The band will be joined by Grammy nominees Foster The People and Maroon 5 for the performance.

The appearance kicks off the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary celebrations, which will include a new album later this year and a 50-date international tour that begins in April.

Other acts due to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony include Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Glen Campbell, Foo Fighters, David Guetta, Katy Perry, Coldplay, and Rihanna.

Related items:
Grammy nominations round-up

Each of the band members have commented on the news…

Brian Wilson says:

Mike Love says:

Al Jardine says:

Bruce Johnston says:

David Marks says:

Details are scarce on the new album, which will be the first in decades to feature the original surviving members of the band. It is known that the album will be produced by Brian Wilson and executive produced by Mike Love, and that several tracks have already been recorded.

Here’s footage of the guys in the studio earlier this year recording “Do It Again” for the new album:

There will also be a number of 50th Anniversary commemorative Beach Boys releases in 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set.

“Smile” was intended as the follow-up to the 1966 album “Pet Sounds,” but the project was abandoned due to Brian Wilson’s mental health problems and the divisions within the band regarding the commercial prospects of the songs.

Pre-order details are available at the bottom of this post.

This will be the first official release of the “Smile” sessions, although some of the “Smile” songs would be reworked for inclusion on the Beach Boys’ 1967 album “Smiley Smile,” including “Heroes and Villains,” “Wonderful,” “Vege-tables” and “Wind Chimes.” The classic single “Good Vibrations” was also under consideration for inclusion on “Smile,” but ultimately ended up on “Smiley Smile.”

Brian Wilson would go on to record a well received full version of “Smile” with his touring band in 2003.

For the forthcoming box set, Wilson and co-producers Mark Linett and Alan Boyd assembled the best vocal and instrumental takes from dozens of hours of tapes. The Smile Sessions two-CD deluxe edition comprises tracks from the core sessions:

CD One

1. Our Prayer
2. Gee
3. Heroes And Villains
4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)
5. I’m In Great Shape
6. Barnyard
7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine)
8. Cabin Essence
9. Wonderful
10. Look (Song For Children)
11. Child Is Father Of The Man
12. Surf’s Up
13. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop
14. Vega-Tables
15. Holidays
16. Wind Chimes
17. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow)
18. Love To Say Dada
19. Good Vibrations
20. You’re Welcome (Bonus Track)
21. Heroes And Villains (Stereo Mix) (Bonus Track)
22. Heroes And Villains Sections (Stereo Mix) (Bonus Track)
23. Vega-Tables Demo (Bonus Track)
24. He Gives Speeches (Bonus Track)
25. Smile Backing Vocals Montage (Bonus Track)
26. Surf’s Up 1967 (Solo version) (Bonus Track)
27. Psycodelic Sounds: Brian Falls Into A Piano (Bonus Track).

CD Two

1. Our Prayer “Dialog” (9/19/66)
2. Heroes and Villains (Part 1)
3. Heroes and Villains (Part 2)
4. Heroes and Villains: Children Were Raised (1/27/67)
5. Heroes and Villains: Prelude to Fade (2/15/67)
6. My Only Sunshine (11/14/66)
7. Cabin Essence (10/3/66)
8. Surf’s Up: 1st Movement (11/4/66)
9. Surf’s Up Piano Demo (12/15/66)
10. Vega-Tables Fade (4/12/67)
11. The Elements: Fire session (11/28/66)
12. Cool Cool Water version 2 (10/26-10/29/67)
13. Good Vibrations Session Highlights.

This two-CD version will also include a 36-page booklet, with liner notes from Brian Wilson, and a 14.5″ x 20″ poster of Frank Holmes cover art.

The super deluxe set is for the diehard Beach Boys fan, featuring five CDs, two LPs and two 7″ vinyl singles.

The first CD replicates disc one of the deluxe set, but after this the set delves more deeply into the sessions, including complete discs devoted to both “Good Vibrations” and “Heroes and Villains.” The two LPs are made up principally of the disc one CD content. The first vinyl single includes “Heroes and Villains” parts one and two, and the second single features “Vega-Tables” and “Surf’s Up.”

