A Cork on the Ocean: Beach Boys and Wilson Brothers song-by-song

On this thread, starting today, I’m going to start holding up songs by The Beach Boys and the three Wilson Brothers — Brian, Dennis and Carl.

Previously there was a song-by-song thread on The Beach Boys (here) however, a few participants on this thread here noted that they wouldn’t mind having a song-by-song thread again, as they were not members of the forum.. It’s been a few years since that one basically died and there have been archival songs released as well as solo Brian Wilson solo songs since then and I didn’t think the original poster (@Wata) would mind so I’ve decided to do it, as I love The Beach Boys! (If I'm somehow breaking rules, Gorts, let me know how I can rectifiy in it.)

Participants in the old thread are of course welcome to go through it all again, and anybody who is a fan or curious is encouraged to join in. Those who don’t want to participate are also encouraged not to participate!

Unlike Wata’s thread, I plan to to this in my style, giving information about each song as we go along (where it’s available) and I encourage other users to add information that I might not have or correct the information which I present, if necessary.

Voters may rate the songs on a 1 to 5 rating system, and decimals are allowed and counted. However rating is optional: discussion is the name of the game. I like rating as it focuses my internal critic, but of course, at the end of the day, rating works of art is nonsense. Although I am interested on seeing how collective ratings play out.

Other than Beach Boys albums and Wilson Brother solo projects I also plan to include “Pet Projects”, i.e. songs which Brian Wilson (or the other Wilson brothers) wrote or produced for other artists, as well or sang a lead vocal on. I also plan to cover well-known “bootleg" recordings which have circulated widely — if they are available on YouTube or other sources.

At this point, I think most songs that have appeared on bootlegs in the past have been officially released on some platform or other, but there are still a few that have fallen though the cracks or are pending. Since many of those come from the late seventies, with luck most of them will be officially released by the time I get there on this thread.

I do not plan on covering the post- or adjacent-Beach Boys careers of Mike Love, Bruce Johnston or Al Jardine, other than in passing mention, much less David Marks, Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar career unless there’s massive interest in those. However songs like Al Jardine’s “Drivin'" or “Don't Stop the Sea” will be covered as they have input from a Wilson brother (and the latter is really a Beach Boys song in all but name, with vocals from Carl, Brian, Mike and maybe Bruce(?))

I think that The Beach Boys biography is well known and I won’t go too far into it here in this introductory post. They were a band of brothers, with a few friends and a cousin. They were younng and they loved singing. At the time of their first single, they ranged in age from 20 (Mike Love) to about 13 (David Marks.)

On the first few days of the thread I plan to cover the songs The Beach Boys recovered before they were really famous, songs recorded at home or for the minor label Candix Records.

The songs I will cover in the next few days from this period, starting today, are:

• Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen (Patty Hill, Mildred J. Hill) - Brian Wilson {circa 1961, released on Good Vibrations: 30 Years of the Beach Boys, 1993)
• Lavender (Dorinda Morgan) - The Pendletones {Outtake, 1961, released on Lost And Found}
• Surfin’ (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) {A-side, 1961}
• Luau (Bruce MOrgan) {B-side, 1961}
• Barbie (B. Morgan) Kenny & The Cadets (A-side, 1962)
• What Is a Young Girl Made Of? (B. Morgan) Kenny & The Cadets {B-side, 1962}
• Judy (Wilson) - {Outtake, 1962, released on Lost And Found}
• Beach Boy Stomp a.k.a. Karate (Carl Wilson)
• The Beginning of the End (Wilson, Gary Usher, Roger Christian) -Gary Usher & Brian Wilson*
• One Way Road to Love (Wilson, Usher) - Gary Usher & Brian Wilson*
• Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (Bobby Troup) {1962, released on Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys 1993}

​

So, then on the 27th, if all of these songs are available on YouTube or wherever, (and I'm not sure about "The Beginning of the End") I should start holding up songs from The Beach Boys’ first album, Surfin’ Safari.

* unreleased song. If this is not on YouTube, then I will skip it

 

I'm in.

 

Purrs like a kitten til those lake pipes roar! Yes I know this is a hot rodded Ford roadster, not a coupe.

 

Today's song is "Happy Birthday, Four Freshman", written by Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill; arranged and produced by Brian Wilson.

