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It looks like I'm going to be putting together a bit of a Beach Boys 50th anniversary tribute gig for the Friday night concert series at the bookstore at which I work.  If anybody is around Grand Rapids, feel free to come.

I'd like to do half big hits, half obscure stuff.  Of the obscure, half would be deep album cuts, half might even be unreleased songs.

I plan to play for about an hour and a half, I think.  Any ideas for a good set list?


This is not necessarily a super hip crowd, and billing it as a Beach Boys 50th anniversary gig, I've got to play plenty of recognizable songs, but I want to dig a little deeper as well.  Would love any suggestions regarding what I should play.  Also, if you happen to be near Grand Rapids and would like to participate, I am recruiting as many people as possible, although I'd like to keep it kind of garage, in a way.

Thanks in advance.

No point in mentioning "the hits" since you know those but I would definitely include:

All I Wanna Do
Fallin' In Love (Lady)
Time To Get Alone
All This Is That
Only With You
This Whole World
Our Sweet Love
Breakaway
Marcella
She Knows Me Too Well
Friends
Barbara
Wild Honey
I Went To Sleep

Do It Again
I Can Hear Music
Time To Get Alone
Break Away
You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
Here She Comes
Busy Doin' Nothin'
Dance Dance Dance
It's OK
The Trader
Mona
Johnny Carson
Love Is A Woman
Hang Onto Your Ego
Don't Worry Baby
The Warmth Of The Sun
She's Goin' Bald
Little Pad
Slip On Through
This Whole World
Long Promised Road
'Til I Die
Wild Honey
Country Air
Please Let Me Wonder
She Knows Me Too Well
Back Home
San Miguel
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
You're So Good To Me
Barnyard
Surf's Up
Steamboat
Shut Down
Surfer Girl
Hawaii
Ding Dang
Chug-A-Lug


I have no idea how long it is, but this is my go-to playlist for when I listen to them when I'm driving. You'll definitely want to add more of their earlier hits.

Forever.

Surfers Rule
Ten Years of Harmony
Brian Is Back
Looking Back With Love
The Right Lane
Susie Cincinnati
River Song

Thanks.  I actually wouldn't mind help with selecting the hits and well-known ones.  That's almost harder than selecting the deep cuts.  I need 10 or so hits that everyone will know and love.  What do you think.  Also, I don't know how much vocal harmony is going to be available, so keep that in mind.

Cal girls
Vibes
GOK
WIBN
FFF/IGA/S.USA
SOS
Sloop
DIA

John's got a good list, so in addition to those ones:

Don't Worry Baby
Help Me, Rhonda
In My Room
Do You Wanna Dance

H.E.L.P. Is On The Way

(http://southendfamilyreunion.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/cat-shrek.jpg)

Of the hits I would go for the ones that are super famous.

Good Vibrations
God Only Knows
I Get Around
Fun, Fun, Fun
Surfin USA
California Girls
Wouldn`t it be Nice
Kokomo

With maybe Heroes and Villains and Do it Again

For the rarities I would choose one song by Dennis, Carl and Al. Probably Forever, Where I Belong and California Saga.

This is helpful--interesting to get different opinions of what the essential hits are.

Here's some of my thinking.  Tell me if you think any of this drags or is clunky:

Open with:  Surfin' USA, Fun Fun Fun, and I Get Around in a tight medley.

I Do
Moonshine (Yes, I know, not exactly Beach Boys)
Trader
Farmer's Daughter
Cal. Girls
WIBN
You're So Good To Me
This Whole World
Don't Worry Baby
God Only Knows
GV
Steamboat
Cabinessence
California Feeling--me at solo piano
Feel Flows (We'll jam out on this one, assuming I can get a decent band together)
Let Him Run Wild
Live Again

There might be room for more, I'd have to time it.

I dig it! If you can't end up getting the band together, I'd recommend swapping Feel Flows with Long Promised Road.

Make sure you get a guy to film it so you can youtube it up.

I think that might be a bit of a challenge for any audience.

Having 3 super hits at the start and then so many hits in the middle would make the other sections drag I would guess.

And the Dennis selections like Steamboat and Moonshine are not exactly audience friendly. Trader (due to the length) maybe isn`t either.

Questions:

- what instrument do you play
- what are instruments will be available
- how many voices will be available
- what is your vocal range or what BB voice can you better replicate

I would consider throwing in a lot more of the early stuff, surf and car songs.  1) those are the songs for which the Beach Boys are still most loved by many an ordinary Joe, 2) they're short, and relatively easy, so you could really crank em out, not necessarily in a medley, but just one after the other, and 3) they're super high energy, and just musically sophisticated enough (sometimes far more than just) to keep the band (and yourself) engaged. 

I might intersperse:

Surfin USA, Surfin Safari, Little Deuce Coupe, Shut Down, 409, Custom Machine, Don't Back Down, Catch a Wave and, if you have a halfway decent guitarist, Let's go Trippin and Punchline (although that'll probably freak people out just as much as something like Feel Flows). 

As the best incarnations of the live beach boys have long been demonstrating, those early songs aren't actually that incongruous with the later stuff, just throw it all together, in my opinion.

