Adult Child would have been the true successor to Love You if it had been released in the fall of 1977. It is one of the Beach Boys' finest albums; in fact, aside from the aforementioned Love You, Sunflower is the only Beach Boys release from the '70s that surpasses it. Surprisingly, it has been dismissed by most fans, who prefer to discuss the possibilities of the unfinished Smile recordings. While Smile's fragments are incredible, speculation about the music and possibilities of what its influence on music may have been cannot hide the fact that the album was not, in Brian Wilson's mind, finished. Hopefully one day we will get a Smile Sessions box set.

For fans of Brian Wilson's quirkier side, Adult Child should be considered the unreleased gem. Not only was the album actually finished (if you consider Love You finished, which I, as well as Brian Wilson, do), but it is incredible.

The group was near the end of their contract with Warners and signed a CBS deal in 1977. Adult Child was to be the final album for Warners; and what eventually became MIU Album was to be the first for CBS. Apparently, Adult Child was rejected by Warners, so the Beach Boys ended up giving them MIU. The Beach Boys were having a rough time during this period, so that may not have been the only reason this album stayed "in the can."

The recordings feature mainly Brian with some contributions from Carl and Dennis (the tracks that included Mike and Al as lead vocalists were from earlier sessions), and other members of the group may not have been happy with the album. Brian's comments in a 1988 interview lead to speculation that Mike Love objected to the "swing" sound on some of the tracks: "There was a problem with Mike, but we got through it. He told me I was fucking around, that I wasn't serious. I cut a track with swing music. Remember swing music? I cut a track for one of our tracks and he got mad. He said, 'What are you doing messing around for?' I said I'm just trying to do what I like, what I think is right for now's times ..."

Four of the tracks feature the "swing" sound Brian was referring to (arranged by Dick Reynolds, who worked with the boys on their 1964 Christnas LP) - "Life Is For The Living," "Deep Purple," "It's Over Now," and "Still I Dream Of It." There are four other tracks recorded specifically for this album ("Everybody Wants To Live," "Shortenin' Bread," "Lines," and "It's Trying To Say"). These tracks have a bare-bones sound not unlike Love You, but with a different vibe: piano, moog bass (a little bit bouncier than Love You's), drums, and sometimes organ.

The rest of the tracks are from earlier projects. "HELP Is On The Way" and "Games Two Can Play" date from the Sunflower era, while "Hey Little Tomboy" and "On Broadway" were from 1976 sessions.

Track listing:                     Lead vocal(s)      year recorded

Side One:                       
1. Life Is For The Living* (Carl, Brian) 1977
(written by: Brian Wilson)

2. Hey Little Tomboy (original version) (Mike, Carl, Brian) 1976
(B. Wilson)

3. Deep Purple* (Brian) 1977
(DeRose-Parish)

4. HELP Is On The Way (Mike) 1970
(B. Wilson/M. Love)

5. It's Over Now* (Carl, Brian, Marilyn) 1977
(B. Wilson)

6. Everybody Wants To Live (Carl, Brian) 1977
(B. Wilson)

Side Two:                       
1. Shortnin' Bread (original version) (Brian, Carl) 1977
(Trad; Arr. B. Wilson)

2. Lines (Brian, Carl) 1977
(B. Wilson)

3. On Broadway (Al) 1976
(Leiber-Stoller-Mann-Weil) 

4. Games Two Can Play (Brian) 1969
(B. Wilson)

5. It's Trying To Say (Dennis) 1977
(B. Wilson?+)

6. Still I Dream Of It* (Brian) 1977
(B. Wilson)

Produced By Brian Wilson
*String and horn arrangements by Dick Reynolds

+Brad Elliot was unable to obtain copyright information for "It's Trying To Say," but Brian presumably wrote the song.

"Hey Little Tomboy" was released on the MIU Album in 1978 with extensive overdubs. "Shortenin' Bread" was released in a completely re-recorded (and in my opinion, inferior) version on 1979's LA (Light Album). "HELP Is On The Way" (in a slightly different mix), "Games Two Can Play," "Still I Dream Of It," and "It's Over Now" were included on Capitol's 1993 Good Vibrations box set. For some reason, the tape speed of "It's Over Now" on the box set is noticeably slower. The remaining tracks have never been issued in any form officially.

It's unlikely that the album will ever be released in its intended form. It's a shame too; the sequence of the tracks are part of what makes Adult Child so charming. The best of the remaining songs may see the light of day on future Rarities compilations.

Thanks to Brad Elliot for supplying much of the information used to construct this article.

Donald Lang