Holland

Holland is the nineteenth studio album by the American rock group The Beach Boys, released in January 1973. It was famously (and expensively) recorded in Baambrugge, Netherlands over the summer of 1972 using a reconstructed studio sent from home, and with two Brian Wilson tracks rush-recorded in Los Angeles and added to the album at the last minute.

Just as Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” was coming to print, The Beach Boys, at manager Jack Rieley’s urging, decided to pack up and record their next album in the Netherlands. They felt the change of scenery would make for some inspirational sessions, and perhaps even snap former leader Brian Wilson out of his deep depression.

By mid-1972, Wilson was well into mental illness. Keenly aware that he was creating less music than ever before, The Beach Boys were hoping to jump-start his creative juices. Although he did make the trip (after three separate attempts to get on the plane), Wilson contributed little to the album, concentrating his musical efforts on “Mount Vernon and Fairway”, a ten-minute long “musical fairy tale” which was later included with the album as a bonus EP. With Carl Wilson in charge, the rest of the band had to carry the album, and the resulting effort, named Holland, was one of The Beach Boys’ more respected 1970s releases.