The Beach Boys

Released: October 31, 2011

Songwriter: Van Dyke Parks Brian Wilson

Producer: Alan Boyd Mark Linett

Brian:
Let's just try something. It might be nice

Van:
One, two, three, four, five

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 1]

Brian:
You know the note, ah... Hey, Van?

Van:
Yes?

Brian:
...Ab that you're coming up with on? ...hit that much easier. In fact, play that an octave lower

Van:
That Bb gonna stick out too much?

Brian:
Wait, back to your regular register with both hands, and let's go, Jay. Here we go

Van:
One. Two. Three. Four. Five

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 2]

Van:
Sorry about that there

Brian:
Little lighter on the hands, not quite so hard

Van:
One, two, three, four, five...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 3]

Brian:
Alright, fine. Okay, let me overdub to that. Here it goes

Van:
One, two, three, four, five...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 4]

Brian:
The overtones on that celeste just- just- are just so uncool, I don't know...

Dorothy Victor:
One, two, three, four, five...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 5]

Brian:
Can it- you couldn't do it any faster than that, could ya?

Dorothy Victor:
Ah, yeah. I will eventually, let me just uh... Alright, I'll play it- We'll do it faster this time...

Brian:
Here we go

Van:
One, two, three, four, five...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 6]

Brian:
It has to be faster. It's gotta be: "two-three. One, two-three. One, two-three. One, two-three"

Van:
One, two, three, four, five, six...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 36]

Brian:
Okay, uh, the third note in the- in the chord, third- second from the top: not quite loud enough. Van, keep conducting all the way through. Will ya, please?

Van:
One. Two. One, two, three, four, five...

[I'm In Great Shape: Take 37]

Brian:
Okay. Come on in

The Beach Boys are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time and the first American pop band to reach the 50-year milestone. Their vocal harmonies are among the most unmistakable and enduring of the rock and roll era.

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, by Brian Wilson, his two brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, the group’s first single “Surfin'” got them signed to Capitol Records and they quickly became one of the most popular and successful artists of the surf music craze of the 1960s. From 1962 to 1966, The Beach Boys scored over twenty top 40 hits in the US including the chart-toppers “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda” & “Good Vibrations” along with the top 5’s “Surfin USA”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” & “Sloop John B”. Several of the band’s singles also found top 40 success in Canada, Australia, Sweden and the UK. In 1965, de facto leader Brian Wilson suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress of writing, producing & touring combined with substance abuse issues, causing him to step down and stop traveling with the band on tour.

Inspired by producer Phil Spector and The Beatles' Rubber Soul, Brian focused on studio work, determined to keep the group relevant as the surf music scene was fading with their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Despite tension between members in the studio about this new direction, lack of faith from the record label, mixed reviews, and comparatively lukewarm reception initially in the US, the album still found massive success in the UK and earned accolades from fellow artists including The Beatles, who acknowledged that the album was their inspiration to further push the boundaries of pop music with their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Eventually Pet Sounds would be acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded by several media outlets like The Times, Mojo Magazine, The Guardian, VH1, BBC and Rolling Stone.

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