That would be the Summer Love Songs conp from 2009. Called Fallin' In Love on this one btw.

Wow. I missed that detail regarding that comp. Admittedly, I like that song--but don't love it. Y'know: LOVE it. Still, hearing a pristine mix may make a fan out of me.

It also makes the omission of "Sound of Free" even more vexing since if they have the master of "Falling in Love" and include it on a recent comp, then they probably have everything they need to release the A-side. But as Mikie pointed out, it is pretty muddled sounding. Sounds like the tape is saturated with overdubs, God bless 'em.

All this talk of "Sound of Free" got me to thinking about another Dennis Wilson classic from that era: "4th of July." What a killer track. I see on Allmusic.com that it's been released on some random comps since the 1993 box set. Has anyone ever heard these comps? Has this song been remastered in this century (although I must admit, I've never taken any issue with the mixing or mastering of the tracks on that box set)?

it's logical to say that the fact that the Add Some Music To Your Day single only managing the top 70 and the Sunflower album hovering at #151 did not seem to indicate much interest in a solo single of Dennis', no matter how good.

Those numbers always shock me, just how low they went. I shouldn't be shocked, but I just hate getting so cynical that I'd hear a fact like that and say, "Yeah, well what do you expect? That's the way consumerism is." I'm just glad they followed their own paths.

I was thinking about Sound Of Free last night,

We do that, don't we? Think about this kind of stuff. Last night, in bed with the wife, she's reading People and says, "Wow. 1983? Mila Kunis was born in 1983? She's only 28?!" And since I was mid-thought about Dennis, I said, "It's all relative. You're thinking, 'She's only 28!' and I'm thinking, 'Wow, Dennis has been dead for 28 years?!'"

I've been wondering what the various labels have in store for the 50th Anniversary (beyond the Smile box). Is there a thread that speculates what we can expect/hope for?

I'm a 20 Beach Boys veteran, although I'm ashamed to admit I'm in my 40s. I missed listening to them on a steady basis in the 70s and 80s thanks to the anti-Beach Boys stigma that was so pervasive in my home town and grade school. So silly of me! So many years to make up for!

Anyway, I couldn't find a thread devoted exclusively to this song, so I figure I'd start one.

I love "The Sound of Free," and don't know much about it. Perhaps someone here can shed some light, whether it be fact or myth (hopefully clarifying one from the other!). Why wasn't it released in the States? Why has it yet to be officially released on CD anywhere? (Is that still the case?) Who owns it? Etc?

I e-mailed Daryl Dragon the other day, on the off, off chance that he had the master of it or knew its fate. He responded immediately (swell guy!), but confirmed that he's also in the dark on this one.

Like so much post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys music, I'm stumped by this song's place in the scheme of things. To me, it's an immediately gratifying and very clearly a great single. Maybe not a hit--OK, def. not a hit--but certainly as strong as anything on Sunflower, and since the 45 label says its the property of Brother Records and it's co-written by Mike, it seems like it'd be welcome company on a BBs compilation or box set.

It's one of those head-scratchers, at least for me. Mostly, I'm just bummed out that I can only hear it in compromised quality (I'm not a collector of 45s).

And so for my first-ever thread, I toss this out to you guys!