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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jan 1, 2019 13:45:50 GMT -5
Hastily put together after the success of Kokomo, Still Cruisin' still managed to go gold in the US after it's release in 1989. Attachments:
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Post by Beach Boys Fan on Jan 2, 2019 21:15:59 GMT -5
Title track is cool vocally, maybe 2 additional good songs. Save these, it's meh. 5.
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Post by kds on Jan 7, 2019 14:29:41 GMT -5
I'm giving Still Cruisin a six, and I would go higher if not for the three classics tacked on at the end to pad the length.
Other than Wipe Out (granted, it's not the worst instance of a rock band trying rap, in fact it's not even the worst instance of The Beach Boys trying rap), I like all of the new songs, Kokomo, the title track, and Somewhere Near Japan in particular. Very enjoyable summertime 80s stuff here.
Unfortunately, this album exists as a weird EP / LP / compilation hybrid.
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Post by filledeplage on Jan 7, 2019 14:34:33 GMT -5
I'm giving Still Cruisin a six, and I would go higher if not for the three classics tacked on at the end to pad the length. Other than Wipe Out (granted, it's not the worst instance of a rock band trying rap, in fact it's not even the worst instance of The Beach Boys trying rap), I like all of the new songs, Kokomo, the title track, and Somewhere Near Japan in particular. Very enjoyable summertime 80s stuff here. Unfortunately, this album exists as a weird EP / LP / compilation hybrid. Gave it an 8 - had a lot of fun with my little backseat drivers from this old cassette - Kokomo - Wipe out and Still Cruisin' along with the movie covers of the BB classics. Great stuff!  |
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Departed
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 1:20:07 GMT -5
It was thrown together to capitalize on the surprise success of Kokomo, and it sure sounds like it.
The title track is part of that insufferable Kokomo to SIP era Mike, newly emboldened in his cheesiness. Anyone who wants to call me a hater or throw the Brianista label at me ought to read my posts up to this point. This isn't blind Mike bashing, his songwriting in this period just isn't good. That said, the hook is infectiously catchy. I maintain that if Brian and Mike had still collaborated in this period both acts would have been infinitely better off.
Somewhere Near Japan takes a risk, but it's just not for me. Probably the best song on the album, but that's saying little.
Island Girl gets off to a horrible start with the weird chanting, and then the obnoxious vocal delivery from there on out insures it never recovers. It's absolutely awful, like SIP level insufferable.
In My Car feels like a wannabe Fun Fun Fun. It's just not good--they've done this kind of song before and far better so it has no real reason to exist.
It may be a meme at this point in the fandom, but I honestly don't like Kokomo.
Wipe Out has an interesting opening. I despise the use of that stock "beach riff" you always hear in movies and TV shows. I don't know what it's called but you all will know exactly what Im talking about when you listen. It doesn't feel like a Beach Boys song, it's just an embarrassing, half-assed attempt to be cool. Like HCTN from LA. As someone above said, it's not the worst rap song a Beach Boy ever did--but you know what? Smart Girls was never officially released and this was, which makes that an irrelevant comparison as far as I'm concerned. (IE, at least Brian had second thoughts.)
Make It Big has those cheesy 80s "victory" synthesizer sounds which sound so out of place. There's that screechy sax, another staple of the decade. And the cheesy "inspirational" lyrics. What a time capsule this turned out to be!
The other tracks are slapped on carelessly and have no business being there. They feel completely out of place and merely serve as a reminder of how far they'd fallen.
I give it a 1
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dumbchops
Dude/Dudette
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Favorite Album: Sail On Sailor
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Post by dumbchops on Jan 9, 2019 2:25:41 GMT -5
I hadn't listened to this in a long time so about a week ago I made myself listen to the first 7 tracks (the new songs). After hearing Friends many times recently, I couldn't believe it was the same band. I also couldn't believe that this album made gold. To me, it's terrible. I wasn't a fan when it came out so I really don't have any memories to associate with it. I really can't give this album anything other than a 1 out of 10 and I wish it never existed. I really don't like the cheesy sound of the 80's but I can overlook it on Brian's 1988 album because the songs themselves are so good. If they were trying for the movie soundtrack idea, where in the hell is "Chasin' The Sky"? How come I can't buy that song on a compilation?
I'm done whining. This is one of those times that I'm happy that I sampled via downloading for free before purchasing.
