The Beach Boys - 20 Good Vibrations: The Greatest Hits (1995)

Ah, nothing says summer like Beach Boys music. Were they the best American rock band of the 1960's? Hmmm. Could be. You know the melodies. You know the lyrics. This isn't the best BB compilation, but it'll certainly do. While I can't complain about the music, I have two complaints about the CD. While it does include 20 tracks, it's only 49 minutes worth of music. Also, I can't figure out any reasoning behind the almost-chronological sequencing. If you're looking for a better CD choice, check out The Very Best Of The Beach Boys: Sounds Of Summer.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #198 (Apr 20, 1996)

Tracks: My all-time favorite BB song is here, God Only Knows (and I just hit the repeat button so I could hear it again). Other favs are I Get Around, California Girls, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, and Barbara Ann. I would have liked the inclusion of In My Room, Don't Worry Baby, and All Summer Long, but they're not here. All the tracks are from the years 1962-1966 except for the final track, the cringe-inducing Kokomo from the 1988 movie, Cocktail, which is equally cringe-inducing.

Song	Year	Hot 100
Surfin' Safari	1962	14
Surfin' USA†	1963	3
Surfer Girl	1963	7
Little Deuce Coupe	1963	15
Be True To Your School	1963	6
Fun, Fun, Fun	1964	5
I Get Around	1964	1
Shut Down	1963	23
Dance, Dance, Dance	1964	8
Do You Wanna Dance?	1965	12
Help Me, Rhonda	1965	1
California Girls	1965	3
Barbara Ann	1966	2
Sloop John B	1966	3
Wouldn't It Be Nice	1966	8
Good Vibrations	1966	1
409	1962	76
God Only Knows	1966	39
Catch A Wave	1963	-
Kokomo	1988	1

^†Surfin USA was re-released in 1974; it charted at #36.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: One of my earliest memories of album art is the cover for the group's 1974 compilation, Endless Summer. Far out.

When I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October, 2007, there was a large Beach Boys exhibit which included many of Brian Wilson's original lyric sheets. To me, the most memorable item in the exhibit was a note the Wilson boys left on their family kitchen table for their mother explaining that they had left the house for a photo shoot at Capitol Records, just like you and I would have left a note to our mothers that we had run to the store when we were in high school.