Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/21/1999
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, All Music Guide