The Smiley Smile Message Board

In the interests of getting discussion going again, I thought I'd start a fresh thread for the upcoming 76/77 boxed set. I'll update the subject line once more info is released publicly. It's being teased here:

https://www.instagram.com/thebeachboys/p/DTdjk_7AWHH/

It will be revelatory to have all these sessions given some TLC. Obviously Brian's outtakes will be well-represented, but I'm curious if there will be any unheard stuff from Carl, Dennis, or Al.

Excellent!

Has to be getting released tomrorow  ;D

Unbelievably excited. I wish Brian was around for it.

I think you'll hear some very interesting stuff from Carl and Dennis. And Al is vocally present in this era quite a bit as we know.

"Expansive collection based around Brian Wilson's return to The Beach Boys' studio projects, which resulted in 1977's critically acclaimed and beloved cult classic, THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU.
The new package features a newly remastered version of LOVE YOU along with spotlighting a plethora of studio outtakes, demos, and alternate mixes.
Included are key tracks from 1976's 15 BIG ONES sessions, LOVE YOU -- as well as for the first time, the until-now unreleased Brian Wilson-produced 1977 ADULT/CHILD album."

"New six-disc (3CD & 3LP) 73-track collection explores 1976-77 Brian Wilson-penned and produced sessions at Brother Studio through a trove of unheard outtakes, alternate mixes, instrumentals, demos, and more.
Includes newly remastered Love You album, unreleased songs from 15 Big Ones sessions, and the first official release of the mythical unreleased Adult/Child sessions.
This expansive compilation also includes extensive liner notes detailing the Brother Studio era, along with beautiful, never-before-seen photos."


Available for pre-order:  https://shop.thebeachboys.com/collections/we-gotta-groove-the-brother-studio-years/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-the-brother-studio-years (https://shop.thebeachboys.com/collections/we-gotta-groove-the-brother-studio-years/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-the-brother-studio-years)


Release date February 13, 2026.


Tracklist:

Disc 1

Love You Album (1977 Mix)

LP1 Side A

1. Let Us Go On This Way

2. Roller Skating Child

3. Mona

4. Johnny Carson

5. Good Time

6. Honkin’ Down The Highway

7. Ding Dang

LP1 Side B

8. Solar System

9. The Night Was So Young

10. I’ll Bet He’s Nice

11. Let’s Put Our Hearts Together

12. I Wanna Pick You Up

13. Airplane

14. Love Is A Woman

Love You Outtakes (CD Only)

15. Ruby Baby

16. Marilyn Rovell

17. Sherry She Needs Me

18. Lazy Lizzie

19. We Gotta Groove (2025 Mix)

20. Hey There Mama (2025 Mix)

21. Clangin’ (2025 Mix)

22. Love Is A Woman (Al Jardine Vocal)

23. Johnny Carson (Alternate Mix With Intro)

24. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling


Disc 2

Adult/Child Sessions

LP2 Side A

1. Life Is For The Living

2. Deep Purple

3. It’s Over Now

4. Still I Dream Of It

5. Everybody Wants To Live

6. Lines

7. It’s Trying To Say

LP2 Side B

8. Shortenin’ Bread

9. New England Waltz

10. Life Is For The Living (Backing Track)

11. Deep Purple (2025 Backing Track Mix)

12. It’s Over Now (2025 Backing Track Mix)

13. Still I Dream Of It (2025 Backing Track Mix)

1974-1977 Select Outtakes (CD Only)

14. Holy Man (2025 Mix Carl Wilson Vocal)

15. Carl's Song 1 (It Could Be Anything) (2025 Mix)

16. Carl's Song 2 (Angel Come Home) (2025 Mix)

17. String Bass Song (Rainbows) (2025 Mix)

18. 10,000 Years Ago

19. Gimme Some Lovin’ (2025 Mix)

20. Honeycomb (Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford Vocal)

21. In The Back Of My Mind (1975 Alternate Take 2025 Mix)


Disc 3

15 Big Ones Outtakes and Alternate Mixes

LP3 Side A

1. Just Once In My Life (2025 Mix)

2. Mony, Mony (2025 Mix)

3. Running Bear (2025 Mix)

4. Shake, Rattle And Roll

5. On Broadway (2025 Mix)

6. Sea Cruise (2025 Mix)

LP3 Side B

7. Chapel Of Love (2025 Mix)

8. Short Skirts (2025 Mix)

9. TM Song (2025 Backing Track Mix)

10. Rock And Roll Music (2025 Backing Track Mix)

11. Had To Phone Ya (2025 Deconstructed Mix)

12. Just Once In My Life (2025 Backing Track Mix)

Love You Alternate Mixes (CD Only)

13. Let Us Go On This Way (Alternate Mix)

14. Mona (2025 Deconstructed Mix)

15. Honkin’ Down The Highway (Billy Hinsche Vocal)

16. Ding Dang (Session Highlights and Unedited 2025 Mix)

17. Solar System (2025 Backing Track Mix)

18. The Night Was So Young (2025 Vocals Only Mix)

19. Let’s Put Our Hearts Together (2025 Coda Mix)

Love You Brian Cassette Demos (CD Only)

20. That Special Feeling (Demo)

21. It’s Over Now (Demo)

22. They’re Marching Along (Demo)

23. Love Is A Woman (Demo)

24. Mona (Demo)

25. Airplane (Demo)

26. Let’s Put Our Hearts Together (Demo)

27. I’ll Bet He’s Nice (Demo)

28. Still I Dream Of It (Demo)

Cool. I am glad they are doing the CD and vinyl in one package.

Oh man. Track list looks fantastic.

I love that the Love You demos will finally get an official release. I hope they leave the studio chatter from the other guys in there on e.g. I'll Bet He's Nice and Airplane. Collectively that's one of my favorite BBs moments ever.

Am I the only one to whom a Carl vocal on Holy Man is an unexpected revelation?

Strictly speaking for myself, there are no shortage of unexpected revelations! While this set is smaller than I had been anticipating, they have upped the ante on tantalizing curiosities in my opinion. The hype is real.

Mike's comments are included. I believe he may be the only other member in the room while Brian's recording those demos; he's certainly the only other audible member.

No "Hey Little Tomboy" I guess? I dont like to be the one pointing out shortcomings, but it's unironically my favorite song of the Adult/Child sessions. (I'm surely alone in that opinion but I stand by it.) I get that the song is considered creepy but I always thought it was funny, personally. I doubt Brian had the capacity for irony or tongue-in-cheek especially at that point in his career, but I just imagine these big hairy guys obliviously teaching a tomboy how to dress feminine (like they'd know better than an actual girl, right?) and it makes me laugh whether it was intended to or not. I think Brian was still trying to write music he thought "the kids" would be into, blissfully unaware of how inappropriate such sentiments might seem coming from a grown man. That naive disconnect is part of what makes Brian special, at least in my eyes. 

Anyway, I suppose in these hyper-PC, callout culture, cancelled by mob justice times we have to acknowledge releasing the song may put the band's image in a bad light...but it's a part of their catalogue and deserves a release in my opinion. It's the only song on A/C that has Brian's quirky "unself aware" hallmark to it.

Besides that, glad we're finally getting the details on this. I'll support it.

It can't be down to callout culture because Lazy Lizzie is on the set. I do have to say, I'm disappointed we won't get Adult/Child as a proper release with the full tracklist including Hey Little Tomboy, HELP Is On The Way, and Games Two Can Play (and On Broadway, even though that's on a different disk). Maybe they're saving that for a record store day release? No, of course they're not. Oh well. Just grateful to have the music after all these years. I'm sure someone will put together a bootleg release on vinyl with the full tracklist.

Well said Julia!  I 100% agree with the points you made. 

Maybe they’re saving Tomboy for the MIU boxset.

No?

😵

Looks like it's sold out on the official store

This will be available elsewhere? It has to be

I've always felt that Brian knew he went too far with the "Tomboy" lyrics. Do we know which came first in the troublesome troika (I Wanna Pick You Up/Hey Little Tomboy/Lazy Lizzir)? Session data is a bit sketchy on that.

