The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Keepin' The Summer Alive, released March 1980.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/ktsa.gif)

I'm not sure what, if any, words can properly describe this album. That isn't a compliment. A few tracks have a few redeeming qualities. That's the best compliment I can give it...that and that things continued to get worse.

The worst Beach Boys album of all time. Absolutely disgusting. If this was the best the band could do in 1980, I am not impressed.

It's not THAT bad. Santa Ana Winds, Goin' On and When Girls Get Together are great. The rest is aural sewage. 2.

When Girls Get Together is really mediocre. I think people overrate it because it's being compared to the sh*t (can we swear here?) it's surrounded by on this album. I think they were smart to leave it off of every album from Sunflower on, and should have left it that way. 

Santa Ana Winds was done better in 1978 during the LA sessions. Goin' On is about the only good song on the album.

I really am out of touch, because Goin on is another one of those songs I really don't like. In fact, the ones I like best on the album are the first two and the fourth--and I know they're dreck. I just can't help it....

Have you ever heard the alternate version of Oh Darlin' that's been going around? Has different lyrics and a Brian lead. If they put that on Keepin' the Summer Alive, it might have merited a 1.25 from me.

No, but if you have, I am certainly pleased to discuss such things privately...various contact info can be found over there
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I shall STAND UP and defend this album since no one else wants to!
It's the first LP that actually sounds like an honest, whole-hearted, group effort since Sunflower. I'm not a big fan of the 70's LP's. In fact for the most part- except for the odd track or 2, (IMHO) they're garbage. This one unlike L.A. (Lame Album), 15 Big Ones, Love You, and to a lesser degree, MIU... are half-assed, half-baked, and uninspired. KTSA is PACKED with a last ditch effort to make some killer harmonies and a few rockin' tunes. Goin' On will always blow me away! If you dislike Goin' On- you cannot possibly be a Beach Boy fan. Keepin' The Summer Alive is one of the last truly fun BB tracks for me that evokes their dying 60's sound (minus the Budweiser guitar solo!) as well as Some Of Your Love. Sunshine is a great tune- LISTEN TO THE HARMONIES! The last minute of Endless Harmony is absolutely stunning (I like the first half too as I'm a sucker for a Fender Rhodes). Alan shines with Santa Ana Winds. I like Livin' With A Heartache because it's honest. That leaves Oh Darlin', School Days & When Girls Get Together to be the obvious bummer tracks. 7 out of 10 are good or great tracks! Ya can't say that ANY of the albums listed above! They don't even come close to an average of 70%. So... suck it Trebek!!

Jason- I'd LOVE to hear the alternate of Oh Darlin! PM me with a link to yousendit.com... BITTE!! Dankeschoen!

I can't believe you put down a masterpiece like Love You in favor of this lame LP. Wow.

15 BO & LY sound like demos that were never finished. I'll lay a big fat review of Love You down when I get home and give it another spin.

I can't? Damnit. Maybe someone will give me my money back for all those discs (including this piece of semi-trash) that I bought. And I sure will miss listening to them (although not really this album). Odd, since I'm not a fan.

You're almost right in some of your assessment, though, in this being an attempt to regain their form. This, just like that 70s joke, 15BO, is a desperate grasp at has-been musical styles. Sometimes it's pleasant, but people say the same thing about Kenny G. That doesn't make it good. There was no doubt that by this time, the Beach Boys were an absolute oldies act for people trying to hang on to or regain the past.

Coming to a state fair near you...

Listen to Goin' again though, particularly the unreleased mix with the bizarre drum breaks. Total genius.

There's an outtake from the Keepin' the Summer Alive sessions that's pretty good. It's unfinished, but the passion is undeniably there. Brian's cover of River Deep, Mountain High. Brian's a screamer on this one. Now if that was finished and put on the album, I'd give it a 3. It's that good of a track.

Just to be sure I'm being fair, I put in this album a couple of minutes ago. I'm on track three.

I'm really not sure I'm going to be able to get through both albums (as it's the twofer). How many times can you recycle the same collections of phrases and melodies? And that goshdarn honking sax at the beginning of "Some of Your Love?" What the ...?!

I need to wash my ears out with Velvet Underground or something...or at least Wild Honey.

You won't make it past Sunshine...and you shouldn't.

I didn't. I got to it, and noticed in the liner notes that the basic track was recorded on my birthday. I will from now on lie about my birthday. What an atrocious album.

Yet I'm skipping to the 85 album, just to make sure I don't forget the rancid taste it too will leave in my mouth. And hopefully it will be a couple more years before I make this mistake again.

Alright. I'm gonna have to come in there and knock you wiseguys around like the Three Stooges.

Then I'll have to reciprocate, Love You-hater!  ;D

I want to appreciate it... I want to appreciate it... I want to appreciate it... I want to appreciate it... I really do. I've given it countless chances. Did the same to MIU and that one grew. LA & Love You, didn't however.  :-*

A quote worthy of many a later Beach Boys album...including the one about which this thread was intended. But Love You? Never!

It appears I misspoke the other day. I actually have heard it, and agree that it is preferable to the album version. Sadly, that wasn't anywhere near the worst track on the album--many more neeed fixing more than that one.

I'm a fan of KTSA and I'm not ashamed to admit it! The title track is a good solid rocker -- should've been a single -- and "Goin' On' and "Santa Ana Winds" are classics. All imho, of course.

I still remember when the Beach Boys appeared on the *Fridays* TV show to promote KTSA. It was one of their best showings (imho). Carl rocked out on the title track, with the guys singing punchy harmonies behind him, for their first number. The second part was the best by far. They started with "Good Vibes" and segued into "Goin' On." Carl was truly on fire for GO, and the whole group came alive in those delicious harmonies.

And you don't like Love You? Wow.

That's right. Preach on E!

That is strange, ain't it. There's only 2 of us who like KTSA better than Love You. We're throwing a KTSA summit party next Friday. You're all invited, but I'm guessing we'll be the only 2 there.  ;)
More beer for me!

If I could either drink with friends to the soothing/vomit-inducing, cover-band sounds of KTSA, or drink alone to good music, I'd choose the latter every time. Have a good time, though.

 ;)

I'm listening to this album now, haven't gotten past track three cause I'm diggin that bari sax in the beginning of Some Of Your Love (due to the fact that I play the bari sax but anyhow...) Some reason the song gives off a "Roller Skatin' Child" feel, but I dig it a lot. I also like that rockin' piano twoards the end there. "Livin' With A Heartache" has a great lead from Carl, another good tune Imo. The title track is much better on the Knewborth live cd, the studio version isn't that great. I may go on and listen and review the album tomorrow, but this is as far as I've gotten.

Ever hear the original version of that, "Mike Come Back To L.A."? It's pretty funny.

Alright someone here must whip me up an alternate KTSA. I'm not familiar with any outtakes from that era except the Get The Boot stuff- which I've lost- fer shits sake. ARGH!

The alternate Goin' On is delicious!

I wonder if those performances on the Fridays show (with Michael Richards?)
are included on any of those DVD's of TV appearances that are available in publications such as Goldmine?

Off Topic- but relevant to Donald's post.
I'd love to see all of Fridays come out as a multiple DVD set! I loved that show. 'Nuff said.
I guess I missed the BB's appearance. Drat.

the album cover is the best part of this album!
if the music were as good as the album cover we would be talking classic!

I've always said that KTSA has, arguably, some of the best cover art of any Beach Boys album.

I'm going to side with Monkey Knutz and the others who actually LIKE this album.  I definitely like it.  Bruce Johnston did a great job producing it overall, though I'm not a big fan of the drums.  They just sound too slick.  But I can put that behind me.  I'm rating this album based on musical merit and how the album holds together as a whole.

Keepin' the Summer Alive is a fun song with nice guitar and piano and excellent lyrics.  Definitely one of Carl's last great songs.

Oh Darlin' is a nice song, but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Some of Your Love kicks more ass than Mr. T after an 8-ball.  That fartin' baritone sax at the beginning, those harmonies.....How can anyone be a fan of 1960s Beach Boys and not love this song?!

Livin' With a Heartache is killer.  The vocals are very heartfelt and it sounds like a typical piece of pop music from 1980.  Nothing wrong with that.

School Days, in my opinion, beats the bejesus out of any cover on 15 Big Ones.  To me, it's one of the few covers that the Boys did in their later years that stands the test of time and is still listenable today.  The harmonies are cool and the arrangment is great.

Goin' On is a Beach Boys classic.  'Nuff said.

Sunshine is interesting.  When I listen to it, I'm like "Yeah this is cool." But at the same time I'm asking myself "Is this going somewhere?"

When Girls Get Together is one that had to grow on me.  I like it now, but I still think the Italian arrangement makes it sound a little cheesy.

Santa Ana Winds is great.  Al gives a great vocal and the lyrics aren't terrible.  I really like the music too, though I bet it'd sound better without the strings.

Endless Harmony is yet another piece of proof that every song Bruce Johnston wrote for the Beach Boys is a winner.  The last minute is great but Bruce's two verses in the first half of the song are awesome.  Musically there's not much to it so the only thing you can really do is enjoy the vocals.

