Upon signing to Capitol Records in 1962 and releasing their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year, the three young brothers, cousin, and friend from Hawthorne, Calif., known simply as The Beach Boys, soared to popularity with their ebullient sound that embodied the Southern California beach lifestyle with sunshiny vocal harmonies, twangy guitars, upbeat songs about surf culture, and their youthful exuberance. Propelled by the hits “Surfin’” and “Surfin’ Safari,” the album, which uncommon for its day, featured mostly original songs, spent 37 weeks on the Billboard chart and set the course for one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, who have gone on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. With each album, The Beach Boys refined their songwriting and production skills, rapidly evolving from their early surf beginnings to create some of the most sonically exquisite and most important and beloved music ever made.
Sixty years after first transmitting their good vibrations around the globe, The Beach Boys, the first American pop band to reach the 60-year milestone, remain one of the most legendary and influential groups to date, with their timeless music reverberating through modern culture today as strong as ever. In celebration of their 60th anniversary, the group has released of some of the major initiatives planned to celebrate “America’s Band” throughout 2022-23.
The Beach Boys said: “It’s hard to believe it’s been 60 years since we signed to Capitol Records and released our first album, Surfin’ Safari. We were just kids in 1962 and could have never dreamed about where our music would take us, that it would have such a big impact on the world, still be loved, and continue to be discovered by generation after generation. This is a huge milestone that we’re all very honoured to have achieved. And to our incredible fans, forever and new, we look forward to sharing even more throughout the year.”
To kick off the yearlong celebration and provide the perfect summer soundtrack, Capitol Records, UMe, and Universal Music Canada will release a newly remastered and expanded edition of The Beach Boys career-spanning greatest hits collection, Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys, on June 17. Originally released in 2003, the album soared to no. 16 in the US and stayed on the chart for 104 weeks. Now certified 4x platinum for sales of nearly four and a half million albums, the collection has been updated in both number of songs and audio quality, expanding the original 30-track best of with 50 more of the band’s most beloved songs for a total of 80 tracks that span their earliest hits to deeper fan-favourite cuts and from their 1962 debut album, Surfin’ Safari through to 1989’s Still Cruisin’.
Assembled by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, the team behind 2013’s GRAMMY Award-winning SMiLE Sessions and last year’s acclaimed boxed set, Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971, Sounds Of Summer features nearly every US Top 40 hit of The Beach Boys’ incredible career, including “California Girls,” “I Get Around,” “Surfer Girl,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” “Be True To Your School,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Kokomo,” “Barbara Ann,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “In My Room,” and many others. Fifty additional tracks showcase a broad mix of songs from across their wide-ranging catalog with some of the many highlights including “All Summer Long,” “Disney Girls,” “Forever,” “Feel Flows,” “Friends,” “Roll Plymouth Rock,” “Sail on Sailor,” “Surf’s Up,” and “Wind Chimes.”
The collection boasts 24 new mixes including two first-time stereo mixes, plus 22 new-and-improved stereo mixes, which in some cases feature the latest in digital stereo extraction technology, allowing for the team to separate the original mono backing tracks for the first time.
The expanded edition of Sounds Of Summer will be available in a variety of formats, including digitally, a 3CD softpack, and as a Super Deluxe Edition 6LP vinyl boxed set on 180-gram black vinyl in two options – a standard set or a numbered, limited edition version featuring a rainbow foil slipcase and four collectible lithographs. Both versions will feature colour printed sleeves that replicate the original “Capitol Catalog” sleeves that highlight the entire Beach Boys discography, and all formats will include a booklet with new liner notes and updated photos. The original 30-track version will also be available in its newly remastered and upgraded form on single CD or double gatefold LP on standard weight vinyl or as a higher-end limited edition numbered version pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a tip-on jacket and a lithograph.
Pre-order for Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys is available now, and the set is being previewed with the new stereo mix of “Good Vibrations” which is now streaming and available for immediate download. Pre-order and listen now HERE.
Additionally, all 30 tracks on disc 1 of Sounds Of Summer have been mixed in immersive Dolby Atmos, joining the group’s Christmas Album which was mixed in spatial audio and released this past holiday season, and continuing the initiative to present the group’s catalog in the enveloping and exciting new audio format.
The timeless music of The Beach Boys will also be featured in several innovative official new music videos that are in the works along with a slate of lyric videos and visualizers to present these classic songs in the modern video era.