But I think Lizzie gets a bad rap--this song is so obviously written from the viewpoint of a teenage boy that all the talk regarding it as stalking or pedophilia is utter overreaction. I mean, Crissakes, I had a car in the last two years of high school and I gave a girl/girls a ride home now and then. And, in fact, one of those became my girlfriend. For God's sake, string me up already!  :police: We didn't get around to the actions described in "Good Time" for at least a month after that...  :3d

Now I also love Honkin' Down the Highway but Al is not totally bereft of double entendres in the actions he's relating there! :lol  Of course we give Al more latitude than the other BBs (even Carl) because he keeps it clean and Brian takes this into account when he calls it the gosh-darn highway...but goodness gracious folks, he's trying to score with the girl!  :police: (Note--yet another song clearly with a late-teenage narrator!)

Even though much of 15BO and Adult/Child leave me barely lukewarm, I'm glad to see this finally come out--we need to support these sets to the greatest extent possible (but that price...eek!) so that Howie and crew will be able to keep going.

How is this sold out already?? Did they only make like 20 copies? At least give us a back-order option - I don't care if it's not here Feb 13 but I'd at least like the option to buy it and wait.

This set looks fantastic and I can't wait to listen to it - I knew something like this was coming but I'm happily surprised that we'll be able to hear it in about 20 days! I was expecting a long wait. I remember the wait between TSS announcement and release was rather daunting, but worth it!

Very much looking forward to Ruby Baby having an official release - what an epic version that is.

Also, I am completely out of the Beach Boys loop lately, what is this Holy Man Carl Wilson vocal mix? It can't be a lead - is it backing vocals?

Thanks for posting about this, very exciting!

Here's my review of "We Gotta Groove", via my Beach Boys Opinion Page https://www.facebook.com/beachboysopinion

Beach Boys Opinion Page
REVIEW - "We Gotta Groove - The Brother Studio Years"

Beach Boys fans have had to do a bit of waiting for the next Beach Boys archival boxed set (though other projects have seen release, including a revamped, expanded “Sounds of Summer” and the excellent Genesis Publications “autobiography” of the band), and fans who have wanted to see a focus on this era have been waiting an especially long time for this. But it’s here and our patience has been rewarded.

“We Gotta Groove – The Brother Studio Years” focuses on material recorded mainly across 1976 and 1977. The “Brian’s Back” era brings us arguably the most Brian-centric grouping of material since Pet Sounds/Smile. In some ways more so, as Brian takes on songwriting largely solo in this era. A lot of this set is most pure, unfiltered Brian you’ll ever hear.

The focal point of the collection is the “Love You” album and the legendary unreleased “Adult/Child” sessions. Joining those tracks are outtakes, vintage and new alternate mixes, demos, etc. from the mid-70s through the pre-MIU era, including sessions for “15 Big Ones”, “Love You”, and “Adult/Child.”

Spearheading the set is long-time fixture Howie Edelson and newcomer James Sáez, who handles production/mixing/engineering. Fans have been asking for new blood in the engineering chair, and Sáez delivers great work here. I’m already daydreaming about hearing Sáez work on both the earlier catalog and the later 70s into the 80s. More on that later.

More specifically, the Compilation and New Mixes are produced by James Sáez and Howie Edelson, Mastering is handled by Robert Vosgien Mastering, and Creative Direction is handled by Alan Boyd.

DISC ONE – “Love You” and “Love You” Outtakes

The set kicks off with a newly-remastered “Love You.” Fans obviously know this material well. I think the remaster sounds tight and clean; it’s not too loud, and has the appropriate amount of hiss/noise and dynamics. But I’m also someone who doesn’t sweat too much on the original albums included in these big boxed sets, because there are 37 other pressings and masterings to choose from if one particular style suits your tastes. The album has such a unique, anachronistic sound that it sounds to me like a lighter touch on the mastering side works.

Fans will no doubt notice “15 Big Ones” is not here in original form. I think fans have realized over time that as we get later into the band’s career and the audience for these sets unavoidably becomes more niche, we probably aren’t going to need all of the original albums on all of these sets. Yet, including “Love You” for context is important because the album has a lot of deep cut/indie/cult classic status attached to it, and some novice or new fans do check these sets out.

The remainder of Disc One focuses on “Love You” era outtakes. One key aspect of the set is something I’ve seen some fans ask for: vintage mixes of unreleased material. The outtakes and alternates on the set feature a mixture of original 1976/77 mixes and 2025 mixes, with the majority of the “Love You” outtakes and “Adult/Child” featured in vintage, original 76/77 mixes.

Four unreleased titles are featured next in original vintage mixes: “Ruby Baby”, “Marilyn Rovell”, “Sherry She Needs Me”, and “Lazy Lizzie.” These have circulated in the past in varying quality; here they sound pristine. “Sherry….” in particular sounds great. While the “Made in California” hybrid mix from 2013 featuring more flown-in vocals was interesting and enjoyable, I really dig hearing this track in pristine quality as it would have sounded had it been released in ’76. “Marilyn Rovell” and “Lazy Lizzie” are well known among fans of Brian’s quirky material from this era. Fascinating stuff, and again here in pristine quality.

“We Gotta Groove”, “Hey There Mama” (later used as the basis for “I Saw Mama Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree” in ’77), and “Clangin’” (one of many proto “Ding Dang” variants) are newly mixed. “We Gotta Groove” is uniquely Brian. This infamously circulated for eons without any of the verse lyrics/vocal, the lead vocal only escaping in more recent years. This remix sounds nice and crunchy as it sounds like the song was meant to be, and brings up the chant-like chorus vocals nice and loud.

Three more vintage mixes round out the disc, with alternate versions of “Love Is a Woman” and “Johnny Carson” and the legendary Brian take on “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” Al takes Brian’s lead parts on this take of “Love Is A Woman”, while “Johnny Carson” features a strange but fun extended lead guitar intro. This original mix of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, here now finally in pristine quality, is the definitive mix of this song. I never figured out exactly what happened with the mix on “Made in California”, but here it sounds perfect. One of the best covers from this era.

DISC TWO – “Adult/Child” Sessions and 1974-77 Select Outtakes

The second disc begins with nine vintage mixes from the “Adult/Child” sessions. This material has circulated for years, in varying quality and in varying mixes. I really like the idea of pulling these vintage mixes out; it gets us a bit closer to the “what if” concerning this material.

In decades past, it took some time for me to warm to some of this material. Brian’s sense of melody and chords always pervaded the material (I’ll talk more about the demos later), but I really had to get in the headspace of this being pure, unfiltered Brian. It’s fascinating material. “Life is for the Living” has always been perhaps the most flamboyant song from the project; probably the main reason it often gets pegged as a “big band” album despite a hunk of it being closer in vibe to “Love You.” Included is the “fixed/speed corrected” version of “It’s Over Now” as well. “Still I Dream of It” gets its first new official remastering since 1993, and sounds much, much better as all the material does.

Fans familiar with these sessions and the various lineups/mixes will notice that “Hey Little Tomboy” is absent here. I don’t think I need to draw a diagram to explain why. Two other songs usually included in “Adult/Child” compilations over the years, “HELP Is on the Way” and “Games Two Can Play”, were already featured on 2021’s “Feel Flows” set.

“New England Waltz” is slotted in at the end of the vintage “Adult/Child” mixes; this instrumental I believe has only previously circulated in atrocious sound quality.

Backing tracks for “Life is For the Living”, “Deep Purple”, “It’s Over Now”, and “Still I Dream of It” follow, the latter three in 2025 mix form, and while I always eat up the backing track (and vocals-only) mixes, these are especially strong picks to feature as instrumentals.

The remainder of the second disc is where all of the other miscellaneous tracks from this era are slotted, and where Carl and Dennis get their moments.

I’ve often heard fans utter some variation of “I’d listen to Carl sing the phone book”, and Carl’s guide vocal to Dennis’s legendary “Holy Man” proves fans correct. Some lyrics are present, with Carl offering the song’s full melody through a series of vocalizations/scat-singing. The mix sounds amazing, and Carl’s often wordless vocals absolutely carry the song. One of the highlights of the set, easily. I’d love to hear James Sáez tackle any future “Pacific Ocean Blue” revamps.

