The Smiley Smile Message Board

Having turned 56 recently and going thru my current BB collection, I am struck by the sheer amount of items that are now publicly available that we as old timers could only imagine and hunger for. SMILE, Landlocked,Adult Child,etc etc etc. I know the turning point for me was the amount of tapes that made the rounds in the late '80s, but by 2000, the SOT boxes etc, lead us into a new era. And in SOME WAYS, its kinda sad. We now officially and unofficially have a lot of what we dreamed of. It's almost like getting to the end of that long haul only to say ok, I have it finally, now what. Do any of you other guys that weathered the long dry spells of the 70s and 80s feel this as well?

OF COURSE, so as not to end on a melancholy note, all I need is that alternate single version of Little Honda that just came out and I am off to the races again!!!

Bob

I can identify with that but as we get further down that road, new vistas come to light. Those Bedroom Tapes - are we ever going to get to hear Brian's Song for God? Of course I'm grateful for what we have received - especially SMiLE - but however old I get I seem to have an undiminished appetite for Brian Wilson music.

You don't even have to be an "old timer" to feel that way. Even in the year 2000, it must have been hard to imagine that by 2015 we'd have all this:

- A Smile Sessions box set and a "finished" version of Smile by Brian
- Six additional new studio albums by Brian, and one by Al
- A brand new Beach Boys album featuring Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce and David
- A Pacific Ocean Blue-reissue including Bambu and additional bonus tracks
- A new box set with lots of unreleased songs and other rarities

Great summary.  I believe the term is, "an embarrassment of riches."  And NPP in a few weeks.

Don't forget about the found footage from an actual good vibration session
And the upcoming Brian and Mike autobiographies!!

It was a LONG dry spell.  The first happened between Good Vibrations and Heroes and Villains...and then Smiley Smile which [FOT ME and not everyone for sure] was a gigantic let down and disappointment...a retreat.  Then came the next long dry spell following Holland and the subsequent live album until...until...until  [wtf ???] Rock and Roll Music!?!?! and 15 Big-uns.  What a let down for me.  Same with Love You.  [although I 'get' that many LOVE Love You.]  There were 'tries' without a rudder [Brian being ALL that] Carl solo albums which contained a few decent songs but over-all were pretty disappointing.  There was that moment in the sun with Pacific Ocean Blue and then Dennis began to fade away.  There were items of note surrounded by less likely filler from the Boys but by the time we got to Kokomo and Brian's first solo album we were HUNGRY for something...anything...which would satisfy the ears and soul.

Since then?  It's been Brian and previously unreleased Beach Boys gems.  Then came the release of Smile and That's Why God Made the Radio...and the soon to be released No Pier Pressure [or Peer Pressure either]...Love and Mercy...and the 'book'.  Illegal 'offerings' did 2 things.  They kept those hungry for more fed.  They also prompted the official release of LOADS of stuff we deserved to hear.  A so/so Brach Boys song...especially one where everyone is participating beats the pants off of all kinds of OTHER stuff.  Sometimes when the Boys don't 'measure up' it's that they don't measure up with themselves.  They're a VERY tough act to follow...especially for the Beach Boys.  [although Brian is pretty darned good at it...and Al's no slouch either.]

A discussion of this is going on elsewhere and someone posted that Brian had mentioned three projects, a gentle 'pop' album, a rocker and something to make Pet Sounds and SMiLE into a trilogy.

I hope that all of Brian's incredible musical ideas take root but even the fact that he is thinking creatively is IMO extremely encouraging. Brian isn't just basking in past glories but still interested in the creative process which may be wonderful for us but is surely also good for him.

