The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Summer In Paradise, released August 1992.

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

Inessential, hardly their best effort, but at least the band was kind of trying. Can't say that about Keepin' the Summer Alive, the band's absolute nadir.

Satanic.

Bummer In Paradise.

One of the reasons why it can be embaressing to be a fan of the Beach Boys.

Hmm, this disc is really not a "Beach Boy" recording.
More of a Bruce, Mike and John album.
I must admit John Stamos imitates the boys very well.
"Something Happens" is the best tracks (way to go Al!).
Otherwise it is a bookmark of the end in the library of the Beach Boys catalog.
Strange it fetches $100. + at auctions.
Should have grabbed it a 89 cents in the bargan bids.
Pete

A reasonably good concept for the band to try but the final product sounds lame as if no one besides Mike really gave a sh*t about the final product.  Or for that matter, including Mike.

I mean, there are a couple of songs that could have made excellent covers if given a full effort by the BeachBoys in terms of music and vocal arrangment

But that didn't happen.

I can't vote, for some reason, but I want to give it zero!  Okay, some nice Carl and Al vocals, but that's it!

Carl, Al, and Bruce's vocals are the best thing about the album!

Strange Things Happen, pretty good.

Shelve the rest.

Nuclear waste.  Totally without merit.  Can't stand at all.

I can't vote either but a 0 from me.

5+ the last great album from the boys

You're on a roll.

OK this one also goes into the "guilty pleasure" category.  This album holds together well as a whole and musically it's not bad if you dig electronic instrumentation.  Strange Things Happen is a great song, I don't care what anyone says.  Carl has some brilliant vocals.  I love his "And when the DJ tells me that the surfin' is fine..." on the re-made Surfin'.  I'd say I like 10 out of the 12 songs.  I'll stand alone on this one I'm sure, but I'm going to give this album a 3.5, so I'll round up to 4.  This was the last studio album of new material and quite frankly, I still think this tops 15 Big Ones.

Y'know, that's the touchstone of industrial music. And we all know how many fans of that there are.

I don't have this, but I remember looking at it in a store right when it came out and thinking that I might want to get it, but I didn't. I guess this would have been because of Forever being on Full House. Strange how things work out.

I really enjoy this album and I don't think it's as bad as many people say it is.  "Island fever" is one of my favs from this album and Carl's vocal on "Remember (walkimg in the sand)" is great, as well as almost all his vocals.
From another point, this album and kinda music (at least thematically) would be a good reason to see the Beach Boys not as one of the greatest bands in the world, but as an oldies-act, which they unfortunately have become.
I give that album a 3.
BTW great cover and artwork, though I think the european version had a "normal" jewel case, hadn't it? Anyway the american version (hope I didn't through the two around) has really, really great artwork imo

The European version is much better, the remixes are very classy, given the material. Some of the remixes improve on their American counterparts.

This had the potential to be a pretty good one, but sadly it seems it was too much of Mike milking Kokomo and coming up with whatever lame lyics they could.  That said, I can appreciate some tunes on hear.  "under the boardwalk is overproduced, but not too much and I really enjoy the vocals and sax on this one.  Still Surfin' is ok.. would have been better if others had shared some leads on it, but oh well.  Lahaine is probably my favorite - Carl is great on this one, catchy chorus.  The other remakes are ok... I find myself listening to them on occasion.  Maybe Stragne things Happen is the only other tune that I can tolerate though.  So I guess that I like half of it... and that ain't bad.

Does anyone have an official count on approximately how many copies of this were sold in the US?  I've seen some sources that cite as many as 50,000 and some that cite as few as 5,000.  Also, when did this go out of print in the US?

I heard it sold more like 1,000.

That explains the ridiculous prices that this album fetches on eBay.  I'd say the remixed European version is probably even more rare.

According to Bruce, it shipped 145,000 (but how many were returned ?)... according to SoundScan it sold something like 54,000 (but many of those were as a freebie if you bought the 1993 box set from QVC)... and according to someone whose initials might just be TM, it sold 1000.

Thanks for the info.  I'll have to check, but I think they even plug "Summer in Paradise" in the book for the GV Box Set.  Something about "The Beach Boys have a new album, Summer in Paradise".  Interesting.  I still think that those of us with a copy of it probably listen to this more than we'll ever admit.  It certainly doesn't rank among their highest achievements, but I still like it better than 15BO.

I can’t get through it. It’s worthless.

I fear I'll turn into a pillar of dogshit if I listen to this.

Apparently Hot Fun in the Summertime was released as a single on Brother (distributed by Navarre I'd assume) in 1990 with Summer of Love on the flip.  Was this actually released to general market?  If so, was it 7", cassette single or CD single?  Does anyone actually have a copy of this?

Also is it true that Under the Boardwalk was released as a single too?

I don't remember seeing one but I did hear "Hot Fun" on one of the local stations a couple times.

I think that Hot Fun was just a promo single.  I know for sure that Under The Boardwalk was only a promo single, released to primarily AC radio stations.  Summer Of Love was released as a cassette single in 1995, backed with "I'm Always Here", the theme song of Baywatch. 

Good vibes,
Eric

Go here, my children...

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/90ssingles.html

... and all you ask will be answered.

Almost.  Were any of the SIP singles pressed on 7", or were they all cassette singles?  Or were they CD?

SIP promo CD singles in my collection (all U.S. pressings):

BBPRO-1  Hot Fun in the Summertime
Brother BB PROCD-2  Hot Fun in the Summertime
Brother BB PROCD-3  Forever (AC mix) / (CHR mix) / (CD mix)
Brother BB PROCD-4  Under the Boardwalk
Brother PRO CD4  Summer in Paradise (remix) / (live version)
Scotti Bros. SBDJ 78033-2  Summer of Love

Note that the first one does not list Brother Records as the label, just "BBPRO-1".  And for whatever reason there are two #4's (CD-4 and CD4)!

Lee

SIP cassette singles in my collection:

Brother BBR 5247-4  Hot Fun in the Summertime
Scotti Bros. 72392 78033-4  Summer of Love

just saw the hotfun video....complete crap!!!!!

not much going on in my life tonight (  :) ) and i stumbled across this thread. i am looking at billboard from august 15th 1992. the SIP cd has a 2 full page ad on pages 40 & 41 in that issue. it lists hot fun in the summertime as being on the following:
 cassingle bro- 7 508475247-49. in the ad it says that hot fun "was AC most-added in the R&R its first week and BREAKER its second...a BILLBOARD hot-shot debut and GAVIN hot box".
on page 77 it has the AC chart. hot fun was at #18 with a bullet, in its 5th week on the chart. the past 2 weeks it was at 20 both weeks.
i gotta get out more often...  :lol

This is my one of my many Beach Boys guilty pleasures. I know it's not good, but something always brings me back to it. Carl's vocals are great.

for some reason, i really want to hear this album. ive only heard hot fun in the summer time...and i kinda like it

The original by Sly and the Family Stone is EVEN BETTER!

Sly's version is the definitive version. The BB's version is utter shite as is the rest if SIP.

Wow! This album amazes me no end. I've tried to avoid it for more than 10 years, but finally "borrowed" a copy. Once again: wow!

It's probably one of the worst things I've heard. Ever.

The sterile ProTools production.
The processed vocals.
Mike Love.
The lyrics.
The music.
The cover art.
Mike Love.
The mechanical, headache inducing drums.
Mike Love.

WOW!

I heard Hot Fun on the radio once in 1992 and Mike Love recorded a spoken intro for the Chicago Oldies station I heard it on. I really dislike this album as a whole but 85 is worse to me.

