Sloop John b

The best Beach Boys album, and one of the best of the 1960s. The group here reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production, layering tracks upon tracks of vocals and instruments to create a richly symphonic sound. Conventional keyboards and guitars were combined with exotic touches of orchestrated strings, bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, Theremin, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans, barking dogs, and more. It wouldn't have been a classic without great songs, and this has some of the group's most stunning melodies, as well as lyrical themes which evoke both the intensity of newly born love affairs and the disappointment of failed romance (add in some general statements about loss of innocence and modern-day confusion as well).

This really is the ultimate Beach Boys "best of". It's got all the obvious classics (California Girls, Fun Fun Fun, Good Vibrations, Little Deuce Coupe, Help Me Rhonda, God Only Knows, Darlin', I Get Around, Wouldn't It Be Nice) plus the well-known songs by other writers that they covered in their own unique way (Do You Wanna Dance, Then I Kissed Her, Sloop John B, Cottonfields). But what's best about this compilation is that there's no significant song left out. Whereas other best of's omit the truly beautiful classics such as In My Room, Bluebirds Over the Mountain and Caroline No, they are all here.

Bryn Terfel's first studio album in over five years featuring wildly romantic "Sea Songs". Shanties and songs about the sea and seafaring in a folky guise such as "Wellerman", "Bold Riley", "Drunken Sailor" or "Sloop John B", with guests such as Sting ("Green Willow Tree"), Simon Keenlyside and the enchanting Welsh folk group Calan, and the a capella choir "Fisherman's Friends".

As compilations go this is up there with the best. 28 tracks of the Beach Boys at the top of their form (or close to the top, anyway). And at the price this is great value. It's easy to forget just how important the Beach Boys were to the progression of popular music in the 1960s. Brian Wilson used to watch what the Beatles were doing and try to match them on the artistic level. The Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' was born of this rivalry and Paul McCartney regarded it as one of the greatest popular-music albums ever made. It spurred the Beatles to complete 'Revolver' and then make 'Sgt Pepper'. Brian Wilson was the Beach Boys' creative genius and when he broke down they lost their leadership position. However they left a huge repertoire of major hits, many of which are captured on this compilation. Some of the most finely crafted pop-music recordings ever made are here. Pete Doggett has written a paragraph in the accompanying booklet giving a little background to each of the tracks, which makes for interesting reading.