My Very First Beach Boys Release

[Jesse Reiswig]

Yes, folks, I grew up in that godforsaken era they call the era of the cassette.

The very first Beach Boys release I ever got was a budget cassette-only compilation on EMI Special Products called Do It Again, released in 1984.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360506605960?lpid=82

I think I was lucky that this was my first discovery of the Beach Boys' music in that this is not your average 9-song hits compilation. Indeed, my favorite songs on the collection were "Wendy," "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and the live "Graduation Day," which I particularly loved. This was my very first ticket into a larger world. My next purchase was the 1986 Made in USA CD compilation, where I discovered the wild world of "Heroes and Villains" and could scarcely believe my ears. This is the Beach Boys? My 11-year-old mind was blown.

Did anybody else discover the Beach Boys first on cassette or have this particular comp? Just thought I'd take us on a little nostalgia trip today.

[the captain]

My first Beach Boys albums weren't cassette, and I didn't have either of those. But I relate in that I, too, grew up in the era of the cassette. What that meant to me was that I related my parents' copy (or an aunt's, possibly, somehow migrated to our house over time) of the vinyl Endless Summer was understood (by me...god, I hate passive voice) in the context of Sunkist and David Lee Roth, the latter of which was really what I was most interested in--by far. Being tremendously cool as I hit my teens, and thus not remotely interested in that cheesy Sunkist crap, much less "Kokomo" (though I liked the Fat Boys and thus "Wipeout"), it took me another decade or so to get into the Beach Boys in any kind of serious way. Eventually, somewhere in my mid-college years, I was shocked to read that this Beach Boy was apparently some sort of genius and that this Pet Sounds album was not only good, but [what the f***?] great. Bought it, listened to it, absorbed it, yadda yadda yadda*, wrote this post.

Maybe it's too bad I didn't have that comp with H&V. Might've converted me earlier. On the other hand, I was busy proclaiming the glories of Whitesnake and such at the time.

[sockittome]

My first Beach Boys acquisition was on cassette.  A budget compilation called Surf's Up that seemed to have all the right tunes on it (this was back in the mid-80s).  This was my first taste of such tunes as Don't Worry Baby, Catch a Wave, etc.  I played it to death in the car!

My next step was Made in USA on cd, since that was around the time I had made the digital leap.

[Doo Dah]

Ah cassettes! Mix tapes are the best, and still have their fans out there.

I'll take your cassette and raise ya - when Endless Summer came out, I was able to record ES to 8-track (also recorded the Beatles Blue Cover Greatest Hits double). Listened to both 8-tracks constantly while driving around. Truly made the mid seventies an endless summer.

The thing about 8-tracks is they transferred channels after the allotted time per tape (with four channels). If you'd listen to them over and over, the loud CLICK between channels would become a familiar part of the song. You'd get used to it. CLICK.

[Eric Aniversario]

Yes, folks, I grew up in that godforsaken era they call the era of the cassette.

The very first Beach Boys release I ever got was a budget cassette-only compilation on EMI Special Products called Do It Again, released in 1984.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360506605960?lpid=82

I think I was lucky that this was my first discovery of the Beach Boys' music in that this is not your average 9-song hits compilation. Indeed, my favorite songs on the collection were "Wendy," "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and the live "Graduation Day," which I particularly loved. This was my very first ticket into a larger world. My next purchase was the 1986 Made in USA CD compilation, where I discovered the wild world of "Heroes and Villains" and could scarcely believe my ears. This is the Beach Boys? My 11-year-old mind was blown.

Did anybody else discover the Beach Boys first on cassette or have this particular comp? Just thought I'd take us on a little nostalgia trip today.

My first Beach Boys item was also a cassette with this exact same lineup. But it was called something else like "Let's Go Surfin" and had a yellow cover.  I received it as a gift...My mom came home from the store and said, "I got your favorite" and then gave it to me. I was kind of confused, though, because I never remembered expressing interest in the Beach Boys. It was around 1986, and I was about 10 and very into current music. It wasn't until 1991 that I really became a big fan and started purchasing on my own (beginning with Absolute Best Vol. 1). I do remember, though, moving into our newly purchased home in 1988 and playing that cassette repeatedly in the empty house as we waited for furniture to come in. The song I played over and over the most was Surfin Safari. 

[JK]

My very first Beach Boys release was the 45 of "Barbara Ann", which I bought when it came out at the tail end of 1965. I thought it was a wonderfully joyous racket----I still do. 

[Alan Smith]

Long Live the Medley and long live 1981.

We (me and big sister) bought the cassette, then we saved up for the record.  It was a time.

Edit - bafflingly, the collection did not include California Girls, go figure.

[Please delete my account]

http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Beach-Boys-The/release/726715



duh-duh-duh,
duh duh,
duh-duh-duh,
duh duh

[Wah Wah Wah Ooooo]

Not only my first BBs release, but my first cd. Spring of 1993, 11 years old, hooked ever since.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/little-deuce-coupe-special-markets-mr0001310120

[metal flake paint]

My first Beach Boys LP, purchased at Brashs, summer 1988. The best summer of my life!

