from original Vigotone silvers
Disc One (VT-238): 58:51
1. "Hi, we're the Beach Boys!" (0:04)
Recorded: 10/26/64
A cheery opening for the set, recorded while the Boys were taping promos for radio stations encouraging them to play their new single "Dance, Dance, Dance". More to come.
2. Surfin' U.S.A. (home demo) (2:04)
Recorded: 1/63
Another demo of this track was included on the 1993 box set Good Vibrations, but this is a superior recording with Brain on piano and Dennis on sloppy drums.
3. Fun, Fun, Fun (2:26)
Recorded: Winter 1964
The Beach Boys made many appearances on network television shows during the 60's and 70's, many of which have appeared on other releases in both visual and audio forms. For this release, we have concentrated on performances that have been more difficult to find in this vein. From a 1964 Steve Allen Show appearance in this performance of "Fun, Fun, Fun" that is preceded by a bit of semi-condescending introduction by the man himself. We wouldn't expect anything less from the late Mr. Allen, would we?
4. Wendy (2:38)
Recorded: 9/27/64
Seeing as it happened several months after the Beatles' debut on the program, the Boys' first Ed Sullivan Show appearance was surprisingly late in the game, occurring after they had already enjoyed several hits over the previous two years. However, better late than never, and this performance of "Wendy" from the All Summer Long LP was a great live take on this wonderful track.
5. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (2:11)
Recorded: 8/5 & 10/64 Mixed: 7/68
Included here is an unused 1968 mono mix of this 1964 single, emanating from when the Stack O' Tracks LP was being assembled; it includes some vocalizing of a particularly naughty age number at the very end!
ID's for radio stations:
6. WBBF - Rochester, NY (1:04)
7. WTRY - Albany, NY (0:40)
8. WPTR - Albany, NY (0:22)
9. KENO - Las Vegas, NV (0:40)
10. WMCA - New York, NY (0:31)
11. WINS - New York, NY (0:48)
12. KNUZ - Houston, TX (0:26)
13. KILT - Houston, TX (1:11)
14. KBOX - Dallas, TX (0:34)
15. CHUM -Toronto, Canada (1:43)
16. KRLA - Los Angeles, CA (2:01)
Recorded: 10/26/64
17. Dance, Dance, Dance (backing track) (2:05)
Recorded: 10/9/64
A necessary evil for any popular artist is the recording of the dreaded "station promos", where the person or group tapes greetings for a variety of radio stations in the hopes that they will be played along with their new release. In this case, the Beach Boys were recording a huge amount of promos at Western Studios to accompany their new single, "Dance, Dance, Dance". The majority of the promos recorded this day were featured on Seat Of Tunes' Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 12 (1965): Sloop John B Sessions + Radio Spots CD, but they just end before this batch, which wound up the day of taping. By this time, Mike and Brian are the only ones left in the studio with engineers Chuck Britz and they're obviously tired, but still having some R-rated fun.
As a bonus, we've included an instrumental run-through of the track they're promoting, recorded a couple of weeks before the promos.
18. Help Me Rhonda (first pass) (0:42)
19. Help Me Rhonda (second pass) (3:02)
20. Help Me Rhonda (third pass) (2:51)
21. Help Me Rhonda (fourth pass) (1:01)
22. Help Me Rhonda (fifth pass) (0:44)
23. Help Me Rhonda (sixth pass) (0:52)
24. Help Me Rhonda (seventh pass) (0:59)
Recorded: 2/24/65
Some previously unheard guitar, vocal and percussion run-throughs and overdubs on this re-recording of the Beach Boys Today! track for its release as a single in April of 1965.
25. Little Cycle (Little Honda) (2:16)
Recorded: 4/65
Along with renditions of "Help Me Rhonda" and "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring", the Boys (with Brian) sang with Andy Williams on a reconstituted version of their track "Little Honda" on the latter's popular NBC variety show. Reconstituted, because the NBC brass didn't want Honda to benefit from free promotion, thus the lyric change to the more generic "Little Cycle".
26. Banana And Louie (15:51)
Recorded: 3/22/66
Masterpieces don't come easy; certainly, the recording of the "tail end" of the Pet Sounds album was no simple task. Brian brought his two beagles, Banana and Louie, into the studios to provide a few actual pet sounds to wind up the LP. With the assistance of Brian's wife Marilyn and brother Dennis and his son Scott, the dogs were let loose at Western Studios to do their best, which is what we hear for several minutes. However, Brian was a stern taskmaster to the hapless hounds as he was to his musicians. At one point, Brian seems to have learned how to treat his dogs from his father Murray, screaming "Get up there!!" when one of the dogs doesn't want to put its paws up on the keyboards as Brian is demanding. Scott Wilson is treated similarly by his dad, with Dennis threatening not to give him his Batman ring of Scott doesn't provoke the dogs to bark as directed. Marilyn's plea to Brian, "Honey, but they're so tired already" means nothing to the artiste at work. Eventually, Brian got what he wanted, but as this tape shows, it wasn't a lot of fun getting there.
