Beach Boys - Live Compilation

[TonyW]

I recently compiled a 2CD set of Beach Boys Live performances for a friend. I focused on the following criteria for the compilation:
1.   Must be reasonable quality soundboards (no audience recordings)
2.   Mostly recordings of new and more creative songs with a smattering of older material

This is what I came up with. I find CD1 really listenable (except maybe Track 7) and CD2 really listenable up to Track 10 – after that it is pretty much downhill, just like the Boy's career.

Disc 1 Tracks 1 to 4: Michigan State University, Ann Arbor - October 22 1966.
Disc 1 Tracks 5 to 7:   Honolulu International Centre – August 25, 1967.
Disc 1Track 8 to 12: Detroit, Michigan – November 17, 1967.
Disc 1Tracks 13 to 17: London Palladium - December 1, 1968.
Disc 1 Tracks 18 to 20: Big Sur Fold Festival – October 3, 1970.
Disc 1 Track 21: Grand Gala Du Disque TV show, Netherlands – February 25, 1972
Disc 1 Tracks 22 to 27 &  Disc 2 Tracks 1 to 3: Carnegie Hall, New York – November 23, 1972.
Disc 2 Tracks 4 to 9:   Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York – June 14, 1974.
Disc 2 Tracks 10 to 12: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York – May 14 1979.
Disc 2 Tracks 13 to 18: Philadelphia, April 18, 1980.
Disc 2 Track 19: Wembley Arena, London – June 29, 1993.

DISC 1:
1.   Medley: Surfin’ Safari/Fun Fun Fun/Shut Down/ Little Deuce Coupe/Surfin’ USA
2.   You’re So Good To Me (with false start)
3.   Mike intros Good Vibrations
4.   Good Vibrations
5.   The Letter
6.   Mike intros Getting’ Hungry
7.   Getting Hungry
8.   Darlin’
9.   Country Air
10.   Intro: How She Boogalooed It
11.   How She Boogalooed It
12.   Wild Honey
13.   Wake The World
14.   Aren’t You Glad
15.   Bluebirds Over The Mountains
16.   Do it Again
17.   All I Wanna Do
18.   Intro: Cottonfields
19.   Cottonfields
20.   Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring
21.   Surf’s Up
22.   Intro: Only With You
23.   Only With You
24.   Long Promised Road
25.   Don’t Worry Baby
26.   Marcella
27.   California Sage: California

DISC 2:
1.   Heroes & Villains
2.   Help Me Rhonda
3.   Wonderfull/Don’t Worry Bill
4.   Sail On Sailor
5.   Funky Pretty
6.   We Got Love
7.   The Trader
8.   All This Is That
9.   Feel Flows
10.   Angel Come Home
11.   Peggy Sue
12.   Roller Skating Child
13.   Keepin’ The Summer Alive
14.   Good Timin’
15.   Goin’ On
16.   Lady Linda
17.   Disney Girls
18.   Rock ‘n’ Roll Music
19.   Summer In Paradise

Yeah I know the London 68 stuff turned up on Live In London but here I have used the full concert source. The Wild Honey tour 67 stuff really filled out a void from when I had attempted previous compilations. The 72 Carniege Hall stuff is magnificent.

At times the performances are sloppy, at times magnificent, at times the feedback screams out of the speakers (it wasn’t a live concert in the 70s without feedback!) and at times the reason why we love the Beach Boys shines through.

Until the powers that be gives us the much desired live box, concert downloads or whatever I feel this little set will tide me over.

[MBE]

Looks good but I would have put something from either the Beach Boys Concert tapes or the Chicago 65 show.