1973 HOLLAND

Side A
1. Sail On Sailor
2. Steamboat
3. California Saga: Big Sur
4. California Saga: The Beaks Of Eagles
5. California Saga: California (single mix)
 
Side B
6. The Trader
7. Leaving This Town
8. Only With You
9. Funky Pretty
10. Fairy Tale Music

Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale) EP

side one

1. "Mt. Vernon and Fairway – Theme" B. Wilson 1:34
2. "I'm the Pied Piper – Instrumental" B. Wilson/C. Wilson 2:20
3. "Better Get Back in Bed" B. Wilson C. Wilson 1:39

side two

1. "Magic Transistor Radio" B. Wilson B. Wilson 1:43
2. "I'm the Pied Piper" B. Wilson/C. Wilson B. Wilson 2:09
3. "Radio King Dom" B. Wilson/Rieley 2:38


Continuing this series of reimagining of The Beach Boys' 70s albums:

Following the critical if not commercial success of Carl & The Passions/So Tough, the band manager's Jack Rieley decided to move the group elsewhere in the world for inspiration. Their next record, Holland, would be recorded in Baambrugge, Netherlands over the summer of 1972 using a reconstructed studio sent from California, and with two Brian Wilson tracks rush-recorded in Los Angeles and added to the album at the last minute. The lineup feature Brian's "Sail On Sailor", a reworking of song begun with Van Dyke Parks begun in 1971, "Funky Pretty" and "Fairy Tale Music", a "ouverture" featuring all the main musical themes to his the included EP Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale). Dennis continues to impress with the effect-laden "Steamboat" and the romantic "Only With You" (written with Mike Love). Mike and Al offers "California Saga", an epic three-parter about California and incestuous eagles. Carl is firing on all cylinders with his Jack Reiley collaboration called "Trader" and Blondie Chaplin offers the trippy and soulful "Leaving This Town".

The photograph on the album's front cover is an upside down image of the Kromme Waal, a canal that runs through the center of Amsterdam.

Released in January 1973, Holland received mostly encouraging reviews and helped The Beach Boys establish their critical standing further. It peaked at No. 36 in the US and No. 20 in the UK. At the end of the 1973, Rolling Stone named Holland as one of their picks for "album of the year". In 2000, Elvis Costello ranked the album as one of his favourite records of all time.

Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale)

Holland included a bonus EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale), a musical fairy tale written by Brian Wilson about a magical transistor radio who appears to a young prince. Narration was provided by the group's manager: Jack Rieley. The name of the fairy tale was based on the intersection where the Love family lived in Los Angeles, and was primarily composed by Brian Wilson. Wilson originally intended it to be the centerpiece of a new Beach Boys album, consisting of an ouverture, the tracks from the EP and "Funky Pretty". Finally, the group and Brian agreed to retain the "ouverture" (Fairy Tale Music) for the album and add the complete fairy tale as a bonus EP.