Customer Reviews

The Beach Boys: The Lost Concert [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE BEACH BOYS - THE LOST CONCERT is a nostalgic reminder of the Southern California of the 1960s, where the Pacific-washed edge of the place was populated with sun-tanned surfers and their girls, and the Beach Boys could be heard on every car radio and beach blanket transistor.

The DVD, only 22 minutes in length, has the group singing 9 of their songs, including "Fun, Fun, Fun", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Surfer Girl", "Surfin' USA", and "Shut Down". The performance on March 14, 1964 - before a live audience - was filmed by promoters to air on closed-circuit TV in theaters. The DVD seems to be a faithful reproduction of the original B&W film, though one gets the impression that the promoters were working on a limited budget. The teenage audience, the makeshift stage, and the overworked sound system suggests that the venue was a commandeered high school gym. And, as the camera pans the fans, I was left wondering, "Did we really look that geeky?" (I myself was a high school frosh at the time.)

Regardless of the unsophistication of the production, this DVD is a must see for Beach Boy fans of that long ago era when US pop-music performers could still be well-groomed, clean-cut, and heart-breakingly All-American, and their lyrics celebrated fast cars, bikini-clad girls, and catching the next monster wave.

Though I grew up in Malibu, the center of the SoCal beach culture, I was never a surfer myself. I would have been disowned by my Mom at least, to whom "surfer" conjured up visions of long-haired, lazy bums (only to be replaced in the 70s by "long-haired, drug-ridden hippies"). But, in that carefree period of my life, the sun shone, the ocean breezes swayed the palms, the waves caressed the beach off Point Dume, and the Beach Boys provided the background music. I miss those days. Truly.

This is an incredible short video piece. It's the only long concert footage currently available of the early Beach Boys, since their performance on the T.A.M.I. Show has been excised for legal reasons from available prints of that film. At 22 minutes, this video wouldn't seem to qualify as lengthy, but since short sets were par for the course for multi-act shows of 1964, it must be viewed as a full concert.

The band rocks. They are rough, but they have an electrifying garage band quality. It's interesting to hear how the Beach Boys actually played in their early years, as much of the playing on their early albums was done by studio musicians. They aren't perfect, but their energy carries the day.

The band is interesting to look at, very clean cut with wide striped short sleeved sport shirts. They all move stiffly, with the exception of Mike Love, who was a total ham back then. He moves like a geek, but he never stops and helps get the shrieking teenaged audience going. His moves during "Long Tall Texan" will make you laugh, both with him and at him.

The rest of the band are equally geeky to behold, albeit in a more reserved fashion. Dennis manages to toss his blond head around a lot while he barely keeps time on his drum kit. Carl and Al sing adequate harmonies head-to-head on one mike, although the harmony singing of the entire group gets a bit suspect at times. Brian Wilson is a treasure to behold, as he would not perform with the band much longer. You can understand why, as he doesn't appear to be comfortable with performing. Even when he talks to the audience, he tends to do so about three feet away from the mike, and has difficulty in gazing out at the audience. But when he sings, his voice is gorgeous, just as high and crystalline as his studio efforts. Especially charming is his energetic rendition of "Papa Oow Mow Mow."

The sound quality is merely adequate. But you don't buy this kind of keepsake for the hi-fi sound. Good sound for video didn't really exist back in 1964. It certainly doesn't sound any worse than footage that you might see from the old "Ed Sullivan Show." You can clearly hear all the instruments and vocals. The screaming of the young girls in the audience does get wearing even at this short length, but it's to be expected from concerts of this era. The audience shots of these screaming girls is somewhat amusing.

If you are a Beach Boys fan, this video/DVD is a must-have. It's a great glimpse of the band in their halcyon days, back when things were simple and innocent.

