Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys (1960-1965) – 8 Fan Albums & Alternate History

For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.

The Beach Boys in 1961

This project has been a long time coming. For years I’ve wanted to do a comprehensive Beach Boys fan album series, but was just so overwhelmed by the history. I’ve done a lot of research, but even then feel like I’m missing something. Originally I wanted to include every song ever, but that sacrifices listenability due to what’s simply not good or in really poor quality. I also don’t want to be working on this forever. I’m not a big fan of Mike or Al, so it’s difficult to really care much about them, especially because Mike has a huge and convoluted solo career.

The main goal is to better represent the works of the three Wilson brothers. I find their material consistently interesting and worth listening to in an easier way, instead of being spread across multiple artist names and levels of obscurity. In terms of the other members, I’m not sure what to do, but I have ideas. For the long term members of Mike, Al, and Bruce, anything I like will be a Beach Boys release. The stuff I don’t might be relegated to something else? Maybe in this universe, things like Mike’s re-recordings of Beach Boys songs are considered so bad they can’t be released under the official name? The exception is pre-Beach Boys Bruce, which I like, but find too out of step with the early Beach Boys. For David, Ricky, and Blondie, their outputs were at most minimal and not very much like the Beach Boys. Thus, they will be treated as just helpers who were always more prioritized with other projects, not unlike the various session or touring members.

While I have a way of not finishing things, at least not in a timely manner, this project is dauntingly intended to go up to the current day Beach Boys recordings. I’m really looking forward to it, as I think these album sequences are better than the official ones, feeling a lot more cohesive. The albums here I particularly like are The Beginning of the End, The Survivors, Shut Down Volume 2, and especially All Summer Long. If these sequences were officially released, I think All Summer Long would be considered the group’s first masterpiece. The other four are fine, but have a bit too much filler. The material on Brian’s Bag has been some of my least favorite of this era, but it works better as is here than interspersed with excellent cuts that deserve to thrive as much as possible. It’s also easier to appreciate those lesser tracks this way as they feel at home. As an example, I love surf rock that only cares about being danceable, and the Beach Boys have many successes in that field, but that doesn’t fit with the lush and warm ballads about aspects of life. And now, without further ado…

“Do You Love Me, Do You Surfer Girl?”

In 1961, California teenager Brian Wilson began to learn and sing songs with his family and friends. Clearly a standout among his brothers or most kids his age, his father Murry sought to obtain him a record contract. Eventually, it was arranged for him to perform live. However, at the show, he had such stage fright that he decided to merely be part of a backing group. At his mother’s insistence, his cousin Mike Love and brothers Carl and Dennis were added to his band idea. They were rounded out by friend Al Jardine. Brian wanted girlfriend Judy Bowles to participate, mainly as an excuse for her to take Mike’s place, but she wasn’t interested. As retribution, Brian’s mother said Mike got to sing the first song they recorded and pick the subject. Mike was going to suggest a song based on his job, sheet metal working, but when Dennis added in surfing, Mike went with that, but still took the credit. Mike would go on to claim he was an avid surfer to friends, even doctoring images of Dennis surfing with his own face.

This song ended up being “Surfin’”. The lineup was set to be Mike on vocals and sax, Carl on lead guitar, Dennis drums, Al rhythm guitar, and Brian bass and keyboard. After months of agonizing rehearsing, with Brian taking the proceedings very seriously, they arranged to have a recording session with producers Hite and Dorinda Morgan. Some of the material consisted of ballads and others more rocking tracks reminiscent of what other teen groups were doing. Despite ostensibly being led by the Morgans, Brian more and more exerted control over the project. Even on what was to be their first single, Brian was unsatisfied with Mike and Dennis’ playing, so he played drums himself and excised saxophone entirely.

“I sometimes wish I could play without these guys.” He said.

With prompting from his family, Al left the band. Friend David Marks replaced him, though Al still helped out. David seemed less comfortable with singing. Brian often experimented with including or excluding certain people to get a particular sound. Even Al Jardine was recruited briefly. It was decided that tracks “Surfin’” and “Luau” would be the a and b-side to their first record respectively. Despite going by the name “The Pendletones”, when the single was finally released, it was credited to “The Beach Boys” and was a reasonable hit. This was considered either a decision of a nameless record executive or someone poorly spelling “Brian’s Band”. If it’s the latter, it couldn’t have been a higher up due to their proclivity to eating apples. Ultimately, Murry arranged for Brian to be given a recording contract for an LP. When his aversion to singing on tour became apparent, it was decided Mike would be the lead singer due to singing on the record, while Brian was still the leader. Only the Wilsons and Mike Love were signed to Capitol as official members. This created animosity between them and Al and David, especially as Capitol refused to pay six members, resulting in Al leaving again, declaring he’d never return.

