''Sunflower'' is the sixteenth studio album by the American rock band
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
, released on August 31, 1970, and their first on
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
. It received favorable reviews, but sold poorly, reaching number 151 on the US record charts during a four-week stay and becoming the lowest-charting Beach Boys album to that point. "
Add Some Music to Your Day
"Add Some Music to Your Day" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was released in the US on February 23, 1970 as the lead single from their album ''Sunflower (The Beach Boys album), Sunflower''. It was written by Brian Wilson, Joe Kn ...
" was the only single that charted in the US, peaking at number 64. In the UK, the album peaked at number 29.
Working titles for the album included ''Reverberation'', ''Add Some Music'', and ''The Fading Rock Group Revival''. The recording sessions began in January 1969, and, after a year-long search for a new record contract, completed in July 1970. In contrast to ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'', the record featured a strong group presence with significant writing contributions from all band members. About four dozen songs were written for the album, and the label rejected numerous revisions of its track listing before the band presented enough formidable material deemed satisfactory for release. It includes "
This Whole World
"This Whole World" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album '' Sunflower''. Written by Brian Wilson, the song features his brother Carl on lead vocals and is credited as a Beach Boys production. Earlier in the year, i ...
", one of
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
's most complex songs, "
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
", regarded as among
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...
's finest, and "
Cool, Cool Water", a song that originated from the band's ''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'' sessions.
Fans generally consider ''Sunflower'' to be the Beach Boys' finest post-''
Pet Sounds
''Pet Sounds'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on th ...
'' album. It has appeared in several critics' and listeners' polls for the best albums of all time, including ''
Rolling Stone's'' "
500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (2003). The track "
All I Wanna Do" was later cited as one of the earliest examples of
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
and
chillwave
Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...
. Many ''Sunflower'' outtakes and leftover songs later appeared on subsequent Beach Boys releases, including the follow-up ''
Surf's Up'' (1971) and the compilation ''
Feel Flows
"Feel Flows" is a song recorded by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1971 album '' Surf's Up''. It was written by guitarist Carl Wilson and band manager Jack Rieley, and was one of Wilson's first songs.
Background and recording
The ...
'' (2021).
Background and recording
January – May 1969
The Beach Boys were at their lowest popularity in the late 1960s, and their cultural standing was especially worsened by their public image, which remained incongruous with the "heavier" music of their peers. Released by
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
in February 1969, the band's newest album ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'' sold better than their previous, ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' (1968).
However, they remained encumbered by an enormous debt that had been partly the result of two disastrous tours in 1968. Recording sessions for their next album began in January 1969 and were produced by the Beach Boys collectively and by
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
and
Carl Wilson
Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's ''de ...
,
Bruce Johnston
Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...
,
Al Jardine
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rho ...
, and
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...
individually. Throughout the year, they recorded about four dozen studio tracks, with working titles for the new album including ''Reverberation'', ''Sun Flower'', and ''Add Some Music''.
On April 12, the Beach Boys filed suit against Capitol for unpaid royalties and production duties in the amount of $2 million (equivalent to $ in ). In a press statement for this news, they also announced that they would be reviving their
Brother Records
Brother Records, Inc. (BRI) is an American holding company and record label established in 1966 that owns the intellectual property rights of the Beach Boys, including "The Beach Boys" trademark. It was founded by brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis ...
imprint. On April 16, Capitol A&R director Karl Engemaan drafted a letter to band manager Nick Grillo indicating that the group and label were still interested in renewing their contract. Engemaan asked the group to be ready to deliver the new album (then known under the working titles ''The Fading Rock Group Revival'' or ''Reverberation'') by May 1. Only seven of the ten tracks were completed by the deadline, and so the album was not delivered.
In 1969, Brian was increasingly known for his reclusiveness and eccentric behavior, which affected his reputation within the music industry. Grillo struggled to find another major label interested in signing the group, as he remembered, "Brian was notorious at that point" and label executives found the band too risky to sign. Since the Beach Boys' remained highly popular in the UK, Grillo attempted to secure a foreign, worldwide contract with a European company. During the first half of 1969, the Beach Boys continued to tour and increasingly engaged in benefit concerts held at hospitals and penitentiaries.
May – October 1969
On May 27, three days before the group embarked on a four-week tour of the UK and Europe, Brian told the music press that the group's funds were depleted to the point that they were considering filing for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
at the end of the year, which ''
Disc & Music Echo
''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into ''Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972).
...
'' called "stunning news" and a "tremendous shock on the American pop scene".
In response, Grillo told reporters that Brian's comments were untrue and that he was "just putting you on". Brian said he hoped that the success of a forthcoming single, "
Break Away", would mend the band's financial issues.
He wrote the song with his father and ex-band manager
Murry Wilson
Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. After the band's formation in 1 ...
. It was released on June 16 with the B-side "Celebrate the News", a Dennis song, and peaked at number 63 in the US and number 6 in the UK. During that summer, Brian focused his attention on launching the
Radiant Radish
The Radiant Radish was a health food store located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, from 1969 to 1971.