SET 1

California Girls
Dance Dance Dance
Little Honda
Surfer Girl
Surfin’ / Surfin’ Safari / Hawaii / Catch a Wave / Don’t Back Down
Don’t Worry Baby
In My Room (semi-acoustic)
Surf City
Please Let Me Wonder
California Saga
Do You Wanna Dance
God Only Knows /Our Sweet Love
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
Surf’s Up

SET 2

Darlin’
Wendy
Do It Again
Then I kissed Her
Forever
Long Promised Road
Sail On Sailor
Feel Flows
Help Me Rhonda
CAR MEDLEY(This Car of Mine a capella intro)
Kokomo
Vegetables
Our Prayer /
Good Vibrations
 
ENCORE:

You Are So Beautiful
Barbara Ann
Surfin’ USA
Fun Fun Fun
Love & Mercy

Well here's a set list that I found of ours ( Surfs Up) from a couple of years ago - Hope this helps



 

I'm not afraid to challenge the audience a little.  Normally, every other week at the same place, they listen to largely unknown local and semi-local singer songwriters, so it's not like they're afraid to hear something they haven't heard before.  But playing hits will draw people in, it's true.  We'll find the right balance.




I play keyboards, guitar, electric and string basses, saxophone, trumpet, lute, harmonica, recorder, flute, banjo, mandolin, french horn, viola, violin, drums, ukulele, autoharp, various percussion, and more.

But I'm planning to play bass for this.

At the moment, 3-4 singers are probably available, but I've got almost 3 months to recruit more singers and instrumentalists.  And like I said, if you read this, will be in Grand Rapids in June (or would be willing to come up just for this) and can play or sing, you're welcome.

I have a massive vocal range, from F below the bass staff to top line F - F# in the treble staff.  Some of it even sounds good.  I'm an amateur baroque countertenor, so I most often sing pretty high.

I went through this once, though the planned gig fell through. Here is the setlist I came up with, was planning hits-only:

1) California Girls
2) Do it Again
3) Catch a Wave
4) Hawaii
5) Do You Wanna Dance?
6) Surfer Girl
7) Don't Worry Baby
8) Darlin'
9) Little Deuce Coupe
10) I Get Around
11) God Only Knows
12) Sloop John B
13) Wouldn't It Be Nice
14) Good Vibrations
15) Help Me Rhonda
16) Barbara Ann
17) Surfin USA
18) Kokomo
19) Fun Fun Fun

 :o

are you perhaps Probyn's long lost twin brother ?  ;D

I was thinking that Aeijtzsche is actually Prince!

Might I suggest (suggested changes in bold):

Medley: Surfin Safari / Fun Fun Fun / I Get Around / Dance Dance Dance
I Do
You're So Good To Me
Moonshine
Trader
Farmer's Daughter
Cal. Girls
WIBN
This Whole World
Don't Worry Baby
God Only Knows
GV
Steamboat
Cabinessence
When I Grow Up
Girl Don't Tell Me
California Feeling
Feel Flows
Let Him Run Wild
Sloop John B

That section w/ Steamboat / Cabinessence / CA Feeling / Feel Flows will likely drag ... not in the sense that they are obscure, but because they're all sort of longer, slower songs.  Throw in some short & catchy songs to mix it up !

That's not bad--that might just work, thanks.

and if you have a 12-string, organ, baritone & tambourine, 'That's Not Me' would be bitchin.  I would jump at the chance to join in and provide these items if you were setting this up in San Francisco.

If you only played the hits, my idea would be playing the whole endless summer album in LP order.

eh ... you'd miss the best hits ! (GV, Pet Sounds, When I Grow Up, Dance Dance Dance)

I know, but an older audience might remember the LP from the 1970s. You can add the songs you stated afterwards.

Alright, here's my take.
This should be around 1,5h long.   It is very hits-heavy, much more than you are expecting,  but I think it just works better like that for the audience.
It is also fast-paced, more targeted to dance rather than sit & listen. Which probably doesn't apply too well in a bookstore, but I don't know how you will be arranging the space.
I left the obscure-songs open as there are so many that there is no point suggesting; they should just be your favorites.

All this is of course assuming that you will have enough (skilled) players and voices as required.
If you will be the star of the show then you could switch between instruments to make it more dynamic and show your versatility.

1      California Girls              (guitar e.)
2      Do You Wanna Dance?      (guitar e.)
3      Hawaii                              (guitar e.)
4      Surfin' Safari                          (guitar e.)
5     <obscure 1>                       (keyboard)
6     <obscure 2>                      (keyboard)
7      Don't Worry Baby              (keyboard)
8      Surfer Girl                      (bass s.)
9      In My Room                      (bass s.)
10      Then I Kissed Her                (bass s.)
11      Be True To Your School      (guitar e.)
12      Little Deuce Coupe              (guitar e.)
13      409                              (guitar e.)
14      Shut Down                      (guitar e.)
15      I Get Around                      (guitar e.)
      - INTERMISSION -
16      Do It Again                      (guitar e.)
17      Sloop John B                      (banjo)
18      Wouldn’t It Be Nice              (ukulele)
19      God Only Knows              (keyboard)
20      Surf's Up                      (keyboard)
21      Good Vibrations              (keyboard)
22      Sail On, Sailor                      (keyboard)
23      Marcella                              (guitar e.)
24      <obscure 3>                       (guitar e.)
25      California Dreamin'              (guitar a.)
26      Kokomo                              (guitar a.)
27      Help Me, Rhonda              (bass e.)
28      Barbara Ann                      (bass e.)
                -  ENCORE -
29      Surfin' USA                      (bass e.)
30      Fun, Fun, Fun                      (bass e.)


In any case, YES we want to see it on YouTube!