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 Surf Teens are a great band that sadly didn’t get much appreciation. Their entire catalog is less than forty minutes. I couldn’t even find a picture of a band, so attached is an unrelated picture of teens surfing. Their one proper album in turn is very short, with only ten tracks. There are eight other songs they did, which will form this hypothetical second album. However, at least by modern standards, both albums could be considered EPs. Regardless, they’re still worth checking out. Note that I haven’t had much luck in terms of dates, but I think some are from 1965. The album title also doesn’t mean anything. For those that would rather treat all this as one big album, I’ve made playlists that list the second album directly after the first.
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!
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
“Surfin’ Safari”
“County Fair”
“Chug-A-Lug”
“Summertime Blues”
“Land Ahoy”
“Luau”
“Beach Boy Stomp (Aka Karate)”
SIDE B
“Surfin’”
“Shut Down”
“Judy”
“Ten Little Indians”
“409”
“Moon Dawg”
“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
“The Beginning Of The End”
“Heads You Win, Tails I Lose”
“Barbie”
“What Is A Young Girl Made Of”
“Lonely Sea”
“Lana”
SIDE B
“Lavender”
“Cindy, Oh Cindy”
“Stoked”
“Little Girl (You’re My Miss America)”
“Cuckoo Clock”
“Visions”
“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
“Surfin’ USA”
“Let’s Go Trippin’”
“Noble Surfer”
“Honky Tonk”
“Side Two”
“Marie”
“Misirlou”
SIDE B
“Farmer’s Daughter”
“Surf Jam”
“Punchline”
“Mother May I”
“Finders Keepers”
“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
“Pamela Jean”
“Surfer Girl”
“In My Room”
“Ballad Of Ole’ Betsy”
“Spirit Of America”
“First Rock And Roll Dance”
“Little Surfer Girl”
SIDE B
“Back Home”
“A Young Man Is Gone”
“Hawaii”
“The Surfer Moon”
“Thank Him”
“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
“Fun, Fun, Fun”
“Little Deuce Coupe”
“Catch A Wave”
“South Bay Surfer”
“Rocking Surfer”
“The Baker Man”
“Gonna Hustle You”
SIDE B
“Cherry, Cherry Coupe”
“Surfers Rule”
“Our Car Club”
“No-Go Showboat”
“Shut Down, Part II”
“Custom Machine”
“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
“Beryl Left Me” (Actually “Bobby Left Me”, title changed to be about a woman)
“I Do”
“The Warmth Of The Sun”
“Hushabye”
“Keep An Eye On Summer”
“We’ll Run Away”
SIDE B
“After The Game”
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love”
“Things We Did Last Summer”
“Girls On The Beach”
“Don’t Worry Baby”
“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
“Karen”
“Denny’s Drums”
“I Get Around”
“This Car Of Mine”
“In The Parkin’ Lot”
“Pom Pom Play Girl”
“Louie Louie”
SIDE B
“Little Honda”
“Carl’s Big Chance”
“Drive-In”
“Do You Remember”
“Don’t Back Down”
“Wendy”
“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
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
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Christmas Eve”
“Little Saint Nick”
“The Man With All The Toys”
“Santa’s Beard”
“Jingle Bells”
“Christmas Day”
“Merry Christmas, Baby”
SIDE B
“Frosty The Snowman”
“We Three Kings Of Orient Are”
“Blue Christmas”
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
“White Christmas”
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
“The Lord’s Prayer”
“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
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!
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.
While I was with my dad, he had the good taste to put on some surf music. Through that, I discovered a few really good bands. One is The Sandals. After researching them, I see they released two LPs and so few stray tracks that when I wanted to put them in an album, I could only get to an EP. Regardless, this music is pretty solid and deserves to be heard, especially the track “Endless Summer”, which often is confused with the track “Theme From The Endless Summer”. Seeing as the two actual LPs are soundtracks, I decided to make this imagined album an imagined soundtrack. In my eclectic ways, I decided to pick John Latham’s film Speak. No, he had no connection to The Sandals, but it’s funny to think. The album cover is a frame from the film that looks like a surfboard.
The actual albums are from 1964 and 1969. The tracks here span 1964 to 1967. 1967 was also when Pink Floyd recorded their soundtrack to Speak.
