San Fran Sessions
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = San Fran Sessions
| type = Box set
| artist = The Beau Brummels
| cover = The Beau Brummels - San Fran Sessions.jpg
| alt =
| released = June 11, 1996
| recorded = 1964–1966
| venue =
| studio = Golden State Recorders, San Francisco, California, US
| genre = Folk rock, pop, rock
| length = 141:52
| language = English
| label = Sundazed
| producer = Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, The Beau Brummels
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
San Fran Sessions is a box set compilation which collects 60 demos, outtakes, rarities and unissued performances recorded by The Beau Brummels from 1964 to 1966. The three-disc set, released by Sundazed Music on June 11, 1996, includes alternate takes of the band's singles "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little", as well as early versions of songs that were likely targeted for their never-completed third album on Autumn Records.
Background
In addition to demos and alternate takes of some of the Beau Brummels' early material, San Fran Sessions contains songs—such as "I Grow Old", "Gentle Wandering Ways", "Dream On", "Love is Just a Game", "This is Love", and "Hey Love"—that were recorded in 1965 and early 1966 and were likely planned for the band's third album on Autumn Records.
{{cite book
| last=Unterberger
| first=Richie
| title=Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock
| edition=
| publisher=Miller Freeman, Inc.
| pages=[https://archive.org/details/urbanspacemenway0000unte/page/178 178, 183]
| location=San Francisco
| date=2000
| isbn=978-0-87930-616-8
| url=https://archive.org/details/urbanspacemenway0000unte/page/178
}}
Ultimately, the album was never finished because the entire Autumn roster, including the Beau Brummels, was transferred in early 1966 to Warner Bros. Records, who wanted the band to record an album of cover versions of recent hits.
{{cite magazine
| last = Cohen
| first = Elliot Stephen
| title = Beau Brummels Look to Rewrite History with Greatest-Hits Package
| magazine = Goldmine
| date = 2008-04-24
| url = http://www.goldminemag.com/article/beau-brummels-look-to-rewrite-history-with-greatest-hits-package
| accessdate = 2010-03-27}}
The result was Beau Brummels '66, released in July.
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = Allmusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r244192|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]
}}
Author and music journalist Richie Unterberger said San Fran Sessions "should only be acquired by serious fans of the band" and added, "from a historical viewpoint, it's interesting in that it presents a lot of previously unheard Sal Valentino-penned tunes (Ron Elliott wrote most of the songs that ended up on official releases)".
{{cite web
| last=Unterberger
| first=Richie
| url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r244192|pure_url=yes}}
| title=San Fran Sessions - Review
| publisher=Allmusic (Rovi Corporation)
| accessdate=2010-03-27}}
Unterberger favorably compared the previously unreleased tracks to the rest of the band's Autumn material, praising the band's "beautifully sad harmonies and glittering guitar arrangements". He noted the album also features "substantially different versions of officially released songs like "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little".
Track listing
=Disc one=
{{track listing
| extra_column = Notes
| title1 = Still in Love with You Baby
| length1 = 2:30
| extra1 = early version
| writer1 = Ron Elliott
| title2 = It's So Nice
| length2 = 1:45
| extra2 = demo
| writer2 = Sal Valentino
| title3 = Love Is Just a Game
| length3 = 2:33
| extra3 = demo
| writer3 = Elliott
| title4 = Just a Little
| length4 = 2:30
| extra4 = alternate version 1
| writer4 = Bob Durand, Elliott
| title5 = Just Wait and See
| length5 = 2:04
| extra5 = early version
| writer5 = Elliott
| title6 = How Many Times
| length6 = 2:04
| extra6 = demo
| writer6 = Elliott
| title7 = Stay With Me Awhile
| length7 = 3:23
| extra7 = demo
| writer7 = Valentino
| title8 = I Will Go
| length8 = 2:37
| extra8 = demo
| writer8 = Elliott
| title9 = Laugh, Laugh
| length9 = 3:21
| extra9 = alternate version
| writer9 = Elliott
| title10 = Sad Little Girl
| length10 = 4:10
| extra10 = demo
| writer10 = Elliott
| title11 = She's My Girl
| length11 = 2:24
| extra11 = demo
