The Beach Boys: Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions (Omnivore Recordings/2016)

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.

Here's The Video Review:


Thanks to Dave Rerecich.
                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The Upper Crust: Bowery Electric, New York, NY (3/19/2016) Retroactive Review.

Boston, MA's The Upper Crust put on quite possibly one of the most fun shows you can possibly attend. Allmusic aptly describes The Upper Crust as "AC/DC meets The Buzzcocks at a theater showing of This Is Spinal Tap", so I shan't attempt to better that, since it's so right on the money. They dress in 18th century attire; wigs, pancake make-up, songs about being affluent and the like.

The song titles alone simply don't do justice to material; "Little Lord Fauntleroy", "Tell Mother I'm Home", "Come Hither Fair Youth", "Eureka, I Found Love" and "We're Finished With Finishing School" are just some of the titles from this fantastic live band.

Here's a plethora of photos and videos that I took at the show from stage right. Because they're taking up an obscene amount of space on my phone...so here you are. 'Twas a great show.

Photos by Bill Wikstrom.