Rarities (The Beach Boys album)


Rarities is a Beach Boys compilation album released in 1983 by Capitol Records. It is a collection of outtakes, alternate mixes and B-sides recorded between 1962 and 1970. Included are songs written or made popular by the Beatles, the Box Tops, Stevie Wonder, Ersel Hickey and Lead Belly. Also featured are several standards, such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "Auld Lang Syne". The album sold poorly and quickly went out of print.

Track listing

  1. "With a Little Help from My Friends" – 2:22
  2. "The Letter" – 1:47
  3. * Box Tops cover. Included on the 2017 compilation 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow
  4. "I Was Made to Love Her" – 2:34
  5. * Stevie Wonder cover. Original Beach Boys version from Wild Honey. Alternate version later included on the 2017 compilation 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow
  6. "You're Welcome" – 1:06
  7. * B-side of “Heroes and Villains” ; later included as a bonus track on the 1990 CD release of Smiley Smile/Wild Honey
  8. "The Lord's Prayer" – 2:31
  9. * B-side of “Little Saint Nick” ; later included on the 1991 CD release of The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
  10. "Bluebirds over the Mountain " – 2:49
  11. *Found on the 1998 CD release of The Dutch Singles Collection
  12. "Celebrate the News" – 3:03
  13. * B-side of “Break Away”, later included as a bonus track on the 1990 CD release of Friends/20/20
  14. "Good Vibrations" – 3:33
  15. * Found on the 2006 40th Anniversary CD single for Good Vibrations
  16. "Land Ahoy" – 1:42
  17. * Found as a bonus track on the 1990 CD release of Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.
  18. "In My Room " – 2:15
  19. * Found as a bonus track on the 1990 CD release of Surfer Girl/Shut Down Volume 2
  20. "Cottonfields" – 3:02
  21. * Can be found on The Greatest Hits – Volume 2: 20 More Good Vibrations and the 1993 Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys box set
  22. "All I Want to Do" – 1:39
  23. * Recorded in 1968; A longer version appears on 2013's box set Made in California
  24. "Auld Lang Syne" – 1:11
  25. * ''Found on the 1991 CD release of The Beach Boys' Christmas Album ''

CD bonus tracks

  2. "Medley: Good Vibrations/Help Me, Rhonda/I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe/Little Honda/Hawaii/409/Noble Surfer/Dance, Dance, Dance/Shut Down/Surfin' Safari/Barbara Ann/Surfin' U.S.A./Fun, Fun, Fun" – 6:51
  3. "Medley: Surfer Girl/Girls on the Beach/Ballad of Ole' Betsy/We'll Run Away/Caroline, No/The Surfer Moon/In My Room" – 9:39
  4. "Beach Boys Medley: Good Vibrations/Help Me, Rhonda/I Get Around/Shut Down/Surfin' Safari/Barbara Ann/Surfin' U.S.A./Fun, Fun, Fun" – 4:10

Reviews

In a brief review, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann called Rarities a collection of "alternate takes, surprising cover versions, and different mixes of familiar songs make this a delight for collectors and hard-core fans. To anyone else, it's pleasant but non-essential."