| writer11 = Declan Mulligan
| title12 = Talk to Me
| length12 = 1:13
| extra12 = demo
| writer12 = Mulligan
| title13 = Before Darkness Ends
| length13 = 2:28
| extra13 = demo
| writer13 = Valentino
| title14 = Hey Love
| length14 = 2:28
| extra14 = demo
| writer14 = Valentino
| title15 = That's All That Matters
| length15 = 2:37
| extra15 =
| writer15 = Elliott
| title16 = I Want More Loving
| length16 = 2:22
| extra16 = alternate vocal
| writer16 = Elliott
| title17 = I Will Love You Still
| length17 = 1:24
| extra17 = demo
| writer17 = Valentino
| title18 = Just a Little
| length18 = 2:20
| extra18 = alternate version 2
| writer18 = Durand, Elliott
| title19 = News
| length19 = 1:52
| extra19 = demo
| writer19 = Valentino
| title20 = Woman
| length20 = 1:11
| extra20 = demo
| writer20 = Durand, Elliott
}}
=Disc two=
{{track listing
| extra_column = Notes
| title1 = Sometime at Night
| length1 = 1:48
| extra1 = alternate vocal
| writer1 = Durand, Elliott
| title2 = Sad Little Girl
| length2 = 4:18
| extra2 = alternate version 1
| writer2 = Elliott
| title3 = I'll Tell You
| length3 = 2:42
| extra3 =
| writer3 = Elliott
| title4 = When It Comes to Your Love
| length4 = 2:10
| extra4 = Village of the Giants version
| writer4 = Elliott
| title5 = Can't Be So
| length5 = 2:15
| extra5 = demo
| writer5 = Elliott
| title6 = That's Alright
| length6 = 2:19
| extra6 = demo
| writer6 = Valentino
| title7 = No Lonelier Man
| length7 = 1:58
| extra7 = demo
| writer7 = Elliott
| title8 = She Loves Me
| length8 = 3:08
| extra8 = demo
| writer8 = Mulligan
| title9 = Can It Be
| length9 = 2:17
| extra9 = demo
| writer9 = Durand, Elliott
| title10 = Forget It Babe
| length10 = 3:22
| extra10 = demo
| writer10 = Valentino
| title11 = Woman
| length11 = 2:45
| extra11 = instrumental
| writer11 = Durand, Elliott
| title12 = No Lonelier Man
| length12 = 1:41
| extra12 = demo
| writer12 = Elliott
| title13 = Tomorrow Is Another Day
| length13 = 2:43
| extra13 = demo
| writer13 = Elliott
| title14 = I'm Alone Again
| length14 = 1:26
| extra14 = demo
| writer14 = Elliott
| title15 = Kill
| length15 = 1:39
| extra15 = demo
| writer15 = Elliott
| title16 = When It Comes to Your Love
| length16 = 1:50
| extra16 = demo
| writer16 = Elliott
| title17 = Sad Little Girl
| length17 = 3:04
| extra17 = alternate version 2
| writer17 = Elliott
| title18 = Sometime at Night
| length18 = 1:50
| extra18 = alternate version
| writer18 = Durand, Elliott
| title19 = On the Road Again
| length19 = 3:13
| extra19 = demo
| writer19 = Valentino
| title20 = Pity the Fool
| length20 = 1:41
| extra20 = demo
| writer20 = Elliott
}}
=Disc three=
{{track listing
| extra_column = Notes
| title1 = She Sends Me
| length1 = 2:02
| extra1 =
| writer1 = Elliott
| title2 = Fine With Me
| length2 = 2:24
| extra2 =
| writer2 = Durand, Elliott
| title3 = Friend of Mine
| length3 = 2:29
| extra3 = demo
| writer3 = Elliott
| title4 = Gentle Wandering Ways
| length4 = 2:41
| extra4 =
| writer4 = Elliott
| title5 = This Is Love
| length5 = 2:12
| extra5 = demo
| writer5 = Valentino
| title6 = This Is Love
| length6 = 2:12
| extra6 =
| writer6 = Valentino
| title7 = I Grow Old
| length7 = 2:06
| extra7 = version 1
| writer7 = Durand, Elliott
| title8 = Dream On
| length8 = 2:26
| extra8 =
| writer8 = Elliott
| title9 = Till the Day
| length9 = 1:58
| extra9 = demo
| writer9 = Elliott
| title10 = I'll Go Now
| length10 = 3:23
| extra10 = demo
| writer10 = Valentino
| title11 = Down on Me
| length11 = 2:27
| extra11 =
| writer11 = Elliott
| title12 = I Cannot Hide
| length12 = 2:22
| extra12 = demo
| writer12 = Elliott
| title13 = Let Me In
| length13 = 2:15
| extra13 =
| writer13 = Elliott
| title14 = Cry Some
| length14 = 2:34
| extra14 =
| writer14 = Elliott
| title15 = What Do You Want
| length15 = 2:33
| extra15 = demo
| writer15 = Elliott
| title16 = Hey Love
| length16 = 3:01
| extra16 =
| writer16 = Valentino
| title17 = I Grow Old
| length17 = 2:01
| extra17 = version 2
| writer17 = Durand, Elliott
| title18 = Find a Place
| length18 = 2:06
| extra18 = demo
| writer18 = Valentino
| title19 = I Will Go
| length19 = 2:43
| extra19 = instrumental
| writer19 = Elliott
| title20 = Coming Home
| length20 = 2:30
| extra20 = demo
| writer20 = Elliott
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r244192|pure_url=yes}} San Fran Sessions] at Allmusic
{{The Beau Brummels}}
Category:The Beau Brummels albums