If only Carl and Dennis were still around to see the love this era of the Beach Boys gets these days.

Deirdre is my favorite song, and the mix is so fun. I also love This Whole World and the song Feel Flows. Very well mixed, very bright.

Love these reviews, Giggens - keep 'em coming. I am 65 and old enough to remember when "Good Vibrations" hit AM radio and when early Beach Boys hits were played all the time. The first time I heard the "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up" tracks was on the 1993 "30 Years Of The Beach Boys" box set. I was floored. Had heard VERY little of their music beyond discs 1 and 2. Now I consider that stretch from "Sunflower" through the 1973 "Beach Boys In Concert" among their very best work. Alas, when the BB later collaborated with Chicago, it was after Terry Kath's death. . .

I love the Dennis stuff on here.

Some thoughts: No group has more interesting outtakes than the Beach Boys. I wish there were more variations of Break Away. And Forever (background vocals and track) has brought many listeners to tears, particularly those harmonies.

It's insane to see an Album being named after "Feel Flows". Of course, Feel Flows is another forgotten Beach Boys song which deserved recognition. The Beach Boys (and Brian Wilson) should play these songs in concert, just to show-off the greatness of The Beach Boys. Very few people even know about songs, such as "Long Promised Road" and "The Trader", etc.

One of the most beautiful wonderful Beach Boys experiences ever

2 Disc has some mixing differences and shorter versions to fit. Mark and Alan said if it does well they want to put together a 1972-1973 Set. Well I think it did!

I saw them on July 27, 1988 in Edmonton. They did two shows; the second show had four more songs than the first, including "This Whole World," which was an unexpected treat, and I was probably one of the few people there who was familiar with it. Those concerts also included "Kokomo," a couple of days before "Cocktail" opened in theatres, and the first time I heard the song.

These are albums I bought when they were released and they have always been some of my favourites, saw the Beach Boys at Wembley Stadium along with The Eagles and Elton John, one of the best concerts in 1976 ever! Hearing 100,000 people singing California Girls, I Get Around etc was unforgettable!

You are doing god's work by buying this on every format! Glorious set!!!

Discovered your site because of this very special box set. Totally agree, slowly savior this box set. It is a true recording gem!

Lovin' it so far! Still haven't listened to disc 5 though. Great video once again!

I think I heard David Beard say that Don Goldberg (the writer of "Sweet and Bitter") overdubbed the song over the years which is what we heard on KZfaq and bootlegs for years. Mark Linett and Alan Boyd stripped the song down to just what was recorded in 1971 with Mike's vocals and a guitar. Also Alan Boyd confirmed on that a similar collection for the Carl and the Passions/Holland era is in the works and that the positive reception and sales of "Feel Flows" might be a tremendous help in giving the set a physical release. While the two Carl and the Passions tracks at the end of the "Feel Flows" box set were probably included because they were likely recorded in 1971, perhaps those were also included as a slight teaser for what is to come. Great review as always Giggens. The fact that this set even got made and turned out so good is worth being thankful for and I can't wait to get a copy of it soon. Take care! Edit: Also, congratulations on 300 reviews!

EXCELLENT REVIEW ! Love your enthusiasm & great love/respect for the music & the band! Thank you!

Deirdre without the vocals sounds amazing, the brass section basically sings the melody! I love how the last two tracks are from Carl and the Passions, preview for a box set for that album and Holland?

Amazing prescience on the cover artwork, btw

I'm seeing Brian, Al, Matt and Blondie on Friday night. Can't wait!

Heartfelt and beautiful review, thank you!

my favorite part are the Dennis songs like San Miguel, Celebrate the News, Lady, Sound of Free, Barbara and even the early version of Cuddle Up

This feels so great. I've loved "Sunflower" (and "Surf's Up"), since they came out. As I posted earlier, I saw the Beach Boys plugging their "Sunflower" LP when they played the Whiskey a' GoGo during their five nights there. I loved the album, and felt bad that, while critically acclaimed, it was overlooked by the public. Now, the full realization of the beauty of "Sunflower" is coming to life, so fully in ways I couldn't have even imagined, in an earlier time. What a celebration of the Beach Boys creativity during this time! Boxed sets can be incredible when they're done well. The beauty of this boxed set will be with us, and a part of us, always.

