Wouldn't It Be Nice to Hear "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again"?

In the world of the Beach Boys, we still occasionally do get a true surprise. Think the "Good Vibrations" sessions film footage that surfaced in the last few years, or those reels from the "Shut Down Vol. 2" sessions that someone randomly produced.

Less dramatic but still interesting is the surfacing, after nearly 7 years, of an in-house reference copy of the "Warmth of the Sun" compilation that features an alternate tracklisting and track order. Sure, it's a bit interesting that they considered weird inclusions like "In the Parkin' Lot", and it's cool to see a representation of the vetting process for tracklistings for projects like this.

But look close, and you'll see one key track, Track #26. Long rumored and now confirmed is that the legendary (and heard by so few) Dennis Wilson "Surf's Up" era track "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again" was definitely slated to be included on this CD. But more importantly, the picture above is from eBay auction in which the actual CD in question was sold.

Considering how much unreleased Beach Boys material floats around, it's actually surprising that this track has never been leaked or bootlegged, not even as some sort of murky, muddy bootleg recording. Cover versions of the track have been aired in recent years, and a few fans have heard the actual Beach Boys recording. But there are few tracks in the Beach Boys universe that are so legendary despite having never been heard in any form.

The ultimate question fans currently have is whether this CD and this specific track will "leak" somehow. The CD sold for almost $400 on eBay. I'd say the chances of this leaking are a bit lower than one would normally think. This is the only currently known possible source that the song could leak from, and of course the buyer is traceable through eBay.

If the supposed "Made in California" boxed set does ever surface, this track would surely have to be included if the set is actual intended to showcase unreleased material. So this hoopla may all be over soon enough anyway.

But it would be tantalizing to hear this track, even if I'm not 100% convinced it will blow my mind quite as much as some fans seem to think.