MiC up for order on Amazon, August release

[Jonathan Blum]

Hate to piss on anyone's campfire, but that playlist - or a version thereof - has been on Boyd's laptop for a good decade, if not longer. Also this - "Apparently the music I heard is being potentially considered for a proposed archive compilation" - is so overqualified as to be essentially unemployable. Ponghit thinks what he heard might be in the running for some nebulous compilation that might be archive-slanted. In essence true... but it's also been true for ten years or more. So much for the archive-heavy nature of the box. As the BRI vaultmeister, Boyd needs this kind of stuff to hand at a moments notice should someone in the tower or at BRI want to know what's 'out there'. I know I'm seemingly being very harsh on Ponghit here, but from his own recollections it's obvious that Boyd didn't say "which of these should go on the upcoming box ?", and that any such inference is his own slant on the situation.

...Though it is worth noting that many of the tracks he highlighted as especially good did make the cut, while ones he said weren't ready for prime time ("My Solution") didn't...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Jonathan Blum]

Part II:  The Best Damn Art Pop Band

4.    Amusement Parks USA (Early Version)
5.    Salt Lake City (2001 Stereo Mix)
6.    Let Him Run Wild (2007 Stereo Mix)
7.    Graduation Day (Session Excerpt and Master Take, 2012 Mix)
9.    There's No Other (Like My Baby) (2012 "Unplugged" Mix with Party Session       Intro)
23.   The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O'Leary's Cow) ("Smile Sessions" Mix - Mono)

Here, if anything, they seem to be tilting things in the other direction - like the way "Summer Days" and "Party" stepped back a bit from "Today"'s ballad intensity. By this point, the case has been thoroughly made for "Pet Sounds", so they're giving more attention to the other works. And note that where the old box set swapped "California Girls" into the first slot (ahead of "Rhonda"), here the kickoff is "Dance Dance Dance".

But the tracks? "Graduation Day" gets saved from the twofers, and "There's No Other" is an acknowledgement of "Party" actually having tracks other than "Barbara Ann".  At the same time, they're hardly marginalizing the art - they've finally managed to get "Let Him Run Wild" onto a collection!  If there's subtext here, it's shifted from "There's more to the Beach Boys than Fun Fun Fun" to "There's more to the Beach Boys than Fun Fun Fun and Pet Sounds".

The "Smile" material has basically substituted the modern edits of similar numbers for the 1993 one - with the one addition of "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow". Which, like "Run Wild", is one of those additions which *has* to be made, and more than makes up for any sense of pulling back on the out-there-ness of "Smile" by removing the likes of "Da Da"...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Dave Modny]

Dave- absolutely brilliant post.

Thanks, Heisenberg!

I was having a pretty bad day, so I really did appreciate the boost. Perked me right up!


Let me just also say that in no way, shape or form am I suggesting that something like "Rollin' Up To Heaven" shouldn't, or won't ever come out. Nor, am I saying that there are some folks who wouldn't simply love for it to be released. I'd reckon that if a tape existed of Brian belching in unison to Banana and Louie's barks, *someone* would be clamoring to hear it or begging for its release. Hell, maybe even me if I were curious enough (or perhaps desperate enough for new BBs product...lol).

What I am saying is that none of this matters if A-list, high quality rarities no longer exist, yet the band is still interested in putting out high quality packages in the future that appeal to the broadest or largest market in the financial sense. I can also pretty much guarantee that if word came out next year of a new, potential greatest hits package, and the need for an unreleased track within it, 8 out of 10 Beach Boys fans, and probably 10 out of 10 executives in the Tower, would choose either the 4/4 "Big Sur" or "Carry Me Home" over "Rollin' Up To Heaven," "Wrinkles" and the "dog-belch" track as to what they would prefer be released. I think it's pretty hard to refute that. And while we may never get a perfect consensus as to what exactly constitutes an A-list rarity, I think most fans, compilers and executives could probably reach a pretty good majority opinion of that (assuming that the band would agree as well). One look at any of these recent want lists bears that out. 

[Jonathan Blum]

Part III: It Doesn't End After Good Vibrations

27.   Country Air (2012 Stereo Mix)
7.    Sail Plane Song (2012 Stereo Mix)
8.    We're Together Again (2012 Stereo Mix)
11.   Old Man River (Vocal Section)
12.   Be With Me
16.   Can't Wait Too Long (A Cappella)
18.   Celebrate The News
20.   Susie Cincinnati (2012 Mix)
21.   Good Time
22.   Slip On Through
26.   It's About Time
27.   Soulful Old Man Sunshine
28.   Fallin' In Love (2009 Stereo Mix)
29.   Sound Of Free (Mono Single Version)

In this stretch, the emphasis is on the Beach Boys as mature artists -- past the straight pop, not as avant-garde, but solid and rich and full of harmonies.

And look who's getting a major push here…  Dennis. "Be With Me", "Celebrate The News", "Slip On Through", "Fallin' In Love", "Sound Of Free"… Right there they've already more than doubled the number of his spotlight numbers, even before you add his contribution to "It's About Time".

But Brian, meanwhile, gets to show that his harmony gifts are still in full force -- "Country Air", "We're Together Again", "Old Man River", "Can't Wait Too Long", "Soulful Old Man Sunshine"…  all celebrating his harmonies in a way which "Games Two Can Play" and "I Just Got My Pay" didn't.  It's a subtle tweak to the narrative -- this isn't a guy in retreat from complexity (and the rest of the band) after "Smile", he's still heavily involved for a fair bit after that.  (Note the positioning of him on lead in the alternate version of "Break Away", rather than Carl.  BTW, does this mean that the proper version of "Break Away" is being brushed under the carpet, or is it still available somewhere?)

Carl of course gets showpieces around this time -- the third CD begins with "Darlin'" and runs through "Surf's Up", plus he gets an extra workout on the back-to-back "It's About Time" and "Soulful Old Man Shunshine".  And Al?  He gets a leap into the spotlight with a back-to-back "Cotton Fields" and "Susie Cincinnati".

It's interesting to note the positioning of "Susie Cincinnati" and "Good Time" here -- in the previous box set, these might have been kept for the fourth disc, to reinforce the point that they were still putting out good work as of "15 Big Ones" and "Love You".  But here, they're kept strictly chronological...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'd reckon that if a tape existed of Brian belching in unison to Banana and Louie's barks, *someone* would be clamoring to hear it or begging for its release. Hell, maybe even me if I were curious enough (or perhaps desperate enough for new BBs product...lol).

  Actually, that would be badass

[37!ws]

So, I spent some time enjoying the inevitable spewing that happens every time a new Beach Boys product comes out. I'll address some of the more interesting points people have raised; I've taken the names out, but those who wish to take credit, by all means, please step forward. My post will exude BOTH a "STFU and be thankful that we're getting this stuff" vibe as well as a "I really wish there were..." feel...

I realize I'm a bit late and some of the poop flinging has died down, but I have to comment on some things...

Transcendental Meditation (Instrumental Track) - HA! Can't wait!

There was a smiley next to this one, but I have to be honest...I was thrilled to see this! I LOVE "Transcendental Meditation" - that song is brilliant on so many levels! The musical arrangement is awesome, its placement on Friends is classic wicked Brian humor, and the (intentionally?) bad edit is priceless!

but what about the odds and ends tracks like Chasin' the Sky and rock n' roll to the rescue?

You know? I've been a fan since 1989, 1990-ish, had an award-winning Beach Boys radio show in college in which I boasted that I could play literally any Beach Boys (group or solo) song that any listener could possibly request, PMed a friend of mine who has some connections to ask him if he had a copy of WIBNTLA and added that I didn't want a copy but I just wanted to hear it (he never gave me an answer!), actually paid money for a copy of Looking Back With Love...but I've never, EVER heard "Chasin' The Sky," nor do I know where to find it! (I imagine it's on YouTube, but I'm talking a real, legit audio release.) But yeah, I agree, "Rock'n'Roll To The Rescue" should be out in some form. It's surprisingly not a bad song for being recorded during that time when Brian's head was very, very round. (Really, was his hair actually a wig on top of a motorscooter helmet?