Love the fact you gave the box set a hug!!!!!! So many amazing sounds on here!! Fans who came talk about 1970s beach boys- hardcore fans!!!! I love all the Dennis stuff, wish he was here to give his reflection on it!!!

I agree about the backing tracks without the lead vocal! All I Wanna Do without lead vocal is a revelation. The backing vocals on this song sound otherworldly. Sends chills down my back. No one but no one sounds like the Beach Boys. I've been living with this album since my dad bought it for me back in 1972. All I Wanna Do is unlike anything they ever did before. It has haunted me since then and I have yet to change my mind.

Hi, I have been checking out your reviews of Beach Boys albums. Wow, I just received mine four days ago and I listened to every note. All I can say is AHHHHHHH. Absolutely glorious and awestruck. Love the Sunflower album....the Surf's Up..... love the Acapella versions... the live.... the sessions. I adore every note. Love the Dennis Wilson songs.... and Mike Love's Big Sur..... oh my God. Yes, the Dennis Wilson songs reminds me of Pacific Ocean Blue. Absolutely my favorite box set of theirs.. Love Pet Sounds and Smile..... but this one. Thank you for the love you show of the Beach Boys in your videos. Newly subscribed to your channel. Thanks for letting the FEEL FLOW...... Tino

Thank you so much for your thorough review! I wasn't really sure, I needed this, but your enthusiasm convinced me :-D .. Subscribed too !

If you have any friends who think the Beach Boys are just a 60's surf group, I suggest playing them the backing track/vocals cut of "It's About Time" and see if they can guess who the group is. That song seriously rocks no matter the group or era.

Great review! I also love Brian's ballad Where Is She.

That’s the only thing that’s missing is an a cappella version of feel flows

I'm with you all the way Giggens. Feel Flows is an experience that should be taken in slowly, so as to fully savor and appreciate each piece of magic it has to offer. And what a surreal experience it is, considering how unlikely a release it would have seemed for the longest time. Also... the artist DEFINITELY owes you for that cover art, haha! ;)

Speaking of the Feel Flows box, in a KZfaq video from last Summer, "Surf's Up! - Beach Boys Tribute Band" which features three generations of the Goldberg Family. 1 hour and 5 minutes into the video they mention Don Goldberg Sr (senior member of Surf's Up) wrote two songs with Brian Wilson in the 70s and one finally got a release on the Feel Flows box. According to Discogs he is credited on the Fell Flows box set with track nineteen album two, "Sweet And Bitter." Don is also credited with "Out In The Country (Version 1)and Out In The Country (Version 2)" on the Sail On Sailor 1972 box set. One of the most amazing things about the Surf's Up video is the two young Family members not old enough to be in high school yet. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nMdxiJuCndunfqs.html

"This Whole World (Alternate Ending)" cracked me up. Because, oh, little clinical footnote : on top of having an alternate ending, it only features an alternate lead vocal take. But who cares, right? :P Anybody familiar with the song will hear right away in Carl's vocal inflexions.

I am so happy we got this set! The Sunflower and Surf's Up albums are two of my very favourite Beach Boys albums and the unreleased stuff I had heard from this period also sounded so great! As soon as this was announced I ordered it. The Amazon cancelled my order! I panicked thinking I would never get the super CD Boxset as it was cancelled for the UK! Thankfully I found another store in the UK which were selling it and I clicked order! I then spent the last couple of weeks or so paranoid that THIS order would be cancelled too! But the other day I got a notification that it had been delivered and when I got home it was: wow! It is a thing of beauty with so many great tracks and a superbly decent booklet and liner notes (take note George Harrison All Things Must Pass Reissuers! This is how you do it!) Yesterday I finally opened the seal and listened to CD 1 and it was wonderful. I started reading the essays tonight and will hopefully dig into more of the set over this weekend! I am so happy and excited! Cheers Mr G!

