what was the first album to release the pre-capitol demos?

[kookadams]

Theres the lost&found album, the surfin album, the greatest hits 61-62 from 1970 and the album 1961 from 72...what album was the first to issue the BBs candix/pre-capitol demos? I.e.: luau, karate, barbie, what is a young girl, judy...

[Shane]

The Wand LP has a 1972 copyright date.

[Andrew G. Doe]

US albums 1962-69

I know I'm blowing my own trumpet ('cause if I don't, who will ?) but really, a lot of this stuff is on 10452.  

[Lonely Summer]

US albums 1962-69

I know I'm blowing my own trumpet ('cause if I don't, who will ?) but really, a lot of this stuff is on 10452.  

And the reason for a message board is for people to ask questions like this...

[bgas]

US albums 1962-69

I know I'm blowing my own trumpet ('cause if I don't, who will ?) but really, a lot of this stuff is on 10452.  

And the reason for a message board is for people to ask questions like this...

And the great thing about having the website is so people can check for facts such as this for themselves

[Jim Murphy]

Hey Kook --

First and foremost, if you have not had a chance yet, treat yourself to checking out Andrew's excellent website, constructed with invaluable input from several knowledgeable Beach Boys' historians including Ian Rusten. One could spend weeks there, roaming around inside like in a favorite bookstore. "Hmm, let's see what this section has?" I consulted the website almost on a daily basis as I was writing my upcoming book Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963 (McFarland).  My book could not have been written without the pioneering work of Andrew, Ian, and several other writers and historians who have added tremendously to our collective knowledge of the band. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.

Now, to your question.

On March 31, 1969, Hite Morgan, doing business as Deck Records, leased duplicate master tapes of eight of the nine songs (Morgan held “Lavender” back) to Herb Newman’s Era Records. Era released them on a vinyl album called The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits. It contained an alternate version of “Barbie” (“You love only me”) which differed slightly from the single released in April 1962 on Randy 422 (“She loves only me”). A single paired “Surfer Girl” with “The Freeze” by Tony and Joe (Era 042).

At the time, Era distributed Happy Tiger Records, a short-lived label for Flying Tigers, the LA-based Air Freight Company, and the album was issued under the joint Happy Tiger/Era label (HTE-805). Rather than feature a photograph or likeness of the Beach Boys, the album cover contained a cartoonish drawing of a suntanned blonde in a bikini standing on the shore holding a surfboard and gazing out at the ocean.

The album inexplicably included “Phantom Surfer” and “Bustin’ Surfboards” by the Tornadoes (misspelled as Tornados). “Phantom Surfer,” written by Dorinda Morgan and Rue Barclay, but credited to Dorinda only, was published by Prestige Publishing Company, the Morgan’s firm with ASCAP. “Bustin’ Surfboards,” published by Mate Music, BMI, was incorrectly credited to Prestige. The three Beach Boys songs previously credited as written by Bruce Morgan (“Luau,” “Barbie,” and “What Is a Young Girl Made Of?”) were now credited to Dorinda and the publishing of the latter two changed from Guild Music to Prestige.

[Custom Machine]

Is there any documented evidence as to when The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits was actually released?  Brad Elliot's book says "Spring 1969" and Andrew's discography notes "  /69", i.e., month in 1969 unknown.

As a a person who very frequent perused local record stores at the time, especially the Beach Boys section, the first time I ever saw a copy of, and immediately purchased, The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits was in March 1970.  Granted, ERA was a small label, and people weren't clamoring for Beach Boys product at the time, but is there any documented evidence that the album was actually released sometime in 1969, as opposed to early 1970 when I first saw it?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Yes. I've handled a copy, and seen pictures of others.

Of course, I could be a liar and a phony, as one Carol Kaye has claimed.  

Also, Elliott's book was, essentially, an inventory of the Reum collection.

[Custom Machine]

Yes. I've handled a copy, and seen pictures of others.

AGD - Are you talking about The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits on ERA?  I've got a copy, purchased, as mentioned above, in March 1970.  My question was, is there any evidence that the album actually came out in 1969, rather than early 1970, when I first saw it?

Jim Murphy says "On March 31, 1969, Hite Morgan, doing business as Deck Records, leased duplicate master tapes of eight of the nine songs (Morgan held “Lavender” back) to Herb Newman’s Era Records. Era released them on a vinyl album called The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits."  But he doesn't say when the album containing these tracks was actually released. 

Perhaps Mr. Murphy and Mr. Reum could chime in here, since Mr. Elliot's book says the album was released "Spring 1969".  I've often wondered about this release date, and yours of "  /69" since back then I spent a ton of time going thru the bins of numerous record stores in San Diego, especially checking out The Beach Boys, and I never saw this album for sale until March 1970.

[Andrew G. Doe]

So Era waited over nine months to release the masters they leased from Morgan ?  Seriously ?

[Jim Murphy]

I am unsure of the exact release date, but it seems reasonable Era Records would have released it shortly after leasing the masters from Hite.

So, I would guess April 1969.  I think Peter and Brad were pretty much on the money with "Spring 1969."

[bgas]

Yes. I've handled a copy, and seen pictures of others.

AGD - Are you talking about The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits on ERA?  I've got a copy, purchased, as mentioned above, in March 1970.  My question was, is there any evidence that the album actually came out in 1969, rather than early 1970, when I first saw it?

Jim Murphy says "On March 31, 1969, Hite Morgan, doing business as Deck Records, leased duplicate master tapes of eight of the nine songs (Morgan held “Lavender” back) to Herb Newman’s Era Records. Era released them on a vinyl album called The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits."  But he doesn't say when the album containing these tracks was actually released. 

Perhaps Mr. Murphy and Mr. Reum could chime in here, since Mr. Elliot's book says the album was released "Spring 1969".  I've often wondered about this release date, and yours of "  /69" since back then I spent a ton of time going thru the bins of numerous record stores in San Diego, especially checking out The Beach Boys, and I never saw this album for sale until March 1970.

Man, that's a long time ago! You must be older than the hills by now, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were mixing up 1969 with 1970...

[Custom Machine]

So Era waited over nine months to release the masters they leased from Morgan ?  Seriously ?

Are you serious in asking "Seriously?"?

I'd assume by this point in time that you'd be familiar enough with the record business to know that, for a variety of reasons, companies have frequently held on to material long before it is finally released.  Or have you joined the ranks of Phil Cohen and decided that if a record isn't released immediately that means it will never be released at a later date?  

For sure it seems reasonable that the album in question would have been released some time in 1969, but since I'd never seen it prior to March 1970, I was simply asking if there was any documented evidence as to the actual release date, which at this point we don't seem to have.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, "Granted, ERA was a small label, and people weren't clamoring for Beach Boys product at the time," so it's possible that many months transpired from the time the record was released to the time any of the well known (and lesser known) San Diego record stores bothered to stock the album.  

A simple reason the album might not have been released until early 1970 (and I'm not saying it wasn't released earlier) - this was the first US album of BB material to be released on a label other than Capitol.  So due to potential litigation concerns, Era could have decided to play it safe and wait until the BBs Capitol contract was over and the first Warner/Reprise release took place, which happened in Feb. 1970.  This scenario would also require the two Era 45s to have not seen release until this time as well, although the Starline site lists those 45s as having been released "Spring 1969".  Hopefully there is some documentation or purchase evidence to indicate that those 45's were in fact released in the spring of 1969, which would then imply that the album likely saw release during the same time period.  (BTW, the Starline site says "The Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits" was a budget release, but my copy, purchased at White Front, was stickered at level E full price, $3.38.)

Like I said, the fact that I didn't come across this album until March 1970 doesn't mean it wasn't released earlier.  But sometimes someone throws out a date and then its repeated by others with no real documentation.  An example would be the date of the Beach Boys appearance at Taft HS, supposedly on Thurs Nov. 22, 1962, which was Thanksgiving day.  That date if often seen on the web attributed to Sally Landry, along with a description of the event and the times surrounding it.  I contacted Sally, and I'm sure Jim did too, and she said the write-up is hers, but she does not recall the date and never said it was Nov. 22.  Someone else copied Sally's write-up, then appended what appears to be an incorrect date, and reposted it.