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Departed
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2019 20:55:16 GMT -5
I feel very 5/10 about Still Cruisin'. There are some good moments, but overall it's kind of off-putting. The first 5 tracks are not bad.
Kokomo is by far the best song on here. I'm glad it found a home on a BB album, but I think it deserved a bit better than the company it keeps here. I know Somewhere Near Japan is considered to be one of the best, if not the best song on the album, but it just never landed all that well with me. Island Girl is fun, except that it sounds an awful lot like The Tide is High by Blondie. And In My Car is alright, but it has those shouty Brian vocals that put me off a bit.
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Departed
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 19:05:32 GMT -5
I give this a 2 because I feel just a bit generous today. I like Kokomo and especially Still Cruisin'.....well actually, many of the songs are pretty good. It's the production that sucks. This album presents some of the worst production gimmicks of the 80's. Gated drums, twangy synth guitars, the aforementioned "screechy sax", all awash in gobs of reverb, really kills it for me.
And the oft-discussed missed opportunity of tacking on three classic tracks that were readily available in so many other places....meh, indeed!
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Departed
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 7:36:15 GMT -5
I first heard the title track, "In My Car" and "Make It Good" on a no-name comp a kind Capitol Board poster sent me and thought they were great tribute tracks.  Later I learnt the truth and still thought they were great songs. So is "Somewhere Near Japan" and [ducks to avoid barrage of overripe fruit] "Wipe Out". (The Fat Boys also do a great version of "Louie Louie".) No one's given it a seven yet. That's easily fixed. |
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Post by aquarius on Mar 19, 2019 12:12:01 GMT -5
A piece of crap, but I actually enjoy most of the songs on it...4/10
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Post by Jason (The Real Beach Boy) on Mar 28, 2019 11:13:04 GMT -5
7.5. Obviously, the final three songs inflate the mark for this one a smidge, but to be fair, some of the new songs are pretty great themselves. Somewhere Near Japan is a GREAT song. The title track is a bit limp as a studio recording but always sounded good in concert. Kokomo is a classic.
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Hydra
Kahuna
Posts: 222
Likes: 157
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Post by Hydra on Apr 24, 2020 19:04:12 GMT -5
Not the worst Beach Boys album. This is one album that just lacks new songs, songs like Problem Child and Run Don't Walk should have been put on this album instead of the horrible Wipe Out and also the 3 old songs, and maybe even add tracks like Rock and Roll to the Rescue and California Feeling which were about 4 years before hand. Anyway to the actual album it kicks off with a nice song Still Cruisin', although I don't like Mike's whispering vocals I can't help like the guitar solo parts and Carl's vocals, Somewhere Near Japan is a gorgeous song and very underrated in the beach boys catologue, Island Girl is kinda catchy but has awful lyrics, Kokomo was the beach boys big return to hit making and love it or hate it, it sure was nice to see the beach boys back at the top of the us charts again, Make It Big is also a fantastic song with very good lyrics and In my Car is not bad either. Wipe Out has got to be up there with one of the worst things the band ever did and belongs on Summer in Paradise with all that other crap. Overall not terrible with some nice moments and some terrible ones too.
Track Ratings
1. Still Cruisin 7/10
2. Somewhere Near Japan 8/10
3. Island Girl 4/10
4. In My Car 5/10
5. Kokomo 7/10
6. Wipeout 1/10
7. Make It Big 8/10
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Post by Moon Dawg on Aug 24, 2020 17:53:51 GMT -5
Pleasant and inoffensive. Remove the oldies, add some appropriate tracks ("Spirit of Rock & Roll"?) and Still Cruisin' is a 20/20 for 1989, more or less.
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Post by Steve Mayo on Sept 8, 2020 10:25:05 GMT -5
To make you feel even better this lp actually went platinum.
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Post by lonelysummer on Sept 9, 2020 2:16:06 GMT -5
I'm being nice and rating it a 5. Side one is 5; it's half a good 80's Beach Boys album. Side 2 is a mess; Wipe Out was a hit, but it doesn't fit it at all musically; Make it Big is a nice 80's sounding track, nice vocals from Carl, but then we get 3 oldies tacked on to the album for no apparent reason. Yes, those 3 oldies are great songs, but they don't belong here, hence my low rating.
