Beach Boys Compilations

Careful! There are a lot of dodgy Beach Boys compilations out there. The majority of them are poor selections from the 1962-1966 Capitol period.

Compilations

Best of The Beach Boys (r. 1966, c. 23rd July 1966 - #8 - 78 wks)
Capitol T & ST-2454
U.K.: Capitol T & ST-20856 ???

Best of The Beach Boys, Vol. 2 (r. 1967, c. 12th August 1967 - #50 - 22 wks)
Capitol ???

Best of The Beach Boys, Vol. 3 (r. 1968, c. 7th September 1968 - #153 - 6 wks)
Capitol ???

Close-Up (r. 1969, c. 16th August 1969 - #136 - 6 wks)
double album budget re-issue of Surfin' U.S.A. and All Summer Long

Endless Summer (r. 24th June 1974, c. 20th July 1974 - #1 - 155 wks)

Capitol 11307
CD: Capitol CDP 7 46467 2

Wild Honey and 20/20 (c. 3rd August 1974 - #50 - 11 wks)
double album re-issue

Smiley Smile and Friends (c. 9th November 1974 - #125 - 6 wks)

double album re-issue

Spirit of America (r. April 1975, c. 3rd May 1975 - #8 - 43 wks)

note: sequel to Endless Summer
Capitol 11384
CD: Capitol CDP 7 46618 2

Good Vibrations - Best of The Beach Boys (c. 19th July 1975 - #25 - 23 wks)
note: hits compilation of the best from 1966-1973

Sunshine Dream (c. 3rd July 1982 - #180 - 6 wks)

two-LP best of set

Made In USA (r. 1986, c. 26th July 1986 - #96 - 12 wks)

CD: Capitol CDP 7 46324 2

Summer Dreams (71:07) (1990)
CD: Capitol CDP 79 4620 2

The Best of The Beach Boys (121:51) (1995)
CD: EMI 7243 8 34472 2 0


Best of The Beach Boys

    1:

  1. Surfin' Safari
  2. Surfin' USA
  3. Little Deuce Coupe
  4. Fun, Fun, Fun
  5. I Get Around
  6. All Summer Long
  7. In My Room

    2:

  1. Do You Wanna Dance?
  2. Help Me, Rhonda
  3. California Girls
  4. Barbara Ann
  5. You're So Good To Me
  6. Sloop John B
  7. God Only Knows
The infamous first best of compilation that Capitol cruelly pushed instead of putting their advertising clout behind Pet Sounds.

Best of The Beach Boys, Vol. 3

    1:

  1. God Only Knows
  2. Dance, Dance, Dance
  3. 409
  4. The Little Girl I Once Knew
  5. Frosty The Snowman
  6. Girl Don't Tell Me

    2:

  1. Surfin'
  2. Heroes and Villains
  3. She Knows Me Too Well
  4. Darlin'
  5. Good Vibrations

Endless Summer

  1. Surfin' Safari
  2. Surfer Girl
  3. Catch A Wave
  4. The Warmth of The Sun
  5. Surfin' USA
  6. Be True To Your School
  7. Little Deuce Coupe
  8. In My Room
  9. Shut Down
  10. Fun, Fun, Fun
  11. I Get Around
  12. Girls On The Beach
  13. Wendy
  14. Let Him Run Wild
  15. Don't Worry Baby
  16. California Girls
  17. Girl Don't Tell Me
  18. Help Me, Rhonda
  19. You're So Good To Me
  20. All Summer Long
  21. Good Vibrations

Spirit of America

  1. Dance, Dance, Dance
  2. Break Away
  3. A Young Man Is Gone
  4. 409
  5. The Little Girl I Once Knew
  6. Spirit of America
  7. Little Honda
  8. Hushabye
  9. Hawaii
  10. Drive-In
  11. Good To My Baby
  12. Tell Me Why
  13. Do You Remember?
  14. This Car of Mine
  15. Please Let Me Wonder
  16. Why Do Fools Fall In love
  17. Custom Machine
  18. Barbara Ann
  19. Salt Lake City
  20. Don't Back Down
  21. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
  22. Do You Wanna Dance?
  23. Graduation Day

Made In USA

  1. Surfin' Safari
  2. 409
  3. Surfin' USA
  4. Be True To Your School
  5. Surfer Girl
  6. Dance, Dance, Dance
  7. Fun, Fun, Fun
  8. I Get Around
  9. Help Me, Rhonda
  10. Don't Worry Baby
  11. California Girls
  12. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
  13. Barbara Ann
  14. Good Vibrations
  15. Heroes and Villains
  16. Wouldn't It Be Nice
  17. Sloop John B
  18. God Only Knows
  19. Caroline, No
  20. Do It Again
  21. Rock and Roll Music
  22. Come Go With Me
  23. Getcha Back
  24. Rock 'n' Roll To The Rescue
  25. California Dreamin'

