The Beach Boys Album: “The Greatest Hits Vol. 2: 20 More Good Vibrations”

This cd is an excellent addition to any fan's library or as a primer for new fans as well. The songs here are some of the more underrated or unrecognized songs of the Beach Boys's careers. They deal with Brian Wilson's increasing songwriting maturity and emotional themes deeper than those the Beach Boys began their career with. Love, Isolation, and Loneliness are some.

"In My Room" is worth the price of the disc alone, the harmonies are beautiful and serene. One of their best. Other songs that deal with more emotional territory that are just as melodic are "Don't Worry Baby" (with a more upbeat tempo, but a song about love underneath it all), "Caroline No" from the Pet Sounds album, and "The Warmth of the Sun". These songs are just beautiful with sound that just rings in your ears so you just don't want it to end. However, there are still some fun tracks that remind you of the surf and and sun like "Little Honda" and "All Summer Long." Also, "Heroes and Villians" is an unbelievable song, arranged with so much assurity that you can hardly believe what your hearing. And that is a good thing.

The slight negative to this album is you'll be sorely missing the presence of Brian Wilson in the last third or so of the disc as his input with the group was somewhat limited at the time. The songs are still enjoyable, like "Bluebirds Over the Mountain," but missing the genius of Wilson.

An excellent disc, highly recommended with disc one as well.

Let's begin by ignoring (and hoping they all go away) all the other hits repackages that Capitol Records has put out on behalf of the Beach Boys. Taken in comparison with other bands, Greatest Hits Vol. 2 albums usually aren't as interesting because either the act had less hits or no hits, like The Best of The Stylistics Vol. 2. Capitol has here put together the second of what could easily be four best of packages. Three are already released. Compared to Vol. 1, this pack- age features more ballady work from the early days and strong tracks from the post-Brian Capitol era. Capitol, for its part, did not plan on a Vol. 2 and 3 initially, yet here we have an excellent companion piece. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO PURCHASE VOL. 1 OR VOL. 3 WITHOUT VOL. 2, whether for oneself or as a gift. Don't pass it by.

Volume 2 in the "Good Vibrations" series tends give a more intriguing look at The Beach Boys. There is little, if any, inklings of the classic surf numbers. This disc seems to focus more on Brian Wilson's studio wizardry and their unique harmonies.

The first 11 tracks are from when the band was still hot and tearing up the charts. Here is where you'll find the eloquent "In My Room", the gloomy but optimistic "The Warmth Of The Sun" (great Brian falsetto on this one), the "faster, faster" vocal riff on "Little Honda", and the heartshattering "Don't Worry Baby", to name a few. Other gems include the one "Pet Sounds" track, "Caroline, No", the heartwrenching "Please Let Me Wonder", and the upbeat grooves on "You're So Good To Me".

The rest of the disc is from when the band started to become passe. Here we get tracks that are relative unknowns, with the exception of the infamous "Heroes And Villains". There's there two top 20 hits from this period, the pretty "Darlin'" and the nostalgic "Do It Again". There's also the sweet "Friends", a rock reworking of the country standard "Bluebirds Over The Mountain", and Carl's heavenly high on "I Can Hear Music". Closing this album is "Breakaway", featuring ebullient harmonies, and another reworked country standard, a marvelous Al Jardine - produced "Cottonfields".

I heavily suggest you purchase this album. It not only is full of great music but exposes the casual listener to a whole new world of Beach Boys music that they never heard before.

Okay, okay, enough whining about this series. The fact is, these are the familiar mixes that '60s AM radio played when these songs were hits. All tracks are presented in their pristine original mono single mixes (with the exception of "I Can Hear Music" and "Break Away", which are stereo). Until the late '60s (when FM rock radio was born), monaural was the superior mix of choice, tailor-made for AM rock 'n' roll radio. Stereo was almost an afterthought. These ARE the mixes that some of us heard back then and preferred, including Brian. Although stereo affords more clarity, early two-channel mixes often sounded awkward and unbalanced. So enjoy these for what they are (and what they are not). Long live Brian. Long live mono.

As usual, it's great, beautiful harmonies, but very well-known... What about issuing some unreleased gems that a lot of hard core fans are dying to hear well mastered?... And what about the 70's albums?