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Still Cruisin'

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Still Cruisin'
Two flags, one red and the other checkered, crossed over a top-down view of a boat in red-tinted water, with the title and artist name superimposed
Studio album by
The Beach Boys
ReleasedAugust 28, 1989
RecordedFebruary 27, 1987[1]–1989;
Except "I Get Around": April 1964, "Wouldn't It Be Nice": January–April 1966, and "California Girls": April & June 1965
GenreRock, new wave, reggae fusion
Length33:44
LabelCapitol
ProducerBrian Wilson
Terry Melcher
Al Jardine
Albert Calbrera
Tony Moran
Gary Usher[1]
The Beach Boys chronology
Made in U.S.A.
(1986) 		Still Cruisin'
(1989) 		Lost & Found (1961–62)
(1991)
Singles from Still Cruisin'
  1. "Kokomo"
    Released: July 18, 1988
  2. "Still Cruisin'"
    Released: August 7, 1989
  3. "Somewhere Near Japan"
    Released: January 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Still Cruisin' is the twenty-sixth 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.

Released on August 28, 1989, the album was panned by critics, with AllMusic referring to the band's sound by producer Terry Melcher as sounding "like a professional '60s cover band".[2] Despite the poor critical reception, the album was Certified Gold by RIAA in 1989 and has since gone on to be Certified Platinum for sales of 1,000,000 copies.[6]

Despite its commercial success, Still Cruisin' was left out of Capitol's Beach Boys re-issue campaign in 2000 and 2001, along with their following album Summer in Paradise. Its lead single "Kokomo", however, has made subsequent appearances on compilation albums.

Background

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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,[7] 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.)[7] "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. The inclusion of these hits gave the album a more acceptable running time.

At least one song was recorded during or around the time of the sessions for this album but was not included. "Happy Endings" is a ballad which was a collaboration with Little Richard; it was produced by Terry Melcher and was (recorded in June and October 1987 and) released as a non-album single on November 3, 1987.[1] (Its B-side was a live version of "California Girls".)[1] Also not included were "Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue", "California Dreamin", and "Lady Liberty" (all of which were released as singles in 1986),[8] along with "The Spirit of Rock and Roll" (recorded between August 1986 and January 1987), a Brian Wilson composition included as the final song in the band's 25th anniversary concert/TV special.[8][1] "The Spirit of Rock and Roll" was not released. In addition, the 1988 remake of "Don't Worry Baby" from the film Tequila Sunrise with the Everly Brothers was not included.

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."[9]

Riding on the coattails of "Kokomo", Still Cruisin' went gold in the US and Austria[10] 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, and it has remained out of print ever since.

Singles

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Music videos were produced for "Still Cruisin'", "Somewhere Near Japan", "Kokomo" and "Wipe Out".

Commercial performance

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Still Cruisin' reached number 46 on the US Billboard 200 during a chart stay of 22 weeks. It reached number 10 in Australia,[11] number 12 in Austria.[12] number 25 in Switzerland[13] and number 43 in Sweden.[14]

Track listing

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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"John Phillips, Bruce Johnston, Love, MelcherLove, C. Wilson, Jardine, and Johnston4:48
3."Island Girl (I'm Gonna Make Her Mine)"Al JardineC. Wilson, Jardine, and Love3:49
4."In My Car"Brian WilsonBrian Wilson, C. Wilson, and Jardine3:21
5."Kokomo" (from Cocktail)Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Love, MelcherLove and C. Wilson3:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Wipe Out" (single version, with The Fat Boys)Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, Ron WilsonThe Fat Boys and B. Wilson4:00
7."Make It Big" (from Troop Beverly Hills)Love, Bill House, MelcherC. Wilson, Love, Jardine, and B. Wilson3:08
8."I Get Around" (from Good Morning, Vietnam)Brian Wilson, LoveB. Wilson and Love2:09
9."Wouldn't It Be Nice" (Made in U.S.A. mix, from The Big Chill)Brian Wilson, Tony AsherB. Wilson and Love2:22
10."California Girls" (from Soul Man)Brian Wilson, LoveLove, B. Wilson, Johnston2:35

Personnel

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Partial credits; credits exclude those for the 1960s songs.[15][16][17][18][19]

The Beach Boys

  • Mike Love – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals
  • Al Jardine – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, guitar
  • Carl Wilson – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Bruce Johnston – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
  • Brian Wilson – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals; keyboards and synthesizers on "In My Car"

Additional musicians

  • The Fat Boys – rapping on "Wipe Out"
  • Adam Jardine – backing vocals on “Island Girl”
  • Matt Jardine – backing vocals on “Island Girl”
  • Jeffrey Foskett – backing vocals on “Island Girl” and acoustic guitar on "Kokomo"
  • Craig Trippand Fall – lead guitar on "Still Crusin'" and "Somewhere Near Japan," bass guitar, mandolin
  • Joseph Brasler – lead guitar on "In My Car"
  • Rod Clark – bass on "Kokomo"
  • Keith Wechsler – drums and keyboards on "Still Cruisin'"
  • Mike Kowalski – drums on “Island Girl”
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums on "In My Car"
  • Jim Keltner – drums on "Somewhere Near Japan" and "Kokomo"
  • Van Dyke Parks – accordion on "Kokomo"
  • Joel Peskin – saxophone on "Kokomo" and "Make It Big"
  • Chili con Charles – percussion on "Kokomo"
  • "Vince", "Milton", and "Mike" (last names unknown) – steel drums on "Kokomo"
  • James Grunke – synth programming on "Island Girl"
  • Michael Bernard – synth programming on "In My Car"

Production staff

  • Terry Melcher – producer
  • Brian Wilson – producer ("In My Car")
  • Al Jardine – producer ("Island Girl")
  • Albert Calbrera – producer ("Wipe Out")
  • Tony Moran – producer ("Wipe Out")
  • Gary Usher – vocal producer ("Wipe Out"; The Beach Boys' vocal overdubs only)[1]

Charts

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Chart performance for Still Cruisin'
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 92
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 26
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 25
US Billboard 200[22] 46

Certifications

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Certifications for Still Cruisin'
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[24] Gold 25,000*
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Doe, Andrew G.; et al. "Gigs & Sessions 1987". Bellagio 10452. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Allmusic review
  3. ^ Wolk, Douglas (October 2004). "The Beach Boys Still Cruisin". Blender. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  5. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  6. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  7. ^ a b Doe, Andrew and Tobler, John G. Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys - The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press, 1997.
  8. ^ a b Doe, Andrew G.; et al. "Gigs & Sessions 1986". Bellagio 10452. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mike Love interview". tripod.com. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  10. ^ "IFPI Austria - Verband der Österreichischen Musikwirtschaft". Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2012. Album Sales Records at IFPI
  11. ^ a b "Australiancharts.com – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Austriancharts.at – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Swedishcharts.com – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "Can Mike Love play the sax".
  16. ^ "Guitar playing on later albums...Still Cruisin, Summer in Paradise".
  17. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/still-cruisin-mw0000200452/credits Album Credits at Allmusic
  18. ^ "The very last time certain instruments were played on BB tracks?".
  19. ^ The Beach Boys (1989). Still Cruisin' (booklet). California.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Beach Boys – Still Cruisin'" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  22. ^ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  24. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Beach Boys – Still Cruising" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Beach Boys". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
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