it's a beautiful day 1979

[mikeyj]

"Almost Summer" made my spring/summer of 1978. That song was all over the radio and to top it off, Brian appears with Mike (and Celebration) on American Bandstand wearing a creme-colored Adidas warm-up suit holding a Fender bass. Never mind that he didn't know the record well enough to lip synch it....

That was fun times to be a Beach Boys fan. An album a year, singles on the radio, Brian losing weight and touring. We were spoiled!

Yeah I envy some of you fans!! I mean I can only dream of being around when the Beach Boys were still a creative force.

[Aegir]

Almost Summer is pretty catchy, but the lyrics are too closely tied into the movie. In other words the chrous works but the verses are very iffy.

Yeah, I agree... I hate the first verse, they're ridiculous. From memory: "Suzie wants to be a lady director, Eddie wants to drive a hearse". Ugh.

[James Hughes-Clarke]

Disagree.  I like the words - bit camp, quite funny.  Never struck me as relevant whether they relate to the movie or not.

And of course, a classic feelgood BW choon.

Gonna play it now when I get home!

[Roger Ryan]

"Almost Summer" made my spring/summer of 1978. That song was all over the radio and to top it off, Brian appears with Mike (and Celebration) on American Bandstand wearing a creme-colored Adidas warm-up suit holding a Fender bass. Never mind that he didn't know the record well enough to lip synch it....

That was fun times to be a Beach Boys fan. An album a year, singles on the radio, Brian losing weight and touring. We were spoiled!

Yeah I envy some of you fans!! I mean I can only dream of being around when the Beach Boys were still a creative force.

Not to be too contrary here, but I found this period a bit depressing. For me, the band was quickly slipping away from the more adventurous material they were doing five or six years earlier. LOVE YOU left me underwhelmed at the time it was released (still does!); given the quality material Brian had contributed over the first six years of the decade ("Add Some Music", "This Whole World", "'Til I Die", "Marcella", "Sail On Sailor", "Funky Pretty", even "It's O.K." and "Had To Phone Ya"), his "full" return on LOVE YOU in '77 seemed really undercooked. Of course, POB was a real knock-out, but from '77 through '85 the good stuff just got thinner and thinner. However, it was great to see all five original members on stage during this period!

I'll propose that the true second golden age for the band (the first being 1962 - 1973 naturally) has been the last 15 years! Starting with the GV box set (previously unreleased SMiLE material!) and continuing through the PET SOUNDS box (and stereo mix), the ENDLESS HARMONY & HAWTHORNE, CA collections, the return of Brian Wilson as a live performer, the completion of SMiLE, THAT LUCKY OLD SUN and the soon-to-be-released Dennis Wilson treasure trove, these are great days to be a fan. We have access to more wonderful stuff than ever before.

[Sheriff John Stone]

"Almost Summer" made my spring/summer of 1978. That song was all over the radio and to top it off, Brian appears with Mike (and Celebration) on American Bandstand wearing a creme-colored Adidas warm-up suit holding a Fender bass. Never mind that he didn't know the record well enough to lip synch it....

That was fun times to be a Beach Boys fan. An album a year, singles on the radio, Brian losing weight and touring. We were spoiled!

Yeah I envy some of you fans!! I mean I can only dream of being around when the Beach Boys were still a creative force.

Not to be too contrary here, but I found this period a bit depressing. For me, the band was quickly slipping away from the more adventurous material they were doing five or six years earlier. LOVE YOU left me underwhelmed at the time it was released (still does!); given the quality material Brian had contributed over the first six years of the decade ("Add Some Music", "This Whole World", "'Til I Die", "Marcella", "Sail On Sailor", "Funky Pretty", even "It's O.K." and "Had To Phone Ya"), his "full" return on LOVE YOU in '77 seemed really undercooked. Of course, POB was a real knock-out, but from '77 through '85 the good stuff just got thinner and thinner. However, it was great to see all five original members on stage during this period!

Point taken, Roger. I guess I was referring more to quantity than quality!

