Greatest Hits [Capitol]

Photographers: Guy Webster; Randy Faris; Patrick Lane.
Unknown Contributor Role: Elliott Lott.
There are dozens of Beach Boys compilations on the market, some of them thrown together in haphazard fashion with an eye to budget bins and gas station racks, and while all of them undoubtedly feature some great songs (given that the band's recorded legacy is such a rich and timeless one), it's a delight to find that Capitol Records is finally taking great care to re-present the Beach Boys catalog in 2012, the 50th anniversary of the band. That said, this new single-disc collection of 20 Beach Boys hits doesn't differ all that much from the compilations that came before it. It has a new track, "That's Why God Made the Radio," several cuts are featured in stereo versions, and it has the single-only mixes of "Be True to Your School" and "Help Me, Rhonda," for instance, but it still feels rather random, even though one couldn't quibble with the catalog songs here -- they're all classic Beach Boys tracks, and all of them received a ton of radio play in their day. It's hard to call a 20-track package a sampler, but that's what this incarnation of the band's greatest hits feels like. It's a measure of what a great band the Beach Boys have been, really. A single disc just can't cover it. ~ Steve Leggett