Album Selection: Best of the Beach Boys, vol. 2
January 2025
Selection by Alain Dupuis
Hey listeners, it’s Alain here to ring in a new year at The Sonic Collective with a new album up for review in January, 2025. If this is your first time here, I’ll fill you in on how things work. The guys and I will be listening intently to our monthly album selection and then reconvening at the end of the month to discuss and review. I’m continuing what is now a bit of a theme of selecting the very first albums we ever owned. A couple of months ago, Darren picked Elvis Prestley’s self-titled album, which also happened to be one of the first records he remembers as a kid. Then last month, Scott Coates picked Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation, which also happened to be the first album he could call his own. We didn’t really plan for this to become a theme, but I figured it was a fun trend to continue, so here we are.
In 1991, I became the proud owner of my very first casette tape. Best of the Beach Boys. Volume two. This is a compilation album by the legendary American rock band, you guessed it — The Beach Boys. Feel free to listen to the full episode above for the back story on how this came to be. It’s a seven year old’s tale of excitement, disappointment, exclusion, and the lessons learned along the way.
Here is just a quick synopsis of the Beach Boys, in case you’re unfamiliar. Formed in California in 1961, The Beach Boys were an iconic American rock band best known for their distinctive vocal harmonies and pioneering sound. Comprised of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, the band captured the spirit of California 60’s surf culture with hits like “Surfin’ USA” and “California Girls.” They were instrumental in shaping the sound of American music of the time, blending rock and roll, pop, and intricate harmonies. Albums like Pet Sounds, displayed innovative production techniques and had a profound influence on later artists and genres, cementing their legacy as one of America’s most influential bands.
Released in 1967, Best of the Beach Boys, vol. 2 serves as a follow-up to their earlier greatest hits collection. Their label, Capitol Records compiled it, probably in a desparate attempt to give the fans something to listen to during the summer of love after Beach Boys de-facto front man Brian Wilson infamously scrapped the band’s ambitious album SMiLE. (SMiLE has never been released, and to this day remains the subject of intense speculation and mystique, not to mention it was the subject of a costly lawsuit for the band.)
Greatest Hits, Volume 2 features a selection of iconic tracks that showcase the band’s signature harmonies and sun-soaked soundscapes. Fans can enjoy hits like “Barbara Ann,” “Surfin’ Safari” and “California Girls” which highlight the group’s evolution in musical style and production techniques. This release captures the essence of The Beach Boys’ influence during the 1960s and remains a beloved addition to any collection of classic surf rock and pop music. While it initially didn’t sell well in the U.S. and Canadian markets, this album was re-released for the UK market with a few notable track additions, where it proved quite popular.
Whats cool about these studio-made collections is that they are loaded with great material. Plenty of singles, and also stuff that didn’t make it as a single, but wouldn’t be considered filler songs either. A great way to get bang for your buck in the era of owning your music on physical media.
This record is now out of print, and I also couldn’t find it on Spotify, so if you’d like to listen along with us this month, I’ve created a playlist featuring songs from the North American version of the album. (See below). Two songs, “Please Let Me Wonder” and “Little Saint Nick” do not appear on the cassette tape version I owned as a kid, so they will be new to me! The other songs will probably take me, and maybe some of you, on a trip down memory lane. It’s been a very long time since I went Surfin’ Safari with the Beach Boys.
So join us at the end of the month where myself, Darren, Scott Gregory and Scott Coates get together to discuss what we thought about this album. To listen along, you can check out the playlist I made below.
Links:
Wikipedia – Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 2
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