Summer In Paradise

[mtaber]

Summer in Paradise is the worst album ever.  Period.  I've never listened to it...

[carl r]

gotta also say that one of the more acceptable songs - Lahaina Aloha - has got Van Dyke Parks playing accordian - a real instrument.  Wooh hooh!

(but i protest too much. Really, I love this album, but I'm just trying to be cool.  

I've heard some nice Charles Lloyd saxophone on Feel Flows and All This Is That from the 70s concerts.

Is it really the sax which is the problem, or is it the sax tacked onto cheesy synths and drum machines?

I can't help but think it was all about the benjamins, at some point it became a lot cheaper to use cruddy digitised keyboards and machines than to spend time and effort writing, and get a bunch of good musicians to perform or play on a record.

In this sense, the Beach Boys may have "rationalised" their own music out of contention.

I agree with you, and for me, that can be generalized about most pop music in the US today. As a musician, I'm frequently dissapointed how few instruments are actually played in music today.

What I found surprising about Summer In Paradise, is that they didn't even use their regular touring musicians. As I understand it, the album was mostly put together by Mike and Terry; Carl had long wanted to do a 'rock and roll' album, and Al was kicked out for most of it, but I wonder how they felt about the record as they were making it. They played some of these songs in concert too.

[Autotune]

There's some GREAT leads on that album. But the group vocals sound thin and poor.

[Sheriff John Stone]

There's some GREAT leads on that album.

Yep. Summer In Paradise might be in Carl Wilson's Top 3 albums - vocally.

[KokoMoses]

Summer in Paradise is the worst album ever.  Period.  I've never listened to it...

??


A truely and utterly terrifying remark!

[southbay]

There's some GREAT leads on that album.

Yep. Summer In Paradise might be in Carl Wilson's Top 3 albums - vocally.

Agreed, and same with Al. Might be just the opposite of "Love You"- horrible material, great vocals.

[Sheriff John Stone]

There's some GREAT leads on that album.

Yep. Summer In Paradise might be in Carl Wilson's Top 3 albums - vocally.

Agreed, and same with Al. Might be just the opposite of "Love You"- horrible material, great vocals.

Yeah, Love You was ALL Brian composed; Summer In Paradise had NO Brian (yeah, I know "Surfin" was on there...). I guess Brian was saving his songs for his next solo album.

[sockittome]

Sax, when used responsibly, can be a beautiful thing between adults.

The 80s almost single-handedly ruined the saxophone as a means of artistic expression.

Sax works great in Madness records however IMO

Yes, yes, yes!  I agree wholeheartedly!  I could fill the rest of this page with bad examples of sax in 80s rock (but I won't).

Madness nailed it, though!

[Sheriff John Stone]

How about Romeo Void's "Never Say Never". I might like you better if we slept together...

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Summer in Paradise is the worst album ever.  Period.  I've never listened to it...

Then how do you know it sucks?

I agree that the Sax has been ruined. I used to hate it, but 'National Anthem' by Radiohead made me appreciate the sax. Then I started to like it on some songs that I didn't before, such as 'All Alone' and 'Goin On'. Not so much on most adult contemp including SIP

[KokoMoses]

Summer In Paradise reminds me of the summer of 92 in a lovely way. I was just becoming a Beach Boys junkie and them having a new album out helped me feel that I was getting into a contemporary band that was still around and relevent rather than not.... How true or not true this might have been didn't matter much in the mind of a teenager.

I think what really killed Summer In Paradise was the fact that Kokomo came out on the Cocktail soundtrack before on Still Crusing! If everyone in the world (like my parents) hadn't ran out and immediatly bought the Cocktail soundtrack and then passed on Still Crusing (like my parents: exact quote "Why do I want to buy Kokomo again when I already have the Cocktail soundtrack"?) things might have turned out differently. So, if Still Crusing had come out BEFORE the Cocktail soundtrack, then Summer In Paradise, who knows?  They might have had some momentum going! It also looked cheesy to 'hip" people that Kokomo was connected to Cocktail, which I certainly can understand.

Also.... If you think Mike gets a beating nowadays, in 1992 he WAS the devil!!!! I think Brian bouncing back in such an amazing way these past 10 years has calmed down a lot of the Mike despisers. In 92, the fact that Mike was doing ANYTHING while Brian was having his problems was simply unforgivable to Brian maniacs!  Also, Brian's "autobiography" came out that year too!

I just feel The Beach Boys (Carl, Bruce, Mike, Al) didn't stand a chance in 92.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I think what really killed Summer In Paradise was the fact that Kokomo came out on the Cocktail soundtrack before on Still Crusing!

"Kokomo" went to No. 1 and, if I'm not mistaken, Still Cruisin' sold pretty well also. "Kokomo" and Still Cruisin' were in 1988 and 1989 respectively; the Beach Boys had a TV series in 1989, you had the 2fers out there, there was still enough interest out there.

