"Straight from the Studio, Something Groovy is Coming..." (New Boxed Set)

[Dan Lega]

Just wanted to say I LOVE the cover art for the set!  I think that stained glass window is gorgeous, and the light streaming through it makes it even more heavenly.

Now... I don't know how it relates to The Beach Boys, per se, but in my mind it's their best cover since "Surf's Up!"  It's absolutely gorgeous!  

It should turn more than a few heads in the record stores!  (Oh, that's right, record stores aren't much of a thing anymore.  But hopefully it will turn more than a few eyes online!)

In regards to other comments, I, too, really like "Hey, Little Tomboy."  I think it and Lazy Lizzie are Brian trying to channel his 18-year-old self.  As Don Malcolm said, written from the viewpoint of a teenager.  Yeah, they're both a little cringe, (damn! I sound just like an 18-year old now, don't I?  So now I'm in the right time-frame.), but they're musically brilliant, and surely there's other old and modern songs on the airwaves (dang, forgot what era I'm in again,) I mean, on whatever streaming service you use that are just as "problematic?!"  No?!  

Hooray for the detailed sessionography!!!!

And thanks much for the review HeyJude, but I thought you teased you were going to give some concrete "spoilers" about upcoming projects?  Still waiting!!!  



Love and merci,Dan Lega

[bossaroo]

can't wait to dig into this set, which looks AMAZING overall!

anyone but me order a Love You blanket? 

https://shop.thebeachboys.com/products/the-beach-boys-love-you-blanket

[Dan Lega]

That does make a cool blanket!  It doesn't say how big it is, though.  

I just learned the cover is taken from or based on a stained-glass window at Brother Studios.  Very cool.  Here's a link to a picture of the Boys beside it.  The real window is HUGE!  Like something you'd see in an old church.  And it's also not quite the same, is it?   I'd love to see a better picture of the real window!  Both appear to be masterpieces.


https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d70662760193fa36aaee8b2cdbbf12e06c7383fc/0_0_2391_2952/master/2391.jpg?width=1140&dpr=2&s=none&crop=none

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

I decided to opt for the Japanese SHM-CD set. Link is here:

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-16375

[Rocker]

Just wanted to say I LOVE the cover art for the set!  I think that stained glass window is gorgeous, and the light streaming through it makes it even more heavenly.

Now... I don't know how it relates to The Beach Boys, per se, but in my mind it's their best cover since "Surf's Up!"  It's absolutely gorgeous!  

I believe it is a window from Brother Studios. Not sure though....

[Angela Jones]

Am I the only one to whom a Carl vocal on Holy Man is an unexpected revelation?

From 'Beach Boys Opinion'
'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.'

[Angela Jones]

Sorry - posted twice.

[Angela Jones]

How is this sold out already?? Did they only make like 20 copies? At least give us a back-order option - I don't care if it's not here Feb 13 but I'd at least like the option to buy it and wait.

This set looks fantastic and I can't wait to listen to it - I knew something like this was coming but I'm happily surprised that we'll be able to hear it in about 20 days! I was expecting a long wait. I remember the wait between TSS announcement and release was rather daunting, but worth it!

Very much looking forward to Ruby Baby having an official release - what an epic version that is.

Also, I am completely out of the Beach Boys loop lately, what is this Holy Man Carl Wilson vocal mix? It can't be a lead - is it backing vocals?

Thanks for posting about this, very exciting!

From Beach Boys Opinion review:
'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.'

BTW you can get the box set here though this is not an American link: https://thecircle.de/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-110578?_pos=1&_psq=we+gotta+gro&_ss=e&_v=1.0&fbclid=IwY2xjawPhtlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehNzspi-7s5metzWAQUyJN5P-piMkHvkKSoitS3rJ8YAQ_WOXUbc6vt_9-M8_aem_3sJyPSzZShR5gUceDx3iSw

[Angela Jones]

https://thecircle.de/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-110578?_pos=1&_psq=we+gotta+gro&_ss=e&_v=1.0&fbclid=IwY2xjawPhtlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehNzspi-7s5metzWAQUyJN5P-piMkHvkKSoitS3rJ8YAQ_WOXUbc6vt_9-M8_aem_3sJyPSzZShR5gUceDx3iSw

Euros 124.99.