I'm going to give this one a 3.5, which means I have to round up to a 4.  I contend that this album is hated because so many Beach Boys fans are from the 60s and 70s and by the time the 80s came, they were all in their "Modern pop music is crap" phase that we all get into, and thus, when the Boys released an album that sounded like it was recorded and written in the year it was released, the majority of fans hated it because "modern pop music is crap".  Let's face it folks, this album sounds exactly like it came from 1980.  The music fits the time.  If that's not your thing, that's cool, but I can't stand to see a good album get slammed against the wall as much as this one does.

Right the f*** on Demon! Tell it like it T-I-Z!
The drums are a result of overmicing and spreading them out over probably close to 1 dozen tracks, being too predominant in the mix, and recording them seperately. If the drums &  When Girls Get Together are the only issues that we collectively have- then, what's not to like? By the way... you're invited to the KTSA party that Emdeeh and I are throwing.

Keepin' The Summer Alive - Horrible attempt at AOR rock, a Carl solo track really, with Randy Bachman in lame BTO mode. Lame and retrogressive concept, limp execution.

Oh Darlin' - Pleasant Wilson-Love tune on the MIU level, not as good as She's Got Rhythm, not as bad as Pitter Patter. Leaves your head the second it's over.

Some Of Your Love - OK Wilson-Love mover, I'd say on a 15 Big Ones level. Comparable to It's OK, not as good. The hook is catchy, in a TV jingle kind of way.

Livin' With A Heartache - Great, just what we needed, a Carl country-rock song that makes The Eagles sound like Sabbath. The worst track on the album, because it's not even fun to laugh at.

School Days - Do me a favor, Al. LAY OFF THE FODA OLDIES! It was terrible on 15 BO, even worse on MIU, and this time it's worthy of nothing less than firing squad.

Goin' On - The one song here worthy of classic status. Beautiful, bittersweet melody, nice words, great production, A worthy successor to the righteous Good Timin'. If we could have had an entire LP like this, a great album this would be.

Sunshine - Words can't express how nasty this piece of white-reggae crap is. I can't even think about it. Too depressing.

When Girls Get Together - Great outtake from the Sunflower period dusted off here. One of Brian's most eccentric and atmospheric works, given a typically creepy spin by Mike. All hail the Marxophone and all hail Steve Desper.

Santa Ana Winds - OK, Al, for this one you get a reprieve from the Governor. Nice folk-pop song, nice production, nice backing-vocal arrangement, but WHY the spoken intro. That almost ruins the song completely.

Endless Harmony - This song make me understand why people don't like Bruce. This composition and his rancid vocal style here are ultimate examples of mellow LA smooth wretchedness. The lyrics are so completely phony and bullmerda I can't believe they sang them with a straight face. My lord. Again, this type of attitude, this "Look how great we are" is what turned people off to the BB's, the macho "America's Band" bullmerda. "And we.." this, "And we..." that. You know what guys, you're washed up. Break up now.

All hail Denny for steering clear of this monstrosity. I'd take cocaine too. In fact, I need some after trying to listen to this album.

I think that was song that, because I don't much like it, got me labeled as not a Beach Boys fan.

Well, it's a great song, man! But you're a BB fan. Hell, I hate Funky Pretty, All This Is That and Then I Kissed Her!

And you're not a BB fan!

Actually, I don't really love any of those songs. I'm OK with the first two.

Man Ian, I wasn't even that rough on Love You.

At least I didn't review MIU!

I'd like to see that one!

I'm with you, MK. I like "KSA."

This:


Could not be more wrong. One of my top 10 favorite BBs rockers -- worth it for Mike's EXQUISITE bass singing, the highlight of the song, but the arrangement on the chorus slays in general and the verse melody gets stuck in my head, and Carl's SINGING -- YEAH!

I like almost the whole album. Almost.

I agree! It's great to hear Carl belt out a vocal!! Fine harmony album!
Hey Rake... I'm curious as to what you don't like about the platter.

Agreed.  Carl does a great vocal on this song.  As a matter of fact, I like a lot of the vocals he did on KTSA, 85, Still Cruisin, and Summer in Paradise.

I almost hate to admit it, but I have to agree with that. Through all the dreck, Carl did sing beautifully.

Both you guys, PLEASE fix your avatars!

I tried to, but I'm a fvcking idiot. Shockingly.

PM me the avatar you want to use.

Heh. Guess which is the only released track from the sessions that Dennis appears on.  ;D

I know.
 :'(

I think "Oh darlin'" is a absolutely fucking great song ! Only the sh*t production ruins it (and that imo is also a problem ith the rest of the album)

The alternate Oh Darlin is SO much better it's sad. As wonderful of a singer as Carl was, there were times where he'd sound so...I dunno...sleepy...on his vocals. This one, Full Sail, Going South, The Night was so young...I actually hate those leads.

I think Goin' On is a great song even if it isnt spectacular.  Some Of Your Love is harmless fun and I even kinda like Livin' With A Heartache for wahtever reason.  Other than that, complete sh*t!

i once wrote a remake of "oh! darlin'", i titled it "oh, Jesus!"...Seriously!! 2001

This album is probably worth a 2. The title track, Livin' With Heartache and Going On are good and Santa Ana Winds is decent.
However, Endless Harmony is one of my most hated Beach Boys songs. I enjoy most Bruce songs, but come on, a song about "stripe shirt freedom, brave new heroes"? This is the kind of self referential stuff that can make it embarassing to be a Beach Boys fan.

It has grown on me but still kinda lame. Dennis should never have been barred from the sessions, but this is the last BB LP without synth overloads. KTSA is great hate Girls and Endless Harmony. Santa Ana is such a good song but Love's vocal on it is bad and the intro is funked up (but funny). I love the LA Light outake of it.

You've got a gift for understatement. It is kinda lame like Pet Sounds is kinda good.

Another great album, school days, keepin the summer alive, goin on, sunshine, some of your love, ...

wow, so many good songs

One of the privileges of touring with Alan Boyd was I got to listen to his I-Pod one day in the back of the van.  There were several KTSA outtakes on there that were superior to what was on the album.  "Surfer Suzie" is a kickass track but too retro-surfer goofy for my taste (more than "Some of Your Love").  "I Will Always Love You" was a Carl-sung power ballad that, IMHO, they really should have put on there, because it sounds like a huge CHR hit circa 1980.  It would have been out of sync on the album -- but that's why.  And Brian's version of "Smoky Places" was fun a listen, and a good vocal from him.  I did not think that was true of "Oh!  Darling"  Yes, Brian's vocal had more of an edge to it, but the problem is the song just plods; it's dull as dishwater.

My take on KTSA; title track, Santa Ana Winds are great (I disagree that the L.A. version is better though the processing on Al's vocals very nearly ruins the KTSA version); Goin' On and Endless Harmony are good; Sunshine, Oh!  Darling and WGGT are atrocious.

You must try and steal Alan Boyds i-pod next time you see him!

I thought the liners were pretty good, though.  ::)

Seriously, I've a great fondness for "Santa Ana Winds" (and the 1978 lyric clunks like a clunky thing, so there), the title track and "Sum of Yor Lurrrrrrrrrrrrrrve". Otherwise...

Great BB mystery #52b - why in the name of God did anyone think that "When Girls Get Together" was worthy of audition, never mind inclusion.

WGGT is a great track, a bit out of place, but still great nonetheless. Would've been much better back during the Sunflower era when it was originally worked on.

And it has godawful sleeve art!

Wow! I thought "When Girls Get Together" is one of the greatest songwriting collaborations between Mike and Brian. Its so uncharacteristic of both of them and yet at the same time there is a strange SMiLE vibe to it.

I can't get enough of this song, personally.  ;D

I think that it's really sad that the last album to feature Dennis on it turned out to be this mess. The title track, and Goin' On are the best songs on the album, and they were both much better in concert. The version of Oh Darlin' with Brian singing is better than what was used on the album, but that's not saying much.  When Girls Get Together is the worst piece of sh*t to ever have been associated with The Beach Boys in any way, shape or form. Words can not describe my hatred of it.  :lol

Technically I don't believe Dennis was really on it. I guess that would really make the last "real" BB album L.A.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Dennis was on KtSA, and if he was, his involvement was minimal.

Dennis played on two sessions for the album: one was the unreleased "Johnny B. Goode", the other was, believe it or not, "Endless Harmony".

Does anybody know why Dennis didn't participate in/contribute to Keepin' The Summer Alive?

He was kicked out of the group from June 79 to May 1980. I think a fan magazine said he played a couple of shows in 11-79 and he did show up for the one session at least. Steve Desper told me Dennis was in bad shape. That Dennis was even crying.

Was Dennis actually banned from being in the studio too, as well as in concerts?

It's pretty interesting that Dennis played in early 1980 with them onstage.

http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun/1-16-80.html

Actually, that says "Beach Boys probably present", which is just a guess.

I can't  believe it too but everything is possible.

This album never struck me at first but it has really grown on me in recent times. I mean I guess I never liked it that much before because I never gave it a chance because when you hear the 60's-early 70's material, it can be pretty hard to get into the late 70's and indeed this album. But once I came to the realisation that I can't compare this to and expect it to sound like earlier Beach Boys albums then the songs started to grow on me. Still nothing compared to what came before (in the 60's-early 70's) but if you put that material out of your mind then it's still a decent album.

