In September of 1961, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson stepped up to a microphone together for the first time at the home of Hite and Dorinda Morgan to demo the Beach Boys’ first three songs.
Between that September date and March 1962, before signing a seven-year contract with Capitol Records on May 24, 1962, they committed nine songs to tape under the direction of the Morgans.
Some iconic, others obscure — Surfin’, Luau, Lavender, Surfin’ Safari, Surfer Girl, Judy, Beach Boy Stomp (aka Karate), Barbie, and What Is A Young Girl Made Of — Every surviving take, false start, master take and studio banter during these historic recordings is gathered on this landmark collection, Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions.
On August 26, 2016, Omnivore Recordings will release Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions, the first-ever release of all of the group’s earliest recordings. In these 62 tracks, with more than 40 previously unissued, the genesis of one of the greatest vocal groups of the 20th century can be heard. The liner notes detail the origins of the band and their earliest songs, and the booklet includes photos of the early rare records drawn from these recordings, as well as tape boxes from the sessions. The set is fully authorized by the Beach Boys.
From the liner notes by Jim Murphy, author of the book Becoming The Beach Boys, 1961-1963: “Appropriately enough, Surfin’, the Beach Boys’ first effort, released in late November 1961, had its origin near the ocean. During a Saturday morning fishing trip on the Redondo Beach Pier, Mike and Dennis noted there were guitar instrumentals conjuring the feel of surfing, but no one had yet sung about it. ‘I remember Dennis and Michael going to the beach, and when they came back they were talking about making a song about surfing,’ Carl recalled. ‘That’s the first thing I remember as far as the reality of a group actually forming.’”
With a career spanning 55 years, the Beach Boys have sold more than 100 million records, charted over 80 songs worldwide, had 36 U.S. Top 40 hits, and are widely recognized as one of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the album Pet Sounds has been preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2001, the group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
According to Murphy’s notes, “Here in these seminal recordings are the nascent Beach Boys, the premier vocal group of American popular music, and this is where it all began.”
Track listing:
Disc One
Surfin’
Demo
Takes 1–2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5
Take 6
Take 7
Take 8
Master
Luau
Demo – Take 1
Demo – Take 2
Demo – Take 3
Takes 1–2
Takes 3, 5–6
Take 7
Takes 8–11
Take 12
Master
Lavender
Rehearsal – Take 1
Rehearsal – Take 2
Rehearsal – Take 3
Take 1
Take 2
Take 4
Surfin’ Safari
Takes 3–4
Takes 5–6
Take 10
Overdub – Take 1 on Take 60
Overdub – Take 2 on Take 10
Stereo Overdub
Master
Disc Two
Surfer Girl
Take 1
Take 2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5
Take 6
Master
Overdub – Lead Vocal
Judy
Take 1
Take 2
Overdub – Takes 1–2
Overdub – Take 4
Master
Demo – April 1962 Guitar Solo
Beach Boy Stomp (aka Karate)
Take 1
Rehearsal – Take 2
Overdub – Take 1 on Take 1
Overdub – Take 2 on Take 1
Master
Barbie
Overdub – Take 1
Takes 2–4
Take 5
Take 7
Single Master
Album Master
What Is A Young Girl Made Of
Demo
Overdub – Take 1
Overdub – Take 3
Overdub – Takes 4–5
Overdub – Take 6
Overdub – Take 7
Master
All Tracks Performed by The Beach Boys Except Barbie and What Is A Young Girl Made Of Performed by Kenny And The Cadets.
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