The Beach Boys Album: “Spirit of America”

Like ENDLESS SUMMER,this album contains all previously released material. Not every Beach Boys fan will own it because many of them already own the albums the songs originally came from. My double LP copy of this album has the original 23-track line-up which contains a live version of GRADUATION DAY from BEACH BOYS CONCERT and excludes DARLIN' and I CAN HEAR MUSIC. The cover,I must admit is so lavishly illustrated. Get a load of Mickey Mouse's red and white-striped ears! Walt Disney would likely be impressed if he were alive today and saw that. I dedicate this album to the memories of brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson.

This essential collection of Beach Boy songs covers everything on a young man's mind. Cars, school, girls, friends, girls, summer vacation and girls! The haunting "Spirit of America" is one of Brian Wilson's greatest efforts. There are some nice cover songs included as well. One can only assume that these were favorites of the surfer dudes at the time. If you're a fan, you need this hard to find album.

The Capitol vinyl LP "Spirit Of America" first appeared in April 1975 and eventually went Gold, reaching # 8 on the LP charts. This AAD CD reproduces that album with the addition of eleven other cuts, including a few of their singles hits.

These latter are (with their Billboard Hot 100 positions shown in brackets): 409, the flip of Surfin' Safari (# 76 in October 1962); When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (# 9 in September 1964; Little Honda, the flip of Wendy (# 65 in October 1964); Dance, Dance, Dance (# 8 in December 1964); Do You Wanna Dance? [# 12 in February 1965] b/w Please Let Me Wonder [# 52 in March 1965); The Little Girl I Once Knew [# 20 in December 1966]; Barbara Ann [# 2 in March 1966]; and Break Away [# 63 in July 1969].

There are no liner notes whatsoever, nor is there a discography of the contents. That, and absolutely no imagination by the producer in filling out the album resulted in the deduction of two stars. Selections such as 409, Barbara Ann, Do You Wanna Dance?, Dance, Dance, Dance, and When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) are seemingly included in EVERY Beach Boys compilation, whereas it's very difficult to find songs like Wild Honey [# 31 in 1967], Friends [# 47 in 1968], and Bluebirds Over The Mountain [# 61 in 1968], among others.

I can't really recommend this unless the original album was one of your favourites and you wish to get the selections in AAD sound reproduction.

Seem like this CD was a catch-all for tunes the label didn't know what to do with. Some of the selections are classic Beach Boys, but tunes like "Spirit of America"; and others are yawners that make us go into the kitchen to browse through the fridge. Die hard fans no doubt need this in their collection, but most could not have it and never miss it.

Listen to that for a year than progress to this one. You will appreciate it that much more that way. Dr Ron. Jupiter, Fl.