The more unlikely an event is, the more fantastic it is when it comes to pass. One such moment came yesterday, when The Beach Boys announced that they will reunite for a global Fiftieth Anniversary celebration in 2012. The Beach Boys – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks – will come together for a new studio album and commemorative catalog releases with Capitol/EMI and a fifty-date international tour to begin in April with a headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") as well as other exciting events to be announced.
This first announcement has gotten everyone – both the band members and their label's personnel – talking:
Brian Wilson says, "This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again."
Mike Love says, "We got together at Capitol Records and re-recorded 'Do It Again.' Brian and I wrote that song which went to Number 1 in Great Britain, Australia and elsewhere some forty-four years ago. Brian paid me a compliment saying, 'How can a guy sound that great so many years later?' Later on, while working out some harmonies on a new song Brian had written, I got a chance to return the compliment. It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements. I am very much looking forward to David Marks joining us and thrilling with his surf guitar licks. Music has been the unifying and harmonizing fact of life in our family since childhood. It has been a huge blessing that we have been able to share with the world; Wouldn't It Be Nice to Do It Again? Absolutely!"
Al Jardine says, "The Beach Boys were recently inducted into the California Hall of Fame. From our humble beginnings as brothers, cousins and friends, we have been honored to sing the praises of California, and I'm really excited for our fans to be able to see us again in concert on the world stage, and to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary together with a new studio album."
Bruce Johnston says, "I will be looking forward to singing Brian Wilson's melodies and Mike Love's lyrics once again in concert with many of the original band members, but imagine what we all could come up with vocally in a recording studio atmosphere under Brian's musical direction."
David Marks says, "I'm really looking forward to celebrating this important milestone in The Beach Boys' history with the other guys, and with Capitol Records – where it all began 50 years ago. It means a lot to me that we can all reunite and pay tribute to the fans who have kept the music alive."
The Beach Boys have already recorded several songs for their new album, to be released in 2012 by Capitol/EMI, with more tracks to be recorded before its completion. The as-yet-untitled record, the first to feature all of the band's surviving original members in decades, is being produced by Brian Wilson and executive produced by Mike Love.
The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band's entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set.
Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group commented: "It's no exaggeration to say that The Beach Boys are one of the greatest and most loved bands that the world has ever produced, and true American icons. We are incredibly proud to take this next step with them as our partnership enters its fiftieth year, and I can't wait to see the band back together doing what they do better than anyone else."
Colin Finkelstein, COO of EMI Music North America said: "We're honored to continue Capitol/EMI's historic partnership with The Beach Boys as they celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. The Beach Boys bring the best of California's sun and surf culture to people all over the world with their music, and we're really looking forward to working with the band on the new album and commemorative catalog releases – a real celebration of fifty years!"
Quint Davis, producer/director, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival says, "It's an honor to present the original Beach Boys reunion at Jazz Fest 2012. Hosting the greatest artists of our era has always been the primary mission of Jazz Fest, and certainly The Beach Boys are unsurpassed as an iconic American musical and cultural institution. Every spring Jazz Fest is the number-one destination for good vibrations and fun, fun, fun; on April 27th, when The Beach Boys reunite on our biggest stage, it's going to feel like a thrilling homecoming for everyone lucky enough to be there. We're all looking forward to experiencing the magic and the joy."
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