Hits (The Beach Boys EP)
Encyclopedia
Hits was an EP
by The Beach Boys
, released in May 1966. The EP was released as a 7-inch vinyl record in mono
with the catalogue number Capitol
EAP1-20781. Hits was the UK number-one EP for 34 weeks, having eight separate stints at the top of the chart from June 1966 until December 1967 – this is the highest number of weeks as number-one EP. Hits was the incumbent number one when the chart ceased on 16 December 1967.
Side B
: "Help Me, Rhonda" had reached number one on 29 May 1965, "California Girls" had peaked at number three on 28 August 1965, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" peaked at number twenty on 1 January 1966, and "Barbara Ann" peaked at number two on 29 January 1966. Three of the singles had also been previously released in the UK, with "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls" making the top thirty of the Record Retailer
chart and "Barbara Ann" peaking at number three in March 1966.
chart, Record Retailer also ran an EP chart. Hits was released in May 1966 and became a number-one EP on 4 June 1966. It stayed at the top for 4 weeks and was then displaced by The Walker Brothers
EP I Need You. Hits returned to the top again on 10 September for another four weeks, being displaced again by the same Walker Brothers EP. On 29 October it returned for a third stint at number-one of seven weeks. The Who
tooks the number-one spot over Christmas and in the New Year of 1967, with Hits recaliming number-one on 21 January for another seven weeks. After five months of the top, Hits returned on 12 August for another six weeks at the top in its fifth stint at number-one. The EP alternated weeks at number-one with the Four Tops
Hits EP in late September and early October and at this point EPs were dying out. Hits returned for its eighth and final period atop the chart on 25 November and remained there for four weeks being incumbent number one when the chart ceased on 16 December 1967. In total, Hits amassed 34 weeks at the top of the chart – more than any other EP.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, released in May 1966. The EP was released as a 7-inch vinyl record in mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
with the catalogue number Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
EAP1-20781. Hits was the UK number-one EP for 34 weeks, having eight separate stints at the top of the chart from June 1966 until December 1967 – this is the highest number of weeks as number-one EP. Hits was the incumbent number one when the chart ceased on 16 December 1967.
Track listing
Side A- "Help Me, RhondaHelp Me, Rhonda"Help Me, Rhonda" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for their American rock band The Beach Boys. The song is the first Beach Boys song to feature a lead vocal by Al Jardine. It was released in March 1965 on the album Today! as "Help Me, Ronda"...
" (Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
) - "California GirlsCalifornia Girls"California Girls" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, featured on their ninth studio album Summer Days . Written by band-members Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song features contrasting verse-chorus form...
" (Wilson)
Side B
- "The Little Girl I Once KnewThe Little Girl I Once Knew"The Little Girl I Once Knew" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released in November 1965 as a single 45 rpm, backed by "There's No Other ", and reached #15 on the Cash Box chart, #20 on Billboard...
" (Wilson) - "Barbara AnnBarbara Ann"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart....
" (Fred FassertFred FassertFred Fassert is most famously known as the writer of the popular song "Barbara Ann," which was originally written for the band that he was in at the time, The Regents. In 1961, the song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
)
Background
Each of the four singles contained on the EP had been released as singles. In America all charted on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
: "Help Me, Rhonda" had reached number one on 29 May 1965, "California Girls" had peaked at number three on 28 August 1965, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" peaked at number twenty on 1 January 1966, and "Barbara Ann" peaked at number two on 29 January 1966. Three of the singles had also been previously released in the UK, with "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls" making the top thirty of the Record Retailer
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
chart and "Barbara Ann" peaking at number three in March 1966.
Chart performance
Beginning in 1960s, in addition to publishing a long play (LP)LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
chart, Record Retailer also ran an EP chart. Hits was released in May 1966 and became a number-one EP on 4 June 1966. It stayed at the top for 4 weeks and was then displaced by The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
EP I Need You. Hits returned to the top again on 10 September for another four weeks, being displaced again by the same Walker Brothers EP. On 29 October it returned for a third stint at number-one of seven weeks. The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
tooks the number-one spot over Christmas and in the New Year of 1967, with Hits recaliming number-one on 21 January for another seven weeks. After five months of the top, Hits returned on 12 August for another six weeks at the top in its fifth stint at number-one. The EP alternated weeks at number-one with the Four Tops
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes...
Hits EP in late September and early October and at this point EPs were dying out. Hits returned for its eighth and final period atop the chart on 25 November and remained there for four weeks being incumbent number one when the chart ceased on 16 December 1967. In total, Hits amassed 34 weeks at the top of the chart – more than any other EP.