“Smile Sessions Box Set” – promo

The two LPs featured in the super deluxe set will also be available as a standalone release.

All titles will be available on November 1 in the US and Canada, and October 31 in the UK. You can pre-order now at:

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Love expects the project to be released in 2012. He told Billboard:

Love also expressed his desire for a reunion concert, noting:

“God Only Knows” opened side two of the Beach Boys’ classic album “Pet Sounds” which was released 45 years ago today. The song was also on the B-side of the July 1966 single “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” in the US and an A-side in the UK.

“Pet Sounds” marked a turning point for the Beach Boys, with a whole new level of sophistication achieved in terms of both composition and production. Nowhere is this more evident than on “God Only Knows.” Although the track reportedly took less than half an hour to write, this doesn’t tell the full story because the multilayered instrumentation and vocal harmonies are what elevate this from a well crafted love song to one of the most critically acclaimed songs of the decade.

“I may not always love you” is an unusual sentiment to begin a love song with, but the remainder of the verse features the singer reassuring his lover of the depth of his feelings. This technique of mixing the pragmatic with the sentimental avoids the obvious and predictable lyrical route. Another example is the start of the second verse:

A lesser lyricist would have jumped straight into the “my life would be over” sentiment after the first line, but the second line provides a buffer before moving into more emotional territory:

Paul McCartney is on record as saying that “Pet Sounds” was a direct inspiration for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and that “God Only Knows” is one of his favourite songs of all time.

The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”

Authorship

Brian Wilson composed and produced the music for “God Only Knows.” Tony Asher wrote the lyrics. The pair wrote the majority of the “Pet Sounds” album together.

Recording date/location

The instrumentation for “God Only Knows” was recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA on March 10, 1966. The vocal track was recorded during March/April 1966 at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Musicians

Brian Wilson produced the backing track first using some of LA’s finest session musicians, before the Beach Boys recorded their vocal parts, joined by Bruce Johnston who wasn’t yet a permanent member.

The following musicians featured on “God Only Knows”:

• Carl Wilson – lead vocal, guitar
• Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston – backing vocals
• Carol Kaye – electric bass
• Ray Pohlman – danelectro bass
• Lyle Ritz – string bass
• Hal Blaine – drums
• Jim Gordon – percussion
• Don Randi – piano
• Larry Knechtel – organ
• Carl Fortina and Frank Morocco – accordions
• Jesse Erlich – cello
• Leonard Hartman – clarinet, bass clarinet
• Bill Green and Jim Horn – flutes
• Alan Robinson – French horn
• Jay Migliori – baritone saxophone
• Leonard Malarsky and Sid Sharp – violins
• Darrel Terwilliger – viola.

Chart performance

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, backed with “God Only Knows,” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.” “God Only Knows” also charted separately on the Hot 100, peaking at number 39 on September 18, 1966.

“God Only Knows” was the A-side in the UK where it reached number two.

Covers

Neil Diamond – “God Only Knows”

This is a stripped back cover, free from the complex harmonies and orchestration of the original. The lack of clutter works well, with Diamond’s subtle performance getting right to the heart of the lyrics. The cover opened Diamond’s 1977 album “I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.Jr. – “God Only Knows”

Indie pop duo Dale Earnhardt Jr.Jr. included a cover of “God Only Knows” on their 2010 EP “Horsepower.” The band does a good job of recreating the feel of the original, with less resources, before veering off into psychedelic territory for a spaced out instrumental ending.

There will be a new Song of the Week on May 23.

The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” is on various editions of “Pet Sounds”, including the 2006 40th anniversary edition, which features both mono and stereo mixes.

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Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Edition (CD/DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

“The Smile Sessions” will be released as a two-CD set and as a deluxe box set including four CDs, two LPs, two vinyl singles and a 60-page hardbound book penned by Dominic Priore.

“Smile” was originally planned as the follow-up to the Beach Boys’ 1966 album “Pet Sounds” but the project fell apart due mainly to Brian Wilson’s poor health.

