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Post by Kapitan on Mar 21, 2022 11:38:25 GMT
The Beach Boys had a surprise hit in the latter half of 1988 with their single "Kokomo." Fans waited a full year for the proper follow-up" "Still Cruisin'," the first single from their upcoming album of the same name. (Technically one could call "Kokomo" the album's first single, but--released a full year earlier--it clearly was not promoting the not-yet-conceived album.)
Another Terry Melcher-Mike Love collaboration, "Still Cruisin" included vocals by Love, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnson. (As was the case with "Kokomo," Brian Wilson was not present.) The song was instrumentally performed by engineer Keith Wechsler (drums, keyboards) and session musician Craig Falls (bass, guitars).
While it did have a video in heavy rotation on VH-1 as part of a Chevrolet Corvette giveaway--the video includes shots of Brian Wilson in a Corvette taken as part of the promotion--the song did not approach the success of its predecessor had a year before. Discounting adult contemporary charts, it peaked in the US at #93. It performed slightly better in the UK (#78) and in Australia, Austria, Germany, and Canada.
EDIT - Sorry, I forgot to mention the B-side! It is ... "Kokomo." I guess that's better than one of these recent singles with either a live version of a classic or just a very old song. But to have the follow-up single to "Kokomo" use "Kokomo" as the B-side? Smacks of desperation.
Please discuss and rate "Still Cruisin."
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 21, 2022 12:08:51 GMT
I never really warmed up to "Still Cruisin'". I guess it has all of the elements, Beach Boys' elements, to be a good song. Mike's vocal is OK, the harmonies are fine, the guitar during the instrumental bridge is very good, and the song does get going, it picks up momentum. The lyrics? Meh.
It was such an intentional attempt to recapture the old magic, the old subject matter, the old "feeling" of a classic Beach Boys' song - not that there's anything wrong with that. The group had success with that formula with "Do It Again", "It's OK", "Getcha Back", and later with "Spring Vacation". I guess they (especially Mike and Terry) thought, with the success of "Kokomo", that is was time to try again.
"Still Cruisin" is an OK song. I might stretch to above average. There were times, when it first came out, that I actually liked it a lot, but it's not a song that I seek out today. I would consider it for a comp of "later" Beach Boys' songs; that's about the best compliment I can give. I'm rambling here because I can't think of a rating. How about a safe 6?
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Post by kds on Mar 21, 2022 13:17:56 GMT
Still Cruisin is a decent song, definitely a step down from songs like Do It Again and It's OK that Sheriff mentioned. It's probably not even as good as California Callin' for that matter.
I'll give it a six.
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
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Post by Emdeeh on Mar 21, 2022 13:56:49 GMT
I like the slinky groove in “Still Cruisin’” and Carl’s part on the chorus, so I gave it a 7.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 21, 2022 18:19:17 GMT
I think it's an average song for the type of song it is, but as I've said a lot through the '80s singles, the production style really does not appeal to me. At all. I would have liked to hear some Beach Boys playing instruments on the single rather than two outside musicians (one of whom was apparently programming, not playing). I know, I know, "it was the era." I get it. Doesn't mean I liked it then, and definitely doesn't mean I have to like it now!
But the song, eh, it's fine. I don't really have anything to add to what others have said about it. It's a second- or third-rate throwback kind of thing. Is it in Endless Harmony about "Surfin" that Mike says the song was written in just a few minutes, "and it sounds like it"? I'd say the same about this, though it's much better than "Surfin." It just sounds like a hodgepodge of cliches in 80s-production clothing.
I'm not sure whether "Kokomo" as the B-side helps or hurts the rating. It's a better song, for sure, but the choice of it as the B-side is weird and negative.
I think I'm going 5. If it's not that, it's a 4.