First off the packaging is just perfect..

THANK YOU. Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention to this: the (current) price of $130 pays for not just the songs, but also what promises to be immaculate packaging. (How many of us, for example, aren't still blown away by what they did with The Smile Sessions?) I'm particularly excited to read "My Philosophy." Yeah, it might be as deep and insightful as Dennis's homework essay about auto racing, but I think it'll be a hoot and a half.

When I get this I'm going straight for CD 4 Track 4.

Heh...me too...

Missing "Still I Dream of It" and "Stevie".

Why is there this big love-fest for "Stevie"? It's Brian at his vocal worst, and the production is so dated.

After quickly checking what is what, it's good to see that most of the songs are in stereo (not a big fan of mono & stereo is still the best treat on The BBs' old catalog).

You know...I generally agree with this. I'm not one of those "mono only" sheep, or one of those fools who honestly believes that the music should be in mono because "that's the way Brian wanted it"...but after hearing some of the new mixes of previous mono-only tracks, I'm a bit edgy...the 2012 stereo mixes of some of the songs are just plain bad...some are missing vital instrumental and vocal parts, some are oversaturated in reverb...("Help Me, Rhonda" is one of the exceptions -- I NEVER cared much for that song, but the stereo mix is awesome!!) But for something like this, I'm surprised more mono mixes weren't used.

There are so many 1970s songs that could have been included like Big Sur (early version), Out in the Country, 15 BO outtakes, That Special Feeling, Adult Child stuff etc. and it's kind of a shame that they were omitted while rather nondescript things like Don't Go Near the Water and Good Time were included.

I'm sure the reason "Out In The Country" was kept off was for the same reason they eventually decided NOT to include "Battle Hymn of the Republic" on Endless Harmony: they actually LISTENED to it.

I'm guessing that one reason for "Don't Go Near The Water" being included was to kind of point out that there was a point in the '70s when the Beach Boys actually were speaking out about issues that the rock-buying public at the time cared about. And it's a brave, brave man who disses "Good Time."

I wonder what has happened to Stevie and Carry Me Home.

I think I heard that they couldn't locate a master for "Carry Me Home." Of course, that didn't stop the Beatles from re-issuing the Ringo Starr-drummed version of "Love Me Do," whose master was destroyed circa 1963 to ensure that only the Andy White version would be issued in the future, or a low-low-low-low-fi recording of "Take Your Hands Off My Baby"...or The Monkees from reissuing Changes in the '80s despite the master having been lost...

Nice to see "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" in there where it belongs, but I am surprised by so few rarities.

I KNOW, man...it's a shame that we're only getting...
Surfers Rule (with Session Intro)
Back Home (judging by its placement, probably the '63 version)
I Get Around (with Session Intro – Mono)
Amusement Parks USA (Early Version)
Graduation Day (Session Excerpt and Master Take, 2012 Mix)
There’s No Other (Like My Baby) (2012 “Unplugged” Mix with Party Session Intro)
Radio Spot “Wonderful KYA” (Mono)
Our Prayer (2012 “Smile Sessions” Stereo Mix)
Country Air (2012 Stereo Mix)
Wild Honey (2012 Stereo Mix)
Meant For You (Alternate Version)
Do It Again (2012 Stereo Mix)
Can’t Wait Too Long (A Cappella)
Sound Of Free (Mono Single Version)
(Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again
Rock And Roll Music (2012 Mix w/Extra Verse)
It’s OK (Alternate Mix)
It’s Over Now (Alternate Mix)
California Feelin’
Brian’s Back (Alternate Mix)
It’s A Beautiful Day (Single Edit) (2012 Mix)
Why Don’t They Let Us Fall In Love
Da Doo Ron Ron
Soul Searchin’
You’re Still A Mystery
Isn’t It Time (Single Version)
Runaway (Chicago 1965 — w/Concert Promo Intro – Mono)
You’re So Good To Me (Paris 1966 – Mono)
The Letter (Hawaii Rehearsal 1967)
Friends (Chicago 1968 – Mono)
Little Bird (Chicago 1968 – Mono)
All I Want To Do (London 1968)
Help Me, Rhonda (New Jersey 1972)
Wild Honey (New Jersey 1972)
Only With You (New York 1972)
It’s About Time (Chicago 1973)
I Can Hear Music (Maryland 1975)
Vegetables (New York 1993)
Wonderful (New York 1993)
Sail On Sailor (Louisville 1995)
Summer In Paradise (Wembley 1993)
Radio Spot (1966 — Mono)
Slip On Through (A Cappella Mix)
Don’t Worry Baby (Stereo Session Outtake w/ Alternate Lead Vocal)
Pom Pom Play Girl (Vocal Session Highlight)
Guess I’m Dumb (Instrumental Track w/Background Vocals)
Sherry She Needs Me (1965 Track w/1976 Vocal)
Mona Kana (Instrumental Track)
This Whole World (A Cappella)
Where Is She?
Had To Phone Ya (Instrumental Track)
Be With Me (Demo)
I Believe In Miracles (Vocal Section)
Why (Instrumental Track)
Barnyard Blues
Don’t Go Near The Water (Instrumental Track)
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling
Transcendental Meditation (Instrumental Track)
Our Sweet Love (Vocals w/Strings)
Back Home (1970 Version)
California Feelin’ (Original Demo)
California Girls (“Lei’d In Hawaii” Studio Version)
Help You, Rhonda (“Lei’d In Hawaii” Studio Version)
Surf’s Up (1967 Version) (2012 Mix)
My Love Lives On
Radio Spot (1964 – Mono)
Wendy (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)
Hushabye (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)

That paucity of rarities -- plus any songs that MIGHT ACTUALLY BE VERSIONS WE ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH BUT AREN'T LABELED AS SUCH (as with "Surfin' Safari" and "409" on the Good Vibrations box) -- is just appalling. How DARE they offer so few rarities.

The live section of the album seriously leaves a lot to be desired and a few rarities I was hoping would make the box set haven't.

In 1996 when The Pet Sounds Sessions was being promoted (and before it was delayed a year and a half), I talked to a guy named Paul Moshay, who was on the "task force" for the project in a phone interview I did for my aforementioned radio show. I asked him if he could tell me of any future projects that were being planned, and he said that one idea that was being tossed around would be a two-CD career retrospective focused entirely on concerts, and there would be a lot of (if not ALL of) Lei'd In Hawaii (and this was before anybody actually HEARD it, mind you); I'm guessing this might have been left over from that planning.

And I was really hoping for Sandy. (I suppose they thought Sherry would be the better choice as it has vocals)

And that's why I think there were some significant non-Smile omissions -- "California Slide," "Walkin'," "Rabbit's Foot," the early version of "River Song," and of course "Sandy" as you mentioned -- too incomplete for this kind of a project. (Unlike, say, Hawthorne, California, which was 99% archival and ergo aimed more at obsessive-compulsives like us, which is why it DID include "Lonely Nights.")

This is probably why Carry Me Home didn't make it either, there does seem to be this recent attempt to airbrush Ricky and Blondie from Beach Boys history and I don't know why. Having said that , will the live version of Wild Honey from '72 be a Carl or Blondie lead? I'm thinking Carl.

Considering how many sources -- including liner notes on at least one Capitol product -- would talk about Blondie singing lead on "Wild Honey" in '72, it would be kind of douchebaggy if they gave us a Carl version instead of a Blondie version -- provided that a Blondie version in releasable quality actually exists. Either way, Eric Aniversario's setlist archive doesn't give a definitive answer, as the show isn't listed in his archive.