Well I'm 39 now (which I can't believe) and I have fond memories of searching around the internet in 98/99/2000 searching for ANY nuggets I could find. In a way that was so exciting. Particularly I remember Napster and everyday I would type in Beach Boys or Brian Wilson to see what would pop up. Its where I first heard POB and some SMiLE tracks. But the salient point is this (and echoed to some effect by Sean Lennon): If you care to delve into the music, then it IS the most rewarding musical experience you could ever have. The sheer DEPTH of the musical catalog that falls under the umbrella of "Beach Boys' is astounding. Yes there are duds. But even the "duds" have some redeeming quality if you care to appreciate the time, place and historical circumstance in which said piece of music was created.  I always contend that there is no other musical catalog out there (released/unreleased) that can compare to the Beach Boys. So many different eras, styles, unique contributions.  It is true that what we have today I could only dream about back in my early twenties. It was then I was literally salivating for more Beach Boys.  So is it the end of the long road? Nah...there is always stuff to be discovered. EVERY year I laugh out loud: well now, where did this come from? Who knows?? Maybe some day all that SMiLE footage/Inside Pop stuff will appear. Never say never. Stranger things have happened. A prime example of this is the story of the Don't Worry Baby Master Reels. I just shake my head and SMiLE....I don't think we have reached the extreme "bottom of the barrel".

Add Some - with Smiley Smile, apart from GV and Heroes, I had no idea that Smiley was only part of a "big picture" won't seemingly "unrelated" tracks, but was enchanted by the gorgeous Wind Chimes.  And, in hindsight, I'm glad it wasn't fully released.  The world wasn't ready to fully embrace it.  It may have been marginalized by other stuff being released at the time.

This way, we got a "coronation" in 2011, instead of being "knighted" in the late 60's, for one generation of listeners, instead of the many in 2011.

So, I'll drink to that! And here's to you, too!  :beer

It's also too bad to think about some of the 'old' timers that aren't around anymore, who never got a chance to see a lot of this stuff. Greg Larson and Bob Hanes come to mind.

I miss going to the record fairs of old and finding boots of songs I'd heard about on message boards or in fanzines, particularly the Sea of Tunes stuff, Bamboo (as we thought it was at the time), Landlocked (several 'versions'), Smile stuff, the Paley sessions and Murry's rant, as well as quality boots by other artists I had an interest in at the time - the excellent Springsteen boot, The Ties That Bind, comes to mind - and so on, but I'm glad more material has come out legally - and cleaned up - and look forward to more releases like Big Beat etc. The two songs I'd most like official releases of, I guess, are Carry Me Home and Big Sur, but there are plenty of others and  would love to see the elusive Bedroom Tapes (http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/brian-wilson-bedroom-years.html) and the so-far-unreleased Brother rarities come out (including those Brad Elliott mentions lower down this blogpost:
http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-beach-boys-brother-re-issues-bonus.html

Keep dreaming that Beach Boys Central will work one day...

That is most certainly true. I've loved the copyright extension stuff, but I don't want to wait another eight or so years for Carry Me Home and Hard Times...

In the old days (1970's, '80's) it was a bit like archeology, you had to work hard to find things. Maybe we appreciated it more. Now it's the click of a button, I'm not complaining, just amused. This year with all that is happening reminds me of 1976. A great time to be a Beach Boy fan

I'd go to the record fair and make a bee-line for John Porteous' stand, though I'd often be looking for something I'd read about on the net. If he did't have it there, he was often able to get it for me later.

Us old-timers? Oh to be 56 again!  :)

Seriously, it is kinda sad that we're reaching the end of this journey, but the amazing fact that Brian finally "came back" is more than enough compensation. The answer to "now what?", I think, will be delivered in early April!

I readily admit, I NEVER EVER thought I would say to my friends in 2012 "here's a new one by the Beach Boys!". Still in awe over that!

I know....I was just thinking about how Greg's birthday's coming up. Coach, man...he was a good guy too. Derek Bill left us too soon as well. I know he would have been over the moon right now.

