Shut Down Volume 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shut Down Volume 2 | ||
 |
||
| Studio album by The Beach Boys | ||
| Released | 23 March, 1964 | |
| Recorded | 1 January - 20 February, 1964 |
|
| Genre | Surf Rock (Hot Rod) | |
| Length | 27:05 | |
| Label | Capitol Records | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys chronology | ||
| Little Deuce Coupe (1963) |
Shut Down Volume 2 (1964) |
All Summer Long (1964) |
Shut Down Volume 2 is the fifth album by The Beach Boys, and the first of a remarkable four longplayers they would release in 1964. The album's "Volume 2" refers to the 1963 hot rod compilation Shut Down, released by the band's label, Capitol Records, which included "409" and "Shut Down", but was not a Beach Boys album.
Recorded just as "Beatlemania" was beginning to reach American shores (and soon profoundly affect leader Brian Wilson's writing and career goals for The Beach Boys), Shut Down Volume 2 was meant to cement the band's position as the biggest band in America. Instead, The Beatles' invasion was so overpowering that the album didn't get the attention it deserved, peaking at US #13 (though it eventually went gold).
Part of the blame for the album's less than stellar performance was also due to perhaps the weakest ending to any Beach Boys album, with the last three tracks being considered, by common consent, filler. Although humorous, the addition of " "Cassius" Love Vs. "Sonny" Wilson" (a mock-fight between Brian and Mike) served to illustrate the need to fill up the album.
However, the high points of Shut Down Volume 2 are indeed the strongest moments in The Beach Boys' saga thus far: the classic "Fun, Fun, Fun", the sublime "Don't Worry Baby" (Brian's response to hero Phil Spector's "Be My Baby"), the timeless "The Warmth of the Sun" (written just hours after JFK's assassination) and a sensational cover of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" justify the album's existence alone. "Pom, Pom Play Girl" also features Carl Wilson's first official lead vocal on a Beach Boys song.
Shut Down Volume 2 was marketed as a "hot rod" collection (after predecessor Little Deuce Coupe had performed so successfully), but The Beach Boys weren't able to maintain the theme as consistently this time around, signaling that prime songwriter Brian Wilson was already running out of car songs and would need to shift gears, subject-wise, soon.
Brian reportedly wanted to scrap Shut Down Volume 2 after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. But rather than be deterred by losing the limelight to the British stars (which would, arguably, be the case for the rest of the decade), Brian Wilson simply strengthened his resolve and became determined to push The Beach Boys to heights no one could have foreseen at the time.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Fun, Fun, Fun" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 2:03
- Features Mike Love on lead vocals
- "Don’t Worry Baby" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 2:47
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "In the Parkin' Lot" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) – 2:01
- Features Mike Love on lead vocals
- ""Cassius" Love Vs. "Sonny" Wilson" (Mike Love/Brian Wilson) – 3:30
- Features Brian Wilson and Mike Love on lead vocals. All group members featured in spoken word parts.
- "The Warmth of the Sun" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 2:51
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "This Car of Mine" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love) – 1:35
- Features Dennis Wilson on lead vocals
- "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (Frankie Lymon/M. Levy) – 2:07
- Features Brian Wilson on lead vocals
- "Pom Pom Play Girl" (Brian Wilson/Gary Usher) – 1:30
- Features Carl Wilson on lead vocals
- "Keep an Eye on Summer" (Brian Wilson/Bob Norman) – 2:21
- Features Brian Wilson and Mike Love on lead vocals
- "Shut Down, Part II" (Carl Wilson) – 2:07
- Instrumental
- "Louie Louie" (Richard Berry) – 2:17
- Features Carl Wilson [1st and 3rd verses] and Mike Love on lead vocals [2nd verse and bass vocal]
- "Denny's Drums" (Dennis Wilson) – 1:56
- Instrumental
[edit] Singles
- "Fun, Fun, Fun" b/w "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (Capitol 5118), 3 February 1964 US #5
- "Don't Worry Baby" featured as the B-side to "I Get Around" US #24
- "The Warmth of the Sun" featured as the B-side to "Dance, Dance, Dance"
Shut Down Volume 2 (Capitol (S) T 2027) is now paired on CD with Surfer Girl, with bonus tracks from that period.
Shut Down Volume 2 hit #13 in the US charts during a chart stay of 38 weeks.
[edit] Sources
- Surfer Girl/Shut Down Volume 2 CD booklet notes, David Leaf, c.1990.
- "The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience", Timothy White, c. 1994.
- "Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story", Brian Wilson and Todd Gold, c. 1991.
- "Top Pop Singles 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- All Music Guide.com
[edit] External links
- Greg Panfile's musical analysis of "Fun, Fun, Fun"
- Greg Panfile's musical analysis of "Don't Worry Baby"
- Greg Panfile's musical analysis of "Warmth of the Sun"
- Shut Down Volume 2 lyrics