In 2004, Wilson recorded a critically acclaimed version of “Smile“, but “The Smile Sessions” will be the first official release of the original recordings.

Brian Wilson has welcomed the forthcoming release:

No release date has been confirmed for “The Smile Sessions.”

The DVD features footage from concerts held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964, with appearances by some of the biggest names of the era, including James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and Chuck Berry.

T.A.M.I stands for Teenage Awards Music International.

The full list of performers is as follows:

• James Brown & The Flames – “Out Of Sight,” “Prisoner Of Love,” “Please, Please, Please,” and “Night Train”
• Chuck Berry – “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybellene,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and “Nadine (Is it You?)”
• Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “Thats What Love Is Made Of,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “Mickey’s Monkey”
• Marvin Gaye – “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow,” “Pride And Joy,” “Can I Get A Witness,” and “Hitch Hike”
• The Rolling Stones – “Around and Around,” “Off The Hook,” “Time Is On My Side,” “It’s All Over Now,” and “I’m All Right”
• The Supremes – “When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes,” “Run, Run, Run,” “Baby Love,” and “Where Did Our Love Go?”
• The Beach Boys – “Surfin U.S.A.,” “I Get Around,” “Surfer Girl,” and “Dance, Dance, Dance”
• Gerry & The Pacemakers – “Maybellene,” “Dont Let The Sun Catch You Crying,” “Its Gonna Be Alright,” “How Do You Do It?,” and “I Like It”
• Lesley Gore - “Maybe I Know,” “You Dont Own Me,” “You Didnt Look Around,” “Hey Now,” “Its My Party,” and “Judy’s Turn To Cry”
• Jan & Dean – “(Here They Come) From All Over The World,” “The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)” and “Sidewalk Surfin”
• Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas – “Little Children,” “Bad To Me,” “I’ll Keep You Satisfied,” and “From A Window”
• The Barbarians - “Hey Little Bird.”

The show closes with all performers on “Let’s Get Together.”

The T.A.M.I. Show trailer

If you want further information on the film, check the Classic Pop Icons T.A.M.I. Show review of last year’s US version.

“The T.A.M.I. Show DVD” is available to buy now from:

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This is the first time the film has been seen in its entirety since the four nationwide closed-circuit screenings which took place over two weekends in March 1964.

The show features The Beatles’ show at the Washington Coliseum from February 11, 1964, as well as live sets from the Beach Boys and Lesley Gore, which were taped at the NBC Television Studios in Burbank, California.

The Beatles performed high energy versions of the following 12 songs at the Washington Coliseum:

• “Roll Over Beethoven”
• “From Me to You”
• “I Saw Her Standing There”
• “This Boy”
• “All My Loving”
• “I Wanna Be Your Man”
• “Please Please Me”
• “Till There Was You”
• “She Loves You”
• “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
• “Twist and Shout”
• “Long Tall Sally.”

Original poster for the closed-circuit broadcast

This master video tape of the Washington show is a great improvement on the kinescope that has done the rounds over the years, both in terms of picture quality and completeness. The “Twist and Shout” encore and closing “Long Tall Sally” performance are now shown in full.

The Beatles First American Concert trailer

This is also the first time that the Beach Boys footage has been seen in full since the original screening. The DVD “The Beach Boys – The Lost Concert” was missing the song “Monster Mash.” The other songs performed were “Fun Fun Fun”, “Long Tall Texan”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Surfer Girl”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Shut Down”, “In My Room”, “Papa Oom-Mow-Mow” and “Hawaii”.

At the time of The Beatles’ Washington Coliseum show, Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” was at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 behind The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” The Lesley Gore footage has not been seen in any form since the original closed-circuit screening in 1964.

The Egyptian Theater event has been put together by Ron Furmanek, who worked on the Beatles archive footage seen in “The Beatles Anthology.” Let’s hope that it won’t be long before the complete footage gets a DVD release.

The screening takes place at 7:30 pm, Friday, February 11th at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California. Tickets can be ordered from the American Cinematheque box office at (323) 692-3431.