[Don Malcolm]

As we would expect, various members of the horde at the Nearest Faraway Place are (again) ignoring the famous William Wordsworth admonition about "murdering to dissect" regarding the details about (and semi-adjacent to) this box set.

I will spare you the details, but Jude is mustering the patience of Job as he provides periodic corrections and clarifications to those over there manifesting their patented high-strung hand-wringing...

I think we will all be thrilled to have this swirling range of material collected and collated in a way that captures a short-lived spurt of Brian's creative energy before the fractures in the band caused him to retreat into another downward spiral. Brian discusses 15BO and Love You only fitfully in the Greenman autobio, but he retained positive thoughts about those two LPs forty years later--and I think we can be assured that he would be very happy to see this release. Pick the version of this release that works best for you, but support this release--do it for Brian!!

[Angela Jones]

As we would expect, various members of the horde at the Nearest Faraway Place are (again) ignoring the famous William Wordsworth admonition about "murdering to dissect" regarding the details about (and semi-adjacent to) this box set.

I will spare you the details, but Jude is mustering the patience of Job as he provides periodic corrections and clarifications to those over there manifesting their patented high-strung hand-wringing...

I think we will all be thrilled to have this swirling range of material collected and collated in a way that captures a short-lived spurt of Brian's creative energy before the fractures in the band caused him to retreat into another downward spiral. Brian discusses 15BO and Love You only fitfully in the Greenman autobio, but he retained positive thoughts about those two LPs forty years later--and I think we can be assured that he would be very happy to see this release. Pick the version of this release that works best for you, but support this release--do it for Brian!!

I hear in Marilyn's voice 'Did you order one?' I admit, I ordered two. The box set from Circle and the 3 CD set from Japan. Hope I don't get stung with charges.

[juggler]

I just learned the cover is taken from or based on a stained-glass window at Brother Studios.  Very cool.  Here's a link to a picture of the Boys beside it.  The real window is HUGE!  Like something you'd see in an old church.  And it's also not quite the same, is it? 

It seems to me that the box set cover uses the middle *section* of the window, possibly with some color alteration.  The window appears to depict the solar system with a sun and planets in orbit.  IIRC, there was an anecdote years ago about the stained glass window inspiring Brian to write "Solar System."

[Angela Jones]

As we would expect, various members of the horde at the Nearest Faraway Place are (again) ignoring the famous William Wordsworth admonition about "murdering to dissect" regarding the details about (and semi-adjacent to) this box set.

I will spare you the details, but Jude is mustering the patience of Job as he provides periodic corrections and clarifications to those over there manifesting their patented high-strung hand-wringing...

I think we will all be thrilled to have this swirling range of material collected and collated in a way that captures a short-lived spurt of Brian's creative energy before the fractures in the band caused him to retreat into another downward spiral. Brian discusses 15BO and Love You only fitfully in the Greenman autobio, but he retained positive thoughts about those two LPs forty years later--and I think we can be assured that he would be very happy to see this release. Pick the version of this release that works best for you, but support this release--do it for Brian!!

I did read this at the Too Near Faraway Place:  'According to the details posted on the Super Deluxe Editions website the box set will not be sold via the usual retailers:-
'"We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years is out 13 February via Capitol/UMe, although it should be noted that this box set is not available via traditional retail channels at all. It’s all D2C (direct-to-consumer) so you will need to seek out Beach Boys / Universal Music channels to order it."'

[Dan Lega]

I never did understand the title, "Adult/Child."   But all of a sudden I thought I had a great inspiration.  Perhaps "Hey, Little Tomboy" and "Lazy Lizzie" were the child (teenager, really) part of the album and other songs were the "Adult" part of it.  So I went to look at the track list of the album and saw "Shortnin' Bread" (real child part) and was just about ready to launch into a Julia inspired deconstruction of the themes of the album...

