god, he was pretty dreamy, wasn't he? discovered this lad and his saga via junkshop glam a couple of years ago, and now thrilled beyond belief to see this - he's a butch Jobriath - lol.
Brett Smiley was 17 or 18 in this clip. He was really much, much better looking than this. If you google him in google images you will see so. He really was beautiful. I would describe him as "pretty". Practically every girl in Hollywood wanted him. His girlfriend at the time was Cheryl Smith, who was one of the most beautiful starletts in Hollywood in the 70's (google her too!) In Nina Antonia's book on him appropriately called "The Prettiest Star" she even writes how obsessed she was on him. Of course his voice dosent sound as good as on his album- he is "live". I happen to think that his voice sounded great on the album, and that VA,VA,VA Voom is most definately a classic 70's glamrock song.
He was pretty funny as "The Prince" in the X rated version of "Cinderella" (1977)starring Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith. It's a pretty funny musical that is only soft core and a lot better then you would think. He ended up living with Cheryl after the movie. His song in the movie "My Kingdom won't come" is a total riot
Playlists are soooooooooooooooooo great!!! Just switch from Brett Smiley to Bowie's 'Starman' and understand immediately why ONE the two of them is still around and how!!!
Thanks for posting this! Brett was great in this clip. Fast on his feet sparring with Harty. In October 1974 glam rock had just about run its course in the UK, but what a wonderful time it was.
Don't know about Donela, but there's a gorgeous biography written about Brett if you'd like to know what happened... it's called The Prettiest Star, by Nina Antonia.
I associate androgyny with space and mystery and not with the immediate perception the general public still has. I love his music and that of several others from this genre based on the unique artistic and compositional qualities it has.
+Chelsea Doll That's rubbish. Did he say that? Sounds like sour grapes and jealousy. David Bowie was a cultural icon. He changed mass culture with his art. He was already into his Halloween Jack persona and moving on to the blue eyed soul phase during the 15 minutes of fame that Brett Smiley had. I don't want to speak badly about someone who just passed, but spreading stupid gossip that paints David Bowie out to be a career saboteur is low. He helped Iggy and Lou out with their careers in a very big way, and collaborated with so many great talents. He had no reason to have an album shelved, unless maybe it was for plagiarism. There was a lot of that. Bowie's thing was a gold mine. Even Elton John was taking a page from Bowie.. Rocket Man done three years after Space Oddity.
+rocknrolsen I found the actual reason. The single performed badly after having a lot of money thrown at pre-release promotion, so the album was considered a money sink and was shelved. It was business.
+rocknrolsen This article, which is what led me here, give lots of good info. www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/the-man-who-fell-from-fame.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
I just listened to Space Ace without the vid and I really dug it...there's something about the soft/weakness of his voice and dramatic performance that feels like a bit of an unworkable disconnect
No, I like him. As a performance, it doesn't work (unworkable) for me because he's very dramatic, but his live singing is weak set against the roar of the backing track. As in- there is a disconnect between how he is acting and what I am hearing. It's sort of like watching a Lion roar but hearing a mouse squeak. I would imagine a lot of people would have been put off by this, whereas the record itself (I've got the 45) sounds a lot more powerful, with a produced, double tracked vocal. And there you have it! A pretty much fully fleshed out version of my thoughts on this performance of space ace by Brett Smiley, from a month ago ;)
I believe this came out about 5 years after Space Oddity by Bowie and was seen as another Bowie copy act. Space Oddity also took a long time to be a hit. They also spent way too much in pre production and promotion so it was seen as a failure because it didn't go huge immediately.
Brett was more than just the The Prettiest Star - pity his stellar album "Breathlessly Brett" was shelved and not released until three decades later - I truly believe he would have made an impact. RIP "Most Beautiful Boy in the World"
Yes, you are quite right, "pretty" is the apt term, if he had been wearing make-up here he would have been indistinguishable from a girl... in photographs he radiated an ethereal beauty.
