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Keepin' the Summer Alive

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Keepin' the Summer Alive
Studio album by
The Beach Boys
ReleasedMarch 24, 1980 (1980-03-24)
RecordedJuly 1, 1979 – March 20, 1980 (except "When Girls Get Together" and "Santa Ana Winds", 1969–1978)[1]
Studio
Length33:10
LabelBrother/Caribou/CBS
ProducerBruce Johnston
The Beach Boys chronology
L.A. (Light Album)
(1979) 		Keepin' the Summer Alive
(1980) 		Ten Years of Harmony
(1981)
Singles from Keepin' the Summer Alive
  1. "Goin' On" / "Endless Harmony"
    Released: March 11, 1980
  2. "Livin' with a Heartache" / "Santa Ana Winds"
    Released: May 20, 1980

Keepin' the Summer Alive is the 24th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 24, 1980, on Brother, Caribou and CBS Records. Produced by Bruce Johnston, the album peaked at number 75 in the US, during a chart stay of 6 weeks,[3] and number 54 in the UK. It is the group's last album recorded with Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983, although he only appears on one song.

The album included new material alongside several older songs that had not been released up until that point. Two of the new songs were written by Carl Wilson and Randy Bachman, the title track and "Livin' with a Heartache". The latter was released as a single alongside "Goin' On", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Brian wrote or co-wrote five of the other seven tracks.

Background and recording

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After the band's previous album, L.A. (Light Album) (1979), failed to live up to commercial expectations, the executives at CBS expected another album as soon as possible.[4] In July 1979, the Beach Boys convened at Western Studio in Los Angeles—the studio where most of the band's 1960s material had been produced by Brian Wilson—to begin work on a new studio album. The album was also recorded at various other studios, including former backing band member Daryl Dragon's Rumbo Recorders in San Fernando, and Al Jardine's recording studio in his Big Sur barn. Working titles included Cousins, Friends and Brothers, and Can't Wait Till Summer.[3]

The group wanted Brian to return as their producer and felt that he would be more comfortable recording at the familiar studio environment of Western. They were briefly successful, as Carl Wilson said, "Brian got hot for about three days in the studio. He was singing like a bird. All the protection he usually runs just dropped; he came out of himself, he was right there in the room."[4] Dennis Wilson, at odds with the rest of the group, abandoned the initial recording sessions, taking no further part in the album. The sessions were also stalled by Brian's desire to record only cover songs of rock n' roll tracks.[citation needed] One of these, Chuck Berry's "School Days", appears on the album's final track listing.[3]

In late August, Carl collaborated with Randy Bachman on the writing of four songs, two of which were included on the record, "Keepin' the Summer Alive" and "Livin' with a Heartache". Bachman declined an invitation to co-produce the album because he was struggling with personal issues.[3] He later released his own version of "Keepin' the Summer Alive" with his short-lived band Union on their eponymous 1980 album.[5]

In October 1979, the band reconvened with Bruce Johnston taking complete control of the album's production. The resulting album included a mixture of brand new songs alongside older songs that had not been released up until that point.[3] "When Girls Get Together" was recorded in 1969, and it is the only song on the album featuring Dennis. Johnston started writing "Endless Harmony" in 1972 as "Ten Years' Harmony". The earlier title and lyrics were used for a version by California Music in 1974. The band began recording "Santa Ana Winds" in 1978, revising and re-recording some of the song for this album. Sessions wrapped on February 14, 1980.[3] Two outtakes, the original "Goin' to the Beach" and a cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron", were later released on the 2013 compilation Made in California.[6]

In 2013, Johnston expressed dissatisfaction with the production of the title track, which he perceived as being weaker-sounding due to Carl's intervention.[6] In 2020, Johnston elaborated, believing session guest and former bandmate Ricky Fataar’s drumming was inferior to session drummer Scott Mathews’ playing.[1]