So yeah, it seems logical that this album was released in 1969, but I'm still curious if there is some documentation of the date, and if so, perhaps an exact month.

[Custom Machine]

Man, that's a long time ago! You must be older than the hills by now, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were mixing up 1969 with 1970...

Absolutely not!  I distinctly recall buying this album the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and Nixon was sworn in as president - 1970!!

[drbeachboy]

Man, that's a long time ago! You must be older than the hills by now, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were mixing up 1969 with 1970...

Absolutely not!  I distinctly recall buying this album the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and Nixon was sworn in as president - 1970!!

Walk on Moon, 1969. Nixon sworn in as president, 1968.

[LeeDempsey]

According to this document:

http://heroinc.hostingsiteforfree.com/monarch/MonarchNumbers.pdf

which compiles the pressing "delta" numbers of Monarch Record Manufacturing Company (so named because the serial numbers scratched into the trail-out grooves were preceded with a triangle or "delta") the delta number of 14050 on the lacquers for THE BEACH BOYS BIGGEST BEACH HITS would indicate a November 1969 manufacturing date.  If the lacquers weren't cut until November, it could very well be December, or even January before the album was pressed, packaged, and distributed.

Lee

[Steve Mayo]

I had a copy of this lp and a test pressing for it also. I remember I bought it in early 1970..right before add some music was released. don't know when it actually was released but that is when I saw and bought it.


of course one can buy it rereleased from Canada here with a different cover:  http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Biggest-Beach-Hits/release/1802111

[CenturyDeprived]

I had a copy of this lp and a test pressing for it also. I remember I bought it in early 1970..right before add some music was released. don't know when it actually was released but that is when I saw and bought it.


of course one can buy it rereleased from Canada here with a different cover:  http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Biggest-Beach-Hits/release/1802111

For the people who bought this right around the time when it came out... what were your thoughts at the time? Pre-internet, it must've been an odd, yet exciting experience suddenly hearing all these previously-unreleased very early BB tunes, songs that most everyone probably never knew existed. And did people wonder if this was a bootleg (since it almost seemed grey area anyway)?

[Steve Mayo]

it was a wtf moment for sure for me. I listened to it a couple of times and filed it away. in jan 1970 I was 16 years old. I don't think I even knew what a bootleg was then...   

[Custom Machine]

Man, that's a long time ago! You must be older than the hills by now, so it wouldn't be surprising if you were mixing up 1969 with 1970...

Absolutely not!  I distinctly recall buying this album the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and Nixon was sworn in as president - 1970!!

Walk on Moon, 1969. Nixon sworn in as president, 1968.

Thought my comment above, where I stated that a couple of well known events that occurred in 1969 actually took place in 1970, would be taken as an obvious joke.  For the record, yes, the walk on the moon was July 21, 1969, but while Nixon was elected as president in November 1968, he was not sworn in as president until Jan. 20, 1969.

[Custom Machine]

According to this document:

http://heroinc.hostingsiteforfree.com/monarch/MonarchNumbers.pdf

which compiles the pressing "delta" numbers of Monarch Record Manufacturing Company (so named because the serial numbers scratched into the trail-out grooves were preceded with a triangle or "delta") the delta number of 14050 on the lacquers for THE BEACH BOYS BIGGEST BEACH HITS would indicate a November 1969 manufacturing date.  If the lacquers weren't cut until November, it could very well be December, or even January before the album was pressed, packaged, and distributed.

Lee

Thank you, Lee!  That's the kind of info I was looking for.  So it's safe to say that the earliest the record could have been released would be late 1969, and could easily be early 1970.

Brad Elliott's book lists the release date as "Sprlng 1969", which I presume was a rough estimate on his part, as he confirmed to me years ago that he had estimated some dates in his book.  Once that date (or season and year, to be exact) was in print, then it was taken as gospel by many, although Lee Dempsey's research shows that it's obviously incorrect.