But what reason would Capitol have to "airbrush" those guys? Mind you, it wouldn't be the first time someone in the Beach Boys camp rewrote history -- anybody ever see the Brian Wilson On Tour DVD in which a few band members were literally digitally removed?

I agree that it's disappointing that It's a New Day, Carry Me Home and We Got Love are all omitted.

I already covered "Carry Me Home," but IMHO, "It's A New Day" isn't all that great...you want to hear "It's A New Day"? I implore you to track down a copy of Net Sounds IV, which actually has the worldwide debut of the song, as covered by a couple of guys who literally had never heard the song at the time and only had sheet music to work off of. They did a fantastic job of capturing Denny's spirit. (Also worth listening to on that set if you want to hear some Dennis-channeling is the brilliant medley "Time To Be Still.")

No demos or alternate versions or Party outtakes or anything?

The Party! outtakes are almost entirely covers, so I imagine there'd be some licensing issues that would drive the price up even more. But what else could there be that would be releasable for what the intention of this set is?

What is the thinking behind the genuinely unreleased songs that are collected together on disc 6? Are things like Barnyard Blues, Where is She?, You've Lost that Lovin Feeling etc. all considered unfinished or that they would not fit in with the rest of the set? I don't really understand that.

Same reason for disc 5 in the Good Vibrations set.

They include things like Goin' to the Beach and Da Doo Ron Ron later so they weren't exactly being picky.

I guarantee you if those weren't included, half of the members here would be raving about their non-inclusion.

I guess they have to leave some stuff off, so they can put em on "MIC" part2!!! except, we'll probably have to wait another 20 or 30 years for Capitol to release it......

That's RIGHT, because Capitol and the Beach Boys gave us NO unreleased recordings between 1993 and now...well, except for Endless Harmony and Hawthorne, California, nearly all of which were archival, and Ultimate Christmas, half of which was archival, not to mention The Pet Sounds Sessions and The Smile Sessions...so yeah, it looks like they won't give us more stuff for another twenty years, given that history.

Also laughing that they are acting like SIP never existed (Studio album=wise).

I'm tellin' ya, people do NOT believe me, but TPTB are really demonstrating good taste with this set...

I need to talk to the person who decided it was a wise choice not to include "Still I dream of it".

For all you know, you might end up talking to Brian -- who vetoed the inclusion of "Let Him Run Wild" from the Good Vibrations box.

If you want my personal gripe, I was kind of hoping Mike Love's vocal for "Please Let Me Wonder" would be on the box.

Ahhh, spoken truly like someone who's heard OF it but hasn't actually heard IT!

To draw a comparison, when The Beatles were compiling the "Anthology" series, there was a hard and fast rule initially in effect about not including any solo demo recordings because they weren't technically Beatles recordings.  This was scrapped when Paul McCartney wanted to get his demo of "Come And Get It" on the set and George Harrison capitulated only to allow his solo demos of "All Things Must Pass", "Something" and "Old Brown Shoe" on the set.

That's the story I heard, too, when I wondered aloud why "Goodbye," "Child of Nature," "Circles," and "Bad To Me" weren't included, but you know what? I don't buy it for a second, what with George's [solo!] demo of "You'll Know What To Do" on Anthology 1.

How was Our Car Club included and Big Sur (early version) omitted? How was Slip on Through included (in two versions) and yet so many unreleased 1970s songs omitted?

I never understood all the love for "Our Car Club" myself, but yeah, there are gobs and gobs of unreleased '70s stuff. But you know what? If they took a survey of all of us and asked what our top 10 '70s wish list would be, they couldn't possibly include all of them without throwing the era balance off even worse than it already is. They have to leave SOMETHING out, if for no other reason than to have future archival releases. Going back to The Beatles' Anthology, that's really why we haven't had any significant archival Beatles releases since: pretty much everything worthy of releasing was included in those six CDs. I think the only archival material that came out since was the aborted mono Yellow Submarine double-EP that was included on Mono Masters in 2009.

I'm intrigued by the Sherry She Needs Me track... This has to be some mix we haven't heard yet, right?

Not necessarily, but it will probably sound a lot better than its best-sounding bootleg release.

But...no live or studio version of 'Country Pie'?

There might not exist a releasable live version of "Country Pie," and the studio version isn't The Beach Boys but Mike Love's spinoff band Celebration.

but the result is a hybrid that won't be fully satisfying to either the casual fan or the hard core fan.

Speak for yourself. As a hardcore fan, I'm VERY happy with this.

Let us not forget that "It's Over Now" was included on the '93 set playing at the incorrect speed. Hopefully the version on MIC corrects this.

I remember Mark Linett swore that he mastered it at the speed that was specified on the tape box...and I believe him: it's the same tempo and speed as Brian's piano demo. But I have a feeling that when Carl and Marilyn overdubbed their vocals, they sped up the tape to put the song in a more comfortable vocal range. I swear, I had no idea that was a woman singing the bridge until I heard the bootleg version at the faster speed!

OK, I don't understand why so many smiley smilers taken it for granted that "of course" they have to include all the hits.

Repeat after me: "BECAUSE IT IS A >>CAREER RETROSPECTIVE<<."

#2) I know it's not a totally fair comparison, but the Beatles Anthology 1 broke sales records and it didn't have a single previously released track on it.

Except for "My Bonnie," "Ain't She Sweet," and "Cry For A Shadow," all three of which have been on numerous OFFICIAL Polydor (and other) albums from 1964 to this day. If you want to go further, "Searchin'," "Three Cool Cats," and "The Sheik of Araby" were also released on numerous compilations that were careful not to include the Lennon/McCartney songs from the Decca auditions. Aaaaand..."Hallelujah, I Love Her So," "Cayenne," and "You'll Be Mine" were on a limited-edition CD that a chain store (don't remember which one) sold; forgot the name of it...

they should have released a box set of unreleased recordings exclusively/plus the Past Masters style compilation of odds and ends. THAT would have been great.

And it would have been a financial disaster: at least The Smile Sessions appealed to people who may not have been Beach Boys fans but who have heard all the stories about Smile and possibly might have listened to Brian's finished version of it. (A non-fan friend of mine is an example -- he LOVED the 2004 Smile so he bought The Smile Sessions, but that's pretty much all the Beach Boys stuff he cares for, although he did mention considering trying The Beach Boys Love You after what he read about it in Peter Carlin's book!)

Such a box set that the above quote is talking about would ONLY appeal to us die-hards, and you know what? There would STILL be people whining about what was included, what wasn't included, how it was packaged, the price, the lack of liner notes, or liner notes written by someone other than who you HOPED would write them, or that the CDs are ugly, or that there was no vinyl, or that there WAS vinyl (I actually did get in an argument in 2011 with someone who actually was insulted that The Smile Sessions included vinyl. She actually said that her hatred of vinyl is well-known, which I guess implies Capitol should have known.)

It was repeatedly called a "deep cuts box."  http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=1931764

Which, judging from this post, tells me that "repeatedly" means "once, and in the words of a radio station's web site content writer." And how can you NOT call this a "deep cuts" box? How much f*@king deeper can you go than WIBNTLA?

With all due respect were you around when The Beatles' "Anthology 1" came out?  Because I was and it was literally one of the most ill received projects I've ever witnessed in my life from a major rock band.

I hope I release an album that's so ill-received as to go to #1, like ALL the Anthology CD sets did. I guess Pet Sounds really WAS the flop that mainstream media authors say, because that one only went to #10. (And Smile, at #13, then, was a DISASTER on the chart.)

I agree that $130 is a ridiculous amount of money for a 6 disc set if it remains that price.

Really?? You mean there's nothing to actually hold those CDs? No box or anything? No booklet or anything???

Oh sh*t...never mind, there IS a pretty elaborate packaging with it...which might explain that. And given that CDs aren't in as much demand now as they were, say, 20 years ago...law of supply and demand...

From reading the tracklist. Unless "A Cappella Mix", "Alternate Lead Vocal" and "Extra Verse" don't count as a significant difference to you...