Greg and another poster here were very generous among the old timers here in sharing their treasures with this old timer , how old? walked downtown to the record store to buy Fun Fun Fun when I was eleven and the song was at the top of the charts.   Was glad to see Greg and bob get a credit on the box.    Do I Miss looking thru used record store bins in anticipation of finding a treasure?     sometimes.    Like missing an old addiction.  ;).   Pre internet, it was always a treat to get the BBFUN newsletters in the mail.     I still have most of them.   

It's also too bad to think about some of the 'old' timers that aren't around anymore, who never got a chance to see a lot of this stuff. Greg Larson and Bob Hanes come to mind.

Bob was one of my besties. We use to talk at least 4-5 times a week. His passing was one of the reasons i kind of laid low here and other places. Too many memories. Finally the music got me going again. The last time I talked to Bob, it was just before he passed. He played the demo of California Feeling over the phone to me. Sharing until the last. They don't come any better than him!

For me, there was nothing quite like finding those first three SMiLE vinyls (single, double and triple disc sets) and then finding and then awaiting more of the Sea of Tunes boxes days (and before SOT, the Gold Tin "Journals" series). I would visit NYC from Boston and walk to Revolver on 8th street, Bleecker Records, and then that underground store on Cordelia with such anticipation of combing for buried treasure. The guys at the counters were also hip to exactly what they were dealing with - like this joint, it was like a club of people who got it . Beach Boys fans are in many ways the luckiest of all. My entire life has been taken up with them and I had the chance to tell them so during the C50 very quick meet and greet photo op at Red Rocks, backstage. After that dream concert, with my best friends from the block flying in to share it with me, I felt completely "full circled" and filled with joy. All the rest has been a bonus round. And this year in particular will be a very special one, so I'm glad to be still be above ground to celebrate it with you all here. It is a passion that has never really dwindled.

As Brian might say, it's been a trip: stuff we used to discuss in hushed tones, wondering what it was like, is now on YouTube for all to enjoy (or not - "Battle Hymn...", anyone ?  ;D ). Stuff we knew would never be released is on the racks in formats from single CD to 6CD/2LP/2 45 box.

But to my mind the most amazing thing these days is the sheer ease of access to people in the BB cosmos 1961-date. It's no secret here that many posters here have direct contact with band members and, speaking personally, my FB friends list includes the likes of David Sandler, Rick Henn, Jack Rieley, Sharon Marie... now, if you'd told me that in 1975, when all this madness started for me, I'd have laughed in your face, long & loud.

What's left ? Never say "nothing", because something will always drop from the skies. Think Micawber. My current #1 wish is the AFMs for LDC and Surfer Girl... actually, just the key to the archives of Local 47.  ;D

And yes, the passage of time inevitably thins our ranks... Coach Bob, Greg, Derek, Les: four good people gone much too soon.

I'd much rather have been there 1962-73 in SoCal, but understandably failing that, here, now (and the last 25 years or so) will do very nicely, thank you - an historians wet dream, so many archive releases and books. The 'net's a two-edged sword, of course, but on the whole, it's enabled me to meet so many fine, fine people. Can't recall the last timne I sent a letter, or made a non-Skype phone call.

That small, but growing, cloud on the far horizon ? What do we do when it's all over ?

God Only Knows














I hope.

I remember waiting for the newest issue of Goldmine to be delivered to my house. I would spend a lot of time reviewing the tiny print ads. My best find was a new original Japan release of one of Carl's solo CDs, which I quickly purchased for $35.00.

I placed an ad in Goldmine looking for Beach Boy material. That ad led me to a long friendship with Bob ( petsite). He lives in Texas, and actually flew up here to Milwaukee to attend Brian's concert with me, that was Brian's first tour, third stop, I believe.

I hung out on the old AOL Beach Boys message boards and participated in an auction run by Lauri Klobas. I won one of the items, but more importantly won the friendship of Lauri, which lasted until her untimely passing years later.

Those were very good times..

