Beach Boys' Party!

Beach Boys' Party! is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys that is composed of mostly cover songs, featuring acoustic instruments, that was recorded for and marketed during the lucrative Christmas season. The original album release included a sheet of photographs of the band 'appearing' to be at the party at hand.^[1] It was the Beach Boys' tenth album release, and their third in 1965. Although it was recorded in a music studio, it is presented as an impromptu live recording of a party.^[2]

Background and recording

In August, after the release of Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), the Beach Boys' leader Brian Wilson was contemplating his next studio effort, which would turn out to be Pet Sounds. Capitol Records requested a new album for the holiday season (and "Pet Sounds" was just beginning to be developed, and would not be prepared in time). Since The Beach Boys' Christmas Album had been released the previous year, as had a live performance via Beach Boys Concert, the "live party" idea was selected to reflect the togetherness of the holiday spirit. Sporadically during September, the band and their friends rehearsed current and older hits (including revisiting the Rivingtons' "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"). Although presented as a live recording, the individual songs were recorded carefully, and laughter and background chatter was mixed in during post-production.^[1]

The album included versions of the Beatles' "Tell Me Why", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and "I Should Have Known Better"; "Devoted to You" by the Everly Brothers; the Phil Spector produced "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" and a send-up of their own "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe".

Beach Boys' Party! was recorded as a "fun", disposable album for the Christmas market, rather than the band's next artistic statement, and as such, the album wasn't originally intended to have a single. Several other songs were also recorded, but not put on the album. This included a rendition of the Beatles' song "Ticket to Ride", three takes of the Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", a version of the Drifters' "Ruby Baby", which would later appear on Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys, a version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and the song "Riot In Cell Block #9" (which would later be played live in the early 1970s, and subsequently reworked as "Student Demonstration Time" for the Beach Boys' Surf's Up album), and several other songs, all of which can be found on bootlegs.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[3]

In November, 1965, the Beach Boys released the single "The Little Girl I Once Knew" which repeatedly used a measure of silence in the arrangement and was reportedly disliked by radio programmers due to their avoidance of having "dead air",^[4] this has been cited as being partially responsible for the single stalling at US number 20. Still wanting to play new material by the band, radio disc jockeys around the United States began starting to play the last track of Party! straight off the LP, a cover of The Regents' "Barbara Ann". After receiving good listener's response, "Barbara Ann" was promptly issued as a single by Capitol when they started hearing from radio programmers, and became a number 2 hit in early 1966.^[1]

Beach Boys' Party! reached number 6 in the US. Beach Boys' Party! and the surprise hit single "Barbara Ann" became the Beach Boys' biggest successes yet in the UK, both reaching number 3 in early 1966 and making them stars in the Beatles' homeland.

Influence

In 1997, the Canadian Indie Rock group Sloan, released an EP entitled Recorded Live at a Sloan Party! (a.k.a. The Party Album) as a bonus disc to the US release of One Chord To Another in homage to the Beach Boys' Party! LP. Like the Beach Boys' Party! album, Recorded Live At A Sloan Party! mixes acoustic versions of old classics and songs originally written and recorded by other artists, and presents a supposed gathering that was actually constructed in the studio.

Rivers Cuomo revealed that the Beach Boys' Party! album inspired Weezer's 2008 "Hootenanny Tour," in which fans would be invited to bring their own instruments to play along with the band. Cuomo also named it as his favorite all-time Summer album in a July 2008 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

In 2003, Netherlands pop-punk band The Travoltas released Party! in homage to the Beach Boys' Party! which includes acoustic covers of Beach Boys and other surf-rock tracks. Like the original Beach Boys' Party! album and subsequent tribute albums (e.g. Live at a Sloan Party!), the album includes the ambient sounds of a party, spontaneous-sounding singalongs, glasses clanking, etc.

In 2013 indie-rock band Hellogoodbye released a live album entitled Did It Kill You? (reference to their album Would It Kill You?. The album was recorded live, acoustic, referenced Beach Boys' Party! and contained a cover of "Barbara Ann".