Outtakes

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Still-unreleased tracks from the Keepin' the Summer Alive sessions include "Starbaby" and "Surfer Suzie", as well as renditions of "I'll Always Love You", "Jamaica Farewell", "Johnny B. Goode", "Little Girl", "Stranded in the Jungle", and "Smokey Places".[7]

Critical reception

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Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Blender[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
MusicHound[11]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Rob Theakston referred to Keepin' the Summer Alive as "the low point" in the band's discography: "Ripe with mindless throwaways and lifeless filler ... The two exceptions to the rule reside in the title track and the closing 'Endless Harmony.'"[8] In (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide, the album is cited as an "abysmal" entry in "a string of inconsequential records" that had not abated since 1978's M.I.U. Album.[12]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Keepin' the Summer Alive"Carl Wilson, Randy BachmanCarl Wilson3:43
2."Oh Darlin'"Brian Wilson, Mike LoveC. Wilson and Mike Love3:52
3."Some of Your Love"B. Wilson, LoveLove and C. Wilson2:36
4."Livin' with a Heartache"C. Wilson, BachmanC. Wilson4:06
5."School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)"Chuck BerryAl Jardine2:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Goin' On"B. Wilson, LoveLove, C. Wilson and Brian Wilson3:00
2."Sunshine"B. Wilson, LoveLove, B. Wilson and C. Wilson2:52
3."When Girls Get Together"B. Wilson, LoveLove and B. Wilson3:31
4."Santa Ana Winds"B. Wilson, Al JardineJardine, Love and C. Wilson3:14
5."Endless Harmony"Bruce JohnstonBruce Johnston and C. Wilson3:10
Total length:33:10

Personnel

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Adapted from 2000 liner notes[3] and Craig Slowinski.[1]

The Beach Boys

  • Brian Wilson – vocals, tack piano on “Oh Darlin’” and “Goin’ On”, keyboards on “Sunshine”, piano and Rocksichord on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Carl Wilson – vocals, lead guitar on “Keepin’ the Summer Alive”, guitar on “Oh Darlin’” and “Livin’ With a Heartache”, tack piano on “Keepin’ the Summer Alive”, Yamaha electric piano on “Livin’ With a Heartache”, keyboards on “Sunshine”
  • Al Jardine – vocals, acoustic guitars and spoken word introduction on “Santa Ana Winds”; rhythm guitar on “School Day” (uncertain)
  • Mike Love – vocals
  • Bruce Johnston – vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, clavichord on “School Day”, keyboards on “Sunshine”
  • Dennis Wilson – bass drum on “When Girls Get Together”

