Published on Jul 20, 2016
Now, I’m not an audiologist, and having a hearing issue anyway, I have no opinion on the mono vs. stereo battle. I just know this is yet another reissue of one of the greatest albums ever made. Presenting the songs in two different ways is okay only if you’re an audio geek…otherwise, it seems pointless to me. Mono lets you hear all the nuances and everything else…but for me, I really don’t care. I just know “God Only Knows” is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and the genius and beauty of Carl Wilson’s voice can be heard here in all its lush glory.
This is about the umpteenth different reissue of this record, and while some of the instrumental mixes are alright and you get to hear all the musicality that was present in Brian’s mind, the live tracks are nothing but frustrating. The live version of “God Only Knows” from 1966 is breathtaking, however, once again showing us how great Carl really was and how much harder it to know that he is no longer with us.
There are also some tracks here that are just okay, like “That’s Not Me” and the two instrumentals, but they aren’t as deserving of legendary status as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations.” Elsewhere on the disc, the vocals on “Don’t Talk” are so great they almost transcend the whole song. It’s things like this that cemented the album’s reputation in the first place, but other than hearing these amazing songs in whichever audio form that you choose, there’s not much else to recommend. As far as I know, the instrumental stereo mixes haven’t been released before, but the live tracks careen all over the place. They start off grand and magical in 1966, but as the years go on, the quality gets poorer and poorer until it gets to 1989 at some random festival in Jamaica!
Ultimately, the album still maintains its legendary status, but this collection is for ultimate diehard Beach Boys fans ONLY!