Customer Reviews

The Warmth of the Sun

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"THE WARMTH OF THE SUN" has new/FIRST TIME STEREO mixes of All Summer Long, You're So Good To Me, Then I Kissed Her, Please Let Me Wonder, and Let Him Run Wild (all hard-core Beach Boys Classics); plus the stereo mix of Kiss Me Baby (which has only appeared on the Endless Harmony CD), and a new stereo remix of Wendy. The songs are annotated in detail, with many unseen photos of the boys, but there are no liner notes or essay.

SURPRISES:
"Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is annotated as the original 1964 mono single mix (b-side of Fun, Fun, Fun); it's a different/better sounding mono mix, with a very different intro (no drum beat to start, with some piano & percussion sounds under the vocals). Very nice. Never before on CD!

"Cool, Cool Water" is annotated as the 1970 single version, and is in fact 1:40 shorter than the album version from Sunflower. The first 1:20 of the album version was excised, plus another 20 seconds edited out to create this stereo single version. This version had been released on the long out-of-print Ten Years Of Harmony LP/CD.

"California Dreamin" is annotated as the original 1986 stereo mix from "Made In The USA", but it is not; this version has wind, rain and thunder sounds before the guitar intro fades in. Never before on CD!

INTERESTING NOTES:
"Breakaway" is annotated as "alternate mix". It is in fact the "alternate version" that was released on the incredible "Hawthorne,CA" CD in 2001, although the studio chatter has been trimmed off the beginning. [FYI: this 2001 alternate stereo mix has Brian singing lead on the first verse instead of Carl, and additional/more complex vocals on the ending section, although it comes from the same basic master as the original mix. It also runs about 10 seconds longer, and to me the mix sounds much better]

The closing title track "Warmth Of The Sun" appears in it's mono single mix, although it's in stereo on the original LP and CD of Shut Down Vol 2, Endless Summer, etc. A surprising choice in this context.

BOTTOM LINE:
This is a beautiful companion to "Sounds Of Summer", the 30 song compilation from 2003, which itself had 2 new stereo mixes (and 5 stereo mixes which had only recently been released on various sets).
Both are great as casual compilations and collector's treasures.

Thank You producer/engineer Mark Linett and Capitol /EMI !
and of course Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike, Al & Bruce !

As other reviewers have noted, THE WARMTH OF THE SUN makes an excellent companion volume to 2003's superb SOUNDS OF SUMMER. Between 1962 and 1988, the Beach Boys charted 33 singles on Billboard's Top 40 (34 if you count 1981's "The Beach Boy Medley"). Thirty of those singles appeared on SOUNDS OF SUMMER. That left only "The Little Girl I Once Knew," "Caroline, No" and "It's O.K." for this new release. Inexplicably, "Caroline, No" is not included here. [In fact, there are no tracks from 1967's ground-breaking PET SOUNDS.]

So with only a handful of singles and well known album tracks, the 28 tracks found on THE WARMTH OF THE SUN enable the compilers to plumb deeper into the Beach Boys' catalog. Tracks range from 1962's "409" (the b-side to "Surfin' Safari" taken from their Capitol debut) to 1986's cover of the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'" (which features some terrific 12-string guitar playing from Roger McGuinn).

This latest collection was compiled and sequenced by surviving group members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston. While Wilson wrote or co-wrote most of these songs (including three tracks from the minor classic LP ALL SUMMER LONG), Johnston wrote the gorgeous "Disney Girls (1957)" and Jardine composed the lush "California Saga (On My Way to Sunny Californ-i-a)" which went Top 40 in the U.K. in 1973.

[Note: New stereo mixes are included for the following songs: "All Summer Long," "You're So Good to Me," "Then I Kissed Her," "Please Let Me Wonder," "Let Him Run Wild" and "Wendy."]

While the Beach Boys only reached the Top 10 twice after 1966's "Good Vibrations," this compilation shows that they were still an artistically viable band decades after their commercial heyday. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is the CD you hand to your friends when you're trying to explain the Brian Wilson and Beach Boys magical music that was ignored by FM radio in the late 60's and early70's, or forgotten from the British Invasion era. No new ground is plowed here, but this is a good sample of the excellent music that ALL the Beach Boys were producing in that period. This is especially evident in the earlier BW studio work (ie. Let Him Run Wild) and the the latter post-Smile work, sans Brian. And it even includes some excellent liner notes and pictures...

