Beach Boys - Wild Honey LP in Stereo - 'Sunshine Tomorrow' 2Cds + live digital release

How many pop/rock albums can you say that about!?!

 

Thanks for all that information! That’s definitely helpful.

Forgive another question: now that you’ve laid out all available sources, could you post the list of songs (and running order) that were actually going to be the Lei’d album?

What I’m curious about is what a full stereo and full mono Lei’d would look like (and then find where to get each track from your big list here)

Thanks

 

I‘d like that too...

 

Fred Vail Intro
The Letter
You're So Good To Me
Help Me, Rhonda
California Girls
God Only Knows
Surfer Girl
Sloop John B
With A Little Help From My Friends
Barbara Ann (Live University of Michigan 10/22/66)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Live University of Michigan 10/22/66)
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring
Good Vibrations

 

Well, first off, for mono, you have everything on Sunshine Tomorrow, except the two Univ. of Michigan tracks, which if you buy that set is in stereo only. You would have to do a fold down to mono on your own.

For Stereo, between the studio tracks and rehearsals on Sunshine Tomorrow and ST2, you have all but 6 in stereo. You would have to buy the Univ. of Michigan shows online to get those two tracks. Help You, Rhonda on Made in California box set. Then you have 3 tracks where there are no stereo studio or rehearsal mixes; Sloop John B, Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring and the Fred Vail Intro.

 

Of those 3, only Sloop John B was recorded in stereo. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring was mono only as was the Fred Vail Intro. In addition, You're So Good To Me is apparently in stereo on one of the boots, albeit in poor quality. So a stereo set would look something like this:

Fred Vail Intro (Mono from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow)
The Letter (Stereo likely from Rarities, again I don't have that one so can't confirm)
You're So Good To Me (Stereo from Bootleg)
Help You, Rhonda (Stereo from Made In California: 1962-2012)
California Girls (Stereo from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions; alternate mix on Made In California: 1962-2012)
God Only Knows (Stereo from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions; alternate mix on Endless Summer Soundtrack)
Surfer Girl (Stereo from Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys)
Sloop John B. (Mono from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow)
With A Little Help From My Friends (Stereo from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow)
Barbara Ann (Stereo from University of Michigan Copyright Extension set)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (Stereo from University of Michigan Copyright Extension set)
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Mono from 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow; alternate "dry" source minus added vintage echo on 1967 - Live Sunshine)
Good Vibrations (Stereo apparently, don't know from where)

@drbeachboy, can you tell us where the stereo mixes of The Letter and Good Vibrations come from? Because those two elude me currently.

Thanks for this! I remember someone mentioning that ESQ had published the original tracklist last year after getting it from Mark Linett, but have been unable to find it again until now.

 

@MaestroDavros,

The Letter - You can use the Alt Take on Sunshine Tomorrow or the 8/26 Rehearsal on MiC (matches the actual live version).

Good Vibrations - I use the 8/26 Rehearsal track on the Hawthorne, CA CD. I wonder about this track as it does not sound like the 8/25 or 8/26 rehearsals on Sunshine Live. Could this be either the studio track or a studio rehearsal? Very clean stereo mix, no matter.

 

In my mind with regards to The Letter, I still think it's a mono only track because even though an alternate take and rehearsals are available, it would seem that the master take chosen (I assume) by Brian is not currently available in stereo.

Just re-listened to Good Vibrations on Hawthorne, CA and it's even weirder than I thought. It's not the 8/25 rehearsal, the 8/26 rehearsal (although it's somewhat close) or the take they used for the mono mix back in 1967. This is me guessing but it is possible that it's an alternate take recorded at Wally Heider, but I'm not sure. The reason I assumed it was the 8/26 rehearsal is because A. the openings are strikingly similar, B. the lengths are virtually identical, and C. the sonics sounded like they were from a rehearsal, but that might be because of the overabundance of reverb and echo in the Hawthorne mix. In any case I've put in a request to have the gorts edit the list to reflect this. So it should be all up to date.

 

I’m not surprised with the stereo tracks being a mess. We all know that had this been released that it would have been mono and duophonic. Brian was known for locking the track to mono with many songs, hampering a full stereo release. As for Good Vibrations, to which are you referring when you compare the 8/26 rehearsal? I have quite a bit of the Lei’d in Hawaii stuff, but I have nothing that sounds exactly like that Hawthorne track. Hawthorne is a clean rehearsal, meaning no talking, no fooling around. Just a basic track and full vocal take.

 

By the time Lei'd In Hawaii was being produced, Capitol had already phased out the Duophonic process in favor of a simpler and more compatible EQ split effect for fake stereo pressings. Now if SMiLE had been released in January of 1967 as planned, it would have used the Duophonic process, and indeed many of Capitol's unusual cover slicks for the album that survive are of the Duophonic version. However, Smiley Smile (on Brother), Wild Honey and, had it been released, Lei'd In Hawaii would have used the new process.

I was referring to the ending mainly, as it has a bit of chatter. Also there's a bit of drum doubling that also appears on quite a few other Hawthorn, CA stereo mixes. Otherwise yes, they are relatively clean mixes from a talking during song perspective.

 

I am trying to be frugal with the downloads. Which of the the two Hawaii concerts are the best quality and performance? 8/26 seems to be more complete on Live.

 

Getting close to finishing up the massive live release. Going through the entire tour from that year is quite a journey. The band really tightens up by the end of the tour. One thing that is a bit of a double edge sword is all the clowning around by the band throughout most of the performances. It's hard to put the performances into context because I can't really pick up on the energy of the audiences. I'm sure they could hear all the joking around but it almost seems like it takes the wind out of the show. Seems like the audience didn't mind much but it makes you wonder how much more the show could've been improved if the band...mainly Mike...buckles down and does it straight. It seems to be a trait that Mike eventually dropped because eventually as the touring band got along later he seem to take the shows a bit more seriously. Today he hardly goofs off.