Hot Fun in the Summertime - The original is much much better, but even still, it's listenable. Carl is pretty annoying, and so is the saxophone.
Surfin' - I like the chorus alot, but the butchered verses were a real let down. The guitar is annoying. And why the hell did they even bother rerecording this? Was it just to have a Brian song on the album?
Summer of Love - Mike's rapping is pretty annoying, and so are the lyrics. The chorus is pretty good, though, except the "girls are always ready" part.. it sounds like a robot singing or something.
Island Fever - The lyrics are pretty cheesy in some places, and the two-second Chuck Berry guitar solos are laughable, but overall this is a very enjoyable song. One of my favorites on the album.
Still Surfin' - Another pretty good song. I hear hints of "County Fair"/"I Do" in the verses. And look, it's a surfing song! Ironicly refreshing.
Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night) - The sax solo gives me a headache, but I like this song. Very Bruce-esque, but that seems to work on this album. What's with all these apostrophized gerunds in the song titles?
Strange Things Happen - "every time I touch my baby strange things happen", hahaha. Weird lyrics; I have no idea what this song is about. Nice song, though.
Remember Walking in the Sand - Never heard the original. Mike's "rememba" vocals are ridiculous, and so is the videogame synth. Good lead by Carl.
Lahaina Aloha - The lyrics aren't that bad in this one. I like the tropical imagery. Pretty good song.
Under the Boardwalk - I like it better than the original. Carl's voice is amazing.
Summer in Paradise - Good song, but I hate the saxophone!! So annoying.
Forever - Dennis's version, obviously, is much much much better, so I won't even bother comparing the two. It's still a wonderful composition, and my favorite song on the album, by far.

Even though I like a majority of the songs on this album (though I would've liked an Al song), the Boys could've done much better; there are many irritating things on this album that didn't need to be there. I especially dislike the lead guitar. Why, Carl, why?!

3/5

i like this album, the eu version is better, "island fever" is great and i love both versions of the title track, the worst thing on this album is, that mike sung so much

the vocals from carl on forever are great

The vinyl LP came out in Korea and rumored to be in Aussie land. I have the Korean and it does sound slightly less sterile the pressing is good. Still don't like it though/

The UK version of Summer in Paradise (the song) is amazing. The chorus is so much better, and the verse sung by Roger McGuinn sounds like classic Byrds with the jangly 12-string guitar.

Mike wanted to do an unplugged LP (and yes he said he wanted it on vinyl too) around this time that I think would blown this away. Some of the melodies are decent it's just the synth production that destroys most of the track. A few like Summer of Love couldn't be saved by anyone though!

I don't believe that. I played in a hardcore punk band that was not very well known and not very good and even that band could sell 2000 copies of a record. So I'd be very surprised if a legendary band with the support of a very popular sitcom couldn't sell more than 1000 copies of an album.

I have one of the one track Hot Fun promo CDs (not sure which one), but it doesn't have a front cover. Do you know if it originally had one?

And about the album: LOVE the cover art, hate the music. I dig the new version of Forever though. Not nearly as good as the original of course, but if you consider it a cover (which it basically is) it's really not bad at all.

Why are you asking someone who didn't play a single guitar note on the album ?

So... you're saying Terry was lying about the production royalty checks he got for the album ? Plus, remember that the album was 'distributed' by Navarre, who went out of business shortly thereafter. And that in 1992, The Beach Boys were at a career low.

According to SoundScan, it shifted something like 54,000 units... but a LOT of those were as a freebie with the 1993 5CD box on QVC

I'm not saying he was lying, maybe he was just exagurating, to make clear that it did really bad.

The "Why, Carl, why?!" is not questioning the guitar specifically, though I see how it could be interpreted that way. I just don't understand how he could've participated in this album at all. I had more respect for Carl before I heard Summer in Paradise.

Well, I don't think Carl's solo albums are that much better than SIP...

Maybe I wasn't alive to see the Beach Boys in their heyday but I am very familiar with their entire catalog and this is for the most part is the last album they really ever did. It doesn't make any fucking sense to me how so many supposed Beach Boys fans can be so critical; yeah this album isn't essential and yeah there was no involvement from Brian Wilson but it's still a Beach Boys album. Now to be completly honest this album does suck compared to any album they did from '62 through '72, and yes albums that followed that weren't so strong but they were still decent. Summer In Paradise as a whole wasn't much of a comeback and it would have helped greatly if Brian was involved but as a Beach Boys fan I still like the album, maybe it's not something I can really explain in detail but I guess that's just something for me to know...
(www.myspace.com/adams)

Well, this 'supposed BB fan' is being critical because, frankly, it's not very good. The material's well iffy and the production is best described as 'brittle'.

Just because it's by The Beach Boys (or Brian Wilson) doesn't automatically make it unimpeachable.

I actually feel they're worse.

Carl Wilson, the first album is pretty good. Dont know why theres so much hate for it. Take out a few of the lackluster tracks and you get a pretty solid album. Heaven really ties it together...I wonder what it would sound like if he added the Beach Boys harmony on it...

It has just eight tracks, if you'd take away the boring ones you'd have an EP or a single. It takes more than just a great voice to make a good album. The song material on CW sounds totally uninspired.

Hold Me
Bright Lights
What You Gonna Do About Me
Hurry Love
Heaven

Perhaps an EP would have been a better idea, or maybe he couldve worked some other songs for this. Then again, I wonder why he didnt consider using some of these songs for the BB (besides wanting to try a solo record and all that jazz)...I think some of these couldve stood out even more with some Beach Boy love...

I found SIP in a record store iN Malacca, Malaysia december 2005. Of all places... I bought it out of pity, as it must have been in that store for over 12 years and nobody wanted it. I haven't been able to listen through one single song sincen then, though.

I'm not sure if it's the American or the European version, what are the differences in packaging? Those 5 remixed songs; were they just remixed, or also (partly) re-recorded?

The original US version had the lovely tri-fold sleeve in a special plastic housing, whilst the European version simply had a section of the inner painting trimmed down, chopped up and generally botched ... open it up and the three images don't even join together ! Check out www.pipeline-operaglass.moonfruit.com for a full resume of the artwork ...
The 'new' songs were partly remixed AND partly re-recorded (for example "Island Fever" has a complete new vocal section added, whilst "Strange Things Happen" is edited - despite the sleeve timings being copied word for word) ...

The US version has the underwater picture with the whale on the front cover, the UK version is the one with the American flag and the dolphins jumping out of the water.

I believe Island Fever and Summer In Paradise were completely re-recorded, the others were remixed/re-edited.

In addition, the Euro Under the Boardwalk features the Al Jardine bridge, not present on the US version.  island Fever was completely remade, adding a jardine vocal to the chorus. Also, for whatever reason Carl was erased  from the bgv's on the verse (replaced by Christian Love?) while rerecording a different vocal (from the original US release) for the chorus. Makes no sense.

I accepted it quite well when i first bought it back in 1992. Carl's voice was the saving grace of course but i've later found out that Terry Melcher mimicks his voice on a lot of the songs which cooled down my appreciation a lot. It's a bit similiar to  the Paul Revere and the raiders albums from mid 60:s when one can hear a lot of melcher stacked backup vocals behind Mark Lindsay. Mark is much cooler of course......

So I made my monthly trip to the used cd store today and what do I find in the BB section?  A copy of Bummer in Paradise for $4.95!!!  SOLD!!!  It is just as bad as everyone makes it out to be and Summer of Love might just be the worst song I have ever heardin my entire life.  Thanks a lot for that one Mike! 

Oh no, not on this one, too! Where are you getting this information?

Well if what this Daniel Dolphin guy is saying is true, then how can we be sure its Carl on God Only Knows or Good Vibrations or any of Carls vocals? ;)

It's Melcher and/or Christian Love covering Carl's vocals on the Euro version on Island Fever in the  verses, and if you can't hear the difference between them on that track and Carl on the American track then you're simply deaf.  As I stated earlier in this thread, Carl re-recorded a new chorus for the euro version, but had his vocals erased from the verses and replaced by Melcher or C. Love for no explainable reason. As a result, the chorus of the euro version is superior while the verses stink.   Why would you replace Carl with a non-Beach Boy, particularly since he had already recorded the part and it could simply be transferred from the American version ?  Makes no sense and a worse song.

I have the US version and we get alot of mileage out of it, particularly Under the Boardwalk, Lahaina Aloha, Strange Things Happen and Still Surfin.  Carl is smooth as always and Al has a couple of real powerhouse vocals throughout.  Even Mike has a cupla "not so nasal-y" moments - oh yeah, and God bless Bruce.

Sure the lyrics are wanting and the electronic drum machine is irritating but a poor BB album is better than no BB album, in my opinion anyway.  I prefer SIP easily to 15 Big Ones and  several solo albums at that...

Can someone please specify which songs were remixed for the UK version and detail the changes? 

Thanks!

This album really isn't all bad. As Nighthider said, I think Lahaina Aloha and Still Surfin' are nice little songs. They don't blow me outta the water, but they have a nice feel to them.

i know a place were to download the europe version for free. PM for the adres. I for instance like both versions as i have them both.