Following the release of Sounds of Summer, this fall Capitol/UMe/Universal Music Canada will release the next chapter in The Beach Boys’ archival releases, which will explore the bands often overlooked but pivotal albums, 1972’s Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” and 1973’s Holland. The deluxe multi-disc set follows last year’s acclaimed boxed set Feel Flows – The Sunflower and Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 that topped many critic’s year-end lists and chronicled and explored the metamorphic and highly influential 1969-1971 period of the band’s career through tons of unreleased tracks, live recordings, radio promos, alternate versions, alternate mixes, isolated backing tracks and a cappella versions, culled from the album sessions. More details will be revealed at a later date.
Besides the new music releases from Capitol/UMe/Universal Music Canada, The Beach Boys are also catching new waves by participating in a feature length documentary currently in the works, a tribute special, prestigious exhibitions and events, unique brand partnerships, and much more to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
For six decades, The Beach Boys’ music has been an indelible part of American history. Their brilliant harmonies conveyed simple truths through sophisticated, pioneering musical arrangements. The Beach Boys transcended their music and have come to represent California culture. They provided fans around the world with a passport to experience love, youthful exuberance, and surf culture. Founded in Hawthorne, California in 1961, The Beach Boys were originally comprised of the three teenaged Wilson brothers: Brian, Carl, and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and school friend Al Jardine. In 1962, neighbour David Marks joined the group for their first wave of hits with Capitol Records, leaving in late 1963, and in 1965, Bruce Johnston joined the band when Brian Wilson retired from touring to focus on writing and producing for the group.
The Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records in July 1962 and released their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year. The band’s initial surf rock focus was soon broadened to include other styles and such themes as spirituality, meditation, and environmentalism, making The Beach Boys America’s preeminent band of the 1960s. The Wilson/Love collaboration resulted in many huge international chart hits.
The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. Between the 1960s and today, the group had over 80 songs chart worldwide, 36 of them in the US Top 40 and four topping the Billboard Hot 100. Their influence on other artists spans musical genres and movements. Countless artists have cited Pet Sounds as their inspiration for creating their own musical masterpieces. Rolling Stone ranked Pet Sounds No. 2 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” and the Beach Boys No. 12 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and recipients of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, The Beach Boys are a beloved American institution that remains iconic around the world.
Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys – Expanded Edition
3CD/Digital Tracklisting
Disc 1
1. California Girls (1965)
2. I Get Around (1964)
3. Surfin’ Safari (1962)
4. Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)
5. Fun, Fun, Fun (1964)
6. Surfer Girl (1963)
7. Don’t Worry Baby (1964)
8. Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
9. Shut Down (1963)
10. Help Me, Rhonda (1965)
11. Be True To Your School (Single Version) (1963)
12. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (1964)
13. In My Room (1963)
14. God Only Knows (1966)
15. Sloop John B (1966)
16. Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)
17. Getcha Back (1985)
18. Come Go With Me (1978)
19. Rock and Roll Music (1976)
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (1964)
21. Barbara Ann (1965)
22. Do You Wanna Dance? (1965)
23. Heroes And Villains (1967)
24. Good Timin’ (1979)
25. Kokomo (1988)
26. Do It Again (1968)
27. Wild Honey (1967)
28. Darlin’ (1967)
29. I Can Hear Music (1969)
30. Good Vibrations (1966)
Disc 2
1. All Summer Long (1964)
2. Good To My Baby (1965)
3. This Whole World (1970)
4. All I Wanna Do (1970)
5. Disney Girls (1971)
6. Kiss Me Baby (1965)
7. Let The Wind Blow (1967)
8. Forever (1970)
9. Sail On Sailor (1973)
10. Long Promised Road (1971)
11. Cotton Fields (1970)
12. Pom Pom Play Girl (1964)
13. Wind Chimes (Smile) (1966/1993)
14. I Went To Sleep (1968)