I turn 65 two days after Brian Wilson turns 73.  It's been quite a ride the past 53 years, with two highlights coming to mind: Les Chan in 1982 sending me Smile and Landlocked with a handful of other nuggets on a cassette tape I keep in my nightstand so I always know where it is, and C-50 at the Red Rock in Las Vegas.  Oh yeah, SMILE in Houston and Grand Prairie. The conventions Les put on in Oakland. Carl at the Old Waldorf in SF. All the stuff you kept hearing about but never thought you'd hear, much less own. Books, documentaries, internet, Smiley Smile board. Who would ever thought . . . . . . .  Nothing to complain about. (Except maybe this broken leg I incurred a four weeks ago today. Last time I even think about skipping church without a valid excuse.  Like a broken leg.) And it's baseball season. Beach Boys, baseball, I think I'll fix a hot dog and put on All Summer Long.

What a cool thread! All I can add is that sure, the released material is awesome, but for me seeing the band 96 times in 15 states between 1968 and 1998 means the Beach Boys were a part of my life. I worked for a very well known promoter here in Kansas City and had total access to not just the local shows. I had close personal encounters with all of them except for Brian. By the 80's, Carl and Al knew me by name and Mike still recognizes me at shows. Bruce ignores me, but that's OK, we have a history that I documented here a long time ago. People are paying 100K for a ticket to see the Dead in Chicago this Summer. I wouldn't go for 100 dollars. Different strokes...........but I saw the GD at the Fox Theatre in Saint Louis in 1971 anyway. Once was enough. 100,000 dollars!!

After hearing you all talk about waiting for decades for unreleased music to come out, I feel especially grateful I was born into a world where most of their backlog has been released or uploaded on YouTube. I can't even imagine how it feels to have waited over 40 years for Smile to be released, since it came out 5 years after I discovered the songs. My only regret is that I'll never be able to see Carl or Dennis live, but I have been given the gift of seeing Brian live. Hopefully, people are still listening to the BB's 100 years from now.

For that price, they ought to be exhuming Garcia.

"send SASE for list"
I just remember scanning Goldmine, Discoveries, and other 'zines for ads and sending out a lot of SASE's, then wondering how I could save up the cash from whatever teen part-time job I had to actually order one of the treasures. And taking the T to one of the cool shops when I was going to school in Boston was an event, although there were several on Newbury right near the dorms which would pay off on occasion.

I'm betting the term SASE is or would be unfamiliar to most under a certain age at this point.

I suspect that using the term "Old Timer" is a nice way of saying, "Old Fart". After listing the highlights of my Beach Boys fandom here, I'm sure I'll be dating myself!

