box sets have been wonderful. It is a pity, that, to date, the reissued LPs have been digitally sourced. I can't imagine that this will be different. The Sunflower/Surf's Up reissues from last year were cut by Chris Bellman, and sound great, but......Analogue Productions were able to do AAA a few years ago.
The Beach Boys Celebrate a Creatively Fruitful Era With Sail On Sailor - 1972 180g 5LP+1EP Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set on November 18
The Beach Boys sailed into quite a creatively fruitful period in 1972, and a new 180g 5LP+1EP box set dubbed Sail On Sailor - 1972 — slated to be released on November 18 via Capitol/UMe — captures the gist of their labors during such a key transitional year in the band’s history. In addition to the linchpin bookend releases Carl And The Passions – “So Tough” and Holland, this 105-track collection also includes 80 unreleased outtakes, live recordings, demos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, instrumentals, and a cappella tracks.
Sail On Sailor - 1972 is but the latest chapter in The Beach Boys’ ever-expanding archival series of releases. It was produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013’s SMiLE Sessions, 2021’s Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971, and 2022’s The Very Best Of The Beach Boys: The Sounds Of Summer box sets respectively.
All told, the 5LP+1EP Sail On Sailor - 1972 box set contains newly remastered versions of the aforementioned Carl And The Passions – “So Tough” and Holland on the first 2LPs, plus the Holland companion Mount Vernon And Fairway (A Fairytale) as a 7-inch EP — complete with its original instructions to “please listen in the dark,” no less! — as well as three full sides consisting of an unreleased live Beach Boys concert recorded on 16-track tape at Carnegie Hall in New York City on November 23, 1972. Those three sides will be the first-ever officially sanctioned release of a complete Beach Boys concert from this era with the original setlist intact. The Sail On collection’s final side consists of four previously unreleased bonus tracks. (The full Sail On box set tracklisting and sidebreak details appear at the end of this story.)
You can preview the previously unreleased performance of the Carl And The Passions album opener “You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone” that was recorded live during The Beach Boys’ Carnegie Hall performance on November 23, 1972 below.
Sail On Sailor – 1972 is rounded out with a 48-page booklet with extensive liner notes by noted radio vet and Beach Boys aficionado Howie Edelson, featuring new and archival interviews with The Beach Boys; rare photos of the band; images of tape boxes, reels, and other recording artifacts (the kinds of extras we the AnalogPlanet faithful truly love); producers’ notes from Linett and Boyd; and other promotional memorabilia from the day.
I have directly asked the label to confirm pressing plant and lacquer details, and once I have that information in hand, I will update this section of the story. I suspect those details are likely to mirror that of the 2022 Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys box set — our review of which you can read right here — but until I get any of that info directly confirmed firsthand, it is only my learned speculation. (Stay tuned.) [10.04.2022 update: The label tells me that the Sail vinyl has been “pressed at Precision using DMM.” —MM] [10.05.2022 update: The label further confirms that both Carl And The Passions and Holland have been “newly remastered.” —MM]
The 5LP+1EP Sail on Sailor – 1972 box set retails for (yes) $179.99. Naturally, a variety of companion and abbreviated versions will also be available in other formats, and there will also be an abbreviated 2LP+1EP set, available with or without the limited-edition reproduction of the original Holland promotional book telling the story of the making of the album. The 2LP+1EP collection lists for $49.99, a pricetag that may be more palatable for those of you a bit gun-shy of dropping the full $180 freight for the bigger box set (also available with or without the lithographs, I’m told) — though, by doing so, you will be bypassing the entire Carnegie Hall performance and those four unreleased bonus tracks.
Hold On Dear Brothers: Above, the seven-man Beach Boys lineup, circa 1972. Photo courtesy Capitol Records Archives.
To give the Sail On collection further historical context, 1972 found The Beach Boys — Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine — getting back into the studio to record their 18th studio album, Carl And The Passions – “So Tough”. For the first time, new bandmembers were brought into the fold, namely guitarist/bassist Blondie Chaplin and drummer Ricky Fataar — two former members of the Carl Wilson-produced South African group The Flame, who had been signed to the band’s Brother Records — and they officially joined the group after serving as their main support act.
The tongue-in-cheek album title paid homage to a concert the band played with Carl Wilson at Hawthorne High around 1961, and was also a nod to his increasingly important roles as de-facto producer and bandleader. The Passions album was recorded between December 4, 1971 and April 13, 1972 at various studios across Los Angeles, with most of the tracking done at the band’s private studio in Brian Wilson’s home on Bellagio Road. Released May 15, 1972, the eight-song Passions record, with contributions from all seven members, peaked at No. 50 in the U.S. and No. 25 in the UK on the strength of tracks like “You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone,” “Marcella,” “Here She Comes,” and “Cuddle Up.”
Seeking new surroundings and creative inspiration, The Beach Boys left Southern California to record their 19th studio album Holland by decamping to the small village of Baambrugge in Holland, where they set up a makeshift recording studio in a barn and recorded the album’s basic tracks in the summer of 1972. A massively expensive undertaking, the band’s entire L.A.-based studio was dismantled, shipped overseas, and rebuilt by engineer Stephen Moffitt. The bandmembers, their families, and their staff lived in different neighboring hamlets. Eventually, this record would end up being finished at Village Recorders in L.A. towards the end of the year.
