The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: 20 More Good Vibrations

Audio Compact Disc

Label: Capitol

Style: Rock & Roll

The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: 20 More Good Vibrations

UPC: 724352023820

Release Date: 09/21/1999

Original Release Date: 09/21/1999

Number of Discs: 1

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Since Capitol's two-volume 1999 Greatest Hits only seemed to be chronological -- the label followed a rough time line, but Vol. 1 had many curious omissions from the early years, yet it basically stopped after Pet Sounds -- there were many early hits that should have fit on the first volume that were saved for the second. In other words, if you were wondering where "In My Room," "Warmth of the Sun," "Don't Worry Baby," "All Summer Long," "Wendy," "Little Honda," "When I Grow Up to Be a Man," and "Caroline No" all were, the answer is, they're here on the first half of Vol. 2 ("Surfin'" is still curiously absent from these collections). The second half of the disc rounds up highlights from the Beach Boys' late-'60s recordings for Capitol -- "Heroes and Villains," "Wild Honey," "Darlin'," "Friends," "Do It Again," "I Can Hear Music" -- stopping when they switched to Reprise in 1970. Combined with Vol. 1, this offers an excellent portrait of the Beach Boys as a singles band, which was always their strength in the '60s. It would have been nice if the two volumes complemented each other chronologically, yet they still work very well together; as they stand, they're the best available collection of the Beach Boys' hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi