Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys

( 11 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David McGee
There is no one in music more closely aligned with the carefree feel of summer than the Beach Boys, and this collection brings their good vibrations back to the fore with 30 Top 40 singles. Despite the disc's title, only half of the songs here were actually released in the spring or summer, but who could argue that "Good Vibrations" October 1966 or, for Pete's sake, "Surfin' U.S.A." March 1963 don't conjure the Coppertone, salt water, and itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, polka-dot bikinis of a sunny California summer? Heavily anthologized over the years, all of this material is available on numerous Beach Boys retrospectives, so there are no surprises here, although the ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David McGee
There is no one in music more closely aligned with the carefree feel of summer than the Beach Boys, and this collection brings their good vibrations back to the fore with 30 Top 40 singles. Despite the disc's title, only half of the songs here were actually released in the spring or summer, but who could argue that "Good Vibrations" October 1966 or, for Pete's sake, "Surfin' U.S.A." March 1963 don't conjure the Coppertone, salt water, and itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, polka-dot bikinis of a sunny California summer? Heavily anthologized over the years, all of this material is available on numerous Beach Boys retrospectives, so there are no surprises here, although the latter-day numbers stand out as a being a bit more assembly-line than inspired, such as 1985's "Getcha Back," a No. 26 single in its day. The timeless '60s tracks form the bulwark of the repertoire, however, and time has not diminished their appeal one whit, whether it's the youthful exuberance driving 1962's "Surfin' Safari," the cocky attitude energizing 1964's "I Get Around," the tender melancholy informing 1963's ethereal "Surfer Girl" Brian Wilson's first attempt at songwriting, or the adventurous forays into sound and lyrics that constitute 1967's wondrous "Heroes and Villains." Also, the version of "Be True to Your School" is the great single version, featuring the Honeys providing cheerleader yells. This classic retrospective features four chart-toppers -- "I Get Around," "Help Me, Rhonda," 1988's "Kokomo," and "Good Vibrations" -- and 16 tracks that peaked in the upper reaches of the Top 20. There's no better soundtrack for board waxing or top-down driving -- these tunes capture the spirit of the sunny months, no matter what the season.
All Music Guide - John Bush
After gaining control of the Beach Boys' entire catalog including all the band's post-1969 material, Capitol released two-fers covering their out-of-print '70s records and a Brian Wilson-selected compilation titled Classics, then later, this hits compilation -- the longest single-disc American collection ever seen. With all but five tracks coming from their 1962-1969 peak, and every one a Top 40 hit, Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys is also the best, a worthy digital-age successor to previous classics like Endless Summer and Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. Though the songs don't appear in chronological order, the compilers improved the concept of a hits compilation by bunching the disc into mini-sets -- one of classic adolescence songs "Be True to Your School," "When I Grow Up [To Be a Man]," "In My Room", one of surfing songs "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "Surfer Girl", one of frat-boy classics "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Barbara Ann", and another including selections from their masterpiece Pet Sounds "God Only Knows," "Sloop John B," "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Nearly any compilation on an important artist can be argued, but it's the rare one that covers as many bases and leaves out so few classics as Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys.
Rolling Stone - Ernesto Lechner
The overall effect of this thirty-track overview of the Beach Boys' career is similar to that of the Beatles' 1: Both compilations strive to blow you away with the sheer amount of hit singles at hand, and both succeed.
Blender - James Slaughter
[The disc's] track listing [is] heavily weighted toward 1962 through 1967, when the Beach Boys were responsible for quite possibly the greatest run of hit singles in rock history.

The overall effect of this thirty-track overview of the Beach Boys' career is similar to that of the Beatles' 1: Both compilations strive to blow you away with the sheer amount of hit singles at hand, and both succeed.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 6/10/2003
  • Label: Capitol
  • UPC: 724358271027
  • Catalog Number: 82710

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 California Girls (2:46)
  2. 2 I Get Around (2:14)
  3. 3 Surfin' Safari (2:07)
  4. 4 Surfin' U.S.A. (2:28)
  5. 5 Fun, Fun, Fun (2:21)
  6. 6 Surfer Girl (2:28)
  7. 7 Don't Worry Baby (2:49)
  8. 8 Little Deuce Coupe (1:41)
  9. 9 Shut Down (1:50)
  10. 10 Help Me, Rhonda (2:47)
  11. 11 Be True to Your School (2:10)
  12. 12 When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) (2:03)
  13. 13 In My Room (2:13)
  14. 14 God Only Knows (2:53)
  15. 15 Sloop John B (2:59)
  16. 16 Wouldn't It Be Nice (2:33)
  17. 17 Getcha Back (3:01)
  18. 18 Come Go With Me (2:07)
  19. 19 Rock & Roll Music (2:30)
  20. 20 Dance, Dance, Dance (2:03)
  21. 21 Barbara Ann (2:13)
  22. 22 Do You Wanna Dance (2:20)
  23. 23 Heroes and Villains (3:40)
  24. 24 Good Timin' (2:14)
  25. 25 Kokomo (3:38)
  26. 26 Do It Again (2:21)
  27. 27 Wild Honey (2:40)
  28. 28 Darlin' (2:14)
  29. 29 I Can Hear Music (2:39)
  30. 30 Good Vibrations (3:39)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
The Beach Boys Primary Artist
Brian Wilson Vocals
Mike Love Vocals
Carl Wilson Guitar, Vocals
Al Jardine Vocals
David Marks Guitar
Dennis Wilson Drums, Vocals
Dean Torrence Vocals
Technical Credits
The Beach Boys Producer
Chuck Berry Composer
Brian Wilson Producer
Bruce Johnston Producer
Terry Melcher Producer
Carl Wilson Producer
Murry Wilson Producer
T Bone Burnett Composer
Vince Clarke Composer
Joe Gastwirt Mastering
James William Guercio Producer
David Hidalgo Composer
Mark Linett Remixing, Audio Production
Lewis A. Martineé Composer
Nick Venet Producer
Anthony DeCurtis Liner Notes
Louie Pérez Composer
Roger Christian Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 11 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(9)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    The Best is the best

    Has all the great songs and some I did not know existed. Love it

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    The Paul Simon Collection: On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Goin'

    Real cool cd makes it feel like summer again!

    with the coolest songs i get around surfin Usa don't worry baby Californa Girls Would'nt it be nice and much more the beach boys cd makes it feel like the good old summer time again where its nice and warm like lying in the sun real cool!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    One of The Beach Boys best albums

    This is one of The Beach Boys best albums. The songs are great and fun to sing along with. Get your hands on a copy of this CD. It's great!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A Singles Goldmine

    If Pet Sounds is the individual album to start a Beach Boys collection with, then Sounds of Summer is the perfect compilation to start with. More serious fans can move onto other compilations if they like, but casual fans, or those like me who are only interested in one best of compilation, should grab it immediately. Basically, this compilation is 30 prime reasons why The Beach Boys will always be a classic band. You will hear all the early smash singles up to Pet Sounds and then on through the band's cult years, as in the '70s. It's an enthralling overview of one of the best-loved American bands ever. Not to be missed.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Wonderful collection of songs

    I like this cd a lot because it contains songs from all of the Beach Boys' cds. I enjoy hearing it and it's great to hear an album with a collection of the "Very Best" of the Beach Boys

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    THE BEACH BOYS SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER

    I have the beach boys cd sounds of the summer i love the beach boys so much. Their songs rocks. I play this cd on my stero all the time.The beach boys rock

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 9, 2009

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    Posted May 25, 2010

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    Posted October 25, 2008

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    Posted August 9, 2010

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 27, 2008

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Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews