Was Summer In Paradise salvageable?

[Sheriff John Stone]

I'm making a compilation CD of "later" Beach Boys' songs for my car, and dug out Summer In Paradise for the first time in a long time. Suprisingly, I found a lot of it enjoyable. OK, at least listenable. So I ask, could've it turned out to be a fairly decent album?

Look at the following songs:

Hot Fun In The Summertime
Still Surfin'
Strange Things Happen
Slow Summer Dancing
Island Fever
Lahaina Aloha
Under The Boardwalk
Summer In Paradise

Those are eight fairly decent songs. One could even argue that Remember Walking In The Sand be added to that list. Now, if you take those songs and get a contribution from Brian Wilson, you might've had something there. Brian had an album, Sweet Insanity, just sitting there, with no takers.

If you add Someone To Love, Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel, The Spirit Of Rock And Roll, Rainbow Eyes, and Water Builds Up, AND eliminate Summer Of Love, Surfin', and Forever, well, it's a vastly improved album.

In retrospect, I can see that Mike Love did the best he could. He (and Terry Melcher) obviously didn't have the goods to carry an entire Beach Boys' album. He just didn't get much of a contribution from the rest of the guys. There's probably a good reason for that; anybody have the facts/details on that?

[Aegir]

Brian's tracks would've seemed way out of place... unless they were rerecorded with SiP-esque production.

[shelter]

So I ask, could've it turned out to be a fairly decent album?

Yes.

If they would've ditched all the songs and recorded 12 fairly decent ones instead...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Am I the only one to like the remake of "Surfin'" ?  Great Carl vocal on the final verse.

[Smilin Ed H]

I like Al's vocals throughout the album.  Still' Surfin's about the only track I have any time for, forever. The songs aren't helped by the production.

[Eric Aniversario]

I think it's already a pretty decent album.  I know it's not very popular in the BB fan circles, but I've always liked it.

[Shady]

To be honest I can't even bare to listen to that Era of The Beach Boys, for god sakes what were they thinking?

It almost hurts, like the Frog Song by Paul McCartney

[Loaf]

Was SIP salvageable?

The cardboard packaging could be recycled...

I always liked McGuinn's contribution, though.

[Mr. Wilson]

Yea AGD.. I like that version of Surfin ..altho it took hearing them play it live.. Costa Mesa  Ca 1992... To convince me..!!

[melissalynn]

I'm really not a big fan of anything on the album, although a few tracks may have been better if they had been recorded differently. Can't think of any specific things that could have made it better. I like the cover, though. That's about it.

[Wilsonista]

In retrospect, I can see that Mike Love did the best he could. He (and Terry Melcher) obviously didn't have the goods to carry an entire Beach Boys' album. He just didn't get much of a contribution from the rest of the guys. There's probably a good reason for that; anybody have the facts/details on that?

Correct me if I wrong, but I recall reading that SIP did was never intended to be a BB album - A  Mike and Bruce vehicle Hence the lack of song cntribution from the others.

[southbay]

Don't forget that this was during the time of Al's first "firing".  He was brought in later to add vocals, including the stuff on the Euro version (Island Fever, Under the Boardwalk).  Also, this was during the time that Carl was heavily involved in the "Trio" sessions with Lamm and Beckley.  Say what you want about the material, but I agree with what Jerry Schilling once said...Carl could sing the phonebook and it would sound great.  The vocals by Carl and Al on this release were unbelievably good, and Carl slavaged Forever with his stunning vocals.  Forget the lyrics, forget the production and just listen to those two guys SING on this CD.

