"Beach Boys' Party!" is the tenth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, and their third in 1965, consisting mostly of cover songs played with acoustic instruments. The album reached No. 6 in the US and No. 3 in the UK, and it spawned the single "Barbara Ann," a cover of the Regents' song, which became a major hit, reaching No. 2 in the US and No. 3 in the UK. This marked their highest-charting British single to that point.
The album was conceived as an impromptu live recording of a party, with informal chatter and background noise overdubbed later in the studio. Capitol Records, looking for a release for the holiday season, initially considered options like a greatest hits album or a live album but ultimately chose the party theme. The Beach Boys covered songs by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Everly Brothers, and doo-wop groups, along with two of their own earlier hits, "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe," performed in a playful, tongue-in-cheek style. The relaxed, minimalistic production and informal atmosphere presaged the shift in the band's sound, which would become more evident in their next album, Pet Sounds (1966). Due to its stripped-down acoustic approach, Party! is considered an early example of an "unplugged" album.
The recording was done in a sound studio rather than at a live party, and the casual atmosphere was created through post-production techniques, including the addition of laughter and background chatter. Among the cover songs were the Beatles' "Tell Me Why" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," Bob Dylan's "Devoted to You" by the Everly Brothers, and a fun, lighthearted version of their own "I Get Around." Several songs were recorded but left off the album, including a cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" and Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind."
The album was promoted with an innovative marketing campaign, including the distribution of a million bags of potato chips bearing the album's cover art. Despite its playful and casual tone, Beach Boys' Party! became a commercial success and is often seen as a precursor to the band's more experimental work in the years that followed.
The album has garnered mixed reviews over time. Some critics, like Richie Unterberger, have praised its loose, fun feel, while others, such as Jim Fusilli, found the concept to be less than appealing, particularly the self-mocking tone on tracks like "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe." In 1990, Beach Boys' Party! was paired with Stack-o-Tracks, an album of instrumental mixes, for a CD release, and in 2012, the first stereo mix of the album was issued. In 2015, an expanded 81-track version, Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged, was released, featuring the original album without overdubs along with outtakes from the album's recording sessions.