Thanks for the review! I can't even remember the last time I bought a CD, but I do plan on buying the 5-disc box set. :)

Outstanding!!!

Nice shirt dude; wished they'd released Seasons in the sun....

Just opened my copy 😀! What a wonderful way to start my Labor Day Weekend !

Seasons in the sun was a massive hit in the UK...would have changed course for BB

Your‘re absolutely right: Let‘s hope Capitol will bring out more exciting Beach Boys box sets like Feel Flows or The Smile Sessions. This is really long lasting music, that stays with you after you once got connected to it👍🏻🎸

I was 11 when I got my sunflower lp in 1976 and 12 when I got my copy of Surfs up in 1977

It seems with this box set, we really got the ticket. We should probably slip inside, and let their songs take us for a ride!

Just got the 5 Cd set (after many delays) - it is fabulous!

Thanks. I heard “Surfin” playing in a pizza parlor in late 1961 and could not get enough Beach Boys ever since. Sunflower and Surfs Up are definitely highlights. I’ve heard Landlocked on U Tube. But Feel Flows is the real deal! .

I was excited and really wanted to get this box set, but I'm glad I didn't. I have been wanting to add Sunflower and Surf's Up cd's to my collection and figured this would be the perfect way... with all the extra goodies! I checked a copy of the 2-disc version from the library and, unfortunately, the mix on Sunflower is really, really, painfully bad. The lows are overpowering and the highs are very harsh, while the mids are severely scooped. The extra stuff on disc 1 seemed alright, and I haven't gotten to disc 2 yet. It pains me to say it, but I can't bring myself to pay $70+ on the box set with how bad it sounds (Sunflower, anyway). Instead, I may be looking for the Sunflower/Surf's Up 2-fer that was released a long while back. Has anyone else found this (bad mixing) to be the case?

Thanks for another great review Giggens. It’s so gratifying that this era of the Beach Boys is being appreciated now, such a gift for us hardcore fans for us who have been championing the albums for years. It was a weirdly emotional experience listening to this for the first time, I’m sure you can relate.

I'm disappointed that you haven't bought the 8-track format or boxed set of wax cylinders. Honestly, though I'm glad to see you revelling in this moment - splash that cash!

“like getting a ltr from an old friend.”yep. my prayers answered that people would get to hear Sunflower and Surfs Up and get inspired too. I think that’s the best version live of Back Home by Brian too and I liked Break Away too almost for the first time. I liked Seasons in the Sun even though people panned it. I loved the background vocals and the live unreleased songs too. San Miguel is awesome. I’ve listened to the 5cd set over n over and there’s so much to catch each time. Maybe you can do a disc every few weeks in depth??

Before I watch want to compliment you on your shirt. Serious 60s vibe.

I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention the new version of Cotton Fields which I absolutely adore, but also the song "Hawaiin Dream." So far that song has by far been the biggest stick-out to me, it's fantastic. It's got big "Til I Die" vibes with the I think it's xylophone

This was an interesting era: Post-Woodstock, pre-Ricky/Blondie/Dragon. One where we see Mike Love trying to look like an Indian Guru, Brian selling health foods in his "Good Humor" hat--even when he himself was at his most unhealthy. Aspiring actor Dennis whose cinematic good looks could have given him a film career beyond "Two Lane Blacktop" if he hadn't tried to derail himself with bad choices, Carl in his last days with a "baby face" before the beard began to cover it--ditto with Al, except his face looked better when covered with a beard. And the last days of Bruce--who I would have thought would have stayed for life, and he did when he came back. except for one disagreement with Jack Riely which made little sense as to why that would have been enough to cause him to quit?

