Smiling is an essential part of human existence. Without it, the world would be an onerous, dour place, and the face would just be a mish mash of bones, tissue, and eyelashes.

It’s also an aesthetics thing. Without the grooves, ridges, and expressions of a smile, we’d probably all just look like Neanderthals. Or, even worse, that hopelessly ridiculed caveman in the comical Geico commercials.

Yep, smiling is certainly an important part of the human experience.

But one person who definitely wasn’t smiling in 1966 was Beach Boys‘ front-man, Brian Wilson. He was suffering a mental breakdown at the time.

Following the ahead-of-its-time masterpiece, Pet Sounds, his Smile album was meant to be what Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was to Revolver– a slight progression that would change music forever. (It should be noted that Pet Sounds was actually one of the main inspirations for the Beatles’ outlandish Sgt. Pepper’s opus).

Alas, due to many internal problems within the band, Smile was eventually dropped.   For almost four decades, nobody ever thought they’d hear the album in its entirety.   But now you can. A happier, more jovial Brian Wilson actually released the full version of the seminal record in 2004, which was remastered by Wilson himself.

And as further proof that Wilson is still smiling after all these years is his return to Southbank Centre at the Royal Festival Hall in September. For six nights, Brian Wilson will unveil some new songs at what he’s calling, “That Lucky Old Sun (A Narrative).” The last time Brian played at the Royal Festival Hall was in 2004 where he performed (what else?) SMiLE from front to back.