Get Lei'd

The story is an odd one. Smiley Smile is unleashed upon the public, the Beach Boys commence touring, and Brian decides that he's going to show up again. Upon Brian's insistence, his Hammond B-3 is shipped back and forth from L.A. to Hawaii, although the plan to distribute ukuleles to the audience is scrapped. 

After some rehearsals (which are included), concerts are taped for release (both are included), but the performances are found... not up to snuff. The Beach Boys head to Wally Heider's studio to record their selections from their setlist in their new, stripped down fashion (these are also included). 

This entire project is ultimately scrapped and the band swiftly moves onto the wonderful Wild Honey.

This is unfortunate, as these revamped versions of the familiar tunes are quite beautiful. The songs are incredibly tender and airy, by simply pairing down the arrangements and softening their vocal deliveries, they create entirely new songs. Sadly, these arrangements were never revisited. The gentleman who supplied us with the 1972 mono mix of Pet Sounds had a very apt description of "California Girls" when I shared it with him, saying that "Mike sounds like he's floating in the sky." Indeed.

I would advise you to seek out the officially released recordings, which sound markedly better than these bootleg versions. If I recall, they're on various two-fers, Rarities, Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys, and Made in California. These don't sound bad, mind you, but the actual, released versions sound fuller.

Here's a folder with a collection of all the released recordings. Pick yourself out sumthin nice.

The distinction between these bootlegs can get convoluted, so here it is sorted for you:

Aloha from Hawaii (And Hollywood)

• Live at the Honolulu International Center, August 25, 1967
• The "live-in-the-studio" rehearsals at Wally Heider's Studio, September 11, 1967

Lei'd in Hawaii Rehearsal

• Pre-show rehearsal on August 25, 1967
• Some random, unrelated studio outtakes
• A live show from 1963
• Two drunken performances from Carl in 1978 in Sydney (you know the one).

Live 1967-08-26 - Honolulu

• The live show from August 26, 1967
• Has the one-off "Hawthorne Boulevard"