Summer in Paradise

Summer in Paradise
Studio album by The Beach Boys
Released August 3, 1992 (U.S.)
May 1993 (UK)
Recorded Autumn 1991–Spring 1992
Genre Rock
Length 44:10 (U.S.)
41:15 (UK)
Label Brother (U.S.)
EMI (UK)
Producer Terry Melcher
The Beach Boys chronology
Still Cruisin'
(1989)		 Summer in Paradise
(1992)		 Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
(1996)
Alternative cover
Alternate UK cover art

Summer in Paradise is the twenty-seventh studio album by American rock band The Beach Boys, released on August 3, 1992 on Brother Records. Produced by Terry Melcher, the album was the band's last to feature original material until the release of That's Why God Made the Radio in 2012. A critical and commercial failure, the album's release reportedly caused independent distributor Navarre to become bankrupt.[1]

The album was left out of Capitol's Beach Boys re-issue campaign in 2000 and 2001, and is currently out of print.

Background

The entire album was recorded using a beta version of Pro Tools on a Macintosh Quadra computer, being one of the first albums to do so. Musically, it continued in the vein of The Beach Boys and Still Cruisin' by having an abundance of electronic instrumentation. The entire rhythm section was electronic on most songs, with all the drum parts being programmed (although not credited as such) and most of the bass parts being synthesized as well[citation needed].

The only band member to actually play was Bruce Johnston, although Terry Melcher played many keyboard parts, and Van Dyke Parks played accordion on two tracks. Touring "regulars" such as Bobby Figueroa, Ed Carter, Mike Kowalski and Matt Jardine did not contribute to the album either. Al Jardine's son Adam did sing backup vocals on the title track, and touring musician Adrian Baker contributed background vocals. All the surviving original band members (except Brian Wilson, who was being removed from the care of Eugene Landy) contributed to this project, though the contributions from Carl Wilson and Al Jardine are purely vocals as they have no songwriting credits here. Jardine had been "suspended" from the band prior to the album's recording (apparently due to Love taking issue with his attitude) and for a while into it, and so he only sings the chorus on two songs.

The idea of this album, in Mike Love's words, was to create "the quintessential soundtrack of summer". Every song on the album, with the exception of a cover of their 1970 song "Forever" and the original song "Strange Things Happen", deals with summer in one way or another. Of the album's twelve tracks, two songs are straight-up covers ("Hot Fun in the Summertime" originally by Sly & the Family Stone, and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" originally by The Shangri-Las); two are new versions of older Beach Boys songs ("Surfin'" and "Forever", the latter with a vocal by John Stamos); one combines a classic song ("One Summer Night") with a new Bruce Johnston song ("Slow Summer Dancing"); and one takes an old song ("Under the Boardwalk") and adds new lyrics. The rest are original songs, all containing both titular and lyrical references to summer and/or surfing, with the exception of the Transcendental Meditation-influenced "Strange Things Happen". The quasi-rap number "Summer of Love" was originally intended to be a duet, albeit one with Bart Simpson. (The song was also used in an episode of "Baywatch".)

Since Navarre and EMI only did one print run each, Summer in Paradise has technically been out of print since its release. Copies have become somewhat rare, fetching upwards of $25 USD on eBay for a U.S. pressing and upwards of $40 USD for UK pressings.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 1/5 stars[2]

The album sold very poorly (reportedly fewer than 10,000 copies) [1] and was received less favorably than any album released by the band to date. Critics attacked the album upon release and continue to do so. In their book, "The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson: The Complete Guide to Their Music", Andrew G. Doe and John Tobler call the album "the absolute nadir of their recording career", "pointless, vapid and soulless" and "utterly disposable" (the latter in reference to the songs). In "Catch a Wave," Peter Ames Carlin speaks especially disparagingly about "Summer of Love", referencing its overtly sexual lyrics.

For twenty years this album stood as the Beach Boys' last album of original material (not counting the previously unreleased album The SMiLE Sessions, which was recorded in 1966-67 but not released until November 2011). The group followed it up Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, an album of Beach Boys classics performed by country stars with the Boys on backup vocals. With the effective split of the band in 1998 following the death of Carl Wilson and the departure of Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, it seemed that Stars and Stripes would be the final official group project. However, the surviving members, including Brian Wilson and early member David Marks, reunited in 2012 for a 50th anniversary tour and new studio album of original material.

Front cover artwork

The artwork that features prominently on the front of this release, and indeed the similar pieces that feature throughout the package, were painted by fellow Californian artist Robert Lyn Nelson. The original U.S. front sleeve utilises the painting "Elements Of The Universe", whilst inside the gatefold casing were further Nelson works, notably "Ring Of Life" (used for the alternate UK pressing), "Embraced By The Sea" and "Amethyst Dawn At Kipahulu"

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Lead Vocals Length
1. "Hot Fun in the Summertime"   Sylvester Stewart Mike Love/Carl Wilson 3:29
2. "Surfin'"   Brian Wilson/Mike Love Love/C. Wilson 3:45
3. "Summer of Love"   Love/Terry Melcher Love 2:51
4. "Island Fever"   Love/Melcher Love/C. Wilson 3:27
5. "Still Surfin'"   Love/Melcher Love 4:03
6. "Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night)"   Bruce Johnston/Danny Webb Bruce Johnston/Al Jardine 3:23
7. "Strange Things Happen"   Love/Melcher Love/Jardine 4:42
8. "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"   George Morton C. Wilson 3:31
9. "Lahaina Aloha"   Love/Melcher Love/C. Wilson 3:44
10. "Under the Boardwalk"   Artie Resnick/Kenny Young/Love Love/C. Wilson 4:07
11. "Summer in Paradise"   Love/Melcher/Fall Love 3:52
12. "Forever"   Dennis Wilson/Gregg Jakobson John Stamos 3:05

UK CD tracks

The 1993 UK CD release features different versions of five songs:

Singles

Summer in Paradise (Brother BBR 727-2 and EMI 0777 7 81036 2 2) failed to chart in either the U.S. or the UK.

"Forever" was released as a promotional single to US radio stations. The promotional single included a "CHR mix" that is different from both the standard CD version (also on the promotional single) and the UK CD version.

"Summer Of Love" (Scotti Bros. 72392 78033-4) was released as a US CD single in 1995 to tie in with its use in a Baywatch episode.

Musicians

Notes

  1. ^ a b Doe, Andrew and Tobler, John G. Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys- The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press, 1997.
  2. ^ Allmusic review

Sources

The Beach Boys
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Box Sets
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