Here's my review of "We Gotta Groove", via my Beach Boys Opinion Page
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REVIEW - "We Gotta Groove - The Brother Studio Years"
Beach Boys fans have had to do a bit of waiting for the next Beach Boys archival boxed set (though other projects have seen release, including a revamped, expanded “Sounds of Summer” and the excellent Genesis Publications “autobiography” of the band), and fans who have wanted to see a focus on this era have been waiting an especially long time for this. But it’s here and our patience has been rewarded.
“We Gotta Groove – The Brother Studio Years” focuses on material recorded mainly across 1976 and 1977. The “Brian’s Back” era brings us arguably the most Brian-centric grouping of material since Pet Sounds/Smile. In some ways more so, as Brian takes on songwriting largely solo in this era. A lot of this set is most pure, unfiltered Brian you’ll ever hear.
The focal point of the collection is the “Love You” album and the legendary unreleased “Adult/Child” sessions. Joining those tracks are outtakes, vintage and new alternate mixes, demos, etc. from the mid-70s through the pre-MIU era, including sessions for “15 Big Ones”, “Love You”, and “Adult/Child.”
Spearheading the set is long-time fixture Howie Edelson and newcomer James Sáez, who handles production/mixing/engineering. Fans have been asking for new blood in the engineering chair, and Sáez delivers great work here. I’m already daydreaming about hearing Sáez work on both the earlier catalog and the later 70s into the 80s. More on that later.
More specifically, the Compilation and New Mixes are produced by James Sáez and Howie Edelson, Mastering is handled by Robert Vosgien Mastering, and Creative Direction is handled by Alan Boyd.
DISC ONE – “Love You” and “Love You” Outtakes
The set kicks off with a newly-remastered “Love You.” Fans obviously know this material well. I think the remaster sounds tight and clean; it’s not too loud, and has the appropriate amount of hiss/noise and dynamics. But I’m also someone who doesn’t sweat too much on the original albums included in these big boxed sets, because there are 37 other pressings and masterings to choose from if one particular style suits your tastes. The album has such a unique, anachronistic sound that it sounds to me like a lighter touch on the mastering side works.
Fans will no doubt notice “15 Big Ones” is not here in original form. I think fans have realized over time that as we get later into the band’s career and the audience for these sets unavoidably becomes more niche, we probably aren’t going to need all of the original albums on all of these sets. Yet, including “Love You” for context is important because the album has a lot of deep cut/indie/cult classic status attached to it, and some novice or new fans do check these sets out.
The remainder of Disc One focuses on “Love You” era outtakes. One key aspect of the set is something I’ve seen some fans ask for: vintage mixes of unreleased material. The outtakes and alternates on the set feature a mixture of original 1976/77 mixes and 2025 mixes, with the majority of the “Love You” outtakes and “Adult/Child” featured in vintage, original 76/77 mixes.
Four unreleased titles are featured next in original vintage mixes: “Ruby Baby”, “Marilyn Rovell”, “Sherry She Needs Me”, and “Lazy Lizzie.” These have circulated in the past in varying quality; here they sound pristine. “Sherry….” in particular sounds great. While the “Made in California” hybrid mix from 2013 featuring more flown-in vocals was interesting and enjoyable, I really dig hearing this track in pristine quality as it would have sounded had it been released in ’76. “Marilyn Rovell” and “Lazy Lizzie” are well known among fans of Brian’s quirky material from this era. Fascinating stuff, and again here in pristine quality.
“We Gotta Groove”, “Hey There Mama” (later used as the basis for “I Saw Mama Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree” in ’77), and “Clangin’” (one of many proto “Ding Dang” variants) are newly mixed. “We Gotta Groove” is uniquely Brian. This infamously circulated for eons without any of the verse lyrics/vocal, the lead vocal only escaping in more recent years. This remix sounds nice and crunchy as it sounds like the song was meant to be, and brings up the chant-like chorus vocals nice and loud.
Three more vintage mixes round out the disc, with alternate versions of “Love Is a Woman” and “Johnny Carson” and the legendary Brian take on “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” Al takes Brian’s lead parts on this take of “Love Is A Woman”, while “Johnny Carson” features a strange but fun extended lead guitar intro. This original mix of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, here now finally in pristine quality, is the definitive mix of this song. I never figured out exactly what happened with the mix on “Made in California”, but here it sounds perfect. One of the best covers from this era.
DISC TWO – “Adult/Child” Sessions and 1974-77 Select Outtakes
The second disc begins with nine vintage mixes from the “Adult/Child” sessions. This material has circulated for years, in varying quality and in varying mixes. I really like the idea of pulling these vintage mixes out; it gets us a bit closer to the “what if” concerning this material.
