The Smiley Smile Message Board

What's the deal with this album?

Who's idea was it to compile about 95% of a brand new album of original material and then drop the ball and tack on I Get Around, Wouldn't It be Nice and make it some sort of hybrid: new album/"songs featured in movie soundtracks" Frankenstein monster?

Didn't they have two or three unreleased songs laying around? I Just Got My Pay? for example? Did John Phillips have no other songs that could've been re-worked/Mike-ified?

It just feels like a massive missed opportunity to have put out a pretty damn solid little, # 1 single containing, 2nd to final album for The Boys.

I think they could have gotten away with putting Rock and Roll to the Rescue and California Dreamin' on there, but as they were already on Made In USA and 45s beforehand, it most likely would not have happened. Besides, the album sold 700,000 copies on the strength of Kokomo alone. They could have had Smile recordings on it as long as Kokomo was the selling point.

I agree, but it did very well. Reached 46 on the charts and went Platinum. Not too shabby for a Frankenstein monster. 15 Big Ones is the only other album to do better. Their 5 full albums in between didn't do near as well. Those 3 oldies and Kokomo were probably it's biggest selling point.

Fun fact...I bought this cd for 50 cents on a clearance sale at Blockbuster Music on 1 June 1997...I had a first date with this girl I really really liked at the time, so I didn't look around at what else was there. Good choice, as she's my wife of 10 years :)

Sounds like you made a good choice; but what if one of the other girls that was there, but you didn't look around at, was a millionaire?

I bought by first GF a copy of Summer In Paradise and was dumped on the spot!!!!  :p

Am I alone in wanting George Micheal to do a cover of Still Cruising?

He could shoot the video on Hampstead Heath.

And whilst I'm on the subject of the Georgster, did anyone else ever spot the similarities between You Gotta Have Faith, and How She Boogalooed It?

I never really liked the guy until he 'came out' about the fact he was an incessant dope smoker. He crashed his car into a shop, and someone wrote WHAM on the wall. Who are these jokers? I wish it had been me.

Crap music, national treasure.......

Still Cruising

Absolutely love Mike's lead vocals from that particular point in time. :police:

It's most def a mixed-bag of an album, then again so are most BB albums, but this one takes the mixed-baggery to the next level.

I've often tried to decipher the thought process of shoving the 3 classic tracks on there; especially considering the "wealth" of contemporary (or archived) tracks they could have used.

Meh...we'd been friends since we were children, so I made the right choice :)

And still cruisin after all of these years!  ;D