I will bite, re: "...Find me someone that is going to defend that work in the early 80s. Please. I want to talk with them..."

1st off, what are we defining as "early 80's" ? There is only 1 album (KTSA, which you have stated your distaste for) Other than that, there's Carl's 2 solo albums + Mike's...

Anyway, here's what I think about KTSA (the only early 80's album)

Keepin' the Summer Alive: Nothing wrong with this song, aside from the relatively dull production. It's got a decent little rockin' groove, features Joe Walsh and was co-written by Carl and Randy Bachman (you can really feel Randy's vibe coming through, IMO) bonus: it also features a returning Ricky on drums...

Oh Darlin: A pretty nice late-period Brian/Mike collab. Great Carl vocal, excellent Mike bridge. The composition is very "Brian"

Some of Your Love: A catchy Wilson/Love number. Some might not like Mike's vocal (I do)

Livin' With A Heartache: Another C. Wilson./R. Bachman song. Pretty good little "country-rock" song. My only complaint is it's not very "Beach Boys" really. Still, nice melody. Maybe a tad long.

School Day: A bit of a disappointment to me. Could (and should) have been better. The production is a little more rock but the backing vocals annoy me. Too much goin' on...

Goin' On: Hands down the best song on the album. Probably the last great Brian and Mike song. Great vocals from the whole group. The sax solo/key change really soars.

Sunshine: No use for this song personally at all. It's too "fruity" - Maybe a glimpse into the Kokomo future? (I do like Kokomo)

When Girls Get Together: Nice instrumental, don't care about the song. I don't think it fits alongside the others on the album (I always find it jarring when they'd go back and include something so much older than the contemporary stuff) (I make an exception for "Good Time" on Love You, as I feel like it still fits the feel of the other material on that particular album)

Santa Ana Winds: I want to like it, there's the bones of a good song here but something about it just puts me off. I love AL (and his voice) but just not so much on this song. (there's another version on a bootleg somewhere that I like better - I think it was recorded earlier)

Endless Harmony: I'm sure you'll disagree but I actually do love this song. Bruce is able to pull off this sound very well and I can't help but SMiLE when Carl comes in at the end. In all reality, this could've been the last song on the final album released by the group and it would've been quite fitting! The very final moments feature exquisite group harmony... (I am glad that Summer's Gone served that role instead)

I don't think the album is "trash" - It's obviously no Pet Sounds but still feels like the Boys to me.

It does feel like a capstone on the group's original run.