This is followed by two untitled instrumental Carl tracks. “Carl’s Song #1 (It Could Be Anything)” is pretty miraculous. Think a cross between “The Trader” and the best, most melodic moments from his solo albums. Carl once again offers a more or less wordless guide vocal here. I never wallow too much in the “what ifs”, but just imagine a double-sided single with finished Carl vocals on “Holy Man” and “Carl’s Song #1” hitting shelves at the end of 1976. The only complaint I can muster here is how Carl so quickly dropped and seemingly forgot this song. Note that this is not the same as the “Where We Are” track that has been circulating for years; though it is a proto version of that song with similar chord changes. But “Where We Are” sounds much more early 80s like Carl’s solo albums, while “Carl’s Song 1” is much more dynamic and closer to a “The Trader” vibe.

A second Carl instrumental offers an early, slightly more peppy take on “Angel Come Home.” Here, the verses and bridge portions are largely intact, but the chorus as heard on “LA (Light Album”) hasn’t materialized at this point.

Dennis is featured with a couple more of his epic mid-70s soundscapes, with “String Bass Song” featuring an embryonic version of what became “Rainbows” from “Pacific Ocean Blue”, as well as the multi-part “10,000 Years Ago.” It’s essentially two separate songs; the first being an iteration of what became “Are You Real” from his “Bambu” sessions, while the second half is the “10,000 Years Ago” that Dennis and Mike both worked on in the 70s. Mike of course remade this for his 2010s solo album. Both of these Dennis tracks are instrumentals. These archival sets are the perfect placement for this type of material. Unfinished, yet brilliant and worth releasing.

Brian’s 1977 take on “Gimme Some Lovin’” gets us even closer to “Walkin’ the Line” than the 1972 version heard on the “Sail on Sailor” set. I’m always fascinated when Brian re-uses riffs and motifs and song sections.

Marilyn Wilson’s take on “Honeycomb” follows, and it’s obviously charming and poignant when we remember how much Brian loved the song. It starts out with a bare Marilyn lead vocal, and then the instrumentation comes in.

The disc ends with a new mix of Brian’s ’75 “demo” of “In the Back of My Mind”, previously included as a retailer-exclusive bonus track on Brian’s “No Pier Pressure” album over 10 years ago. According to the liner notes, Brian is singing and Tandyn Almer plays the piano.

DISC THREE – “15 Big Ones” Outtakes and Alternate Mixes

The third disc begins with essentially a remixed, alternate universe version of “15 Big Ones”, leading with an excellent remix of “Just Once In My Life” and then running through five “oldies” left off the album: Brian’s spirited take on “Mony, Mony”, Mike’s take on “Running Bear”, Al taking on “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” and “On Broadway”, and a new mix of Dennis singing “Sea Cruise.” The stuff all sounds great, and my only complaint is not hearing James Sáez remix even more “15 Big Ones” material. It absolutely injects new life into this material. And yes, “On Broadway” is a legendary outtake for a reason; it’s one of Al’s greatest lead vocals, and the new mix here is revelatory. (And no audience sound effects!)

“Chapel of Love” gets a remix; this certainly hasn’t been one of my all time favorites over the years, but the remix works and helps. Same with Brian’s “Short Skirts” instrumental, another outtake from the sessions.

“TM Song”, “Rock and Roll Music”, and “Solar System” are featured in “backing track with backing vocals” mixes as we’ve heard on previous archival sets; delightful to hear the quirky details of the track and backing vocals. “Solar System” eventually sheds the backing track and we get a magnificent vocals-only ending.

“Had to Phone Ya” and “Mona” get intriguing “deconstructed” mixes, similar to recent John Lennon sets, with various vocals and instruments mixed up and down as the songs progressed. “Mona” is another song that has never been an all-time favorite, but I really love the ending of this mix which brings together the vocals and a few simple synth notes.

“Just Once In My Life” is one of the best tracks from the “15 Big Ones” sessions, and the instrumental track’s remix here opens the sound stage up immensely.

“Let Us Go On This Way” gets an alternate mix with Carl’s lead vocal pushed forward, “Honkin’ Down the Highway” features the famous alternate lead from Billy Hinsche (one of many only previously around in pretty wonky sound quality), and “Ding Dang” is basically the unedited, raw take heard in edited form on “Love You.”

“The Night Was So Young” gets a vocals-only mix, and as with any vocals-only mix with these guys, it’s phenomenal. Enough said.

“Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” features an unreleased coda that continues on past the usual ending, with a sweeping old-fashioned multi-part “togeeettthherrrr” harmony stack.

The set ends on what is one of my favorite Brian/Beach Boys recordings ever. While the tape has been around for eons, it is presented here in full, and in pristine quality. Cleaned up and tightened up to remove all the starts and stops. Brian mainly demos hunks of “Love You” and “Adult/Child” here, with Mike Love observing and commenting (and even occasionally harmonizing). If you ever wanted sonic proof for how in awe Mike could be of Brian’s raw songwriting talent, here it is. Mike infamously tells Brian he loves “Airplane” so much that he’s quitting the group if he doesn’t get the lead, and he offers reactions to “Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” and “I’ll Bet He’s Nice” that I won’t spoil for those who haven’t heard it before. I love everything about this tape. Mike in awe of Brian. Mike clearly having an ear for recognizing amazing chord changes. And Brian pouring his raw talent (and soul) out onto a piano and into a tape recorder. Everybody involved in capturing this session on tape and getting it released should get an honorary Grammy.

The set comes with a detailed booklet which, yes, includes a FULLY DETAILED Sessionography from Craig Slowinski, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington, and John Brode. Each and every track has full details: Producer, Engineer, full musician and vocalist credits, and even documents which size and format of tape each track was captured on. (For instance, the notes on Brian’s demo tape tell us that what we knew as one demo tape actually comes from two separate tapes, with most of the songs coming from a stereo cassette tape demo session, while “Still I Dream Of It” was captured on ¼ inch stereo open reel tape at a different session). Even cases where tape transfers happened without recording (such as “Sherry She Needs Me” in 1970), are documented as well.

The booklet includes a great essay from Howie Edelson, featuring a bunch of interviews/quotes from a variety of eras, from band members, engineers, and associates discussing this material/era.

As I’ve already referenced, the material sounds great. The vintage mixes are remastered appropriately. They sound pristine, but aren’t futzed with. They’re not flat; they’ve had appropriate mastering juice applied. And the modern remixes are clearly chosen with care and are done with the correct ethos of bringing out the dynamics in this material. Sáez’s remixes on the “15 Big Ones” era material are revelatory; I already like “15 Big Ones” more than I used to after tracking this set. My only complaint is that we didn’t get even more of this material remixed. I A/B’ed the new and old mixes, and stuff like “Just Once In My Life” sounds far more dynamic while not being too loud and without excessive high end. It’s punched up and expanded perfectly. James Sáez gets it. I can’t wait to hear more Beach Boys material from him. Truly a literal breath of fresh air.

As I’ve been telling people, if the Beach Boys is one of (or THE) main deal(s) in your life, this set is a no-brainer. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of how much I’m going to listen to this versus putting it on a shelf for eventual reference purposes. I’ve been listening to this non-stop; it’s that good and works that well as a collection.

Hey Jude, what an incredible review and now I'm even more amped up for this. Thanks for writing all that out - can't wait to hear the sonics of this. Definitely the most excited I've been for a release in some time!!

Excellent review, Jude, with lots of info that doesn't seem to have surfaced to the general public previously--I presume availability issues will be sorted out between now and 2/13. Amazon does not seem to have a physical media version of the set available for pre-order at this point, only an mp3 version: one figures that this situation will change soon (?).

ADDENDUM: Internet sources reveal that other on-line retailers are taking pre-orders--Udiscover is the one I used to get into the queue.

The first sound bite:


We Gotta Groove (2025 Mix)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcuKbxgYjoA

Insider please help

Is this going to amazon or regular stores?

I need to know

I don't think this is an actual "limited edition." But it appears it is going direct to consumer from the band's shop and UMG, and I suspect it will come back in stock, at which point I would certainly encourage folks to order.

Just wanted to say I LOVE the cover art for the set!  I think that stained glass window is gorgeous, and the light streaming through it makes it even more heavenly.

Now... I don't know how it relates to The Beach Boys, per se, but in my mind it's their best cover since "Surf's Up!"  It's absolutely gorgeous!  

