Boys be Zombitious

As part of a planned year-long celebration of The Beach Boys’ 60th anniversary, Capitol Records/UMG are to release a newly remastered and massively expanded edition of the group’s greatest hits collection Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys.This collection was originally issued in 2003 and contained 30 tracks. The reissue updates both the number of songs and the audio quality with an extra 50 songs, giving a total of 80 tracks across three CDs or six vinyl LPs.

What are little boys made of? It used to be frogs, snails, and puppy dog tails, but today it is MTV, ADD, and STDs. So how do parents raise their sons to be respectful and responsible young men despite a toxic culture that relentlessly undermines masculine virtues such as moral strength, self-restraint, and respect for women? By letting boys be boys… Dr. Meg Meeker, bestselling author of Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, follows up her success with Boys Should Be Boys–a guide for parents on how to raise a strong son in these turbulent times.

Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. From their 1961 debut with the regional hit "Surfin'," the three Wilson brothers – Brian, Dennis, and Carl – plus cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine constructed the most intricate, gorgeous harmonies ever heard from a pop band. With Brian's studio proficiency growing by leaps and bounds during the mid-'60s, the Beach Boys also proved one of the best-produced groups of the '60s, exemplified by their 1966 peak with the Pet Sounds LP and the number one single "Good Vibrations." Though Brian's escalating drug use and obsessive desire to trump the Beatles (by recording the perfect LP statement) eventually led to a nervous breakdown after he heard Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the group soldiered on long into the '70s and '80s, with Brian only an inconsistent participant.

"There is 'less is more' production philosophy, charming tricks, for example tuba on Wake The World and, most of all, having fun in the best possible sense."

Skewed heavily–and rightfully–toward the Beach Boys' first seven years, Hawthorne, CA offers up charmingly rough early demos ("Surfin'", "Surfin' USA", "Little Deuce Coupe"), edited session highlights, backing tracks ("Fun, Fun, Fun", "Salt Lake City", "Good Vibrations", "Be with Me", "Sail On Sailor"), spectacular a cappella versions ("Kiss Me Baby", "Can't Wait Too Long", "Add Some"), alternate takes ("The Little Girl I Once Knew" with an a cappella break, "Time to Get Alone", "Break Away") and some modern stereo remixes and edits that add revealing details ("Dance, Dance, Dance", "Heroes and Villains", "Vegetables", "Time to Get Alone"). The crucial latter contributions of Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine are also showcased on "Let the Wind Blow", "A Time to Live in Dreams" and "Cotton Fields", respectively. The dialogue adds some minor perspective but, as always, it's music that carries the day. Hawthorne, CA is a must for collectors and a concise, insightful introduction to a true American musical institution. –Jerry McCulley