The Beach Boys Today! - a lie on the cover

[mikeyj]

Has anyone noticed the lie on the cover of the Beach Boys Today! album. It states "plus three more great new songs written by Brian Wilson". The "other" songs its talking about are:

1) I'm So Young - NOT written by Brian Wilson
2) In The Back of My Mind - not a lie of course
3) Bull Sessions with "Big Daddy' - not even a song

[shelter]

Has anyone noticed the lie on the cover of the Beach Boys Today! album. It states "plus three more great new songs written by Brian Wilson". The "other" songs its talking about are:

1) I'm So Young - NOT written by Brian Wilson
2) In The Back of My Mind - not a lie of course
3) Bull Sessions with "Big Daddy' - not even a song

Yeah, but 'Plus one more great new song written by Brian Wilson, a cover, and something that isn't even a song' doesn't look that good on the cover... 

[mikeyj]

Has anyone noticed the lie on the cover of the Beach Boys Today! album. It states "plus three more great new songs written by Brian Wilson". The "other" songs its talking about are:

1) I'm So Young - NOT written by Brian Wilson
2) In The Back of My Mind - not a lie of course
3) Bull Sessions with "Big Daddy' - not even a song

Yeah, but 'Plus one more great new song written by Brian Wilson, a cover, and something that isn't even a song' doesn't look that good on the cover... 

Haha true... I dont know why they couldnt just have listed the three remaining tracks in space of "plus three more great new songs written by Brian Wilson"

[John]

Or mentioned the three they DIDN'T mention by name, so that the three not mentioned were actually Brian Wilson songs.

Actually, this backs up a dumb theory of mine - that the tracklist of Today! was up in the air until the last minute. We've seen it before - clearly the running order of Shut Down Vol. 2 wasn't decided at the time the LP went to press. I'm going to submit that "Bull Session" and possibly "I'm So Young" could be a late replacement for "Guess I'm Dumb" and "All Dressed Up For School" - two songs that you COULD call brand new Brian Wilson songs.

I think "Guess I'm Dumb" was intended to go on Today! - possibly with a Brian vocal, but perhaps as it went out. I think Brian was happy with Glen Campbell as active Beach Boy #6, and the lead vocal was given to welcome him in into the fold. I don't think Bruce ever shared that kind of kudos - hence the attempts to replace him with Billy Hinsche later on in the 60s, plus his not doing a lead vocal [except for outtakes] until 1969/1970. When Glen decided he wasn't sticking around, "Guess I'm Dumb" - with the same generosity that Brian showed by buying Billy Strange that 12-string for "Sloop" - went out as a solo single.
"Guess I'm Dumb" was pulled off the album between the sleeve being printed and the album being released, as the Beach Boys scrambled to find a replacement for the replacement.

"All Dressed Up For School" may have been in the works rather than "I'm So Young", which may simply have been a Brian "exercise" of doing a cover he dug, a la "Ol' Man River" or "Shortenin' Bread", and "School" might have been dropped because of? The Boys' inability to get the handclaps and overdubs right? Carl complaining that he didn't "dig singin'" the song? The youngest Wilson had more pull as the emergent onstage leader and "session" musician than perhaps he did when he "had" to sing "Pom Pom Playgirl"...maybe the "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" ending caused it to be rendered "schlock" when placed up against Brian's "Side Two" works?

[Bicyclerider]

Well Brian must have wanted I'm so Young on the album since he recorded it twice, once with the wrecking crew and once with the Beach Boys on instruments.  Maybe the album cover was prepared before the second I'm so Young, which Brian had decided he didn't like, and hadn't decided to rerecord it yet?

[John]

 I think really that "I'm So Young" was probably meant to be on there - I was free-associating after my "Guess I'm Dumb" theory"..

[Ebb and Flow]

It seems doubtful that "All Dressed Up" was ever considered for the album lineup to me.  "Ooh what a turn on..." seems like a pretty lascivious lyric for 1964/5.  It fits in well with the rest of the album, but either Brian never submitted it or Capitol Brass said no.

[MBE]

All Dressed Up and I Do are lot better then many of the songs that did come out.

[grillo]

 I agree that it seems likely the song choices hadn't been finalized and the BW did intend to include GID on Today. Wasn't there also a version of Girl don't Tell Me and That's not Me (or one of those PS songs) done around this time? Maybe I'm just making that last part up. If not, they surely could have been contenders...

[Summer_Days]

I agree that it seems likely the song choices hadn't been finalized and the BW did intend to include GID on Today. Wasn't there also a version of Girl don't Tell Me and That's not Me (or one of those PS songs) done around this time? Maybe I'm just making that last part up. If not, they surely could have been contenders...

The Pet Sounds song that might have been around late '64/early '65 probably would have been 'I'm Waiting For The Day', which was written in '64. Imagine that one on the Today! album, eh?

'I'm Waiting For The Day' and 'Guess I'm Dumb' would have fit splendidly on Today!, though that means PS would have been robbed of one of it's great songs. Maybe 'Trombone Dixie' would have placed there in IWFTD's stead. Or 'The Little Girl I Once Knew' could've had an album home, via PS...hmm..

What-iffing is quite fun, isn't it?

[mikeyj]

The Pet Sounds song that might have been around late '64/early '65 probably would have been 'I'm Waiting For The Day', which was written in '64. Imagine that one on the Today! album, eh?

'I'm Waiting For The Day' and 'Guess I'm Dumb' would have fit splendidly on Today!, though that means PS would have been robbed of one of it's great songs. Maybe 'Trombone Dixie' would have placed there in IWFTD's stead. Or 'The Little Girl I Once Knew' could've had an album home, via PS...hmm..

What-iffing is quite fun, isn't it?

I wouldnt have liked The Little Girl I Once Knew on Pet Sounds. I would rather The Little Girl I Once Knew on Today, though from memory that was recorded AFTER Today was released. But still that wouldve been nice and then Im Waiting For The day could still be on Pet Sounds

[John]

I like Little Girl on its own, because it is a Pet Sounds song with a Summer Days feel, so it fits as the middle ground.

My favourite what-if is a finished Sherry She Needs Me with '65 vocals on Summer Days. That might have allowed Summer Days to depose Today! as my favourite BB album...

[mikeyj]

I like Little Girl on its own, because it is a Pet Sounds song with a Summer Days feel, so it fits as the middle ground.

My favourite what-if is a finished Sherry She Needs Me with '65 vocals on Summer Days. That might have allowed Summer Days to depose Today! as my favourite BB album...

Yeh but it still would've been nice in my opinion to have it on an album, maby not so much Today but just ANY album. I would reckon Today or Summer Days, but not Pet Sounds. I would much rather Im Waiting For The Day over Little Girl I Once Knew on Pet Sounds.

Same with Break Away & Celebrate The News, they should have been on an album. Though I think Ive read somewhere that they already released their last album for capitol and then they recorded Break Away and Celebrate The News as their last single on Capitol.

Would you replace anything for Sherry She Needs Me or would you just add it to the album? Like is their a song that you dont like at all/much on Summer Days.

[grillo]

I could do without APUSA, TIKH, and the lyrics for SLC, but especially the first two. Also, TGFNYC isn't all that great either...

[John]

Would you replace anything for Sherry She Needs Me or would you just add it to the album? Like is their a song that you dont like at all/much on Summer Days.

I'm not big into Amusement Parks USA but I'd just make SDASN a 13 tracker. And your Dream Comes True is so short anyway...