Brett Smiley really annoyed Russell Harty, didn't he? He does come across as a bit of a twerp, but he was young and hedonistic old Andrew Oldham had probably filled his head with all manner of hoo-hah. A bit 'glam rock opportunist' but October 1974 was getting way late in the day for that stuff.
Remembering loosing my virginity. You were there, with Darryl Marshak, Chris Collins and your sweet princess: Cherryl Rainbeux Smith. Tiki moved to Sisters Oregon last I researched her, in all irony. We both know what happened to the Jacksons of Bancroft/Fairfax High school. So red shifted away now, our shared preeteen childhood. And who are we old with and why the people we shared times ( in Laurel Canyon with, Bart Baker and Clay and Stu and Wendy Gossard. I was wearing Tigress perfume the night of that party. Darryl reconnected on Facebook but my life went assunder in 2016. My face is blocked on Google for years, i became a nobody, but I had a bachelor's degree LinkedIn decimated. Leeland ( Elton John's lover that night at Doug Weston's Troubadour stole the stage for Jobriath. I know you passed away. My friends from San Francisco in their seventies+ are passing away now from natural causes. I Would crush deeoly on a lady drummer that Courtney loved too in my mid twenties. Jane of VS. Your song pushes latent buttons as I am now pushing 70. Something re-awakens. Always, Perrianne 1968
He just didn't have the vocal range to make this work. Those breathy vocals just get lost in that massive Phil Spector-esque production. His awkward insecure body language had the same character as his vocals -- and hair flips, leg kicks, and reclined Bowie-posturing felt very contrived.
He was just too bloody young, Bowie was nearly 30 by this stage and an absolute power house, having gotten his insecurities (at least musically) out of the way in the early 70’s.
@@JugaJuga14 Bowie in 74 was 27. Still, if you watch Bowie in the short film Love You Till Tuesday at barely 22..he is a far more accomplished performer than Brett.
Dear God. Saints preserve us. That's so awful. That was really really awful. Russell, you could have gone easy. You could have made it less painful. But you revelled and we squirmed.
Oh my goodness.... Is this the same Brett Smiley who had a real pretty sister named Donela, and who was an understudy for the lead in "Oliver", and who briefly lived at 301 East 52 Street, and who stole the show at the Kips Bay Boys Club Christmas show in (roughly) 1964? Well, if so, he obviously was memorable. Whatever became of him? But of more interest to me, whatever became of the beautiful Donela?
If your gonna write a song with so many R's in it, you should make sure you can pronounce the letter first. I love how genuinely contemptuous Harty was to the parade of tawdry stars peddled through his show
It was the A-side to the Brett Smiley single. “Va Va Va Voom” b / w “Space Ace” Single 7”, Anchor Records, 1974 Btw... “Space Ace” is an AMAZING theatrical sci-fi song influenced by Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”. Sure maybe not in the same league as an iconic song but only because “Space Ace” sunk like a ship & never got the chance to be heard by the masses in the same way. But “Space Ace”‘s deft arrangement, top class musicianship, original lyrics (i.e. “ionized trails” etc, Super catchy & ethereal vocal melodies, otherworldly atmosphere is sheer brilliance ! The reason they chose to highlight the “B-side” rather than the “A-side” to the single is because at this juncture of the game “Space Ace” was actually still being touted as the “A-side” of the single & they wanted to test the waters & judge what kind of response it would get on this Russell Harty Show TV Program. The only downside to Brett’s performance & in my opinion the only reason it didn’t get the best response & subsequent commercial push has nothing to do with the song itself but rather Brett’s obvious nervousness & his tentative, jittery, & inexperienced performance rendition of the song. Brett’s awkwardly overly dramatic movements & poor microphone placement technique didn’t help matters either. However, the backing arrangement is brilliant & his lack of experience -as this is Brett’s first performance ever - (at the tender age of only 18) is wholly forgivable. As Brett would have surely improved & come out of his shell the more confidence he would have gained from more exposure, experience, public approval, record sales, etc Sadly though, ‘’twas not to be... but not for lack of trying on Brett Smiley’s part. The blame lies solely on Andrew Loog Oldham’s shoulders for stringing this starry eyed kid along, whisking him away to England to create a brilliant solo album only to halt the full length album record release of 1974 & then to abandon him when Brett needed Andrew as a father figure / true friend the most. Tragic sad story yet one of the most brilliant original era (1971-1975) glam rock albums & one of the greatest overlooked buried glam gemz of an album to finally see the light of day 29 years after its initial disappearance!!