15. Farmer’s Daughter (1963)
16. Let Us Go On This Way (1977)
17. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (1972)
18. The Night Was So Young (1977)
19. Marcella (1972)
20. You’re So Good To Me (1965)
21. Aren’t You Glad (1967)
22. Baby Blue (1979)
23. It’s About Time (1970)
24. Roll Plymouth Rock (1966/1993)
25. Surf’s Up (1971)
Disc 3
1. Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
2. It’s Ok (1976)
3. Goin’ On (1980)
4. San Miguel (1969)
5. The Warmth Of The Sun (1964)
6. Everyone’s In Love With You (1976)
7. All This Is That (1972)
8. California Saga (1973)
9. Feel Flows (1971)
10. Wendy (1964)
11. Girl Don’t Tell Me (1965)
12. Let Him Run Wild (1965)
13. All I Want To Do (1968)
14. Susie Cincinnati (1970)
15. Vegetables (1967)
16. Time To Get Alone (1969)
17. Where I Belong (1985)
18. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (1966)
19. Little Bird (1968)
20. Til I Die (1971)
21. (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (1971)
22. Friends (1968)
23. Devoted To You (1965)
24. Can’t Wait Too Long (1968)
25. California Feelin’ (1978)
Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys – Expanded Edition
6LP/Tracklisting
LP1
SIDE A
1. California Girls (1965)
2. I Get Around (1964)
3. Surfin’ Safari (1962)
4. Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)
5. Fun, Fun, Fun (1964)
6. Surfer Girl (1963)
7. Don’t Worry Baby (1964)
8. Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
SIDE B
1. Shut Down (1963)
2. Help Me, Rhonda (1965)
3. Be True To Your School (Single Version) (1963)
4. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (1964)
5. In My Room (1963)
6. God Only Knows (1966)
7. Sloop John B (1966)
8. Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)
LP2
SIDE C
1. Getcha Back (1985)
2. Rock and Roll Music (1978)
3. Rock and Roll Music (1976)
4. Dance, Dance, Dance (1964)
5. Barbara Ann (1965)
6. Do You Wanna Dance? (1965)
7. Heroes And Villains (1967)
8. Good Timin’ (1979)
SIDE D
1. Kokomo (1988)
2. Do It Again (1968)
3. Wild Honey (1967)
4. Darlin’ (1967)
5. I Can Hear Music (1969)
6. Good Vibration (1966)
SIDE E
1. All Summer Long (1964)
2. Good To My Baby (1965)
3. This Whole World (1970)
4. All I Wanna Do (1970)
5. Disney Girls (1971)
6. Kiss Me Baby (1965)
7. Let The Wind Blow (1967)
8. Forever (1970)
SIDE F
1. Sail On Sailor (1973)
2. Long Promised Road (1971)
3. Cotton Fields (1970)
4. Pom Pom Play Girl (1964)
5. Wind Chimes (Smile) (1966/1993)
6. I Went To Sleep (1968)
7. Farmer’s Daughter (1963)
SIDE G
1. Let Us Go On This Way (1977)
2. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (1972)
3. The Night Was So Young (1977)
4. Marcella (1972)
5. You’re So Good To Me (1965)
6. Aren’t You Glad (1967)
7. Baby Blue (1979)
SIDE H
1. It’s About Time (1970)
2. Roll Plymouth Rock (1966/1993)
3. Surf’s Up (1971)
4. Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
5. It’s Ok (1976)
6. Goin’ On (1980)
7. San Miguel (1969)
SIDE I
1. The Warmth Of The Sun (1964)
2. Everyone’s In Love With You (1976)
3. All This Is That (1972)
4. California Saga (1973)
5. Feel Flows (1971)
6. Wendy (1964)
7. Girl Don’t Tell Me (1965)
SIDE J
1. Let Him Run Wild (1965)
2. All I Want To Do (1968)
3. Susie Cincinnati (1970)
4. Vegetables (1967)
5. Time To Get Alone (1969)
6. Where I Belong (1985)
7. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (1966)
SIDE K
1. Little Bird (1968)
2. Til I Die (1971)
3. (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (1971)
4. Friends (1968)
5. Devoted To You (1965)
6. Can’t Wait Too Long (1968)
7. California Feelin’ (1978)
Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys
1CD Tracklisting
1. California Girls (1965)
2. I Get Around (1964)
3. Surfin’ Safari (1962)
4. Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)
5. Fun, Fun, Fun (1964)
6. Surfer Girl (1963)
7. Don’t Worry Baby (1964)
8. Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
9. Shut Down (1963)
10. Help Me, Rhonda (1965)
11. Be True To Your School (Single Version) (1963)
12. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (1964)
13. In My Room (1963)
14. God Only Knows (1966)
15. Sloop John B (1966)
16. Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)
17. Getcha Back (1985)
18. Come Go With Me (1978)
19. Rock and Roll Music (1976)
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (1964)
21. Barbara Ann (1965)
22. Do You Wanna Dance? (1965)
23. Heroes And Villains (1967)
24. Good Timin’ (1979)
25. Kokomo (1988)
26. Do It Again (1968)
27. Wild Honey (1967)
28. Darlin’ (1967)
29. I Can Hear Music (1969)
30. Good Vibrations (1966)