It's actually a stellar effort considering Brian wasn't involved at all.  One thing that really turns on here is the fact there seemed to be more time and focus given to the guitar parts which gave their sound a more updated, mainstream feel.  I think it was a great direction for them at the time. 

I gave this album a 1, the reason being for Carl's beautiful vocals in particular, but generally this album is pretty bad. Someone mentioned that they prefer this over 15BO. I would much rather take 15 Big Ones (or any Beach Boys album) over this ANY day. I mean 15 Big Ones has some really nice songs (eg: Had To Phone Ya) along with some pretty crappy songs (eg: TM Song) but it still beats this album by a fair distance in my opinion because I generally like that album (okay it was the worst release up till that point and probably the 3rd worst album by the band but I still find it listenable whereas this album suffers from OVERLY poor production and just generally no creativity and very little that is pleasing to these ears.

I love hearing people talk about this album. Nothing gives me more joy. It's just crazy what this album brings out in people.

I was way too critical of this when I first reviewed it.

Or maybe that was before my love for everything Beach Boys hindered my ability to look at anything objectively.

It's a part of the story, just as much as Mike Love's Radio Shack releases are. I still find it incredible that the same group that put out "God Only Knows" also put out "Island Fever."

In 1966, perhaps the group was closer to "Island Fever" than "God Only Knows"; we just didn't/don't want to admit it. You know, there is an obvious reason for the disparity: "God Only Knows"/Pet Sounds = all Brian Wilson  "Island Fever"/Summer In Paradise = no Brian Wilson.

There are worse albums.

In some regards, I prefer it to BB85. Fuller production, certainly. There are also a couple of quite decent songs. But someone is going to take away my BW credentials if I say more.

Are you feeling OK, claymcc? Doctor!

I quite like the live version of SIP that was on a compilation album in the late 90s -- Bruce takes a verse and it's all much faster.

And there is no guiltier pleasure in the BB canon than "Summer of Love" -- a song so dreadful, so wretched, so vile in every respect that you can't help but enjoy it. In the great Beach Boy rap-off of 1992, it nudges out "Smart Girls" simply because Mike knew full well what he was doing. He's certainly never sounded more lecherous.

BB85 tries so hard to be respectable that you miss the band being tasteless and bizarre.

If you remove "Summer Of Love", just that one song, and add 3-4 Brian Wilson songs circa 1990-1991, along with one Carl Wilson-penned song and  one Al Jardine- penned song, you'd have a pretty decent album. It coulda been a contender, it coulda been somebody....

I might have to pull out SIP and give it aother listen...

I generally play it once a year just to see if anything connects with me.

That's what I was thinking. But unless I'm mistaken, I listened once this year already and reaffirmed my (unfavorable) judgment. Hmm ... I don't know if I'm drunk enough to show it mercy.

Mike's background part on Remember Walking in the Sand is also pretty damn hilarious -- there's a part where it sounds like he has a clothespin on his nose. And it's catchy!

Y'see, I think SIP is fascinating in that it shows where Mike's true talents -- and shortcomings -- are. He can actually construct decent hooks for songs -- as he did for Brian -- but the songs themselves are the problematic part. SIP is littered with these silly, tacky, yet kinda cool Mike touches.

None of this means the album is actually good by any conventional definition. Yet it has its moments.

the only thing i liked about this cd , well outside carl's singing, was from a night in 1993. i went to a local bar that evening...had about 20 beers or so over an 8 hour period. feeling reallllllllly good. i was living in ashland, ky. around 2am in the morning, i then took the cd, walked out on the bridge that crosses the ohio river into ohio, got half way across. making d.amn sure i didn't fall off the bridge in my "elevated" mood i flung that cd as far as i could off the bridge. had a huge smile on my face until i saw that a tug boat with a lot of barges of coal was passing under the bridge below me. never will know if that d.a.mn cd made it to the water or landed on a barge. i like to think it hit the water though. that memory is what comes to my mind when someone mentions this cd to me...  ;D

That's a fantastic story.

Did you throw the CD - with case - into he river? Mike Love would've wanted it that way; the Eco-Pak case is meant to be recycled...

I read somewhere that Summer In Paradise is bringing a high(er) price on Ebay and Amazon.
 

I payed somewhere in the region of $20 (Australian dollars) on eBay for this crappy CD. :-\ The only reason for it was that it was the only Beach Boys album that I didn't have

I probably would like Summer in Paradise a lot less if I had paid for it.

You don't happen to live near the beach, right off the Ohio River, do ya?

Haha, no. I don't actually have a hard copy of the CD, I found it online somewhere. Still Cruisin', too. Then I burned my own two-fer. It was the only CD I had in my car for an entire summer driving an hour back and forth to work every day and then two and a half hours to the shore on the weekends. That was also the year the air conditioning in my car was broken.

Carl Wilson trapped in robo-surf mechanoid anecdote nightmare.

Best review I've ever read of SIP.  :-D

Seconded  ;D there should have been a sticker on the cover just stating that, analogue to: 'Smoking Can Render You Impotent'.

Screw SMiLE! This is the greatest album of all time!!!!


(joking :lol)

I gave it a 4!
I like the live version of Summer In Paradise more than the album version, it has a not this overproduced sound and Bruce make a good job singing his part ^-^
I also like Island Fever, Lahaina Aloha, Under The Boardwalk a lot.
Strange Things Happen and Still Surfin' are great tunes as well, what I don't like is that overproduced Pro Tools sound. It would have been much better with real drums and the Beach Boys playing the instruments.

I gave this a one for Strange Things Happen, because it isn't such a bad tune...otherwise...

Alright, here we go with my review of this one.  Thanks to Lahaina Aloha, each album has at least one I quite like.  It's a fairly weak effort but for the most part inoffensive.  If it's on in the background it wouldn't bother me at all to hear it (though it's quite a rough patch near the beginning).  Keep in mind that for the best albums pretty much all the songs are 4.5s and 5s.  When I'm rating I tend to base it on any kind of music, not just by Beach Boys standards. ;)

Hot Fun in the Summertime - 3/5
Surfin' - 1.5/5
Summer of Love - 1/5
Island Fever - 2/5
Still Surfin' - 3/5
Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night) - 3.5/5
Strange Things Happen - 4/5
Remember (Walking in the Sand) - 2.5/5
Lahaina Aloha - 4.5/5
Under the Boardwalk - 2.5/5
Summer in Paradise - 3/5
Forever - 3/5

That's an average of 2.83.  That's my lowest rating on here so far, but it rounds to a 3 so I guess that puts it along the lines of MIU and LA of the ones I've rated on here so far.  Comparing it to those I'm not sure is fair.  MIU is more even I feel and LA has more highs than either.

Awful album, what annoys me most about this album is that it cost me the same amount that I paid for the Pet Sounds Box Set, unbelievable.

I had a similar experience, having paid a small fortune for the rehashed UK version on eBay. I'd bought the brilliantly packaged US 'digipak' version when it first came out, but when the 'jewel case' UK version made the shelves (well I only ever saw one copy), I left it alone because the track listing was identical and there was no indication that some of the tracks had even been re-recorded. It was only years later I realised it was actually different. Incidentally, in my opinion, the Beach Boys made a poor album even worse with their meddling on the UK version. The new version of "Island Fever" has to be one of the best examples of how "not to" improve a track in the history of making music. The line "Doctor, doctor, what's your prescription?" never fails to make me cringe.

I had to listen to both versions of this three times in succession - each, that's six times - while updating the ComGuide. Therefore I feel unusually qualified to say that, in my opinion, this album sucks like a turbo-charged cess pit emptier.

 :lol

 :lol :lol :lol

Is it safe to assume you're one of the 20 (so far) who've rated it a big fat zero?

I haven't actually listened to this yet. I'm scared...

Go give it a spin. "Lahaina Aloha" is an excellent song, mostly due to both (!) Carl and Mike's vocal performances (also, you can't go wrong with what is pretty much a "Jamaica Farewell" rewrite). There's another couple of fine songs ("Strange Things Happen" and, if you can take the cheesy nostalgia, "Still Surfin'") while the rest is indeed mostly garbage.

Only because there isn't a lower rating.

