Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

[Alex]

Why do fans even want the Beach Boys to be cool in a way the Beatles or the Rolling Stones were? Personally, I love all the cheese and supposed lameness and couldn't care less about the group not being cool.

Brian's backing tracks more than make up for the lameness of Mike's lyrics, anyway!

[Nicko]

3 1/2 out of 5.

A kind of uneasy mix between the fun in the stuff material and Brian's more avant garde songs. The fun songs, especially California Girls, certainly are enjoyable though and the more thoughtful numbers like Let Him Run Wild and Summer Means New Love also hit the spot. It just doesn't make for entirely cohesive listening experience.

[LetHimRun]

I gave it a 5. The downsides are small. The middle section of Amusements Parks is disappointing especially with the great backing track present. I can put the silly lyrics aside, but the spoken parts hurt that section. I'm Bugged isn't horrible, but is kind of placed oddly in between a great instrumental and a great a capella piece. Other than that, I love it.

[Surfing Moose]

4 points.

I think it's problem is, it's between Today and Pet Sounds, two outstanding albums of the Boys and if I compare with these, I only have to give 4 point, otherwise it would be unfair. Still it's a very, very good album with many classics

[TimeToGetAlone]

Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) is an interesting album in that you've find the Beach Boys at pretty much their vocal and production peak.  It's sandwiched in between two pretty two brilliant studio albums (Today and Pet Sounds).  It has a couple of radio-friendly hits and underrated gems.  I don't think it reaches potential based on the historical context.  It's quite good and is not marred by any horrible tracks, but it's not really excellent song after song.  In some ways there are some steps backwards (Amusement Parks U.S.A., I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man) while others are steps forwards (Let Him Run Wild, Summer Means New Love).  Still quite enjoyable and with plenty to love, however.

The Girl From New York City - 4/5
Amusement Parks U.S.A. - 3.5/5
Then I Kissed Her - 4/5
Salt Lake City - 4/5
Girl Don't Tell Me - 4.5/5
Help Me, Rhonda - 4.5/5
California Girls - 5/5
Let Him Run Wild - 5/5
You're So Good To Me - 4.5/5
Summer Means New Love - 5/5
I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man - 3.5/5
And Your Dreams Come True - 4/5

That works out to a 4/5 which is about right in my mind.

[Melt Away]

5!!! Such a clear and crisp sound quality to this record. How about the Bruce falsetto on "The Girl from New York City" or the pureness in Brian's voice on "Let Him Run Wild" clearly one of his best vocal periods. This is the quintessential pop album by the group for me. I just wish the FULL band would of toured around this time period..man what great bootlegs those would be..

[Lowbacca]

SMiLE & PET SOUNDS aside it's my favourite BBs album most of these days. It has a brilliant sound and exudes pure energy and acceptance of life.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Well it's not as coherent and consistent as Today! or, obviously, Pet Sounds - but it IS a great album! Girl from New York City is intended to kick the album open with a flourish and it does just that - the chorus is insanely catchy! Try listening to it without tapping your foot, people. Amusement Parks USA - mixed feelings on here, but personally I'm a fan. The whoozy backing track is terrific - it's meant to make you feel as if you're on a waltzer and it does! The lyrics are fun and Mike sings 'em well, and, agreed, Hal Blaine delivers a borderline sinister voiceover. Then I Kissed Her - not their greatest cover but I damn good 'un, and a more polished production than the original. Salt Lake City - a better production than song (see Hawthorne cd). Girl Dont Tell Me - to me this is almost Brian saying, 'hey Beatles I can do what you're doing too, just as well, if not better, now lets see YOU do THIS (cue Help Me Rhonda/California Girls/Pet Sounds etc)' Help Me Rhonda - pop perfection. California Girls - ditto. Let Him Run Wild - I'm afraid i agree with brian here, his vocal IS too shrill, and his production isn't 100% (the chorus sounds subdued second time around). it sounds a lot better on the The Warmth Of The Sun cd. You're So Good... - the Beach Boys do the Who - what's not to love? Bugged At My Old Man - amusing for a listen or two, but - as noted in the sleeve notes - a bit too close to home... And Your Dreams Come True - love it! Harmony heaven!