It was managed by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, his cousin Steve Korthoff, and fri ...
, a health food store in West Hollywood.
From May 30 to June 30, the Beach Boys toured with
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...
and
Joe Hicks. Their Capitol contract expired on June 30 with one more album still due, after which the label deleted the Beach Boys' catalog from print, effectively cutting off their royalty flow. Studio recording resumed sporadically from July to October amid numerous promotional appearances.
The Beach Boys expected that, since they were considered a "legendary band" by this point, many other labels would approach them with contractual offers, but few did. Throughout June, the group met with the Berlin-based company
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
, who were keen to sign the band, but Brian's remarks in the press ultimately thwarted the contract negotiations.
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, Deutsche's American affiliate, also refused to sign the group because the company did not like the band's music or the members personally.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
and
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
also rejected the band.
In August, the
Manson Family committed the
Tate–LaBianca murders
The TateLaBianca murders were a series of murders perpetrated by members of the Manson Family during August 810, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, United States, under the direction of Tex Watson and Charles Manson. The perpetrators killed five ...
. According to Jon Parks, the band's tour manager, it was widely suspected in the Hollywood community that
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
was responsible for the murders, and it had been known that Manson had been involved with the Beach Boys, causing the band to be viewed as pariahs for a time. That same month, Carl, Dennis,
Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-bari ...
, and Jardine sought a permanent replacement for Johnston. They approached Carl's brother-in-law
Billy Hinsche
William Hinsche (June 29, 1951 – November 20, 2021) was an American musician who was a co-founding member of the singing trio Dino, Desi & Billy and a keyboardist for the Beach Boys' backing band.
Background
Hinsche was born in Manila, the Phi ...
, who declined the offer to focus on his college studies. In late 1969 (either reported as occurring in August or November), Murry Wilson sold the
Sea of Tunes
Sea of Tunes was a Music publisher (popular music), music publishing company founded in 1962 by Murry Wilson, Murry and Brian Wilson. Murry was the first manager of the Beach Boys, the father of Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis and Carl Wilson and the ...
publishing company (including the rights to the majority of Brian's songs) to
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
' publishing division for $700,000 ($ in ).
November 1969 – July 1970
According to music historian Keith Badman, a breakthrough with
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
inspired "an immense sense of optimism" and a "remarkable amount of new material" recorded in November 1969. He stated that the group, "including a temporarily rejuvenated Brian", prepared material with "as many songwriting collaborators as possible" as they regarded "the forthcoming album as a make-or-break disc." On November 18, Warner executive
Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin (born Morris Meyer Ostrofsky; March 27, 1927 – July 31, 2022) was an American record executive who worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks. He was chairman and chief execu ...
agreed to sign the band to their subsidiary
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
. This deal was brokered by
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle (album), Song Cycle'' and for his ...
, a former collaborator of Brian's who was then employed as a multimedia executive at
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
. The contract dealt by Reprise stipulated Brian's proactive involvement with the band in all albums. Another part of the deal was to revive Brother Records.
Shortly before signing with Reprise, the group accumulated enough material for a new album, now titled ''Sun Flower'', and assembled a provisional 14-song acetate for the label.
[ This collection was rejected. Warner Bros. executive Dave Berson remembered: "It seemed like an amazing thing to do, to say to the Beach Boys, 'This is not the kind of an album we want to pay for.' Contractually, we didn't have any right to reject albums." The project was then renamed ''Add Some Music'' with the subheading ''An Album Offering from the Beach Boys''.]
From November 25 to December 7, the band embarked on their seventh and final annual Thanksgiving tour of the US. Badman called it "a dismal farewell" to the decade, "with audience members struggling to reach even a couple of hundred at some shows", forcing most of the dates to be cancelled. In November, the Manson family were apprehended by police for the Tate–LaBianca murders, and the family's former connections with Dennis and the Beach Boys became the subject of media attention.
In February 1970, the band submitted a version of ''Add Some Music'', but were once again rejected.[ The company felt that the proposed LP was not strong enough, although they decided to issue two of its tracks as a single, and asked the band to write and record a new batch of songs. From February to June, the group worked on overdubbing and rerecording some of their new material. Another revision was rejected in late May. The album's last two songs were finished in July: " Cool, Cool Water" and " It's About Time".] After a July 21 overdubbing session for "Cool, Cool Water" with synthesizer player Bernie Krause
Bernard L. Krause (born December 8, 1938) is an American musician and soundscape ecologist. In 1968, he founded Wild Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to the recording and archiving of natural soundscapes. Krause is an author, a bio-acoustici ...
, the third and final master of ''Sunflower'' was delivered to Warner.
Songs
Side one
"Slip On Through"
" Slip On Through" was written and sung by Dennis. Brian recalled, "It was a really dynamic song. Dennis, I was very proud of, because he really rocked and rolled on that one. Dennis did really interesting energetic things on that."