Let’s welcome in the New Year the traditional way with “Auld Lang Syne.” Take your pick from these very different interpretations.

Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin – “Auld Lang Syne”

The Beach Boys – “Auld Lang Syne”

James Taylor – “Auld Lang Syne”

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – “Auld Lang Syne”

Elvis Presley – “Auld Lang Syne”

“Elvis’ Christmas Album”, released in October 1957, was Elvis’ fourth album for RCA and became the best selling Christmas album of all time, selling around three million of the original version in the US and nine million of a budget version first released in 1970. The album featured eight Christmas songs and four gospel songs that had previously been released on the EP “Peace in the Valley.”

Elvis’ original studio version of “Blue Christmas” includes distinctive backing vocals, including a dominant high pitched contribution from Millie Kirkham. This is not repeated on later live recordings. Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires has reported that Elvis encouraged these vocals in an effort to sabotage the recording as he wasn’t very keen on the song appearing on the album. Whether that is the case or not, Elvis certainly warmed to the song later on as he included it in his 1968 television special and sang it live on and off throughout the 1970s – not always during the holiday season. The 1968 version was part of the famous “sit-down” segment of the television special, where Elvis performed stripped down jams on his early material.

Elvis Presley – “Blue Christmas”

In 2008, “Blue Christmas” was included on the “Elvis Christmas Duets” album, with Martina McBride added to the original 1957 recording. The video cleverly incorporated McBride into the footage of the 1968 live version.

Elvis Presley and Martina McBride – “Blue Christmas”

Authorship

“Blue Christmas” was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson.

Recording date/location

“Blue Christmas” was recorded on September 5, 1957 at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. Elvis recorded the great “Treat Me Nice” on the same night.

Musicians

The following musicians appear on “Blue Christmas”:

• Elvis Presley – vocals and guitar
• Scotty Moore – guitar
• Bill Black – bass
• D.J. Fontana – drums
• Dudley Brooks – piano
• The Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham – backing vocals.

The Jordanaires were Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins and Hugh Jarrett.

Chart performance

The album on which “Blue Christmas” appeared, “Elvis’ Christmas Album”, hit number one on the US album chart in December 1957 and number two in the UK.

The same week, the EP on which “Blue Christmas” appeared, “Elvis Sings Christmas Songs”, hit number two on the US EP chart. This was a cut-down of the Christmas album and also featured the tracks “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me”, “Santa Claus is Back in Town” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

The “Elvis Sings Christmas Songs” EP was kept off the top spot by Elvis’ excellent “Jailhouse Rock” EP.

Covers

The Beach Boys – “Blue Christmas”

The Beach Boys featured “Blue Christmas” on the B-side of their single “The Man with All the Toys” in 1964 and also on their album “The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album” which was released at the same time. The album also featured the band’s most famous Christmas track, “Little Saint Nick”, which had been released as a single the previous year.

The Beach Boys turn the song into a slow ballad, with solid lead vocals from Brian Wilson and lush orchestration by Dick Reynolds. This has little in common with Elvis’ rock ‘n’ roll approach to the song.

Jim Reeves – “Blue Christmas”

Jim Reeves took “Blue Christmas” back to its country roots with his cover in 1963. It’s a predictable arrangement, but flawless vocal. The song appeared on Reeves’ top 20 album “Twelve Songs of Christmas.”

The Ventures – “Blue Christmas”

The Ventures recorded an instrumental version of “Blue Christmas” for their 1965 album “The Ventures’ Christmas Album.” Unusually, they incorporated the main riff of “When You Walk in the Room” into the song, but it works. This merging of classic riffs from other songs was a trick they repeated throughout the album.

There will be a new Song of the Week on December 27.

Elvis’ “Blue Christmas” features on numerous compilations of his Christmas songs, including “Christmas Peace”, which includes the tracks from his original 1957 Christmas album, as well as those from the 1971 album “Elvis – Wonderful World of Christmas.” The duet with Martina McBride is available on “Elvis Christmas Duets.”

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