THE SANDALS – SPEAK
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“School’s Out”
“Always (I Will Remember)”
“All Over Again”
“Why Should I Cry?”
SIDE B
“Tell Us Dylan”
“Cloudy”
“House Of Painted Glass”
“Endless Summer”
Scrambler! aka The Endless Summer (1964) – Spotify, YouTube
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!
Dedicated to two friends I’ll identify as “K” and “G”. They’re alive and well, I am just especially looking forward to their thoughts on this project.
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.
I was and still am amazed by The Sonics’ debut album, Here Are The Sonics. It’s truly one of the greatest rock albums of all time, famous for its raw energy and powerful playing. I was under the belief that more of their material was hard rocking than in actuality. Their next new recording, “Keep A-Knockin’”, maintained that sound (I wonder if it was an outtake), but then they softened a little for their Christmas recordings. Their second LP has some tracks that are similarly as raucous and some more laid-back, and their third has some good “more laid back tracks” with some that are too meandering. In addition to doing the normal, grabbing all the tracks I can, including those the proper albums missed, I will also do something a little different; arrange all the studio material from most-hard rocking to least. Incrementally, the albums become softer and softer. There’s also been so many Sonics line-ups that it can be hard to keep track of everything. I will explain and simplify things, so everyone understands what’s what.
Early Live Tracks
Two official compilation albums cover all the material that predates The Sonics’ debut album. For those that want to hear the band become The Sonics known and loved, these albums will be for you. One compilation, The Savage Young Sonics, isn’t really The Sonics. The band was formed by Andy (bass) and Larry Parypa (guitar), originally having no other classic members. Eventually, the three other classic members; Gerry Roslie (vocals, keys), Rob Lind (saxophone), and Bob Bennett (drums), joined. This release mostly focuses on the earlier line-ups, which cover pretty standard, but not bad surf rock. The material is a fun novelty/exploration, but isn’t necessary for those who aren’t really into surf or especially The Sonics. Both have far better material.
The last four tracks on Savage and the second compilation, Busy Body!!!, feature the classic line-up. This results in about 40 minutes of pre-classic music and 40 minutes of classic, pre debut music. Albums of the time leaned more to the 20s than 40s minutes-wise, so I made this material four 20 minute albums of live or demo music. Seeing as the first two’s only classic members are the Parypa brothers, the band name is called “The Parypas” by me. The tracks are all in the same order as on the official versions, so if one listened to the Parypa and then early-Sonics albums in order and another listened to Savage and Busy, they’d hear the exact same recordings in the same order.
For those that would rather listen to these tracks in the compilations officially released, links to them will be below.
The Golden Era
In early 1965, Here Are The Sonics was released. It set the bar so high that few could beat it, even The Sonics themselves. While their official second album, Boom, is usually listed as being just as energetic and powerful by reviewers, I strongly disagree. Some of the tracks are basically as hard-hitting as Here, though half the album fails that. One track from the group’s third album and one single also “hit as hard”; thus the group only has eight recordings that match their most recognizable set, in my opinion. A decent amount of material would be perfectly serviceable in complementing those eight tracks, so we can have a full-length album. What better than what they did in-between Here and Boom? Three of their four Christmas tracks and their other single-only track, “The Hustler”, flow very well with the other eight. These tracks can produce the best possible follow-up album. I have decided to title this bunch, Gunpowder.
Conveniently, there’s enough remaining good material for exactly one album; twelve standard tracks and one about a minute. These will serve as the basis for the third studio album. While the recordings are not punk-ish, there is a feeling and soul to them and in the end are pretty solid. Unable to think of a title, I named it “Break Song” after the one minute track. Here, Gunpowder, and Break make a nice little trilogy. I could imagine them and one of two albums soon to be discussed being re-released in the CD-age as two two-fers.
The Sonics Fall Apart
Some people boil down The Sonics to their first two albums being good and their third being bad. While #3, Introducing The Sonics, is quite a bit worse; it doesn’t deserve as much or all the flack. Not wanting to exclude any tracks from this project, it seemed sensible to make an album of the weakest material, which I’d probably skip on a casual relisten, but slog through when it feels right to be a completionist. Conveniently, there are twelve tracks exactly. When listening to this fan album, I wondered if some of these tracks, which I had only heard about once, would be so bad. The answer is yes. All the tracks are either ballads which the band seem inept at doing or really limp rockers. The latter sounds like the band didn’t care and just tried to get the songs done. Not holding any love for this material, I’ve christened them “The Sonics Sell Out”.
