The Smiley Smile Message Board

I made this compilation a few years ago and have found it to be a great disc to hand out to friends.  All tracks are sourced from GH1, GH2 and GH3:BotBY.

As good as "Sounds of Summer" is, this is the one disc that I wish they'd release as the ultimate greatest hits comp.  Great for cranking up in the car, windows down, and goin for a nice cruise.

Best Vibrations: Their All-Time Greatest Hits
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01) Surfin Safari
02) Surfin USA
03) Shut Down
04) Surfer Girl
05) Little Duece Coupe
06) Be True To Your School
07) In My Room
08) Fun, Fun, Fun
09) I Get Around
10) Don't Worry Baby
11) When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
12) Dance Dance Dance
13) Do You Wanna Dance?
14) Help Me, Rhonda
15) California Girls
16) The Little Girl I Once Knew
17) Barbara Ann
18) Caroline No
19) Sloop John B
20) Wouldn't It Be Nice
21) God Only Knows
22) Good Vibrations
23) Heroes and Villains
24) Wild Honey
25) Darlin
26) Do It Again
27) I Can Hear Music
28) Rock and Roll Music
29) It's OK
30) Come Go With Me
31) Getcha Back
32) Kokomo

One of these days I'll get around to making a Volume 2.....

I like it, Goofy Jeff! You can't lose with that one. I get a kick out of making Beach Boys' CD's for people also. I try to sequence the songs so it tells a story, and flows at the same time. This is the one I came up with:

THE BEACH BOYS

01)  Radio Spot - Hi, this is the Beach Boys - Al, Bruce, Carl, Mike, Brian, & Dennis
02)  Surfin' Safari
03)  Surfin' USA
04)  Surfer Girl
05)  You're So Good To Me
06)  Good Vibrations
07)  Radio Spot - Wonderful KOMA
08)  Little Deuce Coupe
09)  I Get Around
10)  Don't Worry, Baby
11)  Be True To Your School
12)  Dance, Dance, Dance
13)  Radio Spot - Hi Rog, this is Brian, thanks for playing Dance, Dance, Dance
14)  California Girls
15)  Sloop John B
16)  Caroline, No
17)  Do It Again
18)  Fun, Fun, Fun
19)  Radio Spot - Where is your ID, what is your names - Al, Bruce, Carl, Mike, Dennis...
20)  Barbara Ann
21)  Do You Wanna Dance
22)  God Only Knows
23)  Come Go With Me
24)  Kokomo
25)  Radio Spot - You're listening to Murry The K
26)  Wendy
27)  The Warmth Of The Sun
28)  Help Me, Rhonda
29)  Kiss Me, Baby
30)  Radio Spot - Hi, we're The Beach Boysl, and we'd like to thank all the guys at KDWB
31)  Darlin'
32)  Wouldn't It Be Nice
33)  In My Room
34)  Little Honda
35)  All Summer Long
36)  Dennis thanks everybody - "In The Back Of My Mind" backing track from the Hawthorne CD

The hardest tracks to leave off were "When I Grow Up", "Getcha Back", and "Good Timin". The hardest one to leave on was "Come Go With Me", but it was a Top Twenty hit, and I needed more Al. I included "Do You Wanna Dance" because I wanted Dennis represented. I admit that I played it safe, but I'm usually trying to win someone over. If they like this, I can always get into the deeper stuff later...

You may need to have overburning enabled on my comp, it's a FULL 80 minute disc....

I can't argue that these are all great songs, but this track lineup is pretty darn close to "Sounds of Summer." By my quick and hopefully correct count, it simply excludes "Good Timin'" and replaces it with "The Little Girl I Once Knew", "Caroline, No" and "It's OK." Like I said, all great songs that I can't argue with, but your formula for track inclusions is pretty similar to the one they used for "Sounds of Summer"; you simply have added a few more songs and made one different decision. I can't argue with the inclusion of "The Little Girl..." and "Caroline, No", although I would prefer "Good Timin'" to "It's OK."

I do appreciate that your track lineup is chronological. "Sounds of Summer" has a really odd order of songs. Clearly, they've chosen to pack the front of the CD with some of the most well-known early hits and lead off with "California Girls." It also appears they grouped most of the cover versions together with "Come Go With Me", "R&R Music", "Barbara Ann", and "Do You Wanna Dance", although they stuck "Dance Dance Dance" in the middle of those for some reason. I haven't a clue why "Getcha Back" is in between "WIBN" and "Come Go With Me." It also appears that they stuck most of Carl's lead vocals at the end of disc, and I don't know whether that is simply a track programming decision, some potential slight to Carl, or a tribute to Carl showcasing his lead vocals as the grand finale. 

Catch a wave?

I don't know, for my money "Beach Boys Classics Selected By Brian Wilson" is my favorite compilation. By no means comprehensive or reflective of the hits, but if I'm not in the mood for a specific album, then "Classics" is the one I enjoy listening to from beginning to end (even if the remake of "California Feelin'" is a little underwhelming).

