Track is from forthcoming 1972 era box set
Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated new box set, Sail On Sailor – 1972, which examines and celebrates their pivotal and transformative 1972 period, The Beach Boys are sharing the unreleased track, “Carry Me Home,” recorded in 1972 during the Holland album sessions. Written and produced by Dennis Wilson about a soldier dying in the Vietnam War, the hauntingly beautiful, downtempo ballad features powerful vocals from Dennis and Blondie Chaplin over plaintive piano, country-tinged pedal steel, acoustic guitar, marching drums, and the band’s trademark harmonies. This marks the first official release of the oft-bootlegged track that has circulated amongst hardcore fans in inferior audio quality for years. It has long been one of the most requested songs to be released from the group’s archive. Although it has been considered for release over the years, Sail On Sailor – 1972 finally provides the historic and musical context the song has long deserved.
The Beach Boys landmark albums, 1972’s Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” and 1973’s Holland, will take center focus in Sail On Sailor – 1972, a new expansive multi-disc and digital box set, releasing November 18th via Capitol Records/UMe, that documents and dives deep into their transformative and fruitful 1972 era. The latest chapter in the Beach Boys’ archival series was produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013’s GRAMMY Award-winning Smile Sessions and last year’s acclaimed Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971, the comprehensive 6 CD Super Deluxe Edition features newly remastered versions of Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” and Holland, plus Holland’s Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairytale) EP (complete with its original instructions to “please listen in the dark”), and boasts an unreleased live concert recorded at NYC’s famed Carnegie Hall on Thanksgiving, 1972, the first-ever release of a complete Beach Boys concert from this era with the original setlist.
Similar to Feel Flows, which topped many year-end lists in 2022 and was selected by MOJO as their prestigious “Reissue Of The Year,” Sail On Sailor – 1972 includes a bounty of unreleased outtakes, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the historic album sessions. In all, it contains 105 tracks, 80 of which are previously unreleased.
Sail On Sailor – 1972 is being previewed with the previously unreleased performance of Carl and The Passions’ album opener, “You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone,” recorded live during their performance at Carnegie Hall on November 23, 1972. The complete Carnegie Hall set, which has remained unreleased for 50 years, was recorded on then state-of-the-art 16-track tape, rare for the time and a great advantage given the number of instruments and vocalists in the band.
Housed in a beautifully designed 12.5” x 10” hardback book-style package, Sail On Sailor – 1972 is rounded out with a detailed 48-page booklet with extensive liner notes by noted radio veteran and Beach Boys aficionado Howie Edelson, featuring new and archival interviews with The Beach Boys, rare photos of the band, images of tape boxes and reels and other recording artifacts, producers notes from Linett and Boyd, and promotional memorabilia from the day, providing an in-depth look at the recording of these albums.
In addition to the 6 CD Super Deluxe Edition, Sail on Sailor – 1972 will be available as a 5 LP+7-inch EP vinyl box set, which includes the entire Carnegie Hall concerts, a variety of bonus material (also found on the Super Deluxe), and for the first time ever, a reproduction of Brian Wilson’s EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairytale) on 7-inch, the format it was originally released on as a companion to Holland. The vinyl box will be available on its own or as a limited edition set with lithographs. A variety of abbreviated versions will also be available, including a 2 LP+7-inch EP set, available with or without a limited edition reproduction of the original Holland promotional book telling the story of the making of the album; a 2 CD deluxe edition; and digitally.
In celebration of the project, the Grammy Museum is hosting a Q&A panel with Mike Love and other special guests on November 16th. Moderated by music journalist, Howie Edelson, Love will discuss the band’s innovative and fruitful 1972 era which bore the albums Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” and Holland. Love and special guests will discuss songwriting, the recording process and the legendary group’s journey from Hawthorne to Holland. The event will also include both an opportunity to hear unreleased music from the upcoming box set, and enjoy the world premiere of Sail On, an animated short film.
Tickets are available via universe.com.