Va va voom was cool - definitely. But on this song and va va voom, it's not easy to hear his voice. It was probably a pretty instrument to begin with, but the production pushes it too far back in the mix. He had a way with words- there's a playfulness and a sexiness in his lyrics. But did he ever find his metier in the arts? Loot oldham pushed him too hard, too soon
This has got to be worst song ever recorded. This little queen epitomizes everyknown and perceived stereotype. There is a god after all, thank you for erasingthis a-hole from the world.
+steve harlan: Hyperbolize much, Skippy? And, hey, if one were to actually base their belief in the existence of a supreme being solely upon the deity's willingness to erase assholes from the world, well... seeing as how you're still here - I guess such a person would have just cause to come down on the side of atheism, eh?
+steve harlan Absolutely spot on with your comment. Just another over the top queen. To even mention Bowie in this subject is an insult to Bowie. More like just another pretty boy Marilyn impersonator. And, whoever became a superstar performing with eyes closed, cutting connection with the audience/cameras? Maybe he was a nice guy. It's unfortunate that he seems to have been surrounded by deluded sycophants (stick with me, I'll make you a star), and he believed it. Sometimes, magnetic charisma alone can get you there, but he didn't have any of that either.
Видеоклипы
Goodbye old chum. Hollywood in the 80s, NYC in the 90s...you were always fun to have as a neighbor and coffee companion. You will be missed. RIP
RIP Brett, glad I got to know you.
Last I saw him was just a few days ago, and he was on stage at May Pang's birthday party Oct 29th '06 in New York City singing "Rebel Rebel."
RIP Brett.. thanks for the awesome tunes, you will not be forgotten!
wow... I was in rehab with this guy.
Could you elaborate further? Methadone clinic or extended rehab center... N.Y.C. or L.A. ... what year ? Etc Thanks
Jarrett Gardner
What do you wanna know. He went through a few rehabs for drugs. He had a heroin habit and eventually got clean. Mostly in Los Angeles.
RIP Brett
Lo amo.
I love him.
god, he was pretty dreamy, wasn't he? discovered this lad and his saga via junkshop glam a couple of years ago, and now thrilled beyond belief to see this - he's a butch Jobriath - lol.
a wizzard, a true star
Great song. R.I.P...
goodbye
Brett my friend !
I love the tags for this; 'junkshop' and 'glam'.
Brilliant.
"And we shall see, won't we."
And so we did, didn't we.
That Russell Harty was a piece of work!
He's so, so beautiful
brett is alive and well and living in nyc. he just released a live cd, and is playing clubs promoting it. he's on myspace under brettsmiley. enjoy
Wow. First time seeing a 10 year+ comment. Nice.
Brett Smiley was 17 or 18 in this clip. He was really much, much better looking than this. If you google him in google images you will see so. He really was beautiful. I would describe him as "pretty". Practically every girl in Hollywood wanted him. His girlfriend at the time was Cheryl Smith, who was one of the most beautiful starletts in Hollywood in the 70's (google her too!) In Nina Antonia's book on him appropriately called "The Prettiest Star" she even writes how obsessed she was on him. Of course his voice dosent sound as good as on his album- he is "live". I happen to think that his voice sounded great on the album, and that VA,VA,VA Voom is most definately a classic 70's glamrock song.
When I saw the front cover of that book I thought he was Nina Antonia!
“he was really much, much better looking than this” - I’m confused. He was better-looking than he looked?? C’mon!!!
reindeer o'stoole
Bad photo imo.
reindeer o'stoole
Plus he was only 17 there. I thought he looked better as he aged. Imo again.