Oh, yes, we NEEEEEEEEEEEEED that extra verse of "Rock'n'Roll Music."  

I'm not usually a member of the "be happy with what they are giving you and don't gripe" clan but I can't see how anyone is unhappy with this set.  If you are a novice with no collector's recordings (ahem!) to your name, you should be overjoyed by this set as it's a nice overview of the band's work.

THANK YOU. I told this story on another forum, but I'll tell it here too. This set WILL be someone's intro to the deeper band material. When Good Vibrations came out in 1993, I was about three years into my fandom, and actually it was starting to wane a little, I was getting tired of listening to Beach Boys stuff. I had Pet Sounds and many (but not all) of the Capitol two-fer CDs. My brother had just gotten married, and he hadn't yet closed on his house, so he and his wife were crashing at my parents' house. (I was an 18-year-old college student still living at home.) My brother always listened to Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, and he had the radio tuned to their show the day they were talking about the then-new Good Vibrations box and were playing some cuts from it. Well, they played the disc 5 version of "God Only Knows," with what at the time we all thought was Brian singing (bombshell? It was Carl after all!)....and the a cappella ending...WOW. THAT was enough to sell me the set. I didn't care about another goshdarn track on that set -- I wanted to have that aweseome alternate version of "God Only Knows." Next time I had access to a car I went to the mall (a $50 mall gift certificate was my "best man" present) and bought the Good Vibrations box.

So what happened? Of course, I had to listen to that "God Only Knows" track over and over, and while I was at it, I decided to check out some other stuff. I wanted to hear "Surf's Up" -- I remember hearing it on the radio a few years earlier (I grew up in a place where radio actually acknowledged the Beach Boys' post-1966 stuff) and dug it, so I cued it up, and before I could get up to change the track after "Surf's Up" faded out, I heard almost tangible proof that God exists: "'Til I Die." Wow...I literally just fell to the floor and sat by my speakers as the summer sun was setting...the heartbreaking lyrics, the stacks of harmonies, the sly reference to "Pipeline"...and while still on the floor sitting against a speaker and perpendiular to the carpeting, I listened to "'Til I Die," over and over. I had to listen to the rest of disc 3. WOW. I had remembered seeing the Caribou CDs in the store before, and it was now that I decided I NEEDED to get them. Hell, I hadn't even HEARD of Sunflower until I saw the Caribou CD in 1990...but anyhoo, I went to the store with the hopes of getting Sunflower, Holland, and maybe Surf's Up...but nope, they didn't have 'em. That was also when I learned the hard way that they were just out of print.

So yeah, that box set made me the obsessive-compulsive fan I am today. And you know what? The same thing will happen with Made In California. I recently enrolled in a music class, and one of my classmates is a 20-year-old whose favorite group is The Beach Boys. Put that in perspective: when Good Vibrations came out, he was a BABY. There's a good chance he doesn't even own that...so great deal of this stuff will be new to him.

HOW DOES THIS BOX SET MAKE ANY FREAKIN' SENSE?Huh? Answer: it doesn't.

IT IS A CAREER RETROSPECTIVE. The thing is, how do you get a career retrospective to sell? By putting some rarities on it. How do you get it to sell to someone who might be a just-more-than-casual listener (like I was in 1993)? By making sure it also has some familiar stuff on it. If you don't put rarities on it, we intense fans will bitch and moan that they're not giving us anything, and the TRUE idiots among us will bitch and moan that "Capitol is making us re-buy this" or "it's just a cash-grab for Capitol because they know I'll add it to my collection because someone is putting a gun to my head and forcing me to buy every collection." This kind of collection happens ALL THE TIME. It happened with Simon and Garfunkel. It happened TWICE with the Monkees. It happened AT LEAST once with The Byrds. And The Who. And The Doors. And Eric Clapton. And Led Zeppelin. And Robert Johnson. And The Zombies. And Love. And Tom Lehrer. And "Weird Al" Yankovic.

And what did they ALL have in common? They all were CAREER RETROSPECTIVES, that had SOME rarities. Yet somehow, people were much more appreciative of that stuff than a lot of the bozos among the Beach Boys fan community. It's truly embarrassing.

WHERE IS MY ADULT CHILD MATERIAL??!?

Seriously, folks, you'd better watch what you ask for, because the Beach Boys might respond by giving us the original, even-more-creepy version of "Hey Little Tomboy."

Has anyone tallied up the number of times Kokomo has been officially released?

Including the (multiple!!) Spanish versions?  

part 2 coming up...

[37!ws]

I know it's heresy to say that around these parts (at least for some people) but The Beatles are part of a select group of musicians or bands that could release box sets devoted to each individual album in their catalog and it would sell (albeit not very well).

Oh, how I wish they just WOULD. FFS, if the Monkees could put out a box set for fracking Instant g*ddamned Replay, then the Beatles could do something similar for Abbey Road.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again" is a big draw, but "Wouldn't It Be Nice If This Tracklisting Didn't Suck"? Can't wait to hear "Vegetables" live from 1993!  Hopefully John Stamos is singing lead?  Looks like the box set of the year is not even in front of the Nilsson and Monkees boxes coming next month.. and that Monkees album sucks.

Okay, judging by both uses of "suck" here, you and most people have a different understanding of what "to suck" means.

Why they don't offer to flog us mp3s of all the obscure tracks/ sessions I do not know, it would be money for old rope and the costs to Capitol would be so low that even a low volume of sales would be profitable.

Because some twits (including myself) would be bitching about having to get lossy compression when you could have the lossless compression of FLAC or Apple Lossless.

That sums it up for me.  So the question is: Am I willing to throw down $130 for two CDs?

So you'd get rid of the extra non-CD material that's going to be part of the box?

Brian's Back - Arguably the last seriously creative era from Brian, and criminally overlooked. Give me more quirky 15BO instrumentals, Just Like Heaven with Brian vox, Life Is For The Living, Deep Purple, Lines, Everybody Wants To Live, My Diane, Marilyn Rovell, Alone On Christmas Day, New England Waltz, Lazy Lizzie, Stevie, I'm Starting To Say - ALL OF IT.

The tenth song you named just destroyed any credibility you ever had or ever will have.

Live - Where are 70's era Surf's Up, Jumping Jack Flash, Mess Of Help, Cuddle Up, I Got A Friend, Dennis sung Rhonda, In The Back Of My Mind, Caroline No, I'm Waiting For The Day etc.

"Surf's Up" -- let's see, we already have the 1971 studio version both with and without the noise in the left channel, the 1967 backing track, two different mixes of the 1966 demo, 1967 recording session highlights, and when this box comes out, two different mixes of the Wild Honey-era version. Also, there's the 5.1 version on the Endless Harmony DVD, plus Brian's solo versions on CD and DVD. Maybe they figured they've given us enough "Surf's Up."

"Jumping Jack Flash" -- probably would require additional licensing.

"I've Got A Friend" -- wasn't it said before that a recording of it doesn't exist anywhere other than a low-fi audience recording?

"Caroline, No" -- uhhh...The Beach Boys In Concert?

Dennis-sung "Rhonda" -- are we sure that's not what's on the set?

As for the others you mention, it could be that no releasable recording -- at least, for the purpose of this box -- exists.

Also, wasn't Brian mortified about doing those two early songs back in the day, as in embarrassed at their very existence? I may have remembered that wrong, but if so, maybe that's why they haven't seen release now. The guys did get a say in what made it out on this set, after all, don't forget?

