Songs From Here & Back

Title: Songs From Here & Back
Review: In the fractured Beach Boys world of the mid-naughties, the very existence of this Hallmark-only release may be a minor miracle. Of course, there is no pretence that this is a unified album of new music. Instead, there are concert tracks from 1974 and 1989, plus one track apiece from Brian, Mike and Al. The lion's share of the concert tracks are from 1989, and this is the album's key point of interest, being the only legal document of the concert era post-Dennis. Brian's Spirit Of Rock And Roll is a strong song that could probably have been done better, but it is nice also to have it legally. Mike's Cool Head, Warm Heart is from a Mike solo album that hasn't been taken up by any record company yet, but is a pleasant track, while Al's PT Cruiser is a standard rocker. All in all, pleasant, nowhere close to a real Beach Boys album but we'll take it for now.
Rating: 7 / 10