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.
Van Dyke Parks is something of an enigma who has worn many hats in his long career. He has worked with The Beach Boys on their legendary Smile album and co-wrote "Sail On Sailor". He did the arrangements on Disney's The Jungle Book. He was the head of Warner Brother's audio/video department in the 1970's. He was taught by Aaron Copland and sang for Albert Einstein in German as a child. He's recorded with The Byrds in the late 60's. He gave Buffalo Springfield it's name. He was a child actor and appeared in several films and television shows, including a neighbor of Ralph & Alice on The Honeymooners.
He's also released a few solo albums. The most notable of these was his debut album, Song Cycle. Song Cycle was originally released on Warner Brothers in 1968, and was recorded with a budget of $35,000 dollars making it the most expensive album at the time of its' release. It is an assemblage of various styles of American music. Ranging from old-timey American Ragtime and showtunes, traditional bluegrass, orchestrated suites all in an esoteric, psychedelic late 60's baroque pop art context. It's simultaneously backwards-looking and progressive. The songs are somewhat seamless and flow better than most albums of this sort IMHO. For starters, there are never any discernible lulls that seem to plague a good majority of so-called experimental pop music. Something is always taking place, and it's that very thing about it - which is wonderful - that may be off-putting some. I love Van Dyke Parks and love the album too.
This release was a limited edition 180-gram mono-pressing of 2,500 copies celebrating it's 45th anniversary. It was released by Rhino on Record Store Day of 2013 and it's basically a flawless release.
The Sunrays were a mid
60's Sunshine Pop/Surf Pop band from southern California. They were
managed by Murray Wilson, father of Brian, Dennis & Carl Wilson
of The Beach Boys. Murray took up the role of as band manager after
being fired by The Beach Boys for being deemed intolerable to work
with. Murray also served as The Sunrays producer and got them signed
to Capitol Records subsidiary, Tower Records in 1964. The band had
hit singles with “I Live For The Sun”, “Andrea” and “Still”
before disbanding 1967.
This single, which was
released on Record Store Day of 2014, is comprised of “Our Leader”,
which was a recording dedicated to Murray Wilson by the band and
given to him on Christmas of 1965. It's a heart-felt token of
appreciation to an individual whose reputation has been tarnished
over the years.
“Won't You Tell Me”
is a song that was composed by Murray Wilson and band leader Rick
Henn to record, four years after the band's break-up. Recorded by the
Wrecking Crew and some creative input and backing vocals from Dennis
Wilson, it's something of a mini Sunshine/Baroque Pop classic.
The song was overdubbed
with vocals from both Brian and Carl Wilson also in 1971. This
version appears on the Beach Boys bootlegs Get The Boot and
All This Is That.
Sundazed works its'
usual magic and the vinyl is of the usual high-standards. It's nice
yellow vinyl pressing and comes with four-pages of insightful and historical
annotation from Rick Henn.
Very Highly Recommended
for fans of The Beach Boys, Baroque Pop and Sunshine Pop of the
1960's.
The Beach Boys are one of the greatest American bands to emerge from the second-half of the 20th Century. Brian Wilson is one of the most important modern-day American pop composers. His productions ushered in Baroque pop, Sunshine pop and Psychedelic Pop. However, to your average low-information consumer, they are primarily known only for recording a handful of well-crafted, but perhaps over-saturated early hits (i.e. "Surfin' U.S.A.", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls"). Hits that have been heard in commercials, movies and all-over oldies radio, for quite some time now.
However some of their best material (bona fide hits or minor hits) come from their lesser-known-to-the-public-at-large era of 1966-1973. Some songs that are very well-known ("Good Vibrations") and have similar, near companion songs that are not as well-known ("Heroes And Villains"). Good Vibrations: Best Of The Beach Boys was the first time all of the baroque-pop period of The Beach Boys was compiled in one place. However it's release was not exactly of purest intentions. Endless Summer (Capitol/1974) and Spirit Of America (Capitol/1975) were compilation albums released of the bands' earlier material by Capitol after the band had been on Reprise for a few years. They were blockbuster albums peaking at numbers 1 and 8, respectively on Billboard. They single-handedly put The Beach Boys back in the general public's commercial consciousness again after years of releasing artistically-successful albums, but dwindling returns. Reprise had the rights to the bands Capitol catalog from 1966-1969 and the bands' own Reprise material (from 1970 onward).
Good Vibrations: Best Of The Beach Boys succeeds in (albeit modestly - it charted at 25) cashing-in on the band they seemingly could never sell in the same way that Capitol had, despite first-class material. Song-for-song it's basically a perfect album. "Good Vibrations", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Heroes And Villains", "Friends", "Add Some Music To Your Day", "God Only Knows", "Sloop John B", "Surf's Up", "Caroline, No", "Darlin'", "Do It Again" and "Sail On Sailor" are the songs on the album. If there was to be a CD release for a complete 1966-1973 best-of, these are the tracks I'd include: "I Can Hear Music", "Cottonfields" (single version), Bluebirds Over The Mountain", "Wild Honey", "Long Promised Road", "Till I Die", "Marcella", "Cabinessence", "California Saga: California" (single version) "Busy Doin' Nothin'", "This Whole World" and "You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone". But you could always make a compilation CD of all of this I suppose.