...and then I noticed "Lazy Lizzie" isn't even part of the album, and no other other songs fit the child theme, (unless "Lines" and/or "It's Trying To Say" do -- but I can't remember what those lyrics are,) and so I was still stuck wondering what the heck inspired Brian to title this album as "Adult/Child."

FYI... to me, "Lazy Lizzie" is even creepier than "Hey, Little Tomboy!"  I still love both songs, though!  But I'm surprised that "Hey, Little Tomboy" didn't make the set considering "Lazy Lizzie" did.  (Geez, I hope this doesn't give the producers any bad ideas, like pulling the product and taking "Lazy Lizzie" off the set, and delaying it for another year!)

Also, I really don't understand why people think "I Want To Pick You Up" is creepy!  To me it's always been obvious that the song is about what a parent does with a real baby, despite the weird thing Brian might have said about it.  Who knows what state he was in when he made that remark?  (Not that I can recall exactly what he said, but I guess I do remember it leaning toward another take on the song.)  Anyway, I always thought it was just a clever way to start a song, and title it, because you think it's going to be about trying to date a girl, but you're swiftly thrown a curve and realize you've been tricked, and it's really a song about a parent and their baby.

[Angela Jones]

I never did understand the title, "Adult/Child."   But all of a sudden I thought I had a great inspiration.  Perhaps "Hey, Little Tomboy" and "Lazy Lizzie" were the child (teenager, really) part of the album and other songs were the "Adult" part of it.  So I went to look at the track list of the album and saw "Shortnin' Bread" (real child part) and was just about ready to launch into a Julia inspired deconstruction of the themes of the album...

...and then I noticed "Lazy Lizzie" isn't even part of the album, and no other other songs fit the child theme, (unless "Lines" and/or "It's Trying To Say" do -- but I can't remember what those lyrics are,) and so I was still stuck wondering what the heck inspired Brian to title this album as "Adult/Child."

FYI... to me, "Lazy Lizzie" is even creepier than "Hey, Little Tomboy!"  I still love both songs, though!  But I'm surprised that "Hey, Little Tomboy" didn't make the set considering "Lazy Lizzie" did.  (Geez, I hope this doesn't give the producers any bad ideas, like pulling the product and taking "Lazy Lizzie" off the set, and delaying it for another year!)

Also, I really don't understand why people think "I Want To Pick You Up" is creepy!  To me it's always been obvious that the song is about what a parent does with a real baby, despite the weird thing Brian might have said about it.  Who knows what state he was in when he made that remark?  (Not that I can recall exactly what he said, but I guess I do remember it leaning toward another take on the song.)  Anyway, I always thought it was just a clever way to start a song, and title it, because you think it's going to be about trying to date a girl, but you're swiftly thrown a curve and realize you've been tricked, and it's really a song about a parent and their baby.

I agree with your remarks on Hey Little Tomboy and Lazy Lizzie. As for the 'Adult /Child' title it reminds me a bit of Child is Father of the Man.

[Don Malcolm]

My guess regarding the still-raging vitriol at ThNFA (just-invented acronym for The Nearest FarAway Place, pronouncded "THIN-faa"...) concerning the box set details is that the decision to limit retail platforms is a strategy to best calibrate their manufacturing run.

That would explain why we saw an interim "sold out" situation, which allows them to bump up another X number of units without winding up with too much excess product.

I suspect that the foreign inventory is a licensing arrangement with an up-front fee permitting the foreign manufacturers to decide their unit quantity & pay a fee per actual unit sold.

Jude might well have a better, more encompassing description of the process being utilized to ensure that there are not too many leftover items in inventory.

All of it is (as usual) raising hackles over at ThNFA, prompting a plethora of references to the famous Jack Rieley quote ("They blew it, they continue to...", etc.)