[Orange Crate Art]

The first BB release I ever owned was Endless Summer on 8-Track tape. I was a little kid at the time. I remember that the cover/label was so bubbled up from the heat that it peeled off at the track listing. I played the hell out of it too. Then, I think in 1980, my parents gave me a vinyl copy of Endless Summer. Probably that same year I got my second BB LP, Surfer Girl at a store called Zayre.

[bringahorseinhere?]

my introduction and first cassette..... still love the songlist....



RickB

[Smilin Ed H]

[Rocker]

Yes, folks, I grew up in that godforsaken era they call the era of the cassette.

The very first Beach Boys release I ever got was a budget cassette-only compilation on EMI Special Products called Do It Again, released in 1984.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360506605960?lpid=82

I think I was lucky that this was my first discovery of the Beach Boys' music in that this is not your average 9-song hits compilation. Indeed, my favorite songs on the collection were "Wendy," "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and the live "Graduation Day," which I particularly loved. This was my very first ticket into a larger world. My next purchase was the 1986 Made in USA CD compilation, where I discovered the wild world of "Heroes and Villains" and could scarcely believe my ears. This is the Beach Boys? My 11-year-old mind was blown.

Did anybody else discover the Beach Boys first on cassette or have this particular comp? Just thought I'd take us on a little nostalgia trip today.

I don't think I ever saw that alternate shot of the well known picture before!


My first Beach Boys release was the great "Summer dreams" CD.




I believe it is still one of the only CDs where you get the original "Cottonfields" mix.

[job]

Best of The Beach Boys Vols 1 & 2 on 8-Track.  Then Endless Summer on vinyl.  Then Made In USA on CD.  Then mad obsession.

[Beachlad]

I confiscated  my dad's 45 of Sufin Safari/409 and my mom's  Beach Boys Concert Lp.  I then purchased Best of the Best Boys Vol 2 on lp. There was not a whole lot available in Columbus at the time at least for a 7 year old in 73. 

[hypehat]

My mum was responsible for all of The Beach Boys' cd's in my house - a copy of 20 Golden Greats that skipped inexplicably on You're So Good To Me and Heroes & Villains, i think, and Pet Sounds. I remember being 14 and asking, after some reading about how Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper were psych masterpieces of pop music in the fucking NME or something, whether I could pinch my mum's copies of both. She said that Sgt Pepper was nice, but Pet Sounds was 'depressing'.

Luckily, I listened anyway.

The first one I bought with my own money was the 72 live album, after seeing BW live (I really wanted a version of Marcella, as I recall). But I got BWPS for my birthday after watching Beautiful Dreamer on the BBC, then I saw BW live.

So either Pet Sounds, BWPS or In Concert.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

On CD.  As it turns out, it was the first and only time I could get excited for new Beach Boys material.   

[Andrew G. Doe]

Pet Sounds, on UK cassette, with a revised running order. Summer 1975.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

BW88 on tape for 99 cents.
After that, Smiley Smile.

[Niko]

Best of the Beach Boys - then Smiley Smile. I started there cuz it had Heroes and Villains and Good Vibrations. Then I made it to Surf's Up after hearing the legends of the title track...after that Smile...and after that full on obsessive fandom.

[alf wiedersehen]

BW88 on tape for 99 cents.
After that, Smiley Smile.

What an interesting way to get into the band. It seems like this would scare most people off, but you kept going.

I bought Pet Sounds because of the hype, wasn't all that crazy about it at first, but still interested. Happened to find this board, posted under a different account name some time ago, and simultaneously listened to Sounds of Summer (my grandfather had three copies of the CD, so I gladly accepted his offer to take one as my own). Thought everything was fine, but obsessed with the Wild Honey material. 

Pet Sounds was my first and made me like the band, Sounds of Summer was my second and made me like the band.

[Ebb and Flow]

Pretty sure I had the same "Do It Again" tape as a youngster in the late 80's.  I listened to one BB tape in particular on my walkman frequently and remember This Car of Mine, Wendy, The Little Girl I Once Knew and the Live Graduation Day being in the track listing, so this comp must be it.

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[Malc]

First album I LISTENED to was my elder sisters copy of All Summer Long, which convinced me, a mighty 12 year-old, to go buy the cassette of Best Of Vol.2 (the store had sold out of Vol.1 I recall) - must've been around '73 - and I spent the early teen years absorbing all the great early summer anthems (wasn't really aware of the SMiLE stuff until later) so imagine how thrilled I was when I heard NEW material was coming out in '76 !! And what did we get ? More classic harmonies and fun in the sun, sun, sun ? Nope ! Boy, was I confused with 15 Big Ones. Still, it led me on to other areas to explore so, as Steve Marriott so eloquently put it... mustn't grumble