1. 1970 - Hearing "I Get Around" for the first time. Then the whole "All Summer Long" album, then a few months later, "Good Vibrations". Done blew my mind!
2. 1972 - Picking up the "Carl & The Passions/Pet Sounds" vinyl 2-fer for 2 bucks at a flea market. Played it to death along with subsequent albums  through my Marantz amp (with gyro-tuner), Thorens turntable, and JBL L-100 speakers.
3. 1974 - After feeling pretty good about myself that I had all of the original Capitol Beach Boys albums in my collection up to that point, then finding out that I still needed to pick up Stack-o-Tracks, Friends, 20/20, Greatest Hits Vol. 3, Deluxe Set, Live In London, and GV ('70) all of which were deleted from the Capitol catalogue. Then all the singles, including picture sleeves. A somewhat daunting task at the time (without the Internet - only snail mail and long distance phone calls) but a lot of fun to collect!
4. Waiting for the latest Beach Boys Freaks United (BBFUN) newsletter to come in the mail from Alice L.
5. Waiting for the latest Add Some Music fanzine to come in the mail from D. Cunningham.
6. Waiting for the latest Goldmine to come in the mail.
7. Waiting for the latest Pet Sounds fanzine to come in the mail from D. Leaf.
8, Waiting for the latest set sale/auction lists to come in the mail from D. Bill, P. Reum, B. Elliott, S. Bates.
9. Waiting for the latest Endless Summer Quarterly (Dempsey/Edgil/Mast) to come in the mail.
10. Attending the monthly Castro Valley record swap meets.
11. Attending the monthly Capitol Records parking lot swap meets (later in Pasadena).
12. Collecting original Beach Boys and Beatles records. Frequented every new and used record store in the Bay Area.
13. Hearing new bootlegs for the first time (couldn't get enough) and feeling kinda cool knowing the general public had not heard them before.
14. Beginning in 1979, waiting to hear every single new fragment and morsel of the holy grail relic known as SMiLE.
15. Attending Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area in the 70's/80's and San Diego in the early 90's (2), thanks to the late Les Chan!
16. Meeting Brian Wilson at 10452 Bellagio Rd. and at book/record signings.
17. Meeting Carl, Al, Mike (twice) and Bruce and getting autographs. Missed meeting Dennis by a few feet (damn!).
18. Long conversations on the phone with Les Chan, Greg Larson, Derek Bill, Don Spears, Mark Plummer. Dinner meeting with Will Brison, Frank Holmes, Les Chan in S.F. in '04.
19. Reading all of the great articles in Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy, Phonograph, Cream, Bomp! magazines for the first time.
20. Picking up all the new Beach Boys books coming out, starting with  Barnes, Tobler, Leaf, and Preiss in the 70's. Loved the four Priore volumes.
21. Attending as many Beach Boys (and solo) concerts as I could in the Bay Area and Sacramento, beginning on November 18, 1973.  http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/rock-and-roll-band-the-beach-boys-perform-onstage-in-news-photo/73987382  What a great, great time to be a fan!
22. Enjoying the hell out of all the new Beach Boys and Dennis Wilson releases on CD since the bonus tracks on the early 90's 2-fers and '93/Pet Sounds/MIC box sets and comps that included material that hadn't previously been booted or were upgrades sonically in addition to stereo releases. Those releases alone were real big highlights and well worth waiting for!
23. Enjoying the Cabinessence/Shut Down, Male Ego, and Smiley Smile message boards since 1997.


Beach Boys fan pre-internet primary sources for my collection and knowledge:

Beach Boys Freaks United - Lillie
Pet Sounds fanzine - Leaf
Add Some Music fanzine - Cunningham
Friends Of The Beach Boys fanzine - Taber (Cancelled subscription after 1rst issue)
Endless Summer Quarterly fanzine - Mast, Edgil, Dempsey
Beach Boys Stomp fanzine - Grant
The Clown Princes of Rock & Roll - A California Saga - Colville
Friends of Dennis Wilson fanzine - Duffy
Brian Wilson Fan Club Newsletter - Breakaway With Brian Wilson - Klobas
Goldmine Magazine
Discoveries Magazine
Record Collector Magazine
Peter Reum auction lists
Derek Bill auction lists
Steve Bates auction lists
Midnight Records auction lists
Capitol Records parking lot record swap meets - Los Angeles, Pasadena.
Tower, Moe's, Rasputin's, Leopold's, Amoeba Records - Berzerkely
Tower, Let It Be Records, Recycled Records, Streetlight Records, Amoeba's - San Fransicko
Tower, Rockaway Music, Music Man Murry, Wenzel's Music Town, Wallach's Music City, Record Collector, Peaches - Los Angeles
Tower, Rare Records, 804 K St. Mall, 9th St. Records - Sacramento
Tower, Rowe's Rare Records, Big Al's Record Barn, Streetlight Records - San Jose
Blue Meanie Records - El Cahones
Forgot the name, mail order only, original silver CD's up the wazoo. Source of SOT's, Dumb Angel's - Singapore

For me, discovering "Newcastle" was like sipping the motherlode. JP is such a sweet, kind, generous gent… met him at a concert or two back in the 80s and (I think) at the UK premier of the American Band film in London, and shows and conventions ever since… especially the BW fest that was 2002-2004. Only ever managed one or two trips to Newcastle but, oh boy, it opened my eyes to what (might) be available and how I'd never ever have a complete collection of everything simply cos there's so much of it. JP played me the studio version of We Got Love in the store… what a treat…

How are you my friend? Tried calling but couldn't get through. Please PM me!