Seriously, it was an interesting period. Look at how diverse those albums - 15 Big Ones, Love You, MIU, L.A., and KTSA - were. You didn't know what to expect. You had Pacific Ocean Blue and Celebration thrown in there from out of nowhere. There was American Bandstand(s), The Midnight Special, and various P.M. Magazine shows. Brian went from some live piano to full time piano to piano and bass. He (Brian) was losing weight, dressing in those warm-up suits, and the voice was coming back. Jan & Dean were back. Bruce re-entered the picture. Stan & Rocky. Change in record companies. Soundtracks. Disco music. Karen Lamm-Wilson to Christine McVie. More divorces. More drugs. Never a dull moment. What a strange period. 

[MBE]

Roger I agree completely with your first paragraph and your statement on how bizarre the whole period was is also spot on Sherrif. It must of been really odd to see Brian and Dennis decline right on stage. At least with Carl it was temporary.  I would say the worst time to be a fan was the mid 80's when I first started. The Full House era.

[chris.metcalfe]

It should have rocked like crazy instead of that piano begining.

I think they did that because it was kind of reminiscent of the start of 'Mess of Help'. But that was another single that flopped (I liked that one too).

The person who mentioned IABD being a hit in LA - we don't get that kind of regionality here, being such a small island. Had it been a single at the time of the LA album, with all the publicity, it would have been a big hit in the UK. But as has been pointed out - it hadn't been recorded then.

[petsite]

Another interesting story about this song. When the BB came to Houston that year (1978), after playing Surfin USA and taking their usual break, Mike came back out and introduced Didi Conn and several other cast members of Almost Summer who were visiting Houston promoting the movie. Turned out that they were sitting right in front of me. they went up on stage and said hi to everyone and then the movie trailer was shown on the jumbotron over the stage. Then the rest of the group came back out and did Almost Summer, using the words written for KRBE FM 104 in Houston.

Fun times indeed. Except that later, I found out that the group had just come back from Austrialia. And we know what happened down under.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Then the rest of the group came back out and did Almost Summer, using the words written for KRBE FM 104 in Houston.

Yes, Mike Love recorded a couple of promo versions of "Almost Summer", personalizing them, using the call letters of radio stations around the country, and also mentioning the city.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Then the rest of the group came back out and did Almost Summer, using the words written for KRBE FM 104 in Houston.

Yes, Mike Love recorded a couple of promo versions of "Almost Summer", personalizing them, using the call letters of radio stations around the country, and also mentioning the city.

Couple ?  Try about 20 or so (allegedly).    The confirmed ones are:

KRTH 101 Los Angeles (pressed up on a promo 45)
WMMS Cleveland
KFRC San Francisco
KBRE Houston
Detroit

[MBE]

I have the 45 of KRTH. I wonder if these got played more then the real record.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I have the 45 of KRTH. I wonder if these got played more then the real record.

Very much doubt it - "Almost Summer" hit #28 on Billboard.

[MBE]

True but I would guess that say WMMS played their version (if it all it they never played the Beach Boys).

[dogear]

The 7" and the "Ten Years of Harmony" version are 3:15 edits. The O.S.T. version runs 4:31

[Alex]

Roger I agree completely with your first paragraph and your statement on how bizarre the whole period was is also spot on Sherrif. It must of been really odd to see Brian and Dennis decline right on stage. At least with Carl it was temporary.  I would say the worst time to be a fan was the mid 80's when I first started. The Full House era.

I wish I was alive during the CATP/Holland-era. I'd kill to be able to go back in time and see the BBs live with Blondie and Ricky and Dennis in the front line.

[MBE]

Any show from 1961-74 would have been pretty amazing. The 1975 shows (except Wembly and the Beacago shows) already seem to have been weighed down by oldies. They were still performed well at the time though.

[KokoMoses]

[/quote]


I agree with RobMac that "It's A Beautiful Day" has a "retro" feel to it, and L.A. was supposed to be their mature, "adult" album, but 30 years later, I'm still looking for a good reason why they closed that album with "Shortenin' Bread"....


Hmmmm, good question. But I do love Carl's vocal on that track and that's about enough for me.


Damm, he was the greatest!!!!!!