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Beach Boys Today/Summer Days and Summer Nights |
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| Name: | Beach Boys Today/Summer Days and Summer Nights | |
| Artist: | The Beach Boys |
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| Styles: |
Adult Contemporary - Oldies - Pop - Rock - Classic Rock - Classic American Rock |
| Media: |
Audio CD |
| Release Date: |
29 April 2002 |
| Label: |
Capitol |
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| UPC Catalogue No: |
724353163921 |
| Amazon Sales Ranking: |
3102 |
| Number of Discs: |
1 |
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Description |
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This single disc gathers two Beach Boys albums--Today! and Summer Days and Summer Nights--with the addition of remastering and bonus tracks. When Brian Wilson finally summoned up the courage to confront his musically interfering father (the bands' early benefactor Murray Wilson) during the sessions for the Today! album, it could hardly be termed a rite of passage. Brian had always been in charge of his music, less so of himself. Thus, it's hard to believe that the gloriously realised, tender suite of songs ("Please Let Me Wonder" to "In the Back of My Mind") which occupy the second side of Today!--the exquisite semi-orchestral arrangements, the caramel harmonies and the lyrics which dwell on the dreamy, soul-searching solitaire of adolescence--are actually the work of a wobbly, self-doubting recluse recovering from a mental breakdown. But here it is--undiminished by time--the symphonic template for Pet Sounds. Summer Days and Summer Nights, meanwhile, is livelier and sunnier. Carl Wilson makes his vocal debut (what took so long?) on the Beatles-do-Dylan inspired pop strum of "Girl Don't Tell Me", there's the cheesy pseudo surf of "Amusement Parks USA" (a hit in Japan) and some other numbers called "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls" which will still be around on the airwaves long after global warming has made the sea levels rise to wash all the beaches away. Similarly indispensable, the bonus tracks include the ground-breaking stop-start of "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (Brian's first "pocket symphony") and a terrific, twangy-guitar demo take of "Dance Dance Dance". --Kevin Maidment |
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Tracks |
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| 1 |
Do You Wanna Dance |
| 2 |
Good to My Baby |
| 3 |
Don't Hurt My Little Sister |
| 4 |
When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) |
| 5 |
Help Me, Rhonda |
| 6 |
Dance, Dance, Dance |
| 7 |
Please Let Me Wonder |
| 8 |
I'm So Young |
| 9 |
Kiss Me Baby |
| 10 |
She Knows Me Too Well |
| 11 |
In the Back of My Mind |
| 12 |
Bull Sessions With "Big Daddy |
| 13 |
Girl from New York City |
| 14 |
Amusement Parks U.S.A. |
| 15 |
Then I Kissed Her |
| 16 |
Salt Lake City |
| 17 |
Girl Don't Tell Me |
| 18 |
Help Me, Rhonda |
| 19 |
California Girls |
| 20 |
Let Him Run Wild |
| 21 |
You're So Good to Me |
| 22 |
Summer Means New Love |
| 23 |
I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man |
| 24 |
And Your Dream Comes True |
| 25 |
Little Girl I Once Knew |
| 26 |
Dance, Dance, Dance |
| 27 |
I'm So Young |
| 28 |
Let Him Run Wild |
| 29 |
Graduation Day |
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Customer Reviews |
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An impressive move. |
Rating: 5.0 |
The Beach Boys Today is a wonderful album, and the first album to be significant as a whole. The first half is full of perfectly-crafted, upbeat material while the second half is full of lovely, moving ballads with outstanding orchestration. "Kiss Me Baby," "She Knows Me Too Well," and "In the Back of My Mind" are particularly impressive, as is the early version of "Help Me Ronda." This album is arguably the finest by the Beach Boys, perfectly setting the stage for the legendary Pet Sounds.Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) finds Brian with a more comfortable, casual approach in his craft, and the album consists of a handful of great tunes, such as "California Girls," "You're So Good To Me," and the beautiful instrumental "Summer Means New Love." Most of the rest, however, are half-baked filler, but not without decent fun. |
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Brian Wilson's Pre-'Pet Sounds' Genius |
Rating: 5.0 |
After 'Pet Sounds' I would say that these two albums are the best of the Beach Boys output. Much on both hints at what was to come on 'Pet Sounds' with, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful of all Beach Boys tunes on show. Aside from the seven top 40 hits here, there are the wonderful 'Please Let Me Wonder', 'Let Him Run Wild' and 'In the Back of My Mind'. The instrumental 'Summer Means New Love' is just perfect whilst the a cappella 'And Your Dreams Come True' is an absolute jaw-dropper - honestly, you will just die when you hear it! Bonus track 'The Little Girl I Once Knew' is one of the greatest Beach Boys songs ever and 'Graduation Day' is High School nostalgia bound to make any American child of the fifties smile inside at the thought of proms and cheerleaders and all those American High School things we Brits learn about from American teen movies. Should be purchased with, or immediately after 'Pet Sounds', preferably alongside 'Friends/20-20' and 'Sunflower/Surf's Up'. |
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More underrated Beach Boys classics |
Rating: 4.0 |
The cream of pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys, these two albums prove that musically, early Beach Boys music was far more advanced than early Beatles music, which in my opinion is a bit overrated (don't get me wrong, I love the Beatles, but their post Rubber Soul stuff is far better than their earlier stuff). Containing some fascinating compositions, especially the wonderful California Girls, this is great pop music. My only complaint is with some of the lyrics, which are mostly cringe inducingly sweet and basic. |
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One Great Album/ one not so Great Album |
Rating: 4.0 |
This twin album highlights how difficult it is to keep the standards up when you're having to record one album at least every six months. Just as the Beatles followed up the superb Hard Day's Night with the ordinary Beatles for Sale, so the Beach Boys followed up the excellent Today with the mediocre Summer Days and Summer Nights. Today is, in my opinion, the single best Beach Boys album - even better than Pet Sounds. People talk about the second half of Today as being like a prototype for Pet Sounds, but in my opinion several of the tracks are much better than those on Pet Sounds, with possibly She Knows me Too Well the standout track. However, the brilliance of that album only serves to emphasise how disappointing Summer Days... is, with the exception of California Girls and You're So Good to Me, which are both on the essential 20 Golden Greats compilation anyway. Having said that, it's certainly worth forking out the money for Today on its own. So five stars for Today and three stars for Summer Days - 4 stars overall. |
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Two great mid sixties albums |
Rating: 5.0 |
This twofer covers the period leading up to Pet sounds. Some of the tracks were cut in 1964 but most date from 1965. Do you wanna dance was the first big hit of the period. It a rock’n’roll classic that Brits first heard when Cliff Richard had a hit with it, but it was originally an American hit for Bobby Freeman. Another cover hit was Then I kissed her, an adaptation of the Crystals’ Then he kissed me.Original songs yielded four American A-side hits, these being When I grow up, Help me Rhonda (a number one), California girls (one of their most famous songs) and The little girl I once knew. I could have done without Bull session with the Big Daddy – it is just the Beach boys and a journalist chatting to each other. This sort of thing is fine for liner notes, but I don’t want it on a CD. Still, its only one track and can easily be skipped. Alternate recordings are included of some songs. Perhaps the most interesting is the original Help me Ronda (note the spelling of Ronda) which appeared on the Today album. It was substantially changed musically before being released as the single Help me Rhonda (with the spelling change also) – that version was included on the Summer days album. All the other tracks are typical Beach boys music of the period - two classic albums from one of the most important sixties groups. |
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