In decades past, it took some time for me to warm to some of this material. Brian’s sense of melody and chords always pervaded the material (I’ll talk more about the demos later), but I really had to get in the headspace of this being pure, unfiltered Brian. It’s fascinating material. “Life is for the Living” has always been perhaps the most flamboyant song from the project; probably the main reason it often gets pegged as a “big band” album despite a hunk of it being closer in vibe to “Love You.” Included is the “fixed/speed corrected” version of “It’s Over Now” as well. “Still I Dream of It” gets its first new official remastering since 1993, and sounds much, much better as all the material does.
Fans familiar with these sessions and the various lineups/mixes will notice that “Hey Little Tomboy” is absent here. I don’t think I need to draw a diagram to explain why. Two other songs usually included in “Adult/Child” compilations over the years, “HELP Is on the Way” and “Games Two Can Play”, were already featured on 2021’s “Feel Flows” set.
“New England Waltz” is slotted in at the end of the vintage “Adult/Child” mixes; this instrumental I believe has only previously circulated in atrocious sound quality.
Backing tracks for “Life is For the Living”, “Deep Purple”, “It’s Over Now”, and “Still I Dream of It” follow, the latter three in 2025 mix form, and while I always eat up the backing track (and vocals-only) mixes, these are especially strong picks to feature as instrumentals.
The remainder of the second disc is where all of the other miscellaneous tracks from this era are slotted, and where Carl and Dennis get their moments.
I’ve often heard fans utter some variation of “I’d listen to Carl sing the phone book”, and Carl’s guide vocal to Dennis’s legendary “Holy Man” proves fans correct. Some lyrics are present, with Carl offering the song’s full melody through a series of vocalizations/scat-singing. The mix sounds amazing, and Carl’s often wordless vocals absolutely carry the song. One of the highlights of the set, easily. I’d love to hear James Sáez tackle any future “Pacific Ocean Blue” revamps.
This is followed by two untitled instrumental Carl tracks. “Carl’s Song #1 (It Could Be Anything)” is pretty miraculous. Think a cross between “The Trader” and the best, most melodic moments from his solo albums. Carl once again offers a more or less wordless guide vocal here. I never wallow too much in the “what ifs”, but just imagine a double-sided single with finished Carl vocals on “Holy Man” and “Carl’s Song #1” hitting shelves at the end of 1976. The only complaint I can muster here is how Carl so quickly dropped and seemingly forgot this song. Note that this is not the same as the “Where We Are” track that has been circulating for years; though it is a proto version of that song with similar chord changes. But “Where We Are” sounds much more early 80s like Carl’s solo albums, while “Carl’s Song 1” is much more dynamic and closer to a “The Trader” vibe.
A second Carl instrumental offers an early, slightly more peppy take on “Angel Come Home.” Here, the verses and bridge portions are largely intact, but the chorus as heard on “LA (Light Album”) hasn’t materialized at this point.
Dennis is featured with a couple more of his epic mid-70s soundscapes, with “String Bass Song” featuring an embryonic version of what became “Rainbows” from “Pacific Ocean Blue”, as well as the multi-part “10,000 Years Ago.” It’s essentially two separate songs; the first being an iteration of what became “Are You Real” from his “Bambu” sessions, while the second half is the “10,000 Years Ago” that Dennis and Mike both worked on in the 70s. Mike of course remade this for his 2010s solo album. Both of these Dennis tracks are instrumentals. These archival sets are the perfect placement for this type of material. Unfinished, yet brilliant and worth releasing.
Brian’s 1977 take on “Gimme Some Lovin’” gets us even closer to “Walkin’ the Line” than the 1972 version heard on the “Sail on Sailor” set. I’m always fascinated when Brian re-uses riffs and motifs and song sections.
Marilyn Wilson’s take on “Honeycomb” follows, and it’s obviously charming and poignant when we remember how much Brian loved the song. It starts out with a bare Marilyn lead vocal, and then the instrumentation comes in.
The disc ends with a new mix of Brian’s ’75 “demo” of “In the Back of My Mind”, previously included as a retailer-exclusive bonus track on Brian’s “No Pier Pressure” album over 10 years ago. According to the liner notes, Brian is singing and Tandyn Almer plays the piano.
