The Beach Boys' 'Party!' Gets Expanded Reissue

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Oct 23, 2015

There are plenty of treasured classics in the Beach Boys' back catalogue, from Pet Sounds to the once-mythical Smile. The family band's 1965 entry Beach Boys' Party! may not be immediately remembered as fondly, but the collection of covers and party sounds is about to be re-embraced via a deluxe reissue featuring a bunch of raucous outtakes and some strictly naked recording sessions.

A press release confirms that the expanded Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged lands November 20 through Capitol/UMe on double CD and digitally. A vinyl re-release of the original album follows on December 20.

It's explained that the collection was cut at Hollywood studio Western Recorders between August and September of 1965, with the Beach Boys opting to go unplugged for run-throughs of their then-favourite songs.

Armed with acoustic guitars, bass, bongos, harmonica and a tambourine, they tackled tracks by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, delivered acoustic renditions of their "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe," and remodelled the Regents' "Barbara-Ann" as their own, unhyphenated track. The cover made it into the Billboard Top 10.

On the business side of things, it's explained that the group were feeling heat from Capitol records to get back in the studio to make a new album. To spice things up, and since the Beach Boys weren't ready to unleash any new tunes just yet, singer Mike Love suggested presenting the LP as if it were recorded during an actual party. And thus, a concept was born.

Love explained in a statement: "The Party! album was a result of the pressure Capitol Records was putting on us for another album. And we didn't really have time to develop the type of album we wanted to develop, which Brian was working on, called Pet Sounds… So we said, 'Well, what can we do quickly and easily?' And we decided to do this party album."

The wild vibe wasn't exactly captured live, though, with the band eventually bringing a bunch of friends and family members out to Western Recorders to track crowd noise.

The 50th anniversary edition presents the album as is, but also delivers an "uncovered and unplugged" version of the recording sans crowd noise. Additionally, it tacks on 69 tracks of straight dialog and "fooling around." You'll find the full extensive breakdown down below.

Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged also comes with liner notes from session producer Mark Linett, as well as essays from rock historians Alan Boyd and Craig Slowinski.

Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged:
 
Disc 1:
 
The Album:
 
1. Hully Gully [session #2 – 9/8/65]
Lead Vocal: Mike
2. I Should Have Known Better [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
3. Tell Me Why [session #2 – 9/8/65]
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
4. Papa-oom-mow-mow [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Lead Vocal: Brian
5. Mountain Of Love [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Lead Vocal: Mike
6. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away [session #5 – 9/23/65]
Lead Vocal: Dennis
7. Devoted To You [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Duet Vocals: Brian & Mike
8. Alley Oop [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Lead Vocal: Mike
9. There's No Other (like My Baby) [session #3 – 9/14/65]
Lead Vocal: Brian
10. I Get Around / Little Deuce Coupe [session #4 – 9/15/65]
Lead Vocal: Mike
11. The Times They Are A-changin' [session #5 – 9/23/65]
Solo Vocal: Al
12. Barbara Ann [session #5 – 9/23/65]
Lead Vocals: Brian & Dean
 
The Sessions:
 
13. Let's Get This Party Rolling [session #2 – 9/8/65]
 
Session #1 [8/23/65]:
 
14. I Should Have Known Better #1
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
15. Ruby Baby #1
Lead Vocal: Brian
16. (i Can't Get No) Satisfaction #1
Group Vocals: Brian, Carl, Dennis, Al, Mike
17. Hully Gully #1
Lead Vocal: Brian
18. Blowin' In The Wind
Solo Vocal: Al
19. Dialog: "the Sunrays"
 
Session #2 [9/8/65]:
 
20. Ruby Baby #2
Lead Vocal: Brian
21. Dialog: "the Masked Phantom"
22. Hully Gully #2
Lead Vocal: Mike
23. Dialog: "carl, Go Get Your Bass"
24. Hully Gully #3
Lead Vocal: Mike
25. (i Can't Get No) Satisfaction #2
Group Vocals: Brian, Carl, Dennis, Al, Mike
26. Dialog: "that's A Bad Guitar"
Piano: Brian
27. Ruby Baby #3
Lead Vocal: Brian
28. Dialog: "what's The Matter, Carl"
29. Ruby Baby #4
Lead Vocal: Brian
30. Dialog: "carl's Tires"
31. I Should've Known Better #2
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
32. I Should've Known Better #3
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
33. Dialog: "wasn't That Great Folks?"
34. Tell Me Why #1
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
35. Don't Worry Baby
12-string Acoustic Guitar: Carl
36. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away #1
Lead Vocal: Dennis
37. Little Deuce Coupe #1
Lead Vocal: Mike
38. California Girls
Lead Vocal: Mike
 
Disc 2:
 
Session #2 [9/8/65], Continued:
 
1. She Belongs To Me/the Artist (laugh At Me) #1
Lead Vocal: Mike
2. Fooling Around: Hang On Sloopy/you've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'/twist And Shout
Lead Vocal: Mike
3. Riot In Cellblock No.9 #1
Lead Vocal: Mike
4. Fooling Around: The Diary
Lead Vocal: Bruce
5. Dialog: "i Think We Better Do This Next Week"
Piano: Brian
 
Session #3 [9/14/65]:
 
6. Dialog: "let's Cook Now And Eat Later"
7. Tell Me Why #2
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
8. I Should Have Known Better #4
Lead Vocals: Carl & Al
9. Dialog: "what I Want To Do"
10. Dialog: "are We Still In The Party?"
11. Mountain Of Love #1
Lead Vocal: Mike
12. Dialog: "where's Denny?"
13. Devoted To You #1
Duet Vocals: Brian & Mike
14. Dialog: "what Are You Doing Now"
15. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away #2
Lead Vocal: Dennis
16. Dialog: "this Phony Party" / Ticket To Ride
Lead Vocal: Al
17. Alley Oop #1
Lead Vocal: Mike
18. Alley Oop #2
Lead Vocal: Mike
19. Dialog: "tune It Like It Is"
20. There's No Other (like My Baby) #1
Lead Vocal: Brian
21. There's No Other (like My Baby) #2
Lead Vocal: Brian
22. Dialog: "do The Splits"
23. Devoted To You #2
Duet Vocals: Brian & Mike
24. Devoted To You #3
Duet Vocals: Brian & Mike
 
Session #4 [9/15/65]:
 
25. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away #3
Lead Vocal: Dennis
26. I Get Around
Lead Vocal: Mike
27. Little Deuce Coupe #2
Lead Vocal: Mike
28. Mountain Of Love #2
Lead Vocals: Mike & Brian
29. Ticket To Ride #2
30. Riot In Cell Block No. #2
Lead Vocal: Mike
31. The Artist (laugh At Me) #2
Solo Vocal: Mike
32. One Kiss Led To Another
Lead Vocal: Mike
 
Session #5 [9/23/65]:
 
33. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away #4
Solo Vocal: Dennis
34. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away #5
Lead Vocal: Dennis
35. Dialog: "what Did You Stop Us For Chuck?"
36. The Times They Are A Changin'
Lead Vocal: Al
37. Fooling Around: Heart And Soul/long Tall Sally
38. Fooling Around: The Boy From Nyc
39. Smokey Joe's Cafe
Lead Vocal: Mike  
40. Dialog: "i Got One More"
41. Barbara Ann #1
Lead Vocal: Brian
42. Barbara Ann #2
Lead Vocals: Brian & Dean
43. Barbara Ann #3
Lead Vocals: Brian & Dean

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