This is what the last Beach Boys album should have looked like. In my mind, this would have been the album that followed after "The Beach Boys '85":
 
 1. Lahaina Aloha

 2. Still Cruisin'
 
 3. Still Surfin'

 4. Somewhere Near Japan

 5. Strange Things Happen
 
 6. One Summer Night

 7. Hot Fun In The Summertime(with a better production. Whether you like to admit it or not, this song is fun. Plain and simple)

 8. Summer In Paradise(with a special accapela(sp?) ending, that would gradually fade out in a big mountain of the vocals that made The Beach Boys what they were, and still would have been had they tried just a little bit harder)

Throw in "Kokomo", "Under The Boardwalk",  and "Wipeout" and you have a nice, fun 11 song album there! What'd ya think?

1. Still Cruisin'
2. Strange Things Happen
3. Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night)
4. Kokomo
5. Hot Fun In The Summertime
6. Still Surfin'
7. Wipeout
8. Under The Boardwalk
9. Lahaina Aloha
10. Somewhere Near Japan
11. Summer In Paradise

That hits on something I've felt for a long time -- the band had a decent Kokomo followup album in them (surf and sun themed, I mean). They recorded the songs for it. They just spread them over two different albums -- diluting several decent tracks with oldies on Still Cruisin and over processing everything to death for SIP (as well as including some truly dreadful songs).

I'm not saying this album would have been artistically credible. But it would have been a workmanlike attempt to do Kokomo for an entire album. By the time the band realized this was a worthwhile idea -- SIP -- it was four years too late and the best material had been used. I mean, a 1992 followup to an 88 hit single? Really?

I listened to SIP again the other day for only the third time and lost the will to live by the middle of Surfin', I'm not sure how I got through the rest of the album but that reefer sure helped. :smokin

A CDR I made of Still Cruisin'/Summer in Paradise was the only CD I had in my car for like two or three months. I listened to it multiple times a day for months.

Hmmm, sounds just like something the Beach Boys would do.  But don't forget, both Still Cruisin' and SNJ were released as follow-up singles (by a major label, no less) in 1989 and completely tanked

Wow, was this an act of contrition for something bad you had done? I can barely listen to either of these albums, you are a braver (or crazier) man than I Aegir.

Take out Wipeout and replace it with Rock And Roll To The Rescue, and you've got a possible minor hit album. In the low 90's of a Hot 100 list mind you, but still a "hit" by technical standards.

I always hesitate to lump "Rock & Roll To The Rescue" in with Still Cruisin' and SIP; I think it's just a little too old. But, for this purpose, OK! It fits perfectly after "Still Cruisin". And, don't delete "Wipeout"; it was a hit and it's a fun track. You know, I really like this now 12 song comp. :police:

I look at it this way: It is keeping with the beach boy's "method" of including at least one song on the album that it three or four years old already. You know, this is a great topic for a thread....

I just finished listening to the US version minutes ago to remind me of it (plus I was bored and had a free hour of time). I gave it a 1. "Strange Things Happening" is the only sort of adventurous song here. Skip the rest, please! Such a total shame that this was the end of their era...

Summer In Paradise is just a tragic record period! The entire album was recorded using Pro Tools on a Macintosh Quadra computer, being one of the first albums to do so. Musically, it continued in the vein of The Beach Boys and Still Cruisin'. The entire rhythm section was electronic on most songs, with all the drum parts being programmed and most of the bass parts being synthesized as well.

The only band member to actually play was Bruce Johnston, although Terry Melcher played many keyboard parts, and Van Dyke Parks played accordion on two tracks.  Al Jardine's son Adam did sing backup vocals on the title track, and touring musician Adrian Baker contributed background vocals.

The album sold very badly (reportedly less than 1,000 copies) and was received less favorably than any album put out by the band to date. Critics attacked the album upon release and are still going at it today. In their book "The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson: The Complete Guide to Their Music", Andrew G. Doe and John Tobler call the album "the absolute nadir of their recording career", "pointless, vapid and soulless" and "utterly disposable" (the latter in reference to the songs). In "Catch a Wave", Peter Ames Carlin speaks especially disparagingly about "Summer of Love", referencing its overtly sexual lyrics.

The band never again released an album of original material. The last official group project was Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, an album of Beach Boys classics performed by country stars with the Boys on backup vocals.

And there endeth the lesson!

This in no way enhances nor takes away from the album. Irrelevant. The album sucks because the songs suck.

SIP sold less than 100,000 copies, not less than 1,000...

'Lahaina Aloha', 'Strange Things Happen' and the live version of 'Summer In Paradise' are very decent.

Apparently, Summer In Paradise was recorded with Pro Tools, but the BETA RELEASE version!

Bruce told me it sold about 145,000 copies. According to SoundScan, something like 53,000 units shifted (but a lot of those were as a freebie if you bought the 1993 box on QVC). According to someone else closely involved with the project (whose initials might just have been TM), it sold about 1000 copies.

Fair enough, I stand corrected.  I had only heard the 100K numbers before.  1,000 copies...that seems almost impossible

It does seem impossible that it sold that badly........but then you here it and it all makes perfect sense.

Unbelievably I saw a copy of this on amazon.co.uk the other day for a staggering £131.77 (approx $200)!!

A question by the way, I have the version with the whale on the front, is this the US or UK version?

Thanks for the clarification Southbay, although you putting your answer above my question in your reply was slightly confusing  :)

To be honest, if you can find any redeeming value in this album your Beach Boys fandom has gone too far.  This album actually made me dislike the entire concept of music for a few hours after I heard it. Even my favourite songs did nothing for me immediately after finishing SIP. Early BB albums are the soundtrack to summer, this album tries to be as well but it's more like the soundtrack to a dentist's waiting room. All the magazines are several months old and don't look interesting at all and the radio is set to 106.5 SNOOZE FM "Playing all your bland, boring and inoffensive favorites."

This thing isn't even enjoyable for a few laughs at how bad it is. It's just so pathetically mediocre and unappealing that even Mike's rapping on "Summer Of Love" fails to get any reaction out of you at all, not even a "wow that's horrible and cheesy." The bland non-appeal of the whole thing manages to actually suck the beauty out of everything around you and bring it down to it's level. At the Louvre and looking at the Mona Lisa? Play this on your iPod and you'll soon look at it and think "So what? It's just a painting." Camping in the Rocky Mountains? Play this and you'll think "Meh. Lots of trees around here. There's a lake and that's a big mountain I guess. I see a lot of trees and water every day though and mountains are just really big rocks really. I don't get it."

I guess there is one neat thing about this album though is that I can now say that The Beach Boys are my favourite and least favourite band on earth simultaneously!

At least KTSA wasn't that overproduced, as much as it pains me to say it. This is just... a mocking parody of a shitty band attempting to emulate something that sounds like, but isn't really, the Beach Boys. Terrible. Completely terrible. The Boys even have the gall to throw on a cover of Forever, featuring John Stamos on vocals. It just goes to show a document of just how fall the once great Beach Boys have fallen. The cover of Surfin' is horrible too, but at least that song wasn't that good to begin with. I mean, God. Mike Love couldn't recognize a good song even if it knocked him out and FORCED him to write it (Sumahama). Still Crusin'. as God awful as that was, seems like a long lost Da Vinci painting compared to this. (Okay, maybe not THAT much). I mean, I'm glad no one bought it. At least then, only die-hards could hear this Satanic pile of sh*t. Imagine if radios were spammed with "Hot Fun in the Summertime" or "Still Surfin'". God, I don't know what keeps giving me the urge to review sub-par albums. Lemme go put on 20/20...

For what it is, SIP isn't actually bad.

It's the "what it is" that people have problems with.

That is, it's an album that tests a certain concept of creative autonomy that started with 15 Big Ones and Love You. In those two albums, but in the latter specifically, Brian Wilson was given nearly total control in writing and producing a Beach Boys album. With MIU, Alan was given a similar chance (although he clearly wanted to feature as many BW compositions as possible). Carl nearly dominated BB85 by force of his vocals and compositions alone.

So in 1993, with Brian absent, Al banished and Carl abdicating any creative input, Mike stepped up to the plate. He was going to prove his spot, finally, with a Beach Boys album conceived, co-written and nearly entirely sung by himself. It's really kind of remarkable it hadn't happened before then.

Think of SIP, then, as a Mike solo album with the other guys as guest vocalists. And when you consider it that way, it's not bad.

As a Beach Boys album, of course, it's tasteless and wretched.

Carl's vocals saved Lahaina Aloha and the cover songs.

Sure it wasn't the vinyl version ?? These do fetch an AWFUL lot of money on the circuit. I think it only appeared in the Far East and, maybe, Oz on record ...