A very good album indeed, if only just short of being a true classic - 4/5

[MBE]

Listening to the recent vinyl reissue from a year or two back and it's just so good. Every track on this album is vintage Beach Boys at their best. It easily ranks in my top ten Beach Boys albums and is a CLASSIC LP.

[EgoHanger1966]

I'm not sure how I would rate it scorewise, but this album varies wildly for me. The first four songs are OK, nothing special...but nothing bad. The five song run from "Girl Don't Tell Me" through "You're So Good To Me" is OUTSTANDING, among the best of their work. Not a fan of the last three tracks at all.

[Quzi]

Imagine if Brian was given eight months to complete Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!) like he had with Today!. Sure, it wouldn't have come out in Summer, but the thought of having tracks like 'Sloop John B', 'Trombone Dixie', 'Sherry, She Needs Me' and 'The Little Girl I Once Knew' replace less than stellar tracks like 'Amusement Parks', 'Bugged', 'Then I Kissed Her' and 'Salt Lake City' is so tantalising. It'd without a doubt be heralded as a "fun in the sun" masterpiece and it would have made the transition from Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!) to Pet Sounds a lot more organic, which would have likely led the latter to be better promoted/received.

You know what the best part of this little fantasy is? 'Barbara Ann' wouldn't be the bane of The Beach Boys' existence  

[Freddie French-Pounce]

replace And Then I Kissed Her with Sherry and this album is a 5. As is I give it a 4.5; oh, it should've also opened with California Girls.

A: California Girls opens side 2 - it has a better effect on vinyl, like (sorry to bring in the Beatles) Eight Days A Week, with its fade in, does.

B: Is the Vinyl Re-Issue really duophonic?

[musicismylife101]

Full of great songs. California Girls, Help Me, Rhonda, Girl Don't Tell Me, Then I Kissed Her... Al's vocals are spot-on! Carl does a great job too. Actually everyone sounded great! Worth repeated listens when relaxing or hanging out with friends/family.

[Summer_Days]

Aww yeah. My namesake. I like Pet Sounds, Today! and Sunflower more, but still, this is one of the very best Beach Boys albums. Not every track is great, but hell, you kind of expect that from the boys.

Best songs:
'Let Him Run Wild' is my #2 favorite Beach Boys song. It's spine-tingling beautiful. The arrangement is just outta sight. I don't know all that much about the technical side of music, but man, that...chord progression I think it is at the end of the chorus back into the verse (the way up and then meandering down horn lines before "guess you know I waited for you girl")is perfection, just amazing. The backing track on Stack O' Tracks is astounding. Soak it up.

'California Girls' survives over-exposure for me primarily because of the intro, which feels like a prologue/overture and the bitchin' BGVs.

'Help Me Rhonda' just rocks. Whaddya want?

'And Your Dream Comes True' is another fine example of the effortless talent Brian and the boys had for unspeakably brilliant harmonies. Like a lullaby to my birth season.

'Girl Don't Tell Me'...yeah, surfy, dopey 'Ticket To Ride' for beach bums, but I LOVE it. One of the very few BBs tracks of the era that actually features the members of the band playing instruments.

'Amusement Parks USA', though by no means a great song, I still kinda like for some reason. Maybe it's because I love old, classic amusement parks and loathe crowded, expensive and lifeless theme parks. The lyrics now stand, more than 45 years on, as fond tributes to some defunct parks such as Pacific Ocean Park, Euclid Beach and the great Palisades Park.

'The Girl From New York City' is bad-assss. I love Brian's falsetto wailin'.

'Salt Lake City' is really only notable to me for that amazing backing track. Lovely, vibrant stuff.

'You're So Good To Me' has a great beat and Brian's vocals are tough and groovy. Love it.

Don't much like 'I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man' and their cover of 'Then I Kissed Her' is eh okay.

Overall, fantastic record, full of the warmth of the sun n' fun n' awf'ly purty Brian Wilson production and melodies. The two-fer CD that contains this album and Today! is, along with Pet Sounds and the new SMiLE sessions box, the best thing the BBs camp ever released.