 

Forgive me if this has already been asked/discussed -- but was there any official cover art prepared for Lei'd in Hawaii? I assume not, or I'd probably have seen it.

And with that, just how close was this album to being released? Ads/promos/catalog #s -- obviously we know the track-list. Having a track-list is pretty far along in my book.

 

I streamed the whole set this past week. I don't think either Hawaii night is a great experience; compared to every other show in the collection they're quite loose and lackluster, as though they can't get themselves together, and Brian's organ playing often sounds like a deliberate act of sabotage (as on "Barbara Ann" the second night) even though I'm sure it's not. Listening to the set in sequence, when you jump to November you immediately hear a huge step up, particularly in the drumming. I think the best show in the set is in White Plains; it's a shorter gig but the energy in the room is palpable, there's a bit less banter and even the songs I don't like much (such as, uh, "Barbara Ann") are strongly performed. Combine that with the unusual selections from Wild Honey earlier on (I don't understand why they dropped "Country Air" and "Boogalooed It," I think they both come off rather well) and you have an actually legit live album potentially.

Carl was such a masterful singer; it's startling to hear how he brings such total depth and beauty to songs like "Wild Honey" and GOK night after night after night. My wife was swooning over one of the performances of "Darlin'" she happened to hear.

I have to echo some comments above and say that Mike's banter -- while I understand why it was a habit, a cross-section of old-time with new-school "entertaining," and that it's part of the package deal with this band -- really turns me off; the repeated jokes across multiple shows, yeah, but also the need to turn seemingly every potentially emotional moment into a joke. This is the main reason I hardly ever listen to Live in London even though I really love those arrangements. I'm not virulently anti-Mike at all but I just don't think the appeal of the Beach Boys to me is tied into his presence proportionately to how very audible and impossible-to-ignore he constantly makes himself. It just doesn't vibe with me. But that's not a criticism of this release at all.

I know this is a pricey release but I dearly hope it makes enough bank that we can get a similar set for the 1972-73 period, which I'd absolutely lose my marbles over.

 

Was this release download - stream only?

 

Correct; no physical release. Downloads are available and I probably will get them eventually but for the moment I used Spotify which has the whole thing.

 

AFAIK, production-wise, all that was needed was to overdub the audience noises. I don’t believe that it was submitted to Capitol, but Brother did assign a catalog number; Brother 9002. Andrew G Doe’s “Bellagio 10452” site claims that this was verified in 2006, and that a cover had been prepared, as well. So, it was very close to being released.

 

"The Letter" - "Sloop", as presented on this set, clearly have a uniform mono mix and sound like they go together, and it could maybe pass for a live album. After that I just don't get it. "Little Help" sticks out like a sore thumb, not to mention the fact that Bruce is singing lead when he wasn't even at the damn concert in the Hawaii first place. I'll take their word for it that this was the proposed lineup for the album, but it only sounds like half an album to me. Why not present the rest of the tracks in similar sound if such a tape exists? And if not could they replicate the sound and give us a completed album? But then won't the two legitimate live tracks stick out since they are, you know, live? Oy.

 

I don’t understand the Bruce part? None of what was to be on the album were from the Hawaii shows, so why adding a Bruce lead make any difference? Dennis didn’t sing any songs in Hawaii, but they added a Michigan track for him that was not performed at either show. It was to be a faux concert album. They could add or subtract anything they wanted, and in 1967 no one would have been any the wiser. Also, once a true master was created, it would have been mixed to give it a more even sound, with audience noise throughout . When I was a kid in the mid-60s, I had no idea how much post production work that was done for the Concert album. Even Brian’s introduction to the Monster Mash was redone in the studio.

 

Because anyone who actually attended the concerts would call B.S.

Word would get out and sully The Beach Boys reputation.

That's my argument.

 

Honestly, my biggest disappointment, now that we have TWO "Sunshine Tomorrow" sets?

Still no version of "I Was Made To Love Her" with the full intro, which has been bootlegged. I want to make a consistent-sounding 'complete' mix of that song.

 

Well, anyone who attended would also know that there were quite a few songs on the album that were not performed, as well. They would also know that Dennis never performed You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away. Honestly, by the time the album would have been released, I doubt that the few hundred that attended the shows would even remember what could have been played at either of the shows. Besides, even if BS was called, Brian could have explained it away as adding two cuts to include both Bruce and Dennis with lead vocals.

 

So...'Tune L'...whats going on here? It's Dennis on piano, but I can't work out how this would've fit in with anything else the band were doing at the same time, nor who any of the other musicians are; the engineer has a strong southern accent that definitely isn't Chuck Britz, and the guitarist is called 'Dave'. Anyone know the story behind this one?

Also, what's clear is that early in the album's genesis, the stuff they were recording was veering towards a more complex sound - 'Lonely Days' 'Can't Wait Too Long' 'Time To Get Alone' 'Cool Cool Water' - and they suddenly moved to a simpler setup. I wonder why?

 

Because Brian couldn't finish any of the complex stuff?

 

No one is sure who wrote Lonely Days and Time To Get Alone was slated for Redwood, not the Boys. AFAIK, Can’t Wait Too Long was never slated for Wild Honey. Both Dennis and Carl were working on tracks, and none were ever in the running for the album, either. While the Wilson brothers were all spending time in the studio, in 1967 & 1968 the band was still under the control of Brian who was still calling the shots for all or much of Smiley Smile, Wild Honey and Friends.