The Beach Boys run at the top of the Albums chart started to end in 1967 as their two releases for the year were the first in 11 albums over four years that didn’t hit the top 15. Nonetheless, Smiley Smile and Wild Honey are still seen as two highlights of the group’s catalog as they continued the experimentation from their Pet Sounds and Smile sessions.
The album Smile was meant as the followup to 1966’s Pet Sounds but Brian Wilson was unhappy with a good part of the recordings for that project, so the band quickly put together Smiley Smile salvaging only the backing track from Heroes & Villains and the coda from Vegetables from the original Smile sessions. A number of other songs meant for Smile were used but in greatly stripped down versions from how they were originally envisioned.
Smiley Smile included the previous hit Good Vibrations and only one other single, Heroes and Villains. On the Billboard 200, it was the lowest charting album of the band’s career to-date, peaking at number 41.
Wild Honey was recorded after plans were abandoned for a shortened version of Smile and a live album, Lei’d in Hawaii. Once again, two singles were included on the album but neither was a huge hit (Wild Honey (1967 / #31), Darlin’ (1967 / #19)). While the album did better on the charts, hitting number 24, it stayed on a shorter time than Smiley Smile and ended up being the band’s lowest selling to that time.
While the public wasn’t overly receptive to either set, critics have been kind over the years and their stature in the Beach Boys canon has grown. On June 30, Capitol/UMe will release a new two-CD set, 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow, which highlights the two albums including 54 previously unreleased studio snippets and live recordings.
Highlighting the set is the first true stereo mix of the Wild Honey album. Both Smiley Smile and Wild Honey were originally released only in mono and processed stereo versions. Smiley Smile had a true stereo edition released in 2012 but this is the first release of a stereo Wild Honey.
There is one exception. The closing track from the album, Mama Says, could not be located on the existing 8-track masters so it is presented in mono.
While the full Wild Honey album is presented here, Smiley Smile is covered through studio alternative and live tracks.
The track list:
Disc 1
Wild Honey Album (Stereo)
Wild Honey
Aren’t You Glad
I Was Made To Love Her
Country Air
A Thing Or Two
Darlin’
I’d Love Just Once To See You
Here Comes The Night
Let The Wind Blow
How She Boogalooed It
Mama Says (Original Mono Mix)
Wild Honey Sessions: September – November 1967 (Previously Unreleased)
Lonely Days (Alternate Version)
Cool Cool Water (Alternate Early Version)
Time To Get Alone (Alternate Early Version)
Can’t Wait Too Long (Alternate Early Version)
I’d Love Just Once To See You (Alternate Version)
I Was Made To Love Her (Vocal Insert Session)
I Was Made To Love Her (Long Version)
Hide Go Seek
Honey Get Home
Wild Honey (Session Highlights)
Aren’t You Glad (Session Highlights)
A Thing Or Two (Track And Backing Vocals)
Darlin’ (Session Highlights)
Let The Wind Blow (Session Highlights)
Wild Honey Live: 1967 – 1970 (Previously Unreleased)
Wild Honey (recorded in Detroit, November 17, 1967)
Country Air (recorded in Detroit, November 17, 1967)
Darlin’ (recorded in Pittsburgh, November 22, 1967)
How She Boogalooed It (recorded in Detroit, November 17, 1967)
Aren’t You Glad (recorded in 1970, location unknown)
Vocal session highlights
Mama Says (Session Highlights)
Disc 2
Smiley Smile Sessions: June – July 1967
Heroes And Villains (Single Version Backing Track)
Vegetables (Long Version)
Fall Breaks And Back To Winter (Alternate Mix)
Wind Chimes (Alternate Tag Section)
Wonderful (Backing Track)
With Me Tonight (Alternate Version With Session Intro)
Little Pad (Backing Track)
All Day All Night (Whistle In) (Alternate Version 1)
All Day All Night (Whistle In) (Alternate Version 2)
Untitled (Redwood)
Lei’d In Hawaii “Live” Album: September 1967 (Previously Unreleased)
Fred Vail Intro
The Letter
You’re So Good To Me
Help Me, Rhonda
California Girls
Surfer Girl
Sloop John B
With A Little Help From My Friends (Recorded at Brian Wilson’s house, September 23, 1967)
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Recorded during rehearsal, August 26, 1967, Honolulu, Hawaii)
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Game Of Love
The Letter (Alternate Take)
With A Little Help From My Friends (Stereo Mix)
Live In Hawaii: August 1967 (Previously Unreleased)
Hawthorne Boulevard
Surfin’
Gettin’ Hungry
Hawaii (Rehearsal Take)
Heroes And Villains (Rehearsal)
Thanksgiving Tour 1967: Live In Washington, D.C. & Boston (Previously Unreleased)
California Girls (recorded in Washington, DC, November 19, 1967)
Graduation Day (recorded in Washington, DC, November 19, 1967)
I Get Around (recorded in Boston, November 23, 1967)
Additional 1967 Studio Recordings (Previously Unreleased)
Surf’s Up (1967 Version)
Surfer Girl (1967 A Capella Mix)
