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Once a bustling suburb on L.A.'s southern flank, Hawthorne and its middle-class values informed an innocent, distinctly SoCal vision of youthful hedonism and produced Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Irony being what it is, Hawthorne's centerpiece mall eventually decayed into a boarded-up economic disaster area while the Wilson family home was bulldozed to make room for--what else?--a freeway. But the Beach Boys' gloriously unlikely legacy remains, celebrated here in this double-disc anthology of harmony-rich rarities and audio vérité dialog snippets. It's also a credit to the band's manic 1960s work ethic; despite the wealth of similar rarities to be found on the twofer catalog reissue series and the Good Vibrations and Pet Sounds box sets, previously unheard gems continue to emerge. While the surviving members' uneasy relationship likely prevented some more candid session revelations from emerging, the focus here is the arc of the group's musical history.

Skewed heavily--and rightfully--toward the band's first seven years, this chronology offers up charmingly rough early demos ("Surfin'," "Surfin' USA," "Little Deuce Coupe"), edited session highlights, backing tracks ("Fun, Fun, Fun," "Salt Lake City," "Good Vibrations," "Be with Me," "Sail On Sailor"), spectacular a cappella versions ("Kiss Me Baby," "Can't Wait Too Long," "Add Some"), alternate takes ("The Little Girl I Once Knew" with an a cappella break, "Time to Get Alone," "Break Away"), and some modern stereo remixes and edits that add revealing details ("Dance, Dance, Dance," "Heroes and Villains," "Vegetables," "Time to Get Alone"). The crucial latter contributions of Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine are also showcased on "Let the Wind Blow," "A Time to Live in Dreams," and "Cotton Fields," respectively. The dialog adds some minor perspective but, as always, it's music that carries the day. Hawthorne, CA is a must for collectors and a concise, insightful introduction to a true American musical institution. --Jerry McCulley