The Beach Store

Keepin' the Summer Alive, originally released in 1980, is a somewhat hollow attempt to recapture the Beach Boys' fun-in-the-sun heyday, but the material and its execution are generally too weak to achieve that goal. Still, Carl Wilson's catchy title song stands out, as does the ancient Brian Wilson outtake "When Girls Get Together," and the band's harmonies sound typically fine. The 1985 release The Beach Boys takes a different route entirely, submerging the band -- with Brian back on board but now minus Dennis, who had drowned two years earlier -- in a wash of then-trendy synths and drum machines. Aside from the buoyant Mike Love-penned hit "Getcha Back," the material is mostly forgettable, making this one of the band's least essential efforts.