It should turn more than a few heads in the record stores!  (Oh, that's right, record stores aren't much of a thing anymore.  But hopefully it will turn more than a few eyes online!)

In regards to other comments, I, too, really like "Hey, Little Tomboy."  I think it and Lazy Lizzie are Brian trying to channel his 18-year-old self.  As Don Malcolm said, written from the viewpoint of a teenager.  Yeah, they're both a little cringe, (damn! I sound just like an 18-year old now, don't I?  So now I'm in the right time-frame.), but they're musically brilliant, and surely there's other old and modern songs on the airwaves (dang, forgot what era I'm in again,) I mean, on whatever streaming service you use that are just as "problematic?!"  No?!  

Hooray for the detailed sessionography!!!!

And thanks much for the review HeyJude, but I thought you teased you were going to give some concrete "spoilers" about upcoming projects?  Still waiting!!!  ;)



Love and merci,Dan Lega

can't wait to dig into this set, which looks AMAZING overall!

anyone but me order a Love You blanket?  :love

https://shop.thebeachboys.com/products/the-beach-boys-love-you-blanket

That does make a cool blanket!  It doesn't say how big it is, though.  

I just learned the cover is taken from or based on a stained-glass window at Brother Studios.  Very cool.  Here's a link to a picture of the Boys beside it.  The real window is HUGE!  Like something you'd see in an old church.  And it's also not quite the same, is it?   I'd love to see a better picture of the real window!  Both appear to be masterpieces.


https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d70662760193fa36aaee8b2cdbbf12e06c7383fc/0_0_2391_2952/master/2391.jpg?width=1140&dpr=2&s=none&crop=none

I decided to opt for the Japanese SHM-CD set. Link is here:

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-16375

I believe it is a window from Brother Studios. Not sure though....

From 'Beach Boys Opinion'
'I’ve often heard fans utter some variation of “I’d listen to Carl sing the phone book”, and Carl’s guide vocal to Dennis’s legendary “Holy Man” proves fans correct. Some lyrics are present, with Carl offering the song’s full melody through a series of vocalizations/scat-singing. The mix sounds amazing, and Carl’s often wordless vocals absolutely carry the song. One of the highlights of the set, easily.'

Sorry - posted twice.

From Beach Boys Opinion review:
'I’ve often heard fans utter some variation of “I’d listen to Carl sing the phone book”, and Carl’s guide vocal to Dennis’s legendary “Holy Man” proves fans correct. Some lyrics are present, with Carl offering the song’s full melody through a series of vocalizations/scat-singing. The mix sounds amazing, and Carl’s often wordless vocals absolutely carry the song. One of the highlights of the set, easily.'

BTW you can get the box set here though this is not an American link: https://thecircle.de/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-110578?_pos=1&_psq=we+gotta+gro&_ss=e&_v=1.0&fbclid=IwY2xjawPhtlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehNzspi-7s5metzWAQUyJN5P-piMkHvkKSoitS3rJ8YAQ_WOXUbc6vt_9-M8_aem_3sJyPSzZShR5gUceDx3iSw

https://thecircle.de/products/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-110578?_pos=1&_psq=we+gotta+gro&_ss=e&_v=1.0&fbclid=IwY2xjawPhtlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehNzspi-7s5metzWAQUyJN5P-piMkHvkKSoitS3rJ8YAQ_WOXUbc6vt_9-M8_aem_3sJyPSzZShR5gUceDx3iSw

Euros 124.99.

As we would expect, various members of the horde at the Nearest Faraway Place are (again) ignoring the famous William Wordsworth admonition about "murdering to dissect" regarding the details about (and semi-adjacent to) this box set.

I will spare you the details, but Jude is mustering the patience of Job as he provides periodic corrections and clarifications to those over there manifesting their patented high-strung hand-wringing... :3d

I think we will all be thrilled to have this swirling range of material collected and collated in a way that captures a short-lived spurt of Brian's creative energy before the fractures in the band caused him to retreat into another downward spiral. Brian discusses 15BO and Love You only fitfully in the Greenman autobio, but he retained positive thoughts about those two LPs forty years later--and I think we can be assured that he would be very happy to see this release. Pick the version of this release that works best for you, but support this release--do it for Brian!! :bw

I hear in Marilyn's voice 'Did you order one?' I admit, I ordered two. The box set from Circle and the 3 CD set from Japan. Hope I don't get stung with charges.

It seems to me that the box set cover uses the middle *section* of the window, possibly with some color alteration.  The window appears to depict the solar system with a sun and planets in orbit.  IIRC, there was an anecdote years ago about the stained glass window inspiring Brian to write "Solar System."

I did read this at the Too Near Faraway Place:  'According to the details posted on the Super Deluxe Editions website the box set will not be sold via the usual retailers:-
'"We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years is out 13 February via Capitol/UMe, although it should be noted that this box set is not available via traditional retail channels at all. It’s all D2C (direct-to-consumer) so you will need to seek out Beach Boys / Universal Music channels to order it."'

I never did understand the title, "Adult/Child."   But all of a sudden I thought I had a great inspiration.  Perhaps "Hey, Little Tomboy" and "Lazy Lizzie" were the child (teenager, really) part of the album and other songs were the "Adult" part of it.  So I went to look at the track list of the album and saw "Shortnin' Bread" (real child part) and was just about ready to launch into a Julia inspired deconstruction of the themes of the album...

...and then I noticed "Lazy Lizzie" isn't even part of the album, and no other other songs fit the child theme, (unless "Lines" and/or "It's Trying To Say" do -- but I can't remember what those lyrics are,) and so I was still stuck wondering what the heck inspired Brian to title this album as "Adult/Child."

FYI... to me, "Lazy Lizzie" is even creepier than "Hey, Little Tomboy!"  I still love both songs, though!  But I'm surprised that "Hey, Little Tomboy" didn't make the set considering "Lazy Lizzie" did.  (Geez, I hope this doesn't give the producers any bad ideas, like pulling the product and taking "Lazy Lizzie" off the set, and delaying it for another year!)

Also, I really don't understand why people think "I Want To Pick You Up" is creepy!  To me it's always been obvious that the song is about what a parent does with a real baby, despite the weird thing Brian might have said about it.  Who knows what state he was in when he made that remark?  (Not that I can recall exactly what he said, but I guess I do remember it leaning toward another take on the song.)  Anyway, I always thought it was just a clever way to start a song, and title it, because you think it's going to be about trying to date a girl, but you're swiftly thrown a curve and realize you've been tricked, and it's really a song about a parent and their baby.

I agree with your remarks on Hey Little Tomboy and Lazy Lizzie. As for the 'Adult /Child' title it reminds me a bit of Child is Father of the Man.

My guess regarding the still-raging vitriol at ThNFA (just-invented acronym for The Nearest FarAway Place, pronouncded "THIN-faa"...) concerning the box set details is that the decision to limit retail platforms is a strategy to best calibrate their manufacturing run.

That would explain why we saw an interim "sold out" situation, which allows them to bump up another X number of units without winding up with too much excess product.

I suspect that the foreign inventory is a licensing arrangement with an up-front fee permitting the foreign manufacturers to decide their unit quantity & pay a fee per actual unit sold.

Jude might well have a better, more encompassing description of the process being utilized to ensure that there are not too many leftover items in inventory.

All of it is (as usual) raising hackles over at ThNFA, prompting a plethora of references to the famous Jack Rieley quote ("They blew it, they continue to...", etc.)

Could the tariffs and overall uncertainty of that-one-guy's erratic policies be to blame? I know the BBs are an American band but the US isn't particularly known for its manufacturing anymore and Im not sure if they make these somewhere else or need foreign resources anyway. May sound ridiculous and perhaps it is (feel free to correct the record, anyone) but I just tried ordering something from France and was told they cant ship it until the trade policies are more certain.

If its solely due to an intentional marketing ploy then it's annoying on our end but I can't blame them for assuming the worst in terms of prospective sales. Im pretty surprised the last set didn't sell well even though I didn't buy one myself (didn't seem like there was enough new stuff that interests me and Im not made of money) and this is a really niche period in the band's career. Outside the types who'd come to a place like this, I can't see too many people wanting to listen to some of their spottier work. Frankly though, that's all the more reason to put everything you can on the release then--to entice the hardcore fans who have it on boots anyway. I don't remember if I saw this here or on reddit but it's not like any of us are getting any younger, ya know. The opportunity for this music to make money and influence the pop culture diminishes with time.

