Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered And Unplugged

Beach Boys: Brian Wilson (vocals, soprano saxophone); Mike Love (vocals, alto saxophone); Carl Wilson, Alan Jardine, Dennis Wilson (vocals). Available on the 2-fer BEACH BOYS PARTY!/STACK-O-TRACKS. Underneath its novelty record disguise, this innovative production is one of the best early Beach Boys sessions--spontaneous (by definition) but musical, well-sung and well "staged." Except for a medley of "I Get Around/ Little Deuce Coupe," all the tunes are covers, some contemporary (Dylan, Beatles), others by such Beach Boys forebears as the Everly Brothers and the Regents (whose "Barbara Ann" provided the Boys with a Top-10 hit). They seem to have had a special affinity for the Rivingtons' wild "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," since it also appears on the previous BEACH BOYS CONCERT. A favorite, however, is Johnny Rivers' "Mountain Of Love," complete with reedy harmonica bursts, a sly nod to a fellow purveyor of fake party albums of the '60s.

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 12/11/2015