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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 28 studio albums (, and in addition there are five live albums, three box sets and many other compilations. Brian Wilson has released nine 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). Another retrospective box set is due for release in August 2013.
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". The new album from 2012 "That's Why God Made The Radio" is also well regarded./
There are a lot of Greatest Hits compilations around- the first compilation was released in 1966 at a similar time to "Pet Sounds"- the 2003 compilation "Sounds Of Summer" has been very succesful and gives an overview of the group's best known songs. Another greatest hits album was released as part of the 50th album celebration!
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 recently 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. In 2012, selected albums were remastered and re-released as single discs.
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 re-released on CD in 2008 and Carl Wilson's "Youngblood" in 2010. 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 also had a fairly recent CD re-release.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?
"The SMiLE Sessions" -released in a number of formats including a box set- is an official release of the (in)famous sessions for the most famous unreleased album in history. It includes a version of album largely along the lines of Brian's 2004 release. The new studio album in 2012 was called "That's Why God Made The Radio", and reached #3 on the Billboard charts. A new greatest hits compilation, live album of the 50th tour, and box set called "Made In California" have also been released or will shortly be released.
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