Back in 1965, the Beach Boys decided to cover two tracks for their celebration-themed album, Beach Boys' Party!, including Bob Dylan's 1964 anthem, "Times They Are A-Changin" as well as the Beatles' 1964 A Hard Day's Night track, "Tell Me Why." Now, for Beach Boys' 'Party! Uncovered and Unplugged, the album's stripped-down and expanded reissue, each cover is available for stream as originally recorded alongside the rest of the album's raw tracks.
Lacking applause from the audience, which is noticeably found on the original LP, the reissue boasts all acoustic Party! tracks, giving the tunes a campfire feel blended with the famous and expected Beach Boys harmonies. The Beatles cover features bongos and on-the-spot harmonies while the Dylan take gives off a more catchy, rhythmic vibe.
"Mike was saying, why not a party album and we can act like we are [at a party], and just be ourselves on tape, you know?" Brian Wilson explained in a statement, according to Rolling Stone. "And that's what happened. It was a very spontaneous album."
According to Esquire, Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged includes an impressive 81-song track version of the original record, featuring dialogue form the recording sessions, commentary and previously unheard material. Famously known for its wildly successful track, "Barbara Ann," Party! saw its release in November of 1965 with the impending fate of going gold.
"The Party! album was a result of the pressure Capitol Records was putting on us for another album," Mike Love said in a statement. "And we didn't really have time to develop the type of album we wanted to develop, which Brian was working on, called Pet Sounds. ... So we said, 'Well, what can we do quickly and easily?' And we decided to do this party album."
The album reissue is available for purchase digitally and as a double-disc set, chock-full with essays by Craig Slowinski and Alan Boyd along with session photos and producer notes from Mark Linett. On Dec. 11, an LP reissue of the original 12-track record will hit stores.
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