Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson to release long-lost country album

A country album Brian Wilson started producing nearly five decades ago is finally set to see the light of day.

According to Rolling Stone, Cows in the Pasture, which Wilson started in 1970 with Beach Boys‘ manager Fred Vail on vocals, is expected out sometime next year.

Wilson and Vail worked on the record in April 1970 while the Beach Boys were recording their 16th studio album, Sunflower, but Wilson chose to abandon the project in the middle of recording.

“We never did any keeper vocals,” Vail tells the mag. “They were mostly just scratch vocals that we never completed. There were no background vocals and no harmonies. It was a lot instrumentation. And when Brian lost interest, I just moved on. It was kind of like, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ I didn’t figure anything would ever be done with them.”

Now, the album is finally being finished, thanks to producer Sam Parker and a series of yet-to-be revealed guest stars. It’s expected out in 2025, with a docuseries also in the works covering a now 79-year-old Vail’s life story and the completion of the album. Wilson is executive producing the new record and will also appear on it.

“Fred always loved country music, and he was a big rodeo guy,” Wilson tells the mag. “He’s a hell of a guy, one hell of a promoter, and I’m glad his album is coming out.”