“The Party! album was a result of the pressure Capitol Records was putting on us for another album,” explained Beach Boys founding member Mike Love in a statement. “And we didn’t really have time to develop the type of album we wanted to develop, which Brian was working on, called Pet Sounds … So we said, ‘Well, what can we do quickly and easily?’ And we decided to do this party album.”
The record, best known for hit Barbara Ann, was recorded acoustically with just guitars, bass, bongos, harmonica, and a tambourine. In addition to the Dylan and Beatles covers already mentioned, the 69 tracks from the sessions include multiple takes of the Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, The Beatles’ You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away and Ticket to Ride, and spoofs of two of the Beach Boys’ biggest hits (I Get Around, and Little Deuce Coupe).
The long sessions, presented in this new set, certainly sound like a party. “Mike was saying, why not a party album and we can act like we are [at a party], and just be ourselves on tape, you know?” said Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson in a statement. “And that’s what happened. It was a very spontaneous album.”
The reissue is available both as a double-disc CD set and digitally. Also included in the box set are photos from the sessions, essays from rock historians Alan Boyd and Craig Slowinski, and notes from producer Mark Linett. A vinyl version of the newly remixed and remastered 12 album tracks will be released on December 11.
