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Keepin' The Summer Alive / The Beach Boys
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724352794829
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Label: Capitol
Manufacturer: Capitol
MPN: 27948
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Capitol
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Studio: Capitol
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Editorial Review:
Bruce Johnston, not Barry Manilow, wrote "I Write the Songs." And if that isn't enough irony for you, the Beach Boys thought enough of his efforts on 1979's aptly titled, if creatively underwhelming, L.A. (Light Album) that they let him produce the 1980 follow-up, Keepin' the Summer Alive. The resulting effort may have down-graded the band's sorry condition from grave to critical, but it was also a testament to how far the Beach Boys had coasted on their fleeting reputation alone. Johnston wisely brings the band's trademark harmonies to the fore, but in the service of some typically (for the period) lackluster songwriting. Tellingly, though Brian Wilson was ostensibly involved, even the presence of B.T.O.'s Randy Bachman (who cowrote a pair of tracks with Carl Wilson) is more distinct. Still need more irony? The final track of this hollow, haunted de facto paean to the band's disunity is Johnston's schmaltzy "Endless Harmony." Such was the response to Summer that the band spent the next five years on the road, burnishing their reputation as a nostalgia act; at least it kept them out of the studio. Unfortunately, by the time they returned to recording, Dennis Wilson was dead, Brian Wilson had "found" a new collaborator (the infamous Dr. Eugene Landy, his psychotherapist), and the band was at its usual creative loggerhead. But they also had the good sense to bring in hot '80s hired-gun producer Steve Levine to at least synthesize a respectable-sounding Beach Boys album. The single "Getcha Back" is a weird mix of nostalgia and contemporary studio smoke and mirrors; with Brian Wilson's falsetto soaring over the top as it hadn't in decades, it's also the most familiar-sounding band track in years. Levine's efforts at veneer (which include using Stevie Wonder as a sideman/collaborator) gloss over some wobbly songwriting. Brian's profile is higher than it's been since Love You, but his ever fragile, quirky constructions (especially "Male Ego," "Crack at Your Love," and "California Saga") are largely stillborn, thanks to the amateurish lyrical efforts of Landy. Carl Wilson shines throughout; the band's greatest trooper until the bitter end. Both albums are newly remastered on a single disc. --Jerry McCulley
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Keepin the summer alive/Beach Boys
This album is pleasent to listen to. Not quite what the Beach Boys have done in the past,but some good tunes to excersize with or take on a bike ride.Title track can get you dancin,Santa Anna Winds is put together well and Goin On has a great harmony.Overall I have to say ,Keepin The Summer Alive is a permanent part of my Beach Boy collection. P Campbell Colorado
Rating:  - M I U/ LA LIGHT
i am very pleased with my cd and the switnees it was delivered,it was in perfect shape,like brand new
Rating:  - I love the eponymous "The Beach Boys" album
I love the Beach Boys album. Getcha Back, California Calling, She Believes in Love Again... all of it!!
Give it a chance, there is actually good pop songwriting and some strong singing in the middle of the 80s production. I saw them on this tour (my 1st BBoys Concert of 4) and was only disapointed that they didn't play more songs from this album.
Keepin the Summer Alive drags a bit in my opinion, but has highlights in KTSA, Goin On, and Endless Harmony.
Not the Greatest ... Read More
Rating: - A Great Comeback Album
The CD I have doesn't include "Keepin' the Summer Alive," so I cannot review it. My review is of "The Beach Boys," which was released around the time of my 14th birthday in 1985. Why I did not buy it then continues to baffle me...
I think this is a terrific CD. The first album by the group after Dennis Wilson's death, it shows they still had the energy and drive, which put them at the top over 20 years earlier. However, I must warn you- if you cannot bear to hear the Beach Boys outside of ... Read More
Rating:  - The 2nd album redeems this set a bit
Looks like I'll be the minority on this one. While I agree that KEEPIN' THE SUMMER ALIVE is one of the band's most lackluster (it's probably my 3rd least favorite in their catalogue),the self-titled 1985 BEACH BOYS reminded me that I enjoyed the group and renewed my interest in their older material when it came out back in the 80s, courtesy of "Getcha Back" (the single that returned the band to the Top 40).
The common thread between the 2 albums is that "big guns" were brought in on each one ... Read More
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