"This Whole World"
"This Whole World
"This Whole World" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album '' Sunflower''. Written by Brian Wilson, the song features his brother Carl on lead vocals and is credited as a Beach Boys production. Earlier in the year, i ...
" was written by Brian, who said it was "inspired by my love of the world, how I love people, and how people should be free." Carl sings lead vocals while Brian sings in the background; their voices were double-tracked
Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...
, as was common practice for many of their recordings. Brian's wife Marilyn and her sister Diane Rovell also contributed backing vocals. Brian later produced a version of the song for their group American Spring
American Spring (known as simply Spring before 1972) was an American pop music duo formed in Los Angeles, California. It consisted of sisters Marilyn Wilson and Diane Rovell, who had earlier been members of girl group the Honeys. As with the H ...
on the 1972 album ''Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
''. As a solo artist, he returned to the song again for the album ''I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
"I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into societ ...
'' (1995).
"Add Some Music to Your Day"
"Add Some Music to Your Day
"Add Some Music to Your Day" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was released in the US on February 23, 1970 as the lead single from their album ''Sunflower (The Beach Boys album), Sunflower''. It was written by Brian Wilson, Joe Kn ...
" is a song with lyrics that are a celebration of music and its ubiquitous presence in daily life. It was written by Brian, Mike Love, and their friend Joe Knott, who was not a professional songwriter. Biographer Peter Ames Carlin
Peter Ames Carlin (born March 13, 1963) is an American journalist, critic and biographer who has written for publications such as ''People'' magazine, ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Los Angeles Times Magazine'', and ''The Oregonian''. Seve ...
wrote that the song was a "pop-folk tune" that "seemed like a perfect statement of purpose to lead off the band's second decade, given the tune's shared, round-robin style lead vocal, full background harmonies, and a plainspoken lyric".
"Got to Know the Woman"
"Got to Know the Woman" is an R&B song by Dennis that featured backing vocals from female session singers. White noted it was "one of the few Beach Boys songs that could honestly be called funky, its tinkly Dixieland piano a perfect foil for the coarse frivolity of the verses, which contain a boorish come-on to the object of one's lowest bump-and-grind fantasies.
"Deirdre"
"Deirdre
Deirdre ( , Irish: ; sga, Derdriu ) is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (). Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-know ...
" was written by Bruce Johnston with the exception of a minor lyric contribution from Brian. Johnston said that Wilson had very little to do with the song and gave him 50% of the credit as a favor. The song was named after the sister of one of Johnston's ex-girlfriends and was described by White as "a stroll-tempo devotional to an idealized, red-haired goddess; its stippled use of flutes plus the spacey filtering and compression techniques in the vocal mixes giving the track a celestial grandeur." In 1994, the song was sampled in the video game ''EarthBound
''EarthBound'', released in Japan as is a role-playing video game developed by Creatures (company), Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the Mother (video game s ...
''.
"It's About Time"
" It's About Time" is an autobiographical rock song about the pitfalls of stardom and fame. It was written by Dennis, Carl, Jardine, and outside writer Bob Burchman. Jardine said: "'It's About Time'" was Carl, Dennis and I 'sic'' That's a good one. I like that production. That was mostly Dennis, and I just helped with the lyrics. Dennis and Carl did the track." White wrote: "The Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
Boats
* Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
-like Latin pivot of its percussion gave the song a nice tension, and the personal renewal described by the song's central character triggers a driving guitar break that makes his second chance seem both plausible and thrilling. And undidactic commentary on rock indulgence and self-redemption, it was also a wishful scenario regarding both Brian and Dennis Wilson's sporadic personal troubles."
Side two
"Tears in the Morning"
"Tears in the Morning
"Tears in the Morning" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album ''Sunflower''. Written by Bruce Johnston, it was issued as a single, with the B-side " It's About Time". The single failed to chart in the U.S., but rea ...
", written by Johnston, is a melodramatic song with strings, horns, and accordions. He performed the song during the group's live performances without accompaniment from his bandmates. A '' Disc & Echo'' writer reviewed of a concert in December 1970, "I must admit, it went down a storm, as the song benefited from the simple piano-voice presentation. But if you'd seen the expressions and heard the mutterings of the others in the group as they were ordered off-stage, it looked decidedly as though Bruce could find himself in the doghouse!"
"All I Wanna Do"
" All I Wanna Do" is a reverb-heavy B. Wilson–Love song that was originally attempted during the sessions for ''Friends''.[ Retrospective commentators note the song as one of the earliest examples of ]chillwave
Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...
, a microgenre
A microgenre is a specialized or niche genre. The term has been used since at least the 1970s to describe highly specific subgenres of music, literature, film, and art. In music, examples include the myriad sub-subgenres of heavy metal and electr ...
that emerged in the 2000s. Discussing the song in 1995, Brian expressed: "That was one of those songs that had a nice chord pattern, but I think it was a boring song, and I thought it wasn't done right. I thought it should have been softer, with boxed guitars."
