SUNRAYS – OUR LEADER / WON’T YOU TELL ME – SUNDAZED – 45 RE (COLOURED VINYL)

When the Beach Boys fired their manager-father Murry Wilson in 1964, he recruited a young group – the Sunrays – to mentor as he had his own children. The ‘Rays took on sun, fun and girls in songs like “I Live For the Sun” and “Andrea”–heavily influenced by Brian Wilson’s rich, intricate production work for the Beach Boys–which became huge regional hits. As a thank you, the Sunrays wrote and recorded “Our Leader” for Murry, a heartfelt tribute to one of rock music’s most storied personalities. Presented to Wilson on Christmas Eve 1965, the track is as polished and produced as any of the group’s released records, and even features the mixed time signatures and a cappella sections that Brian would explore in depth the following year with Smile! Plus, “Won’t You Tell Me” is the classic lost recording from the Wilson circle, a demo for a song Murry had written for his sons, featuring members of the Sunrays and the Wrecking Crew–along with assistance from Dennis Wilson–emulating the Beach Boys sound and achieving something as complex and moving as anything on the group’s greatest album of the period, Sunflower. Neither track was originally issued, and both appear here on vinyl for the first time. Also features rare photos and an insert with notes by original Sunrays member Rick Henn. The sunny and soulful sounds of the Sunrays!

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Format: Vinyl Single