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Post by Vale on Jan 8, 2019 3:55:17 GMT -5
Endless Harmony Soundtrack is an anthology album of previously unheard material by The Beach Boys, originally released by Capitol Records in August 1998. Named for Bruce Johnston's song on the 1980 album Keepin' the Summer Alive, it was designed as a tie-in with the band's biographical documentary of the same name. The soundtrack was re-issued in March 2000 with some remixing and different artwork, while the original 1998 edition (with the orange/yellow cover) went out of print shortly thereafter. Source wikipedia
Released: 11 August 1998 | 
Released: 28 March 2000 |
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Post by Vale on Jan 8, 2019 4:27:31 GMT -5
10.
I really like this release because it had all previously unreleased stuff (at that time). This is when I found out about Dennis second solo album, Bamboo; I was so thrilled and then I started to research info about that. Brian's Break Away is wonderful and I love all the other tracks... Kiss Me Baby, Barbara, the H&V Demo... wow!!
This set also made me discover the Knebworth concert, for which I go crazy!!
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Post by Jason (The Real Beach Boy) on Apr 2, 2019 7:54:36 GMT -5
8.5. For the time, revelatory. Lots of awesome "new" songs and live material. Forget the stereo remixes. Brian did them the right way the first time.
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Post by dauber on Jun 28, 2021 10:17:51 GMT -5
[slightly edited version of my original review on PSF]
FTR, there were actually three versions of this album:
- The original version had one or two incorrect tracks.
- The second orange version corrected the incorrect tracks.
- The third version is essentially the same as the second version (but might have a different stereo mix of "California Girls," don't remember) but with a white cover to match the Endless Harmony DVD, which had just been released.
Some complained about the CD not having more tracks. Something to consider: there were...what...25? At the time, things were going kind of weird. The Capitol-era "twofers" had been split up into single-album CDs with no bonus tracks, and there were new hits compilations, and the guideline was, IINM, to keep compilations to 20 tracks. So Endless Harmony actually went over that "limit", as it were. There would have been more, as the preliminary track lists had more songs -- I remember "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was on the original lineup -- but the extras got cut.
But really, though...this CD is perfection in terms of archival releases. You have one of the more listenable tracks from the Lei'd in Hawaii sessions. You have "Endless Harmony" -- those of us who had the Caribou version of the Keepin' The Summer Alive CD were happy to have this! (Said CD -- and, I assume, cassette -- had a severe mastering problem in which "Endless Harmony" sounded like it was perhaps being listened to on a turntable while someone shook the turntable.) We finally had an official stereo mix of "California Girls." (You know what a PITA it was to sync up the instrumental and vocal tracks at home?? They were not exactly 100% the same speed, and with digital editing at home still a little ways away, it just wasn't plausible -- thankfully I had access to a reel-to-reel deck so I could make some pretty reasonable edits.)
But the two things I remember most...I bought Endless Harmony at Best Buy in Crest Hill, IL, the day it was released. As soon as I got in the car I popped it open and put it in my portable CD player that I routed through the cassette deck via adapter. What really sticks out:
- hearing the beginning of the fully-produced "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" while navigating out of the parking lot. I had to stop and re-start the track several times because I just could not believe it. Wow.
- Heading home and driving down Theodore Street and heard Brian sing the phrase "I'm in the great shape..." WHOA!!!!!! I actually screamed at the top of my lungs and nearly drove into a tree in the median! THAT....was a huge surprise. (And some fans still argued that it couldn't have been "I'm In Great Shape." arrrrhgrhghgrhghhh...) Brad Elliott used to love dropping hints at us (and sometimes just flat-out TELLING us) but he did a good job of keeping his trap shut about this one.
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Post by Awesoman on Dec 31, 2021 14:10:44 GMT -5
Always loved this compilation. Demonstrated some of the downright fascinating material they had sitting in the vaults. And I think this compilation and the documentary behind it absolutely reignited interest in the band as a whole which ultimately led to the post-Capitol albums to be re-released among other great things we've received since then.
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Post by pendlewitch on Dec 31, 2021 14:25:19 GMT -5
I picked up the orange CD from the local second-hand shop for £4 about a month ago. Lured me away from the FF box, and I like it very much - played it today in fact. Gave it a 9. Even the final two songs have started to grow on me, urk!
(The shop also had 50 Big Ones at £20. Thought about it, returned later, but it had gone! Probably an internet sale, yes, probably. Surely no-one in the locality bought it??  ) |
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