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead Vocals	Length
1.	"Hully Gully"	Fred Smith/Cliff Goldsmith	Mike Love	2:22
2.	"I Should Have Known Better"	John Lennon/Paul McCartney	Carl Wilson/Al Jardine	1:40
3.	"Tell Me Why"	Lennon–McCartney	Jardine/C. Wilson	1:46
4.	"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"	Carl White/Al Frazier/Sonny Harris/Turner Wilson Jr.	Brian Wilson/Love	2:18
5.	"Mountain of Love"	Harold Dorman	Love	2:51
6.	"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"	Lennon–McCartney	Dennis Wilson	2:56
7.	"Devoted to You"	Boudleaux Bryant	Love/B. Wilson	2:13

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead Vocals	Length
1.	"Alley Oop"	Dallas Frazier	Love	2:56
2.	"There's No Other (Like My Baby)"	Phil Spector/Leroy Bates	B. Wilson	3:05
3.	"Medley: "I Get Around" / "Little Deuce Coupe"	Brian Wilson/Mike Love/Roger Christian	Love	3:12
4.	"The Times They Are a-Changin'"	Bob Dylan	Jardine	2:23
5.	"Barbara Ann"	Fred Fassert	B. Wilson/Dean Torrence	3:23

Personnel

Al Jardine – vocals, acoustic guitar
Bruce Johnston – vocals, bass
Mike Love – vocals
Brian Wilson – vocals, bass
Carl Wilson – vocals, acoustic guitar
Dennis Wilson – vocals
Dean Torrence – vocals
Hal Blaine – ashtrays

Alternate releases

In 1990, Beach Boys' Party! was paired on CD with Stack-O-Tracks with bonus instrumental tracks. The bonus instrumental tracks include "Help Me, Rhonda", "California Girls", and "Our Car Club". In 2012, the first stereo mix of Beach Boys' Party! was released.

Sales chart positions

Albums

Year	Chart	Position
1965	German Albums Chart^[5]	4
1966	UK Top 40 Album Chart	3
1966	US Billboard 200 Albums Chart	6

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1966	"Barbara Ann"	US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart	2
1966	"Barbara Ann"	UK Top 40 Single Chart	3

Chart information courtesy of Allmusic and other music databases.^[6]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Leaf, David (1990) The Beach Boys' Party!/Stack-O-Tracks (1990 CD liner notes)
↑ http://www.allmusic.com
↑ Allmusic review
↑ Leaf, David (1990) The Beach Boys Today!/Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1990 CD liner notes)
↑ "Album Search: The Beach Boys – Beach Boys' Party!" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
↑ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". EveryHit.

Sources

The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience, Timothy White, c. 1994.

External links

Rivers Cuomo's favorite Summer Album in Entertainment Weekly

Beach Boys' Party!

Songs

Side one	"Hully Gully" "I Should Have Known Better" "Tell Me Why" "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" "Mountain of Love" "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" "Devoted to You"

Side two	"Alley Oop" "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" "Medley: "I Get Around" / "Little Deuce Coupe" "The Times They Are a-Changin'" "Barbara Ann"

1962–1965
1966–1977
1978–2012

Hits	Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 1, 2, 3 Endless Summer Spirit of America Good Vibrations – Best of The Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats Ten Years of Harmony Sunshine Dream Made in U.S.A. Greatest Hits Vol. 1, 2, 3 The Very Best of The Beach Boys Sounds of Summer The Platinum Collection (Sounds of Summer Edition) The Warmth of the Sun Fifty Big Ones

Themed	Stack-O-Tracks Ultimate Christmas Classics Selected by Brian Wilson Summer Love Songs

Rarities	Rarities Lost & Found (1961–62) Endless Harmony Hawthorne, CA The Big Beat 1963 Keep an Eye on Summer 1964

Box sets	Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys The Pet Sounds Sessions The Capitol Years The Original US Singles Collection The Capitol Years 1962–1965 The Smile Sessions Made in California

Documentary films

Good Vibrations Tour (1976)
An American Band (1985)
Nashville Sounds (1996)
Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story (1998)
Good Timin': Live at Knebworth England 1980 (2002)
Doin' It Again (2012)

Associated places

Influence

History / Lists

Timeline
Discography
Line-ups
Bootlegs
Song recordings
- Unreleased
- Brian
- Carl
- Dennis
- Mike

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People associated with The Beach Boys

Personnel	Alan Boyd Chuck Britz Stephen Desper Larry Levine Steve Levine Mark Linett Earle Mankey Bob Norberg Joe Thomas Nick Venet

Businessmen	David Anderle James William Guercio Jack Rieley Murry Wilson

Bands	American Spring Bruce & Terry California Music Captain & Tennille Celebration Chicago The Flames The Honeys The Wrecking Crew

Musicians/ songwriters	Tandyn Almer Tony Asher Roger Christian Jan and Dean Daryl Dragon Danny Hutton Gregg Jakobson Stephen Kalinich Charles Manson Terry Melcher Andy Paley Van Dyke Parks John Phillips Toni Tennille Gary Usher Don Was

Touring members	Adrian Baker Phil Bardowell Gerry Beckley Nelson Bragg Glen Campbell Richie Cannata John Cowsill Daryl Dragon Jeffrey Foskett Probyn Gregory Billy Hinsche Matt Jardine Mike Kowalski Randell Kirsch Mike Meros Carli Muñoz Joe Pollard Darian Sahanaja Toni Tennille Scott Totten