Most of the tracks on Sell Out come from the infamous “Jerden Years”, but there are exceptions. The group did a very soupy ballad on Boom called “Since I Fell For You”. It sticks out like a sore thumb. There’s also a cover of “On Broadway” (re-titled and re-lyriced “It’s Christmas”). I’m not going to swear against the band being unable to do a good cover of “On Broadway”, but this one has no edge. It’s fine for a band like the Beach Boys to do a slow run-through of this number, but it sounds wrong from The Sonics doing the same thing.
At this point, Gerry Roslie left and was replaced with a Jim Brady. Not long after, every member left the group. Jim did some recordings as “The Sonics”. They’re so un-Sonicy that they won’t be discussed here, but instead here. The real Sonics reunited in 1972. For those inclined to listen to the live recordings basically in recording order with the albums, three 1966 live tracks come from an album called Live / Fanz Only. They should be placed in between Gunpowder and Break Song. The other three tracks are the 1972 material. While the material has somewhat rough audio and aren’t as good as the three studio albums, they are enjoyable and a fitting send-off to the band. While I’m not sure, the live tracks coming from this 1972 performance are perhaps the last recordings of all five classic members.
Post-Script
The band members did their own thing for a while. Two albums came from this period of The Sonics being broken up, both from the 80s. Gerry Roslie recorded an album called “Sinderella”. This was under the The Sonics name, but seeing as he’s the only Sonics member, it seems better categorized as a solo album. The Parypas joined a band called Charlie and The Tunas. They recorded an album, though more than one guitarist and bassist are credited. I’m not sure if the Parypas played on every song. That album was released on Spotify as a Sonics album, though it wasn’t originally released as one (my pet peeves!) In 2007, Gerry, Larry, and Rob reunited. Andy and Bob have occasionally participated.
On YouTube there are many live recordings of the band. Some feature the first three members and one of the other two. I’m not sure if any feature all five. Due to a lack of interest, I won’t compile the modern live tracks into albums. There’s a lot of material there. The official releases with Gerry, Larry, and Rob are as followed: 8 (2011). This one features four studio tracks and four live, though a CD release adds two more live tracks. This one is interesting for featuring Andy, though only on the studio tracks. This is the closest we’ve gotten to a studio classic line-up reunion. While these tracks might’ve been solid if done by the band in the 60s, here their age hinders them. Next is their first LP since Introducing or Sinderella; This Is The Sonics (2015). Age is once again an issue.
Comically, as if to demonstrate that history is repeating itself, Gerry and Larry left the group. Apparently they only stopped ‘touring’, so a future studio or live album with them is not out of the question. With Rob Lind as the only classic member, there was the 2016 release, Live At Easy Street. There are many more recordings of this line-up on YouTube, if interested. For the sake of noting, a 2012 album called Unreleased (not to be confused with the 1980 Sonics compilation of the same name) features 1967 studio recordings and modern-sounding live tracks. I’m not sure when these are from or who the singer is.
I prefer The Sonics being this weird, underground thing that ended after the ‘72 performance. Keep them mythical. It’s better to have the impression that they never got old and disappeared when things started to stop working. Even if someone is to ignore everything recorded after 1972, they know about that material’s existence.
Researching
I couldn’t find much information about the two instrumentals on Break Song, “Break Song” and “Good Hard Rock”. I can’t cross my heart and say they feature the classic line-up, due to nothing confirming or denying that. Both are on compilations with material from 1967 and onward. One comp features tracks from the classic-line-up and Jim Brady-era. The other is the 2012 Unreleased album. Those two tracks seem to fit well enough for classic line-up albums. It’s a shame how unorganized the band’s material is. Releases can be very eclectic and poorly documented.
