|
Post by E on Jul 5, 2021 11:12:50 GMT -5
They were doing an album track by album track thing of the Hoff last year and I spent some time listening to this and found I don't think it stinks quite as much as I used to. I don't think it's good, by any stretch of the imagination, and it leans heavily on covers (including their own stuff), which are often utterly charmless, unlike those on 15BO - and I hate the fucking 'drums' and the echo, but Al and Carl are rather good throughout...
1. Hot Fun In The Summertime 4/10
2. Surfin 2/10
3. Summer Of Love 0/10
4. Island Fever 0/10
5. Still Surfin 4/10
6. Slow Summer Dancing 2/10
7. Strange Things Happen 7/10
8. Remember Walking In The Sand 1/10
9. Lahaina Aloha 5/10
10. Under The Boardwalk 2/10
11. Summer In Paradise 4/10
12. Forever 0/10
|
|
|
Post by boogieboarder on Jul 6, 2021 10:34:53 GMT -5
I have given this album more than a few listens, both the US and. This may seem controversial but I wish the BBs never recorded an album or any of those crappy singles between 1981 and 2012 with the exception of the song "Chasin' The Sky" despite the apostrophe in the title. Did they really think it was that cool to name songs without the ending consonant? Ol’ Man River - apostrophes restored, grammar corrected, offensive language removed - courtesy of Stan Freberg. Elderly Man River, that elderly man river He doesn’t say anything, but he must know something He just keeps rolling, he keeps on rolling along
|
|
|
Post by E on Jul 6, 2021 11:48:03 GMT -5
I'd be quite happy to see this as a twofer with the 'new' songs from Still Cruisin' and the odds and sods they released as singles through this period. If nothing else, the shit would all be in one place.
Okay, being a tad unfair to Somewhere Near Japan (which I really like), Chasin' The Sky, Strange Things Happen and maybe LLahaina Aloha (the rare Welsh mix) and even Kokomo
|
|
|
Post by boogieboarder on Jul 7, 2021 9:21:15 GMT -5
I'd be quite happy to see this as a twofer with the 'new' songs from Still Cruisin' and the odds and sods they released as singles through this period. If nothing else, the shit would all be in one place. Okay, being a tad unfair to Somewhere Near Japan (which I really like), Chasin' The Sky, Strange Things Happen and maybe LLahaina Aloha (the rare Welsh mix) and even Kokomo Since Still Cruisin’ was supposed to include songs that had recently appeared in movies, I always wondered why “Chasin’ the Sky,” “Happy Endings,” and “Problem Child” weren’t included instead of the 17th million appearances of "I Get Around" (from Good Morning, Vietnam), “Wouldn't It Be Nice" (from The Big Chill), and "California Girls" (from Soul Man). It would have made for a complete Beach Boys album instead of half an album, as well as finding a home for those orphan songs. Did Capitol really think the inclusion of those oft-repeated songs would turn this into a best seller? If it was a matter of rights, I’m sure something could have been worked out.
|
|
Shawn
Dude/Dudette
Posts: 61
Likes: 58
Favorite Album: Friends
|
Post by Shawn on Jul 31, 2021 18:37:24 GMT -5
To be fair I need to revisit this album before I rate it. But I just can’t bring myself to do it.
|
|
|
Post by boogieboarder on Jul 31, 2021 20:25:27 GMT -5
I just noticed that for some reason, this thread showed that I voted this album a 10. I must have hit the button accidentally, so I just changed it to 5. The count for 10 is now back to zero, where it belongs. For a while, people must have thought somebody was nuts.
|
|
|
Post by mistercarter2u on Oct 14, 2022 12:16:29 GMT -5
After all these years, I still don't understand why people are so friggin' down on the "Summer In Paradise" album. I personally love the abum (both US and European versions) and think it includes some really, really good songs. I love "Still Surfin'," "Lahaina Aloha," "Island Fever," and I enjoy Bruce's "Slow Summer Dancin'." I also like the BB take on "Hot Fun In The Summertime" and "Under The Boardwalk." I'm just a fan of this album, and i have loved it since it first came out. Everytime I listen to it, I can't help but wonder:
(1) how much better and how differently would it have been perceived if people had not know that Brian was absent, and
(2) how much better would it have been received and how many more copies would it have sold it it had been released by Capitol Records and promoted by a big record company
I honestly think those two factors would have drastically changed how people initially saw this record and how they continue to see it decades later. It's my belief that even if Brian Wilson was not on the record, if people had thought he was, the record would have been seen quite differently, less critically, and possibly even with some level of praise.
I just think "Summer In Paradise" has been quite unfairly judged over the years. True, it was recorded in a manner quite different from other BB albums (pro-tools, drum machines, etc...), and the sound was different from those earlier classics, BUT... different isn't always bad, and it truly wasn't that bad on this record. The songs are catchy, and the vocals - from Carl, Al, Mike, and even Bruce on his number - are among the band's best solo and lead vocals.
I wish that The Beach Boys or their management - or whomever! - would issue a Deluxe version of this album, featuring both the US and European tracks, as well as some odds and ends associated with it. I'd personally love to see this album receive some respect after all these years.
