The Smiley Smile Message Board

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.  :thud

  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.

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)

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 ?

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

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.

(http://goodgrape.com/images/uploads/Throw_darts_blindfolded_cropped.jpg)

 :lol

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.

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.

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..."

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.

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

...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.)

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  ;D

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.

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...

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.   

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.

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.

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 ?

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. ;)

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

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.

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."

Seeing Girl From NYC on there made me smile.  It doesn't get enough love.  To me it is one of their all time early classics. 
That Barbara Ann though, what a drag.  First couple of times hearing it, okay, but after that - enough!  One of their all time early groaners IMO.

.

I recall a European compilation... two double sets... I think 62/66 66/69?  Or something like that?  They had interesting track lineups.  Does anyone remember these?  I saw them in record stores in the late 1970s.

Pretty sure those were French, and dated 1962-65 & 1966-69... released 1978-ish.

These ?

(http://collectorsfrenzy.com/gallery/400465382319.jpg)

Track lists:

1962-65
A1    Surfin' Safari    
A2    Little Girl (Miss America)    
A3    409    
A4    Summertime Blues    
A5    Misirlou    
A6    Shut Down    
A7    Finders Keepers
   
B1    Catch A Wave    
B2    Little Deuce Coupe    
B3    Your Summer Coupe    
B4    Car Crazy Cutie    
B5    Cherry Cherry Coupe    
B6    Spirit Of America    
B7    A Young Man Is Gone    

C1    Fun Fun Fun    
C2    Don't Worry Baby    
C3    Why Do Fools Fall In Love    
C4    Louie Louie    
C5    I Get Around    
C6    All Summer Long    
C7    Don't Back Down    

D1    Do You Wanna Dance    
D2    Help Me Rhonda    
D3    She Knows Me Too Well    
D4    Amusement Park U.S.A.    
D5    Salt Lake City    
D6    Girl Don't Tell Me    
D7    Barbara Ann

66-69:
A1    Pet Sounds    
A2    Wouldn't It Be Nice    
A3    I'm Waiting For The Day    
A4    I Know There's An Answer    
A5    Here Today    
A6    Sloop John B.    
A7    Caroline No    

B1    Good Vibrations    
B2    Vegetables
B3    She's Going Bald    
B4    Wind Chimes    
B5    Getting Hungry
B6    Fall Breaks Back To Winter    
B7    Whistle In    

C1    Wild Honey    
C2    Aren't You Glad
C3    I Was Made To Love Her
C4    Country Air    
C5    Here Comes The Night
C6    Let The Wind Blow    
C7    How She Boogalooed It

D1    Friends    
D2    Wake The World    
D3    Be Here In The Morning    
D4    When A Man Needs A Woman    
D5    Little Bird    
D6    Transcendental Meditation    
D7    I Can Hear Music

Interesting selections but still some startling omissions.

Yeah, like
Surfin' U.S.A.
Surfer Girl
A whole side of Wild Honey but no Darlin'
Do It Again
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Please Let Me Wonder
The Warmth of the Sun
A whole side of Smiley Smile but no Heroes and Villains

This really does read like someone got to make their own personal selection with no consideration given to what had been a hit. Either that, or all of the above songs flopped in France.

A certain ditty lauding the local maidens is also conspicuous by its absence.

But the presence of the interesting rarity "Your Summer Coupe" makes up for it.

I was readiing the sleeve notes of the third UK one today, written by Dave Travis.  One paragraph says: 'During the months that followed [the realease of Heroes and Villains] came an intriguing sequence of singles, which enjoyed fluctuating chart success although all made the Top Thirty:  'Smiley Smile', the psychaedelic-influenced 'Wild Honey', the more succesful 'Darling' and the slow-waltz tempo 'Friends.'

So what's this single 'Smiley Smile' then?

<<Pretty sure those were French, and dated 1962-65 & 1966-69... released 1978-ish.
These ?>>

Yes!  Those are the ones. Fascinating, bizarre track lists.  Those cover shots bring back lots of memories.  Thanks!

They should...they're just repurposed Surfin' Safari & 20/20 covers.

Available in regular and coloured (clear for 62-65, blue for 66-69) vinyl.

Yes, that was the time (late 70s) when colored vinyl was all the rage. I know I'm being lazy by not doing a search (it's very late here...best excuse I've got!!), but is there a thread that discusses all the BB's colored vinyl product?

Leave it to the French to have the strangest "deep cut" BB compilations ever!!

Not. Even. Close.

Behold...

(http://i.ebayimg.com/23/!BfFld7w!mk~$%28KGrHqUH-DkErftM%29PghBK++wOLJ0!~~_12.JPG)

... and no, it's not a retitled Stack O' Tracks: released in Japan, 1965.

For sale now on Ebay for only $599 !! 
Here's the track list as shown on the back of the CD version( $45 on Ebay) : 

      (http://i62.tinypic.com/2yy9yrc.jpg)

Strange, yes...more in the realm of outrageous misrepresentation...but it makes a lot more "sense" content-wise than those French 2-fers.

I'm presuming the CD version of this added cuts 15-20 since they were clearly post-'65.

I'm not running out to drop any $$ on either version, mind you, but I kinda like the idea of it...just ridiculous enough to be appealing!!  :3d

"After The Game" is neither post-65 nor Beach Boys !

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