Search - Beach Boys :: Capitol Years

Japanese release.Not remastered & now obsolete

Philip A.Cohen | Bay Harbor Islands, Florida United States | 09/30/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

""The Beach Boys-The Capitol Years" began its' life as a 7 L.P. set from EMI/UK's mail-order subsidiary "World Records" and was later released in identical form by Toshiba/EMI in Japan.The set has 6 compilation albums of 1960's Beach Boys hits and selected album tracks,none of the selections properly remastered or from anything remotely resembling original master tapes.The 7th compilation is "The Brian Wilson Productions",a collection of Wilson songwriting and production efforts for other Capitol artists.Be cautioned that the only CD edition that presents the 7 L.P. set complete is the Toshiba/EMI 7-CD boxed set Japanese edition.The Australian set presents the vol.1-6 complete on a 4-CD set,but lacks "The Brian Wilson Productions" bonus album.But,in any event,"The Capitol Years" is obsolete,because there are now two other CD compilations of Wilson's non-Beach Boys productions which have better sound,and even more songs than the "Productions" compilation in "The Capitol Years".One is the 2002 revised Toshiba/EMI edition of "The Brian Wilson Productions"(TOCP-66034) or,better yet,the British compilation "Pet Projects:The Brian Wilson Productions"(ACE CDCHD 851).Don't bother with "The Capitol Years".Its' mastering is substandard,and the Australian truncated 4-CD edition(without "the Brian Wilson Productions") is especially worthless...and yet I've seen one marketplace merchant trying to get $199 for the truncated Australian set.As for the famliar 1960's singles & album tracks,the best place to hear them(from quality tape sources) are on Capitol's U.S.A. two-fer series,or on any currently available Capitol U.S.A. compilation CD."