"Forever"
"Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" was written by Dennis and his friend Gregg Jakobson
Gregg Jakobson (born August 2, 1939) is an American songwriter who was a friend and songwriting partner of Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, and a prosecution witness in the murder trials of members of the Manson Family.
Beach Boys
Jakobson and W ...
. Brian praised the song as "the most harmonically beautiful thing I've ever heard. It's a rock and roll prayer." Love wrote that it "was Dennis's most acclaimed ballad, as it captured the raw emotion and bluesy sensibility that he brought to his vocals."
"Our Sweet Love"
"Our Sweet Love
"Our Sweet Love" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album ''Sunflower''. Written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Al Jardine, "Our Sweet Love" features a lush sound that has been compared to the band's work on ''Pe ...
" is a reworking of a ''Friends'' outtake, "Our New Home". Brian commented: "I wrote that for Carl. After I wrote it I said, 'Hey, he could sing this good' so I gave it to Carl." According to Jardine, Brian refused to complete the song: "'Our Sweet Love' was one we finished with Brian. He just didn't want to finish it. So we kind of helped. We became completers of ideas."
"At My Window"
"At My Window" is a song by Brian and Jardine about the birds in Brian's backyard. It evolved from a rendition of "Raspberry, Strawberries", a Wilt Holt composition that was recorded by the Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and ...
. The lyrics were written by Jardine. He commented: "That was probably one of my first efforts at involving the other guys. ... I have this dim recollection of writing it and Bruce singing it and Brian trying to speak French in it. It had a nice tone to it. We had an accordion player come in and play some beautiful things on it."
"Cool, Cool Water"
" Cool, Cool Water" evolved from the ''Smile'' track "Love to Say Dada
"Love to Say Dada" (also known as "I Love to Say Da Da", "Da Da", and "All Day") is an unfinished song that was written by American musician Brian Wilson for the Beach Boys' ''Smile'' project. It spells LSD in its initials and was one of the la ...
" and was initially attempted during the 1967 sessions for ''Smiley Smile'' and '' Wild Honey''. Lenny Waronker
Lenny Waronker (born October 3, 1941) is an American record producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Bros. Records, and later, as the co-chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment to artists and hi ...
, then an A&R executive at Warner Music Group, heard the unfinished tape, and convinced Wilson to finish the track for ''Sunflower''. Waronker was so impressed with the song's inspired simplicity, that he noted, "If I ever get the opportunity to produce Brian, I'd encourage him to do something that combined the vividness of 'Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record c ...
' with the non-commercial gentleness of 'Cool, Cool Water.'" Wilson later said: "In 'Cool, Cool Water' there's a chant I wish we hadn't used. It fits all right, but there's just something I don't think is quite right with it."
Leftover
Around three dozen songs were left off ''Sunflower''. Each member of the band, including Brian, wrote numerous songs for the album. Brian alone had about a full-length album's worth of material that he had written by himself or with collaborators. Among these, "Where Is She?" is a Brian song that, according to band archivist Alan Boyd
Alan Boyd is an American musician, sound engineer, record producer, and filmmaker who is best known for his work with the Beach Boys. Since the 1980s, he has been an archive manager for the band's Brother Records. Since 2000, he has worked alongs ...
, resembles the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "She's Leaving Home
"She's Leaving Home" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and released on their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lennon ...
". He said: "It's one of those times that the band's engineer Steve Desper recalls Brian simply getting an idea and he built this song from the ground up." " Take a Load Off Your Feet (Pete)", written by Brian and Jardine with schoolfriend Gary Winfrey, was included on the band's next album '' Surf's Up'' (1971). "Loop de Loop
"Loop de Loop" is a song written by Teddy Vann and Joe Dong and performed by Johnny Thunder featuring The Bobbettes. It reached No. 4 on the U.S. pop chart and No. 6 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1963. It was featured on his 1963 album ''Loop De ...
", written by Brian, Carl, and Jardine, evolved from "Sail Plane Song", a ''20/20'' outtake. In 1998, Jardine completed the song for the ''Endless Harmony Soundtrack
''Endless Harmony Soundtrack'' is an anthology album of previously unheard material by The Beach Boys, originally released by Capitol Records in August 1998. Named for Bruce Johnston's song on the 1980 album ''Keepin' the Summer Alive'', it was ...
''. That compilation also included "Soulful Old Man Sunshine
"Soulful Old Man Sunshine" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded during the sessions for their 1970 album ''Sunflower''. It was written by Brian Wilson, Rick Henn (former leader of the Murry Wilson-spearheaded Sunr ...
", a collaboration between Brian and Rick Henn, former leader of the Sunrays
The Sunrays (previously known as the Renegades, the Renegade 5, Larry Tremaine & the Renegades, the Rangers and the Dirt Riders) were an American band from Pacific Palisades, California. The group was led by singer/songwriter/drummer Rick Henn, ...
