Abandoned the sessions for the Beach Boys' "Smile" album (only recently
completed, by Brian Wilson with the Wondermints) in 1967, when he was
offered a solo recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. While he
hated to give up on the album, he could see that Brian was losing
control, and the band's objections toward his lyrical (and other) ideas
weren't going away. A solo deal offered him the chance to stand on his
own.