Videos by American Songwriter
The Beach Boys announced a new collection that compiles previously unreleased home studio recordings from the very beginning of their career. The album, Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite and Dorinda Morgan Sessions, features multiple versions of nine songs recorded under the guidance of Hite and Dorinda Morgan in their home studio.
Along with “Surfin,'” the first single to earn the band national acclaim, the set includes “Luau,” “Lavender,” “Surfin’ Safari,” “Surfer Girl,” “Judy,” “Beach Boy Stomp (aka Karate),” “Barbie,” and “What Is A Young Girl Made Of.” Included in the album are demos, all available takes, studio banter and the master recordings, resulting in 63 tracks and two CDs. The tracks, recorded between the fall of 1961 and spring of 1962, led to their signing a seven-year contract with Capitol Records.
As detailed in the liner notes included with the collection, guitarist Carl Wilson said of the band’s early days, “I remember Dennis [Wilson] and Michael [Love] going to the beach, and when they came back they were talking about making a song about surfing. That’s the first thing I remember as far as the reality of a group actually forming.”
Watch a trailer for the album below. Pick it up on August 26.
