What "commemorative releases" should we expect for the 50th anniversary?

[KokoNO]

I'm of the opinion that they should go as far as to release "three-fers" if they're remastering the albums. I'd squeeze the first three albums, the second set of three albums and Smiley Smile-Wild Honey-Friends all on onc cd each. Today-Summer Nights would be the fourth remaster and the fifth would be 20/20 with all of the bonus tracks from the aforementioned 14 albums (since 20/20 is a catchall LP, anyway).

Those five CDs along with the already released 40th Anniversary of Pet Sounds, the Smile sessions (the two disc) and the Ultimate Christmas CD could all be packaged into one boxed set.


There would then be a 1970's boxed set that mimics the original LP layout with one CD for each album. Each CD would include bonus tracks, so there'd be nine discs, one for each album (including one for Mount Vernon and Fairway) along with a tenth disc of extra material.

[Mikie]

I don't see a new WILD HONEY mix happening... same goes for SMILEY SMILE.

Me neither. I can state my preferences though, and that's all I'm doing. I'm also a realist, though. The live box is probably very doable. Not sure about the demand for a Wild Honey album in stereo, other than us hardcores. It's been talked about. Even a legit downloadable would be nice, but probably not gonna happen unfortunately. A Greatest Hits comp is most likely - just asking if they hafta do it, give us some incentive to buy another one by giving us more stereo tracks and and unreleased song or two. As far as re-releasing single Beach Boys albums, I don't see that happening either - if anything 2-fers coming out again would be the way to go for economic reasons. Sure wouldn't mind seeing an 'Obi' Japan release of the individual albums in paper sleeves - that's been successful for other artists. I say release those or the Pastmasters series in the USA. I know, just dreaming about that last part.... 

[Mike's Beard]

I think I'm going to have to go with the general consensus here and say career spanning Live Box Set (4 CD's with a bonus DVD included). I would be willing to spend big bucks on it.

[John Manning]

I think I'm going to have to go with the general consensus here and say career spanning Live Box Set (4 CD's with a bonus DVD included). I would be willing to spend big bucks on it.

See, I don't think a 4CD & DVD box would cover 50 years of live performances. Needs more. For political reasons you can't exclude the Mike & Bruce era, as they've flown the flag for more than a decade as The Beach Boys. I'd be happy with a 50CD series, with one live gig for each year but I doubt that's going to happen. There is, however, an awful lot of recorded shows (and a lot of recorded awful shows) that ought to se the light of day eventually - this might as well be the year, while there's still a market for tangible product.

[Mike's Beard]

I think I'm going to have to go with the general consensus here and say career spanning Live Box Set ( 5 CDs with a bonus DVD included). I would be willing to spend bigger bucks on it.
 

[lee]

Sounds of Summer with a 50th anniversary celebration t shirt according to Amazon.

[Smilin Ed H]

I'll settle for a series of good T-shirts - cover of Surfin' Safari, SMiLE, Surf's Up - that sort of thing.  And a Brian Wilson bath robe. And a hot girl called Rhonda. Or Caroline. Or Wendy.

[Smilin Ed H]

And a rarities/outtakes set covering 69-79, of course.

[joshferrell]

I would like all their albums to be released as single discs with stereo/mono mixes/singles and if room unreleased songs ,new stereo mixes if old ones don't exist or if they can't do ANY stereo mix do "fake stereo" JUST for the songs that can't be remixed into stereo (like they did with the Beatles "capitol records" cd sets),and of course the latter years only stereo,a two or three disc set of all unreleased/rarities from the 60's til the 90's including ALL the songs from various soundtracks,tribute albums,duets etc (Excluding those that are on "Still Cruising" cd re-issue,read below) and a box set with all their songs in chronlogical order (Mono and stereo) without unreleased songs on it.."Still Cruisin" should be re-issued WITHOUT the older tracks and it should have the songs from the 80's and 90's that are out of print.."Sip" should have both american and uk mixes and if room rare songs that are out of print (Like Still Cruisin) but wihtout repeating anything from the 2 or 3 disc box set..there should be NO double dipping with the unreleased songs,all the songs from the first two-fers should be excluded so they can put other unreleased songs and not douple dipping..

[Mike's Beard]

You obviously have money to burn.

[joshferrell]

You obviously have money to burn.

no I just want to have a choice ,I don't think it would be fair to have JUST a boxset and not the sinlge discs and JUST have the unreleased songs on the expensive box set,so I can pick and choose which single discs I want wihtout having to buy an expensive box set..

[Mikie]

The ultimate would be a mono box set and a stereo box set for all of the Beach Beach Boys albums. Just like Capitol did for the Beatles. Too bad it isn't going to happen.

[Mr. Wilson]

Ill put my expectations + hopes on a live box set and some live DVD releases + A Rarities//Unreleased series..

[hypehat]

I'd honestly settle for the twofers being kept in print/remastered (if so, pre-65 in mono, please) and a big rarities collection being released.

[Zach95]

The ultimate would be a mono box set and a stereo box set for all of the Beach Beach Boys albums. Just like Capitol did for the Beatles. Too bad it isn't going to happen.

Are you sure...? I'm REALLY hoping for this too...and I just...can't accept that it just isn't going to happen. 