[michael]

Funny Just a few minutes ago I e mailed one of my buddies looking for a copy of SIP, both the U.s. and U.K. version I mentioned I reqally liked it where as most B.B. fans trashed it.
Now here it isbeing mentioned,and with some of us not in a negative way.
I look at SIP as a GREAT Mike ,Bruce and Terry Melcher disc.With some nice Carl vocals.Period

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Funny Just a few minutes ago I e mailed one of my buddies looking for a copy of SIP, both the U.s. and U.K. version I mentioned I reqally liked it where as most B.B. fans trashed it.
Now here it isbeing mentioned,and with some of us not in a negative way.
I look at SIP as a GREAT Mike ,Bruce and Terry Melcher disc.With some nice Carl vocals.Period

I actually like it too...sure as hell beats Still Cruisin and Stars & Stripes, which IMHO are the only 2 BB album I actively despise (although "Somewhere Near Japan" is pretty spiffy, as is "Island Girl", even though the melody rips off Blondies "The Tide Is High" in spots)

[Aegir]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the similarity between Island Girl and The Tide is High.

Of course, I heard Island Girl first so I thought Blondie ripped of the Beach Boys! Heh, I doubt she ever heard Island Girl. And maybe Al actually ripped of the Paragons' version from 1967.

[Awesoman]

If you think "Kokomo" is the cat's pajamas and you'd like to hear an album of it, then Summer In Paradise is for you.  Otherwise there is absolutely nothing salvagable about it.  Although they tried to make a decent cover of "Forever", screaming guitars and Uncle Jessie singing lead kind of killed it.  But despite the wretchedness of the album they were kind of going on a focused summer-y theme with the songs.  So throwing in Brian's peewee tunes at the time probably would have contrasted poorly with the rest of the album of tunes about surfin', islands and beach resorts; thus making the album even worse, if you can imagine.  It would be in essence like puking on excrement.   

[Awesoman]

Am I the only one to like the remake of "Surfin'" ? 

I think so.  How does it feel?   

[Awesoman]

I like Al's vocals throughout the album.  Still' Surfin's about the only track I have any time for, forever. The songs aren't helped by the production.

Interesting because Al was only involved on one song, I believe.  He was allegedly "kicked out" of the band at the time; a sign of things to come...

[Jonas]

Is there an echo in here??

I don't hate the album, just the piss-poor thin production. The songs might've worked out if they put some more effort into the recording...I have no problem admitting I like cheesy music.

[shelter]

No offense... But I think that if you like this album, you probably like it in the same way that a mother loves her 5 year old son's or daughter's drawing, no matter how awful it really is... Right?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Am I the only one to like the remake of "Surfin'" ?  Great Carl vocal on the final verse.

No, but then again, I also like Remember (Walkin in the Sand), which you don't, so...

[southbay]

I like Al's vocals throughout the album.  Still' Surfin's about the only track I have any time for, forever. The songs aren't helped by the production.

.

. 


Interesting because Al was only involved on one song, I believe.  He was allegedly "kicked out" of the band at the time; a sign of things to come...

As eluded to earlier, Jardine was indeed "suffering from a bad case of tinnitus" as the official line went, or fired  during the time of recording. HOWEVER, he ended singing partial leads on Strange Things Happen and One SUmmer Night as well as prominent BGV's on Island Fever.  In addition, the EURO version includes Jardine leads on Island Fever and Under the Boardwalk

[Sheriff John Stone]

Brian's tracks would've seemed way out of place... unless they were rerecorded with SiP-esque production.

You're absolutely right. The songs would've had to have been Melcher-ized, which still would've been an improvement over the Sweet Insanity production values.

The two biggest criticisms of Summer In Paradise (by anyone who gave it the time of day, which weren't many) were the absence of Brian Wilson songs and the 90's (weak) production. Well, the band was in pretty tight with Terry Melcher at the time, so that wasn't going to change.

So that leaves Brian. I still think the Sweet Insanity tracks could've been integrated into the project, and a decent song from Carl and Al would've helped too. Maybe even throw in "Crocodile Rock". I'll defend a core group of an existing 6-7 songs, which just needed a little help from their friends...er cousins.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I'm curious, has Al, Carl and/or Brian commented on SIP?

[Dancing Bear]

I only listened to SIP and Sweet Insanity about 2 or 3 times. Those were rough days for the Beach Boys.