The Beach Boys - The Warmth Of The Sun

Summer days (and a hitless comp!!)

It wouldn’t be summer without another Beach Boys collection from EMI, but this one tells a different story to the hits-driven compilations pounding out I Get Around ad nauseum. Apparently “hand selected and sequenced by the band themselves”, The Warmth Of The Sun reveals the other side of Brian Wilson, and later others’, mind of pocket symphonies, giving a much more rounded look at “America’s band”.

The best known tracks are probably Break Away and Surf’s Up, meaning that Dennis Wilson’s heartrending Forever can get the attention it deserves, as can brother Carl’s Feel Flow. They prove that the post-Pet Sounds/ Smile group weren’t entirely adrift without Brian. Nor should listening to their early albums be a rush to get to Pet Sounds. Please Let Me Wonder and You’re So Good To Me, from The Beach Boys Today! and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) shine through alongside mini gems such as 409, ’Til I Die and Sail On, Sailor.

With no thought to chronology and no hits to distract, this is probably the most interesting Beach Boys compilation in years. On the downside, there’s nothing wholly new, and the six tracks with a “new stereo mix” won’t send anyone who already knows rushing to the store.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

EMI | 344 9642

Reviewed by Jason Draper
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