.
"Lady
The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
" was written by Dennis and featured a string arrangement by keyboardist Daryl Dragon
Daryl Frank Dragon (August 27, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American musician, known as Captain from the pop musical duo Captain & Tennille with his then-wife, Toni Tennille.
Career
Born into a musical family, Dragon was the son of El ...
. The song was later considered for ''Surf's Up'' but passed for inclusion. Instead, in December 1970, Wilson released it as the B-side of the " Sound of Free" single, credited to "Dennis Wilson & Rumbo". " Good Time" was a collaboration between Brian and Jardine. In 1972, American Spring recorded versions of "Lady" (with the new title "Fallin' in Love") and "Good Time", the latter with new vocals overdubbed onto the Beach Boys' original backing track, for their album ''Spring''. In 1977, the original ''Sunflower'' version of "Good Time" was placed on ''The Beach Boys Love You
''The Beach Boys Love You'' is the 21st studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released April 11, 1977 on Brother/Reprise. Sometimes referred to as the band's "punk" or "synth pop" album, ''Love You'' is distinguished for its pioneer ...
''. In 1981, "San Miguel", a collaboration between Dennis and Gregg Jakobson, was released for the compilation ''Ten Years of Harmony
''Ten Years of Harmony'' is an official double album compilation album released by the Beach Boys in 1981, and spanning their entire Brother Records-era up to that point (1970–80), including some unreleased or rare material. Although the song ...
''. Jardine's " Susie Cincinnati" was released as the B-side of the "Add Some Music to Your Day" single and as a track on the 1976 album ''15 Big Ones
''15 Big Ones'' is the 20th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 5, 1976 on Brother/Reprise. It includes a mix of original songs and renditions of rock 'n' roll and R&B standards. The LP was the band's first albu ...
''.
" I Just Got My Pay" contains a reworked melody from the 1964 outtake "All Dressed Up for School
"All Dressed Up for School" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded in 1964 during the early sessions for their album ''The Beach Boys Today!''. Written by Brian Wilson, the lyrics express the narrator's newfound fascinati ...
". "I'm Going Your Way" is a Dennis song about picking up hitchhikers and the sexual intercourse that might follow. "Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
" (aka "Over the Waves") is a wordless vocal rendition of the standard " When You Are in Love (It's the Loveliest Night of the Year)". Also recorded was " When Girls Get Together" (released on the 1980 album ''Keepin' the Summer Alive
''Keepin' the Summer Alive'' is the 24th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 24, 1980 on Brother, Caribou and CBS Records. Produced by Bruce Johnston, the album peaked at number 75 in the US, during a chart stay of ...
''), "Games Two Can Play" (released on the 1993 box set '' Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys''), " Back Home" (a version different from the one released on ''15 Big Ones''), a rehearsal of the ''Wild Honey'' song "Let the Wind Blow
"Let the Wind Blow" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released in 1967 as the ninth track on their thirteenth studio album '' Wild Honey''. The song is a ballad with lyrics that metap ...
" (a song that was added to the band's setlists in this era), a solo piano demo of " Til I Die" with no vocals (later completed for ''Surf's Up''), and a keyboard-only version of the Beatles' "You Never Give Me Your Money
"You Never Give Me Your Money" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney (and credited to Lennon–McCartney) and documented the financial and personal difficulties facing the band. The song is the first ...
".
Packaging
The picture of the band on the front sleeve, featuring all six group members, was taken on the golf course at Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
's Hidden Valley Ranch near Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tree ...
in Ventura County
Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.
Ventura County comprises the Oxnar ...
, California. His son Ricci Martin, a friend of the band, took the photograph, also featuring Brian's daughter Wendy, Al's first son Matthew, Mike's children Hayleigh and Christian, and Carl's son Jonah. The inner gatefold spread on the original vinyl LP featured a series of photographs taken by designer/photographer Ed Thrasher
Edward Lee Thrasher Jr. (March 7, 1932 – August 5, 2006), known as Ed Thrasher, was an American art director and photographer. He was the recipient of numerous Grammy Award nominations for his work on album covers and won a Grammy for Best Album ...
at the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
studio backlot.
Release
On February 23, 1970, "Add Some Music to Your Day" (B-side "Susie Cincinnati") was issued as lead single. Reprise was so excited about the record that they convinced retailers to carry more copies of it than that of any other artist on their roster ever. This made it the fastest-selling 45rpm record in the label's history. In March, Love was hospitalized after a three-week fast in which he ate only water, fruit juice, and yogurt – per the teachings of . Brian replaced Love on the road during this period. He remembered: "When Mike Love was sick, I went with the group up to Seattle and Vancouver and the Northwest for some appearances. I was scared for a few minutes in the first show—it had been a while since I was in front of so many people. But after it started to cook I really got with it. It was the best three days of my life, I guess."