As the group recorded their first album, Brian became more comfortable singing, though he was more interested in the romantic ballad tracks. Capitol, wanting a pure teen rock album, didn’t want these cuts included. Regardless, the group still recorded several. When all was said and done, Capitol created a tracklist which only included the “fun” songs. Surf Songs For Beach Lovers was released in summer 1962 to mixed reviews and little fanfare. Troubles increased when Al sued to be credited as an official member. This was granted to keep the peace. Despite this, he did not rejoin the group. The record credited David Marks as “Al”, due to not having the ability or desire to take photographs with Jardine. Despite their initial hit, the album was considered too underwhelming to keep the band on. The Beach Boys broke up.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Surf Songs For Beach Lovers (1962) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Surfin’ Safari”
2. “County Fair”
3. “Chug-A-Lug”
4. “Summertime Blues”
5. “Land Ahoy”
6. “Luau”
7. “Beach Boy Stomp (Aka Karate)”

SIDE B

1. “Surfin’”
2. “Shut Down”
3. “Judy”
4. “Ten Little Indians”
5. “409”
6. “Moon Dawg”
7. “The Shift”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – bass guitar, lead vocals, co-producer, keyboard, drums
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals, saxophone
• Al Jardine – guitar, bass (occasional)

Friends

• Nick Venet – co-producer, carnival barker
• Hite Morgan – co-producer
• Dorinda Morgan – co-producer
• Murry Wilson – manager, producer (latter uncredited)
• David Marks – guitar
• Andrea Carlo – voice of girlfriend
• Gary Usher – car sound effects

Brian had started making efforts to assist other artists in recording. Carl and Dennis in turn played on a few records for other people while David typically stayed home rehearsing more and more complex pieces. Mike counted his pennies, hoping to put off returning to his job.

In need of more product for the fall season, Capitol compiled the other more serious songs for a throwaway release. The result, The Beginning of the End, was highly successful among fans of more soulful teen music. This resulted in the track from the first album, “Shut Down”, being released as a single and becoming a huge hit. Thus, the first LP was rereleased to be named after that single. Due to the recent progress, the Wilsons, Love, and Marks reformed. At a celebration party, Brian proposed to his girlfriend. Despite this, he was taken aback by a girl he was interested in producing, Marilyn Rovell.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Beginning of the End (1962) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “The Beginning Of The End”
2. “Heads You Win, Tails I Lose”
3. “Barbie”
4. “What Is A Young Girl Made Of”
5. “Lonely Sea”
6. “Lana”

SIDE B

1. “Lavender”
2. “Cindy, Oh Cindy”
3. “Stoked”
4. “Little Girl (You’re My Miss America)”
5. “Cuckoo Clock”
6. “Visions”
7. “Happy Birthday Four Freshmen”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – bass guitar, lead vocals, co-producer
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals
• Al Jardine – guitar (occasional)

Friends

• Nick Venet – co-producer
• Hite Morgan – co-producer
• Dorinda Morgan – co-producer
• Murry Wilson – manager, producer (latter uncredited)
• David Marks – guitar

To follow up on “Shut Down”, Brian reluctantly penned another song that he said “lacked substance”. “Surfin’ USA” was an even bigger success than Shut Down, which resulted in Capitol seizing work on Brian’s ballads. Not willing to give them up, Brian agreed to do one album of fun songs, then after another of serious songs. Capitol agreed. Following trends, and at the insistence of the group’s jam rock fans of David, Carl, and Dennis, the next record featured many surf instrumentals. Mike Love was annoyed at his lack of presence, but no one cared. His arguing got him a vocal cameo on “Stoked”, which ultimately ended up being an outtake. Jardine was almost completely absent from the group’s first three LPs. For the first two, he’s only represented by the short time he was in the group before leaving. For the third record, he was brought in to appear on the inconsequential “Boogie Woodie”, as he needed to be present in order to keep being credited. Surfin’ USA was released in May 1963 to reasonably positive reviews.

