[.ca] Sounds Of Summer: Very Best Of the Beach Boys

From Amazon.com:
The cynical may question just how many Beach Boys greatest hits albums are enough. Non-cynics, however, will appreciate what makes Sounds of Summer unique. This is the first single-disc collection to feature hits from the group's entire career, from 1962's "Surfin' Safari" through 1985's "Kokomo." All 30 tracks, spanning several label changes, were Billboard Top 40 hits and are probably now as identifiable as the national anthem to anyone with radio or TV access. The fact that the tracks aren't in chronological order helps make for a fresh listening experience, as does the crisp digital sound. And yet these songs--even those that are more than four decades old--always sound strangely fresh and will likely remain so as long as there are beaches, young people, and that symbolic season of freedom and dreams. In other words, the title here passes "the truth in advertising" test. Perfect for those casual fans not yet ready to spring for the individual albums, Sounds of Summer is, in many ways, a better representation of this legendary band's art than Elvis' 30 No. 1 Hits and The Beatles 1 were of the King and the Fab Four. --Bill Holdship

It doesn't get much better than this!:
I can't think of a better compilation of a single band's work than this! I've always been of two minds regarding the Beach Boys. On one hand they can provide fuel for cynics by producing songs with trite lyrics that look silly beyond belief on the printed page. But when you listen to the music and their harmonies, you quickly fall under the spell of fantastic musicianship. They can be crass and commercial in the extreme, with concerts that are formulaic and multiple "Best of..." collections that only exploit the show business maxim of "always leave them wanting more." But there is nothing to criticize here... nothing at all. When all is said and done, it's about the music, and the music of the Beach Boys is something special! Listening to this collection of thirty hits (with nary a clinker among them), you can almost wear yourself out just tapping your foot and moving with the music. Ask any group of fans for their favorite Beach Boys classic, and you'll likely get a different answer from each; my vote would be for Sloop John B. But I'd be willing to bet that 99% of the population will fine their own "my favorite Beach Boys" song on this CD. And they will sing/hum/dance or drum along with every cut on this fantastic body of work!

If you only buy one Beach Boys cd, this is the one to own:
The Beach Boys have had more than their fair share of compilations over the years, always containing good music but very rarely taking advantage of the cd format (Most of the single-cd hits albums only had between 10-20 songs, sometimes barely using up half the space available on the cd); someone at Capitol finally realized that there was a market for a Beach Boys cd that contained as many hits as possible(much like the Beatles 1 cd). So finally the Sounds Of Summer is released, and it is the ultimate Beach Boys collection, with 30 songs, containing nearly all their Top 40 hits from Surfin' Safari to Kokomo, and many of them newly remixed for this cd (California Girls in particular sounds great). Of course if you want to dig deeper than just the big hits, there are many other multi-disc sets out there, or go for the individual albums (Pet Sounds should be in everyone's collection); but if you want the one best Beach Boys cd to own, this is it.

Great:
This is the best collection of Beach Boy hits on the market. They have chosen the best recordings of the songs (some mono) and this is fine. When the Beatles brought out their early CD's they were all in mono and nobody cared because they sounded better than the stereo versions. I believe this is the case here. If the mono version sounded better then it was chosen. It is too bad some of their other great songs could not have been added, but for the average person this CD gives you a taste of every phase of the Beach Boys career. The DVD is a bonus. It was sure great to see the boys in their striped shirts and white pants. They looked so clean cut on the early videos. Anyway, this is a great package to buy and is very deserving of 5 stars.

The Beach Boys Are Cool.:
I don't think there is a single American child over the age of three that hasn't heard a Beach Boys song. They are still a significant part of our culture and a glimpse into the teen culture of our past (which isn't that different from today's). People loved them and still love them, that's why they are, perhaps, the greatest American band of all time. I don't think I can say that about many other artists, only R.E.M. and Talking Heads come to mind. The compilation contains thirty of their Top 40 hits and spans their entire career. If you're already a fan, you know all the songs and hold them dear to your heart. If you're a new fan, this is a great CD for you to begin your Beach Boys experience. There are a few splendid stereo mixes of songs that were only found in mono or poor stereo versions. "Heroes and Villians" is a major highlight, as well as "Good Vibrations."

Best Single - Disc Beach Boys Collection Ever:
Countless Beach Boys hits collections have been thrown around like trash over the years. Most of them are not good. 2003's 30 - song "Sounds Of Summer" is the exception. It features all the big hits plus a few less recgonized tracks. All the Beach Boys classics are here. Whether you enjoy "Surfin' USA", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "California Girls" or "Good Vibrations", it's unlikely that your favorite Beach Boys song isn't here. But there's more than a few unrecognizable songs hear that make this collection even more worthwhile: the latter - day singles "Wild Honey", "Darlin'", "Do It Again", "I Can Hear Music", "Good Timin'", "Come Go With Me" and "Getcha Back" are just as good as anything from their peak period. As usual, there is a fair amount of hits missing, even with 30 songs. There are too many to list here, so I'll just list the ones that reached the Billboard top 40. They are: "Little Saint Nick" (numner 6) "The Warmth Of The Sun" (number 13) "The Man With All The Toys" (number 3) "Caroline No" (number 32) "It's Ok" (number 29) But overall, this a very worthwhile collection of classic music, perfect for this time of year. Also, get the boxed set "Thirty Years Of Good Vibrations".

• California Girls
• I Get Around
• Surfin’ Safari
• Surfin’ U.S.A.
• Fun, Fun, Fun
• Surfer Girl
• Don’t Worry Baby
• Little Deuce Coupe
• Shut Down
• Help Me, Rhonda
• Be True To Your School
• When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
• In My Room
• God Only Knows
• Sloop John B
• Wouldn’t It Be Nice
• Getcha Back
• Come Go With Me
• Rock And Roll Music
• Dance, Dance, Dance
• Barbara Ann
• Do You Wanna Dance?
• Heroes And Villains
• Good Timin’
• Kokomo
• Do It Again
• Wild Honey
• Darlin’
• I Can Hear Music
• Good Vibrations