So I compiled my own Beach Boys Covers album...

[Zander]

Just wondered if anyone else had compiled their own album of Beach Boys covers? I got bored the other day so I burnt a CD with these songs...

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Bloomfields
2. Help Me Rhonda - Roy Orbison
3. Little Deuce Coupe - Dr Spaceman
4 Kokomo - Adam Green & Ben Kweller
5 Surfer Girl - Paul Simon
6 I Get Around - Red Hot Chili Peppers
7 Don't Worry Baby - Billy Joel
8 Our Prayer : Heroes and Villains - Polly Tones
9 Cabinessence - Polly Tones
10 Sail On Sailor - The Bluetones
11 California Girls - Nancy Sinatra
12 I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - Susan Werner
13 Caroline, No - The Vitamin Strings
14 Wonderful / Song for Children - Rufus Wainwright

I have put more on the CD but can't remember some of the artists.

Have you heard some of these versions? Have you made your own CD?

Zander

[the captain]

I believe board member but rare poster PeteS (or whatever he goes by here) has got about six volumes of BBs covers floating about.

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

Have you ever heard The Tokens version of Little Deuce Coupe? I personally like their version better the original. They also did great versions of Shut Down, Don't Worry Baby, and 409. Check them out if you haven't heard them.  

[Zander]

Haven't heard The Tokens version but will go and seek out. The banjo version by Dr Spaceman is really good. Polly Tones covered the enitre BWPS which can be listened to on YouTube. I think my personal favourite is Susan Werner's IJWMFTT, fantastic....

[punkinhead]

two of my personal favs are on the Caroline Now album: Stevie and Go Away Boy

[TonyW]

Okay, I'll bite .... here's the Beach Boys & Brian Wilson Covers CD I compiled for my listening pleasure:

1.   You Still believe In Me – M Ward
2.   Cabinessence – Clark Burroughs Group
3.   Warmth Of The Sun – Super Furry Animals
4.   I Guess I’m Dumb – Wondermints
5.   I Wanna Pick You Up – Alex Chilton
6.   Rainbow Eyes – Kle
7.   Lady – Eugene Kelly
8.   Stevie – Saint Etienne
9.   The Lonely Sea – Eric Mathews
10.   Anna Lee The Healer – The High Lamas
11.   Good Vibrations – Nina Hagen
12.   Wind Chimes – Katrina Mitchell & Bill Wells
13.   Vegetables – Terry Scott Taylor
14.   Pet Sounds – Architecture In Helsinki
15.   I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times – Sixpence None The richer
16.   This Whole World – Dolour
17.   I Know There’s An Answer – Sonic Youth
18.   I Get Around – Pennywise
19.   Surfin’ Safari – The Ramones
20.   Help me Rhonda – The Original Sins
21.   Wonderful – Adventures In Stereo
22.   Only With You – Norman Blake
23.   Caroline No – The Aluminum Group
24.   California Saga – Al Jardine
25.   I Can Hear Music – Kathy Tricolli & The Beach Boys

[Zander]

Oh, here are the ones I forgot to list...

Cottonfields - Elton John
Don't Talk Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Clare Teal
Marcella - Carter Cathcart (A lot more powerful than the original)
Sail On, Sailor - Chris Thompson (nice guitar work on that one)

I've ordered the "Making God Smile" compilation which is supposed to be excellent. I didn't think much of the "Caroline, Now!" compilation.

[thetojo]

Cottonfields - Elton John

I heard this track years ago, and it was said at that time to be the beach boys with elton john (or is that elton john with the beach bioys?) - Anyways, does anyone know if the track actually features the Beach Boys?? It could've been recorded at Caribou around 1973-4??

[Matt H]

2. Help Me Rhonda - Roy Orbison

What album was "Help Me Rhonda" by Roy Orbison on?

[Amanda Hart]

2. Help Me Rhonda - Roy Orbison

What album was "Help Me Rhonda" by Roy Orbison on?

The Big O and it's on one of the CDs in the live box set.

[Matt H]

When I look up "The Big O" I don't see it listed:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-O/dp/B005OOHRWG/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1352943481&sr=8-13&keywords=roy+orbison+the+big+o

Is there just a live version or is there a studio version?

[rn57]

Have you ever heard The Tokens version of Little Deuce Coupe? I personally like their version better the original. They also did great versions of Shut Down, Don't Worry Baby, and 409. Check them out if you haven't heard them.  

As far as I can tell, it's never been mentioned on this board....but "He's In Town" by the Tokens (a Goffin/King song) is one of Brian's all-time favorite records. Years ago I read an interview with the Tokens, maybe in Goldmine, where one of them said that Brian had told them so.
http://www.a-free-guestbook.com/gb/TheTokens/6
has a post from a guy who says Brian told him in the early '80s that it was his favorite record from the early '60s by an American group.

The Tokens's version of the song -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3AR7sl6ekM
- was the first and IMHO best recording of it, but it was also covered by the Rockin' Berries in the UK, who performed it memorably in a movie, the clip of which you can also see on Youtube - though, be warned, the very first thing you see is a close-up of the face of Jimmy Savile.