The liner notes were good. Except for the fact that the guy who wrote them seems to actually kind of like When Girls Get Together. It scares me that there are people in this universe like that.  :lol

Ah jay, don't be a hater. ;)

I love When Girls Get Together. Its one of my favorite post-SMiLE songs.  :smokin

I'm as hardcore of a fan as most of the people here, but that level of fandom/obsession is just not healthy.  :lol

 ;D  Actually I like the song, it's one of the weakest of that record but I still like it.

Yeh I don't mind it either. I mean when you compare it to the other late 70's-early 80's output it aint all that bad

Except it was recorded in 1970.

Yes siree Bob! Rejected for Sunflower, right?

 To my ears it has a SMiLE like quality to it. My favorite imagery from the song is the part about the old lady talking about "her great loss" whom I  imagine is her dead husband, then he sees some little girls skipping and giggling about boys.. So great.

When Girls Get Together, at the end of Landlocked, is terrible. "All those good songs and now this dung?!"

When Girls Get Together, at the end of Keepin' the Summer Alive, is great. "All those mediocre songs and now this wonderful piece of music?"

They were wise to hold off on this one.

Ok, you guys are starting to scare me.  :o

I knew someone was going to say that. I realise that but its still early 80's output (ie: put out there), thats what I was referring to.

my girlfriend bought me the Keeping the summer alive and Beach Boys two-fer last winter. I wasn't expecting anything great (on account of the terrible reviews i read). but i was actually somewhat surprised. Goin' on is one of my favourite BB songs. I know it's not a a "classic",  but i'll defend it.

Being such a huge Beach Boys freak I realized with a bit of shame that I'd never even heard this album. I'd been so scared away by all the slamming it gets, I think I'd always figured it was something to best be left unheard. But then yesterday I found it on vinyl for like 35 cents, so I figured, what the hell? It'll at least make my collection almost complete.

I have to admit, I think the album is a complete delight from start to finish. And unlike LA or MIU, it has a completely cohesive sound and feel all the way through. "Livin with a heartach" is particularly great. Maybe it's because I could listen to Carl sing ANYTHING and be happy, but nah, it's a nice song. Carl could have had a career as a contemporary country singer if he'd wanted to!

Sure, the track KTSA and also Goin On aren't as great as their live versions, but they still work perfectly well. Sunshine has great harmonies and Endless Harmony gives me goosebumps in spite of all the cheese Bruce drips all over it.

The only song I don't get is When Girls Get Together. I've had that one on my Landlocked boot forever, and I dunno..... For some reason, the song just give me the creeps. I can't understand why.

Hey, Goin On has been my FAVORITE BBs track for years. Pretty much based on the "Fridays" performance rather than the record, but still....... I never like to admit this, but it IS my number one BBs song.

Total joy.

Goin' On is the only song I have heard from the record. I love it. I think the bridge/sax solo is a little cheesey--I realize that they(I guess mostly Bruce) was going for a real retro/nostalgic sound with the bridge, and I think it succeeds in that regard(cheesy though it be); I just don't think it was the best choice for such an anguished song. But man, what a melody that song has!

The rest is aural sewage.

Hahahahahahahaha!

The album sounds like the cover looks. "Goin' On" is the only decent tracks on it.
How did  "producer" Bruce Johnston put it on the interview disc with Roger Scott which promoted it in Britain (Caribou sxpr 1204) :
" I'm kind of the Bruce Welch (Producer of Cliff Richard ) to the Beach Boys - the objective ear... the only thing I'm nervous about is whether they will like it or not...I honestly have to tell you I don't know if this is a good album or not anymore, I'm just waterlogged with it and I'm very glad I'm not in the other part of the studio where our engineer Steve Desper is going through the mastering process, I will go in there an approve or disapprove whatever he does but I'm just burned out..."
followed by Brian's remark when asked another question on the album by Scott "I gotta go now". Which really says it all.
There was a lot of promotion going into that album and it went nowhere. Quite rightly so!!

It's easier for me to separate this album into good songs (by late 70s BBs standards), so-so songs, and crap songs:

Good songs: Goin' On. Santa Ana Winds (could live iwthout the intro though). Some Of Your Love (for the intro and Mike's vocal). School Days (Because the song stands up to it, and Al's vocal is good. The back-ups kill it a little though). And the title track.

So-So Songs: Sunshine. Livin' With A Heartache.

Crap Songs: Oh Darlin'. When Girls Get Together. Endless Harmony.

Hmmm. I would divide it thus:

Good Songs: Goin' On--so good the cheesey, cliched, retro "Grease"-like production doesn't ruin it-- Santa Ana Winds, Title Track(new wave Beach Boys), .

Good songs ruined by crappy production: Oh, Darlin'--good song rendered with zippo imagination.

So-so songs: Livin' with a Heartache, When Girls Get Together(though it does stick in my head...)it's too long) Endless Harmony--I just kind of get into it, despite the  lyrics...a guilty pleasure, like Brian's Back. School Days(like the backing track sans harmonies)

Crap: Sunshine...Some of Your Love--a little TOO MIU for me...

I don't hate this album as much as the rest of you, but it a weird one...

3.  My favorite tracks are Livin' With A Heartache and Goin' On.

Both Oh Darlin' and Santa ana Winds could've been great, love those songs' earlier/demo recordings.

1980 is among the most intriguing years in BB history to me and therefore I really wish KTSA was a much more satisfying listening experience. Mind you, for my liking it's nowhere near as bad as its reputation, but still I prefer M.I.U. and probably even BB85. Livin' With A Heartache sure is a nice enough tune, yet The Beach Boys doing leightwight country is probably as far removed from what made me a hardcore fan as it gets. I tend to like When Girls Get Together for what it is, though the lyrics are probably as bland as the group ever got in 1970. Endless Harmony is Bruce being Bruce and I love The Free Design's take on that song.

I commented on this album earlier, but have long since forgotten when I wrote. Presumably, I said it sucks. It mostly does.

But lately I've thought that the title track would have been far better (not a great song ... the raw material just isn't good enough for that) if it had been done circa 1972 with Carl producing it. With Blondie and Ricky playing and that rougher-around-the-edges production, this could have rocked. There are live versions that sound pretty good. But nothing takes the edge out of a rock song quite like the melted Velveeta that is the KTSA production job.

In keeping with the above line of thinking, I'd also have loved to hear Livin With a Heartache and School Days in that '72-era production.

Oh Darlin is a tougher one. Really, what it demands is nothing but a great performance. It would have been best as simply produced as possible. I'm thinking simple, live-in-studio band of organic instruments (and not many of them) and one of the boys singing his ass off on the lead. Harmonies done live, too.

As for the rest, there isn't much help possible.

I have to say after six months...this album is better than either MIU or BB85. Faint praise, but I can dig it.

Totaly agree with you lance!And I will add 15 big ones to  come with miu & bb85.
KTSA is not a masterpiece  but that's not that bad.Sunshine is weak and WGGT is just awful but the others songs are listenable.
Their voices are in a better shape than on the 76-78era.And Carl is very present overall.the sound is slick but not with that 80's cold synthetiser feeling.
That the last album with dennis(even if it's only in a little apparence on endless harmony),
so that's was the "beach boys" for the last time.                                                                                                                     Still love them that way than what came after!3/5

Earlier this year, I listened to the music I had year-by-year, song-by-song in alphabetical order, in my little black shiney chinesey thing(already stopped working) that I got for Christmas.

MIU stunk up 1978. I couldn't wait for those songs to end.

Whereas, much of Keeping the Summer Alive held up surprisingly well. Perhaps that's the way to listen to it. As a three minute interval between hipper music...from 1980.

Does anyone know what songs were cut from the "KTSA" sessions that would've improved the album had they been kept on the final tracklist?

I think this is the last decent beach boys album. Brian wrote some songs again. Oh Darlin is a good track, Some Of Your Love is catchy, Goin on is better than anything he have done after this. But there is also junk like Sunshine, it's probably the worst song Brian wrote in the 70s. I find the old song When Girls Get Together irresistible. Carls song KTSA is a good rocker(not great) but the other song Livin' with a Heartache gets stucked in my head and it makes me wanna puke. I think the album closer Endless Harmony is very underrated, probably because Bruce wrote it. It's a beautiful peace and you know what?  It's the last sound of classic beach boys.

KTSA sessions ? Right here - http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs79.html (http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs79.html), and here - http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs80.html (http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs80.html).

Well, IMHO the version of "oh Darlin" with Brian on lead. His vocals may be "weaker" than Carl's at that point, but it seems to give the track more character.

I like the title track and When Girls Get Together...and nothing else from KTSA. I do like the LA version of Santa Ana Winds, but Al's spoken intro ruins the KTSA version.

I'm here to proclaim my love for "Goin' On", too. Those harmonies get me every time. What a fulfilling sound. Imagine if the BBs circa '66 sang it? I like to imagine that the happy, nostalgic bridge is the song's protagonist flashing back to when he was with his loved one.

I also love the harmonies on "Some of Your Love" during the verses. It has the 'that great roller skating rink in the sky (to borrow a phrase from Lester Bangs)' sound that Brian had on Love You and parts of 15 Big Ones. It's a very repetitive song, but it's catchy and harmless.