Pet Sounds alternate mono mixes:
27. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:30)
28. God Only Knows (2:41)
29. I Know There's An Answer (3:17)
Mixed: 3/22/66
While it may seem hard to believe that there could be more mixes of Pet Sounds material that remain unheard to the collecting community, there three make their debut on this set. Mixed on the same day as the above "Banana and Louie" session, all of them contain noticeably different vocal elements than the other available mixes.
Disc Two (VT-239): 54:27
Live: Washington D.C. - Recorded: 11/19/67
1. Show Introduction (1:21)
2. Barbara Ann (2:05)
3. intro to "Darlin'" (0:34)
4. Darlin' (2:28)
5. intro to "I Get Around" (0:23)
6. I Get Around (2:13)
7. intro to "Surfer Girl" (0:54)
8. Surfer Girl (2:23)
9. intro to "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (0:37)
10. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:00)
11. intro to "God Only Knows" (1:01)
12. God Only Knows (2:42)
13. intro to "California Girls" (0:50)
14. California Girls (2:37)
15. intro to "Wild Honey" (2:22)
16. Wild Honey (2:49)
17. intro to "Good Vibrations" (0:26)
18. Good Vibrations (4:11)
19. intro to "Graduation Day" (0:35)
20. Graduation Day (3:22)
21. intro to "Johnny B. Goode" (1:43)
22. Johnny B. Goode (2:54)
23. outro (0:20)
A highlight of Goodbye Surfing, Hello God! is this complete unheard November 1967 concert at a Washington D.C. venue. While the Boys are more than a little loose, both instrumentally and vocally (they're certainly not, as the announcer says at the end of the show, "one of the most fabulous recording and performing groups in the world" on this evening!), it's still a treat to be able to hear songs like "Wild Honey" and "Darlin'" just as they were being issued for public consumption.
Apparently, on of the Boys' problems on this night revolved around a set of rules dictated to them prior to the show by the Daughters of the American Revolution, which restricted what they could say onstage. Thus, their somewhat sarcastic, foul moods are on display throughout. In particular, Mike is in rare form tonight, with much insufferable banter being thankfully cut off by Carl (who remarks to the crowd, "You're very tolerant" at the end of "I Get Around"). Mike also neglects to check his song list, setting up his troubled theremin for "Wild Honey" when it's time to play "California Girls".
24. Harmony Friends (2:52)
Recorded: early 1968
An unused bit of beautiful wordless harmony that was to have been utilized on the Friends LP, but was consigned to the vault instead.
25. Friends (mono dubdown 1 of take 6) (2:49)
26. Friends (mono dubdown 2 of take 6) (0:29)
27. Friends (mono dubdown 3 of take 6) (1:56)
28. Friends (mono dubdown 4 of take 6) (2:42)
29. Friends (flat mono master mix) (2:31)
Recording completed: 3/13/68, Mixed: 3/14/68
See first track on disc three "Little Bird" for information about this track.
Disc Three (VT-240): 63:35
1. Little Bird (mono remix one) (2:03)
2. Little Bird (mono remix two) (1:48)
3. Little Bird (mono remix three) (1:17)
4. Little Bird (#1 pickup one) (0:14)
5. Little Bird (#1 pickup two) (0:16)
6. Little Bird (#1 pickup three) (0:09)
7. Little Bird (mono remix four) (0:20)
8. Little Bird (mono remix five) (0:17)
9. Little Bird (mono remix six) (0:45)
10. Little Bird (mono remix seven) (0:19)
11. Little Bird (mono remix eight) (0:19)
12. Little Bird (mono remix nine) (1:06)
13. Little Bird (mono remix ten) (0:32)
14. Little Bird (mono remix eleven) (2:06)
15. Little Bird (mono remix twelve) (1:04)
16. Little Bird (mono remix thirteen) (2:04)
17. Little Bird (mono remix fourteen) (1:04)
18. Little Bird (#2 pickup one) (0:10)
19. Little Bird (#2 pickup two) (0:12)
20. Little Bird (#2 pickup three) (0:56)
21. Little Bird (mono remix fifteen) (2:06)
22. Little Bird (tag pickup one) (0:51)
23. Little Bird (tag pickup two) (0:18)
24. Little Bird (tag pickup three) (0:25)
25. Little Bird (flat mono master mix) (2:58)
Recorded: 2/29/68, Mixed: 3/7/68
Much of the remaining material on Goodbye Surfing, Hello God! comes from previously unheard two-track 1" mixdown tapes of some of the Beach Boys' 1968 singles and tracks for 1969's 20/20 LP. These "mix reels" are so called because they have numerous attempts at mixing multitrack tapes down to stereo or mono for 45's or LP's. To be honest, listening to these can at times be a frustrating experience. The primary reason in this case is because rarely are there completed versions of these songs on the mix reels, since the final mix is usually cut out and placed on a separate reel. However, the up side is being able to hear parts that were either discarded or mixed down in the final mix. The above two tracks, "Friends" and "Little Bird", are the mono mix reels for the A and B sides respectively of a single that was issued in April of 1968. When the Friends album was released in June of '68, it was released only in stereo, the first time a Beach Boys album had not been mixed for mono. Therefore, these were the only tracks from the LP to receive mono mixes. (NOTE: While the Friends and 20/20 albums were issued in mono in the UK, these were "foldovers" of the 2-track stereo tapes and were not true mono mixes from the multitracks.)
26. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (rough instrumental mix) (2:58)
Recorded: 9/29/67, Mixed: 10/14/68
This track was originally not intended for a Beach Boys release, but was a Bruce Johnston/Carl Wilson effort. However, it was pulled from the vaults as a follow-up to the semi-successful "Do It Again" single and given this rough mix of the track as it stood at the time, prior to the addition of vocals and more instrumental overdubs. There's plenty of studio talk at the end as well!
27. Never Learn Not To Love (mono 45 mix) (2:09)
Recorded: 9/11/68, Mixed: 10/14/68
The B-side for "Bluebirds" was this Dennis Wilson composition, actually written primarily by one Charles Manson under the title "Cease To Exist". This mono mix, direct from the 1" mixdown tape, is considerably different than the 20/20 LP version, and has never appeared on CD before in this fidelity.
28. The Nearest Faraway Place (rough mono mix) (2:46)
Recorded: 6/20/68, Mixed 10/14/68
Evidently, this Bruce Johnston-penned MOR-ish instrumental was under consideration as a B-side material, and was given a mono mix for that very purpose. However, "The Nearest Faraway Place" would not appear on a single until 1970's "Cottonfields" (the group's final Capitol 45), and was heard in its stereo 20/20 LP mix.
You're invited to a "Beach Boys 20/20 Mixing Party"! This section of stereo remix sessions in November of 1968 for the 20/20 album show the rather frustrating, yet ultimately (hopefully) satisfying activity of multiple remixes to attain the optimum balance of instruments and vocals on the final record. Again, keep in mind while listening that many of these mixes are incomplete, and the final released mix was edited out of the mix reel. So, let's head over to Capitol's Studio C and see what engineer Steve Desper and the Boys are up to.
29. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix one) (1:32)
30. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix two) (2:17)
31. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix three) (0:14)
32. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix four) (1:26)
33. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix five) (1:23)
34. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix seven) (1:33)
35. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix eight) (1:47)
36. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix nine) (2:14)
37. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix ten) (1:08)
38. Never Learn Not To Love (stereo remix eleven - slate) (0:12)
Recorded: 9/11/68, Mixed: 11/6/68
A return to the Wilson/Manson track for stereo separation purposes. Remix 11 was the one used for the LP, thus it does not appear on the tape, though the slate is included.
39. Fig Plucker (2:31)
40. Oh Yeah! (0:54)
Mixed: 11/11/68
The above two tracks (recording dates unknown, but they are likely circa 1967) were mixed at the same time as the "Be With Me" session that follows. However, they are included only because they haven't been elsewhere; they are, frankly, awful attempts at comedy (in the case of the former) and early rap music (the latter) "Fig Plucker" is sophomoric humor at best (and sounds like the Peter Tork spoken-word bit "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky" on the Monkees' LP Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.), while "Oh Yeah!" has the boys intoning that phrase again and again behind an unnamed young African-American male's dialogue. 'Nuff said.
41. Be With Me (stereo remix one) (0:34)
42. Be With Me (stereo remix two) (1:30)
43. Be With Me (stereo remix three) (2:53)
44. Be With Me (stereo remix four) (3:53)
45. Be With Me (stereo remix five) (1:16)
46. Be With Me (stereo remix eight) (2:24)
47. Be With Me (stereo remix nine) (2:34)
48. Be With Me (stereo remix ten - slate) (0:09)
Mixed: 11/11/68
This marvelous Dennis Wilson song has all the hallmarks of his finest work from this era: a haunting melody and a somewhat eerie, strained, yet ultimately beautiful vocal performance. Much of what made the song as effective as it ended up being was the result of a fine mixing job by Desper, but it took considerable work on his and Dennis' part to make "Be With Me" the moving piece it is. 10 mixes (mostly incomplete) were made of this track, with #10 being the 20/20 version; on remix number 9, brother Brian's vocals can be distinctly heard.
Disc Four (VT-241): 61:19
1. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix one) (0:29)
2. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix two) (0:20)
3. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix three) (2:50)
4. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix four) (0:23)
5. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix five) (0:43)
6. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix six) (2:52)
7. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix seven) (1:03)
8. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix eight) (0:16)
9. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix nine) (2:52)
10. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix ten) (0:34)
11. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix eleven) (0:31)
12. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix eleven-2) (2:22)
13. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix fourteen) (0:22)
14. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix thirteen) (0:27)
15. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix fourteen-2) (0:52)
16. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (stereo remix fourteen-3) (0:18)
17. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (pickup one) (0:10)
18. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert one) (0:40)
19. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert two) (0:13)
20. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert three) (0:28)
21. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert four) (0:35)
22. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert four-2) (0:33)
23. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (tag insert five) (0:16)
Recorded 9/29/67, 10/16/68, and 10/28/68; mixing and additional recording on 11/12/68 and 11/15/68.
More separation of channels for 20/20, with additional overdubs having been completed at the end of mixing. Something to note while listening is that while mixing both this and the following song, engineer Desper has a difficult time remembering what mix he's working on; thus, some misnumbering of remixes is heard on the slates.
24. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix one) (3:00)
25. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix two) (0:32)
26. Time To Get Alone (intercut one) (1:04)
27. Time To Get Alone (intercut two) (0:53)
28. Time To Get Alone (intercut three) (0:51)
29. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix five) (0:26)
30. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix six) (0:36)
31. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix six-2) (2:51)
32. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix eight) (0:36)
33. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix nine) (0:57)
34. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix ten) (0:14)
35. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix eleven) (0:24)
36. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix twelve) (2:57)
37. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix thirteen) (0:22)
38. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix fourteen) (1:43)
39. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix fifteen) (0:18)
40. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix sixteen) (1:09)
41. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix sixteen-2) (0:14)
42. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix seventeen) (1:11)
43. Time To Get Alone (stereo remix eighteen - slate) (0:10)
Recorded: Mid-1967, 10/2 & 4/68; Mixed: 11/15/68
One of the best Brian Wilson compositions of the post-Smile era, "Time To Get Alone" was originally recorded in the summer of 1967 by the pre-Three Dog Night group Redwood, whose nominal leader at the time was Brian's good friend Danny Hutton (their version, unreleased at the time, can be heard on the 1993 Three Dog Night compilation Celebrate). The Beach Boys appropriated if for use on 20/20 as they were having a difficult time finding enough tracks to fill this final Capitol LP, and added several vocal parts and reedited the track considerably from he original Redwood version. Remix 18 was the one used for the LP, thus again it does not appear here.
44. The Nearest Faraway Place (section one, remix one) (0:18)
45. The Nearest Faraway Place (section two, remix one) (0:26)
46. The Nearest Faraway Place (section two, remix two) (0:14)
47. The Nearest Faraway Place (section three, remix one) (0:46)
48. The Nearest Faraway Place (section three, remix two) (0:43)
Recorded: 6/20/68, Mixed: 11/16/68
Finally, rounding up this mixing party, we have some remixes for "The Nearest Faraway Place", which was to be the final cut on side one of 20/20.
49. I Can Hear Music (Mike Douglas) (3:02)
50. Never Learn Not To Love (Mike Douglas) (2:57)
Recorded: Spring 1969
Featured here are two live vocals over prerecorded backing tracks for an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show to promote "I Can Hear Music", their new Carl-produced 45. Poor ol' Mike likely didn't realize as he was introducing "Never Learn Not To Love" (an interesting choice for performance since it wasn't even an A-side) that it was actually written by a future mass-murderer!
51. Break Away (Take 16 - Brian Vocal) (2:48)
52. Break Away (instrumental) (2:38)
53. Break Away (alternate vocals and mix) (3:09)
Recorded: 3/31/69 & 4/23/69
"Break Away" was the group's penultimate Capitol single, and a tremendous Brian and Murry-penned effort that sadly went unheralded by the public at large, not even making the top 50. We have an alternate mix of the Brian scratch lead vocal that was featured on Endless Harmony, but complete with a slate and count-in here, a mix of the backing track, and finally an alternate version of the Carl-sung track with different vocals.
