Best of the Beach Boys

Best of the Beach Boys
US release
Greatest hits album by the Beach Boys
Released	July 5, 1966 (1966-07-05)
Length	27:47 (US) 32:53 (UK)
Label	Capitol (US) Capitol/EMI (UK)
Producer	Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys US chronology
Pet Sounds (1966) Best of the Beach Boys (1966) Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 2 (1967)
The Beach Boys UK chronology
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1966) Best of the Beach Boys (1966) Surfer Girl (1967)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Best of the Beach Boys is the first compilation album released by the American rock band the Beach Boys through Capitol Records in 1966. The first version was released in the United States on July 5, 1966, two months after Pet Sounds . Another version of Best of The Beach Boys was issued in the United Kingdom on November 11, 1966, with a track listing that differed from the American release.

Release

The American release of Best of The Beach Boys includes a selection of 12 songs the band had recorded from 1963 to 1965, many of them singles or B-sides. The album reached number eight on the US charts and was certified gold by the RIAA on April 12, 1967, and double platinum on December 1, 1991. ^[2]

The British version of Best of The Beach Boys was released with songs that differed to its American counterpart. This version, initially compiled as a DJ sampler by EMI, sold close to 200,000 copies by September 1967 and spent a total of 142 weeks on the UK album charts, peaking at number two. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Track listing

US edition

Side 1 No. Title Original album Length 1. "Surfin' U.S.A." (Brian Wilson/Chuck Berry) Surfin' U.S.A. , 1963 2:28 2. "Catch a Wave" (B. Wilson/Mike Love) Surfer Girl , 1963 2:18 3. "Surfer Girl" (B. Wilson) Surfer Girl 2:26 4. "Little Deuce Coupe" (B. Wilson/Roger Christian) Surfer Girl 1:50 5. "In My Room" (B. Wilson/Gary Usher) Surfer Girl 2:13 6. "Little Honda" (B. Wilson/M. Love) All Summer Long , 1964 1:51 Side 2 No. Title Original album Length 1. "Fun, Fun, Fun" (B. Wilson/M. Love) Shut Down Volume 2 , 1964 2:18 2. "The Warmth of the Sun" (B. Wilson/M. Love) Shut Down Volume 2 2:50 3. "Louie, Louie" (Richard Berry) Shut Down Volume 2 2:23 4. "Kiss Me, Baby" (B. Wilson/M. Love) The Beach Boys Today! , 1965 2:35 5. "You're So Good to Me" (B. Wilson/M. Love) Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) , 1965 2:13 6. "Wendy" (B. Wilson/M. Love) All Summer Long 2:22

UK edition

Side one

1. "Surfin' Safari" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:05
2. "Surfin' U.S.A." (B. Wilson/Berry) – 2:28
3. "Little Deuce Coupe" (B. Wilson/Love) – 1:50
4. "Fun, Fun, Fun" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:18
5. "I Get Around" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:12
6. "All Summer Long" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:05
7. "In My Room" (B. Wilson/Usher) – 2:13

Side two

1. "Do You Wanna Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) – 2:18
2. "Help Me, Rhonda" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:45
3. "California Girls" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:37
4. "Barbara Ann" (Fred Fassert) – 2:05
5. "You're So Good to Me" (B. Wilson/Love) – 2:13
6. "Sloop John B" (trad. arr. B. Wilson/Al Jardine) – 2:55
7. "God Only Knows" (B. Wilson/Tony Asher) – 2:49

See also

• List of albums which have spent the most weeks on the UK Albums Chart

Charts

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LPs [6]	8
UK Top Albums	2

References

1. Eder, Bruce (July 5, 1966). "The Best of the Beach Boys, Vol. 1 - The Beach Boys : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
2. "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - January 26, 2014". RIAA. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
3. "Billboard - Google Books". January 7, 1967. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
4. "Billboard - Google Books". September 16, 1967. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
5. "BEACH BOYS | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
6. Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 15. Retrieved July 10, 2025.

• The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience, Timothy White, c. 1994.