The 60s Best Ofs...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Not sure if this has been done before, but idle hands and all that... Here's the tracklistings for the US & UK Best Ofs... 1966-68, and looking at them, you really have to wonder what - if anything - Capitol was thinking of. Actually, that they included the same track on two successive albums would indicate no thought processes at all. Contrast, compare & discuss.

US Vol 1 - 7/66
Side A
Surfin' U.S.A.
Catch a Wave [UK3]
Surfer Girl [UK2]
Little Deuce Coupe
In My Room
Little Honda*

Side B
Fun, Fun, Fun
The Warmth of the Sun [UK3]
Louie, Louie*
Kiss Me, Baby*
You're So Good to Me
Wendy [UK2]

UK Vol 1 - 11/66
Side A
Surfin' Safari [US2]
Surfin' U.S.A.
Little Deuce Coupe
Fun, Fun, Fun
I Get Around [US2]
All Summer Long*
In My Room

Side B
Do You Wanna Dance?*
Help Me, Rhonda [US2]
California Girls [US2]
Barbara Ann [US2]
You're So Good to Me
Sloop John B*
God Only Knows [US3]

US Vol 2 - 7/67
Side A
Barbara Ann [UK1]
When I Grow Up
Long, Tall Texan [UK3]
Please Let Me Wonder [UK3]
409
Let Him Run Wild [UK3]

Side B
Don't Worry Baby
Surfin' Safari [UK1]
Little Saint Nick*
California Girls [UK1]
Help Me, Rhonda [UK1]
I Get Around [UK1]

UK Vol 2 - 10/67
Side A
Surfer Girl [US1]
Don't Worry Baby
Wendy [US1]
When I Grow Up
Good to My Baby*
Dance, Dance, Dance [US3]
Then I Kissed Her*

Side B
The Girl from New York City*
Girl Don't Tell Me [US3]
The Little Girl I Once Knew [US3]
Mountain of Love*
Here Today*
Wouldn't It Be Nice*
Good Vibrations [US3]

US Vol 3 - 8/68
Side 1
God Only Knows [UK1]
Dance, Dance, Dance [UK2]
409 (yup, again)
The Little Girl I Once Knew [UK2]
Frosty the Snowman*
Girl Don't Tell Me [UK2]

Side 2
Surfin'*
Heroes and Villains
She Knows Me Too Well*
Darlin'
Good Vibrations [UK2]

UK Vol 3 - 11/68
Side 1
Do It Again*
The Warmth of the Sun [US1]
409
Catch a Wave [US1]
The Lonely Sea*
Long, Tall Texan [US2]
Wild Honey*

Side 2
Darlin'
Please Let Me Wonder [US2]
Let Him Run Wild [US2]
Country Air*
I Know There's an Answer*
Friends*
Heroes and Villains

Correct, Capitol saw fit to exclude "Sloop John B" (#3), "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (#8) and "Do You Wanna Dance" (#12) from all three collections, but included those seminal tracks "Louie Louie". "Long Tall Texan" and "Frosty The Snowman" instead as examples of Brian hitting his peak. Oh, and "Surfin'" too. 

[Moon Dawg]

  The UK versions are superior. Would love to know who angled for "Long Tall Texan" on the US Vol 2 and who compiled Vol 3, period.

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

It's a little late to be saying this, but I sure hope someone got fired for including "Louie, Louie."  (And in Volume I, no less)

[Andrew G. Doe]

Some of the exclusions are understandable given the various release dates (which is why I included them - didn't just throw this together, you know) but even so, not to have "WIBN" on either US2 or US3, or "GV". on US2... WTAF ?

[Lowbacca]

Oh, and "Surfin'" too. 

"It was a song made up in very short order. And it sounded like a song made up in very short order."

[shelter]

Here's a rare picture I found. It's a Capitol executive selecting songs for the US Best Ofs from a list of everything the group had released at that point.

