Today/ Summer Days (and Summer Nights) [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Put simply, this is the Beach Boys at their mid-'60s prime. Ironically, the band's greatest evolutionary leap was spurred by its leader, Brian Wilson, who decided to drop out of the band's live performances after a December 1964 nervous breakdown to concentrate on honing the Beach Boys' studio sound. With Wilson's productions gaining a significant new depth and confidence (note the innovative modulations on "Dance, Dance, Dance"), the first half of Today seems a logical, upbeat step forward from its predecessors. But it's the album's second act that steals the show, setting the stage for the triumph of Pet Sounds. Indeed, it's easy to imagine gorgeous, introspective tracks such as "Please Let Me Wonder," "She Knows Me Too Well," and "In the Back of My Mind" intertwined with the best of Sounds. Set against that standard, the follow-up, Summer Days, feels like a step backward, despite the presence of another Wilson world-beater production, "California Girls," and the band's second No. 1 single, "Help Me, Rhonda." Ever pressured by commercial concerns, Wilson and the band created what was in essence the true follow-up to the All Summer Long album. Still, there's a level of musical sophistication to tracks such as "The Girl from New York City," the Phil Spector tribute "Then I Kissed Her," and especially "Girl Don't Tell Me" and "Let Him Run Wild." Reissued (with 24-bit digital remastering) in a long out-of-print twofer edition to mark the band's 40th anniversary and Lifetime Achievement Grammy, this set features several bonus tracks as well as the insightful notes of David Leaf (The Beach Boys and the California Myth). Bonus cuts include the spectacular "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and revealing outtakes of "Dance, Dance, Dance," "I'm So Young," and "Let Him Run Wild," along with a studio version of a song previously only available on the Beach Boys Concert collection, "Graduation Day." --Jerry McCulley

Tracks:

Do You Wanna Dance
Good To My Baby
Don't Hurt My Little Sister
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
Help Me, Rhonda - (LP version)
Dance, Dance, Dance
Please Let Me Wonder
I'm So Young
Kiss Me Baby
She Knows Me Too Well
In The Back Of My Mind
Bull Session With "Big Daddy"
The Girl From New York City
Amusement Parks U.S.A
Then I Kissed Her
Salt Lake City
Girl Don't Tell Me
Help Me, Rhonda - (single version)
California Girls
Let Him Run Wild
You're So Good To Me
Summer Means New Love
I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man
And Your Dreams Come True
Little Girl I Once Knew, The - (stereo track, single version)
Dance, Dance, Dance - (stereo, bonus alternate take)
I'm So Young - (bonus track, alternate take)
Let Him Run Wild - (stereo, bonus track, alternate take)
Graduation Day - (bonus track, studio version)

Amazon.com essential recording

Put simply, this is the Beach Boys at their mid-'60s prime. Ironically, the band's greatest evolutionary leap was spurred by its leader, Brian Wilson, who decided to drop out of the band's live performances after a December 1964 nervous breakdown to concentrate on honing the Beach Boys' studio sound. With Wilson's productions gaining a significant new depth and confidence (note the innovative modulations on "Dance, Dance, Dance"), the first half of Today seems a logical, upbeat step forward from its predecessors. But it's the album's second act that steals the show, setting the stage for the triumph of Pet Sounds. Indeed, it's easy to imagine gorgeous, introspective tracks such as "Please Let Me Wonder," "She Knows Me Too Well," and "In the Back of My Mind" intertwined with the best of Sounds. Set against that standard, the follow-up, Summer Days, feels like a step backward, despite the presence of another Wilson world-beater production, "California Girls," and the band's second No. 1 single, "Help Me, Rhonda." Ever pressured by commercial concerns, Wilson and the band created what was in essence the true follow-up to the All Summer Long album. Still, there's a level of musical sophistication to tracks such as "The Girl from New York City," the Phil Spector tribute "Then I Kissed Her," and especially "Girl Don't Tell Me" and "Let Him Run Wild." Reissued (with 24-bit digital remastering) in a long out-of-print twofer edition to mark the band's 40th anniversary and Lifetime Achievement Grammy, this set features several bonus tracks as well as the insightful notes of David Leaf (The Beach Boys and the California Myth). Bonus cuts include the spectacular "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and revealing outtakes of "Dance, Dance, Dance," "I'm So Young," and "Let Him Run Wild," along with a studio version of a song previously only available on the Beach Boys Concert collection, "Graduation Day." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

