Europe, and limited to 1000 copies, it's unclear who the release was intended for - though it sounds nothing like anything else in the extended Beach Boys catalog, it bears Wilson's name on the label, rather than the DJ's. That said, according to Freeform's Soundcloud account it was "approved by Mr. Wilson himself," and evidently, also by his label, Nonesuch Records. The song gives you what you would expect from a solid electro remix, and though it omits the composition's sublime final hum, it nonetheless does justice to the source material. It's never seen a digital release, but interested parties can check it out below or download it here.