This quote was referring to "Beginning of the End" (which, after I just heard it, I can understand why it was left off; it's NOT a good performance) and "Thank Him," which only exists in a low-fi demo, and trust me: the copy Brian has is at least one generation away from what most people have. It seems to me that the only low-fi demo on this set is one of "Surfin'," which is a VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR HISTORY. But I doubt Brian's embarrassed by "Thank Him." Why? Back in the mid-90s, before most of us had any idea this song even existed, I got an e-mail from someone saying he had a rare recording of an early Beach Boys song and asked if I was interested. I said absolutely, and he mailed me a copy on a TDK Type I cassette and said I owed him "big time" for it. The demo was on there twice so I could listen again without having to rewind. I had never heard the song before and thought there was a slight chance it was a cover of an old song, but no music expert I knew recognized it. One music expert but non-fan went so far as to say it sounded like an early incarnation of TWOTS. I e-mailed Lauri Klobas (God rest her soul) about it, giving her the lyrics and chord pattern, but she knew nothing about it. I asked if I could actually send her a copy that she could play for Brian, and she agreed, after making me promise that the tape would have nothing but that demo. (She said it was for their own legal protection - they don't want people to slip in their own music.) She e-mailed me a couple of weeks later and said that she played it for Brian, who remembered recording it in someone's bedroom where there was a tape recorder and mic set up, and he remembered it was him and Carl. (Bob Norberg rembmered it as Brian and Bob!) Lauri said Brian said he enjoyed the blast from the past. So given that, unless his attitude changed, I doubt he would have vetoed it out of embarrassment.

But I could see it being set aside for a compilation aimed more at us die-hards.

Poor students such as myself cannot afford to buy huge boxed sets with only 35 % new music and only 35% of that is genuinely new (not 'alternate versions/a capella'). Sorry Capitol, I really wanted to buy this thing but you give me too little of an incentive. Torrents here I come.

Then save your money and get it when you CAN afford it or can find it used. Torrenting will just add to any ammunition Capitol may have to never do anything for fans again. Or ask for it for Christmas. Or find someone who's getting married and needs a best man and get a $50 mall gift certificate as your best man present and use that to defray the cost. If you don't like it, don't get it; don't f**k up any future chances for those of us who would appreciate it.

the list goes is quite significant considering what was hoped for. ultimately this box will derive its sales from the fan base. the fan base has been let down slightly by being forced to buy Surfin' USA again.

1) Who's forcing you to buy it? If you don't like it, STFU and don't buy the damn thing. 2) You do realize this is a 2013 box, right? And that the most recent "Surfin' USA" you have, for all we know, could be from the 1990 twofer CD or the 1993 box set and ergo not up to the sound quality of 2013?

Living near Tower I actually chose to buy Anthology at Best Buy because they were giving out a free exclusive disc with interviews and other clips along with a cheesy screensaver, and that was somewhat disposable but seemed like a better bonus than Tower, who I think gave out a poster or something.

Which brings me to this...if you don't think there won't be any kind of "Store X-" or "Country Y-" only exclusive, well...think again. It might not happen, but it very likely will. I can't wait to see the shitstorm when that happens.

The customer is ALWAYS right. If people are unhappy, they should voice their dissatisfaction.

Except when the customer was wrong, like obviously you were when you were expecting one thing despite what was officially announced, and getting what was officially announced instead of what YOU expected. I suppose you think the customer is right if the customer demands something for free too, huh?

The fans have been demanding a release of the unreleased.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE GETTING. FFS!!!!! READ THE goshdarn TRACK LIST.

No one here gives a sh*t if Barbara Ann, GOK, CG, Surfin' USA or KOKOMO are on this. We buy it for the unreleased. Casual fans will NOT buy this, only we will buy it.

I certainly was one of those oxymoronic "casual fans" (fan = "fanatic" which is certainly NOT casual!) when Good Vibrations came out, as I mentioned earlier. You mean to tell me that not a one person with my 1993 level of fandom won't buy this? Hmm...as I look through the rest of the thread, I see Jonthan Blum has pretty much the same story I do...

This box, MiC, will not give me the utmost pleasure of my $$$$.

Nice of you to say that about something YOU HAVEN'T EVEN LISTENED TO.

I thank God people cannot decide for me how I should spend my money.

Nobody's telling you how you should spend your money. They're just telling you to actually READ things. READ what the official announcements always were, and you'd know EXACTLY what to expect. READ what the track list are, and you'll see that IT DOES CONTAIN LOTS OF UNRELEASED MATERIAL.

This means as well that the twofer bonus tracks are lost forever since aren't those OOP too? Shame.

They're still available on Amazon. Don't know if they're actually out of print though.

It's not a big disappointment, it's just I cannot pay this money for this limited music. I am sadly not a part of the demographic this set aspires to, yet I was really hoping I could be apart of this. I don't want the hits, I have their hits more than any sane person would dare admit and I cannot buy more of them.

You said you're 22. I was 18 when I bought Good Vibrations (and I've never, EVER been anywhere near rich; I had a part-time job and saved up my money wisely so that I COULD afford the stuff I wanted). What IS the demographic of this stuff? And on what titles did you repeatedly buy the hits? I'm talking album, not song.

But Shirley you can drop a few bucks on the tracks that do fit your definition of "rare" by getting them online (providing they'll be pick-and-choose downloadable)? At least do SOMETHING that won't give these people ammunition to never give us archival music again.

You are of course absolutely right. Using compact discs as the medium of distribution is nothing but brain dead. The CD capacity is limited to 74 minutes (or whatever, plus the songs need to be burned into the disc). Why limit yourself like that? You do not even have to decide how many CD:s the box should contain, because CD:s are obsolete and there should be no box. Typewriters are also obsolete. Hey, Capitol Records. There is something called THE INTERNET.

BRAIN DEAD? So having a playable medium that's usually of better sound quality that's available online (unless you can show me how to go to iTunes or Amazon and download the stuff in a lossless format), that can be played immediately without booting a computer, that is something tangible, that comes with nice packaging, and is essentially its OWN BACKUP, is brain dead? Is THAT brain dead, or is it the ignorant fools who switch to downloading only and get lesser quality for their money and typically put their downloads on cheap-ass Western Digital drives that blow up before long, and then bitch and moan and blame Apple because they didn't back up?

They could have dug a little deeper, lost the tracks we already paid more to get on the 2CD "50 Big Ones"...

Wait...why DID you get 50 Big Ones?? Why did ANY die-hards get that??? There's nothing on that set to justify people like us shelling out for that...

we had no evidence to the contrary. In fact quite recently someone on this board said there was a load of unreleased stuff. Trancendental Meditation (instrumental) was no what I imagined that person would share on the board as 'unreleased' (although I acknowledge it is per definition unreleased...)

I see...so it only counts if it's something YOU WANT. So let's say that Holland is about to be released, and we're promised there will be five unreleased tracks on it. So Holland comes out and the unreleased tracks are "Lazy Lizzie," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Drip Drop," the 1978 Perth performance of "God Only Knows," and the Adult/Child version of "Hey Little Tomboy." All of those are unreleased. They'd be giving us exactly what they promised.

This bewilders me - who CARES that It's About Time is on the box set? You already have this track on Sunflower. I love KTSA, but who the flip cares if it's on the box set? You already have this track on the album of the same name. I just don't understand this mentality.

The mentality is that the latest master we have of KTSA is from 12 years ago, and I'm sure that they could turn out a better master with today's technology. Same with "It's About Time." It's likely, although not guaranteed, that it's a sound upgrade of a great track.

FWIW. Bruce has posted on the brit site. Incredible to say, but he has no clue it would seem about just what is released.

No big surprise, considering he's not a voting member of BRI.

My main disappointment isn't about what's left off but the fact that this was the last shot (at least in my lifetime) to get good quality versions of true "off the wall" (by casual fans ideas) rarities.

That's...sad that you're planning to die. But let's see...the Good Vibraitons set came out in what? July 1993? The Pet Sounds Sessions came out November 4, 1997. Endless Harmony came out in July 1998. Ultimate Christmas came out in September 1998. Hawthorne, California came out in 2001. All of that in eight years.

On a almost unrelated note, I can't believe they left off "Somewhere Near Japan"...

Given Al's reaction after he found out what that song is REALLY about, that doesn't surprise me. Betcha anything he vetoed it.