The Beach Boys at their Best.......2007-07-02

After reading a lot of the reviews, I began to think I'm one of the few people left around that actually am a fan of just about everything the Beach Boys did starting from day one up to Pet Sounds. After Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys to me stopped sounding like the Beach Boys and evolved into something completely different. Apparently, for a lot of fans they didn't really get interested until Pet Sounds. Truly this was a landmark recording with the Beach Boys at a creative high point, but sounding less & less like the band that their fans had grown to love in the previous years. This CD however is a special package in that it gives you the best of everything. In these recordings they still sound like the Beach Boys with their trademark musical sound & vocals, but with the benefit of Brians genius production & writing skills and the groups collective years of experience on the road and in the studio. As you listen though, as many others have said you begin to get clues of where Brian was going musically and the changes that were happening in the music industry as a whole. The very first 45 and recording I ever bought was, "Little Deuce Coupe/Surfer Girl". That was the sound that made them, and that was the sound that most of the world loves them for. Even though the early albums are a little immature and slightly rough, remember that they were basically a teenage garage band from Hawthorne, California whose youngest member was around 12 or 13 years old at the start!They came a longgggg way in a short time, and if you listen to each of the albums chronologically, you will see the talent all the way through. If you love the Beach Boys for their original sound, you will love these albums. There are great extra tracks on all of these re-released CD's, some of which will find you wondering why you haven't heard them until now. Worth the money for sure!

The Bridge to "Pet Sounds".......2007-03-01

Many people in 1966 thought that "Pet Sounds" was some kind of departure from Brian Wilson's previous work. That's because they didn't listen to these two albums, particularly "Today!" closely enough. Side two of that album (in the original vinyl) was, for those who sought it, a clear indication of Brian's thinking and a signpost for what was to come.

Side 2 of Today is a Masterpiece and so is I'm Bugged at my Old Man.......2007-01-30

Side 2 of Today is equal to Pet Sounds for quality and songwriting.

Summer Days is fun and the last blast at surf/amusement park stuff, I'm Bugged at my Old Man is worth the price of admission, you have to hear it to believe it. Also contains the great "Let Him Run Wild" that for some odd reason didn't make it onto the Box Set "Good Vibrations", so a BB fan will need this CD.

Simply the best.......2007-01-18

this CD proves that these guys were more than just surf band--they were the pinacle of pop music in the 60's and beyond. Who else wrote such beautiful melodies and rich harmonies with instrumental back-up with such finesse than Brian Wilson? Buy this CD and forget about the "best-of" compilations. I went for years thinking that I had heard the "best-of" before buying actual albums in their entirety. It was only then that I discovered that pretty much everything they did was "the Best"! I love these guys!

Two great albums :].......2007-01-16

The Beach Boys really created two awsome albums here. Both carry unique songs which do hint to the later creativity they come up with afterwards in their careers (Pet Sounds). The songs carry great arrangements, great vocals, and just simple messages. I recommend this disc along with Pet Sounds and Friends/20/20

Today/Summer Days & Summer Nights (+B-Sides)

Average customer rating:

A prelude to "Pet Sounds"
A 'must' for Beach Boy fans
THE WAY WE LIKE TO REMEMBER THEM
Pure Genius ---- Brian Wilson Reaching His Peak
a decent, likeable record

Today/Summer Days & Summer Nights (+B-Sides)
The Beach Boys
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sunflower/Surf's Up
Smiley Smile/Wild Honey
Made in U.S.A.
SMiLE
Carl & The Passions - So Tough / Holland

ASIN: B00000B9AZ
Release Date: 1990-05-25

Tracks:

Do You Wanna Dance
Good To My Baby
Don't Hurt My Little Sister
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
Help Me Rhonda (lp version)
Dance, Dance, Dance
Please Let Me Wonder
I'm So Young
Kiss Me Baby
She Knows Me Too Well
In The Back Of My Mind
Bull Session With 'Big Daddy'
The Girl From New York City
Amusement Parks U.S.A.
Then I Kissed Her
Salt Lake City
Girl Don't Tell Me
Help Me Rhonda (Single Version)
California Girls
Let Him Run Wild
You're So Good To Me
Summer Means New Love
I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man
And Your Dreams Come True
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Dance, Dance, Dance (Alternate Take)
I'm So Young (Alternate Take)
Let Him Run Wild (Alternate Take)
Graduation Day (Studio Version)

Album Description

Digitally remastered 1998 two-on-one reissue on Capitol ofthese two top five albums the label originally released in1965. Features a 24 page booklet with previously unreleasedphotos & extended liner notes, original cover art and atotal of 29 cuts, includi

Album Details

Two Beach Boy Albums on One CD, 1965's 'today' and 'summer Days and Summer Nights'. The Disc is Digitally Remastered, Includes a 24 Page Booklet with New Photos (In Addition to the Originals) and New Recording Notes, plus Five Unreleased Tracks. Released in 1998.