Also, I never saw I Wanna Pick You Up as creepy either. It always just felt like Brian singing a love song about his daughters from when they were infants. I found it really charming and a nice break from the "boy/girl formula." If Brian said it was about a grown woman in an interview that's weird but I don't get that impression listening to it in a vacuum.

Someone on the dare I call it Too Near Faraway Place? board wrote that the 3 CD set is the fastest selling item on CD Japan.

It seems like they were trying to cut out sales from normal retailers - I suppose they mean shops! - and limit it to BB/Universal. They didn't want to end up with huge numbers of box sets, perhaps under estimated demand, and sold out. I saw on one of their sites they'd sold out, restocked, and then sold out again.

It's still selling for highly inflated prices on ebay predictably I suppose. Maybe they'll have adequate stocks at the time of the release date - another ThNFA poster wrote that you can't rush vinyl production.

Hey Jude sensibly advised people against being panicked into paying over the odds at ebay.

This seems like a UMG specific thing because Frank Zappa's Bongo Fury box was just announced.  They also only have two options to buy it, Zappa's store or Udiscover.  *scratches head*

I just checked out the new Zappa box, priced very reasonably -- 4 CD's and Blu-ray for $65!.  The new Aerosmith box is 3 CD's for $55!  So it's weird that the Beach Boy box can't be produced in different configurations.  Are they selling that much more of Zappa and Aerosmith than they are of The Beach Boys?  (Or does Mike need to have much higher price points for all his alimony?   :-D)

It seems they are trying to cut out the middleman and only sell it themselves, and making the tracklist short enough, (3 CD's instead of 4 or 5 or more,) so that they can configure a box set of both CD's and vinyl to get the absolute best percentage of earnings from each one sold, without it being too big of a price to stop people from buying it.  And if they're being that stingy about it, then why in the world would they license it to foreign companies who can then sell it cheaply as a 3 CD set!?  I'm really not following the logic of this, unless, as I said, Zappa and Aerosmith sell a whole lot more than The Beach Boys.  But that still doesn't explain why they let a foreign company do whatever they want.  I don't mind if they want to only sell it in-house and leave out the middleman.  But I sure would have liked a set with more than 3 CD's!  I, myself, don't have a problem with the price of the set, as I would bought both a CD set and an LP set if they were produced that way again, as I did with the other three recent boxed sets.

But if this is the way they're going to go now, then surely it would be worthwhile to finally go back and put out the other digital only releases as physical sets, no?  I'd love to have physical copies and brand new books/booklets to go with them!  They should be able to make money off of that!  Especially if they add a great sessionography like they did with SMiLE and how they're apparently doing with this release.


PS -- Julia, didn't the last set, Surf's Up, go way down in price at one point?  I know it's back up again, but it's a shame you missed it!  Feel Flows went down to less than $50 at one point, too!

Also, someone posted some more pictures in the other forum of the stained-glass window in Brothers Studios that the new cover artwork is taken from.  I was able to look closely at them both and can report they are definitely not the same.  The new box set has artwork that is definitely inspired by that window and is a very close match, but it's definitely not just a picture or an exact recreation of it.  I still love the box set cover, it's extremely beautiful, but would die for a great picture of the real window with sunlight streaming through it, too!  It's a real masterpiece of art, and I'm glad the new cover does it proud and is a great near copy of the masterpiece.

I don't understand the lack of a CD-only set in the US either. I've purchased the Japan set but I'm not even entirely sure what I'm getting, and I've paid shipping and import taxes on top of the base price. Would have been happy to pay that relatively higher total for a US 3CD set.

If you don't need the vinyl LPs, gift them to somebody!

The set has really nice box and booklet, neither of which would presumably be part of that Japanese SHM CD.

Some people are paying $60-$80 for that Japanese CD set, when the whole shebang with the box and booklet and vinyl was $99 after that UDiscover coupon.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm just trying to point out the reality. A few folks just don't want to believe it, and choose to substitute whatever preference or reality they've spun.

It's sad to see a segment of the fandom just go so full tilt angry, unhappy, ranting, etc., about *everything* that isn't exactly the way they prefer it. It's gross, and it's also embarrassing.

This new set is great; none of this is complicated. You buy (or stream!) the music from the band we love, and it brings happiness. I'm all for nitpicking and nerdy breakdowns and all of that, but at the end of the day these are all boxed sets full of great music that makes all the peripheral stuff unimportant, especially in an era where you can listen to *all* of this stuff for free and/or very cheap.

Yep, everything you're saying here is reasonable and the most likely scenario. Your common sense and, above all else, calmness about it, is refreshing!

I think some people are just not familiar with the landscape of the music industry. Not even the inner-workings, but just the state of where we're at as far as who streams versus buys digital versus buys physical product. And then when the set isn't being sold the way they think it should (without having enough familiarity with the industry), it turns into angry, unrelenting, repetitive ranting. All about a box full of CDs and records that are priced at between $15 and $20 each.

Was checking the other forum/same thread, and someone mentioned there was a copyright dump and was wondering what in the copyright dump did not make it onto the new set.  Now I can't recall if they specifically said "this year's copyright dump," or if they were talking about a dump from a year or more ago.  So I looked through their thread titles but couldn't find anything that appeared to be about a copyright dump in the past month. 

So does anyone here know about any recent copyright dumps, or copyright dumps related to the new box set?

I agree with Hey Jude's comments. i've bought the box set from a German source and the 3 CD set from Japan. My main gripe is nothing to do with the music industry but with the amount of VAT we have to pay on it which is down to the government!

Fittingly someone uploaded this:


The Beach Boys Love You: Tour Rehearsals 1977


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa2imKj1TRo

This is a great use of AI; to remove the narration on that rehearsal film. That footage has been around for ages, but now that someone finally used the AI audio splitter to remove that narration, the music underneath it sounds quite good. I had forgotten then had apparently rehearsed "Let Us Go On This Way" for the live show; I don't think they ever ended up performing that one.

measures 50"x60"
it's nicer than I thought it would be. velvety soft on top with a furry lining underneath. wish I could upload a photo

100% polyester... very 1977!!!

So the album is still "Sold Out" on UDiscover and The Beach Boys site.  Which makes it seem that the number crunchers have made a big mistake on this one.  (Unless, they really have manufactured more already and are just holding out to make it appear that it's in much higher demand than it really is -- which I wouldn't put past them.) But let's say that they did only manufacture only enough to make it possible for them to get all their money back plus the profit they expected to make.  That means they severely underestimated the demand for this product.  And if they did underestimate the demand then that means they probably could have made their assigned profit goal by selling different configurations, i.e., a 3 CD set only and an LP set only.  I mean, I don't have any numbers, but I'm guessing only a third of the people online have been able to pre-order the set, another third are purchasing the 3CD-only set from Japan, and another third are just not going to buy it because of the American configuration of CD/LP together.  It just seems like a serious miscalculation.

And since the LP/CD set is only being sold through UDiscover and The Beach Boys site, does that mean that if you're not in the ol' USofA you have to pay extra to have it shipped to your country?  That's even more alienation of the fan base!

Now I have no inside info, but I would be willing to bet that a 3CD only compilation will come out next year (or next holiday season), and will probably be sold through the usual outfits.  With The moves Iconic/BRI have made with this set everything just seems very calculated, verging on sinister.  And with all the under-crunching of the numbers, that means they probably could have made it a 4, or even a 5 CD set and just as easily have met their goals.  And, again, I have no qualms with the price because I would have bought both CD and LP sets, or bought this Super Deluxe version if it had been an option.  But I'm just flabbergasted at the continued "Sold Out" status of the set.  Did someone forget a "zero" or forget to "carry the one" at the end of their tabulations on what it would take to make a profit on this?  And as someone else said somewhere, this is not the time you want a "Sold Out" sign on your website, because this is the time when the internet was awash with the announcement of the set, and I'm guessing they're missing some sales because there are probably folks who would have pre-ordered right away, but by the time it's back in stock they will have forgotten about it and/or moved on to purchase something else.  It just boggles my mind to try to comprehend what the powers-to-be were thinking when they came up with this strategy.  It really comes across as very cynical.  Are fans of The Beach Boys really that much different in their purchasing habits as compared to Aerosimeth and Frank Zappa and Rush and others who just released boxed sets?  I guess we could be, but I sure would like to see the numbers on how we spend compared to how other fans spend for their band.