The aptly titled Holland was released on January 8, 1973, ultimately charting at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 with the opening track “Sail On, Sailor” becoming an instant FM staple and concurrently giving The Beach Boys their first radio hit in years. Alas, Holland was the last studio album to feature Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar as fulltime members of the band.
I have to say, considering the, er, beyond poor conditions of my own personal vintage vinyl copies of both Holland and Carl And The Passions — each littered with ringwear and flaking spines, among other low-grade sleeve-related deterioration and wax in need of deep cleaning (to put it mildly) — getting pristine, playable copies of each album, not to mention all the unreleased bonus live and studio material, is quite important to a Beach Boys diehard like myself. What about you? Chime on, chimers, and chime in with your thoughts about this release in the Comments section below.
THE BEACH BOYS
SAIL ON SAILOR - 1972
180g 5LP+1EP box set (Capitol/UMe)
5LP+1EP DELUXE EDITION
LP1
CARL AND THE PASSIONS - “SO TOUGH”
Side A
1. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
2. Here She Comes
3. He Come Down
4. Marcella
Side B
1. Hold On Dear Brother
2. Make It Good
3. All This Is That
4. Cuddle Up
LP 2
HOLLAND
Side A
1. Sail On, Sailor
2. Steamboat
3. California Saga - Big Sur
4. California Saga - The Beaks Of Eagles
5. California Saga – California
Side B
1. The Trader
2. Leaving This Town
3. Only With You
4. Funky Pretty
7-INCH EP
MOUNT VERNON AND FAIRWAY (A FAIRYTALE)
Side C
1. Mount Vernon And Fairway Theme
2. I’m The Pied Piper - Instrumental
3. Better Get Back In Bed
4. Magic Transistor Radio
Side D
1. I’m The Pied Piper
2. Radio King Dom
LP 3
THE BEACH BOYS LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL
November 23, 1972
1st Set
Side A
1. Concert Intro: Jack Rieley
2. Sloop John B
3. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
4. Leaving This Town
5. Darlin’
6. Only With You
Side B
1. Heroes And Villains
2. Long Promised Road
3. Don’t Worry, Baby
4. Student Demonstration Time
5. I Get Around
LP 4
THE BEACH BOYS LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL (continued)
2nd Set
Side C
1. Intro To 2nd Set: Jack Rieley
2. Marcella
3. California Saga – California
4. Help Me, Rhonda
5. Let The Wind Blow
Side D
1. Medley: Wonderful / Don’t Worry, Bill
2. God Only Knows
3. Do It Again
4. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
5. Wild Honey
LP 5
THE BEACH BOYS LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL (continued)
2nd Set – Continued
Side E
1. Good Vibrations
2. California Girls
3. Surfin’ USA
4. Fun Fun Fun
5. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
SAIL ON SAILOR – BONUS TRACKS
Side F
1. We Got Love (previously unreleased 2022 mix)
2. Hard Time (previously unreleased)
3. Carry Me Home (previously unreleased)
4. Fairy Tale Music (previously unreleased 2022 mix)
THE BEACH BOYS
SAIL ON SAILOR – 1972
180g 2LP + 1EP abbreviated edition (Capitol/UMe)
2LP+1LP EDITION
LP1
CARL AND THE PASSIONS - “SO TOUGH”
Side A
1. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
2. Here She Comes
3. He Come Down
4. Marcella
Side B
1. Hold On Dear Brother
2. Make It Good
3. All This Is That
4. Cuddle Up
LP 2
HOLLAND
Side A
1. Sail On, Sailor
2. Steamboat
3. California Saga - Big Sur
4. California Saga - The Beaks Of Eagles
5. California Saga – California
Side B
1. The Trader
2. Leaving This Town
3. Only With You
4. Funky Pretty
7-INCH EP
MOUNT VERNON AND FAIRWAY (A FAIRYTALE)
Side C
1. Mount Vernon And Fairway Theme
2. I’m The Pied Piper - Instrumental
3. Better Get Back In Bed
4. Magic Transistor Radio
Side D
1. I’m The Pied Piper
2. Radio King Dom
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COMMENTS
Carry Me Home etc
Submitted by Happy Will on Tue, 2022-10-04 15:29
Always loved Carl and the Passions, and not only cos I bought it their show at the Brighton Dome. Was disappointed it (and Wild Honey and Friends) didn't get the AP treatment. Really looking forward to the official release of Carry Me Home. Not sure about the DMM announcement - maybe I will eschew the vinyl (until the price drops) and go for the HiRez download that is sure to follow.
Newly remastered?
Submitted by Happy Will on Wed, 2022-10-05 02:19
Hi, just wondering if someone can clarify what newly remastered means? According to a track list on Amazon, both Holland and Carl and The Passions are the 2000 remaster, and therefore don’t have the recently remixed versions. I assume the the 2000 remaster was used by Abbey Road to cut the 2015 vinyl release of Carl and The Passions.
