Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" is the 18th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released May 15, 1972 on Brother/Reprise. The album is a significant musical departure for the band and is the first to feature the Flame's Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar as additions to their official line-up. It sold poorly and was met with lukewarm reviews, but later gained stature as a cult favorite among fans. The album peaked at number 50 in the U.S. and number 25 in the UK. It produced two singles, "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone" and "Marcella", both of which failed to chart in the U.S. Initial American pressings of the album included the band's 1966 release Pet Sounds as a bonus record. Bruce Johnston left the group at the end of the album's recording. In 2022, an expanded version of the album was packaged within the compilation Sail On Sailor – 1972. Background In June 1969, Carl Wilson attended a nightclub performance by the South African band the Flames in London. Impressed by what he saw, he later invited the group to the United States to sign with the Beach Boys' record label, Brother Records. From 1970 to 1971, the Flames were the Beach Boys' supporting act. Carl also produced the group's first album, The Flame, released in March 1971 as the only non-Beach Boys album ever issued by Brother. After Dennis Wilson injured his hand, leaving him unable to play drums for a period, he was substituted onstage by the Flames' Ricky Fataar (and briefly touring musician Mike Kowalski). The Beach Boys' second album on Reprise, Surf's Up, was released in August 1971 to critical acclaim and reached the U.S. and UK top 40. In late 1971, some reports stated that Dennis had left the group to work on his first solo album. According to biographer David Leaf, "Dennis was [at that time] constantly quitting [the band] or getting fired and then rejoining." By then, Fataar and the Flames' guitarist Blondie Chaplin were participating in the Beach Boys' recording sessions, and at Carl's and manager Jack Rieley's behest, soon became official members. Writing in The Beach Boys Diary, music historian Keith Badman states, On February 29, 1972, the group held a press conference in London, where they announced the new additions in their line-up, as well as the imminent release of the