Catch a wave, folks, surf’s up.
Catch a wave, folks, surf’s up.
When I first saw the Beach Boys on TV, I was less than impressed.Sure, I loved all those catchy surfin’ numbers, but they lookedso….so odd and old fashioned. It was a clip from 1964 or so, and I was a Beatles fan, and the Beach Boys just didn’t measure up. They had short hair, two of them looked somewhat overweight (and sang a bit like women), and one of them was goin’ bald! Such is the fickle nature of youth and with age came a little wisdom. I heard Good Vibrations, and, later, the Pet Sounds album and realised that there was much more to Brian Wilson’s group than I’d first realised – those harmonies, the arrangements, the production, and, above all, the timeless songs.
Fast forward to 2004 and I own pretty much everything they ever released, but maybe you’ve just heard a couple of hits on the radio, or just been to see Brian perform live in concert, and you want to buy some Beach Boys but you don’t know where to begin. Catch a wave, folks, surf’s up…..
Back Cataloging The Beach Boys
Option 1: The Compilation
For many folks a good compilation is enough. After all there’s a lot of music out there to listen to, and maybe funds are low, orspace is at a premium, or maybe just a single disc of California sunshine is enough for you. Well, The Beach Boys have been compiled more times than anyone can remember and there’s a couple of great single disc hits packages out there at the moment. There’s also astack of cheap, nasty, and less-than-definitive CDs out there too, so be careful. It’s your money, and your choice, but I’d suggest either picking up EMI’s recent Greatest Hits (not to be confused with the American compilation of the same name issues on Capitol which is good, but not as good) or the budget priced The Very Best Of The Beach Boys.
Greatest Hits has 29 remastered tracks, regrettably out of chronological sequence, but all from the Beach Boys’ 1960s heyday. The Very Best Of has 30 tracks, including two post-60s hits, and boasts both a chronological tracklisting, and, more importantly, a very low price tag, which overall may just give it the edge. But either is money well spent. Good Vibrations, God Only Knows, California Girls, I Get Around, Surfin’ USA…..all your jukebox favourites are present and correct.
Option 2: The Regular Albums
Right now is a great time to buy Beach Boys CDs. Pretty much all of the back catalogue is available on a series of `twofer’ packages.The main exception being the place most people start when they buy anon-hits Beach Boys album….
Essential
Pet Sounds (1966) – So obvious that it hardly needs saying. This was Brian Wilson’s first masterpiece – the culmination of five yearsof record making skill and songwriting progress. One of the outstanding albums of the 1960s, pop music doesn’t get much better than this. Includes God Only Knows, Wouldn’t It Be Nice and the mournful Caroline, No.
Sunflower + Surf’s Up (1969-71) – By all means begin with Pet Sounds, but please make sure you check this one out also. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best Beach Boys title on catalogue – their first, and best, two albums of the 1970s on one disc. By now the band had become a democracy, and for a while it worked beautifully. Brian and Dennis Wilson dominate Sunflower with songs like This Whole World, Forever, and It’s About Time. Youngest Wilson Carl gets his chance to really shine on Surf’s Up with Long Promised Road and Feel Flows, while Brian offers up the incredibly moving `Til I Die and the band finish another lost Smile-era gem in Surf’s Up itself.
Good Vibrations – Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys (career spanningbox set) – Sorry to land you with such a necessary big money purchase, but even if you own both of my previous Essential selections, you still really need this box set. For a start it’s got all the early classics, and only the really dedicated fan would want to collect these via all of the original albums. It also contains the only legitimate release of some of the original recordings for the legendary unreleased Smile album, as well as a generous helping of other out-takes, some being every bit as good as the songs that did get released. All this and the best of the 70s and 80s output too.
Also Recommended
Surfer Girl (1963) – Now available on a `twofer’ with the not-as-good Shut Down Volume 2, Surfer Girl is the first Beach Boys album of any real quality. Tracks like Catch A Wave, In My Room and Little Deuce Coupe show just how fast Brian was growing as a writer of great pop songs even at this early stage.
All Summer Long (1964) – Now available on a `twofer’ with the patchy Little Deuce Coupe album, All Summer Long was the next major advance in Brian and the group’s development. Includes I Get Around, Wendy and Don’t Back Down.
