It always happens when one of our music stars dies…all of a sudden people buy & stream their albums and songs.
On iTunes the day after Brian Wilson’s death, The Beach Boys had the top three selling albums…their Classic Pet Sounds, and two of their greatest hits collections. At the top of the singles chart were “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, plus “Good Vibrations” at #6. Even on the Music Videos chart there were three Beach Boys songs among all the new videos in the Top 10, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, “I Get Around”, and “God Only Knows”.
Well-known artists from the last six decades have relayed how much they love the recordings and songwriting of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. The Pet Sounds album and the song “God Only Knows” have definitely been mentioned the most. Pet Sounds has actually been criminally under purchased in the past. It took from 1966 to 2000 for it to sell one-million copies. It’s great to see it sitting at #1 in digital sales. It’s only $9.99, and that’s less than the price of a burger at most restaurants these days. Even if you just stream it, please listen closely to the clever and original arrangements of both the vocals and the instrumentation.
There are quite a few Beach Boys greatest hits collections, and here’s a ranking of the best three.
#3
Endless Summer is a very good 20 song collection of The Beach Boys early songs, but it only covers 1962 through 1965. So…no Pet Sounds songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” & “God Only Knows”. On this digital version, they did include 1966’s “Good Vibrations” as a bonus track. About half of the tracks are in mono. The price is $11.99.
#2:
For a few dollars more, you can get Sounds Of Summer. It says it’s The Very Best of The Beach Boys, and that’s pretty accurate. Most Beach Boys fans would be satisfied with the 30 songs in this career-spanning collection. It’s mostly killer, not filler, so it might be the best choice. The price is just $14.99. The reason it’s not #1 here is because quite a few songs are in mono (though they still sound good).
#1:
50 Big Ones is a broader collection, and is mostly in stereo. As the title states, you get 50 of The Beach Boys best songs. The price is $19.99. You’re getting 20 more songs for just $5 more…25-cents a song. Fifty songs is a lot, but once you have them in your computer, you can divide them into two playlists, and put them in chronological order. That way you hear the history and development of The Beach Boys.
One thing…no collection exists that has every song you could want. Even if you buy one of these hits albums, you might have to include some individual songs with your digital purchases. For example, “Caroline, No” is not on the hits collections.
Above are The Beach Boys in 1964, a little before they changed their hair to fit in better with The British Invasion. 1964 was the year they got their first #1 hit with “I Get Around”. They did a good job of representing America in a friendly competition with the Brits, and they did it with their own original West Coast sound. In fact, The Beach Boys were very popular in England.
Brian Wilson’s passing (at the age of 82) on June 11th, 2025 was a sad day, but his talents as a songwriter, singer, arranger, and producer will be enjoyed for decades to come.
For a more complete look at Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, use this link:
https://ontherecords.net/2024/02/brian-wilsona-look-back-updated/