I cannot recommend the vinyl platter highly enough.
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album was released just in time for the Christmas holiday season, on November 9th 1964. The album was undoubtedly conceived as a result of Capitol's persistent pressure for product from the band for the Holiday season. But it was perhaps inspired by Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift To You, which Brian Wilson has stated is his all-time favorite recording. So how do the boys of Summer from Hawthorne California fare on a recording of Christmas music? Exceptionally well.
The record was split into two conceptual sides; side one is the pop side for the teens and features the band on all instruments while side two is the traditional side for the adults. Side two was arranged and orchestrated by Dick Reynolds, whose work with The Four Freshman Brian Wilson was a fan of. The band was backed on the Dick Reynolds tracks by a forty-one piece orchestra.
"Little Saint Nick" returns here as it had already been a hit from the prior holiday season of 1963 (reaching #3 on Billboard's Holiday Charts). And it has gone on to become something of a holiday classic. "The Man With All The Toys" was the single from the album and while not becoming the classic that "Little Saint Nick" has, it was successful, reaching #6 on Billboard's Holiday Charts.
"Merry Christmas Baby" was also eventually released as a single in 1966 in the German market.
"Christmas Day" (which was Al Jardine's first lead vocal performance with the band) and "Santa's Beard" round out the originals.
"White Christmas", "Blue Christmas" and "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" are Wintery-cold in the vocal performances and the arrangements mirror that. "Frosty The Snowman" and "Santa Claus Are Coming To Town" are playful and lighthearted and these are the two non-singles that still get airplay around the holidays. "Auld Lang Syne" closes things out and features a flubbed spoken-word thank you from Dennis Wilson over the band's accapella version of the song.
The album reached #6 on Billboard's Top 100 charts and has subsequently gone Gold. It has been released numerous times over the years in many different variations. The best of these is Ultimate Christmas, which was released in 1998 and also features the bands later holiday recordings from the the mid 70's. It's one of my favorite holiday recordings by default as it features the ultimate Summer band in Winter holiday mode.
San Francisco California's Jellyfish had some minor initial commercial success. Their brand of Badfinger meets The Partridge Family and XTC pop was popular enough critically circa 1990/1991 but never really received the widespread attention it really deserved. Their debut album Bellybutton spawned five singles, one of which ("Baby's Coming Back") even reached number 62 on Billboard's Hot 200 chart. One single was released as part an EP.
That song was "Now She Knows She's Wrong". It's a power pop meets bubblegum confection with Steve McDonald of Redd Kross guesting on bass. It starts with a minor-key Partridge Family synthesized harpsichord part. It isn't long before sleigh bells ala Brian Wilson and glockenspiel join-in. And after two-minutes and thirty-five seconds the song is over. "Bedspring Kiss" is a five-minute long groovy piece of nuevo cocktail-lounge and exotica noir that references cocaine and heroin use with a bridge that sounds like a missing link from Pet Sounds. It is one of several highlights from the Bellybutton album.
The B-Sides of the Scary-Go-Round EP are nice live obscurities. There are variations between the 12" EP, CD EP & 7" EP. Each come with two live tracks per-B-Side. The CD contains "Let Em In/That Is Why" & "The King Is Half-Undressed". The former is a medley of the intro and chorus of the
Wings hit single for the Summer of 1976 and segues into the
Supertrampesque "That Is Why". This medley was recorded live at Bogart's
and was finally issued (along with the rest of that complete 2/21/91
performance) on Omnivore Records' Live At Bogart's. The latter is a great performance of their debut single (also on Bellybutton) and was recorded at LA's The Roxy and subsequently was released (along with several other tracks from that show) on the now-ultra-rare box-set Fan Club.
The Vinyl 12" & 7"'s tracks all come from their 2012 release of Live At Bogart's. Those tracks are the stately monster of a track "The Man I Used To Be" and "Calling Sarah" which musically sounds like the lovechild of Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. It is perhaps Jellyfish's greatest single sleeper/dark horse of a song. "She Still Loves Him" tells of an abusive relationship whilst sounding like the Badfinger backing The Beach Boys. "Baby's Coming Back" (the band's lone minor-hit) which is a tale of promises of giving up the fast life for one particular girlfriend and actively references The Partridge Family's "C'mon Get Happy" in the song's coda.
If you're a fan of the band, who've since acquired something of a
substantial cult-following since their break-up in 1994, I'd recommend
picking up the EP. It's a nice little slice of what made Bellybutton so
great. It also shows the band in a live-context, which for a band renowned for their studio wizardry (especially on Spilt Milk) they probably doesn't get too much notice for. This is a small slice of Jellyfish's Power Pop Heaven.
