Capitol

You'll have fun, fun, fun with The Beach Boys' "U.S. Singles Collection: The Capitol Years (1962-1965)," a set that's an embarrassment of riches, containing 16 CDs in a sturdy wooden box. Rather than issue yet another greatest hits package, Capitol's approach here is pretty novel: Present the legendary group's original singles as they once appeared on 45-rpm records, preserving both the "A" and "B" sides.

For the most part, each disc contains three to four songs, headlined by a Beach Boy standard' from "Surfin' Safari" to "California Girls"' and backed with more obscure cuts, live tracks, original stereo mixes and the occasional cover, like "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" and "The Lord's Prayer." The 12th disc is a four-song Christmas package, while the bonus 16th includes a pair of previously unreleased mono mixes, which is like catnip to audiophiles and Brian Wilson completists.

And that's the group to whom this attractive package is targeted, whose members understand the draw of having songs one likely already owns presented in this manner. 

"”Rod Lott