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2a. Where should I start my collection of Beach Boys and related music?
2b. What is the current availability of Beach Boys music?
2d. Where can I buy Beach Boys and related music?
2e. Which Beach Boys material has recently been (re)-released?
2f. What bootlegs should I buy?
2g. Where can I find lyrics to Beach Boys songs?
2h. Where can I find sheet music for the Beach Boys?
2a. Where should I start my collection of Beach Boys and related music?
There is a lot of Beach Boys and related music. The Beach Boys have released 27 studio albums, and in addition there are four live albums, two box sets and many other compilations. Brian Wilson has released six studio albums, two live albums plus another album with Van Dyke Parks. Then there are the solo efforts of the other band members, plus music that Brian wrote and produced for others. The quality of this music is certainly variable but a lot of it is essential in understanding why Brian Wilson is so highly regarded as a composer and producer, and why the Beach Boys are one of the most important groups in rock history.
Many fans will tell you to start with Pet Sounds. It was voted the "Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Album of All Time" by the editors of MOJO magazine (August 1995) and is consistently rated one of the greatest albums ever made in many other polls of critics and musicians. It contains production techniques way ahead of its time and its introspective lyrics have inspired and comforted many
If you want a good overview of the band's entire history, the box set "Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys" is highly recommended, although it can be pricey. It consists of 5 CDs (6 in parts of Europe) packed with all the hits, good album tracks, and unreleased gems (including 30 minutes of "SMiLE" material)
Other albums that are generally well-rated by Beach Boys fans include "Surfer Girl", "All Summer Long", "Today", "Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)", "Wild Honey", "Friends", "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up".
There are a lot of Greatest Hits compilations around, but the new Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 released in September 1999, and Volume 3 released in February 2000, were meant to supersede all previous volumes. These three sets give an overview of the band's best known music plus some lesser known songs. However, further Greatest Hit compilations have been released subsequently.(see question 2e).
In terms of Brian's solo works, the 2004 release of SMiLE received almost universal critical acclaim, and is highly recommended as a core part of Brian's works. His other solo albums have received at least a mixed response from fans and critics, and in my view, are all worth seeking out to get a full view on Brian's works. Dennis's solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue", is generally very highly regarded amongst fans and critics, and has just been re-released with a lot of bonus tracks(see question 2c). Other solo albums by Mike, Carl and Bruce are less highly regarded by fans and critics.
Musical tastes amongst Beach Boys fans do vary a lot, and a lot of time on fan forums is spent debating the merits and demerits of different albums. Sometimes you just have to jump in, and decide for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised.
2b. What is the current availability of Beach Boys music?
All of the Beach Boys original albums released up until 1985 are now readily available. Most of these albums are "two-fers" (i.e 2 albums on one CD) , with the exception of a few albums like Pet Sounds which are not paired with any other album. It would appear that the last two "proper" Beach Boys albums, "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer In Paradise" are getting harder to find as these have not been re-issued on CD since their original release, but one should still be able to get a second-hand copy online or elsewhere.
The original CD releases of the Beach Boys formats were as "two-fers" with bonus tracks for the 60s albums and as one album per CD for the 70s and 80s material. The 60s albums were subsequently re-released as one album per disc with no bonus tracks. It is already hard to find the 70s and 80s albums as one album per disc, and it will probably become increasingly hard to find this format for the 60s albums. The 2001 re-releases of the 60s "two-fers" are identical in most respects to the original CD two-fer releases of that material.
2c. What is the current availability of Brian Wilson's solo music and other solo efforts by members of the Beach Boys?
Brian's solo work should all be readily available, his first solo album was re-released in 2000 with bonus tracks. His 2000 album, "Live at the Roxy Theatre" was originally only available on the internet but is now available on general release (with additional tracks). Probably the hardest albums to find on CD currently are some of the other band member's solo albums, although as mentioned above, Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue" was just been re-released on CD. Other solo albums by Mike Love and Carl Wilson were only released on CD outside the USA, or not at all. Bruce Johnston's solo album "Going Public" has recently been re-released on CD.2d. Where can I buy Beach Boys and related music?
A lot of record shops around the world have a poor selection of Beach Boys material, even although there is a lot of material currently available. If you can't find a CD you are looking for, it may be worth trying a major on-line stores. Amazon (www.amazon.com) is an on-line stores that I have had reasonable experiences with, and can deliver to most places in the world. (note that this link is not part of any incentive program for this store.)
Otherwise the rare stuff does appear now and then, particularly in second-hand shops, and you can also look out on the various fan forums mentioned in question 1g.2e. Which Beach Boys material has recently been (re)-released?
A compilation called "The Warmth Of The Sun" was released in 2007, featuring some of the Beach Boys lesser known hits and some critical favorites. It was a follow-up to the succesful "Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys" released in June 2003. A compilation by Hallmark was released in 2006, including some live tracks and new studio songs individually from Brian, Al and Mike.
"Beach Boys Classics Selected By Brian Wilson" released in June 2002 contains the first official version of "California Feeling", a 70s outtake recorded by Brian Wilson's band but released under the banner of the Beach Boys. Another interesting recent album is "Pet Projects- The Brian Wilson Productions", released internationally in February 2003, and containing many of Brian's productions for outside artists.
On the live side, the Beach Boys concerts of 1980 have been released on CD and DVD; these are the last concerts featuring the original five band members. The UK CD is called "Live At Knebworth:1980" and the USA CD is called "Good Timin' - Live at Knebworth 1980."
Also released relatively recently were two albums in a similar vein to the Beatles Anthology series, incorporating rare tracks, alternative versions, instrumentals, vocal tracks and live versions. These were "Endless Harmony", a single CD released in August 1998, and a double CD collection called "Hawthorne, California", celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band, which was released in May 2001. Another relatively recent (re)-release was "Ultimate Christmas", an expanded version of the 1964 Christmas Album (released September 22,1998). This material was re-packaged again for an October 2004 release called " Christmas With The Beach Boys." Other relatively recent re-releases are discussed above (see question 2b).
2f. What bootlegs should I buy?
There is quite an extensive selection of Beach Boys bootlegs as the group recorded a lot of material which wasn't released, although a fair amount of this material has now been released officially on various compilations and more may follow. Check out the bootlegs section on this page, and also the various rarities sections on Bret Wheadon's page at http://www.beachboys.com . Do remember bootlegs are illegal, and people will not be that open in giving their sources on how they obtained these records. Please do not e-mail this site asking where to find bootlegs- this is not, repeat not, third time for emphasis not a bootleg trading site. Thanks for not asking.
2g. Where can I find lyrics to Beach Boys songs?
Lyrics to most Beach Boys and solo songs are available on this webpage, which is generally regarded as the best source on the web for these lyrics.
2h. Where can I find sheet music for the Beach Boys?
Guitar tabs, and a few piano tabs and vocal harmony charts are on this site at http://www.cabinessence.com/brian/tabs.shtml. These now cover just about all of the Beach Boys and Brian's solo work.
Otherwise, you should try any shop that sells musical instruments and go through their selection. A book to check out is "The Beach Boys Complete" by Belwin Inc. Their address is 15800 N.W. 48th Avenue Miami, FLA 33014. The publisher is Almo.
The Basics."Lost" Albums.Tours and Musicians
Odds and Ends. This Site.Main FAQ Page