Classics selected by Brian Wilson is a compilation of songs by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records in mid-2002. It was compiled by Brian Wilson himself that February. It includes a new recording of an unreleased 1970s track, "California Feelin'" not by The Beach Boys but Wilson and his live band.
Brian wrote in the liner notes:
Picking just 19 Beach Boys favorites is one of the hardest things I ever had to do. If you asked me tomorrow I would probably want to include "Kiss Me, Baby", "Salt Lake City", "Girl Don't Tell Me", "The Little Girl I Once Knew", "At My Window" and, from Holland, "Funky Pretty" & "Mount Vernon and Fairway". Blondie Chaplin's vocal on the fadeout to "Funky Pretty" is sensational. But here's my list as of today... Brian Wilson's 19 favorites on February 11, 2002.
"I have to include this one. The first song I ever wrote. I started humming it in my car, then finished it when I got home. It’s a very spiritual song. We recorded it a few times, but this version comes from the Surfer Girl album."
"I wrote this in honor of President John F. Kennedy. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and that night, Mike and I got together at my office in Hollywood and wrote the song."
"The b-side for "I Get Around". When I wrote this one, I was inspired by "Be My Baby". A special, sweet song. My voice sounded very young on that one."
"My brothers Carl and Dennis and I used to sing three-part harmony in our room when we were kids. Songs like "Come down, come down/From your ivory tower". "In My Room" was a song that I taught them to sing, and it really has the feel of what it was like in our room when we were kids."
"This song was written really quickly... probably in less than an hour. It's an honor to have written this one. It was also a pretty controversial record in that, as far as I know, it was the first rock song to have "God" in the title. It's a love song, but not a love song to a person."
"I wrote that song about a typical day in my life – a special lyric and Brian Wilson vocal."
"We're Together Again" (Ron Wilson) – 1:46
"This song was recorded in the late 1960s, and for some reason, it didn't get onto an album. I always liked it a lot and was glad when it was included on the 'Friends/20/20' two-fer. By the way, that's me singing the lead up high."
Non-album B-side, available on Friends/20/20 twofer CD
"This is one that I wrote for Redwood, the vocal group that I signed to Brother because I thought they were gonna be the next big thing. After it was cut, The Beach Boys decided that they should do it instead. Redwood changed their name and their version finally came out a few years ago on a Three Dog Night "Best Of" CD."
"It represents one of the first times we tried to emulate The Rolling Stones. In my mind, it was dedicated to the Stones, but I never told them that. It's one of the rockingest songs I ever wrote."
"Sail On, Sailor" (Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Tandyn Almer, Ray Kennedy, Jack Rieley) – 3:18
"Van Dyke really inspired this one. We worked on it originally; then, the other collaborators contributed some different lyrics. By the time the Beach Boys recorded it, the lyrics were all over the place. But I love how this song rocks."
"California Feelin'" is a special song written in the early '70s, originally for the Beach Boys; although never officially recorded or released by the Boys, it has always been a favorite of mine. So a few months ago, I took my new band into the studio and I think we accomplished what we set out to do, that being putting a lot of love in this song with our voices. I hope you like it as much as I liked recording it for you. Brian Wilson."
Written in 1974 and unreleased by The Beach Boys, this new version is by Brian Wilson in 2002 and backed by his live band
