THIS PAGE ...

  THE THIRD BEACH BOYS 'live’ offering to be released in their homeland, but the first that didn’t perhaps truly represent the line-up at that particular stage of their career. The 1964 ‘Concert’ release had been a prime example of the bands early, teenaged-frenzy-years, and was (naturally) released in 1964. The 1974 double ‘live’ offering was an intensely satisfying amalgamation of the US jaunts of the previous two years, and was a prime example of their more ‘progressive’ period … but with the ‘Beach Boys ’69’ fans of the band were forced to look back, a full seven years previous, to when the five-piece touring unit was still knocking out brief 50-minute sets to a rapturous, yet undoubtedly still seated audience. By 1976, when this album made its belated appearance in stores around America, the Beach Boys were drawing huge crowds to their concert venues, packing out the rafters of baseball stadiums around the continent, performing sets in excess of 90-minutes … and this release was surely seen in no more than an historic, novelty evaluation. Indeed, despite the renewed success the band was currently achieving, the album only managed to peak at the #75 position on the Billboard chart listings.

  The recording itself, incorrectly identified on the liner notes as from the legendary London Palladium venue, was actually taped recorded during one (or two) of the subsequent shows held at London’s Finsbury Park Astoria, during early December 1968 (accepted as being from the 8th) – another misnomer suggested by the actual album title (Beach Boys '69). It had initially appeared,

with a more relevant focus on the groups activities, during May 1970 with an EMI UK release (“Live In London”), although it was met with little success back then, despite the ongoing popularity on UK shores during this ‘quiet’ period in the bands history. In fact, according to then-Beach Boy Bruce Johnston the tapes were “originally issued without the band’s consent or knowledge …”.

  This early UK release had originally been packaged with seemingly little thought or care, with the front cover featuring the same Ed Simpson photograph that had adorned the rear of the “20/20” album the previous year (left), whilst the reverse of the sleeve was actually a photograph taken during the December 14th appearance on the “Twien” TV show in Amsterdam, Holland (a 1960’s music show, broadcast on

down the line from it’s initial appearance, Capitol Records, fully aware of how successful the 1976 line-up was once again becoming in America, and with a brand new album (albeit on the rival Warner Brothers Records label) hitting the Top 10, decided to capitalise on this sudden resurgence in their former artists repertoire and dug the tapes for the London show(s) out of the vaults.

  With the bands full approval this time around, no doubt buoyed by the successes they had seen Capitol achieve with the “Endless Summer” and “Spirit Of America” compilation reissues (from 1974 and 1975 respectively) the recordings of the UK tour were finally released in America during November of 1976, with a brand new sleeve design by friend and artist Dean Torrence.

  At first glance, once again one is led to believe that little thought appeared to have gone into the finer details of the front cover, seeing that the suggested newspaper presentation - in gothic 'Old English' font - claims the ‘London Telegraph’ headlines – a potentially misleading fact, as this particular newspaper ceased to function after 1916. However, Dean was quick to point out (in conversation with this author) that “I wanted the scrapbook look, so I went to a news stand and bought a couple of UK newspapers, then as I remember I combined the two names, so there would be no copyright problems …”

  Nevertheless, the suggested cost of the 1969 newspaper itself, 8p in UK money, does prove to be incorrect, seeing that it was in 1971 that the UK switched currency to ‘p’, following decimalisation, and back in 1969/1970 the currency was in ‘d’ … not that in a 1976 America much attention would have been paid to such insignificant detail. However, with a genuine touch of originality, the inclusion of an advertisement for ‘Cheverton Workboats’ is an interesting addition; a ‘Cheverton’ boat was designed as particularly suitable to UK waters, with an increased mast size (listen, some of these are important facts y’know !) …

  The text of the newspaper headlines appears to have come from the pages of the Melody Maker (one of the UK’s then-leading music sources), whilst the actual ‘scrapbook’ effect that Dean envisaged, somewhere along the line, turned into a pinboard vision, and the final effect is that of various pictures and postcards pinned to the plain blue background, and although the conceptual idea was good, it may have benefited further by featuring more pictures and clippings (as Dean had so successfully managed on the inner “15 Big Ones” package) …

  One of the photographs is actually from the 1966 UK tour, whilst the remaining two band photographs, although from the correct late-60’s era, would suggest slightly differing periods (judging by the hairstyles and the increasing length of the Mike Love-beard). As for the three postcards supposedly ‘pinned’ to the board … the first one (placed centrally on the front sleeve), with an imaginary handwritten message to Brian back home in L.A., suggested that big brother could be reached at the ‘7777 Sunset’ address in Hollywood … Well, back in 1976 the chances are that any mail WOULD have reached Brian at this address. Dean recalled; “That was my Kittyhawk Graphics address. Actually, it was one of three addresses I had; 7783 was my studio, 7785 was my production office and 7777 was a conference room I shared with a business partner. All these addresses were in the same building, but it burned down in the mid-eighties …”.

CLICK ON AN IMAGE

An obscure Asian release

  Today, that address will actually bring you to the Hollywood Sheet Music store, the self-proclaimed “Music Store To The Stars !”, where their “primary customers include the film and TV studios, actors, recording artists, instructors and the general music community of Los Angeles ...”.

  The remaining two postcards offer up simplistic interpretations of Britain; featuring an airbrushed view over Stonehenge, the great Neolithic masonry architecture constructed between 3000bc and 1600bc that lies approximately 80 miles to the south-west of London, and a silhouetted image of the Queen’s royal guardsmen, wearing the traditional bearskin, alongside the ‘Union Jack’ flag. Elsewhere, small symbols of England (a shield and armour) and a Beach Boys ‘69’ badge (highlighting the US/UK bond) appear …

  All in all, the ‘official’ 1976 sleeve for the release is a bold, colourful image, although the overall cartoon style of the newspaper and postcards leave an uncertain taste as to how well it actually succeeds …

CLICK

All rights reserved : No part of this text may be copied, stored or reproduced without written consent of the author. Pipeline Publications (UK) 2006