Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
| Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Beach Boys | ||||
| Released | August 19, 1996 | |||
| Recorded |
October 5, 1995 - June 12, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Rock, country pop | |||
| Length | 37:47 | |||
| Label | River North Records | |||
| Producer |
Joe Thomas Brian Wilson | |||
| The Beach Boys chronology | ||||
| ||||
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is the 28th studio album by American rock band The Beach Boys, released on August 19, 1996 on River North Records. Produced by both Joe Thomas and Brian Wilson, Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is a collaborative album between The Beach Boys and various country musicians. Despite its Vol. 1 sub-title, the album is the band's only venture into the genre of country pop music, and is the last studio album to feature founding member Carl Wilson who died in 1998.
Brian Wilson, at the time recently remarried and in his best mental state for many years, was persuaded to re-join the group and act as co-producer. According to Brian's wife Melinda, during the album's recording, "They [the Beach Boys] treated him [Brian] like an invalid, all the time saying, 'Do this, don't do that, are you okay?'"[1] The album's failure prevented him from getting a record contract, leaving the group's highly-anticipated Andy Paley collaborations in limbo.[2]
Recording
Most of the guests were mainstream country stars who had each had at least one #1 country hit before participating in this album, the four exceptions being James House, Junior Brown, Kathy Troccoli, and Timothy B. Schmit. (Troccoli and Schmit are not primarily country artists, being more closely associated with the Christian and rock genres respectively.)
Tammy Wynette had recorded a version of "In My Room" with Brian Wilson, but it was kept back for the projected Stars and Stripes Vol. 2, which never appeared. Her performance is shown in the television documentary Beach Boys: Nashville Sounds, and was later included on the tribute album Tammy Wynette Remembered in 1998.
Release
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | D[4] |
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 easily outsold Summer in Paradise, but overall was not a major hit and was poorly received by critics. Consequently, further volumes in the series were canceled.
The album went out of print for some years, but was reissued on CD in May 2008. Beach Boys: Nashville Sounds features studio footage of its making and interviews with participants. The documentary was the final appearance of Carl Wilson with the original Beach Boys and the last time the original band were together to promote an album until the 50th anniversary reunion album That's Why God Made the Radio in 2012.
Track listing
| Side one | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals / featured artist | Length |
| 1. | "Don't Worry Baby" | Brian Wilson, Roger Christian | Lorrie Morgan | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Little Deuce Coupe" | Brian Wilson, Christian | James House | 2:50 |
| 3. | "409" | Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Gary Usher | Junior Brown | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Long, Tall Texan" | Henry Strzelecki | Doug Supernaw | 4:02 |
| 5. | "I Get Around" | Brian Wilson, Love | Sawyer Brown | 2:29 |
| 6. | "Be True to Your School" | Brian Wilson, Love | Toby Keith | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Fun, Fun, Fun" | Brian Wilson, Love | Ricky Van Shelton | 2:20 |
| 8. | "Help Me, Rhonda" | Brian Wilson, Love | T. Graham Brown | 3:10 |
| 9. | "The Warmth of the Sun" | Brian Wilson, Love | Willie Nelson | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Sloop John B" | Traditional; arranged by Brian Wilson | Collin Raye | 3:45 |
| 11. | "I Can Hear Music" | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector | Kathy Troccoli | 3:14 |
| 12. | "Caroline, No" | Brian Wilson, Tony Asher | Timothy B. Schmit | 3:19 |
Sales chart positions
- Album
| Chart (1996) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Albums | 101 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 12 |
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 11 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AC | US Country | CAN Country | ||
| 1996 | "I Can Hear Music" (with Kathy Troccoli) | 16 | ||
| "Don't Worry Baby" (with Lorrie Morgan) | 73 | |||
| "Little Deuce Coupe" (with James House) | 69 | 41 | ||
| "Long Tall Texan" (with Doug Supernaw) | 69 | 82 | ||
Personnel
- The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine - harmonies
- Bruce Johnston - harmonies
- Mike Love - harmonies, executive producer
- Brian Wilson - harmonies, producer
- Carl Wilson - harmonies
- Additional staff
- Junior Brown - Slide "Guit-steel"
- Eddie Bayers - drums, percussion
- Jackie Bertoni - percussion
- Richie Cannata - saxophone
- Steve Eisen - flute
- Larry Franklin - fiddle
- Sonny Garrish - pedal steel
- Drew Jardine - finger snaps
- Matt Jardine - harmonies, handclaps, second verse duet (on track 10)
- Robbie Jardine - finger snaps
- Greg Leisz - pedal steel, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Steve Nathan - acoustic piano, organ, B-3, keyboards
- Mickey Raphael - harmonica
- Michael Rhodes - bass
- Brent Rowan - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro
- Bill Ruppert - electric guitar
- Joe Thomas - acoustic piano, additional keyboards, percussion, handclaps, producer
- Jimmy Webb - string arrangements
- Nashville String Machine - orchestra
References
- ↑ Carlin 2006, p. 285.
- ↑ Crisafulli, Chuck (June 1997). "Why Can't Brian Wilson Get a Record Deal?" (PDF). Request. Archived from the original on June 30, 1998.
- ↑ Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 at AllMusic
- ↑ Nash, Alanna. "Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1". Entertainment Weekly.
Sources
- Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 CD booklet notes, Robert K. Oermann
- Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
