Album: “Lost & Found (1961-1962)”

Description

The Beach Boys: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine. Additional personnel: Audree Wilson. Producers: Hite Morgan, Dorinda Morgan. Compilation producer: Steve Hoffman. Includes liner notes by Dorinda Mordan, Dennis Diken & Paul W. Urbahns. A collection of the earliest known recordings of the Beach Boys from their very first recorded sessions in 1961 and 1962. Most of the 20 tracks appear in mono, with 2 in stereo and about half containing studio talk. Some songs have been previously released on legitimate labels as well as bootlegs but never from the original masters. A treasure to the completist and the uninitiated alike, LOST & FOUND! traces the very earliest days of the Beach Boys, as they recorded under a variety of names and conditions. The less-than-polished production values of the collection only serve to underscore the impressively tight vocal arrangements the band enjoyed from its very inception. Among some stop-and-start takes and studio chatter, the listener is treated to a glimpse not only of the band's developing skills and style, but of several classics in the making ("Surfin' Safari" and "Surfer Girl" among them). Two bare-bones, home studio recordings done under the moniker The Pendletones ("Luau" and "Surfin'") display the band's pure talent, offering a view of the embryonic state of the soon-to-be legendary harmonic talents. Early studio cuts of the same tunes show a band almost uncomfortable in the studio; the voices are there, but awaiting the visionary production and arrangement ideas Brian Wilson was to contribute later.