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I Think About You Often

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Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys

The Ultimate Collectors Edition 1963-1965

Without Earth and the Moon

The Lost Beach Boy: The True Story of David Marks one of the founding members of the Beach Boys

In 1963, when I was 11 and listening to the day's Top 40 hits on my portable transistor radio so much and so often that it would easily rival how today's kids listen to their iPods nonstop, little did I know that I was hearing a guitar player just a few years my senior. David Marks was one of the original Beach Boys -- specifically, their rhythm guitarist who also sang backing vocals. (He also chipped in with an occasional lead riff. Listen to the fade on "Shut Down"; those tasty Chuck Berry-like notes are David's. Now THAT is a quintessential Beach Boys aural moment.)

By 1964 or maybe '65, when my record-buying habits included the occasional long-playing record album (Lp) in addition to the countless 45-rpm singles (45s) I was getting every week, I was becoming more and more aware of "who was who" on the album jackets and the 45s' picture sleeves. Still, the people pictured were not always identified, and so I was always confused/puzzled as to the identity of that one kid in the quintet carrying the surfboard on the cover of the "Surfer Girl" Lp. I only knew it wasn't Al Jardine. Well, many years later (in the 1990s?) I learned it was David Marks.

Truthfully, I didn't come to appreciate David's essential role in the Beach Boys until I read his autobiography, "The Lost Beach Boy." I cannot recommend the book highly enough. He and author Jon Stebbins did a remarkable job of telling David's compelling life story. I was so moved by David's story, in fact, that I bought three Marks-related CDs as my anonymous way of saying "Thank you" to a guy who remains largely unknown by music lovers except for us diehard Beach Boys fans who care about the people who gifted us with all that great music. I bought the "David Marks and the Marksmen" surf/pop compilation; the two albums by the late-'60s pop-psych band, Moon (now packaged as one CD); and this contemporary solo recording by David, "I Think About You Often." Stylistically, of course, these recordings are very different from one another. But knowing that David Marks is the one constant makes listening to them all the more fun and fascinating.

"I Think About You Often" is a fine collection of newer songs by a lifelong musician who has experienced a wealth of ups, downs, and in-betweens -- both personally and professionally -- in his 60 or so years. Ably supported by Anna Montgomery on backing vocals for many of the songs, as well as by several very fine drummers and bass guitarists who augment his guitars and vocals, David Marks has given music junkies like me a chance to hear a mature individual who has undergone a lot of changes on the inside. The album is reflective and sometimes wistful. (I would NOT call the tone of the album gloomy or the lyrics self-pitying.) The instrumentation is always tasteful and you'll hear David's stylistic influences throughout -- pop and rock; jazz; rhythm and blues; even touches of folk and classical. The album is simply solid on all levels. (I should note here that the CD does not include song lyrics, so you'll need to slap on the headphones and pay attention to the words.)

Bottom line: Sample the tracks here on Amazon and decide for yourself if this is an album you'll actually kick back and listen to, an album you'll come back to now and then and gain something from with each new listen. Don't buy it because I like it. (Remember, I'm the guy who didn't fully comprehend David Marks' contributions to the early, original Beach Boys until fairly recently.) Decide for yourself. I'll simply say, here and now, the more I've listened to "I Think About You Often," the more I've come to genuinely like it. Granted, knowing David's life story through his autobiography adds to my appreciation of what I hear in this collection of his songs. This album is not "Sweet Baby James" or "Sundown." It's a David Marks album. He's a real cool guy, he's talented, and I'm very glad I now have a range of his recordings in my CD collection.