Seems like Russell Harty's type, I can only imagine what Brett must have done to get on that show.
He was pretty funny as "The Prince" in the X rated version of "Cinderella" (1977)starring Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith. It's a pretty funny musical that is only soft core and a lot better then you would think. He ended up living with Cheryl after the movie. His song in the movie "My Kingdom won't come" is a total riot
Playlists are soooooooooooooooooo great!!! Just switch from Brett Smiley to Bowie's 'Starman' and understand immediately why ONE the two of them is still around and how!!!
...errr , not So quick matey. David and Brett have both kicked the buckets. RIP Legends.
@@crapitoutjim Thumb up!
Lol the prince from Cinderella.
Thanks for posting this! Brett was great in this clip. Fast on his feet sparring with Harty. In October 1974 glam rock had just about run its course in the UK, but what a wonderful time it was.
OH GUUUUUURL!
Don't know about Donela, but there's a gorgeous biography written about Brett if you'd like to know what happened... it's called The Prettiest Star, by Nina Antonia.
I associate androgyny with space and mystery and not with the immediate perception the general public still has. I love his music and that of several others from this genre based on the unique artistic and compositional qualities it has.
the recorded version sounds sooo much better.
but still love this song.
I had no idea Jeremy Jay's dad was Brett Smiley. Awesome.
+Benjamin White Woh crazy!
Benjamin White
No physical resemblance what so ever.
Brett smiley is beautiful.
Where can I find the lyrics?
It's like a school play version of 'Cracked Actor' :o)
spot on
this is fucking hilarious.
Sweet goofy young person - a breath of fresh air amongst these old farts.
brett smiley just released a new cd in nyc. he's alive and well. check him out on myspace at brettsmiley.
What was the cd called?
NY Times here too!
Mr. Josh Max, wow.
I met Brett and spent a lot of weekends with him in Central Park in 1988. Very down-to-earth, very talented, and a good Frisbee player!
can someone tell me why the album was shelved?
+Chelsea Doll bulldust! is that true?!?
+Chelsea Doll that really blows me out. Poor Brett!
+Chelsea Doll That's rubbish. Did he say that? Sounds like sour grapes and jealousy. David Bowie was a cultural icon. He changed mass culture with his art. He was already into his Halloween Jack persona and moving on to the blue eyed soul phase during the 15 minutes of fame that Brett Smiley had. I don't want to speak badly about someone who just passed, but spreading stupid gossip that paints David Bowie out to be a career saboteur is low. He helped Iggy and Lou out with their careers in a very big way, and collaborated with so many great talents. He had no reason to have an album shelved, unless maybe it was for plagiarism. There was a lot of that. Bowie's thing was a gold mine. Even Elton John was taking a page from Bowie.. Rocket Man done three years after Space Oddity.
+rocknrolsen I found the actual reason. The single performed badly after having a lot of money thrown at pre-release promotion, so the album was considered a money sink and was shelved. It was business.
+rocknrolsen This article, which is what led me here, give lots of good info. www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/the-man-who-fell-from-fame.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Excellent indeed! Oldham should have not fucked up with the Stones.
I just listened to Space Ace without the vid and I really dug it...there's something about the soft/weakness of his voice and dramatic performance that feels like a bit of an unworkable disconnect
what u mean?
It took hearing the track without watching him, to get into this.
But what do u mean with 'unworkable disconnect'? No talent or something?
No, I like him. As a performance, it doesn't work (unworkable) for me because he's very dramatic, but his live singing is weak set against the roar of the backing track. As in- there is a disconnect between how he is acting and what I am hearing. It's sort of like watching a Lion roar but hearing a mouse squeak. I would imagine a lot of people would have been put off by this, whereas the record itself (I've got the 45) sounds a lot more powerful, with a produced, double tracked vocal.
And there you have it! A pretty much fully fleshed out version of my thoughts on this performance of space ace by Brett Smiley, from a month ago ;)
Thank you for your answer 😊
NY Times sent me here.
