VA - The Beach Music Anthology Box Set (1992)

Review by Jeff Burger
A four-CD, 90-track "beach-music anthology" with not a hint of Jan and Dean or the Beach Boys? The official explanation is that this is beach music from the other coast, specifically from the Carolinas. But this collection's definition of Southern beach music is loose, to put it mildly. It extends beyond records created in the South (there's at least one track by a British group), beyond tunes popular during the summer (some of these hit the charts in mid-winter), and way beyond the subjects of sun and surf (there is a smattering of songs on the subject, but most have nothing to do with it). So what is the theme? It appears that any R&B-spiced rock that got played on Carolina beaches from the mid-'50s to the mid-'90s, no matter where it came from or what it was about, was fair game. One suspects a more honest title for this package would be 90 Songs the Label Could License Rights To. That said, the anthology holds together well musically, the quality level is rather consistently good, and the collection includes quite a few national hits and regional obscurities that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere. Among the many highlights: Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops," Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now," the Corsairs' "Smoky Places," the Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup," and Billy Stewart's "Sitting in the Park." This may not all be what you'd call "beach music"; it may not even contain much of what you would call beach music. Still, you could do a heck of a lot worse for a soundtrack for your next beach party.