Conclusion
My journey with The Sonics is strange. Upon listening to Here, I fell in love with how wild it is. According to “G”, there was plenty of other material that was great and if I were wise I’d listen. Now that I have, I’m in a few minds. No release other than Here has a full set of punk-ish tracks. That being said, there’s enough studio tracks for two more great albums and a little live material that’s nice and enjoyable, but inconsequencial. It’s a journey that’s had many moments of satisfaction and intrigue, though there’s a certain joy and magic to only knowing that first album; that one album so perfect that I can’t touch it and make it better. I am glad to have some of the later stuff, but miss that mythicism.
The most well known and best era of the band represents a small amount of material. That period was virtually the only released for a while. Now we have songs which show the Sonics develop, more golden era songs, more tracks of the band being ‘bad’ before breaking up, and the reunion era. It’s a fun ride to see the ups and downs and experimenting, even as someone who says that it’d be possibly better for only the ‘golden era’ to exist, making the group more mysterious and never bad.
Given that all this material exists and has existed, it’s a shame the material isn’t presented in a better way. Imagine two-fer releases of Here and Gun, then Break and either Sell Out or Fanz Only. Keep the band as distinguished as possible. While we didn’t have these succinct albums before, we do now; so go listen, psychos!
Tracklists
THE PARYPAS – THE SAVAGE YOUNG PARYPAS
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“A-Rab”
“Rumble”
“Shanghied”
“Sonic Blues”
SIDE B
“Mashed Potato Time”
“Wailin’”
“High Wall”
THE PARYPAS – SONIC BLAST!
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Lucille / Slippin’ And Slidin’”
“Swing Shift”
“Louie Louie”
SIDE B
“Sac O’ Woe”
“Hey Mrs. Jones”
“In The Open”
“Bony Moronie”
“Just Pickin’”
THE SONICS – SONIC SOUNDS
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Sonics Dance Ad”
“Wailers House Party”
“Keep A-Knockin’”
“Think”
“Hold It”
SIDE B
“Introduction”
“In the Open”
“Tall Cool One”
“Goin’ Back to Granny’s”
“Busy Body”
“Night Train”
“Number X”
THE SONICS – RADIOSONIC WORKSHOP
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Introduction”
“Tough Walk”
“Have Love, Will Travel”
“Oo Poo Pah Doo”
SIDE B
“Hitch Hike”
“Busy Body”
“The Witch”
“KTNT Radio Spot”
THE SONICS – GUNPOWDER
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Cinderella”
“Jenny Jenny”
“Hitch Hike”
“He’s Waitin’”
“Louie Louie”
“Shot Down”
SIDE B
“Bama Lama Bama Loo”
“Santa Claus”
“Don’t Believe In Christmas”
“The Village Idiot”
“The Hustler”
“Keep A-Knockin’”
THE SONICS – DEAD OR ALIVE
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Please, Please, Please”
SIDE B
“Pushin’ Too Hard”
“I’m a Man”
THE SONICS – BREAK SONG
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“I’m A Man”
“On The Road Again”
“I’m Going Home”
“Maintaining My Cool”
“Dirty Old Man”
“Break Song”
“Diddy Wah Diddy”
SIDE B
“Skinny Minny”
“Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark”
“Don’t You Just Know It”
“It’s Allright”
“Good Hard Rock”
“Let The Good Times Roll”
THE SONICS – SELL OUT
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Anyway The Wind Blows” (Version B)
“I’ll Always Love Her”
“You Got Your Head On Backwards”
“Leave My Kitten Alone”
“Lost Love”
“Hanky Panky”
SIDE B
“Like No Other Man”
“High Times”
“Love Lights”
“Since I Fell For You”
“I’m A Rolling Stone”
“It’s Christmas”
THE SONICS – THIS WAS THE SONICS
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Lucille”
SIDE B
“Psycho”
“The Witch”
The Music
With more, shorter live albums
The Parypas – The Savage Young Parypas (1962) – Spotify – YouTube
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!
