The Beach Boys look back on the group's evolution to FM rock in the early 70s in the new "Sail On Sailor" collection

A new six-CD set from the Beach Boys, titled "Sail On Sailor", represents a moment – particularly 1972 and early 1973 – when the venerable band were trying to move away from their classic image a bit and fit in more with some of the other rock music coming out of the post-counterculture era. They were serious enough about it to even consider dropping or changing their world famous moniker. As longtime member Alan Jardine explains:

“At that time, we felt we had to get away from California culture and start all over again. We were even changing our name. I had the idea of ​​calling us "the beach", you know? Eliminate the 'Boys', because we were marked with that, ”says Jardine. "There was always an identity crisis with the band in those years," says Jardine. "'Who are they? What's all this? It's another direction.'" In the end, boys would still be boys, even if the "Sail On Sailor" era stands as an example. forte of the group growing up to be men, to use an earlier phrase from the Beach Boys.

"Sail On Sailor", which is available on vinyl and download as well as CD, and also comes in more budget-friendly, condensed packages, is a must-have for any serious or even curious Beach Boys fan, representing the end of the era when the band spread their wings - or, of course, their sails - to try to be more of an FM act. It was just before the greatest hits album "Endless Summer" put audiences in the mood for '60s nostalgia once again, prompting the band to return to their original surfer appeal. But the rockier, more adventurous side of the band produced some great music while that inclination lasted, in the form of two studio albums, 'Carl and the Passions - So Tough' and 'Holland', the latter of which produced the classic number which gives its title to this collection. The deluxe version also includes an unreleased Carnegie Hall live album that captures the time when South Africans Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar joined and reinvigorated the lineup. (It was Chaplin who sang "Sail On Sailor," something he still does on tour with Brian Wilson's band.) Dozens of takes round out the collection.

Variety spoke to three key members of the group of this period - Mike Love, Jardine and Chaplin - on the new box set, personnel changes at the time and their memories of going to Holland to record the album of the same name. Condensed and edited versions of these three individual interviews follow…

MIKE LOVE

Is there anything that strikes you right away about the new set, or of the 1972-73 era that it represents?

That was 50 years ago — my God! … It's quite interesting because we're about to play Carnegie Hall (in 2022). And on that collection there's a Carnegie Hall live album that features Blondie Chaplin and his bandmate in The Flame, Ricky Fataar, playing drums, because by that time Dennis had messed up his hand, so he couldn't really play. It was really unique because the Flames were from South Africa; there was still apartheid when they joined our group. I think Blondie in particular gave the vocals a harder edge, and he's also a great guitar player. So it was an interesting time, that's for sure.

Go back to your roots and travel to Holland to make the "Holland" album, live six months in a another country, was pretty amazing. The idea was that we had always been in Southern California, at Sunset Boulevard studios or at Brian's. We just decided to experiment and go overseas, and it was expensive, but the music that came out of it was pretty damn cool, you know? I guess we were a little homesick because we did our "California Saga Trilogy". I made this poem, "Big Sur", about one of the most special parts of the world. And Al had read a book by a guy named Robinson Jeffers, and that helped his thought process. So it was an interesting thing to go all t...