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) Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys (1993)
Alternative cover
Alternate UK cover art

Summer in Paradise is The Beach Boys' twenty-seventh studio album, their first release of the 1990s and the band's last full album of new, original material. It was released in the United States in 1992 on Brother Records (through an independent distributor, Navarre) and in the United Kingdom in 1993 on EMI. It has been reported that Navarre went bankrupt after distributing the album. The album was left out of Capitol's Beach Boys re-issue campaign in 2000 and 2001 and thus was left to remain 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

The album sold very poorly (reportedly fewer than 10,000 copies) 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.

This stands as the Beach Boys' most recent 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 last official group project was Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, an album of Beach Boys classics performed by country stars with the Boys on backup vocals.

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:

• "Island Fever" – 3:11
  • Completely re-recorded and features new music and different lyrics.
  • Features Mike Love and Al Jardine on lead vocals
• "Strange Things Happen" – 3:17
  • Remixed and shortened considerably.
  • Features Mike Love and Al Jardine on lead vocals
• "Under the Boardwalk" – 3:28
  • Remixed and shortened considerably, although the bridge was restored.
  • Features Mike Love and Carl Wilson on lead vocals
• "Summer in Paradise" – 3:27
  • Completely re-recorded and features new music, different lyrics, and Roger McGuinn singing lead vocals on one verse.
  • Features Mike Love and Roger McGuinn on lead vocals
• "Forever" – 2:58
  • Remixed and shortened slightly.
  • Features John Stamos on lead vocals

• Remember (Walking in the Sand) was remixed for the UK CD but the new mix was left off in favor of the U.S. version.

Singles

• "Hot Fun in the Summertime" b/w "Summer of Love" (Brother), July 1992

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

• Adrian Baker - vocals
• Rod Clark - bass guitar
• Craig Fall - guitar, mandolin, keyboard bass
• Al Jardine - vocals
• Bruce Johnston - keyboard, vocals
• Danny Kortchmar - guitar
• Mike Love - vocals
• Sal Marullo - conga drums
• Roger McGuinn - Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, vocals (UK version only)
• Terry Melcher - keyboard, vocals
• Sammy Merendino - drums
• Van Dyke Parks - accordion, keyboard
• Joel Peskin - saxophone
• Richard Titus - keyboards, keyboard programming
• Keith Wechsler - keyboard, drums
• John Weston - pedal steel guitar
• Carl Wilson - vocals
• John Stamos - vocals
• Adam Jardine - vocals

Notes

Sources

• Summer in Paradise CD booklet notes, Mike Love
• "The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience", Timothy White, c. 1994.
• Allmusic.com