... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A hipper concert than you might expect – recorded in 1973, and originally issued as a double LP. The band by this point includes Blondie Chaplin and the enigmatic Ricky Fataar – and in some way, the songs have a sincerity that's lacking from a lot of the studio albums at the same time. There's a number of the usual 60s hits that you'd expect – plus nice versions of "Darlin", "The Trader", "Sail On Sailer", "Caroline No", "Heroes & Villains", "Leaving This Town", "Let The Wind Blow", "Funky Pretty", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". Also features bonus tracks "Unreleased Backgrounds", "Hang On To Your Ego", and "Trombone Dixie". CD

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A pre-Pet Sounds moment of genius from The Beach Boys – a record with some surprisingly wonderful songs tucked in amongst more familiar rockers! There's a growing brilliance here that's clearly evident in Brian Wilson's production, the tunes tender themes, and the complicated harmonics used to carry the whole thing off – a mixture of sadness, lust, and frustration that shows up beautifully on tunes like "Please Let Me Wonder", "She Knows Me Too Well", "In The Back Of My Mind", "Good To My Baby", and "Don't Hurt My Sister". And sure, the album does include the clunky "Bull Session With Big Daddy" – but that's offset by hits like "Dance Dance Dance", "Help Me, Ronda", and "Do You Wanna Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A definitive Beach Boys collection that graced many a stereo back in the 70s! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of all time – and don't you forget it! Despite the countless lines of type that have been written about this record, nothing does it full justice like an all-through listen – something we're reminded of every time we put this one on the turntable, which is a heck of a lot over the years! Brian Wilson busted his ass making this little gem – and the rest of the world, and the band, were never the same again – awash in harmonies that most other groups tried to match, set to themes of young loss, longing, and frustration that really mark an emotional development – not just in the Beach Boys, but in pop music in general. And although some of the tracks are ones you've heard a million times on oldies stations, they somehow resonate together much more strongly here – taking on new meaning as the smaller elements of each song come into constellation with each other – creating a complicated tapestry of feelings set to near-godlike orchestrations. Titles include "God Only Knows", "Caroline No", "Pet Sounds", "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "You Still Believe In Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The slimmed-down, single LP effort that Capitol issued after the collapse of the legendary Smile album – and a pretty sublime set nonetheless! Sure, some might argue that you can't enjoy Brian Wilson's genius until you've listened to 20 bootlegs of the sessions with dozens of takes on the tunes – but honestly, this slim little set is more than enough to prove to us that the man's a genius – and it's filled with really wonderful tunes that still stand as some of the most incredible moments in 60s pop! Production is amazing, vocals are wonderful, and the quick changes of theme and setting really keep things interesting – all without making us feel like we're getting hit over the head with some cheap gimmicks. Titles include "Vegetables", "Heroes & Villains", "Fall", "Little Pad", "With Me Tonight", and "Wind Chimes". CD

A record with "surf" in the title, but one that's light years from the earlier Beach Boys albums of the 60s! This set is a wonderfully mature effort – hardly surf music at all, and one that moves nicely in the same territory as Sunflower and 20/20! Some of the tunes are wonderfully gentle and heartfelt, and others try for some new subject matter for the group – sometimes missing the mark a bit, but still holding our interest strongly in the way they try. Genius work include "Disney Girls" and "Til I Die" – both instant classics – and other titles include "Don't Go Near The Water", "Long Promised Road", "A Day In The Life Of A Tree", and "Surf's Up". CD

Early work from The Beach Boys, but Brian Wilson's genius is already starting to show – tucked in between some more obviously poppy numbers that first put the group on the map! The album obviously features the big title hit, but there's some other great gems here that are much lesser known – our favorite of which is "The Lonely Sea", an incredible number filled with sadness and longing, and a real precursor to the Pet Sounds years! Other titles include "Finders Keepers", "Lana", "Farmer's Daughter", "Noble Surfer", "Stoked", "Surfin USA", "Miserlou", "Shut Down", and "Let's Go Trippin". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Supreme love fest in action – and Brian's back at the production helm. Proof that therapy has some effect on the world – and with the tracks "Roller Skating Child", "Good Time", "Johnny Carson", "Night Was So Young", and "Airplane". LP, Vinyl record album