DISC THREE – “15 Big Ones” Outtakes and Alternate Mixes
The third disc begins with essentially a remixed, alternate universe version of “15 Big Ones”, leading with an excellent remix of “Just Once In My Life” and then running through five “oldies” left off the album: Brian’s spirited take on “Mony, Mony”, Mike’s take on “Running Bear”, Al taking on “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” and “On Broadway”, and a new mix of Dennis singing “Sea Cruise.” The stuff all sounds great, and my only complaint is not hearing James Sáez remix even more “15 Big Ones” material. It absolutely injects new life into this material. And yes, “On Broadway” is a legendary outtake for a reason; it’s one of Al’s greatest lead vocals, and the new mix here is revelatory. (And no audience sound effects!)
“Chapel of Love” gets a remix; this certainly hasn’t been one of my all time favorites over the years, but the remix works and helps. Same with Brian’s “Short Skirts” instrumental, another outtake from the sessions.
“TM Song”, “Rock and Roll Music”, and “Solar System” are featured in “backing track with backing vocals” mixes as we’ve heard on previous archival sets; delightful to hear the quirky details of the track and backing vocals. “Solar System” eventually sheds the backing track and we get a magnificent vocals-only ending.
“Had to Phone Ya” and “Mona” get intriguing “deconstructed” mixes, similar to recent John Lennon sets, with various vocals and instruments mixed up and down as the songs progressed. “Mona” is another song that has never been an all-time favorite, but I really love the ending of this mix which brings together the vocals and a few simple synth notes.
“Just Once In My Life” is one of the best tracks from the “15 Big Ones” sessions, and the instrumental track’s remix here opens the sound stage up immensely.
“Let Us Go On This Way” gets an alternate mix with Carl’s lead vocal pushed forward, “Honkin’ Down the Highway” features the famous alternate lead from Billy Hinsche (one of many only previously around in pretty wonky sound quality), and “Ding Dang” is basically the unedited, raw take heard in edited form on “Love You.”
“The Night Was So Young” gets a vocals-only mix, and as with any vocals-only mix with these guys, it’s phenomenal. Enough said.
“Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” features an unreleased coda that continues on past the usual ending, with a sweeping old-fashioned multi-part “togeeettthherrrr” harmony stack.
The set ends on what is one of my favorite Brian/Beach Boys recordings ever. While the tape has been around for eons, it is presented here in full, and in pristine quality. Cleaned up and tightened up to remove all the starts and stops. Brian mainly demos hunks of “Love You” and “Adult/Child” here, with Mike Love observing and commenting (and even occasionally harmonizing). If you ever wanted sonic proof for how in awe Mike could be of Brian’s raw songwriting talent, here it is. Mike infamously tells Brian he loves “Airplane” so much that he’s quitting the group if he doesn’t get the lead, and he offers reactions to “Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” and “I’ll Bet He’s Nice” that I won’t spoil for those who haven’t heard it before. I love everything about this tape. Mike in awe of Brian. Mike clearly having an ear for recognizing amazing chord changes. And Brian pouring his raw talent (and soul) out onto a piano and into a tape recorder. Everybody involved in capturing this session on tape and getting it released should get an honorary Grammy.
The set comes with a detailed booklet which, yes, includes a FULLY DETAILED Sessionography from Craig Slowinski, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington, and John Brode. Each and every track has full details: Producer, Engineer, full musician and vocalist credits, and even documents which size and format of tape each track was captured on. (For instance, the notes on Brian’s demo tape tell us that what we knew as one demo tape actually comes from two separate tapes, with most of the songs coming from a stereo cassette tape demo session, while “Still I Dream Of It” was captured on ¼ inch stereo open reel tape at a different session). Even cases where tape transfers happened without recording (such as “Sherry She Needs Me” in 1970), are documented as well.
The booklet includes a great essay from Howie Edelson, featuring a bunch of interviews/quotes from a variety of eras, from band members, engineers, and associates discussing this material/era.
As I’ve already referenced, the material sounds great. The vintage mixes are remastered appropriately. They sound pristine, but aren’t futzed with. They’re not flat; they’ve had appropriate mastering juice applied. And the modern remixes are clearly chosen with care and are done with the correct ethos of bringing out the dynamics in this material. Sáez’s remixes on the “15 Big Ones” era material are revelatory; I already like “15 Big Ones” more than I used to after tracking this set. My only complaint is that we didn’t get even more of this material remixed. I A/B’ed the new and old mixes, and stuff like “Just Once In My Life” sounds far more dynamic while not being too loud and without excessive high end. It’s punched up and expanded perfectly. James Sáez gets it. I can’t wait to hear more Beach Boys material from him. Truly a literal breath of fresh air.
As I’ve been telling people, if the Beach Boys is one of (or THE) main deal(s) in your life, this set is a no-brainer. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of how much I’m going to listen to this versus putting it on a shelf for eventual reference purposes. I’ve been listening to this non-stop; it’s that good and works that well as a collection.
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