Customer Reviews:

A prelude to "Pet Sounds".......2000-12-19

A great piece of work. Very deep and underrated album by the pop genius, himself, Brian Wilson. With every track, on these two great albums, you see a young man grow into the man who eventually write and produce, arguably, the greatest record ever made: "Pet Sounds"!

A 'must' for Beach Boy fans.......2000-12-13

This is truly an amazing album. The fact that it includes 2 complete digitally remastered albums, including the original cover art and liner notes, is good value, but it also has 5 bonus tracks, which for the avid fan, are 'must-haves'. The 24 page booklet is packed with track-by-track notes, photos and a 3 page essay. This double album has it all in typical Beach Boy style...personal words, haunting melodies, stunningly complicated backing tracks and vocals of intricate beauty. And the production was years ahead of any other recordmaker. Brian Wilson was just pure genius.

THE WAY WE LIKE TO REMEMBER THEM.......2000-12-10

The last two BEACH BOYS LPS before their masterpiece are filled with hits that everyone familiar with the group remembers.I don't even have to mention the songs ,since they are so well known.Bonus track I DO is lots of fun.The PHIL SPECTOR influence is reaching BRIAN WILSON deeply, not always for the better.A few fillers keeps this record from being a classic, but it certainly comes close.True fans of the guys should get it anyway ,because it's worth it.

Pure Genius ---- Brian Wilson Reaching His Peak.......2000-08-29

Absolutely the best two-fer in the Beach Boys' catalog, "Today/ Summer Days and Nights", is sheer testimony to the genius that is Brian Wilson. This is Brian and the Boys flexing their musical muscle in 1965, going head to head with the Beatles, preparing to shatter the boundaries of pop music with the release of "Pet Sounds" the following year.

It is interesting, in hindsight, to hear the band's rapid development on tracks such as "Let Him Run Wild" and "When I Grow Up". The sophistication of these songs, as well as the startling single "The Little Girl I Once Knew", utterly confused the teenyboppers back in '65. In retrospect, however, it's obvious that Brian was headed for higher ground. Side Two of "Today" (tracks 7 -11) is practically a preview of "Pet Sounds". The lush orchrestration and mature lyrical themes of "I'm So Young" and "Kiss Me Baby" far exceeded anything the band had ever attempted. Side Two's crown jewels, however, are the ballads "Please Let Me Wonder" and "She Knows Me Too Well". Melodic and hauntingly beautiful, both songs would have fit perfectly on "Pet Sounds".

Other highlights include "California Girls" -- so familiar now it's often considered the Boys' signature tune. Listen, however, to its semi-classical introduction and try to imagine how innovative it must have sounded in 1965. Heck, it's hard to imagine any current artist attempting to tackle such an ambitious musical interlude! Equally cool is the Beatlesque "Girl Don't Tell Me" which features Carl Wilson's first lead vocal (stellar of course..) and some killer drum fills. The hooky "You're So Good To Me" is the hit single that never was. (Just about every Beach Boys album contains one of those!) Casual and hardcore fans alike will get a kick out of comparing the album cut "Help Me, Ronda" (note the strange spelling) with the remake "Help Me Rhonda" which reached #1 on the singles chart. If nothing else, the startling transformation of "Rhonda" proves how hard Brian was willing to work in order to perfect his craft.

"Today/Summer Days and Nights" is a remarkable document of a band just reaching its artistic peak. Like Dylan's "Highway 61" and the Beatles' "Rubber Soul" (which ironically inspired Brian to tackle "Pet Sounds"), "Today" was a mere springboard for better things yet to come. However, the thrill of actually hearing an artist developing the confidence that leads to such greatness is a rare experience indeed. This is a must for any serious music fan. Great Stuff !!

a decent, likeable record.......2000-08-18

This is a 4 star rating simply because the CD offers you two very good Beach Boys albums in one. It makes for a solid listen, and the highs (Do You Wanna Dance, When I Grow Up, Dance Dance Dance, Please Let Me Wonder, I'm So Young, Help Me Ronda, California Girls, Let Him Run Wild) are classic Beach Boys tunes.

This is not for casual fans at all; stick to compilations and Pet Sounds for that. Even then I still think it's inessential for most people's rock collections. Get Pet Sounds, Greatest Hits 1 and 2 and you're fine. The big songs here are already on the compilations, and the rest (while good for 1965) is still filler.

If you're not sure if this album is a necessary Beach Boys album for your collection, get it only if you love Greatest Hits 2. If historical significance is important for your collection, then in that case I would recommend this.

Today & Summer Days and Summer Nights
Average customer rating:
Today & Summer Days and Summer Nights
Beach Boys
Manufacturer: Musicrama, Inc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Classic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003Q4R
Release Date: 1997-11-11

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