Remastered Confirmin'
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Wed, 2022-10-05 10:55
It's all good... comments editing can be tricky at times, I know! Anyway -- the label has just confirmed with me directly that both Passions and Holland are "newly remastered," so there ya go...
Greedy?
Submitted by garrard701 on Wed, 2022-10-05 21:06
They’re charging $179 for a 5LP/1EP set which pales – artistically – in comparison to its predecessor (“Feel Flows”)? To quote a classic SNL sketch from the 90s, “Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one?”
“Feel Flows” covers what I think is the group’s post-“Pet Sounds” high point; “Sail On Sailor” is its vapor trail. Even though there’s an extra slab-and-a-half of vinyl, I can’t see paying more than $100 – which is what the Beach Boys are charging for the colored vinyl edition of FF.
Only about half the tracks on “Carl & the Passions” and three-quarters of “Holland” really work for me; the EP is decent but unspectacular. I like these albums, but the lack of outtakes is very telling: they were running on fumes! Admittedly, the Wilson brothers’ fumes are light years ahead of anything I’ll ever accomplish, but in the scheme of Beach Boys boxed sets, this one is overpriced in relation to the artistic merit within.
I do like that they’re including the Carnegie Hall concert, but why not just remaster/repress 1973’s “Beach Boys In Concert”? That’s always seemed to be the demarcation point between “The Beach Boys” and what I call “Mike Love’s Travelling Beach Boys Jukebox.” It would be three years before “15 Big Ones” (and then “Love You”) showed one last spark of artistic relevance. I have to think that if these archival sets continue, those two will be the last ones to get a physical release.
Anyhow, back to the Carnegie Hall show: the 1973 live double album covers the same tour, but doesn’t include anything from the Carnegie Hall show itself. I’m curious how the two releases will compare.
To repeat something I wrote in the “Sounds of Summer” comments: instead of marginally interesting but very expensive boxes like this one, when will they reissue 1993’s “Good Vibrations” box on vinyl? I’m guessing never, but it’s probably my favorite BB compilation. At least it’s available on CD, because there are plenty of other releases that haven’t had a physical release of any kind: "The Big Beat 1963," "Keep an Eye on Summer – The Beach Boys Sessions 1964," "Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged," "1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow," "Wake the World: The Friends Sessions," and "I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions" cover pretty much the entire Capitol era… except for “Pet Sounds” and “Smile.”
There have been TWO deluxe “Pet Sounds” boxes – in 1997 and 2016 – with heavy overlap, but neither one ever made it to vinyl; they’re CD-only. UMe seemingly churns out another stereo vinyl “Pet Sounds” every year – but they can’t be bothered to cobble together these two amazing boxes? Or, reissue 2011’s “The Smile Sessions”? Very strange. I would love to see any of those before I fork over $179 for “Sail On Sailor,” though I may be a bit jaundiced since my vinyl copies of “Holland” and “Carl” are perfectly fine. I don’t think either one needs a remix, either, so a remaster should suffice. (If FF is any guide, the remastered “Sunflower” tracks sounded phenomenal). I’ll probably catch this one on streaming.
Beach Boxes
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Fri, 2022-10-07 11:15
I too vote for getting a first-time vinyl box set for The Pet Sounds Sessions and a 2LP and/or even a 4LP expanded reissue of The SMiLE Sessions as well -- and I will, in fact, go directly to the source to make such requests...
Physical releases...
Submitted by garrard701 on Wed, 2022-10-05 21:15
Oh, I meant to add in my earlier comment: several of the compilations supposedly didn't receive a physical release because UMe/Capitol didn't want to compete with "The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra." Just the fact that such a thing exists is a joke.
Will I Get This?
Submitted by HiFiMark on Sat, 2022-10-08 10:15
Yeah, I'll get this. If someone in the family doesn't think to for Christmas, I'll pull the trigger myself because, like so many here, the Beach Boys are an integral part of my life and it's nearly impossible to get enough!
As for the Feel Flows box, it's a lot of fun, but I found the Sunflower and Surf's Up sides to be overly bassy and a bit harsh up top. I'll have to go back and listen again, although with the Analogue Production versions on the shelf, it doesn't really matter I suppose.
As for the additional box ideas suggested above, ALL IN!
Box Cutters
Submitted by Mike Mettler on Mon, 2022-10-10 21:29
What other Beach Boys box sets and/or reissues and/or expanded editions would y'all like to see released? Bring on the (reasonable!) suggestions, and I'll pass them along...
Beach Boy Boxes
Submitted by HiFiMark on Mon, 2022-10-17 20:23
Sorry for the delay... just back from a trip.
I'd love pan-career boxes of the BB's live. Find the best concert performance / recording combinations from each era (early / late 60's, early / late 70's, etc.) and take us there with well mixed and mastered AAA LP's. Entire shows! Throw in lots of photos and stories from the living Beach Boys and anything on record from our sorely missed Dennis and Carl.
Mark in Santa Cruz
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