The Smiley Smile Message Board

Small question for the Brits amongst us.

I had a fun day at the Record fair in Utrecht yesterday. And this is one of items I bought there. A UK-pressing of Surf's Up.
We all know the album, and that there's an inlay with lyrics. But it also contained this poster. The seller mentioned that this was only added with the first few hundred copies, as a promotional item. Does anyone know more about this?

(http://i51.tinypic.com/znsjh0.jpg)   (http://i53.tinypic.com/9g9b81.jpg)

(http://i55.tinypic.com/2s14qja.jpg)

I believe that. There were "Surf's UP" promo posters printed for the album. My EMI copy from the 70's didn't included the poster though. I assume you're correct and it originates from the UK?

My Surf's Up poster is 22" x 33" (without the folds and white print at the lower right) and it's now framed behind glass. It was given to me in the early '70's by an employee of The Beach Boys at their N. Ivar offices in Hollywood. One of my most prized possessions.

How large is your poster?  What does it say in the lower right?

Just scanned it for you.

(http://i53.tinypic.com/2lcadg0.jpg)

If you can't read it from the board, just save the picture and zoom in on it.

Yes Indeed! Nice poster. My UK SU didn't even arrive with the lyrics sheet, much less the poster; can I have the next poster you find? 
My SU poster wasn't given to me by by an employee of The Beach Boys at their N. Ivar offices in Hollywood. I had to search high and low, and only ended up with a folded copy( I think)

O, and I forgot to measure it: 55,7 - 85,8 cm's. > which would be 21,9 - 33,8 inches. Same size as your poster I think?
And it's definitely a UK pressing, poster as well (but I guess you drew that conclusion when reading the info on the lower right part of the poster)


The seller told me (after we agreed on the prize, which wasn't too low btw) that if it was any comfort to me, that he was 100% sure that he would never find another copy with a poster in his life again...

But if I ever find another copy, I'll think of you, bgas.

my, my, that is one beauty ! Congrats on your find S-H !

My god, I want one!

I am jealous. Not only was Surf's Up the album that got me into the BBs but it also has a fantastic cover! (Made buying it on vinyl a real easy decision too.) I'd love to get a hold of it in poster form...

I always wondered why the indian on the cover looks like the devil (at least to me). The hair (?) looks like horns..... In fact when I first saw the cover I thought it showed the devil. I didn't know about the picture they used for it

The devil you say!

Try here!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Beach-Boys-Surfs-Up-71-vinyl-lp-orig-w-poster-nm-/290509035172?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43a3b016a4 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Beach-Boys-Surfs-Up-71-vinyl-lp-orig-w-poster-nm-/290509035172?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43a3b016a4)

I thought they ALL had posters...
I guess most wound up on walls and getting messed up and never made it back to the sleeves.

I could be wrong here, but..............

Reprise/Brother rs6453. Looks like a U.S. issue to me. It's being pawned off by a seller out of L.A. They're a dime-a-dozen and $29.00 seems WAY too high based on its condition and I don't see any evidence of a poster here. The U.S. issues came with a lyric sheet, which was a separate 11" x 11" insert included in the record sleeve. To the best of my knowledge, U.S. issues didn't come with a Surf's Up poster. Possibly in the first run, but I seriously doubt it. I've seen a LOT of used Surf's Up albums over the years pressed by Warners U.S. and EMI UK and the one found by Smile-Holland is the first I've ever seen that includes a Surf's Up poster. If you're interested in this, you'd better have this guy send you a picture of the Surf's Up poster before bidding!  Believe it when you see it!

I think you're right - on closer inspection (well any inspection actually) it's definitely a reprise, he might be calling the "dry mud" insert a poster?
I didn't buy the disk when it came out - but a friend did and it did have a poster. But since we were all audiophiles I bet it's a UK pressing.

Maybe he'll sell it to me - it's just sitting in storage!  :p
So, were there posters in any of the U.S. brother/reprise - or was it only stateside/emi? Oddly though, I remember the poster on a LOT of walls back then.  To say it was ubiquitous is an understatement. I find it hard to believe everybody had UK stateside/EMI pressings. ??? Was it not in any brother/reprise pressings?