A harmony heaven way to enjoy the Holiday! The group's version of Christmas has to be one of the best-ever recorded in rock and roll – and given the undercurrent of sadness that was coming forth in their non-Holiday hits of the period, the style here is perfect to fit the melancholy mood of the Christmas tunes – even some of the more upbeat numbers! Production is great too – beautiful enough to hold up strongly after all these years – and titles include "Blue Christmas", "Merry Christmas Baby", "Little Saint Nick", "Santa's Beard", "We Three Kings", "Frosty The Snowman", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". CD

American 60s hits, completely recast by the orchestra of Andrew Oldham – a cat you might know best as the manager of the Rolling Stones, but who also has a great way with a groove in the studio! The style is bouncy Brit pop of the 60s – which has these American songs really coming across in a cool and different sort of way – arranged to perfection by David Whittaker, who may well be the real leading talent of the set – able to beautifully balance electric basslines with larger orchestrations, and still keep things all tight and compact! There's some weird vocals buried in the mix, but most songs are instrumental – and titles include "Wendy", "Warmth Of The Sun", "Girls On The Beach", "Don't Worry Baby", "Big Man In Town", "Ronnie", "Save It For Me", and "Dawn Go Away". CD also features mono and stereo mixes of the whole album – and a version of the "Theme From The Dick Van Dyke Show". LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of a gimmicky session, but a great one nonetheless! It was Leonard Feather who first thought of rounding up all the "Jones" in jazz he could find, bringing them together for this unique date for the Period label – but fortunately, the quality of the work and strength of the players goes way past the goofy strategy of the date! The record's an especially great chance to hear Thad Jones in small group mode – blowing with that sweet, warm tone that we love in his Blue Note work, captured here in a slightly more informal setting. Also noteworthy is the piano of Jimmy Jones, the drums of Jo Jones, and the flugelhorn playing of Quincy Jones, who appears on 3 of the album's 9 tracks. Titles include "No Other Love", "The Jones Bash", "Jones Beach", "You've Changed", "Montego Bay", and "Salute To The Blue Bird". CD

The Beasties' masterpiece – and one of the original nightmares for sampling opponents everywhere – the cut & paste hip hop classic Paul's Boutique! The Dust Brothers unapologetic way of weaving very famous samples with soul, funk and film score obscurities would steal the show if not for the infectious, boisterous rhymes of the Beastie Boys – they couldn't possibly have cared less about alienating the massive frat boy fan base built with License To Ill, and it's a joy to behold. It's one of those mindblowing pop transformations on par with the Beatles (who the Beasties and Dust Brothers were so brazen to sample several times on this album) and the Beach Boys on the pop maturation scale from earlier hits to later artistry – even if the wild lyrics and deft back & forth rhymes by the Beasties aim to be the goofy antithesis of maturity. From classic rock dinosaurs to soul and disco classics, from the Jaws score to "Dueling Banjos", it all finds it's way into the beatcraft – and both mainstream pop and underground hip hop are better now because of this record. Tracks include "Hey Ladies", "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter", "Shadrach", "Johnny Ryall", "Eggman", "Car Thief", "What Comes Around", the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of rare tracks from the glory days of the So-Cal surf rock scene, plus some hot rod tunes too – a glorious mix of vocal and instrumental tracks, all of which show that there's plenty more to discover than just the Beach Boys, Ventures, and Jan & Dean! This hefty CD package actually brings together two album's worth of material – 29 titles in all, not the 16 mentioned on the cover – and almost all the music is pretty darn rare, from the farther reaches of the indie scene of the time – with plenty of fast-driving fuzz guitars on the instrumentals, and some great harmony vocals on the lyrical tracks – all packaged together with the wallop of a huge wave cresting on the shore! Titles include "Varoom" by Warner Brothers, "Swingin Hangout" by Mark Four, "Get A Board" by The Val Rays, "Don't Drag No More" by Suzan Lynne, "Go Mustang" by The Triptides, "Kick Out" by The Safaries, "Surf Bunny Beach" by The Surf Bunnies, "Don't Monkey With Tarzan" by The Pygmies, and "Side Swiped" by The Torquetts. CD