[Julia]

Could the tariffs and overall uncertainty of that-one-guy's erratic policies be to blame? I know the BBs are an American band but the US isn't particularly known for its manufacturing anymore and Im not sure if they make these somewhere else or need foreign resources anyway. May sound ridiculous and perhaps it is (feel free to correct the record, anyone) but I just tried ordering something from France and was told they cant ship it until the trade policies are more certain.

If its solely due to an intentional marketing ploy then it's annoying on our end but I can't blame them for assuming the worst in terms of prospective sales. Im pretty surprised the last set didn't sell well even though I didn't buy one myself (didn't seem like there was enough new stuff that interests me and Im not made of money) and this is a really niche period in the band's career. Outside the types who'd come to a place like this, I can't see too many people wanting to listen to some of their spottier work. Frankly though, that's all the more reason to put everything you can on the release then--to entice the hardcore fans who have it on boots anyway. I don't remember if I saw this here or on reddit but it's not like any of us are getting any younger, ya know. The opportunity for this music to make money and influence the pop culture diminishes with time.

Also, I never saw I Wanna Pick You Up as creepy either. It always just felt like Brian singing a love song about his daughters from when they were infants. I found it really charming and a nice break from the "boy/girl formula." If Brian said it was about a grown woman in an interview that's weird but I don't get that impression listening to it in a vacuum.

[Angela Jones]

Someone on the dare I call it Too Near Faraway Place? board wrote that the 3 CD set is the fastest selling item on CD Japan.

It seems like they were trying to cut out sales from normal retailers - I suppose they mean shops! - and limit it to BB/Universal. They didn't want to end up with huge numbers of box sets, perhaps under estimated demand, and sold out. I saw on one of their sites they'd sold out, restocked, and then sold out again.

It's still selling for highly inflated prices on ebay predictably I suppose. Maybe they'll have adequate stocks at the time of the release date - another ThNFA poster wrote that you can't rush vinyl production.

Hey Jude sensibly advised people against being panicked into paying over the odds at ebay.

[Bellagio 1975]

This seems like a UMG specific thing because Frank Zappa's Bongo Fury box was just announced.  They also only have two options to buy it, Zappa's store or Udiscover.  *scratches head*

[Dan Lega]

I just checked out the new Zappa box, priced very reasonably -- 4 CD's and Blu-ray for $65!.  The new Aerosmith box is 3 CD's for $55!  So it's weird that the Beach Boy box can't be produced in different configurations.  Are they selling that much more of Zappa and Aerosmith than they are of The Beach Boys?  (Or does Mike need to have much higher price points for all his alimony?   )

It seems they are trying to cut out the middleman and only sell it themselves, and making the tracklist short enough, (3 CD's instead of 4 or 5 or more,) so that they can configure a box set of both CD's and vinyl to get the absolute best percentage of earnings from each one sold, without it being too big of a price to stop people from buying it.  And if they're being that stingy about it, then why in the world would they license it to foreign companies who can then sell it cheaply as a 3 CD set!?  I'm really not following the logic of this, unless, as I said, Zappa and Aerosmith sell a whole lot more than The Beach Boys.  But that still doesn't explain why they let a foreign company do whatever they want.  I don't mind if they want to only sell it in-house and leave out the middleman.  But I sure would have liked a set with more than 3 CD's!  I, myself, don't have a problem with the price of the set, as I would bought both a CD set and an LP set if they were produced that way again, as I did with the other three recent boxed sets.

But if this is the way they're going to go now, then surely it would be worthwhile to finally go back and put out the other digital only releases as physical sets, no?  I'd love to have physical copies and brand new books/booklets to go with them!  They should be able to make money off of that!  Especially if they add a great sessionography like they did with SMiLE and how they're apparently doing with this release.


PS -- Julia, didn't the last set, Surf's Up, go way down in price at one point?  I know it's back up again, but it's a shame you missed it!  Feel Flows went down to less than $50 at one point, too!