Additional musicians

  • Terry Melcher, Curt Boettcher, Jon Joyce – harmony and backing vocals on “Livin’ With a Heartache”
  • Joe Walsh – slide and rhythm guitars on “Keepin’ the Summer Alive”
  • Steve Ross – guitar
  • Bill House – guitar; acoustic guitars on “Oh Darlin’”
  • Caleb Quaye – lead and rhythm guitars on “School Day”, guitar on “Sunshine”
  • Billy Joe Walker, Jr. – lead and acoustic guitars on “Livin’ With a Heartache”
  • Dennis Budimir – guitar on “School Day”
  • Tim May – guitar on “School Day”
  • Al Vescovo – guitar on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Bryan Garofalo – harmony and backing vocals on “Keepin’ the Summer Alive” and “Endless Harmony”, bass
  • Jerry Scheff – bass on “Oh Darlin’”
  • Ray Pohlman – bass on “School Day” and “When Girls Get Together”, mandolin on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Lyle Ritz – double bass on “Santa Ana Winds”
  • John Hobbs – keyboards
  • Daryl Dragon – keyboards on “Some of Your Love” and marxophone on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Don Randi – keyboards on “School Day”
  • Mike Meros – keyboards on “School Day”
  • Carli Muñoz – organ on “School Day”
  • Ricci Martin – keyboards on “Sunshine” and piano on “Endless Harmony”
  • Scott Mathews – drums; harmony and backing vocals on “Goin’ On”, percussion on “When Girls Get Together” and “Endless Harmony”
  • Ricky Fataar – drums on “Keepin’ the Summer Alive” and “Sunshine”
  • Gary Mallaber – drums on “Livin’ With a Heartache” and percussion on “Sunshine”
  • Hal Blaine – drums on “School Day”
  • Steve Forman – percussion
  • Gene Estes – tympani on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Steve Douglas – saxophone on “Oh Darlin’”, “Goin’ On”, and “Sunshine”
  • Joel Peskin – saxophone on “Oh Darlin’”, “Goin’ On”, and “Sunshine”; baritone saxophone on “Some of Your Love”
  • Dick “Slyde” Hyde – trombone on “Oh Darlin’”, “Goin’ On”, and “Sunshine”
  • Chuck Findley – flugelhorn on “Oh Darlin’”, trumpet on “Goin’ On” and “Sunshine”
  • Lew McCreary – trombone and bass trombone on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Jim Horn – baritone saxophone on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Vince Charles, Efrain Toro, Ray Armando – steel drums on “Sunshine”
  • David Sherr – oboe on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Alexander Neiman, Darrell Terwilliger – violas on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Armand Kaproff, Jan Kelley, Harold Bemko, Douglas Davis – cellos on “When Girls Get Together”
  • Tommy Morgan – harmonica on “Santa Ana Winds”
  • Igor Horoshevsky, Raymond Kelley – cellos on “Santa Ana Winds”
  • James Getzoff, Murray Adler, Bonnie Douglas, Paul Shure, Alfred Breuning, Marshall Sosson, Endre Granat, Spiro Stamos – violins on “Santa Ana Winds”
  • Harry Hyams, Samuel Boghossian – violas on “Santa Ana Winds”

Arrangements

Technical personnel

  • Bruce Johnston – producer (except “When Girls Get Together”)
  • Brian Wilson – producer (“School Day”, “When Girls Get Together”, “Santa Ana Winds”)
  • Al Jardine – producer (“School Day” and “Santa Ana Winds”)
  • Carl Wilson – producer (“Keepin’ the Summer Alive” and “Livin’ with a Heartache”)
  • Steve Desper – chief engineer, mixing
  • Chuck Leary – engineer (“Santa Ana Winds”)
  • Chuck Britz – engineer (“Oh Darlin’”, “School Day”, “Santa Ana Winds”)
  • Rodney Pearson – engineer
  • Brian Behrns – second engineer

Artwork

  • John Alvin – illustration
  • Tony Lane – art direction
  • Gary Nichamin – photography

Charts

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Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Top 40 Album Chart[13] 54
US Billboard 200 Albums[3] 75

References

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  1. ^ a b c Slowinski, Craig (Summer 2020). Beard, David (ed.). "Keepin' the Summer Alive: 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition". Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine. Vol. 33, no. 132. Charlotte, North Carolina.
  2. ^ Joseph, Adam (October 7, 2010). "Exploring the only-in-Big-Sur Red Barn Recording Studio". Monterey County Weekly. Milestone Communications Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Bachman, Randy; Doe, Andrew (2000). Keepin' the Summer Alive/The Beach Boys (booklet). The Beach Boys. California: Capitol Records. p. 2.
  4. ^ a b Gaines, Steven (1986). Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 337. ISBN 0306806479.
  5. ^ Union - On Strike, June 1981, retrieved 2024-12-09
  6. ^ a b Sharp, Ken (September 2013). "Bruce Johnston On the Beach Boys' Enduring Legacy (Interview)". Archived from the original on September 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Doe, Andrew G. "From The Vaults..." Endless Summer Quarterly. Bellagio 10452. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Keepin' the Summer Alive at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  9. ^ Wolk, Douglas (October 2004). "The Beach Boys Keepin the Summer Alive/The Beach Boys". Blender. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  11. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 84. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  12. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  13. ^ "keeping the summer alive | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.

Further reading

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