A good idea for a new Beach Boys compilation

[Rocky Raccoon]

I have been very unhappy with Beach Boys compilation albums, the way they're sequenced, sometimes the song choices, and as I am a teenager on a limited budget, I  would rather have a nice fairly priced overview of the band's work rather than having to go out and buy every album, some for just a few songs.  I'll admit that despite being a big fan, I only own a few Beach Boys releases.  Endless Summer and Spirit of America on old CDs from my dad's collection, Pet Sounds (mono and stereo), Classics selected by Brian Wilson, Smile Sessions (2-disc version), and That's Why God Made the Radio, all downloaded from iTunes and on CD, the Today/Summer Days twofer (also I have Feel Flows as part of the Almost Famous soundtrack).  That being said, I am missing a lot of great Beach Boys songs in my collection (so I give thanks to the internet and Spotify) and I have yet to find a good reasonably priced overview of the band's work to satisfy myself (I would love to get a hold of the wonderfully packed but out of print Good Vibrations box set which is too expensive for me).

It seems that track selection and order has to please each member of the group which I understand could be chaotic, which is why Sounds of Summer and Warmth of the Sun (in my mind) are too haphazard.  One of the reasons I love the Classics selected by Brian Wilson album is that despite its briefness and the fact that California Feelin' (far from a Brian Wilson classic) is tacked on at the end, it's focused and it gives kind of a history of the group through the songs and a chance to see the group through Wilson's perspective.  I think that the next compilation should be a three-disc set, one disc of Wilson's favorites, one of Love's, and one of Jardine's and organized so that there is no overlap and that enough tracks are picked by each to fill an entire CD.  That way we see the group from all perspectives without each one clashing with the other.

[Austin]

Are you opposed to downloading? Because if not, you could make a great collection out of handpicking songs from various albums on iTunes, Amazon, etc. Some great compilations with deeper cuts (Summer Love Songs, Greatest Hits Vol. 3) are much easier to find that way too.

Edit: correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the boys personally pick the songs on The Warmth of the Sun?

[Rocky Raccoon]

Are you opposed to downloading? Because if not, you could make a great collection out of handpicking songs from various albums on iTunes, Amazon, etc. Some great compilations with deeper cuts (Summer Love Songs, Greatest Hits Vol. 3) are much easier to find that way too.

Edit: correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the boys personally pick the songs on The Warmth of the Sun?

I download a lot, iTunes is my main source of music nowadays, but I'm not really into downloading just one track (don't ask me why, it just feels weird for me like I'm missing out on something if I don't get the full album) and like I said, I'm on a budget.  I'd rather buy one comprehensive but reasonably priced collection rather than buy several different ones and end up spending over 30 bucks.  If I wanted to do that or were able to do that, I would buy the individual albums of my choice.  Though to be honest, if they released a box set of all of the original albums like the Beatles did, I would totally buy that but that seems unlikely.

And yes, they did pick the songs on Warmth of the Sun but I mean individually, each having a disc to themselves.