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 Trashmen had a career too unappreciated. Their lack of respect led to them throwing down the towel in 1967, after six years of recording. That time was not wasted. They were on the road performing and recording a lot. They reunited sporadically in the 70s and properly reformed in the 80s, staying together until 2016. I am going to focus on the material they did before their 1967 break-up for a few reasons. 1. The material from the 1980s-2010s is “post-script”, after they had found a stopping point, 2. Officially released material is well organized. They released three albums and one EP. This is to contrast with their 60s material, which is mostly scattered. There are obscure tracks with one weird release only, there’s songs that seem to appear on every release, and songs in-between those extremes. 3. The band’s drummer, Steve Wahrer, died in 1989. His only presence in the “post-script” era was on the 1989 album, Comic Book Collector, and not even on every track. There’s a sense of “This isn’t really The Trashmen because Steve is missing”. Even cutting back to the 60s, the band was still plenty prolific. There’s enough material available for twelve albums.
This album covers their earliest recordings, before their big hit, “Surfin’ Bird”, and outtakes recorded during the sessions for the Surfin’ Bird album. Some were recorded before bassist Bob Reed joined the group, at which time they were called Jim Thaxter And The Travelers. The tracks here, despite being recorded between 1961-1963, are cohesive. There’s a fun effect of the group building their sound overtime, as they are give or take in recording order. The tracklist generally follows their placement on the 80-track compilation, Bird Call! The Twin City Stomp Of The Trashmen. The back cover for the “Roll Over Beethoven / Betty Jean” single has a good look for a “first album”, so it was used. The original title I was going to use is “The Travelers” as a hat tip to Jim Thaxter, but “Fan Club” was in the picture and it looked good.
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!
A little gem was discovered by me on the internet. A little 90s album called, “The Ready Men – Get Ready!!” It sounded like a throwback to the 60s. Turns out, it’s a 60s album that was ahead of its time, implementing a garage band sound that was more common in the 90s. This is accomplished by most of the album consisting of demos they may not have been intended for release. Presumably all of, but at least an album’s worth of recordings by The Ready Men have been compiled here. I would’ve loved to find this at a music shop in 1995, which is more alluring than finding it on YouTube.
This album is weird and a lot of fun. It’s so weird because it’s like it was found from another world. It starts with this band with a unique grunge-style and loud, busy guitar playing, topped off with a bass vocalist with a very outlandish voice that makes the recording feel so special. And what are they singing about of all things? Not about a girl or a car, but Shortenin’ Bread! One might wonder why’d they care? The song is surprisingly great, they seem to be really invested in this little ditty from the early 1900s, now with a rock and roll twist. All the singers have distinctive voices which carry the song. It’s not quite from the 90s and not quite from the 60s. The album continues with these little surf rock numbers. A highlight is “Wine Wine Wine”, written by The Nightcaps. Just like how they really like Shortenin’ Bread, they especially like wine. We get that great bass singer who really loves wine. This is such a weird concept for a song, which makes it better. It’s all part of an experience.
Two negatives of the album are that the bass vocalist is suddenly gone. I wonder if he left the band. Secondly, over half the songs are instrumentals. The group singing about odd topics with odd voices is captivating. They are good instrumentalists, especially the guitarist, who gets solos, but the lack of lyrics make the songs not as good as they could’ve been. Throughout the album, you get insignificant questions in your head about who these people are, especially when the quality of the recordings is bad, suggesting these songs weren’t recorded professionally, then on track 9 of 19, we get “Bull Session With The Big Daddy”. I wasn’t looking forward to it as there’s a track of the same name on The Beach Boys Today!, which is an interview that interrupts the excellent flow of the album. Here, it serves more of a purpose and fits with the flow. This track answers some questions we have, such as what the names of the band members are and some little things about them. They discuss that “Shortenin’ Bread” is their first single and they picked it as people at their shows would recommend it as they liked hearing it. This is part of a radio spot and when it ends, the song will play. The band also says that they’re looking forward to making another single, which never happened. They have lots of fans, tons of girls screaming in the background. This track satisfied some, but not all of the questions I had.
It’s good that this wasn’t the first track of the album as starting with their claim to fame is a much stronger opener, a rocker instead of an interview about people we don’t care about. Halfway through, we do care. We’ve had a chance to learn about them through this music. The track ends with the Big Daddy saying that “Shortenin’ Bread” is about to play and the album listener is prepared for the second side with some juicy info under the belt.
