The Beach Boys Album: “Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long [Remaster]”

For centuries alchemists have fruitlessly sought the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, when what they should have done is listen to early Beach Boys' albums. The two collected on this CD, 'Little Deuce Coupe' and 'All Summer Long', are surely the purest, most invigorating distillation of testosterone there is, life-affirming hymns to cars, girls, cars, beaches, cars, surfing, cars, and, er, school. I've never really been interested in any of these things, but I recognise the passion and the fantasy, and feel years younger listening to them.

Though essentially innocent, there is a choppy, ear-slicing guitar racket in most of these songs, presumably in imitation of powerful engines, that have the violent energy of punk and later surf-inspired noiseniks.

there is something sweet about five boys singing love songs to automobiles, but something slightly perverse too, especially in 'Ballad of Ol' Betsy', where a tribute to a knackered car sounds like an elegy to an aging, sexually experienced woman, reminding me of Flann O'Brien's 'The Third Policeman' (about a bicycle), edging on to the world of Ballard and Cronenberg.

The emphasis is on short sharp spurts of spirited exuberance, but there are grace notes: the warm lush tingle of 'Hushabye', the kind of enveloping lullaby that makes you want to wrap up in it all night; the late-50s pastiche ballad 'We'll Run Away'; the sun-lazy rapture of 'Girls on the beach'; the gloriously seedy 'All dressed up for school'; the mysterious 'Wendy', complete with eerie organ break; the hushed a capella 'A young man is gone', apparently a tribute to James Dean, poised between tragedy and comedy.

Best of all, though, is one of pop's beacons: 'I Get Around', its miraculous circular vocals, propulsive movement, weird verse breaks and general exhiliration embodying youthful masculinity in all its zest, good faith, and, well, strangeness.

The first of 2 albums here, LITTLE DEUCE COUPE, was the Beach Boys' 4th and was issued in October 1963. Almost a song cycle on cars and the people who drive them, the album could be considered the first concept album, before that term even existed. Earlier in the year, Capitol Records issued a "car" compliation (SHUT DOWN) without the Beach Boys' permission and included 4 of their already issued songs on it ("Little Deuce Coupe", "409", "Shut Down", and "Our Car Club"). In retaliation, Brian Wilson, the producer (and only 21) included those 4 songs here to protect the band, not to be cheap. There are many highlights here, the title track, the original version of "Be True To Your School" (the single version appears as a bonus track at the end of this CD), a stunning a cappella version of "A Young Man Is Gone" (using "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring"'s melody), and the complex harmonizings of "No-Go Showboat" and "Custom Machine". The Beach Boys were progressing quickly. ALL SUMMER LONG, the 6th album, was issued in July 1964 (the 5th, SHUT DOWN VOL. 2, was coupled with 1963's SURFER GIRL the 3rd album) and it's evident that Brian Wilson took a quantum leap here. From the opening "I Get Around" (their first # 1 hit) to the closing "Don't Back Down" the album is consistent in its greatness. The songs are brilliant and brilliantly arranged and produced and sung. All of them are winners (the title track, "Little Honda", "Wendy" are major highlights and "Girls On The Beach" is out-of-this-world!). Bonus tracks are quite revealing too. Don't let the disgruntled reviewer, Kevin, change your mind. This CD sounds outstanding and Brian personally authorised them (he wrote notes for each album). You're not just buying music, you're buying a piece of history. Enjoy.

This two-fer, with bonus tracks included, is a tremendous value! While not as great as Today!/Summer Days..(the best BB's 2-fer), it still rates 5 stars for classic tracks like "Little Deuce Coupe", "I Get Around", "All Summer Long", "Little Honda", "Wendy", "Girls On The Beach", and two versions of the sublime "Don't Back Down" (which was the group's last surfing song). Both albums were concept albums. LDC (with many lyrics written by radio d.j. and car enthusiast Roger Christian) is about the car culture of early-1960's L.A. while ASL chronicles the Southern Cal summer scene. The fun-in-the-sun lyrical themes of ASL came to represent how people would view the Beach Boys.