[EgoHanger1966]

That's so cool - I had never heard that Brian was into "He's In Town". It's such a fantastic New York record. I own an original Mirasound acetate of it.

The Tokens are one of the finest vocal groups, ever, and Jay Siegel (lead) had and still has one of the purest voices I've ever listened to. I've seen his version of the Tokens twice and will see him a third time in January. He sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight in the original key(!) and hits all of the notes - sounds just like the record. Not bad for a guy older than Brian. I highly suggest Beach Boys fans to check out The Tokens, and not just their covers of Beach Boys tracks (they did a handful of those). They hit all sorts of genres - doo wop, folk, some psychdelia, New York wierdness....hit me up for some suggestions if you'd wish to explore them further!

(edit: another BB - He's In Town connection - Russ Titlelman is supposedly playing a slinky on it!)

[rn57]

"He's In Town" was released in the late summer of '64 and got the most airplay in September - it only got to #43 on Billboard's Top 100 though it did reach #20 on the adult contemporary chart. (The Rockin' Berries cover was a much bigger record in Britain, going top five.)

The production on the Tokens's version is very interesting, especially the percussion - it may well have given Brian some ideas for the second side of Today.

[ArtVandalay]

Surfer Girl by Rockapella

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=724_Fu0sVM0

[Runaways]

i just wasn't made for these times - gaz coombes.

[Smilin Ed H]

Here's one I made a few weeks back:

01.   Surf’s City – Jan and Dean
02.   The Lonely Sea – Steve Almaas and Ali Smith
03.   Farmer’s Daughter – Fleetwood Mac
04.   Surfer Girl – Paul Simon
05.   Go Away Boy – The Pearlfishers
06.   In My Room – Paul Westerberg
07.   He’s A Doll – The Honeys
08.   Don’t Worry Baby – Ronnie Spector
09.   Guess I’m Dumb – Glen Campbell
10.   Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Saint Etienne
11.   You Still Believe in Me – Ron Sexsmith
12.   Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) – Linda Ronstadt
13.   God Only Knows – Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet
14.   I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times - Aimee Mann and Michael Penn
15.   Caroline, No – Glenn Frey
16.   Wonderful/Look (Song For Children)/Child Is Father Of The Man – Rufus Wainwright
17.   Wind Chimes – Katrina Mitchell and Bill Wells
18.   Wake The World – Epicycle
19.   Anna Lee, The Healer – The High Llamas
20.   Busy Doin’ Nothin’ - Camping
21.   Time To Get Alone – Redwood
22.   Fallin’ In Love/Lady – Lush



01.   All I Wanna Do – June And The Exit Wounds
02.   Big Sur – The Secret Goldfish
03.   A Day In The Life Of A Tree – Matthew Sweet
04.   Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Live Again – Adam Marsland’s Chaos Band
05.   Disney Girls- Art Garfunkel
06.   Surf’s Up – Vince Gill, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb
07.   Sweet Mountain Of Love – Eddi Reader
08.   Only With You – Norman Blake
09.   Carry Me Home – Primal Scream
10.   Sail On Sailor – The Bluetones
11.   Winter Symphony – Hong Kong in the 60s
12.   Stevie - Saint Etienne
13.   Still I Dream Of It – Ed Harcourt
14.   I Wanna Pick You Up – The Wondermints
15.   You And I – David Marks
16.   Angel Come Home – Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo
17.   Soul Searchin’ – Solomon Burke
18.   Love And Mercy – Golden Smog

[TopCat]

I have always been fond of Judie Tzuke's version of God Only Knows. A great singer and songwriter, she supported Elton way back in his US touring days.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Here's one I made a few weeks back:

01.   Surf’s City – Jan and Dean

Well, damn my eyes and roast my liver, I never knew there was a Beach Boys version of "Surf City" ever released. Should you be so kind as to indicate where I may hear, or better still purchase, this item, I will be forever in your debt.

[Cliff1000uk]

Now now, Andrew!

I've always liked Yo La Tengo's take on Little Honda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq4Z5uAzB7U

Frank Black's version of I Know There's An Answer is pretty good, too

[Andrew G. Doe]

This usually rings my bell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vfOUfnuHOk

[Smilin Ed H]

Perhaps I should have specified that the comp contains covers of songs Brian and the boys wrote or co-wrote...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Perhaps I should have specified that the comp contains covers of songs Brian and the boys wrote or co-wrote...

Well... (you knew this was coming), in that case you've just excluded 95% of "Soul Searchin'" and a huge chunk of "Sweet Mountain". 

[Amanda Hart]

When I look up "The Big O" I don't see it listed:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-O/dp/B005OOHRWG/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1352943481&sr=8-13&keywords=roy+orbison+the+big+o

Is there just a live version or is there a studio version?

That's a CD comp; didn't see the actual album on Amazon and it probably isn't available on CD, most of his albums haven't seen a CD release. Here's info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_O_%28album%29

[Smilin Ed H]

I did know it was coming. Honest.