The Smiley Smile Message Board

Suppose you were given the task of creating a 2-CD compilation that spanned the BB's recording output over the past 5 decades, with the following criteria:

• There must be EXACTLY 50 tracks to represent the 50th anniversary.
• You must include at least one song from each album, up to and including SIP (Stars & Stripes is optional)
• Unreleased or solo material is OK, even encouraged.
• You want it to be hit-friendly enough that it sells 5 million + units, but also have enough lesser-known stuff to inspire new fans to explore the BB and solo BB catalog.
• The tracks must be presented in chronological order.
• Adding newly recorded tracks on the end is fine.

What 50 songs would you choose?

The problem with this is that once you add in all the hits (at least 24 tracks that would have to be on there if you're tying to do anything comprehensive) and the at-least-one-track-per-album criterion, there's pretty much no space left. A fifty-track double CD following your rules would have to be something like:

Surfin' Safari
409
Surfin' USA
Shut Down
Surfer Girl
In My Room
Little Deuce Coupe
Car Crazy Cutie
Don't Worry Baby
The Warmth Of The Sun
I Get Around
Little St Nick
Kiss Me Baby
Please Let Me Wonder
California Girls
Help Me, Rhonda
Let Him Run Wild
Barbara Ann
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Sloop John B
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
Good Vibrations
Heroes & Villains
Wonderful

Darlin'
Wake The World
Do It Again
I Can Hear Music
Time To Get Alone
Breakaway
Forever
This Whole World
Surf's Up
Marcella
Sail On, Sailor
It's OK
Rock And Roll Music
The Night Was So Young
River Song
My Diane
Lady Lynda
Some Of Your Love
Getcha Back
Where I Belong
Kokomo
Love And Mercy
Summer In Paradise
Soul Searchin'

There are very few of those that one could realistically swap out for anything else.

1. Surfin
2. Surfin Safari
3. 409
4. Surfin USA
5. Shut Down
6. Surfer Girl
7. Catch A Wave
8. Little Deuce Coupe
9. In My Room
10. Fun Fun Fun
11. Don't Worry Baby
12. I Get Around
13. Little Honda
14. Little Saint Nick
15. Dance Dance Dance
16. When I Grow Up
17. Please Let Me Wonder
18. California Girls
19. Help Me Rhonda
20. Let Him Run Wild
21. Barbara Ann
22. Sloop John B
23. Wouldn't It Be Nice
24. God Only Knows
25. Good Vibrations
26. Heroes And Villains
27. Wild Honey
28. Darlin'
29. Friends
30. Do It Again
31. I Can Hear Music
32. Cabinessence or Cotton Fields
33. This Whole World
34. Forever
35. Disney Girls
36. Feel Flows
37. Surf's Up
38. All This Is That
39. Sail On Sailor
40. Rock And Roll Music (Single Mix)
41. It's OK (Single Mix)
42. Roller Skating Child
43. Come Go With Me
44. Good Timin'
45. Keepin The Summer Alive
46. Getcha Back
47. Kokomo
48. Still Crusin'
49. Hot Fun In The Summertime
50. Do It Again (2011)

I knew this would be hard, but it was actually even harder than I thought!!!  I even left out some of the hits!  No solo material, unreleased stuff...maybe if there were 100 slots it would be easier! haha

This is just a list I came up with in 10 minutes or so...getting ready to go to work, so there are probably a bunch of worthy tracks that I missed.  And a bunch I had on there but had to delete.  The Warmth Of The Sun, Lady Lynda, It's A Beautiful Day...

yeh ... it's not really feasible!

I stopped at 1980 and came up with:

1 - surfin'
2 - surfin' safari
3 - 409
4 - surfin' USA
5 - shut down
6 - surfer girl
7 - little deuce coupe
8 - catch a wave
9 - be true to your school
10 - fun fun fun
11 - don't worry baby
12 - warmth of the sun
13 - when i grow up
14 - dance dance dance
15 - do you wanna dance
16 - please let me wonder
17 - help me rhonda
18 - california girls
18 - let him run wild
20 - girl don't tell me
21 - barbara ann
22 - caroline no
23 - sloop john be
24 - wouldn't it be nice
25 - god only knows
26 - good vibrations
27 - heroes and villains
28 - wonderful
29 - cabinessence
30 - surf's up
31 - wild honey
32 - darlin'
33 - friends
34 - little bird
35 - do it again
36 - i can hear music
37 - break away
38 - cottonfields
39 - add some music to your day
40 - this whole world
41 - forever
42 - feel flows
43 - 'til i die
44 - marcella
45 - sail on sailor
46 - rock and roll music
47 - the night was so young
48 - come go with me
49 - good timin'
50 - goin' on

i also just realized i unintentionally left out 'in my room' ...

Wasn't there to be another greatest hits package a few years ago called "40 Top 40's"? The 40 being based on U.S. & U.K. Chart positions. Doing 50 doesn't leave room for many deep cut like tracks. The last three comps barely met what we fans would consider deep cuts. They really were prolific in the hit singles department. :)

I would say the 50 songs casual fans would feel define the Beach Boys (if they even know that many) would differ to those who have listened to all the albums, and gotten into as deeply as the peiple here. Pet Sounds and Smile are a part of rock history now so perhaps it's coming closer together, but in America much of the 1967-73 stuff still isn't properly heard.

Funny, so did I at first!  And I see your list is almost exactly like mine...I had Girl Don't Tell Me and The Warmth Of The Sun on there too, but deleted them.