BEACH BOYS – LIVE AT KNEBWORTH 1980 DVD-R

Knebworth House, Knebworth, England 21st June 1980 PRO-SHOT
Broadcast Date: 2nd January 2007★Broadcast from 3am on New Year’s Day

　The Beach Boys were the final act at the 1980 Knebworth Festival. Like ZEP the previous year, they also had both video and audio recordings. In fact, even rehearsals were recorded with the intention of releasing them.

However, no live release was realized (again, the same situation as ZEP), and it was not until the 21st century that the pattern became clear. Both the live album and the video were released at the same time, but the live video has become a staple of the Beach Boys in the DVD era.

Also, when the surviving original members gathered together for a live performance in 2012, the footage of Carl Wilson singing “God Only Knows” was used very effectively for the virtual live performance.

Such classic live footage is now out of print. What’s more, the only versions available on YouTube are those uploaded in parts, or versions that are labeled as remastered and HD images but are actually unwatchable, making it unfortunate that such a classic cannot be viewed in its entirety.

So this time we have prepared the version that was broadcast in Japan on New Year’s Day 2007. Of course, the video itself is the same as the one released at the time, but there are comments by famous people at the opening and ending of the broadcast (although I can’t help but smile at the comment at the end when they mixed up Brian and Mike about the falsetto), which is interesting enough just for that.

However, what is particularly noteworthy about this broadcast is the introductory text at the beginning of each song. This is very on-point, and for us Japanese, it is wonderful that the finished product is more enjoyable than the original video.

Looking at the video again, it seems that Dennis Wilson was drunk on that day, and when he wasn’t playing the drums, he drank even more. As proof of this, in “Surfer Girl,” he was singing while Mike Love was involved, and it was hilarious to see him make a blatantly unpleasant face when Dennis got involved.

Moreover, during the middle of the live performance when Dennis was not playing drums, support drummer Bobby Figueroa took his place, and when he started playing the performance immediately became solid, which was in stark contrast to Dennis’s drumming, which tended to be drunk and fast.

When Dennis returned to the drums in the second half of the show, his and the other members’ performances finally did not mesh on “Rock and Roll Music.” It seems that because of these happenings, the live performance never saw the light of day, and instead the Independence Day live performance in Washington two weeks later was released on VHS at the time.

However, compared to Washington’s compilation, which was biased towards oldies, Knebworth’s compilation has a much more balanced selection of songs, which is a major attraction. It also includes songs from “KEEPIN’ THE SUMMER ALIVE,” which was the latest album at the time, which is a big plus.

And above all, the camera angles are stunning, with Al Jardine and Carl Wilson even singing directly into the camera, giving a relaxed performance that’s superb.

This is a rare Japanese broadcast version of the Beach Boys’ classic live footage. Although it was broadcast in 2007, it is already 15 years ago, and the broadcast is captured in perfect image quality. The opening and closing commentary now makes you feel nostalgic, making this rare broadcast version even more enjoyable than the original live software. I repeat, the falsetto is Brian Wilson, not Mike Love (lol).

(74:49)
1. Intro
2. VJ Talk
3. Opening/Good Timing
4. California Girls
5. Sloop John B
6. Darlin’
7. School Days (Ring Ring Goes the Bell)
8. God Only Knows
9. Be True To Your School
10. Do It Again
11. Little Deuce Coupe
12. Cotton Fields
13. Heroes And Villains
14. Keepin’ The Summer Alive
15. Lady Lynda
16. Surfer Girl
17. Help Me, Rhonda
18. Rock And Roll Music
19. I Get Around
20. Surfin’ U.S.A.
21. You Are So Beautiful
22. Good Vibrations
23. Barbara Ann
24. Fun, Fun, Fun
25. VJ Talk
26. Outro/God Only Knows