This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2016) |
Spirit of America | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | April 14, 1975 | |||
Recorded | April 1962–April 1969 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 49:36 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and Nick Venet | |||
The Beach Boys chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
MusicHound | 3/5 [3] |
Spirit of America is a compilation album by the American rock band the Beach Boys. The follow-up to the compilation Endless Summer (1974), it was released on April 14, 1975, by Capitol Records. Although it features only a handful of genuine hits, instead composed of album tracks from the band's early LPs, Spirit of America proved to be another success for the Beach Boys' former label, reaching No. 8 in the US during a chart stay of 43 weeks and going gold.
After the success of its predecessor Capitol rounded up the few remaining early hits that were not released on Endless Summer, as well as some album tracks, in addition to two rare singles, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (1965) and "Break Away" (1969). As with Endless Summer, Spirit of America was compiled and released while the Beach Boys were contracted to Reprise Records and, as such, is not considered an "official" album.
The song "Dance, Dance, Dance" featured in this album was also one of two Beach Boys tracks included in a promotional-only various artists compilation album issued by Capitol Records entitled "The Greatest Music Ever Sold" (Capitol SPRO-8511/8512), which was distributed to record stores during the 1976 Holiday season, as part of Capitol's "Greatest Music Ever Sold" campaign which promoted 15 "Best Of" albums that were released by the record label. "Help Me, Rhonda" (the retitled original "Help Me, Ronda") from "Endless Summer" was the other Beach Boys song included.
As with the Endless Summer compilation, the 2-record set was pressed with Sides 1 & 4 on one disc and Sides 2 & 3 on the other.
The Spirit of America (and Endless Summer) cover art illustrator was Keith McConnell.
Side 1 of the cassette version features all tracks from Sides 1 & 2 except "Tell Me Why", which was placed on Side 2 as the first track, followed by Sides 3 & 4
The Capitol Records 8-track tape (8XWW-11384) running order differs from the LP and cassette, and is as follows:
PROGRAM 1: Dance, Dance, Dance : Break Away : A Young Man Is Gone : The Little Girl I Once Knew : Spirit Of America
PROGRAM 2: Little Honda : Hushabye : Hawaii : Drive-In : Good To My Baby : Tell Me Why
PROGRAM 3: 409 : Do You Remember? : This Car Of Mine : Please Let Me Wonder : Why Do Fools Fall In Love : Barbara Ann
PROGRAM 4: Custom Machine : Salt Lake City : Don't Back Down : When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) : Do You Wanna Dance? : Graduation Day
The album was also released as a limited-edition Gold CD by DCC Compact Classics, catalog number GZS-1089. It was mastered by Steve Hoffman and included 2 bonus tracks: "Darlin" and "I Can Hear Music". In addition, the live recording of "Graduation Day" was substituted with the studio version.
All songs by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, except where noted.
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dance, Dance, Dance" (Brian Wilson/Carl Wilson/Mike Love) | The Beach Boys Today! , 1965 | 1:59 |
2. | "Break Away" (Brian Wilson/Reggie Dunbar) | 1969 single | 2:54 |
3. | "A Young Man Is Gone" (Bobby Troup/Mike Love) | Little Deuce Coupe , 1963 | 2:15 |
4. | "409" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love/Gary Usher) | Surfin' Safari , 1962 | 2:00 |
5. | "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (Brian Wilson) | 1965 single; later included on The Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 3 , 1968 | 2:36 |
6. | "Spirit of America" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) | Little Deuce Coupe | 2:23 |
Total length: | 14:07 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Little Honda" | All Summer Long , 1964 | 1:51 |
2. | "Hushabye" (D. Pomus/M. Shuman) | All Summer Long | 2:40 |
3. | "Hawaii" | Surfer Girl , 1963 | 1:59 |
4. | "Drive-In" | All Summer Long | 1:50 |
5. | "Good to My Baby" | The Beach Boys Today! | 2:17 |
6. | "Tell Me Why" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) | Beach Boys' Party! , 1965 | 1:38 |
Total length: | 12:15 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Do You Remember?" | All Summer Long | 1:37 |
2. | "This Car of Mine" | Shut Down Volume 2 , 1964 | 1:35 |
3. | "Please Let Me Wonder" | The Beach Boys Today! | 2:45 |
4. | "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (Frankie Lymon/Morris Levy) | Shut Down Volume 2 | 1:58 |
5. | "Custom Machine" | Little Deuce Coupe | 1:38 |
Total length: | 9:33 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Barbara Ann" (Fred Fassert) | Beach Boys' Party! | 2:07 |
2. | "Salt Lake City" | Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) , 1965 | 2:00 |
3. | "Don't Back Down" | All Summer Long | 1:44 |
4. | "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" | The Beach Boys Today! | 2:02 |
5. | "Do You Wanna Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) | The Beach Boys Today! | 2:18 |
6. | "Graduation Day" (J. Sherman/N. Sherman) | Beach Boys Concert , 1964 | 3:30 |
Total length: | 13:41 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Endless Summer is a compilation album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 24, 1974. A collection of hits from the band's 1962–65 period, Endless Summer was compiled by their old label, Capitol Records, following the success of the film American Graffiti, in which several songs were featured. It revitalized the band's popularity after years of lukewarm sales, but also inspired nostalgia for the Beach Boys' early surfing and hot rod-themed music, repositioning the group as an oldies act.