+madhavyu Me too, hahaha
the album version is more contained
Saucer of milk for Russell ;-)
I believe this came out about 5 years after Space Oddity by Bowie and was seen as another Bowie copy act. Space Oddity also took a long time to be a hit. They also spent way too much in pre production and promotion so it was seen as a failure because it didn't go huge immediately.
Thank you,"lancdoup"
Brett was more than just the The Prettiest Star - pity his stellar album "Breathlessly Brett" was shelved and not released until three decades later - I truly believe he would have made an impact. RIP "Most Beautiful Boy in the World"
Yes, you are quite right, "pretty" is the apt term, if he had been wearing make-up here he would have been indistinguishable from a girl... in photographs he radiated an ethereal beauty.
Russell missing you
"Bryan Faerie".....lol
Brett Smiley really annoyed Russell Harty, didn't he? He does come across as a bit of a twerp, but he was young and hedonistic old Andrew Oldham had probably filled his head with all manner of hoo-hah. A bit 'glam rock opportunist' but October 1974 was getting way late in the day for that stuff.
*Andrew dissing Keith Richard?*
You live, you die. Farewell old chap.
Still more famous than I.
Wikepedia recent deaths brought me here.
space ace god not forgoten
He was a star, should of been bigger than Bowie for sure
Not everyone can become a rock star and this proves it .............
Brett seemed nervous performing on TV for the first time - he should have sung "VaVaVa Voom" instead - would have been a hit! RIP
justin modica for days
Remembering loosing my virginity. You were there, with Darryl Marshak, Chris Collins and your sweet princess: Cherryl Rainbeux Smith. Tiki moved to Sisters Oregon last I researched her, in all irony. We both know what happened to the Jacksons of Bancroft/Fairfax High school. So red shifted away now, our shared preeteen childhood. And who are we old with and why the people we shared times ( in Laurel Canyon with, Bart Baker and Clay and Stu and Wendy Gossard. I was wearing Tigress perfume the night of that party. Darryl reconnected on Facebook but my life went assunder in 2016. My face is blocked on Google for years, i became a nobody, but I had a bachelor's degree LinkedIn decimated. Leeland ( Elton John's lover that night at Doug Weston's Troubadour stole the stage for Jobriath. I know you passed away. My friends from San Francisco in their seventies+ are passing away now from natural causes. I Would crush deeoly on a lady drummer that Courtney loved too in my mid twenties. Jane of VS. Your song pushes latent buttons as I am now pushing 70. Something re-awakens. Always, Perrianne 1968
I liked this song a lot more before I saw this 😐
He just didn't have the vocal range to make this work. Those breathy vocals just get lost in that massive Phil Spector-esque production.
His awkward insecure body language had the same character as his vocals -- and hair flips, leg kicks, and reclined Bowie-posturing felt very contrived.
He was just too bloody young, Bowie was nearly 30 by this stage and an absolute power house, having gotten his insecurities (at least musically) out of the way in the early 70’s.
@@JugaJuga14 Bowie in 74 was 27. Still, if you watch Bowie in the short film Love You Till Tuesday at barely 22..he is a far more accomplished performer than Brett.
It's a blond, male, Kate Bush!
Dear God. Saints preserve us. That's so awful. That was really really awful.
Russell, you could have gone easy. You could have made it less painful. But you revelled and we squirmed.
I like va va Voom better
Oh my goodness....
Is this the same Brett Smiley who had a real pretty sister named Donela, and who was an understudy for the lead in "Oliver", and who briefly lived at 301 East 52 Street, and who stole the show at the Kips Bay Boys Club Christmas show in (roughly) 1964?
Well, if so, he obviously was memorable.
Whatever became of him? But of more interest to me, whatever became of the beautiful Donela?
If your gonna write a song with so many R's in it, you should make sure you can pronounce the letter first. I love how genuinely contemptuous Harty was to the parade of tawdry stars peddled through his show
Oldham looks and sounds so washed up here. Brett's kool and funny.
