For the second in my look at the career of The Beach Boys, I am posting this on the 60th Anniversary of the release of ‘Little Deuce Coupe’. This album came out on 7th October, 1963 and was the third album the group released in that year which meant that this was a very busy time for The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson especially.
First up was ‘Surfing USA’, released in March of 1963 and then in September, out came ‘Surfer Girl’. That meant there was only a months gap between that and ‘Little Deuce Coupe’. Considering an artist in the current climate does well to release a new album every two years, this is quite a turn over in product. This last album was clearly an LP too far because if we look at the track listing for ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, you can see that there was plenty of original material on it, but four of the twelve tracks had appeared on earlier albums. If you consider that their first album came out just over a year earlier on 1st October 1962, Brian Wilson was also writing and producing material for artists outside of The Beach Boys. It is not a surprise that he decided that he wanted to stop going out on the road and concentrate on working in the studio. He was not going to get his wish straight away because even though Al Jardine came back into the band to cover for his, David Marks was not far off leaving.
So what do we get in this period of The Beach Boys. There are a few covers, which is not a surprise considering how many records the band was releasing as well as Brian Wilson’s side projects. There are a number of instrumentals and when it comes to the ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ LP and recycling of some old material. As a side note, it could be argued that ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ is an early concept album as the majority of the songs on it are about cars. There is also a major step up in the quality of songs that Wilson was writing and the instrumentation he was using. Take ‘In My Room’ a song from the ‘Surfer Girl’ album. It has some harp playing on it, and an early appearance by studio player extraordinaire Hal Blaine on percussion. The song is not about surfing, cars or girls and has melancholy theme. A massive hint on where Wilson would go in a few years time culminating in the masterpiece that is ‘Pet Sounds’. This is also one of the few Beach Boys recordings where David Marks and Al Jardine both perform before the 2012 LP, ‘That’s Why God Made The Radio’.
Sources for the songs included on this set.
1 – Surfin’ U.S.A.
2 – Hawthorne, CA: Birthplace Of A Musical Legacy
3 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol.2 (Bootleg)
4 – Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys (Box Set)
5 – Made In California (Box Set)
6 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol.3 (Bootleg)
7 – Surfer Girl
8 – Stack O’Tracks
9 – In The Beginning (Bootleg)
10 – The Big Beat 1963
11 – Endless Harmony Soundtrack
12 – Surfer Girl (1990 Reissue)
13 – Rarities Vol.1 1962-1968 (Bootleg)
14 – Little Deuce Coupe
15 – Unsurpassed Master Vol.4 (Bootleg)
16 – Shut Down Vol.2
17 – Christmas Sessions (Bootleg)
18 – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album
19 – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (1991 Reissue)
20 – Alternative Dumb Angel Vol.1 (Bootleg)
21 – Legends Of Christmas Past
22 – Christmas Sessions Vol.1
23 – Sounds Of Summer: The Best Of The Beach Boys (Expanded Super Deluxe)
24 – Unknown
Disc 1
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (Solo Demo) – 4
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (Instrumental Backing Track) – 2
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (Vocal Overdub) – 3
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (Mono) – 1
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (Stereo) – 1
- Surfin’ U.S.A. (2021 Stereo Mix) – 23
- Farmer’s Daughter (1st Stereo Mix, Overdub 2, Take 9) – 3
- Farmer’s Daughter (2nd Stereo Mix, Overdub 2, Take 9) – 3
- Farmer’s Daughter (Mono) – 1
- Farmer’s Daughter (Stereo) – 1
- Misirlou (Take 12) – 3
- Misirlou (Mono) – 1
- Misirlou (Stereo) – 1
- Stoked (Take 16) – 3
- Stoked (Mono) – 1
- Stoked (Stereo) –
- Shut Down (1st Stereo Mix) – 3
- Shut Down (2nd Stereo Mix) – 3
- Shut Down (2003 Stereo Mix) – 5
- Shut Down (Mono) – 1
- Shut Down (Stereo) – 1
- Shut Down (2021 Stereo Mix) – 23
- Noble Surfer (Vocal Take 39) – 3
- Noble Surfer (1st Stereo Mix) – 3
- Noble Surfer (2nd Stereo Mix) – 3
- Noble Surfer (Mono) – 1
- Noble Surfer (Stereo) – 1
- Honky Tonk (Take 9) – 3
- Honky Tonk (Mono) – 1
- Honky Tonk (Stereo) – 1
- Lana (Vocal Overdubs, Take 11) – 3
- Lana (Vocal Take 11) – 3
- Lana (Mono) – 1
- Lana (Stereo) – 1
- Surf Jam (Take 8) – 3
- Surf Jam (Mono) – 1
- Surf Jam (Stereo) – 1
Disc 2
- Finders Keepers (1st Stereo Mix, Vocal Take 18) – 3
- Finders Keepers (2nd Stereo Mix) – 3
- Finders Keepers (Mono) – 1
- Finders Keepers (Stereo) – 1
- Surfer Girl (Instrumental Stack O’Tracks Mix) – 8
- Surfer Girl (Binaural Mix) – 11
- Surfer Girl (End Mix Without Fadeout) – 6
- Surfer Girl (Mono) – 7
- Surfer Girl (Stereo) – 7
- Surfer Girl (2021 Stereo Mix) – 23
- Catch A Wave (Instrumental Stack O’Tracks Mix) – 8
- Catch A Wave (Panning Mix) – 6
- Catch A Wave (End Mix) – 6
- Catch A Wave (Mono) – 7
- Catch A Wave (Stereo) – 7
- South Bay Surfer (The Old Folks Home) (Instrumental Take Unknown) – 6
- South Bay Surfer (The Old Folks Home) (Instrumental Takes 1 & 2) – 6
- South Bay Surfer (The Old Folks Home) (Vocal Take 2) – 6
- South Bay Surfer (The Old Folks Home) (Mono) – 7
- South Bay Surfer (The Old Folks Home) (Stereo) – 7
- The Rocking Surfer (Good Humour Man) (Takes 1, 2 & 3) – 9
- The Rocking Surfer – 6
- The Rocking Surfer (Mono) – 7
- The Rocking Surfer (Stereo) – 7
- Little Deuce Coupe (Demo) – 2
- Little Deuce Coupe (Mono) – 7
- Little Deuce Coupe (Stereo) – 7
- In My Room (Demo) – 4
- In My Room (Takes 3, 4, 5 & 6 – Instrumental) – 9
- In My Room (Take 13) – 6
- In My Room (Mono) – 7
- In My Room (Stereo) – 7
- In My Room (2021 Stereo Mix) – 23
- In My Room (German Version) – 12
Disc 3
- Hawaii (Takes 1, 2, 3 & 4) – 9
- Hawaii (Take 5) – 9
- Hawaii (Takes 6, 7, 8 & 9) – 9
- Hawaii (Vocal Overdub Separated) – 6
- Hawaii (Vocal Overdub) – 6
- Hawaii (Mono) – 7
- Hawaii (Stereo) – 7
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Take 1) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Take 4) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Take 5) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Takes 6 & 7) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Takes 8 & 9) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Instrumental Take 10) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Vocal Take 1) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Vocal Take 2) – 6
- Surfer’s Rule (Mono) – 7
- Surfer’s Rule (Stereo) – 7
- Our Car Club (Rabbit’s Foot) (Takes 1 & 2) – 9
- Our Car Club (Instrumental Stack O’Tracks Mix) – 8
- Our Car Club (1st Stereo Mix, Vocal Take) – 7
- Our Car Club (2nd Stereo Mix, Vocal Take) – 7
- Our Car Club (Mono) – 7
- Our Car Club (Stereo) – 7
- Your Summer Dream (Take 1) – 9
- Your Summer Dream (Vocal Overdub Separated) – 7
- Your Summer Dream (Vocal Overdub) – 7
- Your Summer Dream (Mono) – 7
- Your Summer Dream (Stereo) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take 1) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take 2 & 3) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take 4) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take 5 & 6) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take, Piano Overdub) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Instrumental Take, Piano-Organ Overdub) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Mono) – 7
- Boogie Woogie (Stereo) – 7
Disc 4
Disc 4 which are the songs exclusively on ‘Shut Down Volume 2’ is a little sparse when it come to outtakes. It would seem that the bootleggers were not able to get their hands on those session tapes or possibly they have gone missing.