If they had come up with a second side as good as side one, i might rate this one higher than the 85 album. Still Cruisin' is catchy enough - hard to understand why it wasn't a big hit after Kokomo; lack of promotion? No successful movie tie-in? I would've thought even a bad followup would've at least scraped the bottom of the top 40. Instead, it barely cracked the Hot 100 (although it was a top 10 Adult Contemporary track). Somewhere Near Japan was also a single, and did nothing. Maybe the Kokomo formula was starting to wear thin? But in this, we've got some good songwriting to go along with the whispered Mike vocals, and the drum machines. Maybe this one is just too subtle, not instantly catchy. Island Girl has one of the few spots on the album where you can hear Brian singing - the opening; it's always nice to get an Al Jardine track - he wasn't a prolific writer. And he seems to be trying to be a good sport here, and get into the whole tropical vibe that Mike was pushing ("underneath the Kokomo trees"). Carl was on record as hating Gene Landy's lyrics for In My Car, but i don't find them offensive. I loved the song when I heard it previewed on the Endless Summer tv series, but here it is way overproduced. How freaking loud do the drums have to be? I like the melody, and the structure of the song, the vocals are good; okay, then we have the one 80's BB's song everybody knows, i still hear it on oldies radio nearly every day, so i'm a bit sick of it now, but if it hadn't been crammed down our throats by oldies radio and Mike Love for the last 30 years, i'm sure everyone would like it. It was a hit because it was a good record.
Now toss on Rock 'N' Roll to the Rescue, California Dreamin' and a couple other 80's Beach Boys recordings, and i could probably bring this album up to a 7....maybe an 8....no, it's not Sunflower. It's not even Little Deuce Coupe; but it would be an album i would go to quite often when i want to hear some latter day Beach Boys.
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Hydra
Kahuna
Posts: 222
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Post by Hydra on Feb 13, 2021 9:01:47 GMT -5
This is my version of the album
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Post by E on Feb 13, 2021 11:45:38 GMT -5
For some reason, it's 'not available.'
What was the track listing?
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Post by E on Feb 15, 2021 14:25:27 GMT -5
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Hydra
Kahuna
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Post by Hydra on Feb 16, 2021 8:47:06 GMT -5
For some reason, it's 'not available.' What was the track listing? Damn it sorry about that. This is the description... This is my alternate version of what I think would have been a better Beach Boys album to be released and also 1 year later in 1990 instead. This album features 4 songs that don't feature on the original album from 1989, Problem Child, Rock and Roll to the Rescue, Run Don't Walk and California Dreamin'. Run Don't Walk is a song that was apparently briefly worked on in 1989 by Carl Wilson and Phil Galdston and ended up on the Beckley Lamm Wilson album, 'Like A Brother'. Hope you enjoy this version of the album!! Still Cruisin' - 1990 1. Still Cruisin' 2. Somewhere Near Japan 3. Island Girl 4. Run Don't Walk 5. In My Car 6. California Dreamin' 7. Problem Child 8. Rock And Roll To The Rescue 9. Kokomo 10. Make It Big |
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Post by E on Feb 16, 2021 9:53:28 GMT -5
Thanks. I think Carl wanted Run Don't Walk to be considered for that aborted album that would have included Soul Searchin'. I prefer your alt version of SIP, I have to admit. I tried to put together a standard 12 track of 85 - TWGMTR album, with all the disparate (but pretty awful) production styles.
Can't find the damn thing but the tracks were (not in this order)...
1. Where I Belong
2. Getcha Back
3. Strange Things Happen
4. Melt Away
5. Somewhere Near Japan
6. California Dreaming
7. Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long
8. It's Gettin' Late
9. She Believes in Love Again
10. Lahaina Aloha
11. Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight
12. Kokomo (I thought it would be hard to leave this off, to be honest)
I was tempted by Male Ego for No. 12
I wanted Rio Grande, but it stuck out like a sore thumb; I considered going back a few years and using something from Carl's second solo, but I don't really like it that much (maybe What You Do To Me...). Never thought of Beckley-Lamm-Wilson, but Run, Don't Walk would fit neatly. Finally, I didn't want to include Soul Searching and You're Still a Mystery, because the production isn't irritating enough (ditto Crumple Car)!!
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Post by Vale on Jun 14, 2021 3:21:46 GMT -5
Can't vote for it, I still don't have this album, the only one I'm missing... and I really don't want to buy.
