After 50 years of break ups, tragedy and managing Brian Wilson’s fragile mindset, it seemed The Beach Boys had finally settled into a groove.

With an album full of new material and a host of sold-out stadium shows for 2012, it seemed little could tarnish their 50th year in the business.

Then – just as history should’ve told us – the foundations crumbled. Accusations of lip synching were raised during their British tour. A few months later Mike Love played his sole proprietor card, and – without any specific reason – declared the party over; the original line-up of America’s finest would be no more.

Such controversy makes returning to their greatest hits somewhat of a relief.

From Surfin’ USA, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows; none of these tracks need further elaboration; all of them have been dissected to within an inch of their spinning lives. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better or more innovative collection of sounds in any one place.

Long-time fans might be interested in picking up the disc with the addition of the band’s latest (and perhaps final) single, ‘That’s Why God Made The Radio’. It holds up as well as it can against the remarkable material that spilled out of Wilson’s possessed mind during the mid-to-late 60s.

For new or casual fans, the album offers a fine serving of the Beach Boys at their best. For foundation fans, however, it’s little more than a rehash of what’s already in their vinyl collection.

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