-What’s the early version of Amusement Parks and the alt version of Meant for You?

Don't know about "Meant For You," but Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 9 had a version of "Amusement Parks, USA" with slightly different lyrics. It's very likely that one.

How can Thank Him and the original Big Sur not be on this? How in the world is that even a possibility?

Simple. "Thank Him" was probably deemed too lo-fi for this release; yes, certainly other songs are lo-fi, but "Thank Him" wasn't monumentally important in the history of the group. Could be that someone vetoed "Big Sur," perhaps Mike himself. After all, it is kind of...dull and repetitive in its original form; the "California Saga" version is a huge improvement.

I agree with you in principal, Peter, but the completist and historian in me still has to single out the absence of We Got Love as a fairly unique situation, a missed opportunity and a rare mistake with its not being included on the set.

Thing is...its original release WAS a mistake, LITERALLY. Warner Bros. didn't like it, period. I'd love to have an official copy of it, too, but there's a reason it wasn't included; whether you or I agree with that reason is another story, though.

Still wondering out loud how it came to be that Bruce of all people didn't know about this box set until now.

Same way that Brian has never heard Pacific Ocean Blue. All I can say is -- I believe both of those statements equally much.

"I Believe In Miracles" is listed as a vocal section - so that means it's not going to presented in full form? Or is the vocal section all that exists?

It could just be a selection of lyrics and not the actual title of a song...IIRC, "Wish that he could stay" was a listed track on Hawthorne, California.

I'm also slightly confused as to why they put a bunch of the previously unreleased material on the last disc rather than mixing it in with the rest. Some of the rarities are sprinkled throughout the other discs (like "Live Again" and the band version of "California Feelin'"), so obviously it's not that they wanted to separate ALL the rarities. I suppose it could be that the stuff on the last disc is maybe considered a bit rough for the average person, so they separated things.

I refer you to disc 5 of Good Vibrations.

Da Doo Ron Ron is from right in the heart of the KTSA sessions and to me it is a lifeless and dull cover.

Are we sure there isn't another take/version that might be better than what you heard?

Did one of the band members really insist that no Party outtakes could be included on the CD?

Could be licensing issues -- they're mostly covers, remember. Unless you want yet another version of "Little Deuce Coupe" or "California Girls."

It's Not Easy Being Me is a solo track, for example.

That, and Brian just sounds WEIRD on it, as if he's fake-barfing his way through it.

I guess using the alternate version/mix of "Lady" freed them up from any rights issues that come with using Denny's released solo material, but how were they able to use SOF then? Simple licensing? Or does that track fall under some sort of BBs umbrella from a legal/rights standpoint?

I think they were both recorded on the Beach Boys' dime. One, or possibly both, were originally planned to be on Add Some Music or Sunflower...

(re. PC) Just re-cheked: it's a partial ban. He can log in, but can't post.

No worries -- he's posting on Amazon.

As for content, I bet I'll be dissapointed in WIBN(TLA), it's just been hyped too much.

One person did tell me it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I have to get something off my chest first. Even though we already knew that MIC would be an updated version of the GV box, I do think that Capitol is playing a dirty trick here. They know damn well that the majority of people who are going to buy this are fans who already bought the hits many times and the album tracks probably a couple of times.

Then offset the cost by trading in the collections you already got. That's exactly what I did when The Remains of Tom Lehrer came out.

I already have GV and I have Smile so why should I buy Smile Vocal montage yet again?

Did you also not get Endless Harmony because you already had the title track on KTSA?

Like I already posted, this could've been a 2 or 3 disc rarities only set that I would gladly have paid $50-60 for.

And how well did the last 2-CD rarities-only set sell at standard CD price?

This box set is nothing more than what it has always purported to be. A career spanning retrospective with some rarities thrown in for good measure. If any of you feel "ripped off" it's because you placed (yourself) unrealistic expectations on the product and you can blame nowt but yourselves for that. The hyperbole and hand wrenching and (self)righteous indignation is getting really tiresome.

I like this guy.

Cool!  Always wondered why they didn't include the original last verse ("extra verse") in the released version. Either the album or single version. Guess they felt the song was too long, I dunno.  I mean, if you're going to do a cover......

Their performance of the song DRAGS. The extra verse serves no purpose other than to make it even longer and draggier.

Hey, I have a question, is there anything from the aborted '74 Caribou sessions included in the box?  If so, is any of it unheard?  I'd have to do some cross-referencing to know for sure, but many here will know just from looking at the track list.

Wasn't most (if not all) of that stuff lost in a fire?

Because they had a context for releasing them. Also, they allegedly vetoed several that were left off, such as "Go and Get that Girl" and "Alone on Christmas Day." As I said, very arbitrary.

And thankfully good taste prevailed and "Seasons In The Sun" were left off.

Now, it would be nice to get an officially released version of the circulating alternate take, but I won't lose much sleep over it.

The what now???

It took me about 10 years to get that damn MIU/L.A. Light twofer.

And I'll bet after actually HEARING it, especially "Hey Little Tomboy" and "Here Comes The Disco," you're very proud of your ten-year effort.

Where are Glow Crescent Glow, the Love You demos, the early mix of My Diane, It's Trying to Say, Life is for the Living, the movie version of Lady Lynda, something other than Brian's Back from First Love, the unreleased originals from KTSA, Al's version of California Saga, unreleased songs from the MiC sessions.

"Glow, Crescent, Glow" is a Mike Love solo track, n'est-ce pas? And I imagine the Love You demos were probably blown up in a forest because they were recorded in the heart of Landy Era I.

Is "It's A Beautiful Day" considered a decent 80's song or one of the many terrible ones.

Neither. It's from 1979.

The Good Vibrations box devoted more than twenty per cent of its space to just three albums -- Summer Days, Pet Sounds and Smile. While that's In 199understandable in that it was the first release of any Smile material at all...

...except for the Smile material that was included on Smiley Smile, 20/20, Sunflower, Surf's Up, and the Smiley Smile/Wild Honey twofer...

Basically, here are my thoughts:
- Yeah, there are some loudly missing tracks here, but 1) if they included a lot of the ones we want, the box set would have an even worse balance of different eras than it does now; 2) it doesn't rule out that they could end up on a future collection, and 3) there's a reason they're not on there.
- I agree with the "Don't like it? Don't get it" sentiment. I'm cool with people bitching and moaning about the track list...but what I'm NOT cool with is people bitching and moaning about the track list because they claim ignorance on the fact that this set is exactly what was promised.
- There was a time when you could get hardly ANYTHING by the Beach Boys. The '60s twofers were replaced by single-album CDs with no bonus tracks, no liner notes. All albums after 1969 were out of print, and we fans had to resort to things like the cut-out bin at Walgreen's to hunt down these CDs, and when we got them, it was considered bad etiquette to NOT buy the same title again if you saw it again so that you could re-sell it (or even GIVE it) to someone else having a problem finding it. There were several projects that were promised but then cancelled or noticeably changed. (Brother rarities compilation, anybody? How about the hits album that was going to have a stereo "All Summer Long"?) But look at what happened since...1997 saw the release of The Pet Sounds Sessions. The following year we got 1.5 CDs of rarities. In 1999, Brian went out on tour - something we never thought we'd see. He did it again the folliwing year with Pet Sounds. In 2000 all the post-1969 albums from Sunflower to The Beach Boys were reissued (and remastered correctly this time) as two-on-one CDs. In 2001 we had Hawthorne, California and the re-emergence of the '60s twofers. In the years since, we've had Songs from Here And Back, another archival release. And something I thought would never happen as long as Brian was still on this earth: The Smile Sessions. And now we have a (incomplete) batch of newer masters of several Beach Boys albums, including some stereo mixes of songs that were previously only available in mono and, for the first time on CD, entire (non-Pet Sounds albums with their original mono mixes. And last year the remaining Beach Boys reunited with a helluva tour and a surprisingly good album that shot up to #3. And now we're getting even more rarities, oddities, and never-ever-before-ities. Be thankful for what you have: for a while, things were pretty dry.