54. Break Away (David Frost) (3:07)
Recorded: Summer 1969
Then it was time to promote the new single! David Frost's late night program was the outlet in this case, with the Boys singing live over the pre-recorded track.
Disc Five (VT-242): 56:52
The next several tracks spotlight some alternate mixes of songs recorded for Sunflower, the group's brilliant inaugural LP release for Brother/Warner Bros. in August of 1970.
1. Add Some Music To Your Day (vocals only) (3:28)
Recorded: Fall 1969
A terrific "vocals-only" mix of the Beach Boys' first single for Warner Bros., issued in February of 1970. All six (including Bruce) Beach Boys take a turn at one point or another, thus "Add Some Music To Your Day" is an obvious candidate for this type of isolated mixing!
2. Slip On Through (mix in progress) (3:47)
Recorded: Fall 1969
A mix in progress, with some booth conversation between the composer of the track, Dennis, and Carl about the track and the mixing process for the leadoff track on Sunflower.
3. Forever (vocals only) (3:07)
4. Forever (alternate mix) (2:45)
Recorded: Fall 1969
Two alternative ways of listening to one of the finest Dennis Wilson compositions: first, in a vocals-only mode, and then a different mix altogether from the one found on Sunflower.
5. San Miguel (alternate mix) (2:33)
Recorded: Fall 1969
The Dennis compositions just keep on comin', with a alternate mix of this track which varies in comparison to the one found on Ten Years Of Harmony, the 1981 compilation of the group's 1970-1980 Brother output where the track made its first appearance. While recorded for Sunflower, it was not used for that LP.
6. Wouldn't It Be Nice (Merv Griffin) (2:19)
Recorded: Summer 1970
Despite some blown lyrics by Al, this live performance for The Merv Griffin Show, complete with full horn section is a marvelous take on the Pet Sounds track. This airing of the track is followed up immediately by its appearance at another, slightly more important venue.
Live: Big Sur Folk Festival - October 3, 1970
7. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:08)
8. Sloop John B. (2:41)
9. Country Air (2:34)
10. California Girls (2:36)
11. Aren't You Glad (3:40)
12. Cottonfields (3:07)
13. Their Hearts Were Made Of Spring (2:20)
14. Riot In Cell Block #9 (4:13)
15. Good Vibrations (4:33)
A lynchpin of the Beach Boys' early-70's resurgence was their performance at the Big Sur Folk Festival on October of 1970 alongside such acts as Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Linda Ronstadt and Country Joe McDonald (in fact, he can be heard being introduced at the very end of "Good Vibrations"). Interestingly, this was not actually held in Big Sur, but at the site where the Monterey Pop Festival had been held three years previous at which the Beach Boys were a no-show!
Included here is the second of two sets the Boys played that fall day. While this was not the tightest concert from this era, it's certainly the best recorded, and this section from the show has a great mix of old and new tunes (though Bruce Johnston's admonition to the audience "to not shout out those old songs" during the introduction to "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring" was a harbinger of things to come). Rolling Stone, who had shunned the Boys ever since it began publication in 1967, raved about their performance in an "all is forgiven, welcome home" review and paved the way to a major 2-part piece about their history the next year. Particular highlights include versions of their final Capitol single "Cottonfields" (noted as a "big hit everywhere else (except the US)") and the Coasters' "Riot In Cell Block #9" (prior to Mike Love's ruining the song by morphing it into his own hackneyed composition, "Student Demonstration Time" on 1971's Surf's Up). As a side note, Dennis was not present at this performance, as he was in the midst of shooting Two-Lane Blacktop with James Taylor.
16. Student Demonstration Time (alternate mix) (3:28)
Recorded: 1970
A Lieber/Stoller tune which turned up on Surf's Up with new "improved" lyrics courtesy of Mike.
17. Only With You (live 1972) (3:51)
Recorded: Late 1972
This Holland track was premiered during the 1972 tours and was a Carl tour de force; this rendition recorded at a Chicago concert was a particularly effective performance of the song.
18. Sail On Sailor (instrumental / vocals only mix) (3:17)
Recorded: November 28, 1972
A fantastic way to end this voyage through the vaults, here is the instrumental track to this last minute addition to 1973's Holland LP, the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks/Tandyn Almer composition "Sail On Sailor". The song was attached to the album when Warners didn't hear a strong single in the other material recorded for the LP; while it didn't exactly burn up the charts, it was the last bit of compositional brilliance to be heard from Brian for almost five years.