Beach Boys' Party! – THE BEACH BOYS***

Hully Gully/I Should Have Known Better/Tell Me Why/Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow/Mountain Of Love/You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away/Devoted To You/Alley Oop/There Is No Other(Like My Baby)I Get Around-Little Deuce Coupe (Medley)/The Times They Are A-Changin’/Barbara Ann

Beach Boys Party is regarded as disappointing album, cobbled together to provide Christmas product for the group's expectant fans. Alas, the strategy worked as it topped the US album chart. The faux party atmosphere provides a vehicle for covers of mostly other artists’ hits. Barbara Ann was a No. 2 hit single in the US and No. 3 in the UK. (US:1 UK:3)

"Not bad, but it featured Barbara Ann, which was The Beach Boys first UK top five hit, and led to their invasion of our pop charts."

"The Beach Boys, because they actually performed the songs in the studio, sound much more competent than they actually did live at this time. Most of the songs are pretty lightweight, but fun. And I do agree that the background chatter gets incredibly annoying at times."

"After scoring two hit albums and smash singles The Beach Boys' label seemed insatiable. So, the company retreated into a studio with little more than some acoustic guitars, a couple of bongos, and their spectacular voices to present what seemed a spontaneous performance of band chestnuts, three cuts by arch-rivals The Beatles, some telling oldies, and even Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin'."

"The Party album includes a lot of annoying background chatter, clapping, etc., allegedly added after the original sessions. But it's an interesting album anyway, featuring the guys with all acoustic instruments aside from a bass guitar."

"The Party album is a lot of fun, especially if you already know the cover songs before hearing the Beach Boys tackle them."

"In late 1965, Brian Wilson was working on his masterpiece, Pet Sounds. Capitol Records was pressuring him for a new Beach Boys album in time for Christmas, but Brian wasn't about to rush to finish Pet Sounds. So, a compromise of sorts was reached. The Beach Boys went into the recording studio and quickly banged out the Party album. It features the boys playing acoustic instruments and singing covers. It's a fun album, but not really one of the band's best."