No forgetting Stephen McParland's Beach Boys Australia

I used to write to a guy who claimed to have a Beach Boy friend (he gave no names) but he did provide some difficult to get music.

And there was a guy who used to sell various clippings for a small charge - always helpful with information from the rock press.

Occasionally I would phone Brother Records and ask if they had any tour plans. We were told 'tentative' so often that we named the lady to whom we spoke 'Tentative' too. (Not to her of course!)

Hey, I was there too !

No, I didn't subscribe to that one. I never subscribed to Stomp either, though later on I read a few back-issues. I think there was/is a German fanzine too.

I'd like to see other 'mature' guys weigh in on this thread, like Steve Mayo, Oldsurferdude, Hey Jude, D. Cunningham, MTaber, Custom Machine, PS, PReum, Lee Dempsey, and Bgas.

Taber's been called a lot of things in his life (most of then justified...) but "mature" was never one of them.  ;D

Taber made me laugh with a previous post:

"I got the BBFUN mailing list from Alice Lillie in 1975 and got in touch with a number of fans from that list by mail. This led to my starting my own horrifically bad newsletter and further alienating the international Beach Boy community..."

 ;D

Also Dutch and Japanese 'zines... back then, oddly, the only ones I didn't subscribe to were the official BBFUN newsletter (never got round to it) and Stomp ('cause I was writing most of it).

Oh, and not forgetting FOTBB's even more horrific successor Celebrate The Newsletter.

How did you not hear "I Get Around" until 1970?  If you tell me you were young, then how did you have that killer audiophile sound system just 2 years later?

Mikie, can I be the oldfartdom trainee? ;)

I was 15. I probably had heard The Beach Boys on the radio, but don't remember. I'd heard my Uncle's Hollyridge Strings Beach Boys Vol. I album, but had not bought any Beach Boys records up to that point. Only Beatle records (even the Butcher cover!) I had quite a bit of singles and a few albums, but one day I went over to a friend's house down the street and he'd bring girls down in his basement to hear the latest rock records - he and his brother always bought a TON of records. One of them he had was "All Summer Long" and he put that on and I kept telling him to put the needle back on "I Get Around" over and over until he finally kicked me out of his house and I went down and bought the record the next day!

It was a killer sound system! Still is - I still have it all, though the foam fronts have evaporated off the JBL speakers. My Mom helped me buy it when I was a Junior in high school. What a lucky bum I was, eh?

I started thinking about how many times I have seen the group in concert. Then I see these people that are talking 96 times etc. I think wow! Makes me feel a little better that Andrew Doe didn't get to see them until 1980. If a man of his statue started late like I did, I don't feel SO bad LOL.

I first started listening to them in 1973 when (no kidding, everyone has story) I had a crush on a girl named Rhonda. My brother had the greatest hits Vol. 2, I listened to that song, then the whole LP. I was hooked from there. Even though they came here through Houston in 1975 and 76, it was 1978 when I first saw them right after their "wonderful" trip through New Zealand and Australia. If anyone has Jon and Ian's wonderful book call the beach boys in concert, you will read about Brian being a manic on the stage at that time, running around etc. He was that night. And on the following Monday I found out why. My friend Beau Weaver, one of the top jocks in the US back then, knew the group from his days in LA working on KHJ. He came to Houston and KILT. When the group was in town, he invited my to go with him to the hotel to meet them ahead of time but I couldn't make it. He told me that he was at the bar with Dennis when Brian came in. He ordered 5 White Russians. He downed them bam bam bam and then walked out. Beau said Dennis told him "wow, guess Brian was thirsty!"

Saw them every year after that when they came to town. Was SO SO bummed when they didn't come through in 1980 to promote KTSA. So wanted to here those tracks live!