[Andrew G. Doe]

 

[job]

As a rule, record companies used to leave a few of the tastiest nuggets off of the best of collections in order to gain ancillary revenue on sales of the LP's that those nuggets were unique to.  It was actually a pretty smart practice.

[TheLazenby]

US oddities aside, "Country Air" is a pretty damn strange inclusion.

[wantsomecorn]

US oddities aside, "Country Air" is a pretty damn strange inclusion.

It was the B-side to Darlin' in the UK. Included for the same reason as YSGTM in US Volume 1, I assume.

But man, these are some awful collections. They make Endless Summer look like 50 Big Ones in comparison.

[shelter]

As a rule, record companies used to leave a few of the tastiest nuggets off of the best of collections in order to gain ancillary revenue on sales of the LP's that those nuggets were unique to.  It was actually a pretty smart practice.

A few? The Beach Boys had 11 US Top 10 hits on their name when Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 1 came out, no less than 8 of those songs are not on the record.

In fact, I think it's such a bad compilation that it might have costed The Beach Boys potential fans. I can imagine someone hears a few Beach Boys songs on the radio, likes them, gets this album. listens to it and thinks "So these are their best songs? Really? They've got nothing better than this weak cover of Louie Louie? Maybe they're not so great after all..."

[Please delete my account]

This doesn't explain all the strange choices and omissions, but I assume that when volume one came out they already knew there would be a volume two, so were deliberately keeping some big hits in reserve.

"Louie, Louie", as I think someone said in another thread, at least has the name recognition factor.

[Andrew G. Doe]

As a rule, record companies used to leave a few of the tastiest nuggets off of the best of collections in order to gain ancillary revenue on sales of the LP's that those nuggets were unique to.  It was actually a pretty smart practice.

Smart practice to leave off both your #1 hits ? You can believe that if you like, I call bullshit ! 

[37!ws]

"Louie, Louie", as I think someone said in another thread, at least has the name recognition factor.

...which is EXACTLY one of the reasons I feel Still Cruisin' was both marketing genius and the success that it was: it included lots of hits plus "Kokomo" (and their latest song, which was the theme song for VH1's Corvette contest and did have a strong resemblance to "Kokomo"), plus a track called "Island Girl" -- you KNOW people glanced at the cover, saw that track, and thought, "Hmmmm, it would be interesting to hear the Beach Boys' take on the Elton John classic." (Of course, it wasn't the EJ song, but Joe Beach Boys Compilation Buyer doesn't know that.)

[CenturyDeprived]

Somewhere, there had to be a person at Capitol who purposefully went through the band's released material and chose them. I know we're being half-joking, but I cannot fathom that the choices were random; there had to be some thought put into them - however misguided that thought was. Now it would be an incredibly fascinating find to determine who working at Capitol might have been in the position to make such tracklisting choices. Has anyone ever tried to find out this type of info? An interview is in order if such person (people) are still living, though I'm not holding my breath 

[job]

As a rule, record companies used to leave a few of the tastiest nuggets off of the best of collections in order to gain ancillary revenue on sales of the LP's that those nuggets were unique to.  It was actually a pretty smart practice.

A few? The Beach Boys had 11 US Top 10 hits on their name when Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 1 came out, no less than 8 of those songs are not on the record.

In fact, I think it's such a bad compilation that it might have costed The Beach Boys potential fans. I can imagine someone hears a few Beach Boys songs on the radio, likes them, gets this album. listens to it and thinks "So these are their best songs? Really? They've got nothing better than this weak cover of Louie Louie? Maybe they're not so great after all..."

Of course, I am not denying that record company execs were also very often woefully out of touch.  Definitely true, but a separate issue from the very real and oft-used strategy I mentioned above.

[shelter]

Somewhere, there had to be a person at Capitol who purposefully went through the band's released material and chose them. I know we're being half-joking, but I cannot fathom that the choices were random; there had to be some thought put into them - however misguided that thought was.

