Sloop John B - The Beach Boys

'Sloop John B' is a Bahamian folk song from Nassau. A transcription was published in 1916 by Richard Le Gallienne, and Carl Sandburg included a version in his The American Songbag in 1927. There have been many recordings of the song since the early Fifties.

In 1966, American rock band the Beach Boys recorded a folk rock adaptation that was produced and arranged by Brian Wilson and released as the second single from their album Pet Sounds. The record peaked at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 2 in the UK singles chart, and topped the charts in several other countries. It was innovative for containing an elaborate a cappella vocal section not found in other pop music of the era, and it remains one of the group's biggest hits.

My collection: 7" single no. 7922
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'Sloop John B' / 'You're so good to me'

God only knows - The Beach Boys

This is a classic song and the single is very hard to find. I can't remember when I first heard the song, and I think it didn't even make much of an impression on me back then, but as the years went by, I grew to appreciate it more and more. When I finally decided I wanted to own this single, I couldn't find it anywhere, obviously. Thank god there's online sellers now - even if they tend to charge too much for their wornout singles.

Many songwriters, including Paul McCartney and Jimmy Webb, have cited 'God only knows' as their favorite song of all time. They're not wrong: it's a beautifully crafted piece of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 7481
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 November 2024
Tracks: 'God only knows' / 'Wouldn't it be nice'