Fantastic dreamy pop from one of the greatest harmony groups of the 60s – a set that really has The Association hitting their stride, and finding a way to really let their vocals soar! The sound here really sets the group apart from some of the more old-school harmony acts of the decade – and the shift is almost like that in the Beach Boys at mid 60s, the way that things got more complicated and sophisticated, but more powerful too – even when the tunes have some really sing-song charms that made them hits! Production is by Bones Howe, who really gets the sound right – and the album features the giant hits "Windy" and "Never My Love" – plus "Happiness Is", "On A Quiet Night", "We Love Us", "Reputation", and "Requiem For The Masses". This great expanded mono edition has 11 bonus tracks – including "Autumn Afternoon", "Windy (Mono 45)", "Requiem For The Masses (Mono 45)", "Sometime (Instrumental)", "We Love Us (Instrumental)" and more. CD

Genius jangle pop from the 60s – great harmonies, tight guitars, and a sound that's familiar but always fresh – the kind of record that should have rivaled bigger hits by The Monkees or Strawberry Alarm Clock! The Five Americans were an incredibly tight group even for their time – a combo who'd learned lessons from The Beach Boys, but kept the rougher energy of their Texas scene – in a way that mixed sweetness with edges, and managed to do a tremendous amount with very little instrumentation or larger arrangements. Titles include the sublime hit "Western Union" – which is followed by a really fresh-voiced batch of tracks that include "Husbands & Wives", "Big Cities", "Sound Of Love", "Tell Ann I Love Her", and "Sympathy". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure soft rock magic from Chris Rainbow – an under-recognized 70s genius, and an artist we'd rank right up there with some of the best AOR talents of the time! There's a warmly compressed feel to the whole record – a smooth, slinky groove that echoes the accomplishments of the Steely Dan generation, but which also retains just a bit of 60s sunniness in the lyrics of the tunes – especially in the way that Rainbow often uses multi-tracking to harmonize with himself, almost in ways that remind us of the Beach Boys' approach during the era – but much better. Titles include the great Brian Wilson tribute "Dear Brian", plus "Allnight", "You & I", "Gimme Just A Little Beat Of Your Heart", "Show Us The Sun", "Solid State Brain", "Dansette", and "Give Me What I Cry For". CD

Very groovy 70s work from Annie Ross – an album that's quite different than her vocalese records of the 50s, but equally great in its own sort of way! Ross is still singing jazz here, but there's often a bit of soul in the mix too – that hip blend of styles that you might find in the music of Annie's Brit contemporary Georgie Fame around the same time! Ross really takes the lyrics of the tunes in a great way – often with a touch more feeling than before, yet still with that great sense of timing and wit that made her one of the freshest singers to hit the American shores in the postwar years. As the title implies, the performance is a live one – and Annie's got some great backing by a small combo that features electric piano and organ from Dave MacRae, both of which further a 70s sort of groove on the cuts! Titles include an incredible version of the King Crimson track "Cat Food" – the bossa numbers "The Gentle Rain", "Wave", and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" – and cool takes on Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk", Randy Newman's "Love Story", Bob Dylan's "Country Pie", and the Beach Boys' "Vegetables". All those weird tunes really make the album a charmer – an overlooked gem from these sometimes-lost years of Annie's career! LP, Vinyl record album

The cover sticker bills this one as sounding like a lost collaboration between the Beach Boys and Delfonics – although for our money, we'd lean a bit more towards the latter – as the Sha La Das have a surprisingly strong approach to harmony soul! Instrumentation and production are much leaner than Brian Wilson ever would have used – more in the Daptone mode you'd expect from the label, and from the great backings from the Menahan Street Band – who are wonderfully restrained here, and really just let the vocals of the quartet shine through in a mighty nice way! None of these guys is as strong as Poogie Hart of The Delfonics (but then again – who could be?) – yet the group really absorbs the best spirit of those days when harmony soul sounded best in a spare indie label setting – which is exactly the way that Daptone presents them. Titles include "Open My Eyes", "Just For A Minute", "Okay My Love", "Those Years Are Over", "Do What", "Carnival", and "You Never Know Whether". LP, Vinyl record album

