Mike Love Celebrating Revived Vibrations

Aruba, Jamaica,

Ooh, I want to take ya

Bermuda, Bahama

Come on pretty mama

Key Largo, Montego,

Baby, why don’t we go.

--the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”

Ironic, isn’t it?

After nearly three decades of singing the praises of Southern California, the Beach Boys have their first No. 1 single in 22 years with a song about the Caribbean.

An even bigger irony is the fact that the song--”Kokomo”--was written and recorded without Brian Wilson, the widely proclaimed “musical genius” of the band--the man whose own, highly promoted “comeback” single, “Love and Mercy,” didn’t even make the Top 100 sales chart.

Neither point was lost on Mike Love, who is Wilson’s cousin and a founding member of the Beach Boys.

Love acknowledged in an interview this week that it felt a bit strange singing about places like Bermuda and Key Largo after years of celebrating “California Girls” and the Southland.

“When we recorded the song, I said to myself: ‘We’re cutting into Jimmy Buffet territory this time,’ ” said Love, who co-wrote the song that is featured on the “Cocktail” sound-track album.

“But in a way, it’s good that we’re singing about (somewhere other than Southern California) because the Beach Boys’ music was really more about a state of mind than a particular place.

“We’ve just transferred that state of mind to the Caribbean this time because that’s what the scene in the movie called for. Tom Cruise is this bartender who flies to Jamaica to tend bar for the season, and we were asked to write a song to fit that scene.”

And what about the irony of reaching No. 1 in a year in which there has been an avalanche of media reports heralding the return of Brian Wilson, who spent much of the last two decades in a psychological twilight zone?

It’s easy to picture Love gloating over the success of “Kokomo” after reading all the reports describing Wilson as the architect of the Beach Boys sound and giving him virtually sole credit for all the group’s success.

After all, Love--who co-wrote “Good Vibrations”--is known to be one of rock’s most outspoken figures. He has gone against almost the entire rock Establishment by supporting parent groups who want to put warning labels on controversial records and his sarcastic barbs at Paul McCartney, Diana Ross and the Rolling Stones--among others--led to widespread boos earlier this year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner in New York City.

But Love, 47, had only praise for Wilson as he sat in a Santa Monica restaurant.

Asked if he resented all the “musical genius” phrases applied to Wilson, who has been not been an active member of the Beach Boys for years, Love said, “No, not at all. Brian is a musical genius. . . . I’m just hoping that the success of ‘Kokomo’ will lead us to work together again.

“But that may be up to Eugene Landy (the psychologist who has worked with Wilson since the early ‘80s and who co-wrote some of the songs on Wilson’s album) because he controls Brian’s life.”

Was he surprised that Wilson’s single wasn’t a hit--despite the generally glowing reviews?

“To be honest, I wasn’t,” he said. “I thought it would have been a lot better (record and album) with the Beach Boys. There may be little nuggets and moments in his album, but it doesn’t (strike me) as very commercial. . . . I also don’t think it was promoted very well . . . all that emphasis on the ‘troubled musical genius.’ I’m not sure that’s the way to sell records.”

About working with Wilson again, Love added, “As long as Brian is alive, he has those innate musical abilities. The question is whether he is applying himself and whether he is working with people who know how to extract that genius from him. I know how and I can prove it. Look at all those hits we had together. I’m not saying I’m a musical genius, too, but I did contribute (in various ways) whether or not I was credited.”

Though the Beach Boys have been in demand as a concert act (grossing more than $13 million this year on the road, according to Love), the band--which will perform its hits at the Coliseum today as part of the USC/Cal football game festivities--has been cold as a recording act in the ‘80s.

Love said the “Kokomo” success makes him want to concentrate more on records, even if it means easing up on the concert schedule.

And just where is “Kokomo”--the ideal vacation spot saluted in the hit single?

As far as Love and the song’s three co-writers (Terry Melcher, John Phillips and Scott McKenzie) know, there is no Kokomo in the Caribbean (though you can find a Kokomo in Indiana, Hawaii and Mississippi).

“John just came up with the name because it sounded good,” said Melcher, who also produced the record. “The funny thing is that I’ve heard that people have been calling travel agents since the record came out, asking about Kokomo. They want to go there.”

U2’S SIDEWALK CONCERT--U2, whose last (1987) attempt to do a public (roof-top) concert in Los Angeles was halted by police, worked out an arrangement with police to stage a brief, acoustic concert Thursday night in front of Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Moments before going inside for the local premiere of their film, “U2 Rattle and Hum,” the Irish band sang three songs--including “When Love Comes to Town” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”--for about 4,000 fans, most of whom sat on bleachers or stood on the sidewalk across the street.

LIVE ACTION: The Grateful Dead plays three nights at the Long Beach Arena, Dec. 9-11. Tickets on sale Sunday. . . . Three touted new acts are coming to the Roxy: the Primitives on Nov. 28, Judson Spence on Nov. 29 and Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians on Dec. 5. Tickets for all three on sale now. . . . On sale Sunday is Fela Kuti at the Universal Amphitheatre on Nov. 25.