The Warmth of the Sun
How many people reading this review came to California to live the life of the Beach Boys? The swooning harmonies and golden visions of the band have become part of this state’s folklore. The music really is timeless, but has been repackaged so many times it’s hard to get excited over a new anthology. Warmth includes the first stereo versions of six older tunes—“All Summer Long,” “You’re So Good to Me,” “Then I Kissed Her,” “Please Let Me Wonder,” “Let Him Run Wild” and “Wendy”—remixed by Brain Wilson with the aid of the other surviving band members. But that doesn’t make it a must have, except for fanatics. Did anybody make a DVD of these famously acrimonious musicians doing the mix? That might be a lot more interesting than listening to these hits again, as good as they all are.