Brian Wilson cut two singles for Sharon Marie. She remains a mystery woman. Mike Love says she was a friend. Other people in the know say she was Ginger Blake recording under a different name so as not to conflict with her work for the Honeys. “Runaround Lover” contains some excellent and textured backing vocals and another creative use of a saxophone sound as the foundational instrument of the song. “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You Baby” uses the melody from the Beach Boys' future hit “Darlin.’ This song can be classified as a torch song and was a rarity for Brain Wilson in 1964.

Gary Usher checks in with two songs. “Sacramento” and “That’s Just The Way I Feel” are both disappointments. They feature standard vocals and little in the way of harmonies. Gary Usher was an early writing partner of Brian Wilson who would go on to produce such brilliant studio groups as the Hondells, Super Stocks, and the Knights.

The real gems were the releases of “Pamela Jean” and “After The Game” by the Survivors. The Survivors were actually the Beach Boys recording under another name. The intent was to see if they could create a hit record if no one knew them. The single tanked, which was a shame. “Pamela Jean” used the melody to “Car Crazy Cutie” and received the full Beach Boys treatment. I find the harmonies and production clearer and more sophisticated than most of their releases in January of 1964. “After The Game” was a Brian Wilson instrumental that used some odd percussion effects and looked forward to his creations later in the decade.

The final song was “Guess I’m Dumb” released by Glen Campbell in May of 1964. When Brian Wilson stopped touring with the Beach Boys, Glen Campbell joined their stage act for a short time. Glen sings this song in a Brian-like falsetto with Brian Wilson and the Honeys providing backing.

Brian Wilson was one of the most creative producers and creators of songs in the history of modern music. These 17 tracks were recorded while he was at the height of his powers. It is interesting that not one of the releases was a hit. Still they are historically important in that they give a glimpse of Brian Wilson’s genius outside of its original and usual context.

The Capitol Years is one of the rarest of the Beach Boys' releases. Amazon does not have even one in their catalogue at this time. If you can find this box set at a reasonable price I would recommend picking it up. Just don’t pay $99.99 for it.