"Oh Darlin'" could have used a better arrangement, as others said, but Brian does some great vocal arranging again, salvaging the production a bit. They should not have included that "God only knows..." background vocal at the end of the song, though. It makes the song seem like a bad museum exhibit.

I love "When Girls Get Together" (what an interesting/bizarre arrangement and vocal melody - it screams 'welcome to Brian's mad circus tent world of benign insanity') and "Santa Ana Winds". Al's spoken intro on the latter doesn't bother me at all, and, can you believe that Brian could play harmonica like that? He should have tried out for the Stones.

"Livin' With a Heartache" is a weird song. It sounds like the bridge, chorus and verse of the song were cut to shreds and randomly spliced together. I can't tell which is which for sure. It has a great bouncy, rollicking sound and I like it because of that. With some rearranging of the song's structure it could have been a latter day BBs classic. It reminds me of "Rainbows" off of Pacific Ocean Blue.

"School Day" is an acceptable cover. The boys execute it well, although it's a retread of a retread, a BBs Chuck Berry cover done in the style of 15 Big Ones "Rock and Roll Music". Strangely, it's the most rocking thing the BBs ever did together as a group after Love You, except for maybe "Shortenin' Bread".

"Sunshine" I could forget. It has a few redeeming elements melodically, but that electric guitar just sounds ugly and ruins whatever chance that song had.

"Endless Harmony". Cheesy, pure Velveeta, but I've always loved my mac 'n' cheese. This song isn't something I'd listen to repeatedly, but it's not so bad. In fact, it reminds me A LOT of the Paley sessions from the early 90s.

The title song is a catchy rocker but the production is terrible, absolutely terrible. It could have been a good song, but as it is on this album it's mediocre. It needed to rock and it just didn't know how.

I give the album a 3 out of 5, surprising even myself with that high of a rating. I must be in a really good mood.

I can't even sit though this record. Simply, I manage to sit though a few seconds of each track, before skipping the track. Bruce produces this horribly, absolutely horrible. Not even in the 80s sense, even. No, the Beach Boys don't hit the 80s until the next record. The only song I can even sit though is When Girls Get Together... And even that's a worthless pile of sh*t, with horribly trite lyrics. No wonder they shoved it into the vaults during the Sunflower sessions. As far as I'm concerned, they should've scrapped this whole album. Though, I do want to find a version of the aforementioned track with Mike Love's vocals wiped... If only I could hear Brian's original voice, it would probably save the song for me. Unfortunately, the vocals aren't separated, and all I can hear are faint glimpses of falsetto. Because I can't listen to it, I'm not going to rate it. Everything sucks. All of the songs. And they STILL aren't on rock bottom.

I think "Goin' On" is a terrific track with pure Beach Boys vocals. You don't get much more Beach Boy than that track. Another song that is a "state of  Brian Wilson" commentary. It's the highlight track of the album.

Alright, I'm going to listen to this all the way through right now for the first time.

Keepin' The Summer Alive - This song could, COULD, be okay and just okay, nothing more. However the production sounds idiotic and totally ruins it, the lyrics are just awful. The Beach Boys have always been about positive energy and good times to a certain degree, but the guys were over 30 years old when they did this, c'mon.

Oh Darlin' - This song is forgettable, it's just uninspired. The production is passable and there's nothing truly offensive but there isn't anything good about it either.

Some of Your Love - Jesus Lord, this sax solo. Mike shouldn't have been allowed to use his nasal, seriously. The mix doesn't sound too good, the harmonies are...eh. Not really a song I'd be tempted to listen to ever again.

Livin' with a Heartache - I actually don't mind this at all. It's got a kind of nice country feelin' and feels fairly well done overall. Carl gives a nice vocal and it really feels like a little actual effort went into this song, I really like it more as it goes on. Could have been better but overall passable.

School Days - ugh...this song didn't need to ever be done, the harmonies on this album feel...off and Bruce Johnston is not a particularly talented producer.

Goin' On - The vocals on this one work well enough, I don't know so much about the song. About 1:21 in and I'm pretty bored, it's just unoriginal. The Carl parts are nice enough, but again suffer from the mix. The "solo" is kinda lame...

Sunshine - This song sounds awful, truly AWFUL. It seems like every instrument on this is mixed into the pulsating bassline, like it's some alien parasite taking over everything. I hate this song, it's nauseating and I want it to stop! I will never listen to this under any circumstance again.

When Girls Get Together - I've never really got this song, it feels really different, like it just doesn't stick for some reason. The mix here also is much worse than the original one I've heard. It's a good outtake but I'm glad it wasn't on Sunflower, there was just no reason to release it here.

Santa Ana Winds - This is a real shame. Al's version of this is addictive, it's a genuine good song. It's sad that this little gem had to be ruined with new lyrics and terrible production. I'd give the '78 one a B and I'd give this one a C-

Endless Harmony - Alright the last song, thank god. It doesn't really sound like The Beach Boys at all, it sounds like some smooth jazz Chic Corea type thing. I don't hate this, but it's a mediocre song that tries too hard for its own good.

This record overall is a huge disappointment, there's just nothing good here. I would like to hear a different mix of this album, I think a lot of the songs could use a lot of room to breathe, even then though, the boys had just become unhip by now. They're hearts aren't in it, there's no love, no quirk, no charm, no passion. I enjoy the earlier mix of Santa Ana Winds, and I think Livin' With a Heartache is decent, but other than that this album stinks. I'd give this like, 3/10.

Been playing catch-up with a few BB CDs I missed somehow. Listening to this one for the first time. I was expecting something awful but I'll be playing this fairly regularly. It doesn't have that sterile 80s production and nothing on it is unbearable. The vocals and harmonies are not cocainey-ragged. Livin' With A Heartache and Santa Ana Winds are great songs. So there.  :P

That album cover is kind of an apt metaphor, if you think about it.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/KTSACover.jpg)

Here, much like how their music grew steadily more shallow and cliched over the years, The Beach Boys have trapped themselves in a glass prison, a prison of forced sunshine and happiness bottled up in an extremely claustrophobic space. Through the walls of this entrapment, they can see the world outside, darker and more complex and filled with endless possibilities stretching out in every direction, but they have no hope of tapping into that so long as they stay trapped in their bubble.

And all that little penguin can do is stand there and sigh.

No, I think the fans forced them to overly embrace their past glories, which stifled their growth. Under that bubble is their stage persona, not the studio band who tried to stay relevant with albums like Surf's Up and Holland. Funny that their only Gold album was In Concert. From 15 Big Ones through Keepin' The Summer Alive, they tried just about every style they knew to find a winning combination that would appeal to the record buying public. Except for 15 Big Ones, they didn't have much success finding one. Just my 2 cents.

I guess in all this, Van Dyke Parks is the penguin, the polar bears are the rest of us (slavish drooling) and the skimpily clad woman, with her highly collectible BB's towel, is bgas.

1. Keepin' The Summer Alive 8/10
2. Oh Darlin' 3.5/10
3. Some Of Your Love 7/10
4. Livin' With Heart Ache 4/10
5. School Day 5/10
6. Goin' On 9.5/10
7. Sunshine 4.5/10
8. When Girls Get Together 4/10
9. Santa Ana Winds 7/10
10. Endless Harmony 2.5/10

Album Rating: 5.5

Words can't describe how bad this album was when I listened to it for the first time after I found the two-fer at the CD store a couple days ago. This is by far the worst album in the Beach Boys catalog because all six members worked on these songs unlike SIP.

I tend to listen to this as a cool EP, consisting of -

KTSA
Goin On
Santa Ana Winds
Endless Harmony (a guilty pleasure ;D)

The rest imo is pretty much disposable really.

Great cover though.

I don't think Dennis was too involved in this release. He may only be on one or two tracks. On suspension, I think.

I heard that too, lucky for him to be not too involved in this album.

Or maybe not. A couple Dennis tunes (if he had any) may have saved this album. I like about 1/2 of the album at best, with Goin' On the only truly bright light.

Good point, maybe use songs from the Bambu sessions and some Brian songs in the vault. (sherry she needs me or adult/child songs)

I've listened to the two-fer of this and BB85 several times before, holding my nose, but tonight I enjoyed them both.  Not sure whether this is a good thing . . .

For you no, it isn't.  ;D Maybe you had an off day.

There are a couple cuts I like on this record (and one of them is "Sunshine!), but the one I really dig is "When Girls Get Together". It sounds like a late 50s to early 60s Everly Brothers record.

"When Girls Get Together" was written in the 60's.

I don't hear any Evs influence at all - possibly because it's one of the few songs I actively dislike.

Not heard in its entirety but heard most of it. Production is okay although I have to say, sorry Bruce but you failed  :P Songs I like are Santa Ana Winds, Goin' On, Oh, Darlin', and Endless Harmony. Lackluster album though. Maybe I'll listen to it in its entirety one day and give it a final rating.

I have given this LP a new appraisal!  After years I've pretty much dismissing it...I decided to give it a couple of decent spins.  It's not horrible.  You have to consider it in the context of when it was released.  It was not the follow-up to "Pet Sounds" or even "Holland" for that matter.  The group was a bit of a mess by this point...but they managed to pull something out of nothing.