The album continues with famous rockers that are performed well, “Misirlou”, “Pipeline”, and “Jack The Ripper”, to name a few. A personal favorite moment is when the band talks for a few seconds before a song starts, giving us a smidge more of their personalities. Also very endearing is that some of the songs, such as “Misirlou” and “Kuk”, are in really bad quality. They’re still listenable and the bad quality gives an otherworldly feeling to them. It all feels dirty and incomplete and like it’s not supposed to be. The mixed quality creates a fun experience.
The album is bookended with “Disintegration #2”. It’s the second last track on the album, with “Disintegration” being the second track on the album. Both are solid tunes with “Disintegration” being a favorite. #2 leaves you on a good note, being the end of the album… except it’s not the end. When you think it’s over, the Big Daddy comes back for “Big Daddy Outro”. This aired immediately after “Shortenin’ Bread”’s radio appearance. Here, the Big Daddy praises “Shortenin’ Bread”, which everyone apparently just danced to and speaks of what they’ll be up to next. He sees off the band, with the insinuation that they’ll be back for more records that never were by saying, “Remember that name, The Ready Men!” Then it ends. The music replaced by silence.
OVERVIEW
This forty-four minute experience of this unknown band with little known about them is over. It’s back off into the universe with nothing current to remind you of it, probably never to be heard of again as more music comes and goes. With this work being an obscure little thing to be dusted off a little and then left for the next discoverer, with few avid listeners of this music. It’s a strange feeling that probably almost no one is interested in finding out more about the band, that something can basically just go away. It leaves you almost amazed that people in the 90s bothered to create this compilation, but thank goodness they did. The fact that this is real and has been put together leaves you wondering what could’ve been and perhaps itching for a second album. Could The Ready Men have been legendary? Who knows. As a person finding this music in the ruff, it’s especially trippy as it’s something so nothing, yet so special. While more obscure records will be found, the specific Ready Men experience is gone and can never be experienced for the first time again.
The great Beach Boys weren’t always great. Their sound had to develop. Here we’ll look at their earliest, completed songs. Murry Wilson, the group’s manager, convinced his publisher, Hite Morgan, to meet the band. Morgan’s wife wanted to record the band. This led to them cutting a few songs over a session. This session from October 3rd, 1961 brought to life three songs…
“Surfin'”
While a student at Hawthorne High School in 1960, Brian Wilson submitted “Surfin'” to his music class as an assignment and received an “F” from his teacher. In 2018, the school changed the grade to an “A.”
On the recording of the band’s first song, “Surfin’”, Brian plays the drums and Dennis Wilson, the band’s proper drummer, only contributes vocally. After listening to the band’s first album for the first time, this was one of two songs that were at least decent. The single version and the studio album version are similar, but the single one has a very raw sound. The studio version seems better rehearsed and refined, though the song as a whole is very bland. It is trying so hard to pander to teenagers. There’s a line, “We’ll do the Surfer’s Stomp. It’s the latest dance craze!”, which isn’t about surfing, but it’s probably here to appeal to teenagers that like dancing. The lead singer, Mike Love, didn’t actually surf and you can tell. He doesn’t come off as invested in surfing. The lyrics, however, treat surfing very well. It’s “the only life the only way for me”. The protagonist of the song surfs “From the early morning to the middle of the night”. It’s almost obsessive. The Beach Boys have always been good at harmonized vocals and it’s good here, but underused.
It makes sense that this song would be given an “F”, I’d have to agree.
“Lavender”
An improvement
The “main” version of this song probably isn’t complete. The version I’ve listened to is the fourth and final take. It makes sense why this never made it to a studio album. There’s little use of the instruments and the lyrics are more somber than typically. The whole song is sung by the whole band harmonizing. That tone doesn’t seem to compliment the lyrics. I sang these lyrics to myself in a more stylized and high-mood tone, like the one used on the band’s 70’s song, “Deirdre” and that works better. “Lavender”’s last few seconds feature a little instrumentation solo and it sounds pretty good. This is the sort of song best shown, not described. By using instruments more and having more development in the vocal’s tone, you’d be showing us the song. Here, it’s just being described in a very surface-level manner.
“Luau”
This song is basically just “Surfin’” but worse. The plot is similar to it. “Let’s get together and have a fun day.” Now, it’s not about surfing, but instead about a luau. The vocals are stale. It sounds like no one cared and/or they were very tired. The instruments sound like the vocals. The pace is matched and they make such a small impression, they may as well not be there. “Surfin’” has the fun, young energy of kids that wrote a song and they want you to know it, this piece lacks that.