Anyway you're right, when buying on ebay always ask or don't buy!

I have the 180g vinyl and the last thing I need is something else to hang on the wall, so no interest  ::) here!

I hear ya! Tons of copies of SU. Ever seen a Capitol Record Club version, tho? 

Crap!
I had TOTALLY forgotten about the Capitol Record Club!

Wow, I remember all those damn mailers now!
What a good memory you have!

Wouldn't that be a crap pressing though?
I thought that was before they figured out "cut outs".

"Ubiquitous"? As in present everywhere? Really??

I've only seen five or six Surf's Up posters in my lifetime, and I've been collecting Beach Boys since the early 70's. In addition to mine, my friend has one (he was given one the same day as me) one was on the wall at a record store in Northern California, one for sale at the Capitol Records swap meet in L.A., I saw one on Ebay for auction (it went for big $) and now Smile-Holland's. And I think I read that another collector (maybe two) on this board have one too.

But I don't remember seeing them for sale or trade anywhere - maybe I'm forgetting a Goldmine or Discoveries ad for one way back when.  I think they're pretty rare, and other than a few being distributed as a Warners promo item for record stores in the early 70's, I don't think they were that "ubiquitous". I never knew before that they were available in the EMI albums released in the UK. Anybody else ever seen a Surf's Up poster come with a Surf's Up album?

  I think there are probably more copies of the promo poster out there than you think ( I'll look to see what I have, in a bit);
 in answer to the other part, No, I can't remember ever seeing SU come with a poster of the cover. None of mine did
Tho I see lots of Ebay sellers call the cracked-mud shot/lyrics sheet a poster. They do that all the time; and in a "way", they're right. It's little different from those included in other LPs, or those "Fold-out" posters in the center of magazines

Really is one of the BB's most striking covers... Makes me mourn the loss of vinyl in the main stream.

I checked and could only find one folded copy in my collection, Dang it! 
Sure would be nice to have a  never folded copy. ( when are you going out for the night Mikie?) 
Oh and what's your address?    :-D

I don't think it would be crap. The club didn't spend tons of money, but I don't think the quality was a lot less than regular releases, at least for the vinyl. Sometimes i think the covers got less attention. 
But really I was asking, because I've never seen a SU by the Capitol club, and I'd like to have one. I don't even know that they definitely made them, but there are club copies of Sunflower and CATP, so it would stand to reason...

I just remembered that I saw a Surf's Up poster for sale at Rockaway Records in L.A. about 20 years ago. Forgot how much they wanted for it.

I'm sure there were quite a few Surf's Up posters printed up and distributed.  I just haven't seen or heard of too many around. Same with the black and white Warner/Reprise promo poster of the group circa 1971 - an enlargement of the picture Desper took in Brian's back yard during the Surf's Up sessions.

I haven't seen any SU posters advertised in recent times.
There is a copy of the Paperboard 71 group for $75 -100 I saw on Ebay recently. That shot was also used for some concert posters; I'll see if I can take a picture of mine and post it. 

No, only Warner/Reprise white-labeled promo copies.

Well DARN IT!!!!!!!    I'd sure like to find the Capitol Club version.  

Here's a shot of the In Concert Poster with the Desper Photo, I was talking about. The poster measures 19 X 25 inches, and has pinholes in the corners and a couple of creases across the pic, unfortunately.
  
(http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww302/bgasnow/P1010001-2.jpg)

Mine doesn't have the "In Concert - Beach Boys" or the white borders. Only the picture (with no borders) and "The Beach Boys" and WB/Reprise logo printed in the lower right corner.  Fiberboard backing, framed behind glass.

Right above Al's hand on his shirt was "U.S. Army" that was airbrushed out. How do I know? My friend also has one and noticed one day under a bright light that it was coming through.

SU was issued by RCA Music Service, Brother-Reprise R 113793. According to Lee Dempsey, "...the Asylum label Surf's Up was an RCA Record Club misprint."

Yes, it's true. A nice one. Interesting misprint with the Asylum label, still given their prior label, I'd love to find a Capitol Club version. 

(http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww302/bgasnow/scan0078.jpg)

I would be happy just to have a U.S. stock copy of the "Surf's Up" single.

