This reviewer is a bit torn over how to approach this triple-CD EMI import of Beach Boys material, mostly because it’s almost too good at what it does. It does encompass, in its nearly three-hour running time, almost anything that all but the most totally immersed and dedicated fan could want — the only notable exceptions are a handful of tracks from the ’70s Brother Records library, such as “Add Some Music to Your Day” and “This Whole World,” but even that end is covered decently, with the inclusion of such tracks as “Sail on Sailor,” “Marcella,” “Disney Girls (1957),” “Surf’s Up,” “Forever,” “Till I Die,” and “California Saga: California.” And in encompassing the Capitol years, the producers have included everything from “Surfin'” to “Breakaway,” and in the right versions, and always in excellent sound. There are also some very late-inning cuts, such as “Wipe Out” with the Fat Boys and “Fun Fun Fun” with Status Quo that may seem less-than-essential, but they do represent some of the group’s more recent high-profile work and can be understood on that level. There’s also precious little in the way of annotation beyond an essay by Anthony DeCurtis, and it can also get a little confusing for the neophyte listener, owing to the loose structure of the programming — each of the three discs covers a distinct period in the group’s sound, but none of them is remotely in chronological order. The listening experience on each disc ends up being a sort of hybrid between a formal retrospective and a good FM radio set devoted to the band. The real reason behind this reviewer’s reticence to recommend this collection in unqualified terms is a matter of broader thinking about the Beach Boys — one doesn’t really want to encourage people to forgo the considerable joys of their individual albums; anyone who knows their work will be keenly aware, hearing this collection, how much totally worthwhile material is being skipped over, even on a collection as vast and comprehensive as this. ~ Bruce Eder
Tracks:
Disc 1
1: I Get Around
2: Don't Worry Baby
3: Surfin' USA
4: In My Room
5: Little Deuce Coupe
6: Surfer Girl
7: Fun Fun Fun
8: When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
9: Girls On the Beach
10: All Summer Long
11: Wendy
12: Dance, Dance, Dance
13: Be True to Your School
14: The Warmth of the Sun
15: Little Honda
16: Surfin'
17: Surfin' Safari
18: Do You Wanna Dance?
19: Please Let Me Wonder
20: Then I Kissed Her
Disc 2
1: Good Vibrations
2: California Girls
3: Sloop John B
4: Barbara Ann
5: God Only Knows
6: Wouldn't It Be Nice
7: You Still Believe in Me
8: The Little Girl I Once Knew
9: Caroline No
10: You're So Good to Me
11: Girl Don't Tell Me
12: Help Me Rhonda (Single Version)
13: Heroes and Villains
14: Wild Honey
15: Darlin'
16: Friends
17: Bluebirds Over the Mountain
18: Breakaway
19: Beach Boys Medley
Disc 3
1: Do It Again
2: Cottonfields (The Cotton Song)
3: I Can Hear Music
4: Tears in the Morning
5: Sail On Sailor
6: Disney Girls (1957)
7: Long Promised Road
8: Forever
9: Surf's Up
10: Till I Die
11: Marcella
12: Student Demonstration Time
13: Lady Lynda
14: California Saga/California
15: Sumahama
16: Rock and Roll Music
17: Here Comes the Night
18: Kokomo
19: Wipe Out
20: California Dreaming
21: Fun Fun Fun