20/20
If you count all the Beach Boys albums Capitol Records had released up to this point, it\'s said to come to 20. With Brian Wilson continuing to battle with his psyche and the group trying to find its footing in the rapidly changed musical environment of the late \'60s, Beach Boys albums from this period are best noted for their independent highlights. Bruce Johnston brings forth his first solo composition with the instrumental \"The Nearest Faraway Place,\" which became the name of a critically respected biography of the group. Dennis Wilson issues \"Never Learn Not to Love,\" which was claimed in certain circles to have been composed at least in part by Charles Manson. \"Cabinessence\" reaches back into catalog of songs from the infamous *Smile* project, with a tune written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. Al Jardine reinvents Lead Belly\'s \"Cotton Fields.\" \"Do It Again\" and the Brill Building special \"I Can Hear Music\" capture the band\'s early fun and became medium-sized hits.
For the first time since 1992,Rolling Stone'sdefinitive classic returns to the scene, completely updated and revised to include the past decade's artists and sounds. When it comes to sorting the truly great from the merely mediocre, the enduring from the fleeting,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideprovides music buffs and amateurs alike with authoritative guidance from the best voices in the field. Filled with insightful commentary, it not only reviews the most influential albums of all time, but also features biographical overviews of key artists' careers, giving readers a look at the personalities behind the music.This fourth edition contains an impressive -- 70 percent -- amount of new material. Readers will find fresh updates to entries on established artists, hundreds of brand-new entries on the people and recordings that epitomize the '90s and the sounds of the 21st century -- from Beck to OutKast to the White Stripes and beyond -- along with a new introduction detailing changes in the music industry.Celebrating the diversity of popular music and its constant metamorphoses, with thousands of entries and reviews on every sound from blues to techno,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideis the only resource music lovers need to read.
20/20 was not a proper album, being compiled from singles and leftovers in order to fulfill contractual obligations to Capitol.
<p>Drugs, mental illness, incongruous jazz combos - the recent batch of reissues aren't pretty, says Alexis Petridis.</p>