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Rating: "The Beach Boy's Party" (1965) is a sublime jamboree. It's fun, enjoyable, and moving like few others, but it's nothing more than a handful of more or less famous covers, recorded with an acoustic guitar, a couple of tambourines, some clinking glasses, and other unidentified knick-knacks used as improvised percussion.
Imagine the Beach Boys getting together one evening on the beach, around a fire, with some girls, a joint or two, and a guitar, imagine them singing in this setting and you probably have something similar to the contents of this album.
The intention to give the audience a "party" feeling (complete with party pictures on the cover) is so successful that you really get the impression that the record was recorded amateurishly at Mike Love's house as if it were impromptu (which is what they tried to make people believe). The reality is slightly more prosaic, and it's interesting to mention as a mere music-historiographical curiosity.
After the release of "Summer Days", Brian Wilson was working on something very ambitious, a project that would require much more time compared to their previous standards: none other than the legendary "Pet Sounds". However, the Beach Boys were bound to record contracts that demanded Christmas commercial releases and other such niceties (they weren't the only ones, similar contractual leashes were had by almost everyone, from Elvis to the Beatles); they had already played the Live card the previous Christmas, and for that year, they had to come up with something different without disturbing and/or slowing down the creative operation of "Pet Sounds". The decision was therefore made to record an acoustic album of covers live, minimizing production times; a couple of studio sessions in September '65 and even for that year, they earned their Christmas cake.
Despite being the product of a mean commercial operation, The Beach Boy's Party has its value.
The carefree execution of the tracks creates a sense of intimacy and engagement, as if the Band is playing right in front of you. The pieces are all well-sung as one would expect from a talented vocal group like the Beach Boys, but there's an overriding atmosphere of "messing around" (if you'll pardon the term) that renders everything delightfully amateurish and chaotic.
The album ranges from Doo-wop and Rock'n'roll classics like "Hully Gully", "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow", "Alley Opp", "Mountain of love", to softer moments like the sweet "Devote to you" by the Everly Brothers, the famous "The Times They Are a Changin" by Bob Dylan, and "There's no other (like my baby)" by Phil Spector; then there are three tracks by the Beatles, "I Should Have Known Better", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", and "Tell Me Why", a medley from their repertoire "I get around - Little deuce coupe", and finally "Barbara Ann", a piece by a certain Fred Fassert released a few years earlier (1961), a piece that would find eternal glory thanks to this very version by the Beach Boys (it will forever be associated with them, much like Twist and Shout is associated with the Beatles).
In short... a commendable pop diversion, carefree like a party among friends, nothing more, nothing less.
Rating 7.5/10
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Hully Gully (02:22)
(That, that's good.)
(One, I wanna sing along--you know why? You're missing part of it.)
(That pays off, ah, P.O.G.)
(We'll have Greenwich Village *snap* just like that.)
([...])
(Play it like it is, Carl!
Pick it up from the third!)
(Ha!)
Well, there's a dance spreadin' round like an awful disease
Hully, hully gully
You just shake your shoulders and you wiggle your knees
(Play it like it is!)
Hully, hully gully
Well, there's a dance spreadin' (*laugh*) round from coast to coast
Hully, hully gully
Well, when me and my baby do it, that's how we do it the most
Hully, hully gully
Mama hully gully
Papa hully gully
Baby hully gully, too
Well, I went to a party now and what did they do?
Hully, hully gully
Well now everybody's doing it on their way too
Hully, hully gully
Everybody's lookin' like they got the shakes
Hully, hully gully
You just wiggle your shoulders, man, that's all it takes
Hully, hully gully
Mama hully gully
Papa hully gully
Baby hully gully, too
(Let's tear 'em down!)
Hully, hully gully
Do it with your left shoulder
Hully, hully gully
Do it with your other shoulder, now
Hully, hully gully
Switch your blades
Hully, hully gully
Mama hully gully
Papa hully gully
Baby hully gully too
(How about "Me and My Girl"?)
Mama hully gully
Papa hully gully
You can hully gully too
(*Loud slap*)
(Whoa!)
(That's all [...])
(What do you know?)
(Before we bring on the star of our show this evening...)
(What else do you know?)
(Uh, he knows...)
(What?)
04 Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow (02:14)
A papa-oom-mow-mow
A papa-oom-mow-mow
A papa-oom-mow-mow
A papa-oom-mow-mow
Funniest sound I ever heard
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
But I can't understand a single word
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Well if he's serious or if he's playin'
Woo my my it's all he's sayin
Papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Well say there pop, say what's your name?
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Well don't you come around and show your face
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
But hearing the sound I can't figure it out
Oo-wee this sound makes me stop and shout
Papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
Doot doot doot
Doot doot doot
A papa-papa-papa-papa-oom-mow-mow
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Doot doot doot
Well I hear this sound everywhere I go
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
From the record, TV, or the radio
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
But now it's spreadin' all through the land
I still can't seem to understand
Papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-papa-hoooo
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-hoooo
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-papa-hoooo
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-hoooo
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
Papa-papa-papa-hoooo
Doot doot doot
(A papa-oom-mow-mow a papa-oom-mow-mow)
07 Devoted to You (02:17)
Darlin', you can count on me
Til the sun dries up the sea
([...])
Until then, I'll always be
Devoted to you
I'll be yours through endless time
I'll adore your charms sublime
Guess by now you know that I'm
Devoted to you
I'll never hurt you, I'll never lie
I'll never be untrue
I'll never give you reason to cry
I'd be unhappy if you were blue
Through the years, my love will grow
Like a river, it will flow
It can't die because I'm so
Devoted to you
I'll never hurt you, I'll never lie
I'll never be untrue
I'll never give you reason to cry
I'd be unhappy if you were blue
Through the years, my love will grow
Like a river, it will flow
It can't die because I'm so
Devoted to you
Ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba bom
(That was beautiful.)
(Great.)
(Yay!)
(*Clapping*)
(That was great.)
(Hey, Brian, I [...])
12 Barbara Ann (03:06)
Ah, ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Oh Barbara Ann, take my hand
Barbara Ann
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
Went to a dance, lookin' for romance
Saw Barbara Ann, so I thought I'd take a chance
With Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
Take my hand
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
(Oh! Oh!)
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba ba ba ba black sheep
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann, take my hand
Barbara Ann
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
(Let's go now!)
(Ow!)
([...])
([...], Carl.)
(Hal, and his famous ashtray!)
([...])
(You smell like Rocky. You're always scratchin' it.)
(Hey, come on!)
(Scratch it, Carl, scratch it, baby, right over there.
Down a little lower. Down a little lower!)
(Saw-- Tried--)
Tried Peggy Sue
Tried Betty Lou
Tried Mary Lou
But I knew she wouldn't do
Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
Take my hand
Barbara Ann
Take my hand
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann
Take my hand
Barbara Ann
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
Oh, Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
Yeah, Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
(Let's try that again. One more.)
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
(Ha ha. Let's try it one more time.)
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Rockin' and a-reelin'
Barbara Ann ba ba
Ba Barbara Ann
(Let's try it once more.)
(One more time. More artistic flavor.)
One more time
You got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Barbara Ann
Woah
You got me rockin'
You got me rollin'
Oh, Barbara Ann
(Thank you very much, folks.)
(Thanks, Dean.)
(Yeah, it's not bad.)
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