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Post by lonelysummer on Mar 21, 2022 20:25:12 GMT
The Beach Boys really needed a record with potential all time classic status to keep them in the hitmaking game after Kokomo. What they came up with was decent, but it's not California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, or I Get Around. I'll give it a 7 because it's a solid, unremarkable recording. It did make the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart, which counts for something. Took me forever to find the single, though. Like 25 years! White label promo, same thing on both sides. The video was typically embarrassing "middle aged men and 20 something girls in bikinis" - that's most of the Beach Boys 80's music videos. Beyond that, I don't recall seeing any promotion at all for this record. They should have had a proper followup to Kokomo within months instead of a full year. The moment had passed.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 22, 2022 0:41:31 GMT
The Beach Boys really needed a record with potential all time classic status to keep them in the hitmaking game after Kokomo. What they came up with was decent, but it's not California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, or I Get Around. I'll give it a 7 because it's a solid, unremarkable recording. It did make the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart, which counts for something. Took me forever to find the single, though. Like 25 years! White label promo, same thing on both sides. The video was typically embarrassing "middle aged men and 20 something girls in bikinis" - that's most of the Beach Boys 80's music videos. Beyond that, I don't recall seeing any promotion at all for this record. They should have had a proper followup to Kokomo within months instead of a full year. The moment had passed. Two things on the follow-up to "Kokomo" aspect. "Kokomo" was released on July 18, 1988. "Still Cruisin'" was released on July 7, 1989 - almost a full year after "Kokomo". Obviously, that's too long, way too long. I gave "Still Cruisin'" a rating of 6, which is only average/slightly above average, but I wonder how it would've performed on the charts had it been released on the heels of "Kokomo", maybe in January or February of 1989. Momentum is huge when it comes to singles' success.
Also, it's kind of frustrating and sad (?) that the Beach Boys didn't have an ace up their sleeve to follow "Kokomo". Even if they would've raided Sweet Insanity, I'm not sure they would've found a hit single there. Certainly the Sweet Insanity songs would've greatly improved the Still Cruisin' album, but a hit single? I don't know...
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Post by lonelysummer on Mar 22, 2022 6:33:55 GMT
The Beach Boys really needed a record with potential all time classic status to keep them in the hitmaking game after Kokomo. What they came up with was decent, but it's not California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, or I Get Around. I'll give it a 7 because it's a solid, unremarkable recording. It did make the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart, which counts for something. Took me forever to find the single, though. Like 25 years! White label promo, same thing on both sides. The video was typically embarrassing "middle aged men and 20 something girls in bikinis" - that's most of the Beach Boys 80's music videos. Beyond that, I don't recall seeing any promotion at all for this record. They should have had a proper followup to Kokomo within months instead of a full year. The moment had passed. Two things on the follow-up to "Kokomo" aspect. "Kokomo" was released on July 18, 1988. "Still Cruisin'" was released on July 7, 1989 - almost a full year after "Kokomo". Obviously, that's too long, way too long. I gave "Still Cruisin'" a rating of 6, which is only average/slightly above average, but I wonder how it would've performed on the charts had it been released on the heels of "Kokomo", maybe in January or February of 1989. Momentum is huge when it comes to singles' success.
Also, it's kind of frustrating and sad (?) that the Beach Boys didn't have an ace up their sleeve to follow "Kokomo". Even if they would've raided Sweet Insanity, I'm not sure they would've found a hit single there. Certainly the Sweet Insanity songs would've greatly improved the Still Cruisin' album, but a hit single? I don't know...
Yes, a full year was far too long. Still Cruisin' would have probably made the top 40 it if had come out in early 1989. The album, when it came out, was easy to miss on the shelves. I walked right past it in my friends' record store. There was nothing distinctive about that album cover that screamed "Beach Boys". Well, they hadn't had a great album cover in a long time. The 1985 album cover was nothing; Made in USA at least had images of sun, surf and sand. I think Do You Have Any Regrets might have had hit potential as a single; that's about the best of the uptempo tunes on Sweet Insanity. Or Spirit of Rock and Roll - that should have been out as a single the week 25 Years Together aired. I guess the clincher was that we got another compilation instead of an all new album. Capitol apparently had so little faith in the group that they insisted on having those old songs on there. So what we got was an album that made no sense. Made in USA made sense; Still Cruisin' just feels like a grab bag of leftovers.