Nope, definately the CD version - some people ask crazy amounts for SIP, I had to pay £25 for it!

Absolutely horrible. Most of the songs seem like half-assed attempts at repeating the success of Kokomo. The problem is that 4 years had passed since Kokomo was a hit, and by then this sort of thing sounded extremely dated. The production just screams 80s. Most of the songs go on for way too long. The two remakes are atrocious (well, I never liked Surfin' too much to begin with, but Forever was one of my all-time favorite Beach Boys songs). This album has no redeeming qualities. I don't normally give albums ratings, but I'll gladly give this a 0.

Now this is remarkable. not the review, which is as one would expect. But to have one's first ever post on the board be about SIP?! Wow. Better than the two guys whose first posts were MIU. Congrats. Welcome aboard.

Yes, doesn't like the last album or the very first song. The dislike has come full circle. I'm kind of surprised with all the great stuff that was recorded by The Beach Boys and Brian's new album due out in a few days, that a first post would be about Summer In Paradise. Indeed, welcome aboard!

Well, I made my review because I thought there was something to defend!  :smokin

no no no! The only people that need to defend anything are people who LIKE SIP!

[/quote] no no no! The only people that need to defend anything are people who LIKE SIP!
[/quote]

To say that they like the album requires no defense.  If they like it, they like it.  What would require defense is a claim such as "SIP rivals "Pet Sounds" in its clear, careful, visionary arrangements." 

I have kept away from this album, on the basis of having watched the "Hot Fun" video, but, hey, if someone likes it, maybe there is something there to like.

The problem with a lot of late Beach Boys is that no matter how catchy the tune is, I can't stop myself from thinking "NO!  This is not what I want a Beach Boys album to be!"

Try to enjoy SIP for what is is...bad material with unbelievably strong vocals, esp. by Carl and Al.  In that way, maybe the polar opposite of Love You.  It was once said (and often repeated by me) that Carl could sign the phone book and sound good.  Well, he proved that here. Don't need sarcasm about the yellow pages being better material...

Can we throw in Rio Grande and Love & Mercy from Brian's 1988 solo?

I'm trying to come up with a decent playlist combining the best from 85, Still Cruisin and SIP.... and as you might expect, I'm having trouble coming up with enough songs!  Rio Grande and Love & Mercy help.

For the record, I think Lahaina Aloha is the only truly solid song on SIP that I can enjoy without guilt.

This album for me is one of my albums I just have to have. Not because its a good album, but because of what it is. I personally think that its not that bad of an album, but It could definitley use some work on the production, and why would anyone come up with Summer Of Love! (But the video is halarious!) While I do prefer some of the European versions, I cannot decide on my favourite Summer In Paradise. Every version is a fun listen for me, especially the live version.

I was actually quite lucky, and managed to snag this Cd at my local record shop for £7! However, it was an american import (the american one) so I didn't get the the rarer European version, but ah well. Oh how I laughed when he passed it to me saying 'thats a great album that is!' Although he proceded to show me how it opened, so maybe he was talking about the packaging! I just wish it was easier to get on Vinyl, its the only one I'm missing (Stars And Stripes doesn't count for me).

The drumming is what kills it for me, is it live drumming or a drum machine? I see that a drummer is credited, but it just sounds so programmed. I bought the US version when it first came out, hated it, and sold it, only to buy the European version years later second hand, having been told it had a warmer mix. It's my least favorite BB album, but I keep it as a curiosity. I kind of like the title song and the accompanying video, so I regard it as an expensive single. Not the first album I've bought for only one song.

I had a horrifying nightmare recently. It was my funeral and, naturally, I'd requested Pet Sounds be played in respect of the fact that nothing but nothing has given me more pleasure in life than the music of the Beach Boys (except perhaps cheese and piccalilli sandwiches....) Anyway, my dumbass family screwed up and played Summer In Paradise instead, and I went to the freekin' grave accompanied by THE WORST RECORD BY A MAINSTREAM MUSICAL GROUP IN THE HISTORY OF RECORDED SOUND!

I agree completely! Though, for some reason, "Still Surfin'" has made a small soft spot in my heart.

Just purchased this album off of ebay. I've listened to it two times all the way through and I can honestly say I won't feel the need to listen to it again for a long while.

To me the album sounds like the same commercial stuff Jimmy Buffett does nowadays. It's strange to hear them in that kind of setting. I do really like Carl's part in Lahaina Aloha (as I like Carl's part in Kokomo) but that's about it. It makes me sad that this is the last BB album with Carl.

The last "mostly original BB album with Carl", S&S is a Beach Boys album no matter what some people say to try and console themselves.

Ah yes, I always forget that S&S was after SIP. I have it in my mind that it came before.

Interesting that this album appears to be having a mini-renaissance in popularity around here, what with more favourable posts here and in the GOTD section of late. What does this mean? Maybe that if no longer judged as the last 'semi-original' Beach Boys album, now that TWGMTR on its way, SIP isn't quite as satanic as some would have it.

For me, I think it's of a similar overall quality as BB85 and Still Cruisin, ie not great but not as bad as its reputation. At least one or two keepers and a lot of pleasant if disposable stuff.

Also imo the live version of the title track that circulates is kickin'.  :smokin

I just listened to SIP for the very first time lastnight. I had avoided it for years but figured it was finally time to give it a chance. Although it is the worst BB's album i've ever heard, i wouldn't say it's the absolute worst album of all time. I surprisingly found myself listening to Lahaina Aloha a few times. My Beach Boys cd collection ends with BB's 85...and it will remain that way. 

  You are buying the NEW album, right?

Yeah, i wrote that wrong. Oh, i'll be buying the new album!

Heard only a few songs off this album and from what I've heard: meh  :-\ Just bland, uninspired just bleh. Again, production sucks. Electronic drums should be banned! I could barely pay attention to the songs I heard. But then again, I couldn't find that many songs on youtube and could have just been listening to all the "bad" (as if it couldn't get any worse) tunes. Maybe my opinion will change, who knows? But the album is hard enough to find as it is.

The album is complete trash..(regardless of the cool looking album cover) but my guilty pleasure is Island Fever...it sorta sounds like Kokomo :D extremely corny but catchy..

I agree, and enjoy the album overall quite a lot, sorry haters! I don't like the nasty ProTools recording quality though.

Guys, don't blame this on ProTools.

The Protools recording system would have had a profound effect on both the sound and production values of SIP.

Before this, BBs recording were most probably made on a Sony DASH recorder that was routed through a high end analog console like SSL or Neve.

The digital recorder would still have imparted a hard, 'glassy' sound, but at least with this recording method a lot of details remained intact - the mids in the vocals and guitars, for example [although bass and drums never really sounded good on it]
In terms of sound quality, there is a lot detail missing in SIP, it sounds very sterile and airbrushed. Compare the sound of it to that of SIJ - you should get my drift.

The other major issue with PT as the band themselves have stated is all the extra editing/processing that you end up doing simply because 'you can' [it's all ITB - in the box - so it's hassle free].
This in it self has almost completely destroyed the art of making records as we know them over the last 12-14 years (when PT really took off).

The truth of the matter is that the recording quality of ProTools is comparatively poor, and needs all the rinky-dink VSTs and ITB processors you can throw at it to emulate the sound of a good recording.

Imagine if the guys had decided to record the album on a Studer analog recorder with say, Dolby SR noise reduction. Wouldn't that have been nice........ 

It's how you use it that makes it sound like sh*t or sound good. I've heard plenty of good-sounding digital recordings. "Warm" sounding, if you really must put it that way. It doesn't all have to be Summer In Paradise or T-Pain or whatever.


So BB85 and Still Cruisin' didn't sound like flaming piles of sh*t.


Again, just because it's there doesn't mean you use it, nor does it mean everything recorded to tape was worthwhile. Blame the asshole behind the computer screen or the boards, not said computer or boards. Anyone making use of something new and gimmicky "because it's there" is gonna horribly date their work.


Welp, that's a lame way of looking at things.


The songwriting is still total ass regardless. Again, just because it was done on analog doesn't mean it's good, just as something being done on digital doesn't mean it's automatically bad.

[/size][/size][/size][/size]

SIP is produced, played and sung by fools. Don't blame the software. People made bad music on your beloved analog tape too.

Just listened to it, and its all garbage with lame backing tracks and the BBs sounding uninspired. People forget this album came out during the alternative music boom of the 1990s.

