Shut Down Volume II has a few hits like "Fun,Fun,Fun", "Don't Worry Baby", and "The Warmth of The Sun" all of which are in stereo. The real reason to listen to this album, though, is for "In The Parkin' Lot", "Keep An Eye on Summer", "Pom Pom Playgirl", and my personal favorite "Cassius Love VS Sonny Wilson". Those four tracks are the heart of the album. The rest are just useless covers, and instrumentals.

The bonus tracks on this collection don't do much for me. "I Do" is an alright song. The single version of "Fun,Fun,Fun" has a more in your face instrumental part, and longer fade, but Mike sounds much better in the multi-tracked album version. "In My Room" in German is worth about one good listen. Unless, of course, you understand German.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this album to anyone in search of more musical knowledge on The Beach Boys.

REMEDY FOR AN ENDLESS WINTER
An AMERICAN under 50 without a BEACH BOYS album it's impossible is it?I know your argument;why buy an original(it's actually 2 in this case)when i can buy a two set collection?i'll tell you why, because its worth it.This one is priceless because BRIAN finds his own turf here,he is as we say coming through after the first two albums that served as his apprenticeship.Along with their masterpiece PET SOUNDS and SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS(also available one 1cd)it's an essential from these guys.Each march i play that cd in the hope that winter will finally end.It helps a little to support the freezing rain.

Brian's Songwriting Matures On These Early Albums
This is the Beach Boys' third and fifth albums Surfer Girl (September 1963) and Shut Down, Vol. 2 (March 1964), released during a two-year period which saw the release of eight albums! Because of Capitol's pressure on the band to release product to keep up with their labelmates the Beatles, these early albums would contain a certain amount of filler--songs like "South Bay Surfer" (which sounds suspiciously like "Swanee River") is corny at best, "The Rocking Surfer" is a competent but mundane instrumental (both from Surfer Girl), the studio chatter of "'Cassius' Love Vs. 'Sonny' Wilson" is only mildly interesting to hear once and what's the point of a two-minute drum solo from a solid but uninspired drummer? [Even Ringo waited until Abbey Road, and his drum solo lasted only fifteen seconds--brevity can be the esence of art.]

Now with the negatives out of the way, there is much to enjoy here. For starters, Brian was now officially producing the albums. And while surfing ("Surfer Girl") and cars ("Little Deuce Coupe" and "Fun, Fun, Fun") would still provide the hits, Brian was expanding his writing subjects to include more serious subject matter like the gorgeous "In My Room," which even though it was released as the b-side to "Be True To Your School," it reached No. 23. As a bonus track you also get their German version of the song. In the same vein is one of Brian's most beautiful songs ever, "Don't Worry Baby." [Again, buried on the b-side of "I Get Around," it still managed to reach No. 24.] Then there's the melancholy "The Warmth of the Sun," which the liner notes indicate Brian wrote after the breakup with his first serious girlfriend and within hours of the JFK assassination. Brian was flexing his creative muscles and proving that there could be more to music than hot rods and surfing.

Dennis turns in a terrific vocal performance on "Surfers Rule." "The Surfer Moon" in addition to featuring a lovely vocal by Brian also marks the first use of a string arrangement by the Beach Boys. There are only two non-originals (both from Shut Down, Vol. 2). There's the terrific "Wall of Sound" production of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and their take on the garage band classic "Louie Louie."

Of the bonus cuts you also get the single version of "Fun, Fun, Fun" and the previously unreleased "I Do," a song Brian originally produced for the Castells. This version uses the original backing track with the Beach Boys vocals dubbed in.

All told, this is amazing music from a time in the Beach Boys career when they were still growing musically, and this two-fer allows you a first-hand look at that growth. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tremendous Reissue Unavailable Domestically
Capitol seldom had a clue with the Beach Boys. Even though they were among the label's leading breadwinners, the group's catalog has been endlessly repackaged in an overwhelming mess. This CD represents one of the few times that they got it right. In the early 90s, the Beach Boys' Capitol catalog was released in a series of two-fer CDs with generous liner notes, bonus tracks, and great remastering. Of course, being the Einsteins that they are, Capitol saw fit to delete this series in the USA.

This particular CD is a delight because the music is not quite as crude as that found on Surfin Safari/Surfin USA and still centers around teenage concerns. Some of the lovliest songs you'll ever hear (Surfer Girl, Don't Worry Baby) are on this disc. I Do, another Brian Wilson highlight, is a rarity that shows up only on this collection and on Rarities. Until Capitol gets their act together, this import is money well spent.

Tremendous reissue of two Beach Boy classics
Capitol ignored and mistreated the Beach Boys catalog for so many years, it was truly amazing when they reissued all of their albums as 2-fers with bonus tracks and extensive liner notes. Of course, it was only a matter of time until the regime changed and the 2-fers were deleted, as they now are in the USA. Rumor has it they'll be reissued, but for the time being you have to pick them up as imports.

Surfer Girl and Shut Down Vol. 2 represent prime mid-period Beach Boys. It's more sophisticated than the first pair of albums, with more assured and complex productions, but retains the simpler song topics that marked the early years.

Brian Wilson's arrangements and the Beach Boys singing was already beyond comparison by the time of these two LPs. Even the themes of girls and cars are lent tremendous import by their masterful touch, whether its yearning ballads like "Surfer Girl" and "Don't Worry Baby," the braggadocio and pride of "Little Deuce Coupe" or "Our Car Club," the contemplation of "In My Room," or the sheer glee of "Fun, Fun, Fun."

Sleepers like "Your Summer Dream" and "The Warmth of the Sun" show the direction that Wilson would ultimately take, with sophisticated melodies and chord changes that moved away from his surf roots.

Two brilliant albums, remastered in sparkling sound and augmented with three bonus tracks. Hard to imagine a more worthwhile CD purchase.
Digitally remastered two-on-one featuring their Capitol LPs'Surfer Girl' (1963) and 'Shut Down Volume 2' (1964)together on one CD, plus three bonus tracks: 'Fun, Fun,Fun' (Single Version), 'In My Room' (German Version) and thepreviously unreleased 'I Do'.
Two Releases on One CD. Includes Original Artwork, Extensive Booklet with Liner Notes and Previously Unreleased Photos. Digitally Remastered from the Original Master Tapes.