That's indeed pretty intriguing, isn't it? Here's America's most succesful band of the last few years, you're releasing their very first "best of" album to assure yourself of a good income just in case the new album doesn't sell, and it's a compilation that just doesn't make any sense at all. I've tried to find any kind of logic in this selection of songs, but I just haven't been able to. My best guess is that maybe someone at Capitol just made sort of a "mix tape" of his own personal favorites...

[SenorPotatoHead]

My older sister had the first two volumes (USA versions) and as a kid they were my initial introduction to any album by the group.  I distinctly remember thinking, "I know they have better stuff than a lot of this!  What the heck?" (because I'd heard many of their hit sides on the radio). 
Capitol had zero respect for the band or their fans.  This is more than obvious by these "couldn't give a sh*t collections.   

[shelter]

This is off topic, but here's the tracklisting of a pretty obscure Beach Boys compilation cd that I have. It's called Forever Surfin' and it was released by an Italian label called A Priori.

Do It Again / Wild Honey / Bluebirds Over The Mountain / Darlin' / Busy Doin' Nothin' / Don't Worry Baby / This Car Of Mine / Louie Louie / Pet Sounds / Why Do Fools Fall In Love / Here Comes The Night / Keep An Eye On Summer / The Warmth Of The Sun / Country Air / How She Boogalooed It / Here Today.

Compilations like these just fascinate me. I want to know who compiled them and what they were thinking. I'd like to ask them why these specific songs and why in this specific order.

[DonnyL]

I thought the group themselves were involved in choosing the tracks on the US Vol. 1 ... according to the back cover ("personally selected and compiled by the Beach Boys themselves").

I could see a scenario where 'Pet Sounds' was off-limits, and the group chose a set of "fun" songs/ballads that were personal favorites.

I feel like we're also not putting ourselves in the summer of '66, and what might have seemed like good choices at the time ... especially after 'Pet Sounds' did not do as well as expected.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Don't see Mike, of all people, saying "leave off our two chart toppers ? Well hell, why not ?"

And... you really believe what the back of the album says about who chose what ?

[Lowbacca]

And... you really believe what the back of the album says about who chose what ?

Why not? Sometimes it's true with compilations or Best Ofs.. although not in that day and age, I guess. Just trying to relativise the cynicism.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I can fully believe that Brian chose the tracks for the 2002 Classics... comp. 

[Nicko1234]

US oddities aside, "Country Air" is a pretty damn strange inclusion.

Country Air was also included (along with Here Comes the Night) on the 1983 Best of collection in the U.K. that went to Number One.

[Don Malcolm]

The second sides ("B" or "2") of the UK GHs have the best overall groupings, though there are some weak(er) links there:

Side B
Do You Wanna Dance?*
Help Me, Rhonda [US2]
California Girls [US2]
Barbara Ann [US2]
You're So Good to Me
Sloop John B*
God Only Knows [US3]

Side B
The Girl from New York City* (arguable, though--love it when the BBs rock out)
Girl Don't Tell Me [US3]
The Little Girl I Once Knew [US3]
Mountain of Love*
Here Today*
Wouldn't It Be Nice*
Good Vibrations [US3]

Side 2
Darlin'
Please Let Me Wonder [US2]
Let Him Run Wild [US2]
Country Air*
I Know There's an Answer*
Friends*
Heroes and Villains

You could make a great single disk out of these, though you'd still be missing some seminal tunes.

I'd run it chronologically:

a--Rhonda/Please Let Me Wonder/Girl From NYC/California Girls/Let Him Run Wild/Girl Don't Tell Me/The Little Girl I Once Knew
b--Wouldn't It Be Nice/Sloop John B./God Only Knows/I Know There's An Answer/Here Today/Good Vibrations/Heroes and Villains

A little Pet Sounds-heavy with the deep cuts, but can you argue the quality? It would be good to get the Wild Honey songs on (which could be done with a CD, of course) plus "Friends" and "Do It Again", but I think you'd have to ditch the chrono approach.

Side 3 of UK GH Vol 3 is really a nice sequence, even if it doesn't strictly make sense as a GH package. Was for a long time my "last side of the night."