Before the Beach Boys signed for Capitol in Spring of 1962, they recorded for the independent label Candix. The band, still in their teens recorded with producer Hite Morgan. These sessions yielded the "Surfin'" single (and it's rare B-Side "Luau"), and early versions of "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfer Girl". Also recorded was the bands "Barbie" single (which they recorded under the name Kenny And The Cadets). The band was still in its' beginning stages and Brian Wilson had only just begun to write songs. The band were also fairly rudimentary on their instruments.
This is definitely something that is nearly exclusively for hardcore Beach Boys fans. This is a nice piece for fans as it collects all their early material in one place. It's a Record Store Day release and comes in yellow, red or blue in a limited number of 3,000 copies.
The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album is one of the most acclaimed albums of all-time. Rolling Stone Magazine has placed it at #2 in it's 500 Greatest Album Of All Time list. Paul McCartney has famously said that no one is educated musically, until they've listen to it. The late George Martin has also said that "Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper never would have happened. Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds". It basically went on to inspire an entire genre of music (Baroque Pop). So,
to celebrate it's 50th anniversary, Brian Wilson took the road with his very adept band and Beach Boy Al Jardine and one-time Beach Boy (circa 1971-1974) Blondie Chaplin.
They headlined the Northside Festival at McCarren Park in Brooklyn this year. The band opened with a half-dozen Beach Boys classics - "California Girls, "I Get Around", "Surfer Girl" & "Don't Worry Baby" sung by Brian with his wonderfully capable band, plus "Wild Honey" and "Sail On Sailor" with Blondie on lead vocals. Then the band performed the entire Pet Sounds album in sequence. which includes the classics: "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Sloop John B", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Caroline, No" and "God Only Knows". Plus a whimsical singalong version of "Row Row Row Your Boat" as per request of Mr. Wilson, which was a pretty hilarious highlight.
The band closed things out with sincere readings of "Good Vibrations", "Barbara Ann", "Surfin' USA" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" - all of which produced a fantastic audience response. It should be noted just how great his band were and how authentic they sounded with obvious love and respect towards to original arrangements of the songs.
Madrid's Hinds, a garage rock combo and were touring in support of their Leave Me Alone album. They were a welcome, if small, surprise. And made for a fine opener who perhaps deserved a better response. Ex-Vampire Weekend member Rostam, backed by a string section also performed as well.
In the Autumn of 1965, Brian Wilson was composing and preparing The Beach Boys' legendary Pet Sounds album. 1965 also saw the release of two top-five charting albums (The Beach Boys Today! and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)) which both show Wilson's maturing as a songwriter and a producer. By the middle of the Summer Capitol had been hounding the band for a new album to release for the Holiday shopping season. However, the band didn't have anything prepared. So, Brian Wilson came up with the idea of recording an album where the band sounds like they're just hanging out at a party with their friends and just performing acoustic cover versions of some of their favorite songs. The only instruments heard are acoustic guitar, bass, tambourine and bongos.
The album contained covers by Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Phil Spector and three songs by The Beatles. Plus the novelty songs "Alley Oop", "Hully Gully" & "Papa Oom Mow Mow". The band's cover of "Barbara Ann" from this album was rush released as a single by Capitol when the bands' non-album single "The Little Girl I Once Knew" stalled at #20 on Billboards single charts. Apparently, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" was taking too long a time, slowly building momentum, in becoming a hit for the label's liking. "Barbara Ann" reached #2 on the charts. Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean sings co-lead on the track with Brian Wilson.
To add a party atmosphere to the album, the bands recorded an ambient track of just chatter, clinking of glasses and general party noises which pervades the entire album. Capitol record has just released Uncovered and Unplugged, which is the album without the backround ambient track and just the band playing and singing in the studio. The vinyl version is a beautiful reproduction of the album with labels faithful to the original mid-60's Capitol label. And the CD contains two discs of the album itself and virtually all of the outtakes as well. Including versions of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Ticket To Ride" and "California Girls".
The album itself is unwittingly a virtual snapshot of the pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys. How they were and never would be again.
Highly recommended for the Beach Boys connoisseur and for maybe a listen for the Beach Boys novice as well.
By 1966 Brian Wilson was,
creatively speaking, the king of the pop world. As leader and
producer of The Beach Boys he'd been responsible for dozens of hit
singles and albums. He'd also produced and written several singles
for other artists as well. In three years he'd basically spearheaded
an entire industry with selling California and it's appeal to the
entire world. 1966 saw the release of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds,
an album that was inspired by Rubber Soul and in turn was
single-handedly responsible for inspiring The Beatles to make Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Originally
intended for release in January of 1967, Smile was to be the
next progression in pop music. A continuation of the modular
songwriting that began with the “Good Vibrations” single. It had
a loose thematic concept as an American travelogue from starting as
Plymouth Rock and ending in Hawaii (with references to Imperialism,
expansion, Industrial revolution, Manifest Destiny and the Great
Chicago Fire). It also touches on The Elements (air, fire, Earth and
water) as well. However, due to Brian Wilson's excessive substance
abuse, paranoia and his creative partner, Van Dyke Parks walking away
from the project, Smile was never completed. In fact, it's basically
become a common view that Brian Wilson may have been simply
overwhelmed with all of the fragments that were recorded for the
segments of the pieces. And in his ambitions he basically envisioned
the future of digital editing.
An
over-simplified version of Smile was released in late Summer
of 1967 as Smiley Smile. Songs from what would have been on
the finished album did see release in various forms over the years,
including on Smiley Smile. “Cabbinessence” and “Our
Prayer” were released on the 20/20 album in 1969. "Cool Cool Water" later appeared on Sunflower in 1970. The “Mama Says”
segment from “Vege-Tables” was released on Wild Honey in
1967 and “Surf's Up” served as the title track to their
critically-acclaimed 1971 album.
The failure of Smile to materialize in its' intended
form caused Brian Wilson to retreat from the public eye for many
years and serving to ultimately further deepen his mental health
problems. Wilson re-recorded the Smile album and tour in support of
it in 2004 with his excellent solo band. The 50th
anniversary of The Beach Boys in 2011/2012 was the perfect occasion
to finally release the original Smile recordings as The Smile
Sessions on Halloween 2011.
The
Smile Sessions box set included
one double vinyl album (which comes with the original booklet as it
was originally produced in 1966), two vinyl seven-inch singles, five
CD's, and a sixty-page book. The CDs are one disc of the album as it
has now been envisioned/revisioned and four CDs of session
highlights. It's easily one of the most reverend box sets to be
released specifically with it's fans in mind.
In
1966 album sleeves and booklets were produced way in advance as Smile
was on the most highly anticipated releases in Capitol Records
history. The artwork has been properly restored as well the mid-60's
labels. Not one UPC barcode to be found on the item anywhere. The
singles are beautifully reproduced as well, using the original
“Heroes & Villains” picture sleeve as well as more of Smile
artist Frank Holmes artwork for “Vege-tables”. You can also
purchase the vinyl album as a standalone-purchase.
I'd recommend this release for anyone to hear as it's
such an important slice of 1960's recording history that almost
neverwas.
