Love You on Vinyl

[Alex]

I recently bought a vinyl copy of the Beach Boys Love You off of Ebay, still wrapped in plastic, unopened, ebay seller said it was original from 1977. I'm looking for some advice; I'm sooooooooo tempted to unwrap the plastic and listen to it, but I'm afraid it might destroy any collector's value it might have. I don't have Love You on CD, can't really afford to buy it on CD right now. Should I rip the plastic off the LP and play it away, or should I leave it in the plastic and keep it in perfect condition?

[Jon Stebbins]

A sealed LP from '77 is a cool artifact, but the BB's Love You LP is not rare, even in sealed condition. It was over pressed, way more were manufactured than actually sold during its initial run, and therefore loads of sealed copies went unsold. If it has a drill hole, a cut out mark, or cut corner somewhere on the cover then its one of those. If the cover has no cut-out marking then it is slightly rarer but still not of any great value. If you want to hear it, the vinyl is a good way. If you think you may get the CD before too long then leave it sealed and you've always got a perfect copy for a special occasion.

[Ron]

You act like you've never heard the album... if that's so, you should definately, um... open the record and listen to it!  Records were made to listen to.  It's only purpose in life is to make music.  Plus, it's a really cool album.  To really seal the deal (no pun intended), everybody knows it's not really worth anything anyways.  I'd rather have a mint condition I've kept it perfect record that I can put on the phono and listen to over one I can't see or touch anyday.

This is kind of like that song "No Go Showboat". 

Well I got a wild custom that wins every show
But it's a no-go showboat (no-go showboat)
Yeah but everybody knows that she just don't go
She's my no-go showboat (no-go showboat)
White wall slicks with racing mags
She's just for looks, man, not for drags
'Cause it's a no-go showboat (no-go showboat)


Come on.  Don't let your record be a no-go showboat.  It's never been played in 30 years.  You're just gonna let it never reach it's potential? LOL

[melissalynn]

I've got a sealed original copy (of course, I also have one I listen to all the time, and have it on cd)....I'd say that in the past year, I've run across at least 5 cheap sealed copies of 'Love You'...if you want to open it and give it a spin, I say
'go for it!' 

[Alex]

Thanks. I'm gonna listen away now. I'm not surprised to find out its pretty easy to find, given that I was the only person to bid on the LP and that it only cost me 7 bucks.

 And to respond to one of the previous posters, yes, I've heard Love You, I just didn't have my own copy until recently so I just don't know the ins and outs of it as well as the rest of their albums that I own.
(All I'm missing is Surfin' Safari/Surfin' USA, 15 Big Ones/Love You, MIU/LA, and KTSA/BB85, Concert/Live In London, though the only ones I haven't heard in their entirety are MIU, LA, and KTSA. I doubt I'm missing much. Oh, forgot about Still Cruisin and Summer in Paradise-I have no desire to hear either of those and won't go near a copy of either album with a 10 foot pole.)

[Alex]

A sealed LP from '77 is a cool artifact, but the BB's Love You LP is not rare, even in sealed condition. It was over pressed, way more were manufactured than actually sold during its initial run, and therefore loads of sealed copies went unsold. If it has a drill hole, a cut out mark, or cut corner somewhere on the cover then its one of those. If the cover has no cut-out marking then it is slightly rarer but still not of any great value. If you want to hear it, the vinyl is a good way. If you think you may get the CD before too long then leave it sealed and you've always got a perfect copy for a special occasion.

No drill hole or cut corner on mine, am taking plastic off as I speak (or type), the cardboard sleeve has cool texture, inside sleeve's got pics of the BBs playing live on one side, including one of Billy Hinche, in one pic on the bottom center-left Dennis and Al both look like they're wasted out of their minds, other side of sleeve's got a giant pic of Brian and Marilyn at what looks like a b-day party...perfect, brand new-looking record inside!!!!! complete with a yellow Brother/Reprise label

EDIT: bottom of paper sleeve: (c)1977 Warner Bros Records Inc     Printed in SURF CITY, USA      Thought that was kinda funny.

[grillo]

I think that last bit is courtesy of good ol' Dean O. Torrence who I believe did the design on that album.

[the captain]

Coming to this late, but your idea of listening was the right one to make. No album would have ANY value if we didn't listen to them, unless you're a big fan of cover art. Once you love something and if you're a collector, well, I guess to each his own (I'm not into that sort of thing). But the sounds are what make the Beach Boys great, and Love You is fantastic. Hope you enjoyed it.

[Alex]

I think that last bit is courtesy of good ol' Dean O. Torrence who I believe did the design on that album.

