Ricci Martin - Beached (1977) [Vinyl]

Everyone knows Dean Martin, a singer/actor/comedian who was part of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. Since you’re a REBEAT reader, you may also know that one of his sons, Dino, was in a trio himself — the ’60s pop group Dino, Desi, and Billy with Desi Arnaz, Jr., and Billy Hinsche. Dean Martin’s youngest son, Ricci Martin, was also active in entertainment, releasing his first album, Beached, in 1977. One of the lost surf gems of the ’70s — and perhaps the most obscure tangential Beach Boys release of all time.

A longtime friend of the Wilsons, it was Martin who shot the cover for the Beach Boys’ 1970 album Sunflower. Soon after, Carl Wilson convinced Martin to record a single, “Stop Look Around,” which eventually led to (and made its way onto) Beached, which proved to be quite the star-studded affair. In the album’s credits, you’ll find names like Carl and Dennis Wilson beside other hot musicians of the day, like Peter Cetera of Chicago, Jimmy McCulloch of Wings, and Gerry Beckley of America. Recorded at Brother Studios and produced by Carl Wilson and Hinsche, the teaser (and summation) of the album says it all: “What if the key members of the Beach Boys, Chicago, America, and Wings had teamed up to create one of the greatest California rock albums you’ve never heard?”

Opening with with the slightly country-sounding soft-rock “Stop Look Around,” it’s followed by the contrasting, disco-laden, beach-ready “Moonbeams,” a more upbeat tune in every sense (and the B-side to its predecessor). A highlight of the album is “Everybody Knows My Name,” another co-write with Carl Wilson, which contains some really lovely horns and guitar. Other songs, like “I Don’t Like It,” “I Had a Dream,” and “Here I Go Again” carry on that pop flavor and rise above becoming stereotypical “filler tracks.” This expanded version of the album includes four bonus tracks, mono promos and stereo single versions of “Stop Look Around” and “Moonbeams.” (In my opinion, the stereo versions of both are sonically superior to the album versions.) Overall, if you dig the late-’60s, early-’70s Beach Boys sound, you’ll like Beached.

The album is well produced and mixes all kinds of sounds from disco to country to pop. Martin’s voice is unique and works for some of the songs, but it took a bit of getting used to for me. Its companion liner notes are a necessary resource to understand the environment in which this record was recorded and created. What this album is at its core is a missing link in the story of both Ricci Martin and the Beach Boys, and a testament to the time period where Carl Wilson was scouting new groups (see: the Flame) for production, and, as evidenced by Beached, the gettin’ was good.