Keepin' the Summer Alive

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. 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''. In October 1979, the band reconvened with Bruce Johnston taking complete control of the album's production. The resulting album included a mixture of new songs alongside older unreleased songs. In 2020, Johnston elaborated, believing session guest and former bandmate Ricky Fataar’s drumming was inferior to session drummer Scott Mathews’ playing. ==Outtakes==

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". ==Critical reception==

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.'" 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. ==Track listing==

Adapted from 2000 liner notes and Craig Slowinski. 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 • Bob Alcivar – horn arrangements • Harry Betts – string 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==