Music / Keepin' the Summer Alive

They're just trying to keep the summer alive !

I look in the mirror

It couldn't be clearer

Something is gone from my eyes

— Goin' On

Keepin' The Summer Alive is The Beach Boys' twenty-fourth album which was released in 1980. After the commercial failure of their previous album L.A. (Light Album), their label CBS requested another LP as soon as possible.

The band tried to bring back Brian Wilson as a producer but due to his poor mental state, Bruce Johnston kept his same role as on L.A.. This is the last Beach Boys album to feature Dennis Wilson before his death by drowning in late 1983 (ironically, he didn't participate into the recording sessions and is only featured on one song which was recorded years before the release of this album).

Just like its two predecessors, Keepin' The Summer Alive received unfavourable reviews and was called the band's "low point" in their discography. Its commercial failure marked a five year period where the Beach Boys focused on touring instead of recording albums. Touring turned out to be successful for them at the start of this new decade, and they established themselves as a touring-only band based on the nostalgia and the success of their mid 60s songs. This "jukebox" format was criticized by Carl Wilson who temporarily left the band in order to focus on a solo career.

Some parts of the album's recording was filmed for a documentary presented by Rolling Stones called Goin' Platinum. You can watch it here

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Keepin' The Summer Alive" (3:43)
2. "Oh Darlin'" (3:52)
3. "Some Of Your Love" (2:36)
4. "Livin' With A Heartache" (4:06)
5. "School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)" (2:52)

Side Two

1. "Goin' On" (3:00)
2. "Sunshine" (2:52)
3. "When Girls Get Together" (3:31)
4. "Santa Ana Winds" (3:14)
5. "Endless Harmony" (3:10)

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Principal Members:

• Al Jardine
• Bruce Johnston
• Mike Love
• Brian Wilson
• Carl Wilson
• Dennis Wilson

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Some, some, some of your troooooooooooopes:

• Broken Record: Some Of Your Love has two short verses and half of its lyrics is simply:
  Some, some, some of your love (won't you give me some)
  Some of your love
• Cover Version: School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell) is a cover of Chuck Berry's song but also includes the opening lyrics of a popular song that is also named School Days.
• Demoted to Extra: Dennis Wilson didn't take part in the album's recording and since his only feature is playing bass drum on When Girls Get Together (a track originally recorded in 1969), it's easier to consider L.A. (Light Album) to be the last Beach Boys album to have him involved in the recording sessions (whereas Keepin' The Summer Alive is the last to feature him).
• Face on the Cover: The band's then line-up is featured in some kind of "Summer dome" isolated in an arctic setting. Even Dennis is featured, even though he barely makes an appearance on the album.
• Heavy Meta: School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell):
  Hail, hail rock and roll
  Deliver me from the days of old
  Long live rock and roll
  The beat of the drums, loud and bold
  Rock, rock, rock and roll
  The feelin' is there, body and soul
• Lyrical Cold Open: School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell).
• Mars and Venus Gender Contrast: When Girls Get Together is about the daily life of women (from Brian Wilson and Mike Love's point of view):
  When girls get together
  They don't waste time on things llike weather and stuff
  They all just play around and never seem to discuss it enough
  (...)
  I guess we guys might never really know
  How good we've got it but we'd like to show
  Just how much that we love them so
• Mood Whiplash: Endless Harmony has a slow and serene first part and switches to an uplifting patriotic closer.
• Non-Indicative Name: The album was released during march of 1980. It's hard to say they were keeping the Summer alive before it could happen, unless they were keeping 1979's summer alive which is quite a feat.
• One-Word Title: Sunshine.
• Patriotic Fervor: Endless Harmony ends with a "God Bless America" verse:
  And we sang God bless America
  It's a land where we tour
  She takes great care of us
  And people love for where we sing
  We sing too doo doo...
• Silly Love Songs: Oh Darlin' and Goin' On.
• Sing In Unison: When Girls Get Together's vocals blend the voice of Mike and Brian.
• Special Guest: Randy Bachman (of Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame) co-wrote two songs on this album.
  • One of the sessions drummers is former Beach Boy turned Rutle Ricky Fataar.
• Spoken Word in Music: Santa Ana Winds' intro.
• Step Up to the Microphone: Bruce Johnston, who is used to sing on 1 or 2 songs on each Beach Boys album he's featured in, sings lead vocals on Endless Harmony.
• Steel Drums and Sunshine: Coming from the song Sunshine, this is no surprise.
• Vocal Tag Team: Oh Darlin' and Goin' On feature Carl and Mike on lead vocals while Santa Ana Winds feature Al, Mike and Carl co-leading. Endless Harmony has Bruce singing the first half and Carl leading the second half.

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