Refusing to backdown to the tidal wave of Beatlemania, the Beach Boys pumped out 22 minutes of pure joy in this lost treasure from 1964. Sure, the concert is short, but brief gigs were all the rage in the early 60's. The Boys whip out classics such as "Little Duece Coupe", "Hawaii" and "Surfin' USA" with the frenetic energy of a garage band auditioning for their first gig. The adolescent girls shriek hysterically as drummer Denny Wilson shakes his long hair while pounding out a fearsome beat. Mike Love clucks around the stage like a reject from a Gidget movie. But, oh what fun! Then of course there's Brian, just nine months before his "retirement" from the road, caressing the crowd with his beautiful falsetto on "Surfer Girl". In fact, the rare appearance of Brian -- looking happy and healthy -- makes this video worthwhile. The Beach Boys, like the Beatles, would progress by leaps and bounds the following two years. Albums such as "Today" and "Pet Sounds" would prove to be landmark achievements, but never again would they seem so innocent and so wrecklessly full of energy. This video is a must own for all Beach Boys fans.

22 Minutes?Why not release the whole show featuring The Beatles.The Beach Boys and Leslie Gore?It would make a good document of the times.

I was the first fan club president for the Beach Boys and if you look in the audience you will see Marilyn Rovell Wilson and myself. This show was one of the first taped live of the Beach Boys along with the "Bob Hope Show". I was at both. It is truly amazing to see it again even with their obvious nervousness what attracted me to them so long ago. It's worth owning for any true Beach Boy fan! Jolene (Jodi) Gable Firgens

The Beach Boys as a group were formed in 1961. Here are the boys just
3 years later. The harmonies are right on the money, with Carl's guitar leads and Brian's Falsetto sounding great. It is a rare glimpse of a group on the verge of making musical history. Harmony as a vocal sound for the past 70 years had always been pretty straight forward. Look at the 1930's, (the Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots), the 1940's (the Andrews Sisters, Southern Gospel harmony) the 1950's The Doo-Wop Sound, but nothing like what Brian Wilson was about to unleash on the Music Scene. Pet Sounds was only 2 years away. What growth. I recommend this dvd highly.

What a great time capsule! I have enjoyed the Beach Boys on phonograph record and radio for many years. It was great to finally see them in concert, even though the DVD was very short. I usually enjoy original recordings rather than new releases featuring "one or more of the original members". What is unique about this DVD is that it captures the band in time before Brian Wilson ceased touring. Technically the recording is a bit rough as is to be expected. Mike Love's voice is a bit distorted at times. What makes the audio sound most different than the phonograph records is the lack of additional studio reverberation. I am going to experiment with the audio, adding a bit of reverb. I think that will make it sound closer to what I am used to hearing on my records. Of course during the 1960s and 1970s, radio stations added their own reverb, making it sound like the musicians were performing in a gymnasium or a bat cave.

The Beach Boys - Lost Concert is a great way to see the Beach Boys perform when Brian Wilson was still touring with the band. It's before drugs, internal tensions, competition with other bands, etc. have taken over; it truly showcases America's number one band in 1964. The video presentation is very good, offering a clear black & white picture. The audio is good as well. Both are far better than expected for a film thought "lost" which usually means a horribly degraded print that's being released for posterity. The only drag about this was that it was a short film, meant as a companion piece to other filmed concerts to be shown around the country in movie theaters when the bands weren't coming on their tours. It's my suspicion, after hearing several Beach Boys live albums with the same songs/arrangements that this is an edited portion of the concert. Nevertheless, this concert film ranks highly with me because it is the original five Beach Boys doing what they do best. The DVD is also a great companion piece to the Endless Summer Beach Boys doc and the already mentioned live albums. You won't be disappointed by what you see on the disc, only by the wish that it could go on longer.

I discovered this video on cable in 1998. I loved it! It's a fun video with great music. Brain is animated, Mike Love is adorable dancing the mashed potatoes while the band plays the earliest hits. Remember it was made in 1964, so the sound quality is good, for the times. It's only 20 minutes long, but it's a must have for any Beach Boys fan.

I viewed the video and I was very impressed with how much closer I'd felt to the "Beach Boys". I happen to own several albums, saved from early teen years, and as I watched I looked at names and relating the faces at the same time. It made me feel so much closer to the musicians I used to dance with in my room for hours! I felt shadowed with emotion for Brian Wilson, who had such a terrible battle with mental illness, he was as brilliant as Gerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and any other of the so-called "Greats"; our early beginnings of fine rock, rockabilly and "surfing music".