Considering your username I am hardly surprised by your comments!

Yeah, The Beach Boys should've really done a nihilistic Nirvana/Metallica kind of album  ::)

That's a pretty harsh statement.  :(

You could have worded that differently - I thought this was a fan forum for The Beach Boys?  :)

About the analog, yes you are right in principle. But in practice, analog will always sound more 'live' and substantial, which means less inclination to mess around with the sound. And the fact that you can't do on it what PT can means that you HAVE to really push yourself to get a good take.

 :smokin

We don't have to like EVERYTHING they do!

Alternative was the comeback of real rock and roll against the Cheesy production and souless music of the 1980s that SIP represented. The production of SIP is funny when you consider the bigger music scene and how out of touch the BBs were.
 
Bands like My Bloody Valentine and other shoegazing bands more than carried the torch of BW than Mike Love and company at that point. BW loved MBV's loveless at the time and its easy to see why. Subpop even released a Pet sounds single. 

Meanwhile,Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and Terry Melcher nearly killed the BBs rep from 1985-1997 with horrible "modern" songs and lame concerts with cheerleaders.

Some of it's hilarious; Summer of Love is right up there with Smart Girls. Some of it's got potential; Strange Things Happen and Hot Fun In The Summertime would be miles more bearable if the production was better. The rest is either boring or downright insulting.

First off, i would like to say, I love the cover, it's easily one of their best, if not the best.

That being said, this is The absolute WORST Beach Boys album, hands down!

In my opinion, not a single good song on this. Slow Summer Dancin', Carl's vocals on Remember (Walking In The Sand), and the European Remix of the title track are the only things close to all-right, but none of them are even filler quality for almost any other BB's album!

Brian made the right choice by staying out of it.

As for Surfin', and Forever, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!!! Dennis would have rolled around in his grave.

The only Beach Boys-related album that is as bad as this is Looking Back With Love! and Summer In Paradise is also kind of a Mike Love solo album!

f*** this Album!!! 0/5

come about year 2042,  this just may be hailed as the latest 'Pet Sounds' of it's time!!!

RickB

Been listening to this in the car recently. The problem with all you people who give the album a '0' and say that it's the worst album ever is that by being so unreasonable and hyperbolic, you set expectations EXTREMELY LOW, like, rock bottom couldn't get any lower expectations. When you have such low expectations, almost anything is going to be better than that, and indeed SIP just isn't that bad. The reviews of this album are absolutely absurd. I would say a FAIR rating of this album would be 2 1/2 stars out of 5, which means it's basically a 50-50 proposition.

1/3 of it is truly dreck, including:

-Forever
-Remember
-Under the Boardwalk
-Summer of love
(although under the boardwalk has some redeeming vocal work, and I actually like Summer of Love even though I recognize it's bad)

1/3 of the songs are mediocre, but enjoyable enough:

-Hot Fun
-Surfin
-Summer in Paradise
-Still Surfin'

1/3 more of excellent, almost classic:

- Slow Summer Dancin'
- Island Fever
- Lahaina Aloha (BEACH BOY CLASSIC)
- Strange Things Happen (BEACH BOY CLASSIC)

Overall, the production is just awful, on par (or worse maybe) than BB 85.

So I say let's stop with the silly over the top criticisms of this album. There are some tracks worth skipping, it's bad production, and certainly is one of their lesser offerings. But it's got LOTS of enjoyable Beach Boys goodness on it, including two tracks which in my opinion rank among their best of all time.

ya know

I've never listened to Summer in Paradise, but inspired by this thread I'll have a go at it this weekend and report back!

Call me crazy, but I'd definitely agree that the above 4 recordings are quite good and very enjoyable listening.  Who knew?

The only song I like on the album is the Sly Stone cover. I really like Mike's bass vocal. But the rest of the album (I mean cassette) is terrible. I don't dig the 90s style of Surfin. Not at all. Summer Of Love, Island Fever, Strange Things Happen...boring material. Slow Summer Dancing...double boring. Still Surfin' isn't as bad as the previously mentioned but it isn't great either. Same goes for the title track. Not a good Beach Boys album. Thumbs down. And this is coming from somebody who likes M.I.U. and Keepin The Summer Alive.

I'll admit, I like Strange Things Happen, mainly because the production is a little more toned-down rather than obnoxious and in-your-face like most everything else on the album. It probably would have fit onto TWGMTR quite well, it definitely beats the worst of that album.

I was on the beach today with my mp3 player and, for some reason, decided to listen to SIP in full. And I had an epiphany.

Something about the lack of wind, something about the lack of clouds, something about the warmth, the sun, the blue skies and waters made the album work. Mike wanted to make the quintessential summer album, and while it falls short of that goal, it certainly isn't unlistenable (that, I already knew), and, as I found out today, it can even be enjoyable in the right context. Lay down on the sand, close your eyes, put on SIP and take it easy.

Apparently I had already given it a 2/5 vote, and that still seems fair. 2/5 from a Beach Boys album is still better than a 5/5 from Ke$ha.

No, it's not the worst album of all time - but it does make MIU sound like a masterpiece in comparison. Mike's lyrics had really become self parody by this time - it's still hard for me to fathom Alan and Carl going along with this dreck.  When I first read that the Beach Boys were doing a cover of Hot Fun in the Summertime, I thought "this will be great", but the production just leaves it limp.

I'd love to own a vinyl copy with that whale cover of this one. But it's not a good album. At all. Strange things happen is the only actually good song. I really like it. Summer in paradise is ok, the live version is awesome. And then Summer of love, well that's so bad that it's actually great. Especially the music video from Baywatch. Makes me laugh so hard everytime. So gotta give some respect for that. The only song I can't listen at all is Forever. I rate this album 2/5.

Hot Fun in the Summertime 2/5
Surfin' 1/5  
Summer of Love 3/5
Island Fever  2/5
Still Surfin' 2/5
Slow Summer Dancin' 2/5
Strange Things Happen 4/5
Remember (Walking in the Sand) 1/5
Lahaina Aloha 1/5
Under the Boardwalk 2/5
Summer in Paradise 3.5/5
Forever 1/5

If you don't like the studio version of the title track, then give the European remix a try. That version is about the only decent song from the whole album in my opinion

I'll try to find that somewhere. I'm not sure if I've heard it before or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUlPQokMjKk
Here it is. The general consensus is this version is far superior to the US version

Yeah it's better. This track and Strange things happen are the only two tracks I like to listen from the album. I have them on my own compilations. I've listened the whole thing couple of times, that's enough for me. But I'd still like to find a copy for my collection. Hope they release a limited vinyl edition sometime, I don't care if it's crap or not... I want it  >:D

Alternate, live, whatever...ya can't polish a turd

give it another 30 years...... this will be the follow up to Pet Sounds.... move over Smile, Holland, Sunflower......

you albums have new competition....

all the guys will be gone by then, including the to be legend John Stamos.......

this will be a major collectable........ US/UK editions and the Korean vinyl release.......

maybe I should stock up.

Rb  :hat

There's a Korean Vinyl of this album. But not only is it rare, but I'm not sure whether it's the crappy US version, or the not-so-bad-but-still-crappy UK remix

Has anyone ever asked the question as to WHY this album was ever made? What was going through their minds?

I think the answer is: Kokomo

I forgot... the answer is always Kokomo

The Beach Boys were coming off being inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, received an American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, had a fairly recent No. 1 single, their latest studio album went Gold, they were featured on a nationally syndicated TV series, and, depending on one's math, were celebrating or just celebrated their 40th Anniversary.

Perfect

Latest studio album went gold? What album? Still Cruisin? I wasn't aware it did that well.

Still Cruisin' went Platinum. So, it probably was in Gold status by the time that they went in to do Summer In Paradise. 

You mean 30th Anniversary.

I heard so much about Summer In Paradise (95% bad) but didn't hear the album in full until a year or two ago on Youtube. I though it was awful, just as bad as so many people say it is. Maybe even worse. I don't own the album (nor Still Cruisin') mostly because it's out of print. And I don't want to pay $50 and up for a terrible album that I'll probably never listen to again.