The Beach Boys Today! + Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965) –The two studio albums that preceded Pet Sounds, and signposted the magnum opus ahead, on one CD. Contains more than its fair share of Beach Boys gold with the likes of Dance Dance Dance, Kiss Me Baby, Help Me Rhonda and California Girls.
Friends + 20/20 (1966-68) – Friends was their last album with Brain as musical director, and 20/20 was the first of the more democratic albums. Both were commercial flops, but have been reappraised in retrospect, and deservedly so. Includes Dennis’s first Beach Boys gem Little Bird, Brian’s Wake The World, the stunning Time To Get Alone, the ever-popular Do It Again, and the mighty Cabinessence from the Smile sessions.
Carl And The Passions "So Tough" + Holland (1971/2) – Not quite asconvincing as the Sunflower + Surf’s Up package, this double CD still contains more than enough great examples of the Beach Boys more mature early 70s sound. Includes Marcella, the breathtaking All This Is That, Dennis’s epic Cuddle Up, Carl’s similarly monumental The Trader, the joyful California and the rocking Sail On Sailor.
Endless Harmony Soundtrack (career spanning compilation) – Nominally the soundtrack to an excellent TV documentary about the group, this presents a grab bag of out-takes, alternate mixes, concertrehearsals, live recordings and demos. You may be surprised to learn that the resulting CD is one of the most consistently brilliant titles in the Beach Boys’ back catalogue. Contains the mysteriously never-previously-available Soulful Old Man Sunshine, a remarkable extended mix of ‘Til I Die, a dynamic live version of Heroes And Villains, and a stripped down rehearsal of God Only Knows that has to be heard to be believed – it so drips with soul and heartbreak that it may just be the greatest thing they ever captured on tape.
Avoid!
Lost And Found (1961/2) – Round up of pre-fame recordings. For fanatics only.
Beach Boys Concert + Live In London (1964 + 1968) – If you want a live Beach Boys album, then the similarly titled The Beach Boys In Concert containing recordings from 1972/3 is by far and away the one to get. These earlier 60s live recordings are more useful as historical documents than as a pleasurable listening experience.
Recorded Live At A Beach Boys Party + Stack-O-Tracks (1966 + various years) – Beach Boys unplugged and Beach Boys karaoke style. Each misses out on one crucial aspect of the band’s appeal: Party has noproduction values and Stack has no singing!
Smiley Smile (1967) – Now available on a `twofer’ with the halfway decent Wild Honey album, Smiley Smile was dashed off quickly at Brian’s home studio after the original Smile project had been scrapped. A better damage limitation exercise would have been to release nothing at all. Still sounds disappointing after all these years. Yes it does include both Good Vibrations and Heroes And Villains, but these are better experienced in the context of a hits compilation, or the box set.
15 Big Ones + The Beach Boys Love You (1976) – These two albums saw Brian back in charge, but the results are a long way short of his mid 60s zenith. Brian’s voice is rough, the backings sound unfinished and are dominated by harsh sounding synthesizers, and the lyrics are often eccentric to say the least. To be fair, many Beach Boys fans have a soft spot for Love You, but do approach with caution.
Keepin’ The Summer Alive + The Beach Boys; Still Cruisin’; Summer In Paradise (1980s/90s) – It really isn’t worth wasting your money on any Beach Boys album after LA (Light Album) from 1979. They allshow a band that is washed up and almost entirely bereft of creativity. Harsh, but true.
Brian Wilson solo
Essential
Brian Wilson Presents Smile (2004) – the biggest surprise of the year was the newly completed remake of Brian’s lost masterpiece, originally started in 1966 (and abandoned the year after). With a lot of help and encouragement from his touring band, Brian finally agreed to first perform in concert, and then record the work that had so tormented him for so long (if you want to know the full story, I suggest you go a-googlin’). Incredibly, it lives up to 37 years of hype. Includes Heroes And Villains, Wonderful, Wind Chimes and Surf’s Up.
Also Recommended
Brian Wilson (1988) – Brian’s first solo album may not be consistently great, but the highpoints make it a worthwhile purchase, especially as the CD reissue has a generous helping of bonus tracks. Includes Love And Mercy, the sublime Melt Away andthe magnificent Rio Grande. And if after that lot you still need more Wilson magic, you may try and track down Dennis Wilson’s currently out-of-print solo album from 1977 Pacific Ocean Blue.
Happy listening!