Beach Boys: California Girls

Beach Boys: California Girls

1965

Capitol Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. The Girl From New York City  2. Then I Kissed Her   3. Salt Lake City  4. Girl Don't Tell Me  5. Help Me, Rhonda  6.  California Girls  7. Let Him Run Wild   8. You're So Good To Me  9. Summer Means New Love  10. And Your Dream Comes True

This is the 80's vinyl reissue of  "Summer Days (and Summer Nights.)" Similar to the vinyl copy of "All Summer Long" we discussed a few days ago, it's missing two tracks..."Amusement Parks U.S.A." and "I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man ." 

 

Here's the original (and much less red) cover...

Released only one year prior, you can really start to hear "Pet Sounds"  happen... I mean, there's still the fun-summer-sun stuff like "Help Me Rhonda" and "Salt Lake City," but check out that orchestral intro to "California Girls," and the instrumental "Summer Means New Love.  There's also the surprisingly sophisticated "Let Him Run Wild." He also sets his sights on Phil Spector on his gender-reversed cover of "Then He Kissed Me." (Retitled "Then I Kissed Her.") Yes, that's ambition we're hearing...and Brian would make good on his promise...

I picked this up for $1.99 at the FYE, not really aware it was missing two tracks...I let that slide yesterday, cos it was only an instrumental and a track of studio chatter that was missing from the "All Summer Long Reissue," but the missing song titles on this one are really intriguing...I just have to hear them! I mean, "I'm Bugged at my Ol' Man," is the coolest song title ever! I'm going to check them out on youtube real quick and let you know what I think...

 
(time passes)

Okay, I'm back..Sorry I took so long...I made a brief pit stop to check out this scene from "Deathbed..."

Here's what I think...

I'm so mad that they cut these songs..."Amusement Parks USA" is a more carnival-esque version of  the classic mid sixties Beach Boys sound, and "I'm Bugged At my Ol' Man" is just insane...The music is a generic piano-based  boogie-woogie  but it seems to be shoddily sung on purpose (!?)  and the lyrics are beyond bizarre:

"Why did he sell my surfboard?
He cut off my hair in my sleep...

They gave me some breadcrumbs
And a little glass of water
And they're out there eating steak
(Smells so good)

I ripped up my wardrobe
And I'm growing a beard
Oh when will they let me come out..."

Man, now I've got to find an unedited version...Oh well...Let's check out  "California Girls" by the Beach Boys in the meantime...Enjoy...