Post pictures of it here!
http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,19316.0.html#bot

Sure.  Some of us are old enough to be your Dad!

"California Saga" which folded a couple of years ago after a run of more than 30 years

Wow, Mikie, you canceled your subscription to FOTBB after one issue?  Then you never got the issue with the free cassette of "Brian's Secret Bedroom Tapes"?

Marty is laughing at all of us!!!! :lol :lol :lol

I think I still might have one or two issues. How many issues were there total, six or seven? Saw a few of them on Ebay a few months ago. Are they bonafide collector's items now?

I think you mean "stature"...

Um...

Maybe not.  :)

Mikie, there were 7 issues of FOTBB.  Issue 7 included a free cassette of "AGD's Secret Bedroom Tapes", which featured unexplained animal noises...  Andrew subsequently bought every copy for some reason...

I became a BB fanatic during the dry spell between Holland and 15 Big Ones. I would pore over every issue of Goldmine and another zine called The Rock Marketplace—anybody remember that one? It had great articles and lots of ads. I traded cassettes with Derek Bill after seeing his classified ad in Rolling Stone. I was the first state representative for BBFUN in Texas...of course, there were only three members in Texas at the time. It was an exciting time. The best discography I could find for the BBs in 1973 was in Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia...I would read through her listing of BB records and wonder, "What would a song called 'Fall Breaks and Back to Winter' even SOUND like?" The post-Pet Sounds albums had not been rereleased at that point, so they were like the Holy Grail. Finding a used copy of Smiley Smile or Wild Honey was simply thrilling. I still have all of Marty Taber's zine, as well as David Leaf's Pet Sounds paper.
And then there was the concert in Austin where I was wearing that big light blue BBFUN button and was spotted by a guy named Chris. He told me he had a tape of some Smile stuff; man, that was incredible news. Then boots started coming out for Adult Child and Califonia (sp) Feeling.
It will never be as much fun as that again. Stockpiling mp3s is just not the same.

For me it was meeting BB fans at concerts and trading tapes or a couple of guys that worked at record stores with tapes at first.. Then Goldmine was essential for collecting. Those vinyl boots in 80's were 20 25 dollars each..Plus shipping..1st place had to be capitol records swap meet tho.. Also Rockaway records in Silver Lake Ca..And Pasadena Swap meet. Do they still have those meets in pasadena 2nd sunday of every month?? Anyone know..?  Yea it is amazing what has come out.!.. Surfs Up book had listings that i used to drool over. now its all there in market place..

I have good memories of the Capitol Records swap meet. It was in the Capitol Records parking lot (where the Beach Boys’ Shut Down II album cover shoot was) right above the large echo chambers used for recording. So there was some history there near that tall round building near Hollywood & Vine. Around the early to mid 70’s we’d drive down from the Bay Area and get to the swap meet around 2 o’clock in the morning. Vans and trucks containing records for sale were already parked in spaces and dealers and average people/collectors selling records were still pulling in until the parking lot filled up. Whenever somebody new had just come in and they opened up for business - it was funny - people would make a quick beeline to the new arrival’s spot. Like a farmer feeding his herd! Invariably, there be would 2 or 3 people deep looking through the “B” section of records and you had to wait your turn! You had to get there real early to get the rare records and I think it usually lasted until Sun-up. Walking through the lot, you’d recognize other collectors, some looking for the same things you were. If somebody had a Surfin’ on  “X” or Candix in his hands, you know you’d just missed the big fish!

Then, every month it seemed like more people had found out about it and started showing up earlier and earlier (obviously to snatch up the best records before others did). Last time I was there, I think the swap meet was already in full swing at 10 or 11 PM the night before! Best deal I ever got at the swap meet was when some guy (I found out later he worked for Capitol) came out with a box of brand new 4-By The Beatles EP’s. I think he sold them for $20 each if I remember right. Timing was everything that night and I was lucky enough to get one! Good times…..