The Smiley Smile Message Board

I saw in a bookstore today used copies of the following LPs. I am usually not big on buying vinyl, and certainly not for the nostalgia or monetary value reasons. But sometimes that sort of feeling gets the best of me, and I think "ooh, it'd be cool to have that." With that in mind...

Carl & the Passions: So Tough / Pet Sounds.
Is the vinyl version of this set rare? I haven't ever noticed seeing it before, and I know they were originally packaged together. It seemed pretty cool, and I like the idea of having that set. It looked to be in very good condition, but was the set reissued recently, or would this be a 30+ year old version?

The Beach Boys Deluxe Set
This is a 36-song set that is basically a duophonic issue of Summer Days, Party! and Pet Sounds. It was in mediocre-to-bad condition, but I understand (from allmusic) it has been long out of print.

Thoughts? Rare items? Worth picking up? (They were both pretty cheap.)

As far as I know the C&tP-So Tough / Pet Sounds 2LP was only released in that form in the US. In other countries C&tP was released as a single record. There wasn't a re-release, certainly not in that format, so it's definitely from 1972. Check the registration-nr's: if these are "2MS 2083", and - as you said - it's pretty cheap, go for it!

As for that deluxe set: didn't know about it's existance. Sounds like a nice and unique combination of LP's. Recently I spotted a more recent 3CD package of Today, Summer Days and Smiley Smile, which - as a trilogy - doesn't make sense to me. Today, Summer Days and Pet Sounds would've been a better combi. Tough choice though...how bad is "mediocre-to-bad"? Was it a box-release?

Speaking of strange combinations: C&tP and Pet Sounds is also not the most logic choice when thinking of it.

I have been told the C&tP-So Tough / Pet Sounds 2LP has the best sounding mono Pets Sounds, even better than the original LP release. 

Luther I've seen the BB deluxe set and some people charge dumb amounts for that thing like $200  ::)

Not worth my time if its in duophonic (which I already have anyway).

I appreciate the insights, all. I think at the very least I'll pick up the C&TP/Pet Sounds albums.

This is the box set I was discussing. And to answer the question, yes, it was in a box, but the box was falling apart--even as I picked it up, it wouldn't stay together unless I held it together.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:difwxql5ld0e

The reason "Pet Sounds" came out attached to "Carl & The Passions" is that Brother Records/Warners had just acquired the rights to PS from Capitol, so chances are it was going to be attached to whatever album the group released that year. With only 8 songs, lots of album time devoted to the unknown Blondie/Ricky axis and minimal Brian participation, I'm certain that Warners felt C+TP needed a boost of classic Beach Boys, hence PS being attached (at least it wasn't "Party!"). PS was issued on vinyl on its own by Warners a couple of years later (with that beautiful back cover photo of the spilled peanut bag - easily the best art direction decision ever associated with the album, at least until the green fuzzy 40th anniversary set came out last year).

Oh yeah, the sound quality on the 1972 twofer is fine, but I don't know if it tops the 40th Anniversary CD mono version.

I checked the #, and C&TP/PS is indeed an original release. I bought it.

And so the story ends.

Not exactly - part of the deal with Reprise was that the BB got the rights to all the post-Party Capitol albums (including, if you can believe this, Smile...): hence the LP fers in 1974 of Wild Honey-20/20 and Friends-Smiley Smile.

I've been seeing the Deluxe Set in used record stores since the early 1970s.
Never bit on it....
Though not common, it doesn't seem to command much monetary fervor.

My impression of it is "for completists only".

I still have the CATP/PS that I bought in 73.
The sound never seemed that special to me. I'd listen to my UK import vinyl instead back then.

But the packaging! You don't get those large size graphics on a puny little CD or download, now do you. Brian edited into the photo an all.

The Deluxe Set has a nice cover. The liner notes are probably the best Capitol ones from the sixties.

Sorry that my post was misleading. Certainly Warners felt that CATP needed to be goosed for release in the U.S. so it would be logical to partner it with the best-selling BB release owned by Brother/Reprise at the time.

Does anyone have a picture of this "peanut bag" back cover that they could share?  I'd love to see that!

Geoff