Writers	Peter Ames Carlin David Leaf Byron Preiss Domenic Priore Jules Siegel Jon Stebbins Derek Taylor Michael Vosse Timothy White Paul Williams

Other	Eugene Landy Stan Love Christine McVie Rocky Pamplin John Stamos Paul Tanner Carnie Wilson Marilyn Wilson Wendy Wilson Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

The Beach Boys singles discography

1960s

1961	"Surfin'" / "Luau"

1962	"Surfin' Safari" / "409" "Ten Little Indians" / "County Fair"

1963	"Surfin' U.S.A." / "Shut Down" "Surfer Girl" / "Little Deuce Coupe" "Be True to Your School" / "In My Room" "Little Saint Nick" / "The Lord's Prayer"

1964	"Fun, Fun, Fun" / "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" "I Get Around" / "Don't Worry Baby" "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" / "She Knows Me Too Well" "Dance, Dance, Dance" / "The Warmth of the Sun" "The Man with All the Toys" / "Blue Christmas"

1965	"Do You Want to Dance" / "Please Let Me Wonder" "Help Me, Rhonda" / "Kiss Me, Baby" "California Girls"/ "Let Him Run Wild" "The Little Girl I Once Knew" / "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" "Barbara Ann" / "Girl Don't Tell Me"

1966	"Sloop John B" / "You're So Good to Me" "Wouldn't It Be Nice" / "God Only Knows" "Good Vibrations" / "Let's Go Away for Awhile"

1967	"Then I Kissed Her" / "Mountain of Love" "Heroes and Villains" / "You're Welcome" "Wild Honey" / "Wind Chimes" "Darlin'" / "Here Today"

1968	"Friends" / "Little Bird" "Do It Again" / "Wake the World" "Bluebirds over the Mountain" / "Never Learn Not to Love"

1969	"I Can Hear Music" / "All I Want to Do" "Break Away" / "Celebrate the News"

1970s

1970	"Add Some Music to Your Day" / "Susie Cincinnati" "Cottonfields" / "The Nearest Faraway Place" "Slip On Through" / "This Whole World" "Tears in the Morning" / "It's About Time"

1971	"Cool, Cool Water" / "Forever" "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (live) / "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (by Merry Clayton) "Long Promised Road" / "Deirdre" "Long Promised Road" / "'Til I Die" "Surf's Up" / "Don't Go Near the Water"

1972	"You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone" / "Cuddle Up" "Marcella" / "Hold On Dear Brother"

1973	"Sail On, Sailor" / "Only with You" "California Saga: California" / "Funky Pretty"

1974	"Surfin' U.S.A." / "The Warmth of the Sun" "Child of Winter (Christmas Song)" / "Susie Cincinnati"

1975	"Sail On, Sailor" / "Only with You"

1976	"Rock and Roll Music" / "T M Song" "It's O.K." / "Had to Phone Ya" "Everyone's in Love with You" / "Susie Cincinnati"

1977	"Honkin' Down the Highway" / "Solar System"

1978	"Peggy Sue" / "Hey, Little Tomboy"

1979	"Here Comes the Night" / "Baby Blue" "Good Timin'" / "Love Surrounds Me" "Lady Lynda" / "Full Sail" "It's a Beautiful Day" / "Sumahama"

1980s

1980	"Goin' On" / "Endless Harmony" "Livin' with a Heartache" / "Santa Ana Winds"

1981	"The Beach Boys Medley" / "God Only Knows" "Come Go with Me" / "Don't Go Near the Water"

1985	"Getcha Back" / "Male Ego" "It's Gettin' Late" / "It's O.K." "She Believes in Love Again" / "It's Just a Matter of Time"

1986	"Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue" / "Good Vibrations" (live) "California Dreamin'" / "Lady Liberty"

1987	"Happy Endings" (with Little Richard) / "California Girls" (live)

1988	"Kokomo" / "Tutti Frutti" (Little Richard)

1989	"Still Cruisin'" / "Kokomo"

1990s

1990	"Somewhere Near Japan" / "Kokomo"

1992	"Hot Fun in the Summertime" / "Summer of Love"

1996	"I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" / "Wouldn't It Be Nice" / "Here Today"

2010s

2011	"Good Vibrations" / "Heroes and Villains" "Don't Fight the Sea" / "Friends" "Cabinessence" / "Wonderful"

2012	"That's Why God Made the Radio" / "That's Why God Made the Radio" (instrumental) "Isn't It Time" / Live in Chicago

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