Credit: Udo SpreitzenbarthFounding Beach Boys singer Mike Love recently released a new solo single titled “This Too Shall Pass,” that offers a message of hope and positivity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 79-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who is self-quarantining with members of his family at his home on Lake Tahoe in Nevada, says life in lockdown is giving him an opportunity to focus on being creative. He tells ABC Audio that he has plans for a couple of other new projects, one of which will focus on a musical style that inspired the early Beach Boys.
“I’d love to do [an album] focusing mostly on the vocals,” Mike explains. “‘Cause I think the thing that’s distinguished The Beach Boys from so many other groups is the the four-part harmonies that we…learned…from The Four Freshmen.”
Love notes that at their recent shows, The Beach Boys had been performing an a cappella rendition of “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” — which was written by Bobby Troup and recorded by The Four Freshmen in 1961. It’s a tune that his group first performed live during the 1960s.
Regarding the new album, Mike says, “I want to take that style of singing and apply it to some songs that have never been treated that way. Songs that a lot of people love. Maybe a couple of them from the Beach Boys catalog, but not just restricted to that.”
Meanwhile, Love tells ABC Audio that because of the pandemic, he’ll likely be spending the summer at home. It’s something he hasn’t done for decades, since The Beach Boys always are on tour during the summer touring season.
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.