Gary Usher's Super Stocks go full bore into surf pop on Surf Route 101 – the excellent results of a Beach Boys knock off as created by a studio genius on par with Usher and his excellent team of players! The Super Stocks, as many other Gary Usher projects, are much more adventurous in their sailing of the 60s pulp waves than most contemporaries – and these buzzing little period gems are a prime example! Tracks include "Surf Route 101", "Muscle Beach Party", "Ventura", "Santa Barbara", "Surfin' Scene", "Balboa Island", "Oceanside", "My First Love", "Midnight Run", "Malibu Blues", "Newport Beach" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite moments from the 90s comeback years of Brian Wilson – a really special collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, the unsung LA musical genius who'd helped Wilson make so much great music back in the 60s! The collaboration is great – and both artists really hit a high point they hadn't hit in years – with the kind of special, personal, slightly-fragile songs that Wilson could still do very convincingly at this point in his career – set up by Parks with great instrumentation, and use of harmonized vocals that nicely step in a sideways direction from a more typical Beach Boys approach. Titles include "Orange Crate Art", "My Jeanine", "Movies Is Magic", "This Town Goes Down At Sunset", "Hold Back Time", and "Palm Tree & Moon". 2CD version is overflowing with bonus material – the unissued songs "Rhapsody In Blue", "Love Is Here To Stay", and "What A Wonderful World" – and a full bonus CD of instrumentals from the album! CD

One of our favorite moments from the 90s comeback years of Brian Wilson – a really special collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, the unsung LA musical genius who'd helped Wilson make so much great music back in the 60s! The collaboration is great – and both artists really hit a high point they hadn't hit in years – with the kind of special, personal, slightly-fragile songs that Wilson could still do very convincingly at this point in his career – set up by Parks with great instrumentation, and use of harmonized vocals that nicely step in a sideways direction from a more typical Beach Boys approach. Titles include "Orange Crate Art", "My Jeanine", "Movies Is Magic", "This Town Goes Down At Sunset", "Hold Back Time", and "Palm Tree & Moon". 2LP version also includes the unissued songs "Rhapsody In Blue", "Love Is Here To Stay", and "What A Wonderful World". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from the Kingsmen, the Coasters, Gene Chandler, the Champs, the Beach Boys, the Dells, Tommy Roe, Jerry Butler, the Shirelles, Lee Dorsey, the Crests, DJ Thomas, Tommy Tucker, Gene Pitney, and more – 28 cuts in all. CD

Sunshine Pop from the top of the charts – a great look at some of the best-remembered tunes from this sweet 60s genre! Lots of other Sunshine Pop collections focus on the obscurities of the scene – but honestly, some of the hits really represent the best work of the groups included – the kind of sublime studio magic that few others could match back in the day – catchy pop, but with a darker psych undercurrent – all wrapped up with wonderful vocals and some really groovy instrumentation! There's plenty here you'll recognize – the kind of cuts that always make you sit up and take notice on an oldies radio show, but which you can never remember the artist. Titles include "Younger Girl" by The Critters, "It's Getting Better" by Mama Cass, "I Could Be So Good To You" by Don & The Goodtimers, "She Lets Her Hair Down" by The Tokens, "A Girl Like You" by The Young Rascals, "Darlin" by The Beach Boys, "If You Don't Want My Love" by Robert John, "Morning Girl" by The Neon Philharmonic, "Back On The Street Again" by The Sunshine Company, "Anything Goes" by Harpers Bizarre, "Love" by Mercy, "The Rain The Park & Other Things" by The Cowsills, "The River Is Wide" by The Forum, and "Look At Me Girl" by Bobby Vee & The Strangers. 26 tracks in all – with a great set of notes! CD

Think the genius of Brian Wilson was only tapped by his partners in The Beach Boys? Think again – because as this lovely little set will show, a huge amount of other artists drew from the songwriting genius of Brian Wilson in the 60s – not just to cover the big hits of his famous group, but also to dig much deeper into the full spectrum of his songbook – and come up with their own versions of album tracks from Pet Sounds, Smile, and other gems of the time! The collection is wonderfully free of overdone hits – and instead is full of lots of our favorite songs from Wilson – and not just tunes he wrote for the Beach Boys, but other artists as well. And although Brian himself only produced a handful of cuts on the set, most of the 25 numbers have a very unified feel – thanks to a host of contemporary producers really working hard to explore things in the same way as Wilson in the studio. There's a few cuts from later years, but most are late 60s vintage – and titles include "Here Today" by Bobby Vee, "Guess I'm "Dumb" by Johnny Wells, "Time To Get Alone" by Redwood, "Farmer's Daughter" by Basil Swift & The Seegrams, "Girl Don't Tell Me" by Keith Green, "She Rides With Me" by Joey & The Continentals, "My Buddy Seat" by The Hondells, "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" by The Surfaris, "Caroline No" by Nick DeCaro, "Good Vibrations" by Hugo Montenegro, "You Still Believe In Me" by Kristy MacColl, and "God Only Knows" by Betty Everett. CD

