As Peter Lorre’ said to Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, “Here is something not even you have ever seen.”
For the first time, the original recordings of the Beach Boys from 1961-63 are coming to life. Fresh from Hawthorne, CA, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Carl Wilson started experimenting with vocal harmonies and slowly transformed the American Pop music scene.
All of the takes, demos, rehearsals, overdubs, false starts and masters are included here on this two cd set. For some, it may be overwhelming, but for the Beach Boy completist, or simply one who wants to understand the evolution of contemporary music, this collection is a must.
There are only 9 actual songs, but each one has 7-9 versions, and the evolutionary process of songs like “Surfer Girl” and “Surfin’ Safari” is fascinating. The biggest take-away is that these young men were highly influenced by a combination of The Four Freshman and 50s Doo Wop. Early versions of “Luau,””Surfin’” and “Barbie” have voices that sound like these gents spend days listening to “Poinciana.” “Barbie” and “Judy” are right out of a Wolfman Jack radio show, while he shadow of Dick Dale’s guitar is cast on “Beach Boy Stomp.”
Looking back, it shows that nothing occurs in a vacuum, nor by accident. These young men worked hard at perfecting their sound and craft, and that in itself is the clearest testimony given in this collection. Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.
Omnivore Recordings