Consumer Guide Album

The Beach Boys: Carl and the Passions--So Tough/Pet Sounds [Brother/Reprise, 1972]
They can't have much faith in the new one if they're loss-leading with an old one (the one that turned them into a cult band, now finally--how did we stand the wait?--available in its pristine mono form). And indeed, there's no reason they should. Despite the title, it's not some sort of primitive surf doowop--sounds a lot like Friends and Holland to me. Fairly pleasant, but even the highlights aren't all that hot: a nice Brian Wilson oeuvre called "Marcella" (sounds like Smiley Smile) and a silly gospel song for the Maharishi. C+