VARIOUS ARTISTS: GOT YOU COVERED -- SONGS OF THE BEACH BOYS (Risky Business/Sony): An unimaginitive title for what is basically a thrown together package of Beach Boy covers. They're not all bad. The Surfaris' version of "Be True To Your School" features the Honeys, who were on the Beach Boys' original. Shonen Knife's reading of "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" is nicely upbeat, but unintentionally funny. On the other hand, Andy Williams' schlocky "God Only Knows" and Mike Post's "Rockford Files"-style version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" are hilarious. Beach Boy stand-in Glen Campbell contributes a sterile version of "God Only Knows" that sounds like "By the Time I Get To Phoenix" at slow speed. And too many songs here involve Bruce Johnston (most of which are known to Beach Boy collectors), showing how few outsiders have covered Beach Boy songs, a sorry state of affairs for such a rich body of songs. More variety would have made this a lot more fun. (May '96)