The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions Turns 50

In honor of 50 years of The Beach Boys’ timeless and often underappreciated albums, Capitol/UMe is releasing an expansive 5CD and digital box set titled Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 on July 30 that chronicles and explores in depth this metamorphic and highly influential 1969-1971 period of the band’s legendary career. Assembled by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013’s GRAMMY® Award-winning SMiLE Sessions, the expansive collection features newly remastered versions of Sunflower and Surf’s Up and boasts 135 tracks, including 108 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions.

Housed in a book style package, the set is rounded out with a 48-page book loaded with unreleased and rare photos, lyric sheets, tape box images, recording artifacts, insightful new liner notes by noted radio veteran and Beach Boys aficionado Howie Edelson, and new and archival interviews from Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and others. Feel Flows will also be released in abbreviated versions including 4LP on both black vinyl and limited edition Translucent Blue and Translucent Gold color vinyl, 2LP black vinyl and 2CD editions.

Feel Flows is heralded with the streaming debut of the unreleased gem, “Big Sur,” A beautiful sonic love letter to the central California coastal town of Big Sur, the lilting, pastoral folk tune that was originally recorded for Surf’s Up and has remained unreleased for more than five decades.

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Photo Credit: TDC Photography / Shutterstock.com