OVERVIEW
These three songs are an interesting footnote and precursor to the typical types of songs this band did for the first few years. They did ballads, like “Lavender” and party songs, like “Luau”. Ultimately, a single was released. “Surfin’” was the A-side and “Luau” its B-side. It was moderately successful, but not a game changer. It’s a surprise it made a dent at all. Now for the other Hite Morgan songs! The next few were recorded on February 8th, 1962.
“Beach Boys Stomp”
This one’s fun and catchy. It’s pretty reflexive of the early Beach Boys stuff. It’s a super simple instrumental. Simplicity is a good way of describing the early tunes in one word. They also like bad lyrics about 60’s life, so this song is already ahead of the curb. The piece isn’t unlike beach and pop songs of the time, but it’s a fun listen with a prominent guitar and drum. This is probably in part due to the band’s lead guitarist, Carl Wilson, writing “Beach Boys Stomp”.
“Judy”
Judy is a mixed bad. You can tell that the guitarists, Carl, Al Jardine, and later David Marks, are trying their hardest on the early songs. Their energy gives the poor songs a little boost. Brian is doing a fair job on backing vocals and Dennis is alright on the drums. Any of the effort given by these four is ruined by Mike’s vocals on “Judy”. This is a love song. The lyrics contain lines like “I can’t let you [go]” and “Judy, I smell love’s perfume in the air”, but based on the lifelessness, you’d think the singer was just lying to Judy. There’s no passion in the incredibly dry way the song’s sung. It’s interesting hearing this song as it’s the first direct love song by the group (One could count “Lavender”, but I don’t). Sadly, really passionate and loving songs with some character to them will take a while to come around. This song is once again a good way of summarizing what’s to come.
“Barbie” and “What Is a Young Girl Made Of?” could be considered not Beach Boy songs. Hite Morgan asked the group to record vocals to instrumentals he had of other musicians. The vocals were performed on March 8th, 1962. For whatever reason, Brian used the name “Kenny & the Cadets” with him under the pseudonym “Kenny”. The line-up was a little different than typically. Dennis and Mike were absent and the Wilson’s mother, Audree, was present. So how’s the songs?
“Barbie”
This is quite an interesting contrast from “Judy”. Brian has boat loads of love and passion for Barbie, unlike Mike for Judy. The lyrics are alright, but even the lame ones are given a kick by how hard Brian’s trying on them. There are likeable, amusing lines like, “Bell of the parties, a tom boy in jeans”. This song is benefitted by a more mature quality to it. Audree Wilson is obviously an adult woman who gives some maturity to the piece with her voice. The instrumentalists are very good. It makes sense as they’re probably session musicians way more familiar with their instruments than the Beach Boys. One big complaint is that the instruments are way louder than Brian. I couldn’t make out every line. This tune is classy and better than what’s come from the Hite Morgan sessions.
“What Is a Young Girl Made Of?”
Some sources have stated that Brian was the only Cadet or Beach Boy to appear on this song. If anyone else is featured, they’re very well hidden. There’s a female backing vocalist, who clearly sounds like they’re in their late 10’s or their 20’s. Maybe the lack of the rest of the group got Brian down because he’s not trying nearly as hard. So many of these silly songs could do so well with a vocalist that really cares. We can tell when you’re not really trying! The lyrics are also way less interesting than in “Barbie”. The instrumentalists are the best part but still… not as good. The ending is good. Brian sings “What is a young girl made of” followed by “Mostly a young man’s dreams”. The latter was repeated as it fades out. That line intrigues. It suggests that the desires seen from a person come more from the person observing. These little nuggets of intrigue will continue to pop up.
OVERVIEW
There’s some ground work being laid in these songs. We’re getting glimpses of how various members operate with their abilities; Mike and Brian singing, Carl playing guitar, etc. While the songs aren’t very good, they’re getting the group used to what’s to come. These songs aren’t so bad they can’t be finished or enjoyed at least on the level of “Well, they’re kids.” Overall, they’re only good or interesting enough to be enjoyed by Beach Boy super fans like myself.
The Filme Diary 