Beach Boys’ Legendarily Shelved ‘Adult/Child’ Album to Finally Debut as Part of Boxed Set Celebrating Classic ‘Love You’ Era

For dedicated fans of The Beach Boys, a major archival release has settled a classic debate. Instead of choosing between a deluxe edition of the 1977 album "Love You" and the official release of the fabled, unreleased 1977 project "Adult/Child," Capitol/UMe is delivering both. The comprehensive new box set, "We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years," is set for release on February 13. This collection focuses on a pivotal and artistically daring period in the mid-1970s, marked by Brian Wilson's return to a hands-on production role. This era, which also includes work from 1976's "15 Big Ones," was commercially resurgent for the band. That album, despite mixed critical reception, became their best-selling record of the decade, revitalizing their chart success after a quieter stretch in the early '70s.

The set is structured as a unified 12.75" x 12.75" package containing three CDs and three LPs, with no separate editions planned. It boasts 73 tracks in total, including 35 previously unreleased recordings and 22 presented in new mixes. An accompanying 40-page booklet features liner notes from historian and co-producer Howie Edelson, incorporating new interviews and archival photos. As a preview, the previously unheard title track "We Gotta Groove"—a Brian Wilson composition from the "Love You" sessions featuring Mike Love on lead vocals—has been made available. While not necessarily a lost classic, any new Wilson composition from this fertile period is a notable event for collectors. Edelson's notes provide critical context, positioning the era's experimental sound as influential. "Brian Wilson's left field use of keyboards in the 1970s is considered to be an early influence for 1980’s New Wave, Synth Pop, and New Romantic record makers," he writes, highlighting how the band's synth-driven work quietly paved the way for future genres.

A central highlight is the long-awaited official debut of "Adult/Child." Recorded in 1977 but rejected by the band's label, it has circulated for decades only on bootlegs, cementing its legendary "holy grail" status among collectors. This release finally presents the material in its intended album sequence for the first time, configured as a nine-track LP supplemented by new 2025 backing-track mixes. This presentation intentionally reframes "Adult/Child"—often discussed as a Brian Wilson solo project—to emphasize it as a more collaborative band effort, showcasing significant vocal contributions from Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Carl and Dennis Wilson. The set also includes 1977's "Love You" in its original mix. That album is renowned for Wilson's raw, pioneering use of synthesizers, creating a distinctive lo-fi aesthetic that stands in stark contrast to the orchestral sophistication of their 1966 masterpiece, "Pet Sounds."

The archival material is extensive. The "Love You" disc is expanded with ten outtakes, including cover songs and alternate mixes. Rather than the original album, material from the "15 Big Ones" era is represented by new 2025 mixes of its cover song recordings. A third CD is devoted to alternate "Love You" mixes and a particularly revealing collection of nine intimate cassette demos by Brian Wilson, offering a rare window into his solo songwriting process at the time. This release follows the acclaimed 2022 box set "Sail On Sailor – 1972," which documented the band's earlier Warner Bros. period, effectively continuing the archival narrative into their late-'70s work. In a fitting precursor, the Grammy Museum will host a panel on February 12 featuring producers Howie Edelson and engineer James Sáez alongside original Brother Studios engineers Stephen Moffitt, Earle Mankey, and John Hanlon, offering expert insight just before the collection's release.