I'm just glad that nobody on this forum used the argument "but I already have this stuff on bootlegs" like I saw on another forum.

Shave your legs, now, for the first time...
37!WS

[Mikie]

Songs that have been on my wish list for years that will be included on MIC:

Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again
Back Home (1963)
Back Home (1970)
Rock And Roll Music (w/extra verse)
Sandy/Sherry She Needs Me  
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
Sound Of Free  
California Feelin'
Amusement Parks USA (Early Version)
Soul Searchin'
You're Still A Mystery
Darlin' (stereo)
Wild Honey (stereo)
Good Vibrations (stereo)

Songs on my wish list that didn't make the cut:

Big Sur (alt.)
Carry Me Home
I've Got A Friend
Add Some Music To Your Day (alternate version)
Come To The Sunshine
It's Trying To Say (Baseball)
What'd I Say (live '64)
The Surfer Moon (early version)
Honda 55
Sherry (4 Seasons cover)
With A Little Help From My Friends (corrected speed)
Rock & Roll To The Rescue
We Got Love (studio)
The Letter (studio)
I Was Made to Love Her (w/accapella bridge)
Girl Don't Tell Me (alt.)
Blowin' In The Wind
Riot in Cell Block #9
Sea Cruise (or On Broadway)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Monterey '70)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Live Michigan)
Anything from the Wally Heider sessions '67
Anything from the four concerts recorded (East Coast 11/67)
Anything from the Carnegie Hall '72  
Anything from Beachago ('75)
Anything from the 'Unplugged' rehearsals or Paramount Theatre ('93)
Anything from the Caribou sessions ('74)
Wild Honey album in stereo
"Our Favorite Recording Sessions" entire recording (version on ASL is edited).

I once read an interview with Bruce who said The Boys recorded an accapella intro to "I Get Around". Not sure if it survived, and not sure if it's the "intro" to the song that's going to be on MIC, but if its out there,

[Andrew G. Doe]

You all realize, of course, that this nonsense is only going to get worse - much, much worse - when...

1 - the previews are up on amazon or wherever...

2 - the damn thing is actually released, people here have actually heard it and you can all bitch to your hearts content about the mixes, the edits, the audio quality, why 1.493 seconds of Brian farting was left off of "Da Doo Ron Ron", the mastering...

3 - Eeyore returns.

I used to think Elvis fans were pretty much the dumbest around, but since the advent of archival Beach Boys releases, I've had to revise my opinion. Nothing will ever be good enough for a segment of the fan world. Me, I'm going to pass over the maybe 2% of mild disappointments and glory, if not actually wallow, in the 98% remaining. I was speaking to someone last night about this, and mentioned my own mild surprise at the exclusion of "We Got Love": they paused, reflected a bit and responded, "well... y'know it is pretty boring". And dammit, they're right.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Songs on my wish list that didn't make the cut:

Big Sur (alt.)
Carry Me Home
I've Got A Friend
Add Some Music To Your Day (alternate version)
Come To The Sunshine [tape whereabouts unknown]
It's Trying To Say (Baseball)
What'd I Say (live '64)
The Surfer Moon (early version)
Honda 55
Sherry (4 Seasons cover) [not known to have been recorded, even live]
With A Little Help From My Friends (corrected speed)
Rock & Roll To The Rescue
We Got Love (studio)
The Letter [is on box, albeit live]
I Was Made to Love Her (w/accapella bridge)
Girl Don't Tell Me (alt.)
Blowin' In The Wind
Riot in Cell Block #9
Sea Cruise (or On Broadway)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Monterey '70)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Live Michigan)
Anything from the Wally Heider sessions '67 [it's there]
Anything from the four concerts recorded (East Coast 11/67)
Anything from the Carnegie Hall '72  
Anything from Beachago ('75) [again, tapes AWOL/MIA]
Anything from the 'Unplugged' rehearsals or Paramount Theatre ('93)
Anything from the Caribou sessions ('74)
Wild Honey album in stereo
"Our Favorite Recording Sessions" entire recording (version on ASL is edited).

I once read an interview with Bruce who said The Boys recorded an accapella intro to "I Get Around". Not sure if it survived, and not sure if it's the "intro" to the song that's going to be on MIC, but if its out there,

[Jim V.]

I'm kinda scared this'll get lost through everybody complaining, but since I don't think anybody has addressed it, there is a song called "Why" from the M.I.U. sessions. You guys think that'll be the "Why" instrumental track that's on the set?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brilliant as usual 37!ws...I had a long post typed up but you said everything I was planning to say.

[Dave Modny]

I was speaking to someone last night about this, and mentioned my own mild surprise at the exclusion of "We Got Love": they paused, reflected a bit and responded, "well... y'know it is pretty boring". And dammit, they're right.

True story: I made an 8-CD Beach Boys comp for a friend of mine a few years ago, including..ahem.."rarities," and she singled out the studio take of "We Got Love" as one of her favorite tracks on the set. Called it something along the lines of "sunshine pop....70s style."

Me...I love the tune. So there.    

[Andrew G. Doe]

I'm kinda scared this'll get lost through everybody complaining, but since I don't think anybody has addressed it, there is a song called "Why" from the M.I.U. sessions. You guys think that'll be the "Why" instrumental track that's on the set?

Why not ? 

(I'll get my coat...)

[Dave Modny]

]I agree with you in principal, Peter, but the completist and historian in me still has to single out the absence of We Got Love as a fairly unique situation, a missed opportunity and a rare mistake with its not being included on the set.

Thing is...its original release WAS a mistake, LITERALLY. Warner Bros. didn't like it, period. I'd love to have an official copy of it, too, but there's a reason it wasn't included; whether you or I agree with that reason is another story, though.

Which I duly acknowledged in my next few sentences of the original quote (i.e. the fact that it simply slipped out to a few hundred lucky souls). Nonetheless, it was still commercially released overseas, and frankly, the fact that it was by mistake makes it an even more desirable rarity in the released/historical sense to me. For example, similar to the cases that happened with the Stones and Neil Young.

Also, I wouldn't sell short the fact that the song actually had some bona fide musical value. It was a semi-regular part of their live set in  '73 -- even *after* the "real" Holland was released -- and simply was deemed the "one that had to go" in light of SOS. So, mistake or not, someone must've liked it...lol.

Also, to answer another one of your queries, it has been noted that the New Jersey version of Rhonda from the '72 tour is indeed sung by Dennis (apparently mentioned on another board). The November Capitol Theater shows were recorded, a few days before the Carnegie Hall shows (Dennis-sung there), so that's where I'm currently putting my money in terms of version. Ditto for the Blondie-sung Wild Honey.


PS - Really enjoyed all your replies. That was some serious reading, cutting and pasting work on your part!

[Mikie]

Well, "We Got Love" is a little boring, but it's a rare track, a collectible, and was only available on some Holland albums in Europe. Lady Lynda/Lady Liberty are boring as hell too in my opinion, but it went up the charts in the UK. WTH?? "Runaway" from 1986, another single source, "Sea Cruise" another single source worthy of release, etc. etc. etc.

[Mikie]

AGD - I meant studio version of "The Letter" - same one that's on Rarities, not the live version.

[Nicko1234]

I agree that $130 is a ridiculous amount of money for a 6 disc set if it remains that price.

Really?? You mean there's nothing to actually hold those CDs? No box or anything? No booklet or anything???

Oh sh*t...never mind, there IS a pretty elaborate packaging with it...which might explain that. And given that CDs aren't in as much demand now as they were, say, 20 years ago...law of supply and demand...

Sorry but there are other box sets that have just been released that have the same number of discs and a book and packaging that are available for less than $50.

[Dave Modny]

AGD - I meant studio version of "The Letter" - same one that's on Rarities, not the live version.

