Imagine waiting decades for a musical treasure, only to be told it might never surface. That's how hardcore Beach Boys fans felt about the mythical "Adult/Child" album and a deeper dive into the cult-classic "Love You." But fear not, Beach Boys devotees! Your long wait is finally over. A brand-new boxed set, "We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years," is hitting shelves from Capitol/UMe on February 13th, promising a treasure trove of both familiar and previously unheard material from the band's innovative mid-1970s period. It's like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one! But here's where it gets controversial... which album is truly more deserving of this deluxe treatment?
This isn't just about "Love You" and "Adult/Child," though those are certainly the headliners. The collection also includes outtakes from "15 Big Ones," a record that, while not as critically acclaimed as "Love You," marked a significant commercial resurgence for the Beach Boys and became their biggest album of the 1970s. Think of it as the album that brought them back into the mainstream spotlight.
Unlike some releases that force you to choose between CD and vinyl, "We Gotta Groove" beautifully combines both worlds. You'll get three compact discs and three vinyl LPs, with the CDs containing all 73 tracks. The vinyl offers a curated selection of songs. Of those 73 tracks, a whopping 35 are previously unreleased, and 22 have been freshly mixed for this release. That's a lot of new Beach Boys music to sink your teeth into!
As a sneak peek, the title track, "We Gotta Groove," a previously unreleased gem from the "Love You" sessions, has already been released. Penned and produced by Brian Wilson – who had, at this point, firmly reclaimed the reins of the Beach Boys' creative process – "We Gotta Groove" features Wilson himself on most of the instruments, with Mike Love taking the lead vocals. (Billy Hinsche adds guitar and backup vocals, while Wilson plays Baldwin electric harpsichord, drums, tack upright piano, Hammond B-3 organ, electric bass and tambourine.) While most fans probably wouldn't rank it among the absolute top-tier "Love You" tracks, any unearthed Brian Wilson material from this creatively fertile period is always a welcome surprise.
The set comes housed in a 12.75" x 12.75" slipcover, complete with a 40-page booklet filled with extensive liner notes. These notes include fresh and archival interviews with the band members and other key figures, all expertly compiled by Beach Boys historian Howie Edelson, who also co-produced the set alongside producer/mixing engineer James Sáez.
Now, let's talk about "Adult/Child." This album has achieved almost mythical status among Beach Boys enthusiasts, fueled by widely circulated bootlegs. And this is the part most people miss... this release isn't just a cleaned-up version of those old bootlegs. The announcement promises that the set "finally assembles the material in a coherent album sequence for the first time, supplemented by new 2025 backing-track mixes and session highlights." The aim is to demonstrate that the group's signature vocal blend, featuring prominent contributions from Mike, Al, Carl, and Dennis, brings a warmth and cohesion to Brian's unique material, revealing "Adult/Child" as more of a collaborative Beach Boys project than its reputation as a lost Brian Wilson solo album would suggest.
"Love You," originally released in 1977, is presented in its original mix. Brian Wilson's pioneering use of synthesizers, creating a raw, almost DIY sound in stark contrast to the lush, Wrecking Crew-backed sessions of the 1960s, has captivated and delighted fans for decades. Al Jardine has even taken Wilson's touring band, the Pet Sounds Band, on the road to perform the "Love You" album in its entirety, to the ecstatic approval of Beach Boys aficionados, many of whom consider it their finest post-1960s work.
Edelson captures the album's lasting impact in the liner notes: "Upon the initial release of 'The Beach Boys Love You,' non-believers picked up on the D.I.Y. punk ethos from the Lower East Side all the way to the hipper enclaves across Europe. Today, Brian Wilson’s left field use of keyboards in the 1970s is considered to be an early influence for 1980’s New Wave, Synth Pop, and New Romantic record makers."
The "Love You" CD includes 10 outtakes, including covers like "Ruby Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," the aforementioned "We Gotta Groove," other previously unreleased originals, and alternate mixes of "Johnny Carson" and "Love Is a Woman" (with Jardine taking over lead vocals on the latter).
"Adult/Child" is presented as a nine-track album, with most of the songs never officially released, except for "It's Over Now" and "Still I Dream of It." Four backing track mixes are included, along with eight unrelated tracks from 1974-77 as bonus material on the CD version.
Interestingly, the original version of "15 Big Ones" isn't included in this set, unlike the original "Love You." Instead, the focus is on fresh 2025 mixes of the album's released and unreleased cover songs. To round out the third CD, you'll find alternate mixes of select "Love You" tracks and, perhaps most intriguingly, nine of Brian's cassette demos for this very personal album.
Beach Boys enthusiasts are crossing their fingers that this set lives up to the hype. It has been rumored for years, and anticipation has been building since the release of the last boxed set, "Sail on Sailor," in 2022, which covered their early '70s period.
Adding to the excitement, the Grammy Museum will host an evening the night before the boxed set's release. Compilation producers Edelson and Sáez will be joined by the original Brother Studio engineers, Stephen Moffitt, Earle Mankey, and John Hanlon, to discuss the recording sessions that took place five decades ago.
So, what do you think? Will "We Gotta Groove" finally give "Adult/Child" the recognition it deserves? Is "Love You" truly the unsung masterpiece of the Beach Boys' later years? And is Brian Wilson's experimental approach in the '70s more influential than we realize? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
