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.