3/5.. I really don't like the production values here and its mostly  Mike + Terry.. I really only hate a couple of songs on here but the performances on the rest are weak.. Not enough Alan + No Brian hurts also .. I saw them play a bunch of these songs live in 1992 and those performances were MUCH better than this recording.. Heck remake of "Surfin" was cool live.. If this LP had the balls of a live show it would be much better.. Terry Melcher blew it + Mike helped him And the rest phoned it in..! Favorite songs ? Still Surfin.. Boardwalk.. Hot Fun.. Summer in Paradise.. Live version with Bruce on co lead vocals much better tho..  Just more damage to the legacy.

I would look to invest in Still Cruisin, it was the first album i ever owned as a kid. There's some hidden gems on there, including my favorite Melcher tunes: Somewhere Newr Japan, Island Girl, In My Car (briAns contribution) of course
Kokomo, Make it Big, Still Cruisin, and Brian's guest vocals on Wipe Out is a fun listen occasionally.

I'd say this is the absolute bottom of the barrel. Perhaps the most embarrassing release by a major band. I confess, I've never heard the album in order all the way through. But I have heard every track on YouTube out of morbid curiosity and that was enough. Not a single one didn't make me cringe or feel bad for all parties involved. 0/5, not a single redeeming quality here.

Every time I hear 'Summer Of Love' (which is never unless I'm feeling particularly masochistic) I'm absolutely convinced Mike has used 'I'm gonna take you on a Lurrrrrve vacation' as a chat up line at some point.

I actually like this album.  It isn't their best by far but it certainly is fun and highly listenable.

Tracks scored (out of 5):

1. Hot Fun In The Summertime  (3/5)
2. Surfin'  (2/5)
3. Summer Of Love  (1/5)
4. Island Fever  (4/5)
5. Still Surfin'  (4/5)
6. Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night)  (3/5)
7. Strange Things Happen  (5/5)
8. Remember 'Walking In The Sand'  (4/5)
9. Lahaina Aloha  (5/5)
10. Under The Boardwalk  (2/5)
11. Summer In Paradise  (5/5)
12. Forever  (4/5)

The funny thing is that "In My Car" is a worse tune than at least 8 out of the 12 songs on SIP.  Same for "Wipe Out".  In fact, Still Cruisin' only contains two stand-outs:  "Somewhere Near Japan" and "Kokomo".  Along with the lesser but very good "Make it Big" and "Still Cruisin'".

I agree, though I like Slow Summer Dancin' a bit more than you do. Al's vocals on the One Summer Night sections are excellent and really saves that track. At least a 3. ;)

Haha...I must have been changing that while you were typing!

To me the ludicrous Surfin' remake and the foul dirty-uncle sleaze of Summer Of Love kill the album stone dead. It's an abortion.

As one reviewer put it 'Bummer, I'm Paralyzed'

I'm elated that this pile of garbage was, in fact, released as it validates what I've been saying for years.  :wall :wall :wall

Oh my.  Summer in Paradise.  We're in the dregs now.  A one.

I guess my question about this album would be, who were The Beach Boys trying to target here? 

Ok, so the title track and Island Fever aren't bad. 

Summer of Love is the worst Beach Boys song in history. 

One would think that Hot Fun in the Summertime, Under the Boardwalk, and Remember Walking in the Sand are can't miss covers for The Beach Boys.  They make the covers on 15 Big Ones sound like works of art....especially Under the Boardwalk.  WOW.  OK, Hot Fun isn't terrible, but it should've been a lot better than this. 

The "rap" version of Surfin?  Why? 

You know the album is in trouble when the John Stamos, Jesse and the Rippers featuring The Beach Boys, cover of Forever is one of the highlights.

It's sad that this is the last BB album to feature Carl Wilson.  Sorry, but it says Beach Boys on the label, but I really don't consider Stars and Stripes a Beach Boys album.   It's also worth noting that, IMO, TBB worst two albums are the swam songs for Dennis (KTSA) and Carl (SIP).  Too bad the Paley record didn't work out.   

At least this didn't winp up being the final Beach Boys album. 

It's funny to see what I've written about this album so "long ago". My opinions have changed quite a lot actually. But one thing remains the same: John Stamos' Forever is a disgrace. Why the hell did they put that awful piece of crap on this album? I've actually started to like songs like Surfin' and Summer of Love a lot more now. They're great to listen while driving. Slow Summer Dancin' and Lahaina Aloha have become my favorites. Nonetheless it's a great album to listen in your car. Give it a new try with an open mind, you might change your opinion towards it.

At full speed into a brick wall while cackling maniacally?

Seeing as I spent a great deal of time writing about it yesterday I may as well give my thoughts on the tracks.

Hot Fun in the Summertime - an ok cover of an ok song. Nothing more, nothing less.
Surfin' - OK, so it totally lacks the charm of the original but the vocals save it somewhat.
Summer of Love - Cheese factor up to 11, it's so bad it actually becomes an entertaining listen.
Island Fever - Kokomo pt79. A lesser rewrite of it's much more famous cousin.
Still Surfin' - plastic production values aside, it's not that bad.
Slow Summer Dancin - the album's highlight for me. Again, overlooking the production, a very nice song.
Strange Things Happen - another very good track. Love the extended coda.
Remember (Walking in the Sand) - yeah, I'll admit this is pure crap.
Lahaina Aloha - another fairly good song with great Carl vocals.
Under the Boardwalk - I'm not sure how you could balls up this classic but somehow the guys manage to.
Summer in Paradise - apart from some of the 'save the rainforrest era' lyrics this is another song I rather like.
Forever - ................ yeah there's no defending this.

Get out. Just...get the hell outta here, man.

>Parks says: 'S.I.P. ?

Alas, a Love-Vol. as (á

la) pissy as skrap!'<


[haiku-drome modified after Theydon Bois' palindrome (beautiful album cover artwork though!)]

I just realized the "HEY NOW"s in Summer of Love are likely a reference to Do It Again!

A nostalgic nod to the first ever Beach Boys nostalgia song? 

Pretty much, half of SIP is basically nods to older (and better) BBs songs.

Pretty much.  Maybe they're should've done the Still Cruisin thing with this one also.  Take the title track, Island Fever, Lahaina Aloha, Slow Summer Dancing, and maybe even the cover of Hot Fun in the Summertime, and add some odds & ends.  Then, maybe it'll be a decent album. 

Isn't that Mike's career for the last 30 years....

Started with Celebration in the 70's. And with songs like It's A Beautiful Day.

you are Mr. Celebration!

The thing is, when there was demand for a new BB's album, in 1988-89, all they could come up was another compilation. If SIP had come out when SC did, it might have sold well. By 1992, Kokomo was an oldie, nobody cared.

I cared.  :)

I am just trying to keep the summer in paradise alive.

Wow!!  Sounds like an awful hybrid album. 

The early 90's was not a good time to be a Beach Boys fan. We got exactly one new song in 1990, Problem Child, which I liked, but the cassette single was impossible to find, and vinyl 45's were not around anymore. 1991, one new recording, their version of Crocodile Rock - good version, but c'mon guys, are you ever going to do a new album?  I thought Still Cruisin' was just to hold us over until you had a completely new album. Meanwhile, Brian's much talked about Sweet Insanity does not get released.  Then 1992 - finally a new album. Sorry I asked! A full album of Kokomo re-writes. Melcher used to be a good producer, what happened? That sampled snare drum has to be the loudest thing on every song, even the ballads. Mike sounds so freaking creepy on Summer of Love. Is he eyeballing some teenage girl in the audience as he sings this? I thought he was supposed to be Mr. Spiritual, TM and all that. Carl sings wonderfully in the rare instances he gets a solo, but it appears that's all he contributed - no guitar, keys; Al makes a couple vocal cameos; the only BB playing on this mess is Bruce. Sometime in the 80's, Mike and Al, formerly best friends, drifted apart, and Bruce became Mike's friend in the band. I guess there is one purpose to this cassette/cd release: want to know what a BB's album sounds like with absolutely no input from Brian? Thank God for 1995! Brian was back, making real music with feeling, and soul...and real instruments!

c'mon! you gotta at least love the artwork.  It's better artwork than 'bb85', 'still cruisin', 'LDC', 'miu', 'light album', '15 big ones'.
Even the Cd case design was great, thoughtful and original.  There are worse albums out there than 'SIP'

Franklin Mint, dude  :lol

There are definitely worse albums out there (Metallica's St. Anger comes to mind.  Queen's Hot Space could give it a run for its money.  Van Halen 3.  Judas Priest's Nostradomus), but no worse Beach Boys album. 