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Post by boogieboarder on Jun 14, 2021 8:22:11 GMT -5
This album has always held up for me for repeated plays. Unlike some of the albums that came before and after, the lyrics aren’t embarrassing, the vocals aren’t rough or out of tune, and it’s fun. It’s a short album, because I never play the last three songs - I’d rather hear them in context with their original albums. The remaining brevity is actually a plus, rather than having the album bloated with substandard filler. Remove the filler from the early Beach Boys albums, and you end up with the same number of songs.
I’m new here. Is 10 the best rating, and 1 the worst?
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Post by Vale on Jun 14, 2021 8:58:24 GMT -5
This album has always held up for me for repeated plays. Unlike some of the albums that came before and after, the lyrics aren’t embarrassing, the vocals aren’t rough or out of tune, and it’s fun. It’s a short album, because I never play the last three songs - I’d rather hear them in context with their original albums. The remaining brevity is actually a plus, rather than having the album bloated with substandard filler. Remove the filler from the early Beach Boys albums, and you end up with the same number of songs. I’m new here. Is 10 the best rating, and 1 the worst? Yup |
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petsite
Author/Historian/ Researcher 
Posts: 1,964
Likes: 3,215
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Post by petsite on Jun 14, 2021 12:36:53 GMT -5
My memories of this LP are better than the actual music. In 1989, I had just turned 30, was getting a divorce and lost my job, all in the space of a few months. This LP and the ENDLESS SUMMER TV show came out right about the same time. They were my go to comfort food for that summer. I still have the VHS tape of the shows sitting in my collection somewhere.
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Post by dauber on Jun 16, 2021 15:13:51 GMT -5
my review from the old PSF site...
You know, Still Cruisin' ain't all that bad, really. I believe TPTB attempted to pass this off as a "Beach Boys go to the movies" album because most -- if not all -- of the songs had been recently been used in movies. But it turns out there's some marketing genius here.
So dig. Let's say you like the Beach Boys and know a bit about their history, but you don't like them enough to buy the albums, but you do want to have some of their big hits on hand. You know about the sun and surf. You know about the elusive Brian Wilson. Now, imagine you're that fan, and you see this album in the store.
You see that it's called Still Cruisin'. Hey, that's the name of the song whose music video has been playing incessantly on VH-1 for their massive Corvette giveaway. Sounds enough like "Kokomo" to sound like a solid follow-up. It might entice you to pick up the album, flip it over, and look at the track list.
What do you see? "Wouldn't It Be Nice." "I Get Around." "Kokomo." "California Girls." Wow! Four of their big hits!
"Island Girl"! Isn't that the Elton John hit? Wow, I'd love to hear how the Beach Boys do Elton John! (Of course, it's NOT the Elton John song, but if you're just glancing quickly, you might not notice the songwriting credit.)
"In My Car"...huh...izzat one of their old car songs?? I know about "In My Room"...hmm...oh, wait...let's look at the credits...okay, Wilson...Landy...wait, that's Brian's doctor, isn't it? Whoa, this must be a new song from Brian! Cool!
"Wipe Out" -- a classic oldie! Ooh, I remember this one...that was that wacky version they did with the Fat Boys.
Now...see what's going on there?? You have something that appeals to the hits-and-oldies crowd who also likes "Kokomo." And a new Brian song, plus a few new Beach Boys songs for the die-hards. Marketing genius, if you ask me...and it must have worked, because it went gold fairly quickly.
And there's one more thing for us die-hards:
Where else will you get that alternate vocal take of "Wouldn't It Be Nice"?
Personally, not a fan of "Make It Big." I have not a love-hate but a like-"ewwww, gross!" relationship with "Somewhere Near Japan" ever since I learned it was basically Mackenzie Phillips saying, "Uhh, Dad, we're lost. Please send drugs."
Could the album have been more appealing to fans? Certainly. Even if you just take those two or three new songs from Made In USA and slap 'em on here in place of the oldies, that's a better "new" Beach Boys product. But I have a feeling they weren't considering this to be a product aimed at the die-hards, but more for the casual oldies listeners who like "Kokomo," and maybe bait the people who have to have *everything*.
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You're a great person BBF.'' - iluvleniloud about me and I.
Later I learnt the truth and still thought they were great songs. So is "Somewhere Near Japan" and [ducks to avoid barrage of overripe fruit] "Wipe Out". (The Fat Boys also do a great version of "Louie Louie".) 
