The Absolute Sound Super Disc List    TAS Harry Pearson Super LP List

100 Recommended All-Analog ressues Worth Owning - Michael Fremer Analogplanet 

These reissues restore whatever was really on the tapes — and given who was involved and where they were recorded, you can be sure the bass heard on these reissues was not added by Kevin Gray. ... As for the quality of these reissues, it's quite clear that, whether or not you like the sonic results, Analogue Productions sets the reissue standard. The company insists upon using analog master tapes (where available), not analog copies, it uses the best available artwork, and packages in 'Tip-on'TM jackets. It masters where the tapes are located using Kevin Gray in California, Ryan K. Smith in New York and Willem Makkee in Germany." — Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet

"Listening to the stereo version, I was struck by the separation, the wide soundscape, the detail, and the depth; I could imagine the voices filling a cathedral. ... The rich blending of the vocal harmonies on the stereo versions of 'Surfer Girl,' 'In My Room,' and other songs is praiseworthy ... the voices envelop you in a three-dimensional soundscape that can be mesmerizing." — Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound,

 

For Brother Records — Elliott Lott

 

Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, most from the original master tapes 

 

Lacquer plating by Gary Salstrom and 200-gram vinyl pressing by Quality Record Pressings!

 

"These are the best sounding and best-looking versions of the Beach Boys records that have ever been produced. We want everything about these to be better than the original." 

 

A musical legacy that began in Hawthorne, California and went on to conquer the world. Analogue Productions presents the ultimate pressings of 14 essential Beach Boys albums

 Mastered by Kevin Gray, most from the original master tapes, and plated and pressed by Quality Record Pressings, the finest LP pressing facility in the world, these are awesome recordings to experience.

 

And the look of each album befits its sonic superiority! Presented in "old school" Stoughton tip-on jackets, these time honored favorites shine brighter than the originals!

 

Surfer Girl, the Beach Boys' third album for Capitol Records, was the first produced by Brian Wilson on his own (the previous two, Surfin Safari and Surfin Usa (Mono & Stereo Remasters), were co-produced by the late Capitol A&R man, Nik Venet). This album was The Boys' first really great effort; there's not a bad track in the lot, including the title song, "Catch A Wave," "In My Room," "Hawaii," "Our Car Club," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Your Summer Dream," and more.

 

Apart from Surfin' Safari, which was mono only, the Beach Boys did turn in stereo masters on all of their early albums up until 1965. The Beach Boys Today! was the first LP for which they only delivered a mono master.

 

The stereo editions of Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe, Shut Down Vol. 2, All Summer Long, Beach Boys Christmas Album and Beach Boys Concert were all mixed in stereo by their own preferred engineer, Chuck Britz, ostensibly under the group's supervision.

 

"Brian may or may not have been present for those mixing sessions — evidence suggests that he trusted Chuck's skills enough to let him prepare those mixes on his own — but the group held onto their multitrack tapes and delivered stereo masters to Capitol, rather than allowing Capitol to prepare their own stereo versions. Later, when Brian was only delivering mono masters, Capitol would prepare the Duophonic pseudo stereo editions for the stereo market," says Alan Boyd, producer and Beach Boys' archivist.

 

The Beach Boys' practice of double-tracking their vocals really lends itself to stereo mixes. Split left and right, as they are on a lot of those early stereo versions, those doubled vocal parts can really envelop the listener, surrounding them with Wilsons, Loves and Jardines!

 

All of the newer stereo mixes on these remastered albums (The Beach Boys Today!, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), The Beach Boys' Party, Pet Sounds and Smiley Smile) were all done by Mark Linett on behalf of the Beach Boys.