Top 10 Albums for Summer

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and that means the summer season is now in full swing! Still my favorite time of year and it always feels much too short. Sunny skies set my spirits high! So all I need in addition to sun is some good records to play while I'm driving my Honda Accord down to Malibu, cruising for a great beach to get a tan at. Seriously, my doctor said I need to get more sun. it's either that or taking Vitamin E every other hour.



Here are my top 10 albums for summer, the ones you will most definitely find in my 6-disc CD changer. And if you don't find them in there, it's because I brought my iPod along for a change:



"Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys"



NOTE: This or any other Beach Boys compilation will suffice.



I'm starting with this one because having any Beach Boys album on this list feels mandatory. Even though present day America doesn't quite resemble the 60's, I can always count on Brian Wilson and company to put me in a good mood. Songs like "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin' USA," "I Get Around," and lord knows how many others make me want to jump in my car (which I'm still making payments on) and drive out to Santa Monica. Even the obscene prices for gas and parking won't keep me from doing that!



One of my big favorites of theirs is "Feel Flows," and Cameron Crowe made great use of it in "Almost Famous."



"Pulp Fiction" soundtrack



I loved this movie so much that I went straight out to the record store after seeing it and bought the soundtrack. A mix of surf rock, rock and roll, soul and pop music, everything fits together perfectly. Starting off with Dick Dale's "Misirlou," surf rock that is also mandatory on this list, you get put into an excited mood that holds up each time you put this CD on. "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & The Gang, "Son Of A Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield, and "Bustin' Surfboards" by The Tornadoes will get the party started. You also have Al Green and Ricky Nelson here to slow things down if you need to.



"Good Morning Vietnam" soundtrack



The soundtrack to this Barry Levinson directed film starring Robin Williams gets off to a terrific start with Martha and the Vandellas' "Nowhere To Run." Songs like that put me in a summer frame of mind even if it isn't summer. The Beach Boys are on this soundtrack as well, but I didn't need them as an excuse to put this one on the list. Some of my other favorites include "Five O'clock World," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Sugar and Spice," and "Liar, Liar." You can always count on the classics to get you in a sunny mood!



"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles



I have to stick a Beatles album on here somewhere, so it might as well be this one. For me, this is the definitive record by John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and its fantastical music and lyrics put me in a mood like no other. It stands as one of the most creative albums that have ever been made, and since summer feels like my most creative time, it's as good as time as ever to listen to it.



"Are You Experienced" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience



Got to get some Jimi in here. For me this is his penultimate album as it contains such classics as "Purple Haze," "Manic Depression," and the title track. One of the all time masters of guitar playing, Jimi's brilliance rises with the temperatures in June, July, and August. Plus, summer is a reminder that I don't listen to Jimi's music enough. Never has manic depression felt or sounded this good!



"Business As Usual" by Men at Work



This Australian rock and roll band hit its peak in the 80's, and this was their best album. I don't just say that because it has the hit songs "Who Can It Be Now," "Down Under," and "Be Good Johnny" on it. The record as a whole is terrific, and songs like "Down By The Sea" are great to listen to while you're watching the sun set in the distance. Other songs like "Underground" and "Helpless Automaton" help keep the tempo when it is called for.



"Pump" by Aerosmith



This was the first album I ever bought by Aerosmith and it remains my favorite of theirs to this day. Unlike their later ones (which were still good), "Pump" was rock and roll that did not play it safe. Songs like "F.I.N.E." have the following lyrics:



"One little French kiss honey, that's my kind of trash!"



"Ain't got no rubbers now it's raining all the time honey!"



Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and company were creating reckless rock and roll with that and other songs like "Love In An Elevator," and that made this album all the more invigorating to listen to.



"1984" by Van Halen



This is still the best album by this long running rock band. With songs like "Jump," "Panama," and "Hot For Teacher," this is one of those records that gets my adrenaline up and running during my favorite time of year! It doesn't matter how many times I've listened to it, I never get sick of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and company when I play this album on my iPod or CD player (the iPod more likely these days).



"Passion" by Peter Gabriel



If there is one instrumental album that I would prefer to listen to in the summertime, it's this one. This was Peter Gabriel's score to the controversial Martin Scorsese film "The Last Temptation Of Christ." That movie took place in the desert where water looked impossible to find. It is one of those brilliant scores that, like the one for "There Will Be Blood," did not get an Oscar nomination. It doesn't matter though because the music is beautiful, and it reaches down into those dark places which makes its uplifting ending feel truly earned.



"Irresistible Bliss" by Soul Coughing



I've been a big fan of Soul Coughing ever since their song "Super Bon Bon" was featured on "Homicide: Life On The Street." Their improvisational jazz grooves and musical experimentations made for one of the best cult bands of the 90's. This album always gets me into a groovy mood with songs like "Collapse," "Disseminated," and "Paint," and it sucks that these guys have since broken up. There really wasn't another band like them, and this album was their best effort.



While all these albums differ from one another, they have an upbeat rhythm to them which loosens me up. That's the thing about summer, I need to lighten up the atmosphere around me and have more fun than I usually do. My top 10 albums for summer more than do that for me, so here's to some fun times during those hot months!