Posted on: July 11, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

The Beach Boys – The Warmth of the Sun / 2007 EMP / 28 Tracks / http://www.emicap.com /

The Beach Boys are one of the best known pop-rock bands, one of the earliest boy bands (as opposed to earlier teen idols). This disc features twenty-eight different tracks by The Beach Boys, and can be described as a definitive greatest hits collection. This is because the sequence and substance of the album was determined by the Beach Boys themselves. If there could be a better authority on what songs should be on a Beach Boys greatest hits, the band themselves would have to be it. One thing that really becomes evident to me has to be the short duration of the tracks on the disc.

The entirety of the album is 78 minutes, and features almost thirty different tracks by the band. It is evident that The Beach Boys were influential in the overall sound of early punk bands like The Ramones, but it is probably a pretty solid idea to assume that the band took notes on the track lengths of The Beach Boys. Songs like “Catch A Wave” needed to be only about two minutes, because anything longer and individuals would become disenchanted with the band. This is due to the fact that the very terse statements by the band relied a great deal on repetition to increase catchiness, and to have a track at the three or four minute mark would mean that individuals would become disenchanted with the track.

I am not a big Beach Boys fan, so some of these tracks I do not recall hearing (songs like “Hawaii” and “It’s OK). For the individual that may be more of my age rather than knowing about the Beach Boys first hand, some gems may be unearthed with this compilation. Of course, the biggest hits are on this disc as well; “409”, and “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” are front and center. The Beach Boys had a long career, and the sheer ability shown in the band’s twenty-eight cuts here is amazing. What is really shocking on “The Warmth of the Sun” is that the band was able to come forth with so many variations on one genre that sound so different. The surf/rock sound of the band is not a very fruitful style to work within, and The Beach Boys were able to craft tracks that always stood out from each other. Give this disc a listen, even if you are not a fan of the band.

Top Tracks: Then I Kissed Her, Forever

Rating: 6.0/10

1 people reacted on this

  1. Admittedly, you were not in the midst of the Beach Boys craze; you come off as much younger. However, you erroneously wrote “408” when the song was about a “409” and dismissed “Hawaii” which was one of the most upbeat feel-good songs of the time; we sang it as we skied the slopes of the Sierra, wonderful tune! Jane

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