The Beach Boys are the latest classic act to collaborate with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Universal/UMC has announced the release of The Beach Boys With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on 8 June.
The album pairs The Beach Boys’ original vocal performances with new symphonic arrangements, newly recorded by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.
The album is produced by Don Reedman and Nick Patrick, who were at the helm for 2017’s A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and 2016 release The Wonder Of You: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
According to the Official Charts Company, the Roy Orbison album has sales to date of 269,497. The orchestral Elvis Presley record has sales to date of 550,066. Both releases were by Sony Music CG’s Legacy Recordings label. The Royal Philharmonic toured both projects.
Ahead of the Beach Boys album next month, the orchestral version of Fun, Fun, Fun is available now for streaming and for immediate download with the digital album pre-order.
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson said: “I always knew the vocal arrangements I did back in the 1960s would lend themselves perfectly for a symphony and there is no better one in the world than the Royal Philharmonic. I am both proud and humbled by what they have created using our songs and I hope everyone falls in love with it like I have.”
Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love said: “This album is one of a kind. I think the fact that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has accompanied The Beach Boys with these great arrangements is just a phenomenal thing. It’s a whole other dimension to our music.”
The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine said: “Don Reedman and Nick Patrick did a terrific job on this. I can’t imagine having more fun than taking some of these great songs and putting them into this perspective. They did a beautiful job of arranging the music around the original vocals, which I think is a terrific idea. It makes the music feel new all over again!”
The Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston said: “When I listened to the album, I realised that the new arrangements performed by the orchestra didn’t add the wrong kind of weight. They just added the beautiful fairy dust of the orchestra to what we already recorded. It’s another interpretation of us without losing the groundwork of us. I really like it.”
The album also features the orchestra’s new turns on the classics Good Vibrations, California Girls, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows, Sloop John B, Help Me, Rhonda, In My Room and Disney Girls.
Patrick said: “I’m a complete and utter fan of The Beach Boys and the way their music makes you feel. The Beach Boys’ music is so multi-layered; you can experience it on so many levels. You’ve got the obvious harmonies, which are amazing. But what we found making this record is when you dig down into the arrangements, they’re extraordinary. They’re fresh, new, complex, beautiful and constructed in a completely original way.”
Reedman added: “To be able to make this record, it’s a great honour. The feeling you get, listening to the original recordings and the performances, and then to be able to put our expression into their recordings through our arrangements and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is an absolute thrill.”
The Beach Boys will be performing at Hampton Court Palace Festival on June 15 and 16, 2018, which are the band’s only UK concerts on their summer tour this year.
The full tracklisting is below:
1. California Suite
2. California Girls
3. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
4. Fun, Fun, Fun
5. Don’t Worry Baby
6. God Only Knows
7. Sloop John B
8. Heroes And Villains
9. Disney Girls
10. Here Today
11. In My Room
12. Kokomo
13. The Warmth Of The Sun
14. Darlin’
15. Help Me, Rhonda
16. You Still Believe In Me
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