Summer Dreams

  1. I Get Around (2:11)
  2. Surfin' U.S.A. (2:28)
  3. In My Room *
  4. Fun, Fun, Fun (2:18)
    Single Version
  5. Little Deuce Coupe (1:38)
  6. The Warmth of The Sun *
  7. Surfin' Safari (2:04)
  8. Help Me, Rhonda (2:45)
    Single Version
  9. California Girls (2:36)
  10. Don't Worry Baby (2:47)
  11. All Summer Long *
  12. Wendy *
  13. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (2:00)
  14. Dance, Dance, Dance (1:58)
  15. The Little Girl I Once Knew (2:31)
  16. Barbara Ann (2:06)
    Single Version
  17. Good Vibrations (3:35)
  18. Sloop John B (2:56)
  19. You're So Good To Me (2:13)
  20. God Only Knows (2:49)
  21. Then I Kissed Her (2:14)
  22. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:22)
  23. Heroes and Villains (3:36)
  24. Wild Honey (2:36)
  25. Do It Again (2:14)
    without hammering on fade out
  26. Friends (2:31)
  27. Darlin' (2:11)
  28. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (2:51)
  29. I Can Hear Music (2:35)
  30. Break Away (2:53)
    without 'huh' at start
  31. Cotton Fields (3:00)
    Single Version
  32. California Dreamin' (3:09)
* - Not on CD release

A fair greatest hits compilation, marred by a slightly stupid order and a daft front cover but otherwise a good place to start.

The Best of The Beach Boys

Disc 1 (57:22)

  1. California Girls (2:36) *
  2. Surfin' USA (2:25)
  3. Little Deuce Coupe (1:37)
  4. Fun, Fun, Fun (2:18) *
    Single Version
  5. Surfer Girl (2:25)
  6. I Get Around (2:12) *
  7. Girls On The Beach (2:19)
  8. Don't Worry Baby (2:43)
  9. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (1:59) *
  10. All Summer Long (2:03) *
  11. Wendy (2:12)
  12. Do You Wanna Dance (2:16) *
  13. Dance Dance Dance (1:57) *
  14. In My Room (2:10)
  15. Help Me Rhonda (2:45) *
    Single Version
  16. Then I Kissed Her (2:12) *
  17. The Little Girl I Once Knew (2:28) *
  18. Barbara-Ann (2:05) *
    Single Version
  19. Sloop John B (2:54) *
  20. You're So Good To Me (2:12) *
  21. Caroline No (2:50) *
  22. God Only Knows (2:48) *
  23. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:21) *
  24. Heroes and Villains (3:35) *

Disc 2 (64:29)

  1. Good Vibrations (3:35) *
  2. Darlin' (2:09) *
  3. Wild Honey (2:35) *
  4. Friends (2:29)
  5. Do It Again (2:23)
    with hammering on fade out
  6. Bluebirds Over The Mountain (2:50)
  7. I Can Hear Music (2:36)
  8. Break Away (2:52)
    with 'huh' at start
  9. Cottonfields (The Cotton Song) (3:00) *
    Single Version with some chords chopped off the start
  10. Forever (2:37)
  11. Tears In The Morning (4:03)
  12. Disney Girls (4:05
  13. Surf's Up (4:09)
  14. Sail On Sailor (3:18)
  15. Rock and Roll Music (2:26)
  16. Here Comes The Night (4:31)
  17. Lady Lynda (3:58)
  18. Sumahama (4:09)
  19. California Dreamin' (3:09)
  20. Kokomo (3:35)
* - Mono

The back cover says the tracks are digitally remastered so I presume they're using the 1990 masters, although a lot of the songs have slightly premature fade-outs compared with the two-fer versions, with Cotton Fields even missing a few chords at the start of the song! Again, another 'best of' compilation, annoyingly not in chronological order (the worst offender is California Girls at the start of the first disc). And yes, again we are treated to a picture of a surfer on the front cover and it is so painfully obvious that he has been superimposed over an excitingly ferocious wave. How's about a picture of the group for God's sake? This will undoubtably take over from Summer Dreams as the populist compilation (the title 'Best of' is misleading). Conclusion: buy it for your granny, not as a starting point for collectors.

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Last updated: 12th January 2003