In April, "Add Some Music to Your Day" peaked at number 64 in the US during a five-week stay. DJs generally refused to play the song on the radio. According to band promoter Fred Vail, WFIL
WFIL (560 AM) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group, studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP ...
program director Jay Cook refused to play the song even after "telling me how great the Beach Boys are and how great Brian is." On April 17, the regular touring band, with Love, embarked on their first major tour of the year: a four-week trek of New Zealand and Australia. Supporting musicians for this tour included bassist Ed Carter
Ed, ed or ED may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc
* Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media
* ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...
and keyboardist Daryl Dragon. Murry Wilson also accompanied the group for this tour. Australian magazine ''Go Set
Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Games and sport
* Go (game), a board game for two players
* '' Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel
* Go, the starting position l ...
'' reported that the band's next album was titled ''Cool Water'' and that Emerald Films would be creating a color film documentary of the tour, produced by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
's Steve Turner.
None of the album's other singles charted in the US or UK. Due to the poor response to the lead single, Warner suggested that the band refrain from calling the new album ''Add Some Music''. In late June, Brian told ''Melody Maker'' that he was thinking about composing the soundtrack to an Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
film about a "gay surfer". On June 29, the second single "Slip On Through" (B-side "This Whole World") was issued in the US. Love wrote in his 2016 memoir that "Warner/Reprise was adrift on how to position ''Sunflower''" and that the band had "thought about shortening urname to 'Beach' but concluded that was even worse."
On August 31, 1970, ''Sunflower'' was released in the US by Brother/Reprise. At the time, Brian told ''Rolling Stone'': "I think we threw away at least one good song on 'Sunflower'' Overall the record is good but it doesn't please me as much as I wish. ... But all in all, with some good airplay, the record should do very well." The album became the Beach Boys' worst-selling to date, reaching number 151 on US record charts during a four-week stay. Its failure was attributed partly to the fact that FM rock radio DJs considered the songs too conventional for their playlists. Biographer David Leaf
David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is a Peabody and WGAW award-winning writer, director, and producer, known for his associations with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s.
Leaf's 1978 biography ''The Beach Boys and the California ...
wrote that the sales numbers were greatly disappointing for the Beach Boys, and that Brian was especially affected: "That, on top of the old, unhealed scars, was a hurt he didn't really begin to get over until 1976."
In the UK, ''Sunflower'' was released in November 1970, on Stateside Records
Stateside Records, styled as $tateside Records, is a British record label, owned by Warner Music Group and operates through its Parlophone and Warner Records imprints. Upon creation, it initially released licensed American recordings and is no ...
, and peaked at number 29. A British trade magazine reported: "The album has been out less than one week, and it already is indicated to be their most popular recording in history, according to EMI Records
EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
." However, the album continued to sell poorly. Two more US singles, "Tears in the Morning" (B-side "It's About Time") and "Cool, Cool Water" (B-side "Forever"), followed on October 21, 1970, and March 1971, respectively. The former was released in November 1970 as their only UK single.
Contemporary reviews
Despite its poor sales, ''Sunflower'' received considerable critical acclaim in the US and the UK. In his review for ''Rolling Stone'', Jim Miller called it "without doubt the best Beach Boys album in recent memory, a stylistically coherent ''tour de force''", but mused: "It makes one wonder though whether anyone still listens to their music, or could give a shit about it." Following Miller's review, several other American magazines published favorable assessments, but as Badman writes, "The damage done by their non-appearance at Monterey_[Pop_Festival">heMonterey_[Pop_Festival.html" ;"title="op_Festival.html" ;"title="heMonterey [Pop Festival">heMonterey [Pop Festival">op_Festival.html" ;"title="heMonterey [Pop Festival">heMonterey [Pop Festivalin 1967 seem[ed] irreversible among rock's opinion-formers."
''The Village Voice''s Robert Christgau said that as a coming-of-age record from the Beach Boys, ''Sunflower'' is "far more satisfying, I suspect, than ''Smile'' ever would have been". He added that the "same medium-honest sensibility" and Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
ethos of their 1960s music remains, "only now they sing about broken marriages and the pleasure of life. Still a lot of fun too." In the English music press, the album was favorably compared by many critics to the Beatles' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''.
Retrospective assessments and legacy
Fans generally regard ''Sunflower'' as the Beach Boys' finest post-''Pet Sounds
''Pet Sounds'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on th ...
'' album. ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''s Hefner Macauley deemed ''Sunflower'' "perhaps the strongest album they released post-''Pet Sounds''", while Chris Holmes of '' Popdose'' declared that "it stands as the definitive post-''Pet Sounds'' Beach Boys album". '' Paste''s Brian Chidester wrote that the album "was, in many respects, their ''Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although ''Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly re ...
''—a lush production that signaled an end to the 1960s, the decade that gave them creative flight." Music theorist Daniel Harrison referred to ''Sunflower'' as the end of an experimental songwriting and production epoch for the group, one that had begun with 1967's ''Smiley Smile''.