I don't think it takes some great cynic to veto a CD only set in America in 2025. My guess (and I have zero inside info) is that there isn't any great cynicism here. Just a perfectly smart hedge. Yes, by limiting the initial print run, they risk underestimating demand and losing some sales. But they also cap their losses by limiting how many unsold sets they'll have to eat. Lose some potential upside, cap the downside. If you consider the fact that at some point, the Beach Boys obsessives involved in this set had to get approvals from non-Beach Boys obsessives on the business side, and consider also what this music *sounds* like to someone listening to it for the first time as a business proposition.... not surprising at all. I love them to death, but these are *weird* records.

@HeyJude, are you familiar with the technology at all, since you mentioned it? I did a quick google search and found some stuff but I was wondering if you or anyone else recommended one program in particular. Just curious.

Nah, there are others far more familiar with it. I've never gone beyond using some simple web-based tools to take songs and do basic splitting of like vocals, drums, guitars, etc.

There are others that stay up on the latest software and latest software updates which keep improving on the ability to separate stuff out without leaving a bunch of artifacts. That live 76/77 rehearsal footage is a great example of something that would have had far more artifacts several years ago.

Where it gets really fascinating is like what Giles Martin did with "Revolver", where they can take high-quality multi-tracks and then separate the stuff on each track. I'd love to hear James Saez go back through the 60s stuff (after they finish the 70s/80s) remix using some of that type of tech, where they can get more isolation on those dense backing tracks.

As it pertains to the BBs, the software is now also getting better at isolating individual voices within a group of voices. Someone just recently pulled apart the '67 rehearsal take of "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" and isolated each of the guys' parts. Insanely good and fascinating.

Any chance you can provide a link? That sounds fascinating - I'd love to hear it.

This video has a remix of the track using separated stems, and in the description section of the video is a link to the individual stems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-yjuKhGryQ

Thanks for answering. Yeah I just used the first hit on "AI splitter" and was able to achieve one of my "holy grails" of isolation I thought was impossible--the "uh-um pretty baby wont you rock with me henry" backing vox from the Wonderful 2 session! And it was completely free and no tinkering with any complex settings at all! I've always wanted to try including them in the first version of Wonderful and combine all the major elements of that song in one. I ought to be able to make a cleaner restoration of the cornucopia lyrics for Veggies in the '11 single mix in the same way. And even include the verse lyrics from Project Smile in a boxset-sourced CIFOTM to "finish" that song. (Hell, I could use AI to have Brian's voice sing those lyrics!) This tech is black magic.   

And with what you describe about isolating individual vocalists, it is even more exciting. Nothing is off the table now in terms of SMiLE mixes. So many things were a case of "yeah that'd be nice, but the raw materials just aren't there" and now if what you're saying is true I ought to be able to preserve the CIFOTM reprise without the "na na" part at the end of Surf's Up. That's awesome.

Im gonna go geek out in the corner there, excuse me.

I'm with you, it's absolutely mindblowing what this technology is making possible in the world of remixing 20th-century recordings. It really does feel like black magic, and I think we haven't even scratched the surface yet of what's possible.

Very surreal for me, because listening to Beach Boys and Beatles remixes on youtube, AI feels so powerful and beautiful and full of potential, whereas over in my day job (academic writing, history, and higher education), it's just been incredibly destructive and depressing in its effects. Hard to imagine how it'll all shake out across the culture as a whole.

I love how this thread evolved into an optimistic, enthusiastic take on the potential of AI in what seems to be emerging under the term "deconstructed mixes", as opposed to the dug-in-heels grist-grinding over at ThNFplay, with spasms of almost bipolar behavior from the French-i-fried legal beagle beach girl and what seems to be a collective obsession to up the ante on those scandalous songs that represent...what, 0.05% of the BBs output?  :police: :police:

It's clear from the interviews with Howie that the corporate clique imposed a format that was not what the curators had in mind, opting instead to retain a large(r)-format product a la the last two archival releases. It seems to have been forgotten over you-know-where that alternative format arrangements were made, albeit via international sources. (The lack of a cohesive announcement for such options was clearly a faux pas, but hardly seems like a hanging offense...)

As always, the calmest voice to be found in that shooting gallery belonged to Jim Murphy (suggesting that folks consider the context in tandem with their fandom and acquire both formats), but he was but a brief respite from the return of the caviling cavalry, stoking whatever fires of grievance they could access and extend into a series of tiresome repetitions.  ::)

And poor Jude was accused of corporate shilling and called out for "attacks" on certain (thin-skinned) users for simply giving the interview with Howie and James Saez a thumbs-up, clearly overlooking the fact that Howie was up-front about wanting a different format for the project that what was mandated. We just have to remember that a large subset of the "key players" over there are apparent graduates of that curious meditation course known as "the Mike Love school of positivity"...  :3d

...and take note that Mike's genuine positivity will be on display at the end of CD #3 (in his near-ecstatic response to the Love You demos). I was lucky enough to hear the tape many years ago thanks to David Leaf (pre-Internet!). It's a fantastic way to close out the set!!

I got this info over at the other board...

Capitol Music is selling the big box set, and if you use VIP20 as a discount code you'll get 20% off, making it a cool $100.  (Plus $6.00 shipping fee.)  I don't know if you need to to sign up for email ads at the bottom to be able to use the VIP20 code.  I went ahead and signed up and then used the code without checking my email.  I'm betting you can just use the code without adding your name to their mailing list.  Just go the site below to get there...

shop.capitolmusic.com/products/we-gotta-groove-the-brother-studio-years


Also, IMPORTCDS.com is selling the Japanese 3 CD set for about $40 (at least yesterday they were), with only a $2.99 fee for shipping!  (I'm quoting shipping fees for the U.S. of course.  I don't know what foreign fees would be.)

Happy hunting!

The set is also back in stock at the Beach Boys official store and at Universal's UDiscover store.

Howie and James have now done at least three interviews (Surf's Up podcast, the Giggens interview, and the "Beach Boys Talk" interview). They've thoughtfully discussed the set at length and have ended up answering a bunch of the questions/complaints that this small group of unhappy "fans" have had. They address how the set was composed, what the label wanted/needed, what the market would bear, why some things were left off or included, etc.

I think this small group of impossible-to-please fans should maybe stop burping out insults and complaints like they have no impulse control and no self-awareness, and if they really have questions and desire some answers, then do the minimal work (e.g. just listen to these interviews) to get answers to a bunch of their questions.

And that's not even getting into the embarrassing trainwreck of a left turn that one thread took with a few people unaware of the concept of "over-sharing" concerning their personal experiences and opinions vis-a-vis the "Hey Little Tomboy"-adjacent issues. Oy.

I could not find the BeachBoys Talk podcast when I looked for it today on their YouTube site!  Does anyone have a link?

I think there was some sort of snafu with the live stream, so it hasn't been re-posted on YouTube yet. I believe it's on their Facebook page right now.

I saw you can now buy the regular We Gotta Groove package at Sound Of Vinyl!  It has the later March 20 release date.

ALSO... you can buy the Japanese 3CD set at Deep Discount for $48!  (Though it was cheaper at ImportCDS.com.)  Deep Discount's release date is past us already, as they list Feb. 6 as the release date.

And I forget, are we going to be able to watch the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame interview on Thursday night live?  Or perhaps recorded afterwards? 
''

Here's a new interview with Howie Edelson, James Saez, and... Alan Boyd!


https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-beach-boys-we-gotta-groove-with-howie-edelson/id1519299517?i=1000748895241

The Beach Boys - Holy Man (2025 Mix Carl Wilson Vocal / Visualizer)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsAv3swCz7M

Holy Man is the the song that makes me just shake my head at all of the opportunities that this band let slip past. That song could have been a bonafide classic. Carl, as usual sounds like an angel on this track, even though he is saying nothing he sure is saying something.

