Set is available Aug 27th
The Beach Boys forthcoming new box set, Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971, due August 27th via Capitol/UMe, boasts 135 tracks, including 108 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions.
Ahead of the release, The Beach Boys have shared two more unreleased tracks: a stunning a cappella version of “Surf’s Up,” the eponymous closing track of their 1971 album, initially written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks for the famously aborted Smile album, and a reimagined mix of “This Whole World,” one of the many standouts from 1970’s Sunflower. This exquisite iteration of “Surf’s Up” allows listeners to hear the band’s unadulterated vocals and impeccable harmonies in their purest form. Wilson’s lead vocal for the second section of the song was recorded in December 1966 during the Smile sessions while the other vocal parts were added in 1971. The version of “This Whole World” was newly created for Feel Flows and features an alternate lead vocal take from Carl Wilson, a lead vocal part from Brian Wilson on the bridge that wasn’t used on the original, and an alternate ending originally recorded for an Eastern Airlines commercial that the group appeared in briefly. Part of Eastern’s popular “Wings of Man” advertising campaign, the ad focused on Southern California and featured the song under narration from Orson Welles. This coda has never been heard anywhere since the commercial aired in 1971. These latest releases follow the live version of fan favorite “Susie Cincinnati” and an early, folky incarnation of “Big Sur.”
Feel Flows is being released in honor of 50 years of The Beach Boys’ timeless and often underappreciated albums, Sunflower and Surf’s Up. The expansive 5 CD box set chronicles and explores in depth this metamorphic and highly influential 1969-1971 period of the band’s legendary career. Assembled by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013’s GRAMMY Award-winning SMiLE Sessions, the expansive collection features newly remastered versions of Sunflower and Surf’s Up and boasts 135 tracks, including 108 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions.
Housed in a book style package, the set is rounded out with a 48-page book loaded with unreleased and rare photos, lyric sheets, tape box images, recording artifacts, insightful new liner notes by noted radio veteran and Beach Boys afficionado Howie Edelson, and new and archival interviews from Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and others. Feel Flows will also be released in abbreviated versions including 4 LP on both black vinyl and limited edition Translucent Blue and Translucent Gold color vinyl, 2 LP black vinyl and 2 CD editions.
This is the first release since the February announcement that the iconic group sold majority interest of their music catalog and intellectual property, including photos, interviews, band name and overall likeness to mega manager Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group. Universal Music Group confirms it still owns the band’s master recordings and publishing rights. The deal is estimated to be worth $100-200 million.
The Mike Love fronted Beach Boys will hit the road this summer on the 2021 Feel Flows World Tour. The 29 day North American trek kicked off Memorial Day weekend with John Stamos and Mark McGrath at San Diego’s Petco Park, and runs through August 29th in Bridgeport, CT. Additional dates are expected.