And while we're at it, anybody out there have any U.S. stock copies of "Cool, Cool Water" and "Cuddle Up" they would be willing to sell?  Yellow or mustard label will be fine.

And I still need a copy of the "Salt Lake City/Amusement Parks USA" promo 45 if anyone has one they can part with....

Thanks for reading.

Two of my top wants:  CCW/Forever and SOS/OWY on the Brown Reprise ( Steamboat) label. Heck I'd trade a copy of the BBs In Concert Promo EP ( with PS) for those two!!

Seems like the last SU single I saw on Ebay went for about $175; I couldn't believe it! 

Yup. And I grew up in Northern California (Marin) when the album came out. I'm wondering if folks were getting them from record stores - when I think about it that's where I was getting a lot of my posters. Some friends also had ties with people working at KTIM back then. I can't remember now if they had been folded or not. I have to say that most of the ones I remember were in "older brother" type rooms, but I really did see them all over - which is why I was rather dismissive of the OP's post.

Now that this has been brought up I've emailed my friend who had the album and poster to see if 1) he still has it and 2) if it came with the album and 3) was it a UK pressing. I'll see if he remembers anything!

That makes some sense; wasn't Warners offering to send a free copy of Surf's UP, if you sent in your SUrfin Safari LP?   
More advertising, by poster, would help turn the tide, methinks

I grew up in Northern California too (Contra Costa County) and went up to Sonoma County quite a bit. Remember Village Music in Mill Valley and hit ALL of the record stores often from San Francisco to Santa Rosa to Concord. Those stores and the record swap meet in Castro Valley (and L.A.) were my sources for many BB records and posters/memorabilia. Also knew a radio station DJ in Sacramento who use to set me up withgood records and promo stuff. 

Smile Holland - That poster in the UK pressing of Surf's Up is a really cool find!  It did not come with the first pressing in the US.  The only other place I've ever seen that poster was on Dec. 3, 1971 at Wallichs Music City on Sunset Blvd in LA before the Long Beach Concert that evening.  There were around 4 to 6 of those promo posters (but without the New Release on Stateside stuff at the bottom) in a glass display case.  It was obvious they had been folded before Wallich's put them in the display case.  I have a photo of that display case laying around somewhere.

Bgas (what the hell does bgas stand for anyway?) - Are there really Reprise steamboat pressings of CCW/Forever and Sail On Sailor/OWY?  If so, they definitely were not west coast pressings.  The only Reprise steamboat single I've seen by the BBs is Add Some Music.  As far as the Asylum Surf's UP pressings, I first bought one of those in a close out bin at Licorice Pizza in Nov.79.  They had about 6 to 10 of 'em, so I went back and bought the rest at $2.99 each, saved one, and gave the rest to a friend who sold or traded them to fellow collectors.  At the time we thought it was simply some bizarre label mistake (which it clearly was) but didn't realize that it came from the RCA Record Club.  It would be intersting to know if any of the RCA Record Club copies of Surf's Up were printed on the correct Brother/Reprise label.  One more thing - what was on the BBIC Promo EP?  A US or foreign release?  Was there a cover?

I think you want to check out these pages:
http://www.beachboys45.nl/USA-Regular-Reprise.htm
http://www.beachboys45.nl/USA-Regular-Reprise-promo.htm

Thanks for the links.  All the BB singles I bought were purchased in California, and except for Add Some Music, they were on all on the yellow Brother/Reprise label, so I had assumed that Add Some Music had appeared on the steamboat Reprise label only because they hadn't yet designed the official yellow Brother/Reprise label.   (Which is actually a rather poor looking design from a graphic standpoint; definitely not as good looking as the regular Reprise steamboat label.)  What's really interesting is that the later singles on the Reprise steamboat label don't even have the Brother Records logo anywhere on them, which was found on Add Some Music. 

I also see that singles with both types of labels were pressed on both polystyrene and vinyl.  I seem to recall hearing that WB didn't own their own pressing plants and farmed out their work to plants owned by others.  Anyone know if that's correct?  Did some plants press both styrene and vinyl singles, or did they typically make only one kind?  And does anyone know in what part of the US the Reprise steamboat singles were available?  Could some plants have had a bunch of Reprise seamboat labels in stock, and that's why they used them?  Or did Reprise fail to tell those pressing plants (or plant, depending on how many were using the steamboat label) that there was a new label design that they should be using?