Here's an alternative theory as to what killed Summer In Paradise. Because Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Al Jardine didn't contribute any songs to the new Beach Boys' album. And, Bruce Johnston, who had/has been stockpiling songs for decades, only contributed one ripoff/remake.

I think that Mike Love contributed 4-5 good songs to that album. And, I actually think the covers were decent. With contributions from the rest of The Beach Boys to round out the album, I think it would've/could've/should've been a decent album, because they were starting to sing very well again.

Before people opine that Mike wouldn't ALLOW any further contributions, I will ask - Of anyone in the world, who do you think wanted a hit Beach Boys' album more than anyone else? Mike Love. That's all he ever wanted. A hit record. Ever.  If one of The Beach Boys would've presented him/them with a solid song for the album, I just don't think he would've shrugged them off, and said "Nah...." The covers alone tell you they needed more material.

[KokoMoses]

Right on the money!

I think if you smack our two theories together you'd be getting an almost clear picture of the truth.

I agree that Mike wanted another hit! But perhaps due to intra band friction/merda he figured he'd rather throw all his eggs in the Terry Melcher John Phillips basket rather than have to rely on Carl, Brian, or Al (who was put on leave for "attitude problems" at this point, right?) Who knows?

Of course, if they all could have got in a huddle and make a great collective effort, who knows what they would have given us.

[punkinhead]

speaking of horn solos, i do enjoy BW's use of Probyn's trumpet abilities: Oh Mi Amore, Your Imagination (live), Mexican Girl, Christmasy (very subtle)

[mtaber]

Summer in Paradise is horrible... I've never heard it... pretty non-sensical, eh?

I understand hell is unpleasant... I've never seen it... sorta the same idea...

Don't take this too seriously, if you happen to like SIP... it's ok with me...

[Aegir]

You should still listen to it. It really pisses me off when people go around saying they don't like something if they've never experienced it.

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

I agree with you, and a lot of people surprise themselves; you might not love it as an album, but I've seen people mention quite a few different songs that they enjoy off of it.

[Autotune]

...Carl had long wanted to do a 'rock and roll' album...

Interestingly Carl's "solo" endeavor of that time (with Beckley and Lamm) dosen't rock that much while does recall to a degree the SIP esthetics.


Edit:

In the end, SIP was the RIP to the Love - Melcher collaboration. They were great at one-of's but could not support an entire album on their shoulders.

[mikeyj]

for a few minutes and watch the video, you might actually have some fun.

No thanks, I really can't stand Summer Of Love... easily the worst song on the album for me (and that's saying something).... If I want to have fun listening to a Beach Boys record I'll likely listen to I Get Around or something.

[Jonas]

Summer in Paradise is horrible... I've never heard it... pretty non-sensical, eh?

I understand hell is unpleasant... I've never seen it... sorta the same idea...

Don't take this too seriously, if you happen to like SIP... it's ok with me...

Its not that its nonsensical, its just that you're a dumbass.

[donald]

I've tried and tried to get next to this album.  It just doesn't do it for me.  It lacks in so many ways.  The polite way to describe it would be to say that it is a "weak" effort.   Had this album had the support of Carl, Brian and Al, it could have been as good as the 85 album.  Think of the good work that Brian and Carl were doing at the time.

If you want a good last BeachBoys album, try combining selections from Still Crusin such as Kokomo, Somewhere Near Japan, with Brian and Carl's solo work from the 80' and 90's with a few isolated gems floating around out there (think Soul Searchin)' and you'll have your album.  You are allowed one selection from SIP.   Mine would be Hot Fun in the Summertime.

[shelter]

There are just two things about SIP that I like... The cover art looks great, it really deserved a better album. And the John Stamos version of "Forever" is pretty cool. Sure, Stamos isn't Dennis Wilson, but the rock arrangement works really well and the accordion solo is just lovely.

[Wilsonista]

Summer in Paradise is horrible... I've never heard it... pretty non-sensical, eh?

I understand hell is unpleasant... I've never seen it... sorta the same idea...

Don't take this too seriously, if you happen to like SIP... it's ok with me...

Its not that its nonsensical, its just that you're a dumbass.

Congrats, you just insulted someone who has forgotten more about the BB than you and 90% of the people who post here will ever know.

I didn't know Hitler personally, would that invalidate any negative opinion I have about him?

[mtaber]

Hey, Rob, thanks.  Really, I don't mind being insulted - being insulted is something I HAVE experienced, so I guess I'm entitled to say I don't mind it. 

If someone making an off-the-cuff comment about an album whose reputation is horrible bothers you, you have a problem.  Lighten up...

[southbay]

"Cccan't we all just... get along?"