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Post by carllove on Mar 22, 2022 11:00:50 GMT
Other than some nice vocals, there isn’t much on “Still Cruisin’” that I like. So darned repetitive. Could they not actually come up with some more lyrics? It’s just like one long chorus. Can’t stand that over slick 80’s production either. I gave it a 5.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 22, 2022 13:14:57 GMT
I ended up going with a 5, too. The song isn't bad, but it isn't much better than ok.
While we aren't rating the strategy of it all, I do think (as many have said) it was one of many missed opportunities for the group in its timing. And even having Brian on display in the video for a song he doesn't appear on--making two singles in a row without the big guy--is odd. Because they obviously thought they should capitalize on him (hence being in the video), but not enough to ensure he was a participant. Weird look.
I agree that "Do You Have Any Regrets" would have been a good single, if it was done by this time. (No idea whether it was.) I can't hear Darian Sahanaja's version without thinking of what might have been ... though to be fair, it presumably would've been closer to Brian's own version (which is inferior in my opinion). Regardless, it's a catchy, uptempo song that I think could have gone over well, especially with the Beach Boys' vocals. But alas, this is the "Still Cruisin" single of the week thread, where we are rating what actually happened.
What happened was mediocrity.
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Post by lonelysummer on Mar 22, 2022 18:46:02 GMT
I have to wonder why they went back to Capitol again? I understood why Capitol handled Made in USA - most of those tracks originally appeared on Capitol; and it was kind of cool seeing them "back home again", so to speak. It made less sense to me that they were with Capitol again for Still Cruisin'. The Cocktail soundtrack was on Elektra.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 22, 2022 18:48:23 GMT
I have to wonder why they went back to Capitol again? I understood why Capitol handled Made in USA - most of those tracks originally appeared on Capitol; and it was kind of cool seeing them "back home again", so to speak. It made less sense to me that they were with Capitol again for Still Cruisin'. The Cocktail soundtrack was on Elektra. Maybe they promised Brian would participate (again). Elektra, owned by Warners, had already fallen for that one once!
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Post by kds on Mar 22, 2022 19:28:29 GMT
Dr. Landy was kind enough to provide a BW88 outtake for Still Cruisin.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 22, 2022 19:33:05 GMT
We talk about The Beach Boys' failure to take advantage of the gift that was "Kokomo", and to not follow up that No. 1 single with...anything...to keep the momentum going. But, the same thing could be said about Brian Wilson. Not many people knew - or cared - that Brian wasn't on "Kokomo", but he was huge in 1988. His solo album did not do well commercially, but Brian was everywhere. There were multiple TV interviews and performances both as a solo act and with the Beach Boys. There were magazine articles (the Rolling Stone one was big), and those award shows where he appeared with the band and looked, well, fantastic. But, Brian didn't release anything either, and by the time 1989 rolled around and eventually faded into the proverbial sunset, Brian's time in the sun - again - had passed.
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Post by lonelysummer on Mar 23, 2022 3:07:56 GMT
We talk about The Beach Boys' failure to take advantage of the gift that was "Kokomo", and to not follow up that No. 1 single with...anything...to keep the momentum going. But, the same thing could be said about Brian Wilson. Not many people knew - or cared - that Brian wasn't on "Kokomo", but he was huge in 1988. His solo album did not do well commercially, but Brian was everywhere. There were multiple TV interviews and performances both as a solo act and with the Beach Boys. There were magazine articles (the Rolling Stone one was big), and those award shows where he appeared with the band and looked, well, fantastic. But, Brian didn't release anything either, and by the time 1989 rolled around and eventually faded into the proverbial sunset, Brian's time in the sun - again - had passed. I don't think Brian Wilson was ever completely off the radar. His solo album did okay - similar chart numbers to BB85 and Still Cruisin'. The critics were on his side with mostly rave reviews. In '89, it was like he was a Beach Boy again (did the fans know back then how little he was involved in the new tunes on SC?), then 1990 should have been the year for his second album. Instead, that got postponed, then rejected, and his next round of interviews etc was for his autobiography. People were more interested in hearing about his health and about Landy than hearing new music from him/them. Where Brian really dropped off the radar was AFTER the book release. The years 1992-94 went by with nary a peep out of Brian. When he re-emerged in 1995, he was much heavier, and still kind of spacy, but at least he was making music again.
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