Judy considered the song “Marie” a declaration of Brian’s feelings towards Marilyn and “Mother May I” about the former’s mother. Judy then broke up with Brian in a semi-public place. Passerby purported hearing Brian cry and breakdown, insisting he couldn’t live without her. Despite this, later that day he announced to his friends and family he was in a relationship with Marilyn. Brian would never mention Judy again.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA (1963) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Surfin’ USA”
2. “Let’s Go Trippin’”
3. “Noble Surfer”
4. “Honky Tonk”
5. “Side Two”
6. “Marie”
7. “Misirlou”

SIDE B

1. “Farmer’s Daughter”
2. “Surf Jam”
3. “Punchline”
4. “Mother May I”
5. “Finders Keepers”
6. “Boogie Woodie”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, co-producer
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals
• Al Jardine – bass guitar (occasional)

Friends

• Nick Venet – co-producer
• Murry Wilson – manager
• David Marks – rhythm guitar
• Frank DeVito – drums

The band were disappointed with the album’s cover being similar to the others. As such, Brian sought to take control over that and make them more artistic. He didn’t get full control, so things would generally be a back and forth process. He also saw the group’s real strength as vocalists, finding the many instrumentals boring. He thus decided to tour less and spend the time making more and more complex works. He was quoted as saying, “Our records are our legacy. That’s what history will remember us by.” The other band members found this pretentious, especially those that loved instrumental rock. Mike supported Brian, though it’s suspected only because he wrote much of the band’s lyrics and didn’t partake in the instrumentals. He also supposedly said the Beach Boys weren’t really the Beach Boys without him. “We should be called Mike Love & The Beach Boys”.

For the fourth record, Brian was always working in the studio. This included occasionally replacing members with session players. Jardine was brought in to help, enthused by his friends’ success. It was suspected that the reason he finally became a prominent member was because Brian wanted to move away from the more surfing style, which never strongly spoke to Jardine. Still, this upset the other members that didn’t want to be used less, especially now that they’re sharing the spotlight with Jardine. Dennis was the most positive about the change, wanting to support whatever will make the best art.

Carl and David both began working on material for the band, which the label rejected due to not having the commercial viability of Brian’s. Brian, not wanting to start conflict with anyone, didn’t challenge Capitol. He did want to push the boundaries of pop music and if he was going to he would need to play ball as often as he could afford. The Survivors was released in December to lesser commercial success, but increased critical acclaim. It followed with the single “Pamela Jean”/“Hawaii”. The former only featured one Beach Boy, Brian.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Survivors (1963) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Pamela Jean”
2. “Surfer Girl”
3. “In My Room”
4. “Ballad Of Ole’ Betsy”
5. “Spirit Of America”
6. “First Rock And Roll Dance”
7. “Little Surfer Girl”

SIDE B

1. “Back Home”
2. “A Young Man Is Gone”
3. “Hawaii”
4. “The Surfer Moon”
5. “Thank Him”
6. “Your Summer Dream”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer, guitar
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals
• Al Jardine – bass guitar, vocals

Friends

• Murry Wilson – manager
• David Marks – rhythm guitar
• Hal Blaine – timbales
• Bob Norberg – guitar
• Dave Nolan – possible guitar
• Rich Peterson – possible percussion

During the then unnamed fifth album sessions, Marks began to feel more and more left out, not being an official member and being disliked by Murry. He especially hated having his guitar parts recorded by Carl or session men. Marks’ parents advocated for him and even wanted more involvement in managing the group, which Murry was unwilling to do. Pressures mounted with Capitol wanting the record done as fast as possible due to the recent comparative lack of success, with Brian fulfilling that by throwing out some filler. Still, he included more strong vocals and proficient playing, among other touches to give it the stamp his work was beginning to have. To his dismay, one instrumental track was renamed “Shut Down, Part II” and the album was promptly called “Shut Down Volume 2”, which was a title he hated. “At least people might know the record was junk. The best stuff was on the singles.” The album was another hit.

With Dennis penning new tunes, Carl felt them, Al, and David could start a new project focused more on rocking instrumentation. He was inspired by surf bands of the time. Due to the demands of constantly being on the road, this project did not take off. Carl in a 1991 interview expands on this:

“I of course love Brian, but I just needed to do something else, as well. Denny and I may not have been matching him, but we were doing numbers. It seemed all we ever got to do were a few little things like The Tri-Five and The Four Speeds. I was even tempted to quit the band, but I couldn’t do that to the family. Dad and Capitol wanted us to stick together as much as possible. We insisted on a vote between the band [on whether to form a spinoff group]. Dennis, David, and Brian were on my side, while Mike, Dad, and Al weren’t. I think Al was only against me because he would have been risking getting fired. Mike also probably did because he wouldn’t have been in our band and was mad. What a joke. That all also exacerbated tensions with David as his vote wasn’t counted and dad said he wins out in a tie. Thus, we mostly all stayed together, though you know what happened with Dave.”