BTW, on a related note, and assuming that it's not a mis-print, I guess it's safe to say that the version of "The Letter" on here comes from that same 8/25 pre-concert rehearsal that's already given us released versions of "Good Vibrations," "Their Hearts We Full Of Spring," etc. (i.e. vs.  the later, Heider studio version)?

[Wirestone]

I agree that $130 is a ridiculous amount of money for a 6 disc set if it remains that price.

Really?? You mean there's nothing to actually hold those CDs? No box or anything? No booklet or anything???

Oh sh*t...never mind, there IS a pretty elaborate packaging with it...which might explain that. And given that CDs aren't in as much demand now as they were, say, 20 years ago...law of supply and demand...

Sorry but there are other box sets that have just been released that have the same number of discs and a book and packaging that are available for less than $50.

Such as?

[Jonathan Blum]

Part IV: Or After Til I Die

Just as in the old set, the combo of "Til I Die" and "Surf's Up" marks Brian's retreat in musical terms. But this time they position the rest of the "Surf's Up" album after them, as part of the band continuing on.  And here's what they're adding to the next bit of the story, up through "Love You":

1.    Don't Go Near The Water
3.    Feel Flows
4.    (Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again
15.   Solar System

They're basically telling the same story here, but with a couple of tweaks…  Replacing "Fourth of July" with "Live Again" reinforces the overall Dennis-ness of proceedings, and "Feel Flows" puts Carl more towards the center thanks to the "Almost Famous" connection.  But this has to make up for losing another track or two of his from the "Surf's Up" - "Holland" era. Adding the Mike / Al "Don't Go Near The Water" also emphasizes the shift: where the previous box told us that Carl took over the band as Brian backed away, this one shows everyone (even Bruce) putting their own two cents in.

Blondie and Ricky? Well, they lose two of the studio tracks they worked on… but they get four live tracks featuring them to make up for it. Kind of a draw, I'd think.

All together, they've slightly expanded the 1971-77 period, but given that the last box successfully reclaimed this period from obscurity, they haven't messed with it too much...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Jonathan Blum]

Part V: Or Even After "Love You"

Here's the biggest change in the story. From covering everything after 1977 with only seven numbers, they've now gone up to 18 -- plus a 19th song only as a live version.  That's a much bigger acknowledgement overall that there's still material worth looking at in this period. But interestingly, they've done that without actually delving deeper into most of the albums in this stretch -- they've gone for non-album singles and outtakes.  This means there are more tracks from after the 30th anniversary -- after which they only put out one album -- than from the four albums before it put together!

19.   California Feelin'
20.   Brian's Back (Alternate Mix)
22.   Angel Come Home
24.   It's A Beautiful Day (Single Edit) (2012 Mix)
25.   Goin' To The Beach
2.     Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love
3.     Da Doo Ron Ron
5.     California Dreamin'
7.     Soul Searchin'
8.     You're Still A Mystery
9.     That's Why God Made The Radio
10.    Isn't It Time (Single Version)

The clear message here is that even though there's still a good chunk of worthwhile stuff being done, the only *albums* really worth digging into are "Light Album" and "Radio". Which is a step up, actually -- LA gets a whole three songs now, more than "Carl & The Passions". And again, it's worth noting the Dennis factor… In the old set lineup, "Baby Blue" was the only track in the whole post-'77 stretch which wasn't a reasonably high-profile single (and it alone was enough to make me sit up and take notice of this Dennis guy)… but here its presence is reinforced with "Angel Come Home", which shows Carl and Dennis as major creative forces even this late in the game.

Note where the CD break falls, after "Goin' To The Beach". If this is effectively serving as a marker point similar to "Surf's Up", it seems to be saying that the Beach Boys were still functioning creatively up to the end of 1979. (Though as in the '93 set, they're just drawing a veil over "MIU".)

Disc five… Well, kicking off with "Goin' On" might look like an attempt to say that they're still trying, sort of, but following that with two outtake covers tends to indicate that the wheels had come off. 1980, more than "15 Big Ones", is now painted as the retreat into nostalgia. The mid-'80s return to the charts has been expanded to three songs from two -- a bit more respectable, but still no sign that there are deep tracks worth looking into here.  But where the text essay of the '93 box set basically writes off their last couple of Top 40 hits as a faintly embarrassing afterthought (despite ending with a worldwide number one!), the new version of the story follows "Kokomo" with four more tracks which allow a spin of a creative renaissance:  a long period of inactivity (as opposed to activity-but-nothing-worth-including), but when they do get together they've got it again, right up to the present day.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Phoenix]

(from me) My main disappointment isn't about what's left off but the fact that this was the last shot (at least in my lifetime) to get good quality versions of true "off the wall" (by casual fans ideas) rarities.

That's...sad that you're planning to die. But let's see...the Good Vibraitons set came out in what? July 1993? The Pet Sounds Sessions came out November 4, 1997. Endless Harmony came out in July 1998. Ultimate Christmas came out in September 1998. Hawthorne, California came out in 2001. All of that in eight years.

But in that time, how many of those unreleased tracks featured lead vocals from Blondie, Ricky, or Billy?  Because THAT is what I was referring to.  (The answer by the way is two.  Although one of those two tracks was released because it had the vocal removed!)  At this point, I honestly think the ship has sailed on BRI even acknowledging tracks like that.  Tho I really thought "We Go Love" had a shot this time.

(from me) On a almost unrelated note, I can't believe they left off "Somewhere Near Japan"...

Given Al's reaction after he found out what that song is REALLY about, that doesn't surprise me. Betcha anything he vetoed it.

That's exactly what I figured too.

(from someone who isn't me) How can Thank Him and the original Big Sur not be on this? How in the world is that even a possibility?

Could be that someone vetoed "Big Sur," perhaps Mike himself. After all, it is kind of...dull and repetitive in its original form; the "California Saga" version is a huge improvement.

I actually feel the exact opposite about the versions.  To me, the backing vocals on the early version make in MUCH more interesting (and Beach Boys-y) and the 3/4 time of the released version reduces the dreamy, atmospheric feel of the original to just a jokey, folksy (and rather boring) hoedown.  ...But I don't begrudge your opinion on it at all.

[Mike's Beard]

In case anyone was wondering what Eeyore has to say about the upcoming box, behold

Philip A.Cohen says:
Already, in the first 24 hours that this set has been listed for preorder, we've already seen a $15 price increase(from $130 to $145). Nice going Amazon marketing geniuses! Price it beyond what people can afford, and there will be more consumers obtaining the music by illegally downloading than consumers buying the set.
Anyone who preorders when Amazon is setting the price at or beyond list price is a sucker, and this only encourages Amazon.com's greed.
Hey Amazon, we're music fans and collectors. We're not music addicts. And we're not suckers.

Seems like he hates amazon almost as much as he does Capitol! Hey Phil you do know that if you pre-order something off amazon and the price rises that they will honor the original advertised price?

And this later post is almost too delicious

Philip A.Cohen says:
Well it may indeed be released, albeit at an extremely high price. All along, I wanted to keep pressure on Capitol to break the "Wall of Secrecy", and they now have, albeit 19 months after the initial announcement of a "career-spanning boxed set". There's some good material in the set, but it is somewhat of an anti-climax. With a limited amount of remaining vault material Capitol & The Beach Boys are taking a marketing approach similar to the Jimi Hendrix estate: dish up only a small amount of good new material on each release, to ensure that the record company can continue to assemble vault projects for many years to come. you note that I haven't commented on the track line-up over at the Smiley Smile forum. They won't un-ban me. In any event, all over the internet, "Made in California" is getting a mixed reception.

[Smilin Ed H]

I can't be arsed to read through the whole thread, but it IS the Dennis lead on Rhonda isn't it? If I didn't see this here, I read it elsewhere, Brian's site? Hoffman?

Sorry - Brian's site. And it is.