I have been listening to this set here and there today and I am overjoyed by what I hear. I guess some people are upset about the mixes on this set? I mean, we have the originals, and these 2025 mixes breathe much needed life into the 15 BO songs. I've really never understood the irritation that some have about certain modern mixes - we have the original mono, stereo, updated stereo, vocals only, alternate mixes for so many songs. Hearing some songs in an updated form that allows us to more easily hear all the layers? I'm all for it and don't understand the whining especially with this set.

Also, the Love You tracks being remastered is huge. If you compare them to the originals - the originals sound flat and dull. This set, the songs pop perfectly - the bass really hits well, the synths sound like you are standing right next to Brian as he is recording.

Oh and the vocals-only 'The Night Was So Young' :o

Love this band and we're so blessed at how much care and effort has gone into all of these sets.

When I purchased my set from Capitol Records they told me it would ship on February 13.  Now this was after the other two places, UDiscover and BeachBoys.com had sold out.  So I thought, whew, I won't have to wait until for another FIVE WEEKS to get my box set!

WELL... NOW on FEB. 13... I just got an email from Capitol telling me that they would not send my box set until MARCH 27!!!  SIX WEEKS after  the launch today!!!!

I mean, yeah, I'lll still buy Beach Boys products as they roll out, but after the year-and-a-half delay of the original Pet Sounds box set, this has been the most $#&^@$!# roll-out of product!  It makes me extremely MAD!  I don't want to wait that long and have to read all the posts about the box set for SIX WEEKS until I get mine!!!

This is just flat out TOTAL INCOMPETENCE!!!  How could they possibly misjudge the amount of box sets they needed to make so that most everyone who wants one could get one???  In this day and age of instant gratification, and people talking about things online, it does your company absolutely no good if you can't get your product into the consumers hands when the product is hot!  

This whole thing just REEKS!!!

Now I have to stew for SIX G*****M MORE WEEKS until I can hear it!!!  SIX G*****M MORE WEEKS!!!

UN-F*****G-BELIEVABLE!!!

I wanted to join in on the fun of hearing and talking about the box set, but now I don't want to read anything more about it!  Because that will only make me madder!

Oh, and by the way, that email Capitol Records sent telling me the box set is delayed also made me have to tell them I still want the set, or my order WOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY CANCELLED!!!

Will someone please tell me why ICONIC spent so much for The Beach Boys' Catalog if this piddling, middling, fiddling box set and roll out is all they are gonna do???  How in the world do they expect to make back all the money they spent on buying the catalog?  Put the box set out in a timely fashion!  Don't give people the chance to easily cancel their pre-order when you can't fulfill that pre-order!  Put out different configurations of the box, such as CD only, LP only, and how about a super deluxe edition that has more than 3 CD's worth of material from 3 album projects?!  How about a 6, or 9, or 12 CD box set!?!  You could sell that for a pretty penny!  So many other bands are doing it!  Why is ICONIC just sitting on this material that's in the vault and not trying to sell as much as they can?!  Do they think there will be even more people in 10 or 20 or 30 years who want to buy this kind of product than there are now?!  

And if music companies are not making any money from streaming services, then get the product OUT THERE IN PHYSICAL FORM for people to pay you a proper amount for it!!!

I listened to the Jokerman Podcast with Howie, Jamie, and Alan Boyd, the other night and I was super-pumped to get the box set!!!  NOW I HAVE TO WAIT A MONTH AND A HALF BEFORE I HEAR IT!!!

Please, ICONIC, if you don't want to make money off your investment, then SELL it to someone who does!!!!

SIGNING OFF NOW -- I don't want to come back here, I don't want to read anything, or hear anything about the box set until I have it myself!!!

SIGNED -- A loyal, but UTTERLY DISGUSTED FAN!  No "Love and merci" to you, Iconic!


PS -- Yeah, yeah, I could just streem it now.  Except, I don't stream music.  That's not how I roll.  Even if I bought the QUBOZ extra fidelity downloads, I couldn't play them through any of my speakers, all I could do is listen to them through my computer's speakers, or on tiny little wired earplugs.  Doesn't do it for me.  Besides, I want the book and sessionography to read and enjoy when I listen to it the first few times.

PSS -- My friend, in the same boat as me, says the box set should be re-named, "We Gotta Wait!"

I get the frustration with wanting the set ASAP.

But really, I would strongly recommend buying a digital download or streaming in the meantime. The set is that good, it's worth it. And then you'll still have all the swag once it arrives in the mail.

I long ago realized relying on getting physical product day-and-date was a losing proposition. Brick and mortar options for buying archival releases went away probably a decade ago (and was spotty even then; I remember trying to buy McCartney archive sets at Best Buy and getting the runaround).

I support all the physical product, but I always rip releases to my IPod Classic and end up doing a lot of my listening that way. And I often end up downloading releases before the physical product even gets to me.

The best software available for free for AI treatments of sound can be accessed via the site mvsep.com. Not just my opinion, but firstly, from the leading lights of the Beatles board who obsessively restore their recordings to great results, no less from the highly-respected remasterer/remixer known in the Beatles world as "Lord Reith". If one sets up a free account on that site, it's possible to treat for free 1 file daily; the file should be less than 10 minutes in duration and less than 100 Mb in size; any format is good for them (though don't count too much on me in this, but better read the conditions on the site), including lossless, and the result can be preserved losslessly. If one uses a paid plan, the money will get the use of the more advanced possibilities. This does not mean all other sites offering similar services are useless; all I know their pros and cons, also knowledge tips, are discussed by remixers at https://forum.beatlegdb.com.

Other folks use the pricey commercial software, and some even develop their own (also in the Beatleg forum I've mentioned).

Add my name to the long list of folks that are disappointed by the lengthy delay with what is supposed to be a pre-order. I understand these things happen, and it's obviously not the end of the world that I can't hear this as soon as I would like, but it certainly is deflating after months of hype (and years of speculation, at this point). Between the early "VIP" access to the box, clearly very limited pressing(s), conflicting info leaks leading up to the full announcement, this has been (for me) one of the harder to swallow rollouts. I understand the stress of seeing "SOLD OUT" or being met with a six-week delay doesn't hold a candle to some of the more serious stressors in the world right now, part of my disappointment is that this music has been a long-awaited reprieve from the rest of the BS today. And yes, I think most people know that this CAN be streamed, but that doesn't exactly work for everyone -- whether it be due to the nature of their stereo setup, or lack of at-home internet access, or any other number of factors. Am I shaking my fist at the clouds in the sky? Not yet, but I am sighing heavily as I reach for something else to listen to, to tide me over in the meantime... 

What becomes clear to me is what I said in the past: 15 Big Ones could've been a really strong oldie album. Some of the outtakes are better than a lot of the things on the album (including the originals).

Received my copy yesterday via FedEx. Fabulous.

Disappointment is absolutely a fair reaction. And you've expressed it in a thoughtful, respectful way. I *would* definitely recommend streaming or snagging this digitally, because it's absolutely worth it. Even if you have to kind of rejigger things to make it work.

The label clearly went conservative on initially ordering copies and now it will take some time to catch up (the turnaround time on manufacturing a second run of sets is actually surprisingly not too bad compared to a lot of other products), and it will ultimately end up being a VERY GOOD THING that it has outsold those initial expectations, because it means it's more likely we'll get more similar releases in the future.

And I point out your thoughtful, polite expression of disappointment because there are a few fans on other boards who can't seem to express that frustration as an adult, and instead are foaming at the mouth, posting ALL CAPS diatribes as if anybody and everybody involved in this set, band, and label are conspiring against them. Embarrassing.

I received the Japan 3CD set last week and I've been enjoying Disc 1. The sound is amazing. Pretty freakin' cool!

I hate that the US set rollout has been so slow though... that is super frustrating for those of you who ordered it. Hope that in the end they manage to beat that 6-week estimate.

I received the 3LP/3CD set early last week, from the UMe orders, which makes me think that things are going better with the rollout than what has been reported in that marathon kvetch thread over at you-know-where.

The packaging is really terrific, Howie's notes are great (as is often the case, cannily weaving in salient words from the band...), and I love the glossy cover for LOVE YOU (makes for a great contrast with the original).

