Album Review 189: The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations, The Best of (1975)

[@tylergalindo1278]

What an awesome set! I EAGERLY await your Sunflower and Love You review!!!

[@Giggens]

They're coming soon!

[@tylergalindo1278]

@@Giggens I grew up on Sounds of the Summer. That was my first real exposure to the music. My parents always thought Heroes and Villains was the weird track and I always longed after it. It didn't sound like anything else they had ever done and it TOTALLY stood on its own. It drove me to albums like Pet Sounds and SMiLE. Most recently, Holland. Sorry to unload all of this on here! Lol this is one of my favorite channels and you're the only guy close to my age that I have found that celebrates and appreciates this music as much as I do. Thanks, Giggens!

[@Giggens]

Tyler Galindo it’s always fun to chat about The Beach Boys, that’s why I love this channel haha!

[@TheRecordlover]

Hi Giggens! Another outstanding review! I first heard this album in 1985 when a student in my Drama class gave it to me. That copy was played to High Heaven, so I replaced it with two better copies. One is a white label promo, and the other is in shrink wrap promoting "Sail On Sailor".

[@Giggens]

With that wrap? Now that is cool!

[@TheRecordlover]

Oh yeah. Being it was released in 1975, they re-released "Sail on Sailor" as a single. I think it charted a little higher as a result.

[@johnlindsay7301]

Hey Giggens, I just have to thank you. A few years back I was introduced to the music and story of the Beach Boys Smile project. I purchased the Smile Sessions and loved it, but I had assumed that after Brian abandoned the album that their music development ceased to exists. So while I was searching I KZbin to see some further perspectives and details on the Smile project I came across your KZbin page and discovered that they continued to make music after Smile. I was surprised and very skeptical when you reviewed Wild Honey and Friends. But I gave the albums a chance and found out you were right. They are amazing albums. The music is amazing. Just as good if not better than even Pet Sounds. I went on to listen to all their albums up to Live You. Some are better than others but mostly the albums are really good. So thank you for the introduction. You have shown me music which will be apart of life for the rest of my life. Again, thanks!

[@Giggens]

Always happy to hear that, John! So cool!!

[@Flux799]

I think The Beach Boys have more Best Of/Greatest Hits albums than anyone else in music history lol.

[@Giggens]

I think so too haha!

[@stonemcdonald2389]

Hell Yeah, I love this record. It's the first of many records I bought from them

[@Giggens]

Awesome!

[@michaelhiggins6762]

hey giggens, yeah I bought this album at Sam Goody's back in summer of '75, mostly for two reasons...1. It contained the song Breakaway, which had never appeared on a Beach Boys album I could afford on the meager wage I was earning as a 19 year old kid at the time...Spirit of America, which had come out only about three months or so earlier and contained Breakaway, but was a double album and was out of my price range, so I bought Good Vibrations best of the Beach Boys, a single album with a cheaper price tag...Breakaway is just an awesome song...and 2...I love the album cover...! Absolutely gorgeous cover shot... And nothing but great songs throughout, though all of which I had on their original album releases...overall, a great album...keep the reviews coming giggens, I look forward to every one of them...!

[@Giggens]

Always more reviews to come!

[@alwaysamysteryyes2021]

My parents were 45's people. They didnt buy albums unless they were collections or live. (Oh and some group called the Beatles.) Anyway, my dad had this and Endless Summer and i always thought the 2 were such a good compliment to each other. Really a good overview of the band.

[@Giggens]

They really are great overviews!

[@justlookin626]

Great review. This is one of the albums that turned me on to The Beach Boys when I was a kid. There were a couple of stores in the city I grew up in that had bins of "cut out" albums, 3 for 99 cents. I bought a lot of those cheapo Pickwick comps. Thanks for the memories.

[@Giggens]

Can't beat that!

[@chrisrainbow2393]

Hi Giggens, what a great album, I don't know whether it was available in UK but the packaging looks great. As I have indicated before, by 1974/5 BB abums were very hard to find and the market had become confusing here in UK with lots of compilations and this wasn't helped by both Capitol and Brother who released doubles at the same time as if to outdo each other, ie Capitol had Wild Honey / Friends and Brother had Friends /Smiley Smile and so it went on and as I previously said, these albums were only available for a very short time, but, for a good price. , but fans couldn't help but duplicate. with both labels.

[@Giggens]

Oh man interesting!

[@TomCwimpRock]

This was one of those records that I had been looking at in record stores since 1975, and for years and years asking myself “do I need to have this” - I think maybe initially I didn’t buy it because there seemed to be no promotion, or fanfare, surrounding it - it just seemed to be there in The Beach Boys section, but never on display... but I came close, on numerous occasions to picking it up...Finally, around 2010 or so, I came across a decent copy for .98 cents. I’m glad to have it in my collection, but I’ve probably only played it 4 or 5 times - it does seem to flow fairly well as a collection.. Good points made in this review about how this album captures a specific moment in time during The Beach Boys career - that’s part of the fun of record collection, as you noted, and you’ve managed to re - ignite my interest in this collection...Nice video.

[@Giggens]

Thanks as always Thomas!

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

Hey Giggens, I do own this LP album but strangely it's one of the lesser played albums in my collection. It's a 10/10 like you said for sure but I seem to prefer if I was say to listen to Sail on Sailor that I just put on Holland ect. Can't understand why I overlook this album so much, It may be the BEST OF in the title. If it was a different name I would play it more! Thanks for the great review!

