The Smiley Smile Message Board

So the question is: what's your favorite Beach Boys compilation if you have to consider the following:
1. You have to pick the compilation that you actually enjoy most, purely for your listening pleasure - so not necessarily the one that has the most interesting rarities.
2. You can pick just one single disc, so if you're going for a double album or box set, pick one CD or LP from it.
3. To make it a bit harder: all compilations dedicated to just one or two albums are excluded (so the two-fers and the Smile and Pet Sounds Sessions boxes are out).

I think mine's this one:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/GoodVibesBestOfCover.jpg/220px-GoodVibesBestOfCover.jpg)
I love this LP. Twelve highlights from exactly my favorite time period of the band (1966-1973), and it flows quite nicely too. And how can you not love a compilation that says "Best of the Beach Boys" on the cover, that doesn't include 'Barbara Ann' or '409' but does include 'Friends' and 'Surf's Up'?

MAde In USA

Several reasons...one, I just think it's a really great set of songs.  Two, it's sentimental...this was the first Beach Boys album I owned.  A cousin gave me the cassette of this in 1992, when I was 10 years old.  Three, the liner notes gave a nice, compact little history of the band that started me on my journey of reading Beach Boys history. 

The cover art sucks, but still, this is the one for me.

Endless Summer, because it has epic cover and most of the great early songs are on that. There are no great post-1966 compilations that dont neglect some gems but include something less great instead. Better to just listen to the later albums or compile my own lists.

Endless Summer got most of it right, that's why it was such a massive success. I hardly ever listen to the early stuff anyway.

Sounds of Summer - simply because of the title choices and the superior sonics.  :smokin

Rarities.

Definitely Endless Summer

I'll go with Endless Summer too. Mainly for sentimental reasons..my Mom had it on 8 Track and it's the first Beach Boys recording I'd ever heard. When my folks split and I went to go with live with my Dad (who DIDN'T have an 8 track player) I held my Mom's player up to a tiny personal cassette recorder so I could at least bring a cassette dub of it with me when I moved....(which I guess makes me a child bootlegger).  :smokin

Warmth of the Sun. It's like listening to the setlist of the current tour minus the new songs...a perfect mix of the 60s and 70s.

I like the Starbucks compilation.  Whatever it's called.  Mostly because it's the only greatest hits collection on CD I have and I now mostly listen to music in the car.  It's a nice collection, though.

The Rarities on vinyl is nice.  I got a sealed copy for under a dollar, on clearance the last year Woolworth's was in business.  I had just gotten into the Beach Boys so it was fun to have something that unusual before I'd heard most of the albums.

I just looked it up and it's called "Summer Crush."  I had never heard of it before but from the track listing, it does look like a nice compilation.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/summer-crush-songs-we-love-to-love-mw0001416706

The Warmth of the Sun because it reignited my love for them (and started a totally unhealthy obsession ;D). Plus I think this comp on it's own could turn casual fans into more serious ones. All in all, a great bridge from hits to rarities

Disc 3 of the Good Vibrations box is the only thing I have of theirs on my phone. Perfect summer music (and I know some of you would be worried to find out that Help is On The Way makes my summer. There is nothing rotten in the state of hypehat, folks)

20 Golden Greats was the soundtrack to my early teens. Nothing to beat it.

Sounds of Summer and it's companion, Warmth of the Sun. One disc just won't cut it with this band.

Rarities gets my vote. Ten Years Of Harmony is pretty cook. I also like the Capitol Years box. All the major CD"s with unreleased stuff are cool. For hits on vinyl Made In The USA, CD I suppose Sounds Of Summer/Warmth Of The Sun are the best made. Wish they had the songs in order though.

I think anyone who owns this would say it ranks as their greatest compilation disc:

(http://www.vinylfanaticstore.com/contents/media/beach%20biys%20as%20is.jpeg)


Was there a deep album cuts guy who worked at the label or did Stevie Wonder just throw some darts at a board? Anna Lee the Healer? Whistle In? Car Crazy Cutie? Boogie Woodie?

The connoisseurs choice.

that sounds crazy! what's the full tracklisting?

Sounds Of Summer or Endless Harmony Soundtrack , the latter may win because it has Soulful Old Man Sunshine.

Assuming you meant the post above you, it's:
1. How She Boogalooed It
2. Don't Talk
3. Car Crazy Cutie
4. We'll Run Away
5. Misirlou
6. Whistle In

1. Summertime Blues
2. Anna Lee the Healer
3. Boogie Woodie
4. Tell me Why
5. Louie Louie
6. Good To My baby

That tracklist is the product of a true visionary.

It was also my first beach boys album after Pet Sounds :D

wow, that one's got my vote.

This was a vinyl favourite of mine for ages, many moons ago, for all the reasons stated.

For CDs though, the 25-track sampler I just compiled for a pal tonight is my current favourite, though I know it doesn't count. Two years in the making; couldn't get it right, but it turned out I was just waiting for TWGMTR to round it off and perfect it.

Ok John , what's the track listing of your comp then ? Love to know as I guess it could be the mother of all comps , and no doubt is heavy on the 'Brother' years ( I hope )

Here y'go Rob, posted earlier today:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13608.msg295309.html#msg295309

Back in the age of cassette tapes I used to play "Sunshine Dream" in the car all the time.

I'm also fond of "Classics Selected By Brian Wilson".

I would have to say Endless Summer.. tho i'm more of a fan of post Pet Sounds stuff, it's just the first BB record i've bought and that made me fan, gave me chills on first listen, soo much joy and sunshine in that compilation, it was summer in my room.

Would love a compilation with more Love You songs tho, is there anyway? i don't think there's any Love You songs on Sounds Of Summer (but there's Here Comes The Night and Wipe Out, on the Platinum Collection version? :/ yeaaa)