Yeah, I don't think that Love/Jardine faction is as strong as it used to be....

True that. What is at the heart of their conflict? I think more so than any other messed up interpersonal dynamics among the Beach Boys the Al/Mike divide is the widest. What caused this divide? It seems to go back over 20 years, as Al was suspended from participating much in the Summer in Paradise sessions (much to his chagrin, no doubt!)

You are a wise, wise man pixletwin (as I wait here chomping at the bit for a package that hasn't left the Golden State yet)

Pixle, did you order from importcds.com?

It would be up to Brian considering the Love/Jardine pair and the Carl/Dennis pair were always tight and it was Brian who went back and forth between the two but you'd have to think Carl and Dennis would be with Brian, no real question about it.

Sunflower is a personal album for me because it is the first album I listened to when I started to "dig deep" with the Beach Boys. Hearing Dennis on "Slip on Through" really showed me that this wasn't "my mother's Beach Boys." This Whole World remains my favorite track of the Boys so opening this strongly for me makes Sunflower a strong album. I happen to like both of the Bruce tracks here so for me it is a no doubt Top 3 Beach Boys album, right up there with Today! and Smile on my personal list (like Brian Wilson himself I find that I have to be in a certain mood for Pet Sounds)....

Never met any of the BB so maybe this doesn't belong here (Ok, it definitely doesn't belong here, but I like to share my BB fandom history at any rate)...

Throughout my life thought the Beach Boys were a corny surfin/cars/fun, fun, fun light music band that was NOT to be taken seriously. I vacillated between loving The Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra to Genesis. One day while browsing in a Best Buy I decided to buy Sounds of Summer and give these Beach Boys a legitimate try. I was shocked by how many hits they had, but still I couldn't put that thought in my mind that they were just light, airy, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously.

My wife & her father saw the M & B Beach Boys in 2009 or so but I knew enough to not have that be my Beach Boys experience. Although my band history was very rudimentary then I skipped out on the show because Brian Wilson wouldn't be there.

Skip ahead to 5/19/12 and I saw the C-50 stop at The Borgata in Atlantic City. I was hypnotized by Brian's presence and that has launched me into a period of obsession that has continued pretty much unabated since then.

I purchased all their easy-to-obtain 2fers (no MIU/LA--got that on iTunes) used through Amazon resellers (about $4 each on average) and purchased all the literature I could about all things Beach Boys, again used.

Now I anxiously await the arrival of MiC by listening to Summer In Paradise for the first time this morning (finally found a free download online--I am comedically inept with PCs) and some Landlocked.

Seeing Brian & Jeff Beck in October in Philly where my Beach Boys obsession will continue unabated for the next undefined period of time. Smiley Smile keeps me fueled and I love the idea of these types of fan pages. I imagine us all at a large cocktail party engaged in many different side conversations simultaneously and for that, I am very grateful that Al Gore invented this thing called the internet.

Thanks for reading this lengthy and generally-unrelated post. Cheers!

Since I live in New Jersey and am surrounding by high quality root beer at Stewart's Drive In I kinda like "Chug-a-lug."

The Shift gets my vote (again)

If you live near a used record/cd store you should be able to pick up a good used copy. Try Amazon resellers where I've fed my recent Beach Boys obsession with everything from 1 cent Brian Wilson bios (most would agree that's all this ghost written bio is worth anyway) to $4 twofers to a $20 used Good Vibrations box. I got everything on my used box except the Beach Boys decal. If you're on this board I think it'd be worth your while to have the whole box set. Just my 2 cents.

I love Bruce's vocal on "At My Window" myself--I know it's not "his" song but a great effort on vocals there. I, too, would like to know what happened to his desire to compose new music.

Yeah I agree...which is why a song like 409 may just conquer Surfin' Safari. To a casual fan it's no question SS would trump all but I think fanatics like ourselves may prefer 409...we shall see. SS already received a vote to go in round 1 so ya never know.

Thanks Ian! A simple google search would have revealed that info to me...sorry for the bother...interesting to read this:

"A little over a year after their first triumphant appearance at New York's Shea Stadium, The Beatles returned for a second time.

The concert did not sell out, with 11,000 of the 55,600 tickets still available."

It is hard to fathom these lack of sellouts in today's day and age where everyone seems to be anxious to score tickets to the next big sporting event or concert using presales and the like (including me to see Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck in Philly in October!)

I haven't actually gone through the steps of ordering, but in theory if you hold a Target Red card (debit or credit) you would save 5% off of the price and have free shipping. 5% off of the retail price (pre-tax) of $117.99 would make Target $112.09 + tax with free shipping. Worth a look:

http://www.target.com/p/made-in-california/-/A-14700924#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=made+in+california

Reading and thoroughly enjoying my tour through Beach Boy concert dates in 1966 and I read about their show at Yankee Stadium on 6/10/66. The Boys performed on a ticket with Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, the Guess Who, the Byrds, the Marvelettes, among others and draw a paltry 9,000 fans?!? The comment reads for this show reads, in part:

"...only 9,000 attended this show due to heavy rain. Joe Cohen of Variety theorized that teens might also have been saving their money for the upcoming Beatles show at Shea Stadium"

I was taken aback by this comment as the Beatles were the first major act to perform in a large stadium (or so I thought). Further research shows that The Beatles played at Shea on 8/15/65, about 10 months prior to this show at Yankee Stadium. Is this is mistake on Joe Cohen of Variety's part or did The Beatles play a 2nd show at Shea? I'm confused....

The Shift--I know Mike was 21 at the time but there's still something creepy about him singing "She'll ball it with her shift on and we'll have a good time"

I decided I'm gonna kick it old school and walk into a Best Buy after work Tuesday and see what price they have it and IF they even have a copy. As Best Buy gets swallowed hole by online retailers I rarely find what I want and if I do it's rarely the price I want but since MiC has me as excited as a school kid I'll do what I did when I was a school kid and hope that I walk into Best Buy and get "the goods." I'm giving me a 25% chance of success/happiness here but I don't like to order box sets by mail (too much risk of damaged disks in shipment).

With this particular slate of songs really anything could go at any time. I personally think 409 will stand as the sole survivor here. That and County Fair are about the only tracks without votes yet, I think....

 There are very few Dennis tracks I really like.  WIBNTLA probably sucks.

Careful...them kind of words will get you lynched in these parts!!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I fully expect a lot of stuff to be "album only" on this set...not at all atypical for a release of this nature on iTunes.

He looks more like the 1970s Brian from that pic of him with a beard. I fail to see how John Cusack is gonna pull off the "older" Brian better than this guy would.

Blondie's lead certainly adds something that Carl's does not. Sounds great. This plus the Help me Rhonda leak seem to indicate that those disk 5 live tracks will all have great sound quality!

Summertime Blues

Summertime Blues. I agree with earlier post--great tune but an uninspired cover.

Is that really Carl Wilson in that picture on page 373? The bearded guy to the right looks nothing like him.

Love the book--it's kept me busy through the last few weeks and I love the rare pics.

Solid 5.

Scored 11th row aisle seats in the left orchestra for the Tower show. **fingers crossed** that Brian's big white grand doesn't prevent me from seeing him...can't wait!

I am sorry but I am new to the board and have very quickly become obsessed with all things Beach Boys and Wrecking Crew. Could anyone shed some light on this Carol Kaye "banning?"