Pitchfork

With digital music files fast taking over the audio marketplace, the time for compact disc nostalgia is nigh! (No really, just play along with me here.) And few acts know how to milk nostalgia for all it's worth more than the Beach Boys.

Hence we have The Beach Boys: U.S. Singles Collection - The Capitol Years (1962-1965), weighing down a record store shelf near you on June 10. The limited edition Capitol/EMI box set contains an absurd sixteen compact discs, each standing in for a classic Beach Boys single (plus one bonus disc) that sure as hell wasn't originally released on an iridescent piece of plastic.

Not only do these CD singles contain A-sides and B-sides, but most also boast alternate versions, different mixes, and live cuts, making for 66 tracks in all. You'll also get reproductions of the original single artwork and a 48-page photo book, all "housed in a striking 1960s hotrod and surfboard-inspired red and yellow box with wood inlay." If all this sounds a tad excessive, know that you can also opt for a digital version of the U.S. Singles Collection.

In related news, the mighty Brian Wilson returns to the road this summer. He'll bring a ten-piece band to Great Britain as June turns to July, then hop the pond for some U.S. shows a few days later. He'll also rock a Rainforest Foundation benefit in May alongside Feist, Sting, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and others. You might say Wilson gets around, gets around...oh nevermind.

The Beach Boys: U.S. Singles Collection - The Capitol Years (1962-1965):

Disc one:

01 Surfin' Safari (mono)
02 409 (mono)
03 409 (live; mono)

Disc two:

01 Ten Little Indians (mono)
02 County Fair (mono)
03 Punchline (mono)

Disc three:

01 Surfin' USA (mono)
02 Shut Down (mono)
03 Surfin' USA (stereo)
04 Shut Down (stereo)

Disc four:

01 Surfer Girl (mono)
02 Little Deuce Coupe (mono)
03 Surfer Girl (stereo)
04 Little Deuce Coupe (stereo)

Disc five:

01 Be True to Your School (mono)
02 In My Room (mono)
03 Be True to Your School (mono; alternate version)
04 In My Room (stereo)

Disc six:

01 Little Saint Nick (mono)
02 The Lord's Prayer (mono)
03 Little Saint Nick (stereo)
04 The Lord's Prayer (stereo)

Disc seven:

01 Fun, Fun, Fun (mono)
02 Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (mono)
03 Fun, Fun, Fun (stereo)
04 Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (mono; alternate single edit)

Disc eight:

01 I Get Around (mono)
02 Don't Worry Baby (mono)
03 I Get Around (stereo)
04 Don't Worry Baby (stereo)

Disc nine:

01 When I Grow Up to Be a Man (mono)
02 She Knows Me Too Well (mono)
03 When I Grow Up to Be a Man (stereo)
04 She Knows Me Too Well (stereo)

Disc ten:

01 Wendy (mono)
02 Don't Back Down (mono)
03 Little Honda (mono)
04 Hushabye (mono)
05 Wendy (stereo)
06 Don't Back Down (stereo)
07 Little Honda (stereo)
08 Hushabye (stereo)

Disc eleven:

01 Dance, Dance, Dance (mono)
02 The Warmth of the Sun (mono)
03 Dance, Dance, Dance (stereo)
04 The Warmth of the Sun (stereo)

Disc twelve:

01 The Man With All the Toys (mono)
02 Blue Christmas (mono)
03 The Man With All the Toys (stereo)
04 Blue Christmas (stereo)

Disc thirteen:

01 Do You Wanna Dance? (mono)
02 Please Let Me Wonder (mono)
03 Do You Wanna Dance? (stereo)
04 Please Let Me Wonder (stereo)

Disc fourteen:

01 Help Me, Rhonda (mono)
02 Kiss Me, Baby (mono)
03 Help Me, Rhonda (mono backing track)
04 Kiss Me, Baby (stereo)

Disc fifteen:

01 California Girls (mono)
02 Let Him Run Wild (mono)
03 California Girls (stereo)
04 Let Him Run Wild (stereo)

Disc sixteen:

01 All Dressed Up for School (mono)
02 I'm So Young (mono)
03 Help Me, Rhonda (mono; alternate mix)
04 Graduation Day (stereo)

Brian Wilson tour dates:

05-08 New York, NY - Carnegie Hall (Rainforest Foundation benefit)
06-28 London, England - English Heritage Picnic Concerts
06-29 Suffolk, England - Ipswich Regent Theatre
07-01 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
07-08 Niagra Falls, Ontario - Niagra Falls Casino Avalon Ballroom
07-12 Highmount, NY - Belleayre Mountain Ski Center
07-13 Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
09-12 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *
09-13 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *
09-14 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *

* with fireworks