Made in California [Box Set]
by The Beach Boys
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Aug 27, 2013
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. AllMusic
    Sep 6, 2013
    80
    Made in California is most decidedly not for the casual fan. It is for the dedicated, the kind who knows the story by heart but wants to hear it told slightly differently.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Sep 19, 2013
    89
    Made In California's hefty price tag won't endear it to serious fans, but it's the first release to encompass the Beach Boys' entire inspiring, frustrating, contradiction-laden tale.
  3. Blurt Magazine
    Sep 20, 2013
    80
    Despite the duplications from previous collections and a heavy emphasis on dubious alternate mixes, true devotees will likely still find Made in California an essential acquisition.
  5. Classic Rock Magazine
    Oct 23, 2013
    90
    The most thrilling of everything here is a newly discovered BC radio recording from 1964 that fizzes with the thrill of making music and being alive. [Oct 2013, p.92]
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  6. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 6, 2013
    80
    This collection provides years of Beach Boys fun and suitably celebrates their 50 years.
  7. Exclaim
    Nov 4, 2013
    70
    By toeing the party line--one that many critics and fans have completely rejected--Made in California paints a false picture of one of rock's most enduring and puzzling acts.
  8. Mojo
    Sep 19, 2013
    80
    It'll be a bit much for the casual fan with no need for all those stereo/mono variations, but they do have at least a couple dozen other best-ofs to choose from. [Oct 2013, p.102]
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  9. PopMatters
    Sep 27, 2013
    80
    It’s concise and endlessly intriguing (even when the music itself is lacking).
  10. Q Magazine
    Oct 14, 2013
    80
    This is an epic musical journey. [Nov 2013, p.120]
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  11. Record Collector
    Oct 14, 2013
    100
    The set ends with a trio of songs from a 1964 BBC session; the sound quality may be poor but those voices shine through, utterly peerless nearly 50 years on.
  12. The Guardian
    Dec 19, 2013
    80
    Twenty years after the Beach Boys' exhaustive five-CD Good Vibrations box set comes this even more stunningly packaged collection.
  13. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 6, 2013
    90
    Made In California does a great job of confirming just how much more there was to The Beach Boys than sunshine and girls.
  14. Uncut
    Sep 6, 2013
    80
    Some of their most startling material has always been found down the back of the sofa, among such relatively unconsidered trifles as "In The Back Of My Mind" and "Angel Come Home." [Oct 2013, p.82]
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  15. Under The Radar
    Nov 20, 2013
    90
    Made In California does the band and its legacy well. [Aug/Sep 2013, p.103]
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. 8-bit-waffle
    May 10, 2016
    5
    This album is a bare minimum for music I can't understand why any one would buy this and say this was worth the money. I do admit some of theThis album is a bare minimum for music I can't understand why any one would buy this and say this was worth the money. I do admit some of the songs were good but it dosn't make up for the rest of this album… Full Review »
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