Best of the Beach Boys

Summary

Best of the Beach Boys is the first compilation album released by the American rock band the Beach Boys through Capitol Records in 1966. The first version was released in the United States on July 5, 1966, two months after Pet Sounds. Another version of Best of The Beach Boys was issued in the United Kingdom on November 11, 1966, with a track listing that differed from the American release.

Best of the Beach Boys
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedJuly 5, 1966
Recorded1963–1965
GenreRock
Length27:47
LabelCapitol
ProducerBrian Wilson
The Beach Boys chronology
Pet Sounds
(1966)
Best of the Beach Boys
(1966)
Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 2
(1967)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

North American release edit

The American release of Best of The Beach Boys includes a selection of 12 songs the band had recorded from 1963 to 1965, many of them singles or B-sides. The album reached number eight on the US charts and was certified gold by the RIAA on April 12, 1967, and double platinum on December 1, 1991.[2] Best of The Beach Boys is currently out of print.

Stereo versions of the album are labeled Duophonic on the small print and the labels, though many tracks use true stereo mixes where available.

Track listing edit

Side 1
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Surfin' U.S.A." (Brian Wilson/Chuck Berry)Surfin' U.S.A., 19632:28
2."Catch a Wave" (B. Wilson/Mike Love)Surfer Girl, 19632:18
3."Surfer Girl" (B. Wilson)Surfer Girl2:26
4."Little Deuce Coupe" (B. Wilson/Roger Christian)Surfer Girl1:50
5."In My Room" (B. Wilson/Gary Usher)Surfer Girl2:13
6."Little Honda" (B. Wilson/M. Love)All Summer Long, 19641:51
Side 2
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Fun, Fun, Fun" (B. Wilson/M. Love)Shut Down Volume 2, 19642:18
2."The Warmth of the Sun" (B. Wilson/M. Love)Shut Down Volume 22:50
3."Louie, Louie" (Richard Berry)Shut Down Volume 22:23
4."Kiss Me, Baby" (B. Wilson/M. Love)The Beach Boys Today!, 19652:35
5."You're So Good to Me" (B. Wilson/M. Love)Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), 19652:13
6."Wendy" (B. Wilson/M. Love)All Summer Long2:22

British release edit

Best of The Beach Boys
 
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedNovember 11, 1966
Recorded1962–1966
GenreRock
LabelCapitol/EMI
ProducerBrian Wilson
The Beach Boys UK chronology
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
(1966)
Best of the Beach Boys
(1966)
Surfer Girl
(1967)

The British version of Best of The Beach Boys was released with songs that differed to its American counterpart. This version, initially compiled as a DJ sampler by EMI, sold close to 200,000 copies by September 1967 and spent a total of 142 weeks on the UK album charts, peaking at number two.[3][4][5]

Track listing edit

Side A
  1. "Surfin' Safari" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:05
  2. "Surfin' U.S.A." (B. Wilson/Berry) – 2:28
  3. "Little Deuce Coupe" (B. Wilson/Love) – 1:50
  4. "Fun, Fun, Fun" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:18
  5. "I Get Around" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:12
  6. "All Summer Long" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:05
  7. "In My Room" (B. Wilson/Usher) – 2:13
Side B
  1. "Do You Wanna Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) – 2:18
  2. "Help Me, Rhonda" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:45
  3. "California Girls" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:37
  4. "Barbara Ann" (Fred Fassert) – 2:05
  5. "You're So Good to Me" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:13
  6. "Sloop John B" (trad. arr. B. Wilson/Al Jardine) – 2:55
  7. "God Only Knows" (B. Wilson/Tony Asher) – 2:49

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Eder, Bruce (1966-07-05). "The Best of the Beach Boys, Vol. 1 - The Beach Boys : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  2. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - January 26, 2014". RIAA. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  3. ^ "Billboard - Google Books". 1967-01-07. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  4. ^ "Billboard - Google Books". 1967-09-16. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  5. ^ "BEACH BOYS | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  • The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience, Timothy White, c. 1994.