FEEL THE LOVE an interview with Mike Love
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FEEL THE LOVE an interview with Mike Love
The Beach Boys , led by legendary vocalist & songwriter Mike Love , will bring their “ Endless Summer Gold ” tour to Stratton Mountain Resort .
For more than six decades , The Beach Boys have been a beloved staple in the world of American music , known for their iconic harmonies and unforgettable hits such as “ Good Vibrations ,” “ Wouldn ’ t It Be Nice ,” “ Surfin ’ USA ,” “ Fun , Fun , Fun ,” and countless others .
Founded in 1961 by Mike Love , his first cousins ( the Wilson brothers : Brian , Carl , and Dennis ), and their school friend , Al Jardine , The Beach Boys quickly rose to fame , topping charts and winning over legions of loyal , lifelong fans . Their influence spans generations , with over 100 million records sold worldwide and numerous accolades , including an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY ® Award . In anticipation of their upcoming concert at Stratton , Mike Love spoke with Stratton Magazine ’ s publisher , Dr . Joshua Sherman . Here are excerpts from their conversation :
JS : Thanks so much for joining us , Mike ! We ’ re big fans of The Beach Boys , and we ’ re very excited for you to come to Stratton on August 3rd for the “ Endless Summer Gold ” Tour . It ’ s a fantastic way to keep the summer vibes alive , and I ’ m assuming that the name of the tour is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the “ Endless Summer ” album . What does that album mean to you personally , and how does it feel to celebrate it 50 years later ?
ML : Well , the 50th anniversary is usually the “ Golden Anniversary ”, right ? So , we called it the “ Endless Summer Gold ” Tour . Maybe next year we ’ ll call it “ Endless Summer Platinum ,” because it was a triple platinum album back in ‘ 74 when it came out . Anyway , we ’ re doing 18 of the 20 songs from the double album in our concerts these days . Those songs have an element of immortality to them . There ’ s “ Catch a Wave ,” “ Hawaii ,” “ Surfin ’ Safari ,” “ Surfin ’ USA ,” “ Help Me , Rhonda ,” and innumerable others . In addition to that , we do “ Kokomo ,” which came out in 1988 , and of course , the Pet Sounds album from 1966 . “ Good Vibrations ” was late ‘ 66 , and we were voted the number one group in Great Britain , with number two being The Beatles , thanks to “ Good Vibrations .” So that was an amazing year . “ Barbara Ann ” was a hit from the party album we did in late 1965 . We do it every night as a great singalong , along with “ Help Me , Rhonda .” “ Kokomo ” is probably the biggest singalong we have , because it was featured on the tv show Full House with John Stamos , America ’ s favorite uncle . We ’ ve known John since he was on General Hospital , and he often comes out and performs with us . He won ’ t be there in Vermont , but he kind of is , because we put a montage up , and I introduce him when we ’ re doing “ Be True to Your School ,” which came out in 1963 , the year John Stamos was born .
JS : You mentioned “ Kokomo ” as being a fan favorite and sing-along . I do a lot of celebrity interviews for our publications , including Berkshire Magazine . This past spring , I interviewed Kool of Kool & The Gang fame , and he explained to me that he always saves “ Ladies ’ Night ” and “ Celebration ” for their finale . With so many hits on this tour , are you sharing the tunes chronologically or in the order of the album , or do you save a few of the big hits until the very end ?
ML : I hate to divulge all of our secrets . However , I like to start retro . I usually start with the surfing songs —” Do It Again ,” “ Surfin ’ Safari ,” “ Surfin ’ USA ,” “ Catch a Wave ,” and “ Hawaii .” We even do a Ramones song called “ Rockaway Beach ,” which we recorded and we love . It ’ s so powerful and fantastic . Then we go to “ Surfer Girl ” and “ Don ’ t Worry Baby .” I like to get started with the retro stuff , because it gets back to the origins of the group , and it has a lot of energy and tremendous positivity . We ’ ll do “ In My Room ” and “ Surfer Girl ” as ballads , and of course , we ’ re going to do “ God Only Knows ,” “ Sloop John B ,” and “ Wouldn ’ t It Be Nice .” But , you ’ re kind of on to us , because we do save “ Help Me , Rhonda ,” “ Good Vibrations ,” and “ Kokomo ” for the end , but not necessarily in that order .
Photo credit : Udo Spreitzenbarth
2 Vermont News Guide July 29 , 2024