Background:

I believe that a teenage Brian Wilson recorded this demo on a home tape machine that the Wilson family had recently acquired, probably as a sort of playful experiment with the new toy. Recorded circa 1961 (perhaps earlier?) It is done in the Four Freshmen style, the Four Freshmen being an a capella jazz-pop group who Brian greatly admired.


Line Up:
Brian Wilson: all vocals

"Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen" was originally released as a hidden track on the five CD Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys in 1993.


It was later re-released on the 2 CD Hawthorne, CA compilation in 2001.

 

A note: I normally don't bother to index these song-by-song threads I do. However, I ALWAYS start a new song post with "Today's song is..." and the name of the song. Thus all of my threads are easily searchable...provided I don't make a typo that I miss!

Also if one is interested in seeing how a particular song is rated you can search for "our votes for" and the name of a song/album.

You can also check ratings for the entire album by searching "collated ratings for" and the name of the album (e.g., American Tunes: Paul Simon song-by-song )

 

Today's song is of course, just Brian messing around with a home tape recorder, which he had figured out how to "multi-track" his voice. It's striking mainly becaue of Brian's beautiful vocals, which have that lovely, full, round and pure, yet muscular sound that could only come from him. If this is home-recorded (and someone, please, correct me if I'm wrong about that) it's got remarkably good sound I think, even considering it's been well mastered and cleaned up by a professional mastering engineer.

If I'm going to rate it, it's a 3.1/5: the world doesn't really need a new recording of "Happy Birthday", but as a historical snapshot into Brian Wilson's development, it's kind of essential...and, truth be told that voice at that time literally could be singing the phonebook and it would sound OK.

 

@Lance LaSalle you are a well oiled machine with these threads, I have enough trouble running just one!

I won't lie to myself and say I'll be here from beginning to end but I'll chime in when I can.

 

Haha. Yes there are times I regret it, but it’s a nice way to wake up. Juliana Hatfield and the Bee Gees are in the planning for the future.

Now, off for a swim!

 

How many laps, Lance? I'm currently on hiatus from my local pool, normally I'd swim 30 laps of a 50 metre pool (1500m) that takes me, on average 37 minutes. Not too bad for an old bloke of 73!

 

Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen

Well really it's like a 1/5 but in context it's more a…

3/5​

 

A generous 3/5 from me. As you say, it shows many of the attributes which will be used so effectively later on and his voice is already remarkable. An interesting insight into what he could achieve with home recording gear. Its brevity is also an asset!

 

Good luck with the thread. There's too many daily threads for me now (4), plus I already participated in a BBs song-by-song on a BBs board (which is also why I didn't participate in the previous Hoffman one). But I expect I will lurk along with interest and very occasionally chime in.

 

Appropriately, Im at the beach. Im at the crystal clear sea in coastal village in Croatia.

Back home I generally swim every day with my son but we just sort of hang out there. If go alone I do laps, probably about 45. No idea of the size probably about 50 meters.

 

“Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen” is great to have because it’s a young Brian Wilson. If it were anyone else, it would just be a derivative little exercise, but we’re lucky to get to hear this early step in an impressive career. And it does have a bit of Brian’s magic in it. 3/5

 

Pretty sure Brian got a personal tape recorder for his 16th birthday in 1958.
This also isn’t the only recording from 58-62 and that tape recorder to make it out.

 

I am committed to getting through this whole recording

 

oh it is still going

 

there are a couple others out there, can’t post them because they’re not on YouTube.
Anyway, they’re definitely interesting recordings, but pretty much for historical purposes only.
2.5/5

 

Wow this will be epic - always curious to read your estimate of how long this will take, has to be six months at least?

 

Yes, he did and yes there are many recordings out on bootlegs, including a lot of interesting rehearsals of “Surfin’.” But I think it would be tedious to go over them. But…when we do “Surfin’(which will be tomorrow, not Tuesday) we can link to some of those.

 

Probably more like two years.

 

Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen

Not the worst rendition (or slight variation) of the song I have ever heard...can't say I am in a rush to listen to it like ever again though.

2/5 for effort

 

Yep, that sums it up. 3/5

I participated in the previous Beach Boys song by song thread but didn't jump in until In My Room, so I look forward to the early catalogue. It will be interesting to see if my ratings and comments change any (though I'll only look back after the fact).

Finally, I like how @Lance LaSalle names his song by song threads after a particular song or lyric. Always interesting to see what becomes the titular track or line.