Now - I will sit back and wait to be attacked for daring to share my like for this record!!! But, hey, I do like it. It is among my favorite BB albums - up there with "Pet Sounds," "Sunflower," "Shut Down Vol.2" and "Beach Boys Today."
|
|
|
Post by Rick Bartlett on Oct 14, 2022 12:24:04 GMT -5
Thanks for adding your informative opinion.
|
|
|
Post by boogieboarder on Oct 14, 2022 22:06:02 GMT -5
After all these years, I still don't understand why people are so friggin' down on the "Summer In Paradise" album. I like some of the same songs you mentioned. But then there’s “It’s a love thing.”
|
|
|
Post by lonelysummer on Oct 15, 2022 0:46:46 GMT -5
4/10, and I'm actually tempted to rank it higher. I really don't think it's the total piece of garbage that some fans make it out to be. I do think it's the weakest album in the catalog, narrowly beating out Love You for that title. But, the production is awful. The dabbling in rap music is downright embarrassing. And the covers of Under the Boardwalk with new lyrics and Remember Walking in the Sand all drag the album down for me. Also, as I've posted before, there are 8 pretty good tracks (which is actually more than I can say for Smiley Smile and Love You), but no real standout track IMO. The title track comes the closest, but I think the live version is ten times better than the studio cut, which is oddly buried on the back end of the album. I've been listening to the cassette in my car the last couple weeks, and my impression of the album is similar to yours. I hated it for a long time, but the worst thing about listening to it in 2022 is the drum sound and Mike's attempts at rapping. Island Fever and Lahaina Aloha are the best songs IMO. The title track sounds better on the MIC box. I really like Bruce singing the last verse on that recording. So it's not unlistenable - unlike some parts of 15BO and Love You. But I cringe everytime I hear Mike rapping about wanting to "do unto others and you're the one I want to do it to".
|
|
|
Post by Maci Eascra on Nov 12, 2022 9:12:20 GMT -5
I have given this album more than a few listens, both the US and UK versions, and every time I listen to it, I have to take a break from listening to the Beach Boys for a while. It is terrible. All of it. The best song "Strange Things Happen" is still so weak of a song in the entire catalog and for the UK version, they cut out a significant portion of the ending. "Forever" remake is sacrilegious. This album made me hate Terry Melcher productions post 1960's. Both versions have a nice cover though. 1 out of 10, the lowest I can give a Beach Boys album. I feel the same about Still Cruisin' as well which I made myself listen to recently. This may seem controversial but I wish the BBs never recorded an album or any of those crappy singles between 1981 and 2012 with the exception of the song "Chasin' The Sky" despite the apostrophe in the title. Did they really think it was that cool to name songs without the ending consonant? The last gasp at creativity was Love You. Everything after that odd little album was just trying to find a way into some breakthrough connection to the mainstream or cloying nostalgia. I agree with you, had the band broken up on the tarmac in 1977, it might've been for the better and then the Beach Boys cover band featuring original members of the Beach Boys could've just hit the state fair circuit and made a good living. It's essentially what Mike did anyway. In many ways the nostalgia act harms their legacy, but I'm not one who enjoys bands when they become cover bands of themselves. Mike Love just embraces Boomer nostalgia, even when that trend is well in the past. Mike's instincts musically and creatively are just wrong, and even here he's just trying to recreate a Kokomo. It's crass and it's a bit insulting.
As for Summer in Paradise as a distinct album, it's truly awful. The production adds nothing to poorly written songs as Mike seemed like he wants to just play with every piece of tech, and the only thing that makes it remotely enjoyable is some great vocal work by Carl, which is really solid on Lahaina Aloha. Whatever credit the album might get is immediately destroyed by John Stamos and the Full House desecration of Forever. If the corpse of Dennis Wilson walked from the sea to strangle John Stamos as he sings Forever at a seaside concert, sun is setting, fans of the Olsen twins are swaying, well, you'd find me cheering wildly and calling for Dennis to grab the mic and sing River Song as the Stamos fans shriek in horror. Nothing is ever made better by John Stamos. 1/10 and that's for an interesting cover.
|
|
|
Post by E on Nov 12, 2022 10:18:32 GMT -5
Like any fan, I try to find the good in this and there are times I enjoy (production aside) four or so tracks, but think the rest is a piece of shit.
|
|
stuart
Grommet
Posts: 36
Likes: 71
|
Post by stuart on Jun 14, 2023 19:05:58 GMT -5
Listening to this for the first time ever. It’s drek. While I yearn for every harmony in a BB song, it’s pretty unlistenable. Hearing Carl sing is allowing me to finish the album but I won’t revisit it.
|
|
|
Post by harpwhale27 on Feb 17, 2024 14:59:35 GMT -5
3/10
Whilst i agree it is their worst album, admittedly the 3 songs Still Surfin, Alahian Aloha, and Island Fever are very decent songs in my opinion. Other than that and the album cover being insanely awesome for the quality of the album, it just isn't very good at all.
|
|