1) Keepin' the Summer Alive is a pretty solid rocker.  It's a great lead-off track.  Carl's lead is great.  I love the bass vocal line.  I really think this is one of the better songs they did during this period. 

2) Oh Darlin' is not a good song.  Way too insipid.  I guess I like the gruffer version with Brian on lead vocals...but even that couldn't have saved it from just being boring and sappy.  The chorus is pure gunk...and a total momentum killer after the relatively good lead track.

3) Some Of Your Love is another pretty decent song.  The sax riff in the beginning is interesting.  Some nice harmonies...though Mike's voice sounds really processed.  Not a lot of substance, here, but it's a fun listen.

4) Livin' With a Heartache is a song I completely hate.  All I'll say is that it sounds like a Kenny Rogers/Alabama outtake.  Shame on you, Carl!

5) School Day is a pretty non-essential track…but Al does his best to breathe some life into it.  At least it sounds like they were having fun. 

6) Goin’ On is a Beach Boys’ classic.  Nothing more needs to be said.

7) Sunshine is a song I rank with Some Of Your Love.  Filler…but pleasant filler.

8) When Girls Get Together is such an odd track for this LP…I mean my goodness…how old was it by this point?  It does not fit the overall sound of the rest of the LP because it was recorded nearly ten years earlier.  This track should have been rejected again and left off of the LP.

9) Santa Ana Winds is a track I have a soft spot for.  I like Al’s folksy eco-songs.  This one is a-okay with me.

10) Endless Harmony is okay.  The soaring harmonies at the very end save it from just being Bruce Johnston syrupy goo. 

If you give it a chance there are decent songs on this LP.  Don’t toss the whole thing in the trash.  The Beach Boys from this period are a tough listen.  The diamonds aren’t readily evident…and it takes some effort and some painful listening to dig through the rubbish to find them…but they are there!

KTSA (Track) is mixed terrible, with some crappy lyrics (icecream weather lol). there is no driving guitar, so a potentially good song flounders.
I dont care for muchof this album but there are very few half decent tracks even. I actually like WGGT but it's out of place and this mix is worse than the 1969-70 mix.
Endless harmony could've been decent too but they botched it with the horrendous ending. With this album the Beach Boys truly died as a music force. 1

The 2nd side of this album is such a mixed bag of goodies. I really do enjoy When Girls Get Together, I really dig the track and the percussion is great.
Santa Ana Winds is really underrated, I think just because of the spoken intro. Does the original have different lyrics? I remember hearing Al sing: "On my porch, thinkin' about the torch, I've been carrying for you so long..." or is that in the KTSA cut?
I also think Endless Harmony is underrated! good ending but it doesn't go with the rest of the album. Maybe the production of 10 Years of Harmony would fit better.
So Dennis is only on EH on KTSA, is it just his drums that are on it? or is he on it vocally. Maybe it's just Endless Harmony the documentary that makes me like the song a lot...when I hear it, makes me think of the beginning shots of the band on the documentary. Was Endless Harmony ever played live? I feel like this whole album has been played live, in bits and pieces, I'm sure When Girls get together hasn't been played, but I feel like the rest has...maybe if you include that video footage of Oh Darling being played to an audience, I wasn't sure if that's part of the KTSA doc or a concert. I know other "gems" from the album were played for that too. I really enjoy Goin On and Some of Your Love live, the keyboard solos instead of the sax are better IMO...unless the Lovester is on sax, then that's a different story!

-The only thing that bothers me with When Girls Get Together is the kick drum ovedubs. Most of them are seriously out of time. The version on "Landlocked" doesn't have them - I like that version a lot better.

-The "torch" Al lyrics are from an earlier version of Santa Ana Winds. There was a version recorded during the LA sessions that Bruce apparently didn't like/didn't want included on the album.

-I like Endless Harmony, too.

Apparently Bruce liked the re-recorded version. I turned up the volume towards the end and I could heard kind of a gruff BW vocal in the background singing "oooohhh."

What's a shame is when you look at the credits and B. Wilson is ALL OVER the place with writing credits but his voice is only in a tiny bit of places and I couldn't tell you where they're at unless I re-listened to the album louder. wish I had it on vinyl to give it a listen, that may help.

I agree the drums are out of time during parts of it. Is that what was overdubbed for the KTSA album? I thought all they did was change the mix where Brian's vocals are lower in volume (unfortunately)

Heard the whole thing. Not much to say but "meh"

I like 'Goin' On', 'Oh Darlin'' and 'Livin' With A Heartache'. The title track and 'Endless Harmony' are almost halfway decent. 'Santa Ana Winds' is an alright song, but an awful recording. Everything else belongs in the trash, along with the cover art.

Yes I am fond of this album too! There probably aren't any BB albums that I dislike or refuse to have in my collection. Plenty of nice music here!

I get, I mean got the vibe everyone hates this cover. I actually quite like it. No cover art with the guys playing had been used for years, with the exception of Live in London (the 76 release). I like seeing Brian on that grand piano, references his use of the piano during that era...it's a shame Dennis is playing drums on the cover and not on the album itself.

KTSA is one of my fave BB album covers.

I've kind of 'rediscovered' "Keeping The Summer Alive" after realizing that the new Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1969-1982 documentary overlooks it entirely. I was quite surprised when there was no mention of "Goin' On" which I think of as the high point of the low point of The Beach Boys career. But then again, they also failed to mention the disco-fied remake of "Here Comes The Night" on "L.A Light Album" (perhaps to afford the subject of their documentary a little bit of dignity... then again perhaps not).

Examining the KTSA album, I'd rate it about the same as I would "L.A." which would be about a 3.5-4 out of 10 (a '2' on this 1-5 scale). I think if you take the really good songs off of L.A and combine them with the really good songs off of KTSA, you'd have yourself quite a groovy Beach Boys album with strong contributions from each of the members of the group.

Then you can take the leftovers from each and bury them in the backyard next to your expired pet hamster.  ;D

Yes, it is by no means as awful as many fans and critics would lead you to believe.  That said, it's pretty spotty.  I think it suffers from lack of Brian and lack of Dennis.  Overall, it's a relatively FUN recording.  KTSA is a pretty solid lead-of track.  It's like most of their post-Love You material: Some good stuff, some bad stuff, some absolute gems and some real "cringe worthy" moments.  You have to be willing to wade through the muck to find the diamonds...because there are really good songs if you're willing to make the effort to find them!

L.A. Light Album is light years ahead of KTSA in terms of quality. There's nothing on KTSA that even comes close to Good Timin' or the under-rated, beautiful Baby Blue. Yes, the disco Here Comes The Night is very bad indeed, but the overall quality elsewhere on L.A. is far higher than that on KTSA.

I agree.  LA has a more cohesive sound and it is a downright decent listen nearly all the way through.  KTSA has a few high...but also a lot of lows.  The title track is a good, driving rocker.  I've always loved the backing vox on that one.  Goin' On is a bit of a lost classic...but too much of the LP is either mindless filler or just plain bad.  It's the sound of a band going down the drain.  That said...I think they bounced back with BB85 which I've always felt to be very underappreciated.

Well i don't think Goin' On is a lost classic (if i were to single out a KTSA track which doesn't recieve the recognition it deserves i'd opt for Livin' With A Heartache), however i agree with pretty much everything else you've said there - in particular that BB85 is underappreciated.

I've never listened to this. Reading this thread makes me too scared to even give it a try lol.

Everything I've read about it make it seem doomed to fail. The circumstances under which recording began, stalled, and was restarted with Bruce calling the shots does not seem like a recipe for success.

Don't think I can muster the courage to hear it.

C'mon and give it a try. It's not all that bad. Don't get me wrong, there are some horrendous songs on this album, but there is some prime guilty pleasure material here that's fun and catchy in an "embarrass your spouse with your goofy dancing" kind of way.

What is wrong with the sound on this album?! It's most noticeable on Oh Darlin' (especially on the backups) and Endless Harmony, but there's this annoying effect on the vocals and much of the instrumentation, and it's annoying. I can't think of the proper name of it right now, but it's horrible and kills much of the album for me.

Man-up, buy it, play it and conquer your fear.

It's not, err, the best, but not the worst with some good offerings - especially one from Al.

Buy a vinyl copy, then you can have a half time break if things get overwhelming. As a bonus you'll then have a large format copy of one of their finest album covers.

Do it today

That quote got messed up a bit, Alan. Not sure what you were trying to post!

Yeah, what a veritable disaster - it was meant to be an appreciation for Amanda's "goofy spouse dancing" descriptor; now deleted as it wasn't worth fixin'.  Thanks for the heads-up, Billy - A

I gotcha, appreciation appreciated.

Seriously though, put Sunshine on and try not to sing and dance. That nerdy white person reggae cries out for some nerdy white person soca dancing.

I always thought Carl's lead on Oh Darlin' sounded like it was out of phase, but I'm not sure it is.  I can't imagine they would let something like that slip by, so I'm guessing it's just a really weird mixing choice.

I don't think there's a problem with the sound, but it has a 'sheen' that many early 80s records have. I actually kind of like it, because it's the pre-cursor to the digital sound later in the decade, but with more of an organic feel than you'd get if the record was made a couple years later.

