Way back in 1966, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys released the classic and highly ambitious album Pet Sounds. After that, Brian Wilson teamed up with Van Dyke Parks for his ambitious rock opera SMiLE
, with this 1995 meeting between the two kind of a result of the original plan. Essentially, it’s mostly a collection of Parks compositions sung by Wilson, sometimes with wonderful and patented Beach Boys harmonies and attitudes. The session is filled with some of LA’s finest, including bassist Leland Sklar on bass, with Sid Page (of the Hot Licks) on violin.
At times, the outing sounds a bit like a Jimmy Buffet release, as on “Sail Away” and the Caribbean “Hold Back Time”. What comes across most strongly is the influence of the group The Four Freshmen, with wonderful vocal harmonies that swing and have a rich range on “San Francisco” and particularly on the previously unreleased takes of standards. “Rhapsody in Blue” teamed with Tommy Morgan’s harmonica, is a hoot, while “Love Is Here To Stay” and “What A Wonderful World” are chestnuts by the open fire. The two discs include a bunch of previously unreleased instrumentals, but the Beach Boy harmonies and attitudes prevail on songs like “Summer In Monterrey”. A must for fans of Beach Boys or California Dreamin’.