This is an interesting thread.  I have long been toying with the idea of a true Beach Boys greatest hits comp.  To me, the problem with many comps such as Sounds of Summer and "Best Vibrations" is that they focus way too heavily on the fun n sun period.  For instance, on the proposed "Best Vibrations," 22 of the 32 tracks were released between 1962 and 1966, and the 1970-80 period is represented by only three tracks, two of which are covers.

I would propose a Beach Boys greatest hits comp that selects one song (presumably the most popular/famous/significant) from each BB studio album, starting with Surfin' Safari and running through Still Cruisin.  I would submit the following track listing based on this concept:

1.  Surfin Safari
2.  Surfin USA
3.  Surfer Girl
4.  Little Deuce Coupe
5.  Fun Fun Fun
6.  I Get Around
7.  Little Saint Nick
8.  Help Me, Rhonda (single version)
9.  California Girls
10.  Barbara Ann
11.  Wouldn't It Be Nice
12.  Good Vibrations
13.  Darlin'
14.  Friends
15.  Do It Again
16.  Forever
17.  Long Promised Road
18.  Marcella
19.  Sail on Sailor
20.  It's OK
21.  Johnny Carson
22.  She's Got Rhythm
23.  Good Timin
24.  Goin On
25.  Getcha Back
26.  Kokomo


I may be cheating a little by including "Little Deuce Coupe" as representative of the album of the same name, given that the song appeared on the Surfer Girl album previously.  I include the single version of Help Me, Rhonda as a representative from Today!  There can be debate about what songs to include from the 70s albums (because most of them had no clear hit).  But I personally think this is a much better comp that represents the fun n sun period well without neglecting the rest of the group's career.

This is an excellent comp. As much as I'm into making Beach Boys' comps of all types, I never thought of this concept. I'm curious why you stopped at Still Cruisin'. Did you not have enough space on the CD to include maybe "Lahaina Aloha" from Summer In Paradise? Or was that an artistic decision to omit Summer In Paradise for quality reasons.

I agree with almost all of your selections. Of couse it's a matter of opinion, but I would've chosen "Til I Die", "Roller Skating Child" or "The Night Was So Young", and "Come Go With Me" or "Pitter Patter".

I realize your comp is a career encompassing sampler. But that keeps it from being a true "Greatest Hits" comp. So obviously you're sacrificing "The Warmth Of The Sun", "Don't Worry Baby", "Sloop John B", and "God Only Knows". Those are tough ones to keep off...

Sheriff --

I agree there is quite a bit of room for debate and would happily accept "The Night Was So Young" or "Roller Skating Child" over "Johnny Carson."  I picked "JC" because it is the only "Love You" song I have ever heard on the radio.

You point out a number of incredible songs that are left off my comp, but I think that is inevitable in trying to pick 25 or so BB songs out of their catalogue.  I could easily come up with 200 BB songs that I personally consider "greatest hits."  My goal in the one song-one album approach was simply to be fair to every aspect of their career, not to be all-inclusive.

I excluded Summer in Paradise because of quality reasons and Brian's lack of involvement.  I would've probably stopped after KTSA actually, because I have a problem with the concept of the "Beach Boys" existing without Dennis Wilson.  But Kokomo was a huge hit, so it has to go on the list.

busy doin nothin - Just wondering if you have any other ideas for interesting Beach Boys-related comps.

Right now, I'm working on "The Beach Boys Live" by picking the best cuts from all of the live albums, and with the use of my CD burner, meshing them together into a cohesive CD.

Because of the different sound qualities of each live album, it's not perfect. I used a lot of Live in Knebworth and In Concert because they sound the most similar. I just made a new addition to my live CD by taking "Dance Dance Dance" from the Hallmark CD. I also quite like the Hallmark version of "Good Vibrations", maybe better than the rest. It's tough to use any cuts from the 1964 Concert CD because the sound was so different from the later ones...

Sheriff --

I'm afraid I don't have any other great ideas for BB comps -- except maybe for one that showcases each of the Boys (as much as possible) as a songwriter instead of focusing exclusively on Brian.  I would give each of the others 2 or 3 songs -- Carl would get Long Promised Road, Feel Flows, Trader; Dennis would get Little Bird, Forever, and Baby Blue; Al would get Looking at Tomorrow, Take a Load off Your Feet, and Susie Cincinnati; Bruce would get Deirdre, Disney Girls, and She Believes in Love Again; Ricky and Blondie would get their three songs (Here She Comes, Hold on Dear Brother, and Leaving This Town), and Mike would get Big Sur, Brian's Back, and Sumahama.  Then I would include three songs that were co-written by group members without Brian -- say All This Is That, Don't Go Near the Water, How She Boogalooed It.

I don't have enough Beach Boys live stuff to really comment on your Live idea, but I think it's a great idea.  I don't have Knebworth or In Concert yet.  I do have Live in London, which I think is awesome -- Aren't You Glad and Wake the World are particularly phenomenal in that set, IMO.