Which came first: M.I.U. or the Christmas album

[peerke]

Famously the backing tracks of the songs recorded in Fairfield were used both for Christmas songs and for "normal" songs. I’ve heard two versions about these sessions.

One version says that Mike, Alan and Brian travelled to Fairfield to record a Christmas record, as their last album for Capitol. When it wasn’t used, they took the backing tracks and re-used them with new lyrics for the M.I.U. album. 

Another version says that they went to M.I.U. to record the first album for CBS. After a few weeks they learned that Warner/Reprise had rejected Adult/Child, so they had react fast. They took the backing tracks of the new songs and add seasonal lyrics. An instant album!

Which is the right version?
Can anyone shed some light on this?

[Eric Aniversario]

I've heard both too, but I'd bet on the latter.  The Christmas songs just sound too clunky lyrically to be the originals intended for those tracks.  For sure, "Santa's Got An Airplane" came later, by a few years.  The others I'm not 100% sure about, but I'd still bet the Christmas tracks all came later.  Just an educated guess, not necessarily the true story.

[MBE]

The story I assumed was true was that they recorded both at the same time trying to give the Xmas to WB and the new songs to CBS. I know that sounds bone headed but the group was splintering and needed to get product out.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Yet there were far better tracks still in the archives.

Figures.

[Bicyclerider]

The problem with the second scanario is this - if they were working on the CBS album, and then realized they had one more album to give Warner's, why suddenly rerecord those songs as Christmas songs - why not just continue recording the songs as they were and give them that as an album?  That would be less work.  Once they'd been altered as Christmas songs they would be unusable on the first CBS album anyway.  And eventually that's what they did with the MIU album, give them the songs they were working on for the CBS album.

So what gave them the idea that a Christmas album was the way to go for Warner's?

So to me the first scenario is more likely - they knew they owed Warner's an album before going to MIU and thought a Christmas LP would be a quick and easy way to fulfill their obligation, started the Christmas LP and when that was rejected, worked the songs over to the MIU versions.  Of course several of the songs had been written and partially or completely recorded already (Peggy Sue for example) so for those the lyrics were rewritten.

[Sheriff John Stone]

So to me the first scenario is more likely - they knew they owed Warner's an album before going to MIU and thought a Christmas LP would be a quick and easy way to fulfill their obligation, started the Christmas LP and when that was rejected, worked the songs over to the MIU versions.

That's how I see it also...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Certainly they knew they owed Reprise one last album and wanted to get it over and done with. I originally thought that the scenario was record Xmas album-company rejected it-rework it into MIU. Snag is, there's some evidence that some of the California Feeling tracks were also cut at MIU, and to cut a Christmas album in October/November is about as bright as, say, releasing a Christmas 45 on 12/27. remember, the Xmas project was done and dusted, to the point of being sequenced. That's an odd one, for sure.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

What were the tracks for the "California Feeling" project?

Well, aside from the title track, of course...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Early version of MIU, thus:

Side 1
Match Point Of Our Love
Pitter Patter
Sweet Sunday Kinda Love
Belles Of Paris
My Diane

Side 2
She's Got Rhythm
Our Team
Hey Little Tomboy
Kona Coast
Won'tcha Come Out Tonight
How's About A Little Bit Of Your Sweet Lovin'

[XY]

and to cut a Christmas album in October/November is about as bright as, say, releasing a Christmas 45 on 12/27.

Logically it doesn't make sense, but in the BB's case, everything is possible...
Remember when the '74 Christmas Single was released?
BTW, was the B-Side "Susie Cincinatti" the 1970 Single mix?

[matt-zeus]

I would have thought that in the case of Peggy Sue, who in their right mind would come up with the idea to change the lyrics first then record a track (I know this is the Beach Boys we're dealing with), it just sounds like a poor idea:

Mike: Hey Al, i've got a great idea!
Al: What's that Mike
Mike: You know how we re-recorded Sweet little sixteen with Surfing lyrics, how about Peggy Sue re-recorded with Christmas lyrics!
Al: That's a great idea Mike, what time is my bus?

I can't see that as being viable. The only way I can fathom it is if the Peggy Sue backing track was recorded first with the intention being to record a straight cover, then it changed to a Christmas song, then it changed back again once the Christmas album was (rightly) rejected. Thats what I think anyway.

[Bicyclerider]

Peggy Sue was a 15 Big Ones leftover, was it not?  So yes, it was already recorded and then the idea of changing the lyrics to a Christmas song with the half baked Christmas idea happened when they were looking for tracks to fill the album.

[Smilin Ed H]

I know that Brian vetoed the use of California Feelin' on California Feelin' (and what's wrong with that?), but does the fact that the album had that title originally mean that a full band version of the track existed before the '1978' version that clearly features Bruce or was Bruce actually present on a 77 version (and, of course, had this been the case and had it been released, he would've been on EVERY BB album from Summer Days onwards)?  I'm aware of the Spring version with Rocky and that there's a demo version (the one White refers to in Nearest Faraway Place, perhaps?), but not a 77 version. Just curious.

[MBE]

Spring cut it in 1977 Brian cut it in 74, and the Beach Boys recut it in 1978. I guess they were going to put the 1974 version on there.

[pixletwin]

Ahhhh... The 1974 California Feelin' is currently the Holy Grail of recordings to me... 

[the captain]

Ahhhh... The 1974 California Feelin' is currently the Holy Grail of recordings to me... 

Yeah...I don't know. For me, it's one thing to seek out music that was to be part of Smile. But California Feelin' is a mediocre song that seems better just because of the dreck* the band was doing in the mid-to-late 70s. I'd like to hear that version...but I wouldn't go out of my way or pay an exorbitant sum for it.

*Is that how you spell dreck?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

That's the right spelling.

Me personally, I'd die to hear it, as it is the last known recording of Brian's vocals before they turned into the croak you hear on 15BO.

[pixletwin]

That's the right spelling.

Me personally, I'd die to hear it, as it is the last known recording of Brian's vocals before they turned into the croak you hear on 15BO.

Exactly. Its of huge historical signifiance. Like the moment when Anakin became Darth Vader (ok, that was a dumb analogy but you get what I mean, right?). Even in pictures he never looked quite the same.

[the captain]

I agree from a significance standpoint, and as I said, I'd like to hear it. But as a song, I just don't really think it's all that good. I guess as much as the legends, stories and whatever else that surround the band interest me, it still has to come down to music for me at a certain level. And I think that is a mediocre song, and that recording would be more a curiosity to me than a treasure. (Unless it is significantly different somehow, other than his voice being better.)

[Dancing Bear]

The song "California Feelin'" is ok. Maybe Brian performed it in 1974 in a way that would surprise us. I hope so anyway.

Onceupon a time one of the holy grails in BB fandom was Smile-era "My Little Red Book", and look how it turned out when it was leaked. I guess we're running out of exciting holly grails. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Onceupon a time one of the holy grails in BB fandom was Smile-era "My Little Red Book", and look how it turned out when it was leaked.

I happen to love it...

[Mahalo]

Why did Brian ever have to lose his falsetto.....

[the captain]

Why did Brian ever have to lose his falsetto.....

If it helps, if he hadn't lost it the way and when he did, he still would almost certainly have lost it by now--at least most of it--due to aging.

(Yeah, that doesn't help.)

[pixletwin]

Why did Brian ever have to lose his falsetto.....

I know how you feel. Like seeing a priceless artifact senslessly destroyed... *sigh*

(btw, is that how you spell "senslessly"?) 

[the captain]

Nope. Senselessly.