If you are a Beach Boy afficianado or "fanatic", then you know these songs. If you are not into the Beach Boys that much, then you might not know several of these songs - but you should learn them and add them to your repertoire.

Brian Wilson and the Beachboys collaborating again. Brian did his own album(s), DVD, and was gigging with other musicians. The Beachboys have been gigging without Brian. As a Beachboy's fan, I think it's great they got back together. This weekend was classic, wooden boats all over Lake Arrowhead. I bet they had fun there, at Brian's house, cruising in his "California Girls" speedboat, as they met discussing this retrospective. Between this release, and the Stone's "Bigger Bang" 4 DVD set, this is going to be a great summer for classic rock. I would agree with most, that the band's best material came before 1970, but I also liked "Surf's Up" from the early 70's. Since the Stone's are still writing good songs, perhaps the Beachboy's could too? I will especially enjoy hearing a remix of "Wendy" because a beautiful girl with the same name was once a true love of mine. Please, don't tell my wife! LOL.

The new stereo mixes are really great. I'm hearing parts I never noticed before. I'm pleased "Let Him Run Wild" made it this time, since it's one of my very favorite songs. The only complaints I have is that the track listing is very strange, and there are some songs that really don't have any business being there. But overall I'm just glad that the general public is slowly catching on to what a legacy Brian and the Boys had left us. Although I'm told these compilations drive completists nuts.

WOW IT'S GREAT TO SEE THIS CD. FIRST, THE SOUND IS THE BEST I EVER HARD. JUST LISTEN TO TO EACH SONGS. YOU CAN HEAR HOW THE BEACH BOYS MUSIC CHANGE THROUGH THE YEARS. THE BEACH BOYS REALLY WORKED HARD TO KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES. OVER ALL, THIS IS A MUST HAVE CD FOR ALL THOSE BEACH BOYS FANS,AND NEW ONES TOO. GREAT JOB CAPITAL RECORDS

If you are a Beach Boys fan, this is worth listening to. I knew all the songs already, but it's great to hear them again in this format. Most of the songs were album cuts, so many people may not be familiar with them.

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.

...which this collection allows for that to happen.

It collects all the "not so often heard" songs in a format that spans a large historical chunk of the Beach Boys' recording career. This collection shows how the songs are different from each other and from the Beach Boys' greatest and most well-known & heard hits...

.....as well as how they are the same and/or interconnected to the creativity & beauty of so much Beach Boys music.

A whole lotta luv, harmony, and beauty on these tunes.

Hard core fans will remember them well enough and have a chance to have a wide range of these "second tier" songs all on one cd, and the casual fan will get a chance to become familiar with songs they may have not heard that much, if at all, and enable the casual fan to develope an appreciation and enjoyment of potential favorites, that will compliment the tried & tru Beach Boys hits.

I think the tunes on this collection are "hits" in their own right.

The cd has a great pace to it and all the songs are well-crafted gems. Considering the 2003 collection was practically chronological, this one has a few non-chronologically well-placed songs, that fit just perfect. It shows the band to have really never lost their commitment to producing music that is timeless, and not bound by fad or fashion.

I think this collection, more than any other, shows that the Beach Boys have finally been accepted for being the creative powerhouse they have always been...

...and yet, its taken the last 30 years for the rest of the critics & the listening public to catch up & understand the genius that is at play in the Beach Boys' output.

its great to see so many folks appreciating these more obscure tunes.

The thing is, the tunes have always been there, but its taken awhile for alot of us, especially me, to find them and grow to enjoy them.

Having this type of single disc retrospective enables that and is most welcome. Whereas less is sometimes more, more sometimes allows for discovery by many of us, especially those of us distracted by other groups' creative works that have been marketed so heavily over the years.

To have this collection, for me anyway, is a diamond hiding among so many other musical pop rock & soulful diamonds of other groups as well as the Beach Boys own big hits.

Enjoy for the 1st time or the 100th time. A very unique and enjoyable set.

Drink up and fill your cup. ;)