Description
The Beach Boys – Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 – Double Vinyl Record
“Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969–1971” is a comprehensive and revelatory released by Capitol/UMe on August 27, 2021, spotlighting one of the most creatively rich and transitional periods in The Beach Boys’ history. This expansive collection shines a light on the years between 1969 and 1971, a time when the band was evolving beyond their early surf-pop image and diving into more introspective, experimental, and musically ambitious territory. Compiling the sessions that led to the albums Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971), Feel Flows offers a deeply immersive look into The Beach Boys’ artistic rebirth, highlighting their resilience and sophistication as composers, arrangers, and performers in a post-Pet Sounds, post-Smile world.
At the heart of the Feel Flows collection are the remastered versions of Sunflower and Surf’s Up, two albums that are now widely regarded as among the band’s finest and most underrated works. Sunflower is notable for being the most democratic Beach Boys album to date, with significant songwriting and vocal contributions from Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Al Jardine, in addition to Brian Wilson’s production wizardry. Tracks like “This Whole World,” “Add Some Music to Your Day,” and “Forever” exemplify the band’s lush vocal harmonies and evolving maturity. Despite its critical acclaim, the album was a commercial disappointment at the time, but has since been reevaluated as a cult favorite and a showcase of the group’s depth.
Surf’s Up, named after the mythical Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks collaboration originally intended for the abandoned Smile project, carries a more somber, philosophical tone. The album navigates themes of ecological crisis, societal decay, and spiritual searching—far removed from their early-carefree persona. Songs like “’Til I Die,” “A Day in the Life of a Tree,” and the resurrected title track “Surf’s Up” reflect a poetic complexity and haunting beauty that signal a bold artistic evolution. Carl Wilson’s growing leadership, Bruce Johnston’s soft-pop sensibilities, and Dennis Wilson’s increasingly raw emotional songwriting all contribute to an album that is both eclectic and unified in mood.
What makes Feel Flows an essential document for Beach Boys aficionados and serious music historians alike is its wealth of unreleased material. The compilation includes alternate takes, isolated backing vocals, live performances, demos, and previously unheard songs that cast new light on the band’s creative processes. The set also highlights Dennis Wilson’s stunning contributions, which until then had often been overlooked.
The collection takes its name from the song “Feel Flows,” a highlight from Surf’s Up written and sung by Carl Wilson. This track, with its jazz-rock fusion elements, phased flutes, and cosmic lyrics, epitomizes the adventurous spirit of the time. It’s a fitting title for a compilation that seeks to ride the unpredictable currents of The Beach Boys’ early ’70s artistry. The set’s liner notes, detailed essays, and new interviews with surviving members and historians further deepen the listener’s understanding of the band’s mindset, challenges, and triumphs during this creatively fertile yet commercially difficult period.
Stylistically, Feel Flows reveals a band unshackled from their earlier commercial pressures and willing to take musical risks. It’s also a portrait of a fractured group finding unity in the studio. Brian Wilson, though less consistently present than in earlier years, still delivers moments of brilliance, while Carl and Dennis step into the spotlight with remarkable sensitivity and innovation. The sonic textures across the sessions—ranging from baroque pop and soul-inflected ballads to ecological protest songs and avant-garde fragments—paint a portrait of a group as diverse and multifaceted as any of their era.
In the broader context of music history, Feel Flows contributes to the growing reassessment of The Beach Boys not just as pop hitmakers, but as serious, visionary artists who grappled with profound ideas amid a rapidly changing world. The box set is a testament to their enduring artistry, emotional depth, and complex legacy. For fans who know the Beach Boys only through early hits like “Surfin’ USA” or “California Girls,” this collection serves as an invitation to explore the deeper, more cerebral waters of their catalog.
2 landmark Beach Boys albums plus 8 previously unreleased bonus tracks
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Sunflower Original Album
Slip On Through
This Whole World
Add Some Music To Your Day
Got To Know The Woman
Deirdre
It’s About Time
Bonus Tracks (Previously Unreleased)
Cotton Fields (2020 Stereo Mix)
San Miguel (Backing Vocals)
It’s About Time (Backing Vocals)
Sunflower Original Album
Tears In The Morning
All I Wanna Do
Forever
Our Sweet Love
At My Window
Cool, Cool Water
Bonus Track (Previously Unreleased)
This Whole World (Live 1988)
Surf’s Up Original Album
Don’t Go Near The Water
Long Promised Road
Take A Load Off Your Feet
Disney Girls
Student Demonstration Time (Based On “Riot In Cell Block 9”
Bonus Tracks (Previously Unreleased)
Disney Girls (Live)
Feel Flows (Backing Vocals Excerpt)
Surf’s Up Original Album
Feel Flows
Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)
A Day In The Life Of A Tree
‘Til I Die
Surf’s Up
Bonus Tracks (Previously Unreleased)
A Day In The Life Of A Tree (Track & Backing Vocals)
‘Til I Die (A Capella)
