The Beach Boys - Summer's Gone (Fan Album)

Track List: 0:00 Think About the Days 1:29 The Right Time 4:19 Isn't It Time 8:07 What Ever Happened 10:57 Shelter 13:57 Somewhere Quiet 16:57 Tell Me Why 20:37 Strange World 23:38 From There and Back Again 27:02 Half Moon Bay 28:15 This Beautiful Day 29:36 Pacific Coast Highway 31:23 The Last Song 35:56 Summer's Gone In late 2011, the remaining original members of The Beach Boys reunited for the group's upcoming 50th anniversary. Not only was this reunion notable in that the original members would all be touring together for the first time in decades, but this reunion also led to the creation of a new Beach Boys album, That's Why God Made the Radio. It was their first record of (mostly) original material in twenty years and their first with significant contributions from Brian Wilson in nearly thirty! And at the heart of the album is a sequence of songs dubbed 'The Life Suite'. Consisting of the last four tracks of the album ("Strange World", "From There to Back Again", "Pacific Coast Highway" and "Summer's Gone"), this suite deals with the passage of time and trying to recapture the magic that existed in past relationships. But in the end, there is a bittersweet acceptance that those days are gone and a need to face one's present reality, even if it means facing it alone. It's a very emotionally heavy ending to the album, with themes that have only grown more relevant and hard-hitting in the years since its release. For me, the suite is Brian's last great achievement, both for its lyrical maturity as well as the unique building block song structures and the always incredible harmonies (and credit where it's due, it wouldn't exist without Joe Thomas' songwriting contributions). And so, I decided to create this fan album as a way to expand upon the original suite, fleshing it out with tracks from Brian's 2015 release No Pier Pressure and other suitable songs from That's Why God Made the Radio. Together, this sequence of songs still maintains the themes, lyrical narrative and overall feeling of the original four song sequence, but now feels like a proper album-length release. In a way it's the yang to the yin that is his 2008 album That Lucky Old Sun, and perfectly captures the mindset of Brian Wilson in 2011-2012 the same way Pet Sounds captured his mindset in 1966 or Love You in 1976-1977. While I originally created this fan album about two or so years ago, I'm publishing it now because of the recent death of Brian Wilson. And while I may not have initially intended it as such, I feel that this fan album now acts as an appropriate tribute/send-off for both him and the Beach Boys. Thank you, Brian. "We laugh, we cry. We live, then die. And dream about our yesterday." Cover art painting by Karen Winters. Inspired by the original 'Life Suite' video by Grouchy Jelly.