The Smiley Smile Message Board

When the single was released back in 1970, I know that "Cottonfields" was released in mono, but how about the flip side "The Nearest Faraway Place"? Was it in stereo like the LP, a dedicated mono mix, or was it a fold-down (stereo to mono)? Thanks.

US: Capitol 2765 = stereo
UK: Capitol CL 15640 = mono fold-down

[brain fart]  :thud

Availability for this single was a joke-couldn't find it in Philly anywhere-finally found it while visiting Livonia, Michigan.

It really was! I had a helluva time finding both the Cottonfields and Break Away singles. I remember collecting all the singles in the early 70's, maybe 1973 or 1974. I had all the original U.S. Capitol singles (yellow/orange swirl label) and the last one I needed was Cottonfields. Here was a single released only 3 or 4 years prior, it was deleted from the Capitol Records calalog and all the other ones were much easier to obtain than Cottonfields (and Break Away). Finally I found it in a record shop about 150 miles away. The owner called me up and he said, "I just got this 45 in, so you'd better hurry up and get up here fast or I'll sell it!" 15 bucks. It was mint so it was worth all the trouble.  I dunno why it became 'rare' or at least hard to get so fast in the early 70's. Maybe Capitol didn't press so many of these particular singles.

Then I picked up the Sunflower import from the UK and Cotton Fields was on there. Note that the single in the U.S. was spelled "Cottonfields" and the UK version spelled "Cotton Fields".

I picked up Break Away in the summer of 69, right at release time. I believe I bought it at Woolworth's in the Germantown section of Philly. I wasn't even aware that it had been released. Sometime around the end of July, I was driving with my folks to Atlantic City and lo and behold there was a billboard for "Carl Wilson and The Beach Boys". I saw them at the afternoon show that same day. Break Away, Carl said, was their new single. This was my first time of some 30+ times that I saw them live between 1969 - 1997.

Interesting to hear that some promoters where billing the group as "Carl Wilson and The Beach Boys" at this time, even if Carl was undeniably the main attraction at this point.

I've never actually seen a Cottonfields 45.  Am I correct in assuming it has a "bullseye" label as opposed to a "swirl"?

"bullmerda"?  WTF?  How did we get from bulls + eye to what the board thought I typed?  :p

What's a bullmerda label?

I'm talking about U.S. Capitol 45's. With exception to the "Heroes & Villains/You're Welcome" and "Gettin' Hungry/Devoted To You" Capitol/Brother 45's, all of the Capitol singles from Surfin' Safari/409" through "I Can Hear Music/All I Want To Do" had yellow and orange 'swirl' labels. The Break Away and Cottonfields singles had red and orange 'target' labels.

I believe I saw you there-I remember that Dennis had a bit of difficulty getting started on Breakaway-It took him 2 or 3 attempts-Carl turned around and gave him a not so brotherly look. Steel Pier was a small venue so there wasn't a bad seat in the house-it was not well attended. They sounded great though. Does anyone remember "Dennis Wilson and the Beach Boys"?

"Dennis Wilson and The Beach Boys" doesn't seem that far fetched. I've always thought of Sunflower as a very Dennis lead album.

Yeah, Steel Pier, it was. It was a fairly small room with no seating. We all stood for the entire show and the room was about 3/4's full. My father walked in to get me, saw Bruce on stage and told me that before the show he was BS-ing with him sitting on a bench. My Dad had no idea who he was and thought it was just some hippie, barefoot with dirty white jeans.

We were staying in Wildwood for the week. It was a cloudy day, maybe rain too. On those types of days, we would drive up Route 9 and spend the day on Steel Pier. I'm pretty sure that was the road that the billboard was on too. It was the only time that I ever seen them advertised like that. Carl was the touring bandleader and I think we was named on performance contracts. Maybe they just used the contract naming when they prepared the billboard advertisement. Yes, it was a terrific show and I still have the poster that I bought after the show.

Saw the same billboard on our way to the show-It was a Steel Pier billboard used only for their acts. I remember how cool it was hearing the waves under the pier between songs.  Unreal.

Okay, the "target" label.  I wasn't sure what the proper term was for it.  I was thinking "bulls eye" but it posted as something else.

Anyway, you answered my question.  Thanks.

Target or bulls eye - whatever you want it to be. The Capitol yellow/orange "swirl" 45 RPM label design was first issued in January, 1962. In the Summer of 1969, Capitol replaced the Capitol dome logo with a "C" logo on a red and orange "target" label.

"Bullmerda label" is probably what Brian was thinking of Capitol when they failed to properly promote Pet Sounds!

So, if "Surfin'" would have somehow been released on Capitol rather than Candix in '61, what would the label look like?

If it was released on Capitol instead of Candix, it probably woulda looked just like the "Surfin' Safari" label without the "Safari". Ya think?

"Surfin'" not only came out on Candix but also on the 'X' label, don't ferget.

Added to which, there is a Dutch issue which features the same reprocessed stereo version of the A-side as on the UK "Sunflower" album. Real stereo B-side, though. Not sure of the catalogue number as I don't have it any more. Sorry. From the design of its label, it may have been a reissue.

Purple label like this:

(http://i38.tinypic.com/xdvz4k.gif)