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released November 9, 1964 on Capitol Records. It contains five original songs and seven standards on a Christmas theme. The album proved to be a long-running success during subsequent Christmas seasons, initially reaching No. 6 on Billboard's Christmas LP's chart in its initial release and eventually going gold. Music historian James Perone wrote that it is "regarded as one of the finest holiday albums of the rock era".
Beach Boys Concert is the first live album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 19, 1964. It is their seventh album in all, and their third alone in the same year. It was their first of two chart-topping albums in the US, as well as the first live album to top pop music record charts, maintaining its position for four weeks during a sixty-two-week chart stay, and becoming another gold seller.
The Beach Boys Today! is the eighth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 8, 1965, by Capitol Records. It signaled a departure from their previous records with its orchestral sound, intimate subject matter, and abandonment of car or surf songs. Side one features an uptempo sound, while side two consists mostly of introspective ballads. Supported by this thematic approach, the record established the group as album artists rather than just a singles band. It has since become regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Beach Boys' Party! is the tenth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, and their third in 1965, consisting mostly of cover songs played with acoustic instruments. It reached No. 6 in the US and No. 3 in the UK. The album spawned one single, a cover of the Regents' "Barbara Ann", which reached No. 2 in the US and No. 3 in the UK, and was their highest-charting British single to that point.
20/20 is the 15th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released February 10, 1969 on Capitol Records. The LP was named for being their 20th overall release when factoring in live albums and compilations. Much of 20/20 consists of outtakes from earlier albums. It reached number 3 on UK record charts and number 68 in the U.S. Brian Wilson was absent during most of the album's recording after admitting himself into a psychiatric hospital, requiring brothers Carl and Dennis to retrieve several outtakes he had recorded years earlier. While Brian does not appear on the front cover, the inner gatefold of the original vinyl release features him alone, behind an eye examination chart.
Still Cruisin' is the twenty-sixth studio album by the Beach Boys, their thirty-fifth official album, and their last release of the 1980s. It is also the last album of new material released during a brief return to Capitol Records.
Best of the Beach Boys is the first compilation album released by the American rock band the Beach Boys through Capitol Records in 1966. The first version was released in the United States on July 5, 1966, two months after Pet Sounds. Another version of Best of The Beach Boys was issued in the United Kingdom on November 11, 1966, with a track listing that differed from the American release.
Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 2 is a compilation album by the American rock band the Beach Boys. It is a sequel to the previous year's hits package. It was compiled by Capitol Records after Brian Wilson had announced the shelving of Smile.
Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys is a greatest hits album of the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 10, 2003 by Capitol Records. The original collection was the most comprehensive single-disc compilation of the band's music, with 30 tracks including nearly every U.S. Top 40 hit of their career, except for "The Little Girl I Once Knew" (1965) and "It's OK" (1976).
Sunshine Dream is the third double-album compilation of the Beach Boys' music to be compiled by their former label, Capitol Records. Released in 1982, the album features singles and album tracks ranging from 1964 to 1969, and it is the first time "The Beach Boys Medley" appears on an album; it reached number 12 in 1981 as a single. The album was compiled and released while the Beach Boys were contracted with CBS Records. Due to the appearance of more recent compilations, Sunshine Dream has long since been out of print.
"You're So Good to Me" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on July 5, 1965, on their ninth studio album Summer Days . It was later included as the B-side of the group's single "Sloop John B", which was released on March 21, 1966. Mojo later wrote that the song was the closest the group had come to northern soul.
"Friends" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1968 album Friends. It was written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine. Sung by Carl, the song was recorded in waltz time. "Friends" was the first single from the album of the same name and has since been described as a "cult favorite."
"Wild Honey" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was released as the lead single from their 1967 album Wild Honey, with the B-side of the single being "Wind Chimes". The single peaked at number 31 in the U.S. and number 29 in the U.K.
"Good to My Baby" is a song composed by Brian Wilson with words by Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. Their discography from 1961 to 1984 was originally released on the vinyl format, with the 1985 album The Beach Boys being the group's first CD release. The Beach Boys' catalogue has been released on reel-to-reel, 8-track, cassette, CD, MiniDisc, digital downloads, and various streaming services.
Rarities is a Beach Boys compilation album released in 1983 by Capitol Records. It is a collection of outtakes, alternate mixes and B-sides recorded between 1962 and 1970. Included are songs written or made popular by the Beatles, the Box Tops, Stevie Wonder, Ersel Hickey and Lead Belly. Also featured are several standards, such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "Auld Lang Syne". The album sold poorly and quickly went out of print.
The Capitol Years is a 4-CD box set which documents The Beach Boys' career with the Capitol Records label. It was originally released in 1980 through Reader's Digest as a 7-LP boxed set, which included a bonus LP of Brian Wilson's non-Beach Boys productions for Capitol. In 1988, EMI Records Australia released 4-CD and 6-cassette versions that excluded the bonus LP.
That's Why God Made the Radio is the twenty-ninth and most recent studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 5, 2012, on Capitol Records. Produced by Brian Wilson, the album was recorded to coincide with the band's 50th anniversary. It is their first studio album since 1996's Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, the first album to feature original material since Summer in Paradise in 1992, their first album to feature guitarist and backing vocalist David Marks since Little Deuce Coupe in 1963, and their first album since the 1998 death of co-founder Carl Wilson.