Beach Boys Concert / Live London [Extra tracks, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

The Beach Boys | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 10, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00005ABWX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,254 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #69 in Music > Rock > Oldies & Retro > Surf Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like virtually every band in the mid-'60s, the Beach Boys were expected to deliver their hits in person--no mean feat considering the ever more baroque concoctions that Brian Wilson was constructing in the studio. Tellingly, at the time the 1964 Concert was recorded in Beach Boys hotbed Sacramento, the band had but a few hits of their own and so they padded their set with Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" (cowritten by Brian), Dion's "The Wanderer," "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" by the Rivingtons, Bobby Pickett's "The Monster Mash," and, of course, Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." The instrumental backing here is sparse and simplistic; it's the band's vocal interplay that carries the day before a throng of screaming fans. By the time the year was out, Brian suffered his first nervous breakdown and gave up touring to concentrate on his studio productions.

Live in London was culled from live shows recorded at a time (1968) when the band were virtual pop-cultural outcasts in their home country, but still enjoyed an enthusiastic following in England. These recordings document the Beach Boys' remarkable resilience in the face of Brian's deliberate distancing and their frigid American career prospects; when the going got tough, the tough got spectacularly professional. Augmented by a horn section, the band locks into a powerful groove, giving energetic, largely note-perfect versions of the expected hits along with some key album cuts. Digitally remastered, this long out-of-print twofer edition features commentary by David Leaf (The Beach Boys and the California Myth), as well as two bonus cuts: a 1964 concert rendition of "Don't Worry Baby" and a 1967 live version (from the unreleased Lei'd in Hawaii album) of the challenging "Heroes and Villains" that features a rare appearance by Brian Wilson performing with the band. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Stack is Wrong, These Are Grrrrreat and Here's Why!, November 5, 2005

By 

Joseph M. Davis (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beach Boys Concert / Live London (Audio CD)

What the hell does someone from Chelmsford know about surfing anyway? ;) These 2 albums give you a taste of both their Beatlemania-like phase in 1964 and their post Pet Sounds creative path. There is one song on here that makes the whole package worth buying and that is the special stereo live version of "I Get Around". It is the only way to hear that particular song in stereo and it sounds awesome- only missing Carl's solo in the middle. Don't knock them for "covering" "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" either! Brian not only wrote it he sang on it too- that's his falsetto on the original Jan and Dean recording. Same with "Surf City". And Mike Love still plays both with his touring Beach Boys and they both sounded great. It's great to hear the Beach Boys in their prime with all of the girls screaming and with Brian still on stage belting out the high notes. But it is also great to her the "Live In London" era as well... also sold as "Beach Boys'69". Carl soars on "Darlin'" and you get to hear some of that cool stuff from albums like "Friends" as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A KEEPER..., June 2, 2004

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beach Boys Concert / Live London (Audio CD)

Having had the Beach Boys "Live in London" recording as an LP in the nineteen seventies and loved it, I was delighted to see it available on CD and bought it to replace my now obsolete vinyl. The plus is that the CD includes the tracks from the Beach Boys first album to go number one, "Concert" (1964), in addition to the tracks from their live shows in London, circa 1968. The CD also two bonus tracks and a comprehensive liner.

This is a great CD. Listening to it makes one understand why the Beach Boys remain one of the most popular American groups of all time. It also contains my favorite song by them, "Darlin'", which I believe to be one of the best songs written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. It is also the song that jump starts their "Live in London" segment of the CD.

Not all of the songs on this CD were written by the Beach Boys, but that does not detract from the quality. On the contrary, it is great to hear the Beach Boys with their signature sound, interpreting such classics as the Freshmen's "Graduation Day" and Dion's "The Wanderer."

If one could have only one Beach Boys CD, this would be it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beach Boys live in the 60s; two different approaces!, September 17, 2001

By 

Laura Merck (Sussex, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beach Boys Concert / Live London (Audio CD)

Lots of ink has been spilled over the decades regarding the BBs; they were the greatest vocal band ever, and show here that they also dizzied an audience just before and just after their heyday as American pop trailblazers. Concert ('64) was the first live album released by a rock & roll group, and went promptly to #1. It featured the mayhem of the crowd, the charm of the band, and the typical post-production sweetening most groups require. Live In London ('68) is one of the best live records ever, and certainly the best by the BBs. With a horn section and a few support players added, the late 60s BBs were more popular outside the states than inside. This sample of their European tour set shows why. The band is in top vocal and instrumental form, promoting their more recent work (Calif. Girls was the "oldie" they sang, from only 3 years earlier), and providing the record-buyer with a double whammy of the a capella "Hearts Were Full" and the definitive live take of "God Only Knows". A must for the casual and hard-core fan alike. - Sean-Michael Lyons