Shut Down Volume 2’s cover was mostly the doing of the label, being in stark contrast with the more experimental previous cover. It was considered a necessity to never again blur the band’s face.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Shut Down Volume 2 (1964) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Fun, Fun, Fun”
2. “Little Deuce Coupe”
3. “Catch A Wave”
4. “South Bay Surfer”
5. “Rocking Surfer”
6. “The Baker Man”
7. “Gonna Hustle You”

SIDE B

1. “Cherry, Cherry Coupe”
2. “Surfers Rule”
3. “Our Car Club”
4. “No-Go Showboat”
5. “Shut Down, Part II”
6. “Custom Machine”
7. “Be True To Your School”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, producer
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals
• Al Jardine – bass guitar, vocals

Friends

• Murry Wilson – manager
• David Marks – rhythm guitar
• Hal Blaine – tambourine, drums
• Steve Douglas – tenor saxophones
• Jay Migliori – baritone saxophones
• Ray Pohlman – 6-string electric bass guitars
• Maureen Love – harp

“Well then, the next album will have loads of our faces! LOADS!”

While still to have many commercial flairs, Brian was determined to include more lavish production and introspective lyrics. Introspective lyrics meant one thing, less Mike. Mike was bitter about barely being used or credited for songwriting, but Brian threatening to kick him out the studio one day was considered a veiled threat to have him fired from the band. Mike would cool off, though still declared to others he was just as talented as Brian.

In a move often criticized as one of Murry’s lowest moments, he began doing whatever he could to make David feel demoralized. He reduced his pay, made him sleep separately from the others in hotels, and encouraged them to record without him. This caused Marks to quit early in these sessions. While he soon wanted back in, Murry forced him to stick to his word, acting like it would be too problematic to reinclude him. Brian later said, “I felt bad for him. I wanted to do something, but my dad was so threatening to me I felt I couldn’t do it. On top of that, I began using the guys less for the instrumentals and turning to session players. David was never that good of a singer, so he basically would’ve had nothing to do even if he had not quit.”

While Murry had intended to exert more control, now with one opponent gone, this actually backfired for him. Brian was taking more and more control from Murry for himself. Seeing as he was getting older, he felt he needed and wanted less input from his dad and others respected him more, no longer interested in supporting or listening to Murry. Brian eventually told Murry to wait outside for some sessions, to which he said no. It was suspected their confrontation could have become physical, but Brian simply walked out the room. Brian initially worked in secret from his father. Soon enough, he grew tired of this and fired him. He had Marilyn do the deed of telling the bad news.

All Summer Long was very successful, but not as much as some other records. Murry blamed the lesser benefits on his absence, though Brian noted the critics still loved it. The symbol of the sun would become an icon in the Beach Boys fandom, coined by Mike as the “Love symbol”. He would go on to say the supposed reference to his last name was coincidental and that he was just thinking about “Peace and Mother Earth”.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – All Summer Long (1964) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Beryl Left Me” (Actually “Bobby Left Me”, title changed to be about a woman)
2. “I Do”
3. “The Warmth Of The Sun”
4. “Hushabye”
5. “Keep An Eye On Summer”
6. “We’ll Run Away”

SIDE B

1. “After The Game”
2. “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”
3. “Things We Did Last Summer”
4. “Girls On The Beach”
5. “Don’t Worry Baby”
6. “All Summer Long”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, producer, marimba
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals, drums (Calm down, it’s just one track.)
• Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals

Friends

• Murry Wilson – manager (uncredited)
• Hal Blaine – drums, percussion, bell-tree
• Glen Campbell – 6-string bass guitar
• Ray Pohlman – 4 & 6-string bass guitar
• David Marks – rhythm guitar
• Steve Douglas – tenor saxophones
• Jay Migliori – baritone saxophones, piccolo or fife
• Leon Russell – piano
• Bill Pitman – archtop acoustic guitar
• Tommy Tedesco – electric guitar
• Jimmy Bond – double bass
• Frank Capp – glockenspiel, temple blocks, castanets
• Al de Lory – piano
• Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
• Bob Norberg – guitar
• Dave Nolan – possible guitar
• Rich Peterson – possible percussion

