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Poll
Question: Rate Keepin' The Summer Alive
5 - 5 (3.7%)
4 - 13 (9.6%)
3 - 52 (38.2%)
2 - 44 (32.4%)
1 - 16 (11.8%)
0 - 6 (4.4%)
Total Voters: 120

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Author Topic: Keepin' The Summer Alive  (Read 123118 times)
Bean Bag
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« Reply #200 on: September 22, 2015, 12:12:09 PM »

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.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2015, 12:40:47 PM by Bean Bag » Logged

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« Reply #201 on: September 22, 2015, 12:24:18 PM »

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

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.
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« Reply #202 on: September 22, 2015, 12:28:07 PM »



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« Reply #203 on: September 22, 2015, 12:37:48 PM »

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

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.

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. 
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« Reply #204 on: October 03, 2015, 01:29:54 PM »

I don't think there's a problem with the sound, but it has a 'sheen' that many early 80s records have. [snip]
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.
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« Reply #205 on: October 07, 2015, 01:08:16 PM »

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.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2015, 01:12:13 PM by silodweller » Logged

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« Reply #206 on: May 11, 2016, 10:45:10 PM »

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.
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« Reply #207 on: May 12, 2016, 06:28:20 AM »

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....
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« Reply #208 on: May 12, 2016, 06:49:09 PM »

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.
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« Reply #209 on: May 12, 2016, 07:16:01 PM »

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?
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« Reply #210 on: May 12, 2016, 07:53:08 PM »

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.

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. 
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« Reply #211 on: May 12, 2016, 09:17:46 PM »

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'
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« Reply #212 on: May 28, 2016, 06:14:53 PM »

Only good song on this album isn't even that good and it was written back in 1971.
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« Reply #213 on: June 30, 2016, 08:27:30 PM »

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  Embarrassed


All in all the best part of this album is having all the BB's along with Steve Desper's name in the credits.
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« Reply #214 on: June 30, 2016, 09:10:21 PM »

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?

Actually everything from 1985 on was produced by outsiders (granted, that isn't much) if you discount Stars & Tripe (which most people do).
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« Reply #215 on: June 30, 2016, 10:37:52 PM »

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?

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?
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« Reply #216 on: June 30, 2016, 11:00:33 PM »

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?

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.
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« Reply #217 on: January 01, 2017, 05:09:55 AM »

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  Grin. I wonder what more Randy Bachman could have brought to the Beach Boys.
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« Reply #218 on: March 04, 2017, 08:48:26 PM »

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  Grin. 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.
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« Reply #219 on: May 15, 2018, 08:09:31 AM »

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.

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« Reply #220 on: October 29, 2022, 06:03:35 PM »

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.  🙏🤪
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« Reply #221 on: November 12, 2022, 08:06:01 PM »

Here it is - another Wilson/Bachman song.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt8uwBTPlXA
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« Reply #222 on: November 27, 2022, 10:06:49 AM »

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 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.
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« Reply #223 on: February 19, 2024, 09:10:42 PM »

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.
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