The best of the cover song is “Graduation Day.” This song has always been recorded with harmonies and the Beach Boys do a superior job of uniting their five voices into one. Dennis Wilson does a credible job singing lead on the Dion song, “The Wanderer.” Every time Dennis Wilson would say anything or probably breathe the girls in the audience would squeal. The Rivingtons “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” is carried off more for of the energy that Mike Love brings to the performance than anything else.
The real misses begin with “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena.” Brian Wilson co-authored this song and it became a top five hit for Jan & Dean. Jan Berry may not have been a Brian Wilson in the studio but he was proficient at taking his and Dean Torrance’s voices and creating his own wall of sound. The Beach Boys version pales next to the Jan & Dean single as the sound is not full and they veer from the original song structure in a way that is uncomfortable. The comedy songs, “Long Tall Texan” and “Monster Mash” are just a little too cute and two of them are at least one to many for a 13-song concert. “Johnny B. Goode” is the final song on the album and is just about drowned out by the crowd noise as it seems that the group just wanted to get off the stage.
Beach Boys Concert ultimately remains an excellent look at the Beach Boys in concert circa 1964. It holds up surprisingly well as a recording that is approaching its 45th birthday. So sit back, put on your ear phones and be transported back to a simpler and enjoyable time.
Article comments
1 - Lou Katz
The reviews are great, but for accuracies sake, you have the wrong cover for the Christmas album, and the wrong album for the Concert album.
2 - Fred Vail
I'm honored that the writer of "Beach Boys Concert" album review opened it with my introductory remarks made that night--December 21, 1963--at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. I was the producer of the concert from which the 'live' album was recorded. In fact, I conceived the idea of doing a 'live' album and had to convince BW and Murry to rocord it. It was not only the group's first #1 album and first "Gold" album, but paved the way for other 'live' albums to follow. It proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the public would be interested in purchasing a recording of a concert. Taken in context of the era in which is was recorded, it is the portrays the excitement of being there as "America's Band" does what they did best: reproducing their incredible studio recordings as n o other band before or since.