Interesting. Definitely a trans person before his time.
Almost as "good" as Rufus Wainright
Hey!.....HORRIBLE.....
As others have stated the NY Times brought me here as well. Pretty awful song. Should have used VA VA VA VOOM as the A side to the single.
It was the A-side to the Brett Smiley single.
“Va Va Va Voom” b / w “Space Ace”
Single 7”, Anchor Records, 1974
Btw... “Space Ace” is an AMAZING theatrical sci-fi song influenced by Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”.
Sure maybe not in the same league as an iconic song but only because “Space Ace” sunk like a ship & never got the chance to be heard by the masses in the same way. But “Space Ace”‘s deft arrangement, top class musicianship, original lyrics (i.e. “ionized trails” etc, Super catchy & ethereal vocal melodies, otherworldly atmosphere is sheer brilliance !
The reason they chose to highlight the “B-side” rather than the “A-side” to the single is because at this juncture of the game “Space Ace” was actually still being touted as the “A-side” of the single & they wanted to test the waters & judge what kind of response it would get on this Russell Harty Show TV Program.
The only downside to Brett’s performance & in my opinion the only reason it didn’t get the best response & subsequent commercial push has nothing to do with the song itself but rather Brett’s obvious nervousness & his tentative, jittery, & inexperienced performance rendition of the song. Brett’s awkwardly overly dramatic movements & poor microphone placement technique didn’t help matters either.
However, the backing arrangement is brilliant & his lack of experience -as this is Brett’s first performance ever - (at the tender age of only 18) is wholly forgivable. As Brett would have surely improved & come out of his shell the more confidence he would have gained from more exposure, experience, public approval, record sales, etc
Sadly though, ‘’twas not to be... but not for lack of trying on Brett Smiley’s part. The blame lies solely on Andrew Loog Oldham’s shoulders for stringing this starry eyed kid along, whisking him away to England to create a brilliant solo album only to halt the full length album record release of 1974 & then to abandon him when Brett needed Andrew as a father figure / true friend the most.
Tragic sad story yet one of the most brilliant original era (1971-1975) glam rock albums & one of the greatest overlooked buried glam gemz of an album to finally see the light of day 29 years after its initial disappearance!!
@@jarrettgardner0628 agree with your overview. There's a Bowie influence but not to the point that it's a full on rip off.
Va va voom was cool; this is creepy; thumbs down.
Va va voom was cool - definitely.
But on this song and va va voom, it's not easy to hear his voice. It was probably a pretty instrument to begin with, but the production pushes it too far back in the mix.
He had a way with words- there's a playfulness and a sexiness in his lyrics.
But did he ever find his metier in the arts? Loot oldham pushed him too hard, too soon
+written12 I like your comment a lot
+brewster mccloud thanks.
God that's so terrible.
Why is he singing with a british accent cringe.
I'm sorry he's gone but this is a terrible song.
Horrible
Sorry, but I think Paul Stanley is much prettier - and way more talented.
This has got to be worst song ever recorded. This little queen epitomizes everyknown and perceived stereotype. There is a god after all, thank you for erasingthis a-hole from the world.
+steve harlan: Hyperbolize much, Skippy? And, hey, if one were to actually base their belief in the existence of a supreme being solely upon the deity's willingness to erase assholes from the world, well... seeing as how you're still here - I guess such a person would have just cause to come down on the side of atheism, eh?
+steve harlan Absolutely spot on with your comment. Just another over the top queen. To even mention Bowie in this subject is an insult to Bowie. More like just another pretty boy Marilyn impersonator. And, whoever became a superstar performing with eyes closed, cutting connection with the audience/cameras? Maybe he was a nice guy. It's unfortunate that he seems to have been surrounded by deluded sycophants (stick with me, I'll make you a star), and he believed it. Sometimes, magnetic charisma alone can get you there, but he didn't have any of that either.
shut up you evil horrible person you troll
What have you ever done? LexiButthurtson@@lexibenson5733