There are some enjoyable moments, but there is a paint by numbers laziness to the overall album. 

haha! worth the price of admission alone  ;D

actually I think, it's not that the material is all that bad, but I understand why people don't 'get it'.  It's the production and arrangements that are highly uninventive, or shall we say, the lack of the Brian Wilson ism' that graces all of the songs on the abum.  But it's 1992.
song selection good, but the lack of BW has everyone sayin it's 'crap'.  As a 11 year old when it came out, I loved the ass out of it.
Songs were catchy, vocals were great. I had no inception of production or BW inclusion or who played what in them days.
I'm glad I was young and enjoyed it at the time and not an 'old fart' claiming it's not Pet Sounds or Today or is 'not as good' as crap.
I may be alone, but I love SIP, so sue me!
bringahorseinhere?

I will agree that the production of SIP is horrific. 

There are some tracks I like, most notably the title track and I do like the cover of Hot Fun in the Summertime. 

And call me crazy, but I like the Jessie and the Rippers version of Forever (not as much as the Dennis version, but it's still pretty good).

It's not really the lack of Brian that disappoints me about SIP.  One of my favorite BB albums is Holland, which features very little Brian. 

But Summer of Love, the rap remake of Surfin, and the covers of Remember Walking in the Sand and Under the Boardwalk (in the hands of TBB, these covers should've been great!!!) keep me from playing the full LP. 

For me, it was partly for completist sake.  Also, like I said I do enjoy some of the songs.  It's no great album, but every Beach Boys album has some positives. 

Plus, I like tangible music product.  I'll always prefer a CD over a download. 

People enjoy music in different ways.  Some prefer vinyl.  Some prefer streaming.  Some prefer Mp3s.

I'm a CD person. 

I'll stick to The Drifters original. 

When I saw The Beach Boys were doing it, I was hoping for a great, or at least good version.  Maybe even something along the lines of the BB version of California Dreaming, which I really like.  but......wow. 

I feel sort of the same way about their version of In the Still of the Night on 15 Big Ones.  Not as bad as their Under the Boardwalk, but pretty underwhelming. 

The Drifters was a doo wop group from the 50s / early 60s.  Their version of Under the Boardwalk is the definitive one IMO.

I've never heard the Stones do it.  I'll have to check it out. 

Both Dennis's and Brian's vocals are pretty rough in the 15BO/LY era.  I think In the Still of the Night would've benefited from a Carl lead vocal. 

I'd love to hear what POB and Bambu would sound like with Dennis's late 60s / early 70s voice. 

I like POB, but I have to be in the mood for it.  I do think it's a tad overrated. 

I'll definitely check out the RS version. 

I also really like Aerosmith's version of Remember Walking in the Sand (much better than the SIP version). 

Oh yeah, and Blue Oyster Cult once did Be My Baby. 

Remember many classic rockers grew up with the doo wop style music.  It's probably one of the reasons there's a lot more melody in 60s and 70s rock than what came after. 

The Drifters were the ones who sang the original hit version of the song. I like the way the Beach Boys handle the chorus, but the new lyrics and the verse singing is terrible. God, I hope I didn't offend a Beach Boy in the posting of this reply. ;)

That would be the most recent album I own - Iron Maiden's Book of Souls. 

Dr.  Because you said you didn't like the way TBB handle the chorus, or the new lyrics, you've disrespected them, and their entire 50 year recording career. 

Maybe I'm missing something.  How does liking The Beach Boys and hard rock / metal bands make me iconoclastic? 

I suppose it could be.  I've always thought of it as anti-establishment. 

Liking softer and harder brands of rock is more common than you think, even if hard rock and heavy metal isn't discussed in very high regard on this board. 

Here are the concerts my wife and I have been to (and have tickets for) the last few years - Brian Wilson, Sebastian Bach, The Beach Boys, Ghost, Guns N Roses, Brian Wilson again. 

We like some of the same music, particularly The Beach Boys, even if she doesn't quite share my love for their early 70s albums. 

She may not be into the progressive rock and heavy metal I like, and I'm not into the 90s boy bands she likes, but we've found a lot of common ground with music. 

It's possible for the BB's to make great music without Brian, as they proved in the early 70's. If they had made a true group album, with equal contributions from Carl and Al, not just a ML solo album with the BB's name on it, it could have been quite good. And yes, the artwork is nice - by far, the best thing about it. Okay, tonight's spin is going to be Stars and Stripes..... :'(

Even the completist in me hasn't forced me to buy Stars and Stripes. 

I only have the cassette, found it at Value Village for 50 cents last year. I think I paid a quarter for my copy of SIP 10 years before that.

I know a guy who knows a guy who knows Bruce Johnston, and that guy is offended, so that's a permanent ban buddy  :police:  :lol

I just accidentally heard the version of Forever from this and it pissed me off even more than it did years ago. What a fucking travesty. I'm embarrassed that someone I admire as much as Carl agreed to have anything to do with it.

I feel the same way about Hot Fun in the Summertime. My blood boils when i hear that pile of horseshit.

i'm trying to find both the US and UK versions for a decent price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEACH-BOYS-SUMMER-IN-PARADISE-CD-1992-VGC-/263066481796?hash=item3d3ffbf484:g:ki8AAOSw42dZMGWg

BTW a friend of mine actually worked for the distributer in Minnesota and he confirmed to me that the album actually sold 1,542 copies. I had no idea it was that dismal.

My first question is why in the name of Beach Balls is this $24 dollars WITH $18.24 SHIPPING??? 

Because it's a much sought after album among the Beach Boys community.
It sits up along Pet Sounds, Sunflower, Holland etc etc  :rock
hehe

I honestly don't think is ALL bad... I like Hot Fun In The Summertime, Still Surfin, Island Fever, Strange Things Happen, and the title track. The production is pretty bad, but the songs aren't all that bad--- EXCEPT SUMMER OF LOVE---- EEEEEEWWWWWW its so creeepy!!!!!!!!!!!!  I also don't like the Surfin remake, even though I love the original 1961 version, and the version with Jan & Dean even more! Anyway, the production is crappy, but the songs and singing are good on the songs I mentioned above.

I agree.  I think the album gets a bad reputation because of the awful production.   And the fact that four songs are almost unlistenable - Surfin 92 and Summer of Love (as you mentioned) as well as the horrid covers of Remember Walking in the Sand (which Andrew Doe called possibly the worst cover of all time) and Under the Boardwalk. 

Possibly the worst, most embarrassing album ever recorded by a well-known band. Lahaina Aloha is the only decent thing on it.

Ever hear Metallica's St Anger album? 

Not yet!

As a fan, I bought it when it was released in 2003, and it might be the toughest listen I've ever had to any album of a band that I like.  Outside of a few riffs, there is almost no redeeming quality on it. 

SIP at least had 4-6 tracks I like enough to look past the awful production. 

There are some really great songs on here, and the worst part of the production is the LOUD SNARE!!!! On Bruce's song the intro always scares the sh*t out of me, cause that snare is so fricken loud!!!!!

I agree.   For a band that spent their golden years perfecting their craft in the studio, the last 25 years sure have seen some questionable studio production. 

Not a good album or time in the BB world but 'Still Surfin' is a great song. Wish I knew who did the falsetto. Obviously not a Beach Boy. Was it Adrian Baker?
I give it a 2 based on that awesome song. Everything else on this is awful.

According to wikipedia Adrian Baker sang backup vocals, but not the other regular members of the (then) current Beach Boys' touring band.

Jeezus F'n Christ, this is not a great album  but it doesn't deserve the lambasting it gets just to look cool to other Beach Boys fans. I find it to be a pleasant album. I only have it on cassette and I've always enjoyed a lot of it and LOVE "Slow Summer Dancing", "Strange Things Happen" (rousing chord changes on the chorus along with Al's marvelous voice"), and I also love the cover of "Hot Fun In The Summertime" PLUS I find the remake of Surfin' happy and fun. I was 22 when I bought this cassette and love playing it still yet on my walks on one of my Sony Walkman's...Play it on the cassette player and Monster headphones at work....and play it on the big tape machine on my home stereo. And the production of the album doesn't offend me at all. I like the 'color' the production and mix has. Nice bright sound to it....
Oh...I also love the Bon Jovi-ish AOR treatment to "Forever" on this album. Being a child of the 80s that melodic arena rock style was a big part of my youth and always found it beautiful.
I'm also the guy who posted a love of the self-titled album from 1985. Both albums have given me a lot of happiness over the years.