It's funny but to me it sounds less organic. The backing vocals lost all character and in many cases IMHO don't really sound like the Beach Boys.

 The mix on the entire album is terrible with school days being the worst offender as far as backup vocals go.

School Days is the worst offender as far as everything goes.

Murky tosh. Mike and Brian barely sound alive on When Girls Get Together. I might have given the album a bit more credit if it actually sounded anything like the Beach Boys.
The only decent song is Goin' On, and Endless Harmony is tolerable. Everything else I've already forgotten.

It sounds like it's about 90 degrees out of phase. It's a trick Steve Desper used a lot.

Is Sunshine really all that bad? It's not good, but it's surely not the worst song on the album. It's got a catchy riff, right?

Sunshine has an infectious melody. It could have been a standout if the production didn't suck as bad as it does.

I really think Bruce's songs would have a better shot in gay musicals or plays than on Beach Boys albums. Fits the genre better.

"Just West Coast booooooooooys!"

Recently got the album on vinyl and listened to the whole album. It sucks. The title track is great, but could have been better had it been harder. Most of the songs I find forgettable. Endless Harmony was pretty good, but the ending is yet another example of great music, terrible lyrics. Not an enjoyable album.
1 out of 5

Hey this is not that bad of an album. Not highly artistic or classic in any way, but it's fun to listen.
First side is better than the second, because it doesn't have any ultimate crap songs.

Keepin' The Summer Alive 4/5
Why wasn't this a single release!? Okay lyrics are a bit silly but so what, pretty much every Beach boys song or Beach boys single has a bit silly lyrics.
That's one of the reasons they are so good.

Oh Darlin' 3/5
I like it.

Some Of Your Love 3/5
Like it, sounds pretty modern in some weird way actually.

Livin' With A Heartache 3/5
Like this too. Country is great and Beach boys is great, so what's not to like.

School Days 2/5
Lousy cover, why did they put this here? End the A-side with Sunshine and that would've been pretty perfect run of fun songs.
I skip this pretty much always.

Goin' On 4/5
Awesome! Almost a classic. Or maybe it is.

Sunshine 4/5
Same here as with Goin' On. I dig every part of this.

When Girls Get Together 2/5
Super bad song! Why was this ever released, don't understand. One of the worst Beach boys songs ever. Extremely boring and irritating.
Can't understand why so many people like this.

Santa Ana Winds 3/5
Nice little song, I like Al's voice, as always.

Endless Harmony 1/5
Ultimate crap! What were they thinking really? Luckily it's the last song of the album so it's easy to skip. Just take the record away
after Santa Ana Winds. Or actually after Sunshine if you wanna end on a high note.

So for the album 3/5. Could've been so much better, but it's still listenable except those couple songs. That's not so bad at all.
The lack of Dennis is maybe the biggest reason why this album fails in so many places. They should've replaced School days, When girls get together and
Endless Harmony with Goin' to the beach and whatever else they had in their pockets that time... Pretty much anything is better than those three songs.

I don't 'get it', either. I think so many people like it because it's from the Sunflower period (and I LOVE Sunflower) but, I swear, I think this song would make "Our Team" come off like "Til I Die".

‍

I've been listening to Goin' To The Beach lately, and I completely understand why people dislike it. It was kinda misplaced on MIC and yeah that's not the kinda song that fans have been waiting to hear for 30 years and so on... BUT I like it, it's underrated and I think that if it would've been completed and released on Keepin' The Summer Alive and released as the lead single, it would've been a big hit. I especielly love the drumming in it. Really makes you want to move!

GTTB is better than almost everything on this album.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there re WGGT. I think the Sunflower link blinds people to the fact that the song is actually completely and utterly appalling. Of all the songs to salvage... (Although what's with the dig at 'Our Team'? Top tune.)

It's not a great song. The KTSA version is horrid. It works ok as an instrumental tho...

Endless Harmony is pure sewage cascading down a cliff before sloshing onto Bruce Johnston's head.

Goin' On on the other hand is just brilliant.

Endless Harmony isn't THAT bad. Compared to something like Livin' With A Heartache, at least. Although the lyrics suck.

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I second that! One of the only good songs from this sh*t album.

I will say that I genuinely hate "Endless Harmony." Granted, I've only heard the song once, but.... those lyrics  :P

I'll give it another listen for the music.

Yeah, for me Endless Harmony has one of the worst lyrics ever in any song. "And we sang God bless America" makes me puke.

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Agreed!

I couldn't really care less about bad lyrics (I'd never even noticed that the lyrics in, say, Salt Lake City were bad until I saw people on here slating 'em), however I hate Endless Harmony for the simple reason that I think it's a gooey slice of Bruce schmaltz without the redeeming feature of a decent, or at least passable, tune as with some of his other works.

No, it's the year I was born. And it's just a jokey name. Do you drive a Range Rover?

 :lol :lol :lol
Touché!

If I did say that I don't know what the f*** I was talking about...(perhaps drunk)??? 8th Sept '85.

I like cheese and piccalilli sandwiches but I didn't call myself CheeseAndPiccalilliSandwich47. 

I think I was probably being sarcastic and poking fun at people looking for meaning in coincidences.

No actually that seems to be exactly the case - i made a joke, then got distracted re booking a flight.
 

The lyrics to Salt Lake City are bad?

Im in the minority here.. I think the record is pretty good and I like the cover also.. BB frozen in time in a bubble I like that .. And its true the basic fan has kept them that way and doesn't like them to stray from surf + turf..  A couple of songs are a bit to long.. OD + LWAH in particular.. WGGT is LAME to me the only real clinker.. But overall its a good record to me.. KTSA rocks !  I find the chord progression + arraignment  + vocals to EH very inventive.. 4/5  :listening

Apparently so.

"Goin On" reminds me abit of a Chicago track for some reason & IMO its the best songs on KTSA. 

I gave it a 2 - around 2.5 for me.

It's an odd album, and kind of sad as the last full band effort - it came across to me as a bunch of off-cuts from all of their 1970s albums (perhaps excepting Love You).  School Day and Sunshine could have been on 15 Big Ones, Santa Ana Winds could have been part of the California Saga on Holland, Endless Harmony is like a low-rent Surf's Up, and on it goes.

So not awful, but finally sounding like a band running out of steam.

  True, but had they borrowed some BAMBU tracks (as with L.A) and used a few of the unfinished older tunes being sifted through ("Been Way too Long", "San Miguel" or "California Feeling") while losing the likes of "Some of Your Love", "Sunshine" and "School Day", a solid album might have resulted.

I'm not a fan of KTSA, Still Cruisin', or 1985 Album, that sad...I still enjoy listening to them.

Nothing from the Beach Boys is necessarily bad.  KTSA is still better than most of the crap released today, and better than Mike Love's solo albums. 

I hated KTSA and 1985 when I first listened to them, it's super hard on the ears for a seasoned Beach Boys fan that has been exposed to the many masterpieces, but it's not all that bad after you listen to it a few times.  I'm starting to notice the good aspects. Granted, I'll never see the greatness in School Days or Some of Your Love, but there is still some genuinely good songs on the album worth listening to the album to.

Beach Boys 1985 seems like a much better album than KTSA, I sort of like the retro feel.  Haven't heard Still Crusin' enough to develop a like for it.

Just dug out Livin' With A Heartache for the sheer hell of it. It's pretty nice actually. Maybe it's just because I'm on a big unrequited love trip.

I don't care if it's been two years, you take that back RIGHT NOW.  :lol

One of my favorites too. ;)

Mine too:

1. Keepin' The Summer Alive  (4/5)
2. Oh Darlin'  (4/5)
3. Some Of Your Love  (4/5)
4. Livin' With A Heartache  (4/5)
5. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)  (2/5)
6. Goin' On (5/5)
7. Sunshine  (3/5)
8. When Girls Get Together  (1/5)
9. Santa Ana Winds  (4/5)
10. Endless Harmony  (4/5)

<<Great BB mystery #52b - why in the name of God did anyone think that "When Girls Get Together" was worthy of audition, never mind inclusion.>>

Was re-reading this thread and noticed this question from AGD.   Am now in the rare position of having an answer to a question for Andrew, instead of the other way around.   Just luck of the draw.  I had a conversation with Bruce Johnston about this album and this song back in May of 1982, in a Holiday Inn Bar in Paducah, KY.  After Bruce borrowed all the quarters I had (5) to repeatedly play Brass In Pocket by the Pretenders on the Juke Box, he fessed up.  Seems he knew the contents of the vault fairly well at that time and had been pulling tracks for consideration.  When he heard the tympany sound it blew him away.  He listened over and over again, then, in his words, insisted it be on the album.  He said the other guys probably thought he was crazy but he was obsessed with the song.

The KTSA album cover might have been inspired by ABBA's 1976 Arrival cover:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/ABBA_-_Arrival.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/KTSACover.jpg)

The difference is Arrival is a great album with two number one songs - Dancing Queen and Knowing Me, Knowing You - and other super songs like When I Kissed the Teacher and Money, Money, Money.

The cover of this BB album would be perfect for a compilation.  Instead, it pretty accurately shows the mindset of the group (that somewhat still exists with the current version 35 years later). 

