The Smiley Smile Message Board

I don't know if this was posted yet but...

I stopped by local record shop today for Record Store Day. To my surprise I found a new 45 rpm by The Sunrays which features the unreleased Murry Wilson song 'Won't You Tell Me'. The really cool thing is that Dennis Wilson assisted with the production. Nice liner notes and stories about Murry, Dennis, and the Beach Boys.


http://www.sundazed.com/shop/record-store-day.php


The Sunrays - Our Leader / Won't You Tell Me
The Sunrays
Our Leader / Won't You Tell Me
Colored Vinyl
7" single • $8.98
S 283

When the Beach Boys fired their manager-father Murry Wilson in 1964, he recruited a young group — the Sunrays — to mentor as he had his own children. The ’Rays took on sun, fun and girls in songs like “I Live For the Sun” and “Andrea”—heavily influenced by Brian Wilson's rich, intricate production work for the Beach Boys—which became huge regional hits. As a thank you, the Sunrays wrote and recorded “Our Leader” for Murry, a heartfelt tribute to one of rock music’s most storied personalities. Presented to Wilson on Christmas Eve 1965, the track is as polished and produced as any of the group’s released records, and even features the mixed time signatures and a cappella sections that Brian would explore in depth the following year with Smile! Plus, “Won't You Tell Me” is the classic lost recording from the Wilson circle, a demo for a song Murry had written for his sons, featuring members of the Sunrays and the Wrecking Crew—along with assistance from Dennis Wilson—emulating the Beach Boys sound and achieving something as complex and moving as anything on the group's greatest album of the period, Sunflower. Neither track was originally issued, and both appear here on vinyl for the first time. Also features rare photos and an insert with notes by original Sunrays member Rick Henn. The sunny and soulful sounds of the Sunrays!

    First-ever vinyl issue for both tracks!
    Rare photos, plus notes by founding Sunrays member Rick Henn!
    1965-styled picture sleeve with vintage full color Sunrays photos!

Record Store Day Limited Edition 7-inch

Anyone else see this? A nice Beach Boy-related collectable.

very cool! i want it.

some great releases today

Is it the same version that was on Get the Boot? Who sings lead on it?

Sounds fantastic, dare I say as good as some beach boys tracks.

better than very, very many. Even better than several tracks from that era as well.

Maybe the two of you need to find another board , for a group more to your liking

I'm gonna guess it's the Rick Henn vocal and the same mix as featured on The Sunrays' Vintage Rays anthology.

Yeah, released on 45 rpm vinyl for the first time. Either way the liner notes and photos alone make this a nice Beach Boys collectable worth purchasing. I don't know if Sundazed remastered the tracks or not but they sound really good. Rick Henn vocal.

Please post a link for it here soon!

Yep I was lucky enough to get a copy ( very nice too )

Yer kidding, right?

The story behind Dennis' involvement is detailed in the liner notes for The Sunrays' 1996 box set "Vintage Rays" on the Collectibles label. Essentially, it was recorded as a demo for The Beach Boys (and Brian and Carl both recorded vocal tracks for it later). Dennis showed up unexpectedly at the tracking session and contributed some production ideas.

It's been out on CD for 18 years.