Keepin' the Summer Alive | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 24, 1980 | |||
Recorded | July 1, 1979 – March 20, 1980 (except "When Girls Get Together" and "Santa Ana Winds", 1969–1978) [1] | |||
Studio | ||||
Length | 33:10 | |||
Label | Brother/Caribou/CBS | |||
Producer | Bruce Johnston | |||
The Beach Boys chronology | ||||
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Singles from Keepin' the Summer Alive | ||||
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Keepin' the Summer Alive is the 24th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 24, 1980, on Brother, Caribou and CBS Records. Produced by Bruce Johnston, the album peaked at number 75 in the US, during a chart stay of 6 weeks, [3] and number 54 in the UK. It is the group's last album recorded with Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983, although he only appears on one song.
The album included new material alongside several older songs that had not been released up until that point. Two of the new songs were written by Carl Wilson and Randy Bachman, the title track and "Livin' with a Heartache". The latter was released as a single alongside "Goin' On", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Brian wrote or co-wrote five of the other seven tracks.
After the band's previous album, L.A. (Light Album) (1979), failed to live up to commercial expectations, the executives at CBS expected another album as soon as possible. [4] In July 1979, the Beach Boys convened at Western Studio in Los Angeles—the studio where most of the band's 1960s material had been produced by Brian Wilson—to begin work on a new studio album. The album was also recorded at various other studios, including former backing band member Daryl Dragon's Rumbo Recorders in San Fernando, and Al Jardine's recording studio in his Big Sur barn. Working titles included Cousins, Friends and Brothers, and Can't Wait Till Summer. [3]
The group wanted Brian to return as their producer and felt that he would be more comfortable recording at the familiar studio environment of Western. They were briefly successful, as Carl Wilson said, "Brian got hot for about three days in the studio. He was singing like a bird. All the protection he usually runs just dropped; he came out of himself, he was right there in the room." [4] Dennis Wilson, at odds with the rest of the group, abandoned the initial recording sessions, taking no further part in the album. The sessions were also stalled by Brian's desire to record only cover songs of rock n' roll tracks.[ citation needed ] One of these, Chuck Berry's "School Days", appears on the album's final track listing. [3]
In late August, Carl collaborated with Randy Bachman on the writing of four songs, two of which were included on the record, "Keepin' the Summer Alive" and "Livin' with a Heartache". Bachman declined an invitation to co-produce the album because he was struggling with personal issues. [3] He later released his own version of "Keepin' the Summer Alive" with his short-lived band Union on their eponymous 1980 album.[ citation needed ]
In October 1979, the band reconvened with Bruce Johnston taking complete control of the album's production. The resulting album included a mixture of brand new songs alongside older songs that had not been released up until that point. [3] "When Girls Get Together" was recorded in 1969, and it is the only song on the album featuring Dennis. Johnston started writing "Endless Harmony" in 1972 as "Ten Years' Harmony". The earlier title and lyrics were used for a version by California Music in 1974. The band began recording "Santa Ana Winds" in 1978, revising and re-recording some of the song for this album. Sessions wrapped on February 14, 1980. [3] Two outtakes, the original "Goin' to the Beach" and a cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron", were later released on the 2013 compilation Made in California . [5]
In 2013, Johnston expressed dissatisfaction with the production of the title track, which he perceived as being weaker-sounding due to Carl's intervention. [5] In 2020, Johnston elaborated, believing session guest and former bandmate Ricky Fataar’s drumming was inferior to session drummer Scott Mathews’ playing. [1]
Still-unreleased tracks from the Keepin' the Summer Alive sessions include "Starbaby" and "Surfer Suzie", as well as renditions of "I'll Always Love You", "Jamaica Farewell", "Johnny B. Goode", "Little Girl", "Stranded in the Jungle", and "Smokey Places". [6]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Blender | [8] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
MusicHound | [10] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Rob Theakston referred to Keepin' the Summer Alive as "the low point" in the band's discography: "Ripe with mindless throwaways and lifeless filler ... The two exceptions to the rule reside in the title track and the closing 'Endless Harmony.'" [7] In (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide , the album is cited as an "abysmal" entry in "a string of inconsequential records" that had not abated since 1978's M.I.U. Album . [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Keepin' the Summer Alive" | Carl Wilson, Randy Bachman | Carl Wilson | 3:43 |
