Search - Beach Boys :: Warmth of Sun

1/2 -- impressive mix of album tracks and hits, but it's a b

Johnny Boy | Hockessin, DE | 02/14/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 2007 to compliment 'Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys,' 'The Warmth of Sun' does an adequate job of filling that role. Containing 28 tracks spanning 1962-1986 (that's 24 years), this is a solid collection containing some of the best Beach Boys music released that should have made onto 'Sounds of Summer' but were left off.



First, I'll start with the positives. It's got tracks spanning the early surf and car years of The Beach Boys ('409,' 'Little Honda,' one of my personal favorites, 'Wendy' and 'Catch a Wave'), their psychedelic late-'60s era (the incredible 'Friends' and 'Break Away'), their '70s years on their own Brother Records label ('Surf's Up,' 'Disney Girls (1957),' which I really don't care for, and 'California Saga (On My Way to Sunny California),' among countless others), and their 1980s comeback period after Dennis Wilson had passed away (their 1986 cover of The Mamas & The Papas' classic 'California Dreamin',' featuring The Byrds' Roger McGuinn on guitar) all appear here. And it has all been digitally remastered to sound great. The sound quality is excellent!



But there are plenty of negatives, too. While this did feature 28 tracks, and all of them (for the most part) are excellent, it's missing WAY too much. How did 'Disney Girls (1957)' get included and yet, NOTHING from 'Pet Sounds' appears!?! That means, there's no 'You Still Believe In Me,' 'Caroline No' or 'That's Not Me,' all glaring omissions that should easily appear here. Now, I know, they can't fit, but I would substitute some of their more mediocre recordings to include these.



And, other than 'California Dreamin',' their late-1970s and early-1980s comeback period is ignored. I would like to see 'It's Gettin' Late,' a minor chart hit in 1985 for the band, and 'Still Cruisin'' appear on a collection, and I think they would fit quite nicely with the theme here: the lesser-known Beach Boys tracks.



And finally, it would be nice to see a 'SMiLE' outtake appear here, like 'Cabinessence,' the 66-second long 'Our Prayer' (which is a beautiful acapella from the Beach Boys), or 'Wonderful' appear here.



Overall, there's plenty on this album to recommend. The sound quality, the selection of tracks (when's the last time you saw 'Feel Flows' on a compilation!?), and the fact that it fills about 78 minutes of the 80 you can fit on a disc make this a great purchase if you are a new Beach Boys fan who bought 'Sounds of Summer' but you want to dig deeper into their legendary catalogue. But there needs to be another collection released to compliment 'Warmth,' in my opinion. While it's doubtful that will ever happen, I think it'd be quite necessary, because there's plenty great album tracks from The Beach Boys that were omitted from this album.



My advice: If you are a new fan of The Beach Boys, go buy 'Sounds of Summer,' a 30-song collection that contains most of their big hits and several key album tracks. Then, if you find yourself wanting more from The Beach Boys (which you probably will), I recommend this album, because it compliments the other set nicely. Then, if you still find yourself wanting more, go buy the two-fer studio albums (and 'Pet Sounds,' their masterpiece), which I strongly recommend.



Recommended if you enjoyed 'Sounds of Summer' or any other compilation of theirs and you want to dig deeper into their legendary catalogue without buying the studio albums."

Almost Perfect!

Rick | Rhode Island, USA | 08/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Personally speaking, most of my favorite BB songs are included on this extraordinary compilation. It's a nice package to add to your CD collection if you're a Beach Boys fan. Some of their best work is included here. Although, I would have left off 409, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Then I Kissed Her and California Dreamin' and replaced them with Darlin', Heroes & Villains, I Can Hear Music and the stereo version of Good Vibrations. For me, that would have been the perfect Beach Boys CD. However, this one comes pretty close. Close your eyes, turn it up and let the lush, layered harmonies take you back to a summer past. These guys were arguably the second most important pop music band in history, but sadly enough were and always will be in the Beatles' shadow.

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