[Dan Lega]

Also, someone posted some more pictures in the other forum of the stained-glass window in Brothers Studios that the new cover artwork is taken from.  I was able to look closely at them both and can report they are definitely not the same.  The new box set has artwork that is definitely inspired by that window and is a very close match, but it's definitely not just a picture or an exact recreation of it.  I still love the box set cover, it's extremely beautiful, but would die for a great picture of the real window with sunlight streaming through it, too!  It's a real masterpiece of art, and I'm glad the new cover does it proud and is a great near copy of the masterpiece.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

I don't understand the lack of a CD-only set in the US either. I've purchased the Japan set but I'm not even entirely sure what I'm getting, and I've paid shipping and import taxes on top of the base price. Would have been happy to pay that relatively higher total for a US 3CD set.

[HeyJude]

I don't understand the lack of a CD-only set in the US either. I've purchased the Japan set but I'm not even entirely sure what I'm getting, and I've paid shipping and import taxes on top of the base price. Would have been happy to pay that relatively higher total for a US 3CD set.

If you don't need the vinyl LPs, gift them to somebody!

The set has really nice box and booklet, neither of which would presumably be part of that Japanese SHM CD.

Some people are paying $60-$80 for that Japanese CD set, when the whole shebang with the box and booklet and vinyl was $99 after that UDiscover coupon.

[HeyJude]

As we would expect, various members of the horde at the Nearest Faraway Place are (again) ignoring the famous William Wordsworth admonition about "murdering to dissect" regarding the details about (and semi-adjacent to) this box set.

I will spare you the details, but Jude is mustering the patience of Job as he provides periodic corrections and clarifications to those over there manifesting their patented high-strung hand-wringing...

I think we will all be thrilled to have this swirling range of material collected and collated in a way that captures a short-lived spurt of Brian's creative energy before the fractures in the band caused him to retreat into another downward spiral. Brian discusses 15BO and Love You only fitfully in the Greenman autobio, but he retained positive thoughts about those two LPs forty years later--and I think we can be assured that he would be very happy to see this release. Pick the version of this release that works best for you, but support this release--do it for Brian!!

Thanks. Yeah, I'm just trying to point out the reality. A few folks just don't want to believe it, and choose to substitute whatever preference or reality they've spun.

It's sad to see a segment of the fandom just go so full tilt angry, unhappy, ranting, etc., about *everything* that isn't exactly the way they prefer it. It's gross, and it's also embarrassing.

This new set is great; none of this is complicated. You buy (or stream!) the music from the band we love, and it brings happiness. I'm all for nitpicking and nerdy breakdowns and all of that, but at the end of the day these are all boxed sets full of great music that makes all the peripheral stuff unimportant, especially in an era where you can listen to *all* of this stuff for free and/or very cheap.

[HeyJude]

My guess regarding the still-raging vitriol at ThNFA (just-invented acronym for The Nearest FarAway Place, pronouncded "THIN-faa"...) concerning the box set details is that the decision to limit retail platforms is a strategy to best calibrate their manufacturing run.

That would explain why we saw an interim "sold out" situation, which allows them to bump up another X number of units without winding up with too much excess product.

I suspect that the foreign inventory is a licensing arrangement with an up-front fee permitting the foreign manufacturers to decide their unit quantity & pay a fee per actual unit sold.

Jude might well have a better, more encompassing description of the process being utilized to ensure that there are not too many leftover items in inventory.

All of it is (as usual) raising hackles over at ThNFA, prompting a plethora of references to the famous Jack Rieley quote ("They blew it, they continue to...", etc.)

Yep, everything you're saying here is reasonable and the most likely scenario. Your common sense and, above all else, calmness about it, is refreshing!

I think some people are just not familiar with the landscape of the music industry. Not even the inner-workings, but just the state of where we're at as far as who streams versus buys digital versus buys physical product. And then when the set isn't being sold the way they think it should (without having enough familiarity with the industry), it turns into angry, unrelenting, repetitive ranting. All about a box full of CDs and records that are priced at between $15 and $20 each.