Most early-60's albums were a hit or two and then a bunch of hastily recorded garbage, or "filler." However, due to Brian Wilson's dedication to quality, there are only a few of these present here: "Carl's Big Chance" (a boring instrumental), "Do You Remember" (a lame ode to early rock & roll stars), and "Our Favorite Recording Sessions (the group goofing off while recording)." Everything else is good to great. ASL is especially inspired, being Brian's answer to the challenge of The Beatles. Although issued less than a year after LDC, the production is much more lush and complex, and the songs are much more creatively written.

I agree with Kevin of Belleville that this music should've been re-issued in Brian Wilson's original mono mixes (or in remixed modern stereo), since the original stereo mixes have been out on the cd market since 1990. To keep on upgrading and reissuing the same old lame 1960's 3-track stereo remixes (done by some unknown hack at Capitol Records) is the aural equivalent of keeping on futilely applying more lipstick to a pig. Yes, the pig looks better, but it's still always going to be a pig. The chief crime of the original stereo mixes is that they often significantly boosted the volume of the vocals at the expense of the volume and power of the instrument track ("Little Deuce Coupe", "The Little Saint Nick" & "Fun, Fun, Fun"), and giving Brian the undeserved rap of producing "wafer-thin" backing tracks. They tended to also add echo and be shorter than Brian's mixes (for example, the great ending of "Fun, Fun, Fun" gets lopped off). However, for the average listener who isn't a BB's nut like I am, the music is so special, so well-done, that it transcends even primitive stereo mixes. (Also, although not listed as such, "I Get Around" and "All Summer Long" are in mono. For some reason, they were never remixed into stereo. And some of the other best songs on this two-fer can be found in their superior mono mixes on the G.V. box set and the Greatest Hits cds.)

This two-fer is outstanding, but the real jewel here is "All Summer Long", which was a Spector-esque response to the hype of Beatlemania. Simply put, this album took the Beach Boys to the next level. Unlike the first four albums, there's no filler here (and I don't count "Our Favorite Recording Sessions").

"I Get Around" was the Beach Boys' first #1 hit in the U.S., but the other songs here are equally breathtaking -- like "Little Honda" and "Hushabye", two of the more overlooked tunes in the Beach Boys' catalogue.

The vocals on "Hushabye" are classic Brian Wilson. If you listen to this song with headphones, it's guaranteed to get those goose bumps at strict attention. The same goes for "Little Honda" -- if you can get past the lyrics.

Truly, there isn't a bad cut on "All Summer Long", and it is the first Beach Boys album that established the group as a worthy pop rival to the Fab Four. The classic rivalry continued until the unfortunate demise of "Smile" -- and with it the Beach Boys' careers.

As for "Little Deuce Coupe", it's a fine album and a worthy successor to "Surfer Girl". "Cherry Cherry Coupe", "Ballad of Ol' Betsy", and "Custom Machine" are all fantastic. But "All Summer Long" is the seed that would flower into "Today" -- and eventually "Pet Sounds".

Originally this was a car record and it was a for runner of many concept records to come. I don't know if Brian Wilson invented the idea, but I think he did, without knowing it. The originally running order is: Side One: "Little Deuce Coup", "Ballad of Ole' Betsy", "Be True to Your School, Car Crazy Cutie", "Cherry, Cherry Coupe" and the better than excellent, "409". Side two: "Shut Down," "Spirit of America", "Our Car Club", "No-Go Showboat", "A Young Man is Gone" and "Custom Machine".

I was into cars in 1963, into music too. This record was a natural for me and for every lickin', stickin' American teenage male. Great car songs, great music and harmonies like you could't believe. Surfers and car guys, too. You had to love the Beach Boys and we did.

Now "Little Deuce Coupe" has been repackaged with "All Summer Long" and they've thrown in some extra tracks, but even without the extra stuff, "Little Deuce Coupe" is a must have record for anybody who's ever dreamed of racing a car.