Jude has already covered the return to form of the remixing efforts in exemplary detail, so I'll just echo his words. This wild, weird, sweet and dizzily disjointed klatch of music has never sounded better, and as a result is totally endearing.

Looking forward to hearing LOVE YOU in its entirety on Friday night!

I thought this was the fitting thread for posting this:



Al Jardine and Mike Love sing "TM Song" (Mike Douglas Show 1976)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh-waA6-oI8

Looks like "Carl's Song 1" later became "What you gonna do about me?".


The Beach Boys - Carl's Song 1 - It Could Be Anything (2025 Mix / Visualizer)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVpTmTfe2QM




What You Gonna Do About Me?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsGKEgyWKaw

From the '75 version, it appears it first morphed into a track that was booted years ago usually titled "Where We Are", which is a track a lot of fans assumed, based on its sound, came from the early 80s, but apparently came from circa 1978.

And then, I would agree that portions appear to have been repurposed for "What You Gonna Do About Me" for the '81 solo album.

A refreshingly calm and enjoyable reaction to the set to read!

Yes, I think the initial *decision* to go "D2C" with this release, and to be conservative with how many copies to manufacture on the initial run, has somehow morphed into the comical levels of histrionics on other boards.

The reality is that a company made X units of a product, sold it exclusively direct to consumer, and more people wanted to buy it right at the outset than they expected. So then they made more and put the set back up for sale. That it's selling better than they thought it might, and they're having to ramp up production, is a good thing!

They hedged on the initial run, they sold all the allocated copies, and so they fired up the presses and made more, and sold more. Not complicated in the slightest.

I do think they should have put *into* all the press releases that the physical boxed set was only being sold D2C via Capitol, Universal, and the band's official site. That would have made it crystal clear from the start. Though, as I've mentioned before, doing that would have ironically led to a *quicker* sellout on that initial run!

Yes! You're right. I totally forgot about "Where we are" but for some reason found myself singing it to myself the other day. Now it all makes sense  ;D Thanks for the heads-up

Just wanted to point out how well some of the uptempo Love You songs sounded in concert (imo anyway). It's a shame they didn't do more of them. "Let us go on this way" certainly would've gone over great.


The Beach boys Live '77　Honkin' down the Highway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZG70NX5fTg



The Beach Boys - Roller Skating Child (Live 1979)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cu0SCxEths



They obviously also played "Airplane" and "Love is a Woman" but I don't think those worked too well.

They even rehearsed "Let Us Go On This Way" for the 76/77 tour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa2imKj1TRo

From the Grammy Museum:


Celebrating The Beach Boys' We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt8_BDu3duM

Howie and James and everybody did a great job with the Grammy Museum presentation. I wish they could do one of those every month with engineers, musicians, etc.

I was mostly pleased with the sound of the new set, until my memory was jogged by something I read on the other board.  I now remember listening to the new "Love You" and thinking that many of the backing vocals didn't pop out, they didn't have the same balance to the rest of the track as I remembered them having.  But, I shoved it to the back of my mind thinking I probably am just not remembering correctly.  Then someone on the other board said that there was more reverb on the backing vocals of the "Love You" songs than was originally there -- which could totally make the backing vocals disappear into the background more!  This is not good audio engineering!  If they're supposed to be presenting the album as it was released, then why change it by adding more reverb to isolated parts (or whole parts) than was there originally?  Why brickwall it into making it sound louder?  You know, if we want it louder we can just turn up the volume ourselves, don't you?  Please stop arbitrarily messing with the master tapes!

Now... that being said... I'm all for remasters!  I'd love to hear things I never heard before!  Of course, a remaster could be a disaster!  But it seems like that is what they've been doing anyway!  Changing the reverb on different elements within the song, or on the whole song; "brickwalling" it to make it "louder;" flying in vocals from a studio version of Back Home into what was supposed to be a live version; and they cut out minutes from some of the Dennis songs they've put on some of the recent sets, much to the detriment of the original songs!  If you're going to do a remaster, then do a real remaster.  Don't say you're trying to present the music faithfully to the original intent and then not do it!  So... if you're going to do a remaster, then really do a remaster, and we can have an argument about how successful it was or not.  If you're going to present it as originally mastered, then do it!  Use a vintage record as your guide and get it as close to that as possible!

Also, one other change I WISH they WOULD make is with "Caroline, No."  Since I've heard the correct speed version I can no longer stomach the sped up "original" version!  It sounds horrible to my ears.  I wish they would release a version of Pet Sounds with the normal speed version at the end instead of the sped up version!  Maybe someday I'll finally be able to burn myself a disc of Pet Sounds like that!  <sigh>  (I've never been great at computer stuff.  And I don't have the setup now to do it, anyway.)

Just gave a real good listen to Disc 3 of the set and thought I'd relate what stood out to me from what we're presented, and pose a few questions.  First off, Mony Mony, Running Bear, Shake Rattle & Roll, and On Broadway all sound very good.  Like with the Adult/Child songs, these previously bootleg-only songs sound much better than they ever did.  But what's the deal with that lyric sheet that is pictured on the next page of the discography?  It looks like it has chorus words for "Shake Rattle & Roll," but the Boys never use those exact lyrics in their version.  And the bottom portion of this 'chorus' looks more like "Rock 'n' Roll Music" lyrics than "Shake" lyrics.  And to further muddy it there's a big arrow which goes down from the second portion of the lyrics to words that say, "to bridge." 

And then below that are lyrics aren't on the recording, and that even A.I. can't find me a song that matches those lyrics.  Here they all are, including instructions and the chords written for some of them...

B
Solo -- OO she shake...
           She rattle and OO she   {were there more words which are trimmed from the picture?)
           She rattle and (xxxxxxxxx)  {yes, words crossed out inside parentheses.}

Duet -- OO she shake
           She rattle and OO she  {appears some words were cut off}
           She rattle and                      l
                                                      l
Chorus -- Rock, Rockin' and a Roll     l
                       Rockin' and a            l
               Rock, Rockin' and a Roll     l
                        Rockin' and a           l
                                                      l
                                                      l
                                                      l
                                                      l
                                               to bridge  {the downward line, with an arrow point at end, comes from beneath the "duet" portion}

(F#) Would you like to (E) come  wo   (I don't know if more words are cut off, or if he started to write the next line there, but decided to write it on another line?)
(F#) Would you like to join my
        Friends and (E) fam-i-ly

My baby likes to hear that rock 'n   (again, the rest of the line may have been trimmed from the picture)
                 music
And after school / (wi???) She wants to let her   (more lyrics may have been cut off)
And when I take her out she...  (definitely more words were cut off here)


So if anyone has a clue as to what's going on here, please let me know!

As for "Short Skirts," I bet it had to have had a melody, and probably some lyrics which were never put to tape (or erased,) as I don't think they would have sung backing vocals on it if there weren't a melody and lyrics to go with it already.

The next track, the backing track of the "TM Song" is perhaps the most surprising to me, as it's just wild!  There may be nothing else like it in the history of Rock 'n' Roll?  The instruments used are your standard fare, but the orchestration of them is just plain-out wacky.  I love it!

Then, with "Honkin' Down The Highway," they certainly didn't do Billy Hinsche any favors by doing nothing, it seems, to enhance his vocal.  First off, it's a little quiet, and thus, buried in the mix a bit.  And second, it sounds like it's totally dry, without any reverb or echo to flesh it out!  I can only imagine they were thinking, well, we don't want to show up the Beach Boys, so we'll leave his vocal unenhanced so that no one thinks, hey, anybody can sing a Beach Boy song!  I don't think they needed to worry, though, as even with enhancements I doubt it would have come close to challenging Alan's version for supremacy!

I also love the backing track to "Solar System," as it's piano playing harks back to "Heroes & Villains" and "SMiLE!"

The vocals only version of "The Night Was So Young" is a definite highlight, too.  I'd also like to hear a vocals only version of "Rock 'n' Roll Music!"  I bet those stacked "AAAAAAAHHHHH's" in the verses would be glorious!

My last thought is on "They're Marching Along."  I've never been a big fan of the song, but I was just listening to the frantic piano playing Brian is doing and thinking, I wish there were a different melody and totally different words to this song.  I think the track could go in a completely different direction?! 

Anyway, them's my thoughts on disc 3.