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Still Cruisin'

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Still Cruisin' is the 26th studio album by The Beach Boys, their thirty-fifth official album (counting compilations and live packages), and their last release of the 1980s. It is also the last album of new material released during a brief return to Capitol Records.

Still Cruisin' was left out of Capitol's Beach Boys re-issue campaign in 2000 and 2001, and is currently out of print.

Background

After "Kokomo" (when released as a single from the Cocktail film soundtrack) gave the Beach Boys their first number one hit in the US since 1966's "Good Vibrations", the band decided to put together an album of recent and classic songs. The classic songs included had been heard in recent films. The songs "Still Cruisin'", "Somewhere Near Japan" and "Island Girl" were recorded for the album by the touring Beach Boys band as well as studio musicians and producer Terry Melcher. Due to his ongoing relationship with Dr. Eugene Landy, Brian Wilson's lone contribution to this album was "In My Car", a song credited as being co-written by Landy and girlfriend Alexandra Morgan. However, as subsequent court actions have seen Landy's name removed from other period songs,[3] such as those on Wilson's 1988 album, these credits may be negated. "Kokomo" was a recent single, as was "Wipe Out", a duet with American rap group the Fat Boys. (The song was originally to be recorded with Run-DMC, but Mike Love apparently struck a deal with the other group.)[3] "Make It Big" was recorded for the film Troop Beverly Hills, and the remaining three songs - "I Get Around", "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "California Girls" – were the 'classic' recordings, ones from the group's earlier period, that had been used in recent films.

Mike Love said of the album: "The theme of that album was to have been songs that have been in movies. It was basically a repackage. But then it got watered down with politics, meaning Brian's Dr. Landy forcing a song called "In My Car," which was never in a movie, and a song by [Al] Jardine, which ultimately ended up on the album, called "Island Girl," which was never in a movie either. So to me the concept was a little bit diluted there politically."[4]

Riding on the coattails of "Kokomo", Still Cruisin' went gold in the US and Austria[5] and gave the Beach Boys their best chart showing since 1976. During Capitol's Beach Boys re-issue campaign in 2000 and 2001 however, Still Cruisin' was left behind and allowed to go out of print.

Promotional videos

Four music videos were produced for Still Crusin'

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Still Cruisin'" (from Lethal Weapon 2)Mike Love, Terry MelcherMike Love, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston3:35
2."Somewhere Near Japan"Bruce Johnston, Love, Melcher, John PhillipsLove, Carl Wilson, Jardine and Johnston4:48
3."Island Girl"Al JardineCarl Wilson, Jardine and Love3:49
4."In My Car"Brian WilsonBrian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Jardine3:21
5."Kokomo" (from Cocktail)Love, Scott McKenzie, Melcher, PhillipsLove and Carl Wilson3:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
6."Wipe Out"Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, Ron WilsonThe Fat Boys and Brian Wilson4:00
7."Make It Big" (from Troop Beverly Hills)Love, Bill House, MelcherCarl Wilson, Love, Jardine and Brian Wilson3:08
8."I Get Around" (from Good Morning, Vietnam)Brian Wilson, LoveBrian Wilson and Love2:09
9."Wouldn't It Be Nice" (from The Big Chill)Brian Wilson, Tony AsherBrian Wilson and Love2:22
10."California Girls" (from Soul Man)Brian Wilson, LoveLove, B. Wilson, Johnston2:35

Singles

  • "Kokomo" b/w "Tutti Frutti" (Little Richard) (Elektra), July 18, 1988 US #1; UK #25
  • "Still Cruisin' " b/w "Kokomo" (Capitol), August 7, 1989 US #93
  • "Somewhere Near Japan" b/w "Kokomo" (Capitol), January 1990

Still Cruisin' (Capitol) reached #46 in the U.S. during a chart stay of 22 weeks. It reached number 12 in Austria[6] number 25 in Switzerland[7]and number 43 in Sweden.[8]

Personnel

The Beach Boys
Additional musicians[9]
  • Joey Brasler - guitar
  • Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
  • Jeffrey Foskett - background vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Adam Jardine - background vocals
  • Matt Jardine - background vocals

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  3. ^ a b Doe, Andrew and Tobler, John G. Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys - The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press, 1997.
  4. ^ "Mike Love interview". tripod.com. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. ^ http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin Album Sales Records at IFPI
  6. ^ http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beach+Boys&titel=Still+Cruisin%27&cat=a
  7. ^ http://www.swisscharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&artist=The+BEach+Boys&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts
  8. ^ http://www.swedishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&artist=The+Beach+Boys&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts
  9. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/still-cruisin-mw0000200452/credits Album Credits at Allmusic
  • The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience, Timothy White, c. 1994.
  • Top Pop Singles 1955–2001, Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
  • Top Pop Albums 1955–2001, Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
  • Allmusic.com
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