The Greatest Hits Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations

The Beach Boys | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: September 9, 1999
• Release Date: April 1, 2004
• Label: Capitol
• Copyright: (C) 1999 Capitol Records, Inc.
• Total Length: 48:58
• Genres:
  • Pop
• ASIN: B000TEMS02
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars + 1/2 stars...Their Biggest Hits March 13, 2004

By Steve Vrana HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

In 1999-2000, Capitol Records put out three separate volumes of the Beach Boys greatest hits. For the casual fan who didn't want to shell out for the box set GOOD VIBRATIONS, this seemed like a logical marketing decision. Volume I has the highest hit quotient and included all of their Sixties Top 10 hits (with the exception of "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)"). The 12-page foldout booklet is a bit awkward, but it contains a terrific essay by Beach Boy author Brad Elliot, recording information on each song, and great photos (including a couple including one-time Beach Boy David Marks). If you buy all three volumes, you wind up with all thirty-four Beach Boy hits from 1962-1988. [Note: 1981's "Beach Boy Medley" is not included on any of the volumes.] And with a total of 60 tracks between the three volumes, you also get key album tracks and lesser hits. ["Catch a Wave" is the only non-hit from Volume 1, but the song charted for Jan & Dean in 1964 when they changed the lyrics and retitled it "Sidewalk Surfin'."] The only drawback to this CD is its 49:10 running time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 and a half! Nice selection when paired with Vol. 2 August 19, 2000

By T.J.

Format:Audio CD

As a big fan of the Beach Boys' 60s catalog, I would call this CD, along with Vol. 2, a very reasonable compilation of their 60s work. It's very easy not to skip TOO many of the Beach Boys' greatest songs because many of their early LPs contain a lot of filler and overly repeated themes that might not always be tolerable by the casual listener.

This CD is classic all the way! You got your surf songs (Surfer Girl, Surfin' USA, Surfin' Safari, Catch A Wave), your car songs (Shut Down, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, Fun Fun Fun, I Get Around), then you have the near perfect studio productions from the mid-60s (California Girls, Good Vibrations, God Only Knows, Sloop John B), some more hits (Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Do You Wanna Dance), etc, etc.

You MUST get Vol. 2 or you'll miss out on so many other great songs!!!

Beware of which pressing of the CD you get. I guess you can't really tell by ordering online, but the new pressings use the original 45rpm single mixes (or mono-version-of-the-LP mixes) and before, several of these songs were in stereo. I'm sorry mono fans, but the stereo versions just sound so much clearer. (I hope someday the LPs "Today" and "Summer Days" from 1965 are remixed in stereo like "Pet Sounds" was recently, because that makes up the bulk of their 60s catalog you can't hear in stereo.)

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Obsolete June 19, 2006

By Lower Frequencies

Format:Audio CD

This was a good enough compilation in its day, but it has been replaced by the far superior Sounds of Summer collection, released in 2003. This CD only gives the listener 20 songs and has a downright meager running time of 49 minutes. SoS has 30 songs and runs for over 70 minutes. The only songs found here and not on SoS are "409" and "Catch a Wave".

Add this to the fact that Sounds of Summer is frequently on sale, and there's no reason to go back to this outdated collection.