So - more questions for bgas - did any BB albums appear with the Reprise steamboat label?  Does anyone have a more thorough collection of BB related stuff than you?  I've definitely enjoyed the scans you've been posting.  And, once again, what the hell does bgas stand for?  :)


.

I'll leave it to bgas to 100% confirm it, but I'm pretty sure that from Sunflower till Holland (and the Good Vibrations Best Of The Beach Boys comp. from '75) were released with both Brother/Reprise and Reprise label.

I also wondered if it's got something to do with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyqmZbNsu3U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyqmZbNsu3U)

YEP, thats real close. Friend of mine is the drummer for The Skeletons (band from  Springfield MO) they did a J&D tribute EP( back cover  shown below) from whence I adopted the Bgas.( best I can remember) And my email adds woodie to that, from the old Woody wagons

    (http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww302/bgasnow/scan0007-7.jpg)

here's a list I got from Frank Daniels: noted Beatles author/collector, University Professor and Pre-recorded Tape Scholar, plus, soon to be Beach Boys price Guide author( Hopefully soon) and really great guy! Thanx for being there for me, Frank :  

Sunflower    8/31/70

brown Reprise label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1972)
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Surf's Up   8/30/71

brown Reprise label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1972)
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Carl/Passions- Pet Sounds      5/15/72

brown Reprise label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1972)
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Holland      1/8/73
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

In Concert       11/19/73
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)


Pet Sounds       5/13/74  
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Wild Honey/ 20/20   7/15/74  
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Friends/Smiley Smile     10/28/74  
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Good Vibrations- Best OF BBs    MS  2223      6/23/75
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)

15 Big Ones      7/5/76
cream/tan Brother label with "subsidiary and licensee" rim print (1970-1976)
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

BBs Love You     4/11/77

cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

Good Vibrations- Best OF BBs  MSK 2280     ?/?/77
cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)

MIU       9/25/78

cream/tan Brother label with WB logo in rim print (1976-1978)
brown Reprise label with WB logo in rim print (1978-9)


I believe he told me those are the variations that should be out there for each; I don't have them all, yet, if ever; tho I buy every one I can get. If you know of others, let's
 see/hear about them!!
Other Beach Boys collections as complete?  There are some; some maybe more complete, tho it seems we, as collectors, don't always have the same depth in every section of our collections. I know most of these collectors, but probably not all.
You're seeing mine, because  sharing pictures of  most of what I have is the nice thing to do. Not everyone feels the same, or wants to take the time( and there is a lot of time involved)
Nothing we can do about that, I guess. But COME ON!!!  You know who you are, cough up some pics/info...  

Thanks for the list, bgas.  Can't believe I have 14 copies of the Sunflower LP and none of them have the brown Reprise label. 

I'd still like to know where those brown label Reprise 45s and LPs were pressed, as I never saw any of them (expect for Add Some Music) available as new releases in California.  Plus I'd still like to know what various pressing plants Warner/Reprise used, if that info is available anywhere.  And the polystyrene vs vinyl 45 rpm releases as they relate to the various pressing plants and label variations would be interesting to know, if there is anyone who has a clue as to the origin of those variations.  But what fascinates me most is that the Beach Boys thought they had their own record label, Brother Records distributed by Reprise Records, but with the exception of the Add Some Music single, any of their Brother/Reprise stuff appearing on a brown Reprise label did not have the Brother Records logo anywhere on it.

Glad to hear that Perry Cox and Frank Daniels BB Price Guide will hopefully be out soon.  You might want to advise them that Sunflower was actually released on Aug. 21, 1970, as explained in my letter published in the current issue of ESQ (issue 91, pages 2 and 3).  The Aug. 31 date was just a guess by Brad Elliot.

It would indeed be nice if someone has insider information as to the WB pressings. I asked a friend who works there if there was any way to access any of this information; he told me all of the old paperwork files are stored in Mexico( and it's unlikely they're going to pay anyone to sort thru them) 

As far as info for the guide,I'll forward this on to Frank.