[Mikie]

Yeah, I'm sure. They could do a mono box, no problem. But to do a stereo box, they need the multi-track tapes. Some of those are missing for albums such as Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down II.

[Ebb and Flow]

Yeah, I'm sure. They could do a mono box, no problem. But to do a stereo box, they need the multi-track tapes. Some of those are missing for albums such as Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down II.

Just because they're missing some of the multitracks doesn't invalidate the stereo mixes Chuck Britz created in 1963/64.  About the only tracks from those two albums I can think of that can't be released in stereo: A Young Man Is Gone and 409.  Shut Down Vol. 2 can be released in stereo now (the tapes for Denny's Drums and Pom Pom Playgirl were found in 2008), though some tracks would still be "lop-sided".

[Mikie]

Yeah, well, now we also have "Don't Worry Baby" and "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in stereo because the tapes were found recently. But not all of the tapes are around to make a complete stereo album. Sure, suedo stereo mixes can be made of some of them, but it's not like having the multi's to do true stereo releases.

Listening to some of those SOT discs, you can get a feel what some of the tracks might sound like in suedo stereo. I'd like stereo releases of everything of course, but being realistic, it's hit or miss for nice sounding stereo tracks.

[Mr. Wilson]

Think ill stay over here..No one is arguing about Mike Love.!

[Ebb and Flow]

Yeah, well, now we also have "Don't Worry Baby" and "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in stereo because the tapes were found recently. But not all of the tapes are around to make a consistent complete album. Sure, suedo mixes can be made of some of them, but it's not like having the multi's to do true stereo releases.

I'm not really sure what you mean by "Pseudo" stereo.  The '64 stereo mixes for Don't Worry Baby, Warmth Of The Sun and Keep and Eye On Summer aren't ideally mixed, but they're still in stereo...and they're all we have.  To me, a mono/stereo box would ideally include the BW mono mixes, the Chuck Britz stereo mixes and any modern remixes that can be made using the multitracks as bonus tracks.

Your goal for "a consistent complete album" is frankly unrealistic when accounting for missing tapes and the way BW mixed/recorded many songs.  Just because a stereo mix isn't possible for every song, that shouldn't prevent them from releasing a stereo catalog "where available".

Any tracks that can't be mixed in stereo whatsoever should just use the mono mix instead.  This is exactly the way stereo albums like Little Deuce Coupe and All Summer Long were released back then.  I also think that songs they have the multitrack for but are missing overdubs (like Help Me, Rhonda) should receive "incomplete/alternate" stereo mixes.

If they really get the go-ahead from Capitol to release multi-disc releases of every album why shouldn't they release everything and the kitchen sink?

[Mikie]

Any tracks that can't be mixed in stereo whatsoever should just use the mono mix instead.

Nah, I wouldn't want that.

[Ebb and Flow]

Any tracks that can't be mixed in stereo whatsoever should just use the mono mix instead.

Nah, I wouldn't want that.

Vintage Stereo Beach Boys albums that did exactly that:

Little Deuce Coupe (409, A Young Man Is Gone)
Shut Down Vol. 2 (Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Denny's Drums)
All Summer Long (I Get Around, All Summer Long, Our Favorite Recording Sessions)
20/20 (Do It Again)

This all or nothing mentality when it comes to archival releases that people are starving for really baffles me.  It makes me glad that they had all the tapes for Pet Sounds and they were willing to release the songs missing overdubs.

[Mikie]

Doesn't baffle me at all.  In fact, I have my own stereo comp of all of the remixed songs in stereo.  Sounds great!

Go back to what I proposed earlier in the thread.  A mono box and a stereo box like they did for the Beatles. What would people think if a lot of those tracks in the stereo box were in mono? Would they feel a little ripped off? I would.

[Jeff]

I would like all their albums to be released as single discs with stereo/mono mixes/singles and if room unreleased songs ,new stereo mixes if old ones don't exist or if they can't do ANY stereo mix do "fake stereo" JUST for the songs that can't be remixed into stereo (like they did with the Beatles "capitol records" cd sets),and of course the latter years only stereo,a two or three disc set of all unreleased/rarities from the 60's til the 90's including ALL the songs from various soundtracks,tribute albums,duets etc (Excluding those that are on "Still Cruising" cd re-issue,read below) and a box set with all their songs in chronlogical order (Mono and stereo) without unreleased songs on it.."Still Cruisin" should be re-issued WITHOUT the older tracks and it should have the songs from the 80's and 90's that are out of print.."Sip" should have both american and uk mixes and if room rare songs that are out of print (Like Still Cruisin) but wihtout repeating anything from the 2 or 3 disc box set..there should be NO double dipping with the unreleased songs,all the songs from the first two-fers should be excluded so they can put other unreleased songs and not douple dipping..

That would be a great plan if you really, really wanted to insult the Beach Boys' legacy.

[Zach95]

Doesn't baffle me at all.  In fact, I have my own stereo comp of all of the remixed songs in stereo.  Sounds great!

Go back to what I proposed earlier in the thread.  A mono box and a stereo box like they did for the Beatles. What would people think if a lot of those tracks in the stereo box were in mono? Would they feel a little ripped off? I would.

My reply was saying are you sure it's not possible for EITHER of those two. I would gladly accept a mono box set.