2. | "Oh Darlin'" | Brian Wilson, Mike Love | C. Wilson and Mike Love | 3:52 |
3. | "Some of Your Love" | B. Wilson, Love | Love and C. Wilson | 2:36 |
4. | "Livin' with a Heartache" | C. Wilson, Bachman | C. Wilson | 4:06 |
5. | "School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)" | Chuck Berry | Al Jardine | 2:52 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Goin' On" | B. Wilson, Love | Love, C. Wilson and Brian Wilson | 3:00 |
2. | "Sunshine" | B. Wilson, Love | Love, B. Wilson and C. Wilson | 2:52 |
3. | "When Girls Get Together" | B. Wilson, Love | Love and B. Wilson | 3:31 |
4. | "Santa Ana Winds" | B. Wilson, Al Jardine | Jardine, Love and C. Wilson | 3:14 |
5. | "Endless Harmony" | Bruce Johnston | Bruce Johnston and C. Wilson | 3:10 |
Total length: | 33:10 |
Adapted from 2000 liner notes [3] and Craig Slowinski. [1]
The Beach Boys
Additional musicians
Arrangements
Technical personnel
Artwork
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
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UK Top 40 Album Chart [12] | 54 |
US Billboard 200 Albums [3] | 75 |
Bruce Arthur Johnston is an American singer, musician and songwriter who is a member of the Beach Boys. He also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher and composed the 1975 Barry Manilow hit, "I Write the Songs".
Carl Dean Wilson was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's de facto leader in the early to mid-1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death.
Wild Honey is the 13th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released December 18, 1967 on Capitol Records. It was the group's first foray into soul music and was heavily influenced by the R&B of Motown and Stax Records. The album was the band's worst-selling at that point, charting at number 24 in the US. Lead single "Wild Honey" peaked at number 31, while its follow-up "Darlin'" reached number 19. In the UK, the album peaked at number seven.
L.A. is the 23rd studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on March 16, 1979, and their first issued through CBS Records. Recorded during a period of acrimony between the band members, it was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at number 100 in the U.S. and number 32 in the UK.
Ten Years of Harmony is an official double album compilation album released by the Beach Boys in 1981, and spanning their entire Brother Records-era up to that point (1970–80), including some unreleased or rare material. Although the song "Darlin'" had originally been recorded in 1967 while the group was signed to Capitol Records, the version on Ten Years of Harmony was recorded live in 1973 for the album The Beach Boys in Concert.
Endless Harmony Soundtrack is an anthology album of previously unheard material by The Beach Boys, originally released by Capitol Records in August 1998. Named for Bruce Johnston's song on the 1980 album Keepin' the Summer Alive, it was designed as a tie-in with the band's biographical documentary of the same name. The soundtrack was re-issued in March 2000 with some remixing and different artwork, while the original 1998 edition went out of print shortly thereafter.
Good Timin': Live at Knebworth, England 1980 is the fourth live album and a concert film by American rock band the Beach Boys that was recorded at Knebworth, Hertfordshire on June 21, 1980. It is their only released concert performance that features Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston together.
Papa Doo Run Run is a band from Cupertino, California, United States, that specializes in covers of songs from the heyday of surf music in the 1960s.
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"Darlin'" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album Wild Honey. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was inspired by singer Danny Hutton and was originally intended to be recorded by an early version of Three Dog Night. Carl Wilson ultimately sang the lead vocal.
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"Time to Get Alone" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1969 album 20/20. Written by Brian Wilson and produced by Carl Wilson, it is a baroque pop waltz. Brian originally intended the song for Redwood, the band that evolved into Three Dog Night.
"Tears in the Morning" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. Written by Bruce Johnston, it was issued as a single, with the B-side "It's About Time". The single failed to chart in the U.S., but reached the top 5 in the Netherlands.
"Goin' On" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1980 album Keepin' the Summer Alive. The single reached number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Livin' with a Heartache" is a song written by Carl Wilson and Randy Bachman for the American rock band the Beach Boys, one of two collaborations between the two writers. It was recorded from August 27–29 at Bachman's home studio known as "The Barn" in Lynden, Washington with two further sessions at Rumbo Studios in November and December 1979. "Livin' with a Heartache" was released on the Beach Boys' 1980 album Keepin' the Summer Alive and was subsequently released with a truncated 3:05 mix as a single backed with "Santa Ana Winds" which failed to chart in the US.
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