[@Giggens]

It's such a fun listen!

[@thewalrus5198]

I also love that Brother Records label, I think because it reminds me that I'm about to listen to some amazing music

[@Giggens]

I can dig that!

[@president-electfreddy-krue3866]

a few times, Giggens has asked why The Beach Boys put a lesser version of a song on the album. I believe, the whole point was to give the buyer of the Single Version the better version.

[@Giggens]

Good point!

[@sapporowill]

Thanks again for the great review. I've seen this one kicking around in various used bins but wasn't sure about the context. Will try to pick it up the next time I see it. BTW....any chance of reviewing the "palm tree" twofers you referenced in this video? Have both of them and find them quite interesting. Would love to learn more about them. Cheers!

[@Giggens]

Totally! I have them both, I'd love to review them!

[@sapporowill]

@@Giggens That would be awesome! I haven't been able to locate much historical information related to these two releases (which are both on the Brother Records label).

[@andygaines9686]

I've not seen this album at all. Was it only released in America and Canada? I'm looking forward to your "In the Groove " fantasy double set of this album.

[@Giggens]

Man, as far as I know, it might have only been in the US?

[@koei715]

great piece of review as always. still looking forwards to either Sunflower or Ten Years of Harmony/Best of the Brother Years. Oh and by the way, any plans to review on any of the ELO albums??

[@Giggens]

ELO will happen at some point! And totally those other Beach Boys too!

[@ChromeDestiny]

I had this for a while when I collected records, I meant to have that be the representation of late 60's and early 70's Beach Boys in my record collection but later on at different thrifts I also found an early 80's repress of Wild Honey and an original early 70's Surf's Up and couldn't resist having those as well.

[@Giggens]

Oh yeah totally!

[@markwilliams4792]

Hello my friend. I think the good vibrations album for the time it was released was good. First because it showed old and new fans that the beach boys were not just a surf group or a oldies band, second it showed that yes they had a lot of things they could say, to make you want to hear them over and over again

[@Giggens]

Totally!

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

For some reason, it seems Capitol still owned Breakaway at the time as it was on the Spirit of America album.

[@cazgerald9471]

I think they missed the boat on the packaging. They could have CAPITOLized (lol) on the Endless Summer / Spirit of America success by hiring Keith McConnell to do a two sided cover (unless he was prohibited by Capitol) - that would have caught some eyes and most likely boosted sales. They should have also splurged on the inner sleeve, one side some cool photos, the other color pics of each album cover from Pet Sounds to Holland with a little blurb about each one, plus the track listing including a blurb about each song and the albums they came from. That could have gotten people excited about their catalog. Oh well, another opportunity lost with what almost seems a half-hearted effort. Please don't forget to dust off your In The Groove light XD

[@Giggens]

I have to find that light!

[@raymondgill9796]

This album is all good stuff but I prefer the original Uk Greatest Hits because it was what I grew up with and contained I can Hear Music and Then I kissed her along with a couple of early hits. The great thing this has going for it is Sail On Sailor and some more from that era plus it should be praised for not including Kokomo. (I know Kokomo was recorded much later but any album that does not include it is a blessing). In widening it to a double Carl and the Passions has some gems, after all Cuddle Up is sublime and Marcella and You Need a Mess... are all worthy of consideration.

[@Giggens]

That sounds like an awesome set too!

[@Flapperdame16]

Giggens do you have the tv station axs tv? On july 14 the show A Year in Music is airing a new ep 1966- don't miss it!!! PS- YES SUNFLOWER- aka- the Giggens missing Beach Boys review!

[@Giggens]

That channel sound cool! And oh yeah, Sunflower soon!

[@marcofalzone6469]

This album was my first time hearing the full released version of "Surf's Up" believe it or not😆 aside from the snippet off An American band VHS

[@Giggens]

Man that's cool!

[@marcofalzone6469]

No lie, bro. We are on the same pg.

[@TheRecordlover]

Marco Falzone that was my first documentary of The Beach Boys. Received it for my birthday in 1986!

[@davidhigginbotham5451]

No mention of Brian... except, hopefully in the record label song credits. right? btw... never seen or heard this Lp before. Imagine that.... I mean... me?.... wow.

[@Giggens]

It's a great release for sure!

[@dreadfuldansdiscs2781]

What do you think of the front cover? Quite a departure from the Capitol collections that had proven so successful...

[@Giggens]

I think it's cool!

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

Notably, the label doesn't seem to say "stereo." Some of the tracks are fake stereo, IIRC.

[@Giggens]

I would believe that!

[@michaelhiggins6762]

Actually, giggens, I confused this album with 20 golden greats, which came out I believe right after Good Vibrations...Sorry...! That was a great album too, though...!

[@Giggens]

I have 20 Golden Greats too!

[@TheRecordlover]

Giggens 20 Golden Greats was the first time I heard the "Party!" version of "Barbara Ann".

[@marcofalzone6469]

Caroline no hit the Top40 as a Brian Wilson solo single it peaked at #32

[@Giggens]

Good point!

[@cardboardheadguy7814]

When are u going pet sounds and smile

[@Giggens]

Probably not for a long time

[@panelsandplatters]

Great compilation. Such a terrible cover. Great review.

[@panelsandplatters]

Also, "Break Away" appeared on Spirit of America, so I'm wondering if they didn't have rights to that single, since it wasn't on an album. That whole deal is a bit murky to me.

[@Giggens]

Valid point!