Was Kittyhawk Graphics the name of Dean's company? I thought I read that somewhere, probably Domenic Priore's SMiLE book. (which I love, I don't care what anybody says...I also really, reeeeealllyyyy want to read the David Leaf book, I love pro-Brian stuff)


BTW, Grillo, I'm unplugging my phone so I don't any calls from you, Korthof, or Parks.

[melissalynn]

Yeah, Kittyhawk Graphics=Dean Torrence's baby.

[Ron]

The best part about the album package is that pic of Brian and Marilyn with Brian looking like a space cadet, and the beautiful little thank you note underneath his pic from the other Beach Boys.  If all the recorded history of Brian's mental illness, his trials and tribulations, his marriage, his brothers, his band, his music,... if all of that was destroyed and 1000 years from now historians found that album sleeve, they could figure the rest of the story out!

[Sheriff John Stone]

The best part about the album package is that pic of Brian and Marilyn with Brian looking like a space cadet...

In that picture, Brian is holding something, and it's intentionally blacked out. Looking at Brian's eyes, I actually used to speculate what it might be. But then I'd think, no, he couldn't be holding a bag of that. Would he?

Anyway, it's sad when you see that picture, with Marilyn and everything. A little over a year later, they would be no more, and Brian never, EVER, returned to that creative place again.

[Aegir]

forgot about Still Cruisin and Summer in Paradise-I have no desire to hear either of those and won't go near a copy of either album with a 10 foot pole.)

There are four great songs on Still Crusin':
Somewhere Near Japan
I Get Around
Wouldn't It Be Nice
California Girls

[Alex]

forgot about Still Cruisin and Summer in Paradise-I have no desire to hear either of those and won't go near a copy of either album with a 10 foot pole.)

There are four great songs on Still Crusin':
Somewhere Near Japan
I Get Around
Wouldn't It Be Nice
California Girls

3 of those songs are repeats from older albums that I already own. Maybe I'll download Somewhere Near Japan.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The best part about the album package is that pic of Brian and Marilyn with Brian looking like a space cadet...

In that picture, Brian is holding something, and it's intentionally blacked out. Looking at Brian's eyes, I actually used to speculate what it might be. But then I'd think, no, he couldn't be holding a bag of that. Would he?

Pack of Marlboros.   

[c-man]

The best part about the album package is that pic of Brian and Marilyn with Brian looking like a space cadet...

In that picture, Brian is holding something, and it's intentionally blacked out. Looking at Brian's eyes, I actually used to speculate what it might be. But then I'd think, no, he couldn't be holding a bag of that. Would he?

Pack of Marlboros.   

I think a similar photo-edit job was done on Mike's image used on the front cover of "Hawthorne, CA"...look at his hand...wasn't he originally holding a cigarette in that shot?  The edit job results in Mike's hand looking...well, cloven...(no comments) 

[Aegir]

forgot about Still Cruisin and Summer in Paradise-I have no desire to hear either of those and won't go near a copy of either album with a 10 foot pole.)

There are four great songs on Still Crusin':
Somewhere Near Japan
I Get Around
Wouldn't It Be Nice
California Girls

3 of those songs are repeats from older albums that I already own. Maybe I'll download Somewhere Near Japan.

I know, I was just joking about the 60s ones. Really, I like the whole album, but I enjoy most music people consider to be crap.

The Somewhere Near Japan music video is on youtube, check it out.

[Alex]

forgot about Still Cruisin and Summer in Paradise-I have no desire to hear either of those and won't go near a copy of either album with a 10 foot pole.)

There are four great songs on Still Crusin':
Somewhere Near Japan
I Get Around
Wouldn't It Be Nice
California Girls

3 of those songs are repeats from older albums that I already own. Maybe I'll download Somewhere Near Japan.

I know, I was just joking about the 60s ones. Really, I like the whole album, but I enjoy most music people consider to be crap.

The Somewhere Near Japan music video is on youtube, check it out.

So do you Summer in Paradise? Or Mike Love and Celebration. MIU Album. That sort of stuff.

[SloopJohnB]

So do you Summer in Paradise? Or Mike Love and Celebration. MIU Album. That sort of stuff.

SIP has its moments... And MIU is a good album! But in my opinion, every BB album is worth owning because each one has a "little something" that makes it enjoyable, even if it's crap "as a whole".

...And I really like the Still Cruisin' album. Somewhere Near Japan is great, but the other songs are nice as well. 

[Aegir]

I could say something positive about every song I've ever heard by the Beach Boys. I'm a biased obsessive fan.

[49ersphil]

[, every BB album is worth owning because each one has a "little something" that makes it enjoyable, even if it's crap "as a whole".



100% agree. Sometimes the nuggets take a lot of  prospectin' for but mostly there's a whole mine-full of 'em!!