 

[Custom Machine]

I had a copy of this lp and a test pressing for it also. I remember I bought it in early 1970..right before add some music was released. don't know when it actually was released but that is when I saw and bought it.

of course one can buy it rereleased from Canada here with a different cover:  http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Biggest-Beach-Hits/release/1802111

Thanks for the info, Steve.  This further indicates that the album may have been released in early 1970.

[Custom Machine]

I had a copy of this lp and a test pressing for it also. I remember I bought it in early 1970..right before add some music was released. don't know when it actually was released but that is when I saw and bought it.

of course one can buy it rereleased from Canada here with a different cover:  http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Biggest-Beach-Hits/release/1802111

For the people who bought this right around the time when it came out... what were your thoughts at the time? Pre-internet, it must've been an odd, yet exciting experience suddenly hearing all these previously-unreleased very early BB tunes, songs that most everyone probably never knew existed. And did people wonder if this was a bootleg (since it almost seemed grey area anyway)?

I was dumbfounded when I first saw this record, unaware of the existence of most of the tracks on the album and anxious to hear them.  The cover said, "These are the songs of the early Beach Boys ... in the beginning."  I was also surprised that this material was on a smaller label like Era, but assumed perhaps Capitol had the rights to the unreleased material, and then gave the stuff to a small label when the BBs went to Warner/Reprise.  Still, the existence of the album seemed very surprising to me, especially when I heard Surfin' Safari and especially Surfer Girl, both obvious early versions.  I was also disappointed to discover that two of the tracks listed on the back album cover were not by the Beach Boys, but by the Tornadoes, although in truth I considered their instrumental Bustin' Surfboards to be one of the best tracks on the album.

For sure it was a huge stretch to call this collection "The BBs Biggest Beach Hits".  I played the album a little, but not a whole lot.  At that time I was anxiously awaiting the BBs first Brother/Reprise album, 'Add Some Music', "slated for release in April".  Although I don't have any specific recollections of doing so, I'm sure I played this album for my BB expert friend Ross, who probably told me these sounded like early recordings done when the BBs were on Candix, and were most likely finally being released now that the band was no longer under contract to Capitol.

[bgas]

I had a copy of this lp and a test pressing for it also. I remember I bought it in early 1970..right before add some music was released. don't know when it actually was released but that is when I saw and bought it.


of course one can buy it rereleased from Canada here with a different cover:  http://www.discogs.com/Beach-Boys-Biggest-Beach-Hits/release/1802111

Sad for all the lost stuff.  I wonder how many test pressing they would have made for something like that. and where they are now... 

Certain that buy the ERA LP newly upon release I didn't.

[LeeDempsey]

According to this document:

http://heroinc.hostingsiteforfree.com/monarch/MonarchNumbers.pdf

which compiles the pressing "delta" numbers of Monarch Record Manufacturing Company (so named because the serial numbers scratched into the trail-out grooves were preceded with a triangle or "delta") the delta number of 14050 on the lacquers for THE BEACH BOYS BIGGEST BEACH HITS would indicate a November 1969 manufacturing date.  If the lacquers weren't cut until November, it could very well be December, or even January before the album was pressed, packaged, and distributed.

Lee

I also found this article in the August 2, 1969 issue of Billboard:

Happy Tiger Line to GRT
LOS ANGELES - Newly formed Happy Tiger Records has given its 8-track and cassette rights to GRT.  Happy Tiger will also provide GRT with product from Era Records, with which it recently worked out a distribution agreement.
Among the acts on Happy Tiger are newly acquired Roberta Sherwood, and Lynn Kellogg of the New York cast of "Hair."
The labels' other acts are Red Rhodes and the Detours, Priscilla Paris, and Buddy Bohn.
Happy Tiger's executive team includes president Robert Reiter and Don Peake, a&r vice president.  Herb Newman operates Era.

There is no mention of the Beach Boys release, which I think would be big news.

Since the singles were purely on the Era label, and the LP was on the Era / Distributed by Happy Tiger imprint, I think we may be talking two different timeframes -- perhaps spring of 1969 for the first pressing of the singles, and late fall / winter for the album.

Lee