It's a pity that this is the last BB album to feature Brian, Mike, Carl, Al, Dennis (although only a cameo), and Bruce.  IMO, the worst BB album to date, and I rate it a two. 

Even Randy Bachman can't salvage the title track.  The cover of Ring Ring (School Days) sounds like a lifeless 15 Big Ones outtake. 

For me, the best is saved for last with Santa Ann Winds.  Then, there's Bruce's Endless Harmony.  When Carl kicks in with "and we sang God Bless America..." the song springs to life.  But, just as the great vocal harmonies kick in, the track, and the album, comes to an abrupt end.  A fitting unsatisfying end to an unsatisfying listening experience.  Not a good way to start the 1980s. 

I can listen to that song endlessly.

The Stephen Gaines book "Heroes and Villains" doesn't talk much about this album.  But in it he says that Brian Wilson was back and charged up to make it -- like he hadn't been in years -- and he was ready to get to work and record.  But it didn't last long.  3 days.  And after that, he was done with it.

He also mentions that something like 3 DOZEN tracks were recorded for this album.  Hello!  What are those tracks?  I want a box set.  I do.  I want every morsel from this era -- it'll never happen, but I want it.

So, Keepin' The Summer Alive the album.  Well.  In some ways it's a return to the energized "Brian is back" 76/77 period -- and an improvement on the impoverished spirits of the L.A. Light Album.  But it is also the full-blown bottoming out of once GREAT band.  Captured on tape, fumbling around in a state of disarray, searching half-heartedly for some sort of relevance.  And in a way, it is also the LAST real Beach Boys album.  So take it for what it is.

In this world, we often get what we get, and nothing else.  So I'm forced to love it for several reasons.  1.  Denny died 3 years later -- and would never again appear on a Beach Boys album, even though he was largely absent here.  2.  Brian showed up.  3.  Carl sings some leads like the band still mattered to the world (they soon wouldn't).  4.  There's a few nice hooks and melodies scattered throughout.  5.  80s Synth cheeze hadn't showed up yet.  6.  The Beach Boys had a renewed, muscular sound during the late 70s/early 80s, and they use it.  7.  There's only one Bruce moment.  8.  It's from 1980... and not 1990.  9.  I'm running out of ideas...  10.  It's got some fun and some genius.

Ok... here we go!!!  

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/702/MI0000702002.jpg)


1.  Keepin' The Summer Alive
I don't like this song.  But I like the spirit of it.  I know it plays to the stereotypes of the Beach Boys image -- but it was 1980 and there needed to be a fun, bouncy Beach Boys album and song.  So I give them a pass.  In a perfect world, with a contributing Brian Wilson, stuff like this wouldn't have made it through the door.  

It would have also been better to have had Denny share some of the lead.  Maybe some Al?  Mike on the bridge?  "Lay down... in sun..."  As it stands, it winds up feeling like one of Carl Wilson's "rocker" solo attempts, which I don't care much for.  Maybe with a different production/performance/etc there's something to be salvaged here.  But the song's message of "we're just trying to keep the summer alive" -- is just too painfully auto-biographical of their current situation.

I know it's "ice cream weather" and they're "getting the band back together" but they shouldn't need to tell us that.  It would have been better to just leave the notion of metaphors aside, and be totally honest.  "We're struggling along.  But Brian is here.  He's smokin' a bong.  And he's drinkin' a beer.  Wee're just trying to keep the summer alive!!"

Better, right?  I think so.




2.  Oh Darlin'
Not bad... not in any way great, but it has some of the album's nicer moments on it.  Again, another Carl lead, which is fine.  But it's starting to feel like a Carl Wilson solo album.  Where's Al?  I would have put Mike on the "it's like the missing piece of the puzzle has appeared" line -- to break it up and provide some levity and dryness to the wet, syrupy proceedings.  And I would have had Brian sing the line -- "and since you came into my life my love, perfection has never been so near..."  Brian's damaged voice would have given the "perfection" line some much needed depth, purpose and irony.

The melody is pretty and the song comes off as sincere -- which is probably one of the reasons Carl sings it.  He could carry the sincerity.  Anyway.  The closing tag is sweet.  But I don't know if I completely endorse the "God Only Knows" reference -- it's a bit too obvious in this album's "stereotype" setting as an attempt to remind fans of their worth.  But I'll give it a pass.  I'll be giving a lot of things a pass on this album...




3.  Some Of Your Love
Ok, this is unmistakably the Beach Boys right here.  It also gets stuck in your head.  "Some, some, some of your love."  There's almost a great summer Beach Boys song here -- yet it falls short of being that classic track that it wants to be -- it's just too mundane and doesn't rise above.  It feels like it could have been more and better.  But isn't.  And is somewhat forgotten, assuming it doesn't get stuck in your head, once the next track starts.

But it's one of the tracks that really feels like it belongs on this album.  It feels like a Beach Boys song that would appear on an album, circa 1980, about keeping the summer alive.  Doesn't it?  So in its own way, it's the perfect song for this album, and could have made a perfect opener to the album.  But since the record already has a pretty solid and sensible opener -- it probably should have been the second song on the album.



4.  Livin' With A Heartache
"You left me alone... livin' with a hard on."  Am I right?  

Ok, this really is a Carl Wilson solo album... I knew it.  At the last minute, they slapped a new "Beach Boy" cover on it.  They thought we wouldn't notice -- but nothing gets by us.  That reminds me, where are those 3 dozen tracks recorded for this album?

Anyway... I don't mind this song.  It's pleasant enough.  And I do find myself singing along (with aforementioned lyrical substitutions, of course).  I don't mind it.  But really.  I don't know.  It's not the Beach Boys.  And we know it.




5.  School Days
You know what?  Yes.  If they're truly trying to keep the "summer alive" then fck'ya'll.  This song is good.  I mean it's not "good" in a classical sense of the meaning of the word "good."  But, for the Beach Boys 1980 Summer Bummer album -- fck yeah it is.  Bring it!!!!!

It's a cover.  It's Al Jardine and another fcking cover for a group that doesn't need to do fcking covers.  I get it.  And I'm with you.  But I'm going to cite the case of So Versus What -- and rule that this cover track actually delivers on what it promises to do.

It's one of the better covers they've done anyway.  Listen to it by itself.  It does work.  It does rock.  The arrangement all works.  It's 1980 and the Beach Boys manage eek out an album -- and this certainly fits.  They really are trying to keep the summer alive after all.  The track stays.




6.  Goin' On
WOAH!!!  Where's this been?  FCKING Genius.  This is the sh-t we wait around to catch a fleeting glimpse of.  BAM!  There it is!!  Quick, take a picture!!! There it is!! Holy sht!!!  A shooting star -- a comet!!

This gives me chills the whole time it's on.  I'm awestruck.  Tears would be streaming down my face right now, if I didn't have all that botox surgery.  But this is the stuff that just proves Beach Boy fans AREN'T crazy to be wading through albums with songs about "living with hard ons" looking for gold -- and talking about all this genius stuff like a bunch of religious fanatics.  I mean, there's diamonds shooting out of my speakers right now.  You gotta see this sh-t.  It's freaky good.

(http://www.mbird.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tumblr_mdw5uuQeRs1qdmmhbo1_500.jpg)




7.  Sunshine
Most anything after Goin' On from this "period" of the Beach Boys is going to shrivel.  But this buoyant little number stays afloat.  It's a transition song.  It doesn't call attention to itself, other than being too "tropical."  But it allows us to cool out for a moment until the next brilliant moment.




8.  When Girls Get Together
Wow.  What is this? Another moment of brilliance?  Yes it is.  Yes it is!  By the way -- I see a lot of people HATE this song, but they're mentally unstable people, I've conferred.  And they likely have no women in their lives.  Too much?  Sorry... I take it back.

I did not know this song's origins when I heard it -- and fell in love with it.  But it's gorgeous.  And is another moment that makes you realize just how paltry, uninspired, mundane and pedestrian most songs are -- including some of the songs on this album.

I'm sort of haunted by this song.  At least while it's playing.  I'm like, lost in it.  Floating, heavenly.  Above and around some lady sitting in a park.  I'm in a bubble, thoughts drifting.  Thinking about women, and their ways.  It's so Brian Wilson and glad it was saved for a later-period album.  It fits his "gone" personality better during this period than it did 1970 when he wasn't yet "all gone."  Anyway, I just love this song.  




9.  Santa Anna Winds
Gotta admit, when this song starts, it's like the party's over.  Which is true -- "Oh no," I think, "Al's gonna recite some poetry about Eagle sex again."  But it quickly becomes a nice little Californian sunny day.  It's the best song Al (and the Boys) have done of this sort.  The folk thing.  The Northern California thing.  I can see why people like this one -- the production is spot on.  The acoustic guitars are splendid -- may I say, some of the best acoustic guitars in a Beach Boy song.  The melody reminds me of something pleasant.  It's actually a cool little tune.  I suppose it sort of fits with keeping the summer alive, maybe... as a closer of sorts?  It's nice.  It's a different flavor.




10.  Endless Harmony
Ok, now the party's over.

This song has all the hallmarks of a truly awful experience.  It's as if, all of the sudden the lights just went out... completely unannounced.  And someone, who likely wasn't invited, starts singing a sappy ballad he wrote about the prom king and queen (who are just as shocked as everyone else) -- and right in the middle of what was, up until that point, a fun little party.   Did someone just die?  Did the album die?  Yes it did.  This is the album's funeral.