[Summer_Days]

'That's Not Me' doesn't feature everyone like 'Girl don't Tell Me' does (minus obviously Mike, who can't really play a thing). And I had said "of the era" meaning Brian's 1965-66 pinnacle.

[lance]

'That's Not Me' doesn't feature everyone like 'Girl don't Tell Me' does (minus obviously Mike, who can't really play a thing). And I had said "of the era" meaning Brian's 1965-66 pinnacle.

Yeah, but they also all play on Girl From New York City(augmented by other musicians) and You're So good for Me, I think. And also most of the tracks on Today. There may be some studio musicians playing along with them, but that was because of studio limitations back then; to get the sound Brian wanted they had to use the other musicians.

[Summer_Days]

Wow, didn't know that (or I forgot) they played on 'The Girl From New York City'. Huh.

[SMiLE Brian]

The BBs at the peak of their power with great production and pop songs.

[Cabinessenceking]

Now that I've heard it in stereo, I am more impressed by it and would nudge it up to a weak 4 instead of a strong 3

[Gertie J.]

aren't a weak 4 and a strong 3 in the same scale?

[Melt Away]

That's Bruce on falsetto!!!!

Aww yeah. My namesake. I like Pet Sounds, Today! and Sunflower more, but still, this is one of the very best Beach Boys albums. Not every track is great, but hell, you kind of expect that from the boys.

Best songs:
'Let Him Run Wild' is my #2 favorite Beach Boys song. It's spine-tingling beautiful. The arrangement is just outta sight. I don't know all that much about the technical side of music, but man, that...chord progression I think it is at the end of the chorus back into the verse (the way up and then meandering down horn lines before "guess you know I waited for you girl")is perfection, just amazing. The backing track on Stack O' Tracks is astounding. Soak it up.

'California Girls' survives over-exposure for me primarily because of the intro, which feels like a prologue/overture and the bitchin' BGVs.

'Help Me Rhonda' just rocks. Whaddya want?

'And Your Dream Comes True' is another fine example of the effortless talent Brian and the boys had for unspeakably brilliant harmonies. Like a lullaby to my birth season.

'Girl Don't Tell Me'...yeah, surfy, dopey 'Ticket To Ride' for beach bums, but I LOVE it. One of the very few BBs tracks of the era that actually features the members of the band playing instruments.

'Amusement Parks USA', though by no means a great song, I still kinda like for some reason. Maybe it's because I love old, classic amusement parks and loathe crowded, expensive and lifeless theme parks. The lyrics now stand, more than 45 years on, as fond tributes to some defunct parks such as Pacific Ocean Park, Euclid Beach and the great Palisades Park.

'The Girl From New York City' is bad-assss. I love Brian's falsetto wailin'.

'Salt Lake City' is really only notable to me for that amazing backing track. Lovely, vibrant stuff.

'You're So Good To Me' has a great beat and Brian's vocals are tough and groovy. Love it.

Don't much like 'I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man' and their cover of 'Then I Kissed Her' is eh okay.

Overall, fantastic record, full of the warmth of the sun n' fun n' awf'ly purty Brian Wilson production and melodies. The two-fer CD that contains this album and Today! is, along with Pet Sounds and the new SMiLE sessions box, the best thing the BBs camp ever released.

[PrayForSurf]

Posted a commentary on Summer Days (And Summer Nights!) as the quintessential BB album ...

http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-quintessential-beach-boys-album.html

[Les Garçons de la plage]

4 points.

I think it's problem is, it's between Today and Pet Sounds, two outstanding albums of the Boys and if I compare with these, I only have to give 4 point, otherwise it would be unfair.

And personally I don't care for this (or actually any pre-Pet Sounds album THAT MUCH), but: four stars! One each for Girl Don't Tell Me, Help Me Rhonda, California Girls and And Your Dream Comes True. In Brian's words: sound bliss!

[PrayForSurf]

No  Surfer Girl ... Today ... Summer Days, no Pet Sounds and beyond.

Phil

P.S. Podcast with Phillip Bardowell (formerly of the Beach Boys touring band) @ http://archive.org/details/ConferenceCallFeb12013WphilipBardowell

[Dudd]

Prefer this to Today. There are a lot of silly tracks, but it just adds to the charm for me.