Includes selections by George Harrison, The Beach Boys, and Randy Crawford, with original work by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes medleys of tracks by Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, The Beach Boys, and from the movie Grease. CD

That's not a typo in the title – the compilation's a collection of tracks that all bear the mark of Phil Spector – Spector's Spectres, if you will! It's a well known fact that Phil had a monumental impact on 60s rock, pop, and soul music – as his "wall of sound" production style forever transformed the sound of the single back in the sixties. And although there's been lots of compilations that focus on Phil's own work, this is the first one we've seen to showcase his proteges and contemporaries – a surprisingly wide range of studio talents who all picked up on Phil's tricks and twists! The tunes on the set include some great 60s soul and pop numbers, and a bunch of the tracks are reissued legally here for the first time. Plus, the set's got some wonderful liner notes – really taking you through the tracks, and explaining the connection to Spector and the overall sound of the music. Features production work by Nick DeCaro, Van McCoy, Jan Davis, Abner Spector, Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier, Brian Wilson, Sonny Bono, and Jack Nitszche – and titles that include "When You Walk In The Room" by Jackie DeShannon, "When The Boy's Happy" by The Four Pennies, "Hang On" by The Wall Of Sound, "Tremblin" by Gene Pitney, "A Little Love" by Alder Ray, "On The Spanish Side" by The Corsairs & Landy McNeil, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by The Beach Boys, "Just You" by Sonny & Cher, "I Can't Make It Alone" by PJ Proby, "And That Reminds Me" by The Dolls, "You're So Fine" by Dorothy Berry, "Missing My Baby" by Clydie King, and "I Just Couldn't Say" by Lorraine & The Delights. CD

A fuzzed out batch of tuneful noise and sweet harmonies, bashed out fury and engaging songwriting – a pretty great self-titled set from Mikal Cronin! Cronin plays with the Moonhearts and otherwise collaborates with some of the best garage-psych players and combos in underground Cali, from Orange County to the Bay Area – and his own damn record on Trouble In Mind is a knockout. A clear love of diverse 60s pop, from raw and pummeling to sweeter and more ornately-layered (Cronin's DIY-style Beach Boys harmonies are pretty impressive) informs the songs, but the album's a raucous blast at times, too. Mikal does most of the work, with Ty Seagall on drums on a few tunes, Charlie Moonheart on a couple, and flute by John Dywer on the opener. Titles include "Is It Alright", "Apathy", "Green & Blue", "Get Along", "Slow Down", "Gone", "Situation", "Again & Again", "Hold On Me" and "The Way Things Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A dreamy little rock treat! The Millennium fit nicely on the bookshelf between The Free Design and the Beach Boys – and this debut album is the group's reigning masterpiece! The tracks are beautifully produced – with a landmark pop-sike sound that's loaded with Sunshine touches – floating in slightly experimental LA late 60s production, and topped with honest simple lyrics that should be cloying, but somehow manage to work fantastically! The album's the crowning masterpiece of the legendary Curt Boettcher – and still stands as his greatest triumph, even amidst countless other CD reissues of related work! Titles include "The Island", "To Claudia On Thursday", "5 AM", "Some Sunny Day", and "Karmic Dream Sequence #1". LP, Vinyl record album

The sounds of summer in the years before the Beach Boys and surf music – songs that proclaim the glory of the warmest months of the year, but in raunchy styles from the early years of rock and roll! Artists run the gamut from rockabilly singers, to R&B groups, to some surprisingly strong contributions from more pop-oriented acts – and as with other Bear Family packages of this nature, the whole thing is plenty playful – put together with a good deal of wit in the song choices and presentation! Titles include "Sunday Barbecue" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "The Sun Is Shining" by Elmore James, "Banana Split For My Baby" by Louis Prima, "Summer's Coming (demo)" by Ronnie Dawson, "Strollin On The Beach" by The Hollywood Flames, "Beach Time" by Roger Smith, "Suntan Tattoo" by The Valiants & Sandy Vale, "Summertime Love" by Roy Head & The Traits, "Beach Comber" by Jo Ann Campbell, "Night Theme' by The Mark II, "Moonlight Swim" by Nick Noble, "26 Miles" by The Four Preps, "Sunglasses After Dark" by Dwight Whitey Pullen, "Summertime Rock" by Rodney & The Blazers, and "The Big Beach Party" by The Jades with Pacer's Music. CD