Just bought the double-LP version of Feel Flows today. Really digging Sunflower so far. The backing vocal excerpts are a treat. This is my first real opportunity to hear Sunflower start to finish as it was previously absent from my collection. Problem solved!

Also, the cool thing about these new songs with backing tracks and vocals...I can convert them to Karaoke tracks to sing. I had a blast this weekend singing Karaoke songs of the Beach Boys that I have never sang before!

It’s rare that you hear a release is practically everything you wanted it to be (and more) - nice to hear they seemingly knocked it out of the park :) I’m only dreading hearing what the compression on the CD version actually sounds like, I heard some negative reactions there.

Giggens?, everything you've said on this video is exactly what all of us on here have been wanting to say for 50 years. These two albums were amazing at the time they were released. But for some reason both albums weren't appreciated by the buying public. After all these videos you've put out and reading all the comments by everyone on here I do believe both albums did a lot better than we were led to believe. At the moment the double CD is at no 19 in the UK album chart and the Vinyl version is at no 10, which is a bit better than the first time. Giggens, I know you believed in these two albums for so long and I also know you've spent a lot of your time telling the music world what they've been missing. AND GOD BLESS YOU for that. And if anyone from Capitol is reading this, Then for Christ sake get this guy on board, he's had a massive influence on the success of this release. I can't stop playing the 2 CD set, as you say it needs to be digested slowly, and I'm doing just that. I haven't unwrapped my coloured vinyl set as yet because I saw your previous video so I know what it looks like. And having been dissaponted with Amazon for refusing to send me the 5 CD set because of high demand, I've reordered it from another place. So hopefully I will get to experience what you've been experiencing. Out of all the videos you've made on here I think the Sunflower videos are the once I appreciate most. Because Sunflower is my all time favourite album by anyone, and to see it get this treatment after so long is most rewarding. Thanks again Giggens .

So next So Tough and Holland sessions 1971-1973?

Dozens!

I bought the 2 cd and 2 vinyl version. The beach boys music hasn't hooked me yet. But I do like this era as I'm introduced to it. I prob wont listen to it alot. I think the music sounds alittle outdated...thanks for all your enthusiasm..

Thanks

There's dozens of us! Haha!

your box has a glossy finish? the one i have in the uk has a textured finish to the outer

My doorbell just rang, and I need to throw on some clothes so I can get my box-set! It's going to be over 100 degrees today, so I'd better bring it inside before the "Cool, Cool Water" evaporates!

Your artwork is very similiar indeed, haha!

Will the pressings vinyl be your main playing copies for Sunflower/Surf's Up or will you be sticking with the first presings?

I always hated Seasons in the Sun, but Carl's vocals and the arrangement make for a genuinely good version. It's a miracle.

If they ever have a Nirvana movie they should cast you as Chris novoselic

I bought the 2 CD version

Is there a two disc version of the Feel Flows box set with just the live tracks and unreleased songs?

Two rare, amazing and timeless albums in one amazing package. I pre - ordered this fucker as soon as they revealed it. I mean, what more could you ask for?

Is the 5CD box set book much different from the 4LP version?

Won't You Tell Me,It's Natural,Where Is She? And Sweet And Bitter Are My Favorites For Now :)

How incredible would it be for Capitol to someday release a Carl and the Passions "So Tough" + Holland box set!? I sincerely hope their '72-'73 Blondie/Fataar era will eventually get the same kind of recognition and promotion we got with the Feel Flows set. I know it's a little soon to be fantasizing about ANOTHER box set, but hey, anything's possible at this point!!

Been listening to this all week and for the first time I realized that Brian's 'Someone to Love' sounds a little like 'San Miguel'....

Dillon Carson did the artwork, he has an insta page.

Is it just me or does the sunflower remaster sound a bit too bright/trebly?

Your record collection is might impressive, sir

✌ ❤ 🎶 🌎 👏

Capitol! Send that man some free stuff!

Capitol needs to do this with the Friends album