Ironically it has the best vocal moment on it -- with the ending "woooo-oooo-ooo-ooooooooooo."  But it's not worth sitting through the song to get to it.  There is nothing redeeming about this song, it's production, arrangement and sentiment to warrant it's inclusion on a real Beach Boys album.  It should be a forgotten moment from some clumsy "Salute to the Beach Boys" TV special that would have aired in the early 80s, and likely cut short by something better like a football game.

Awkward.





Ok, there you have it.

Overall, this is a clumsy album.  It shouldn't have been released -- not in this configuration.  A bunch of professionals with the talent they had, should not have been releasing such mediocre material.  They should have tried a little more.  And I'm sure they did -- which only highlights the extent of their problems during this period.  It's a patched together box of leftovers and doesn't include a lot of good songs.

But it's likable -- if you listen to it a enough times.  But you have to really approach it with an open mind and able to enjoy things for what they are.  I really enjoy this period of the band for some reason and want the band to release anything and everything they have from this period.  I believe their albums become massive compromises and with a more sympathetic person in charge at the time (like me) -- a far better album could have been compiled.

I do like Keepin' The Summer Alive a lot.  But it's rough ride.

To this day, still the worst Beach Boys album of all time. It barely gets a 1 for Goin' On.

Keeping TRBB alive. ;)

I'd still rank it over
Surfin' Safari
15 Big Ones
Love You
BB 85 (maybe)
SIP
Stars & Stripes
TWGMTR.

To me it's the Beach Boys identity crisis album.

1. Keepin' The Summer Alive  (4/5)
2. Oh Darlin'  (4/5)
3. Some Of Your Love  (3/5)
4. Livin' With A Heartache  (3/5)
5. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)  (1/5)
6. Goin' On (5/5)
7. Sunshine  (2/5)
8. When Girls Get Together  (0/5)
9. Santa Ana Winds  (5/5)
10. Endless Harmony  (3/5)

3 stars because what's good is very good and with expectations lowered, much of it is flawed but still enjoyable.

For non-fans, or the genital public -- 2 stars is fair, if not overly generous.

For a fan, like me -- 2.75 maybe 3 stars if I'm feeling really generous, like I am today.  3.5 stars on it's very best of days and I'm drunk.  But more than 4 stars it could never be.

It's lame, but no where near as lame and tacky as The Beach Boys ('85) or Summer In Hell (Paradise) or Stars & Stripes.

I think I would play Keeping the Summer Alive for a non-fan before I played those 3.  They actually sound like the Beach Boys on KTSA... they actually sound like a rock band.  They sound like a culture club nightmare on '85, total dorks on SIP and... I don't think they're even on Stars & Stripes.

(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w__aecAd75Q/0.jpg)
(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/f83OyAtyof8/hqdefault.jpg)

I know their name is on the label, but I don't even consider Stars and Stripes a true BB album.  I've always treated it as a country tribute to the BB, featuring Brian, Mike, Carl, Bruce, and Al. 

Yep, I actually consider Summer in Paradise a truer BB album. 

That "sheen" gives the backing vocals a hard, metallic sound on most tracks.  The best Beach Boys backing vocals "breathe" in a way that these don't.

Okay, I'm not a fan of this album.  A rather awful attempt at trying to recapture those "vibes" that put them on the map in the first place.  Seriously, there comes a time when MEN should stop trying to sing about young girls, beaches, making out in cars, sum-sum-summertime, etc. etc.  Besides some good harmonies here and there it really doesn't do much for me.  What is that terrible overpowering bass drum they added to "When Girls Get Together" for?  It really adds nothing to the song. "Santa Ana Winds" is probably the only track besides "Goin' On" I enjoyed.

I really want to like this album.  I really do. There are some solid tracks here, but much of the time, the production lets them down. School Days, for example. This is a Chuck Berry song, so it sound rock. Instead, it has this incredibly dry sound, there's no life in it. Bruce is credited as producer of this album, but it's such a let down after LA. I don't need to hear Mike singing like he is still in high school (Some of Your Love), or Al, either, for that matter (School Days). A weird thing happened tonight when I played this album - When Girls Get Together came on, and I didn't hate it. It's nice to hear a rare lead vocal from Bruce on Endless Harmony - not his best song,  but not bad. This album really needs a couple Dennis Wilson songs. Carl does his part with Keep the Summer Alive (the live version from Knebworth is better, though, has more energy in it) and Livin' With A Heartache (I never tire of this song). The best track has to be Goin' On - great group vocals, great solo from Carl. The only thing that lets it down is, again, the backing track. It's just pedestrian. I thought Bruce's production on LA was very good - or was that J.W.G.? It's better than MIU - nothing as cringeworthy here as Hey Little Tomboy, but if this was the best they could come up with in 1980, no wonder they waited 5 years before doing another album.

Have you ever read 50 Sides of the Beach Boys by Mark Dillon?

Randy Bachman talks about the title track that he wrote with Carl.  Bachman was very critical of Bruce's production, zapping the life out of the track.  Bachman said he could've helped take The Beach Boys into a hard rock direction in the 80s had that song been done right. 

I like the song Endless Harmony, but it's always felt incomplete.  As soon as the block vocals kick in after Carl's lead, the song just abruptly ends....

I agree that completely. Feels like the song was getting ready to go somewhere else, but instead, it just ends. And I agree about the production, too - but I guess it should figure; Bruce has never had much rock 'n' roll in him. Would have been interesting to hear Bachman produce the BB's - he's had some success producing other acts.

One of the major problems the band had was their refusal in later years to entrust the production to others outside of the fold. There were exceptions, of course (Steve Levine on the self-titled), but they were determined to just keep everything in-house. It was to their detriment. Then again...would a big name producer have jumped at the bit to produce the band in the late 70s or early 80s?

Funny you mention that.  I read something once where Bruce said he wanted to give it a more driving sound (or something like that), but Carl didn't want to.  I think he was just talking about the title track, though. 

the album is about a 3/5 for me.  seems like a desperate attempt to pulls things together, which is strange, when considering over the
years what had been sittin 'in the can' at the point of 1980,  Yes, the album could have used a couple of Dennis tunes for sure.
I would have scrapped 'when girls' and 'some of your love', and another Chuck cover?  the best they could do?
It's not a terrible version, but they had better things of their own at their disposal. 
I like 'sunshine' even if it is a patched up song, it is infectious.  my favorites are actually 'keepin the summer' and 'santa'

Only good song on this album isn't even that good and it was written back in 1971.

I want "Some of Your Love" to get as heavy as it's origin..."Mike Come Back to L.A." from the Our Team doc. I want it to so bad  :-[


All in all the best part of this album is having all the BB's along with Steve Desper's name in the credits.

Actually everything from 1985 on was produced by outsiders (granted, that isn't much) if you discount Stars & Tripe (which most people do).

Is Terry Melcher an outsider?

Depends on how you look at it. I personally view an outsider as someone not actually in the band. Your mileage may vary.

And apparently the spellchecker on my phone is not a fan of Stars and Stripes either.

I actually, unlike many others, find this a quite good album and rate 4 out of 5 stars. It was impossible for me, as a BB fan who likes Bachman-Turner Overdrive and is crazy about the Eagles, not to like this Carl Wilson and Randy Bachman surf rocker, with great guitar work from Joe Walsh as always. The album sure has some weak spots, but other highlights are Some of your Love, Livin’ with a Heartache, the fun and silly summer song Sunshine, and, well, the album cover  ;D. I wonder what more Randy Bachman could have brought to the Beach Boys.

One of the other Bachman/Wilson songs, What's Your Hurry Darlin', turned up on an album with Ironhorse (Randy's band after BTO). It's a good song that would have sounded wonderful with Carl singing it.

I've been listening to this album for the first time in the last few weeks. Maybe it helps to come in with very low expectations, but I'm enjoying it. KTSA is a fun if somewhat lunkheaded summer song and Goin' On is wonderful. When Girls Get Together has dumb lyrics but the arrangement is fascinating. Santa Ana Winds is enjoyable and Al sounds really nice on it. And Carl sounds great throughout the album, even on the tracks I'm not as crazy for.

Funny enough, the track I'm the most obsessed with is Sunshine. I really like it! Fun, hooky, jazzy with lots of unexpected curve balls in the arrangement and great group vocals. Surprised it doesn't get a bit more love around here.

It's amazing to me how many confirmed outtakes exist from the sessions for this album.  I truly hope they are released on a future archival set before 2030.  🙏🤪

Here it is - another Wilson/Bachman song.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt8uwBTPlXA

It's certainly a lower-tier album for the group but in and of itself it's not all that bad.  Just don't go about comparing it to their stronger albums.  About half the songs range from "good" to "okay", while the other half is easily skippable.  I still think the title track, while unremarkable, is a pretty good time nonetheless.   And "Goin' On" usually manages to find its way onto most "greatest hits" compilations. 

It's a lightweight album but it isn't the worst thing the band has done.

Also interesting to note after looking at session notes for the album is how KTSA almost became a sequel to 15 Big Ones with all the covers they recorded.