Beach Boys frontman Mike Love, ostensibly an authority on beaches, recorded a cover of Ramones “Rockaway Beach” for his upcoming solo album. The cover has more in common with the Beach Boys than the snarling punk original, thanks to big vocal harmonies and even a little Brian Wilson–style “ooh-ee-oooh” falsetto on top of it. The track closes out the LP 12 Sides of Summer, which comes out July 19th.
“It felt so natural to sing it,” Love told Billboard of the cover. “It fits beautifully in the Beach Boys surfing song genre. Not only is it a great song, it’s also right in my vocal range. It’s almost as if it was designed for me to sing, and that’s why I am so eager to play it live.”
The rest of 12 Sides of Summer is a mix of original songs and covers. He’s included renditions of the Dave Clark Five’s “Over and Over,” Abba’s “On and On and On,” the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto’s “Girl From Ipanema” and three numbers by the Beach Boys. Those include “Surfin’,” “Surfin’ Safari” and a version of “It’s OK” that features Hanson.
Although Love and his cousin, Wilson, have clashed over the years since Love took control of the Beach Boys, the pair put their differences aside — alongside other Beach Boys members — in an interview for Sirius XM last year. “Brian and I connect on a pretty primordial level,” Love told Rolling Stone afterwards. “He’s got his own band. We’ve got our own. We’re usually on our own trajectories. It’s very nice to get together.”
12 Sides of Summer Track List
1. “California Beach”
2. “It’s OK”
3. “Surfin’”
4. “California Sun”
5. “Surfin’ Safari”
6 On and On and On”
7. “Here Comes the Sun”
8. “Girl from Ipanema”
9. “Over and Over and Over Again”
10. “Keepin’ the Summer Alive”
11. “Summertime Blues”
12. “Rockaway Beach”