In his 2016 memoir, Love acknowledged that ''Sunflower'' was "damn good ... I also know that we have fans who cherish that album like none other." Wilson biographer Christian Matijas-Mecca stated that the album was the band's best effort since ''Pet Sounds'' and said that it "demonstrated, more than any other Beach Boys album before or since, that the six members could work democratically and deliver songs of real depth." Writing in ''The Beach Boys and the California Myth'' (1978), David Leaf summarized the work as "the first album that could come close to ''Pet Sounds'' on a production level, partly the result of studio engineer Steve Desper's fine work. The Beach Boys' harmonies were present in a way they hadn't been since '' Summer Days...'' and it was probably the truest group effort ever in that it was a showcase for all the individuals in the band." Peter Ames Carlin summarized:
''Sunflower'' was voted number 380 in '' Rolling Stone's'' " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (2003), number 66 in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s "100 Best Albums Ever" (1997), and number 449 in Colin Larkin
Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged".
Along wit ...
's ''All Time Top 1000 Albums
''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...
'' (2000). In his review of the album's 2000 remaster, Keith Phipps from ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said that ''Sunflower'' "features one of The Beach Boys' most coherent and lovely selections of music", with the best songs penned by Brian. ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s Noel Murray wrote that the album could be interpreted as the band's response to "the wave of 'sunshine pop
Sunshine pop (originally known as soft pop) is a subgenre of pop music that originated in Southern California in the mid-1960s. Rooted in easy listening and advertising jingles, sunshine pop acts combined nostalgic or anxious moods with "an appre ...
' and 'bubblegum
Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble.
Bubble gum flavor
While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...
' acts that had emerged over the previous couple of years, showing that no one could write and record slick, melodic, harmony-drenched songs quite like The Beach Boys."
Among the band members, Bruce Johnston later named ''Sunflower'' his favorite Beach Boys album. In the 1970s, he considered it to be the last true Beach Boys album because it was the last to feature Brian's input and active involvement. He nonetheless regretted the inclusion of his two songs, saying that "Tears in the Morning" was "too pop" and that "I wish I hadn't recorded Deirdre'with the group." Conversely, Brian said that "Deirdre" was "one of my very favorites" and that "Tears in the Morning" was "lovely". For the album's 2000 liner notes, it was written that he "attributes the staying power of ''Sunflower'' ... to the 'spiritual love' of the music".
Track listing
Original release
Note
* The international version of the LP had "Cottonfields" as the first track on side one.
* "Slip On Through" and "Got to Know the Woman" were originally credited to Dennis Wilson alone. Following a consultation with Wilson's estate and publishing, credits to Gregg Jakobson were officially added in 2021.
* "It's About Time" was not originally co-credited to Carl Wilson. His credit was similarly added in 2021.
''Reverberation''
Midway through the recording of ''Sunflower'', the band assembled an album for Capitol with some tracks that were later placed on ''Sunflower''. It had the working title of ''Reverberation''. Although a master tape (dated June 19, 1970) of songs was put together, this album was never released. Instead, they fulfilled their contract with the May 1970 album '' Live in London''. All of the following tracks have seen an official release in later years.
''Feel Flows''
In 2021, expanded editions of ''Sunflower'' and ''Surf's Up'' were packaged within ''Feel Flows'', a box set that includes session highlights, outtakes, and alternate mixes drawn from the two albums.
Personnel
Sourced from Craig Slowinski.
The Beach Boys
* Al Jardine
Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rho ...
– vocals, guitar, finger snaps
* Bruce Johnston
Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...
– vocals, bass, Rocksichord
Rocky Mount Instruments (RMI) was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, active from 1966 to 1982. The company was formed to produce portable musical instruments, and manufactured several electronic pianos ...
, piano, finger snaps
* Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-bari ...
– vocals; finger snaps
* Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
– vocals, piano, Rocksichord, toy piano, organ, Moog synthesizer
The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...
, finger snaps
* Carl Wilson
Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's ''de ...
– vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Chamberlin
The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are severa ...
, bass, Rocksichord, electric sitar
An electric sitar is a type of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the sitar, a traditional musical instrument of India. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional ...
, clavinet
The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...
, finger snaps, additional percussion
* Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...
– vocals, piano, guitar, drums, bongos, finger snaps, cowbell (uncertain credit), tambourine
Touring musicians
* Ed Carter – guitar
* Daryl Dragon
Daryl Frank Dragon (August 27, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American musician, known as Captain from the pop musical duo Captain & Tennille with his then-wife, Toni Tennille.
Career
Born into a musical family, Dragon was the son of El ...
– organ, vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...
, tack piano
A tack piano (also known as a harpsipiano, jangle piano, and junk piano) is an altered version of an ordinary piano, in which objects such as thumbtacks or nails are placed on the felt-padded hammers of the instrument at the point where the ham ...
, electric harpsichord, tubular bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
, chimes
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
, bass
* Dennis Dragon – drums, congas, cowbells, timbales
Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...