- Ballad Of Old Betsy (Demo) – 10
- Ballad Of Old Betsy (Instrumental Takes 1, 2 & 3) – 3
- Ballad Of Old Betsy (Instrumental Take 4) – 3
- Ballad Of Old Betsy (Mono) – 14
- Ballad Of Old Betsy (Stereo) – 14
- Be True To Your School (Mono) – 14
- Be True To Your School (Stereo) – 14
- Be True To Your School (Mono Single Version) – 5
- Car Crazy Cutie (Mono) – 14
- Car Crazy Cutie (Stereo) – 14
- Cherry, Cherry Coupe (Mono) – 14
- Cherry, Cherry Coupe (Stereo) – 14
- Spirit Of America (Mono) – 14
- Spirit Of America (Stereo) – 14
- No-Go Showboat (Mono) – 14
- No-Go Showboat (Stereo) – 14
- A Young Man Is Gone (Mono) – 14
- A Young Man Is Gone (Stereo) – 14
- Custom Machine (Mono) – 14
- Custom Machine (Stereo) – 14
- I Do (Demo) – 10
- I Do (Instrumental Take 1) – 15
- I Do (Instrumental Takes 2 & 3) – 15
- I Do (Instrumental Takes 4 & 5) – 15
- I Do (Instrumental Take 6) – 15
- I Do (Instrumental Take 7) – 15
- I Do (Vocal Overdub Takes 1 & 2) – 15
- I Do (Vocal Overdub Take 3) – 15
- I Do (Vocal Overdub Take 4) – 15
- I Do (Vocal Overdub Take 5) – 15
- I Do (Unknown Take 1) – 15
- I Do (Master) – 16
- Back Home (Take 1) – 13
- Back Home (Take 4) – 13
- Back Home – 5
Disc 5
Disc 5 is made up mostly of the two sides of the Christmas single that band put out that year as well as tracks that I did not have room for anywhere else. “Little Saint Nick’ in its single configuration is the same recording as would appear on the 1964 album ‘The Beach Boys Christmas Album’ but the later version is stripped down of some of the production due to the fact that the album had been recording quickly and the original mix would have sounded out of place on that LP.
- Punchline (Instrumental) – 4
- Gonna Hustle You (Demo) – 10
- Little Surfer Girl – 4
- Chopsticks Boogie – 13
- Things We Did Last Summer – 4
- Let’s Go Trippin’ (Take 8) – 3
- Let’s Go Trippin’ (Mono) – 1
- Let’s Go Trippin’ (Stereo) – 1
- Side Two (Instrumental Take 1) – 3
- Side Two (Instrumental Take Unknown) – 3
- Side Two (Instrumental) – 10
- The Baker Man (Instrumental Takes 1 & 2) – 3
- The Baker Man (Vocal Take) – 3
- The Baker Man – 24
- Little Saint Nick (Takes 2, 3, 4 & 5) – 9
- Little Saint Nick (Take 6) – 9
- Little Saint Nick (Vocal Take Stereo Mix) – 17
- Little Saint Nick (Alt. Mix – More Sleigh Bells) – 17
- Little Saint Nick (Vocals & Music Rechanneled) – 22
- Little Saint Nick (Mono Single Mix) – 19
- Little Saint Nick (Single Remix) – 21
- Little Saint Nick (Single Stereo Mix) – 5
- Little Saint Nick (Mono) – 18
- Little Saint Nick (Stereo) – 18
- The Lord’s Prayer (Unknown Take 1) – 17
- The Lord’s Prayer (Unknown Take 2) – 17
- The Lord’s Prayer (Mono) – 20
- The Lord’s Prayer (Stereo) – 2