The due date for the next album was moved up, causing Brian to rush yet again. “Some visionary”, as quoted by a mysterious source. The result is considered one of the band’s weakest early albums. Among the most mixed reception are Carl and Dennis’ contributions. When asked why the resulting works were so middling, Carl said, “We were still holding out hope on our own project, so saved the best stuff for it.” This did them no favors, with the serious critics that had been consistently praising Brian feeling reinforced in saying he was the only talented member. Brian would refute this, though denied the idea of including more of his brothers’ material on the albums, saying The Beach Boys was simply “His thing”. This comment angered his bandmates, prompting Brian to spend less time around them. They also blamed him for the Brian-centered cover, arguing Brian could’ve stopped it if he cared.

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Brian’s Bag (1964) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Karen”
2. “Denny’s Drums”
3. “I Get Around”
4. “This Car Of Mine”
5. “In The Parkin’ Lot”
6. “Pom Pom Play Girl”
7. “Louie Louie”

SIDE B

1. “Little Honda”
2. “Carl’s Big Chance”
3. “Drive-In”
4. “Do You Remember”
5. “Don’t Back Down”
6. “Wendy”
7. “Denny’s Drums, Part II”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals, saxophone
• Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals

Friends

• Hal Blaine – drums, timbales with brush, rim with thin stick
• Glen Campbell – 6-string electric bass guitar
• Steve Douglas – tenor saxophone
• Jay Migliori – baritone saxophone
• Ray Pohlman – 6-string electric bass guitar
• The Honeys (Marilyn Rovell, Diane Rovell, Ginger Blake) – backing vocals
• Murry Wilson – manager (uncredited)

In preparation for the season, Brian released a Christmas record. The reviews were generally positive and the commercial results especially strong. Brian was on top of the world. As a show of good grace for his band, Brian is notably not clearly visible on the cover, which he had to fight to get. This did little to change their view, as Brian was in response prominent on the back. Regardless, while Carl, Al, and Mike were still upset by that and feeling increasingly like Brian’s backing singers, they couldn’t deny the money or musical quality (Well, maybe Mike could). Despite the massive success, Brian was up another enemy after Dennis told him he desperately wanted to write a “real song” for an album and was told no. Brian’s reasoning was that he would drop the “silly” songs and make something truly daring and personal. He continued he would try again to get a deal going for him, Carl, and Al, though when nothing came of this he was considered to have not actually done anything.

Helped on by Cero

Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Lord’s Prayer (1964) – YouTube

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Auld Lang Syne”
2. “Christmas Eve”
3. “Little Saint Nick”
4. “The Man With All The Toys”
5. “Santa’s Beard”
6. “Jingle Bells”
7. “Christmas Day”
8. “Merry Christmas, Baby”

SIDE B

1. “Frosty The Snowman”
2. “We Three Kings Of Orient Are”
3. “Blue Christmas”
4. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
5. “White Christmas”
6. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
7. “The Lord’s Prayer”
8. “Denny’s Message (Auld Lang Syne)”

PERSONNEL

• Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer
• Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
• Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
• Mike Love – lead vocals
• Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals

Friends

• Dick Reynolds – orchestra
• Al Viola – guitar
• Cliff Hils – double bass
• Jimmy Rowles – grand piano
• Jack Sperling – drums
• Eddie Rosa – flute and/or alto saxophone and/or tenor saxophone
• Chuck Gentry – soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, tenor clarinet, and/or bass clarinet and/or baritone saxophone
• William Hinshaw, Richard Perissi, Arthur Briegleb – French horns
• Henry Laubach, John Audino, Conrad Gozzo, Raymond Triscari – trumpets
• Harry Betts, Francis Howard, George Roberts – trombones
• George “Red” Callender – tuba
• Edgar Lustgarten, Jesse Ehrlich, Nathan Gershman, Alfred Wohl, Margaret Aue – violins, violas, cellos, and/or double basses
• Benjamin Barrett – orchestra master
• Dick Reynolds – orchestra conductor

Later that day, Brian came home from the studio and crashed on his couch, falling asleep. He awoke to Marilyn exasperated by a love song he heard he was making about her sister Diane. He insisted he wrote it as a favor to Carl, who wanted his girlfriend named in a song. This would not initially quell Marilyn, though eventually she apologized.

“I’ll change the name in the song, how about Rhonda?”

The Beach Boys in 1964

This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!