Guest
* Carnie Wilson
Carnie Wilson (born April 29, 1968) is an American singer and television personality. She is the daughter of Brian Wilson and in 1989 co-founded the pop music trio Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy. From 1995 onwards, she has also b ...
– background voice on “At My Window”
Additional session musicians
* Julia Tillman – backing vocals
* Carolyn Willis – backing vocals
* Edna Wright
Edna Wright (February 2, 1945 – September 12, 2020) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister ...
– backing vocals
* David Cohen – guitar
* Jerry Cole
Jerald Edward Kolbrak (September 23, 1939 – May 28, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Cole, was an American guitarist who recorded under his own name, under various budget album pseudonyms and as an uncredited session musician.
Biography ...
– guitar
* Al Casey – guitar
* Ronald Benson – guitar, mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
* Mike Anthony – electric guitar
* James Burton
James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...
– acoustic guitar
* Jack Conrad – guitar, bass
* Ray Pohlman
Merlyn Ray Pohlman (July 22, 1930 – November 1, 1990) was an American session musician and arranger who played both upright bass and bass guitar, and also did sessions as a guitarist. He is credited with being the first electric bass player ...
– six-string bass
An extended-range bass is an electric bass guitar with a wider frequency range than a standard-tuned four-string bass guitar.
Terminology
One way that a bass can be considered 'extended-range' is to use a tuning machine mechanism that allows fo ...
, bass
* Joe Osborn
Joseph Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018[Jimmy Bond
Jimmy Bond is a fictional character in the American Fox television shows ''The Lone Gunmen'' and ''The X-Files'', two science fiction shows about government conspiracies to hide or deny the truth from the people. Portrayed by American actor ...](_blank)
– double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
, electric bass
* Lyle Ritz
Lyle Joseph Ritz (January 10, 1930 – March 3, 2017) was an American musician, known for his work on ukulele and bass (both double bass and bass guitar). His early career in jazz as a ukulele player made him a key part of the Hawaii music scene ...
– bass
* Mort Klanfer – bass
* Larry Knechtel
Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon ...
– piano
* Mike Melvoin
Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific studio musician, recording with Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, ...
– piano
* Gene Estes – drums, chimes, glockenspiel
The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone.
The glo ...
, shaker
* John Guerin
John Payne Guerin (October 31, 1939 – January 5, 2004) was an American percussionist. He was a proponent of the jazz-rock style.
Biography
Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer he began performing with Buddy De ...
– drums
* Earl Palmer
Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...
– drums
* Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...
– drums
* Frank Capp
Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew.
Biography
...
– tambourine, tympani
* Stan Levey – bass drum, cowbell
* John Audino – trumpet
* Tony Terran – trumpet
* Carl Fortina – French concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.
The ...
* Igor Horoshevsky – cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
* Orville “Red” Rhodes – pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...
* Paul Beaver
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
– Moog synthesizer
* Jay Migliori
Jay Migliori (November 14, 1930 – September 2, 2001) was an American saxophonist, best known as a founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker.
Biography
Migliori started playing the saxophone after he received one as a birthday ...
– flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
* David Sherr – flute
* Bernard Krause – Moog synthesizer
* Anatol Kaminsky – violin
* Sam Freed – violin
* Marvin Limonick – violin
* David Frisina – violin
* George Kast – violin
* Nathan Kaproff – violin
* Alexander Murray – violin
* Dorothy Wade – violin
* Spiro Stamos – violin
* Roy Tanabe – violin
* Shari Zippert – violin
* Jay Rosen – violin
* Virginia Majewski – viola
* Robert Ostrowsky – viola
* Alvin Dinkin – viola
* Allan Harstian – viola
* Edgar Lustgarten – cello
* Abe Luboff – arco double bass
Technical and production staff
* Stephen Desper – chief engineer and mixer, Moog synthesizer, wave effects, additional vocals (uncertain credit)
* Bill Lazarus – additional engineer (“Got to Know the Woman”)
* Doc Siegel – additional engineer (“Deirdre”, “All I Wanna Do”, “Forever”)
* Jim Lockert – additional engineer (“Cool, Cool Water”)
* Bill Halverson – additional engineer (“Cool, Cool Water”)
* Ricci Martin
Ricci James Martin (born Ricci Crocetti, September 20, 1953 – August 3, 2016) was an American musician and singer. He was a son of Dean Martin.
He established his band, The Pack. In 1977, he released the album ''Beached'' in collaboration wit ...
– cover photo
* Ed Thrasher
Edward Lee Thrasher Jr. (March 7, 1932 – August 5, 2006), known as Ed Thrasher, was an American art director and photographer. He was the recipient of numerous Grammy Award nominations for his work on album covers and won a Grammy for Best Album ...
– original art direction, innerspread photography
Charts
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Authority control
The Beach Boys albums
1970 albums
Reprise Records albums
Brother Records albums
Albums produced by the Beach Boys
Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios
Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders
Albums recorded in a home studio