The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've seen/read/heard a couple interviews with Mike, circa 1992/93, where he talked about a followup to SIP he called Masterpiece, dealing with more serious subjects like the environment. I assume at the time he expected SIP to be a huge hit, and this would be the BB's chance to follow it with a serious statement. Did anything ever come of this? Songs? Demos?

Weren't he and Al going to bring out an album of songs tackling environmental issues in the early 80s (late 70s?)?

Masterpiece.

What interviews?

That "masterpiece" was Stars and Stripes Vol 2

goldmine 1992

I wouldn't be surprised if SIP was a great piece of art to Mike. So, maybe the follow up would be an album of his Beach Boys covers he did with Adrian Baker... hm, NASCAR?


Or did he describe his idea for "Unplugged in paradise" as a masterpiece?

I'm sure it would have been a MONSTROUS hit!!  >:D

Also ABC "In Concert", early 1993, the episode which debuted the SIP music video and also contained some brief video footage of the Capitol Records "beach party" for the Good Vibrations box set release.  Per Dr. Love in that interview, two of the songs titles he had for the album were "Masterpiece" and "Unleash The Love".  He had discussed "Unplugged in Paradise" as a seperate project. 

At the time, I was stupid enough to believe Dr. Love might actually follow through with this idea. Now looking back, I think he was a bit 'high' or 'stoned' on his own ego/ideas, having wrested complete control of the band from the others. He was convinced SIP was going to be a blockbuster hit, and this album of 12 Kokomo sound-alikes was going to put the group in the big time again, and then they could follow that with an artistic statement. I just have to wonder what an artistic statement coming from Mike would sound like?

Wow - kinda scary to think that the man was that delusional. (and I like SIP, for the record).

I believe he also mentioned "Unleash The Love" at the same time he mentioned "Masterpiece".  "Unleash The Love" was one track scheduled for his unreleased "Mike Love Not War" solo album in the mid 2000's.  I would guess that this is about all that was ever done with the tracks. 

Is there any footage of this on Youtube?

I think the live version of SIP on MIC is better that the studio version. Flows a bit better for me.

It's too bad the Beach Boys became such a joke during this period. What a monumentally mismanaged career. Poor decisions made over the years, particularly in the 80s and 90s, have tarnished what should be a pristine legacy. Summer In Paradise...enough said.

Sounds like this environmental record would have been as subtle as a frozen sledgehammer to the groin, while simultaneously living up to the critical reputation of its predecessor.

Probably. Mike has shown me nothing in the last 30 years to convince me he could pull off a "serious statement" type of album. Now if he had asked Al and Carl to contribute, they might have come up with something, but of course their contributions were unwelcome because they were not as commercial as Mike's songs - how many millions did SIP sell?

What did they try contributing?

There used to be a news report with some footage of the "beach party" online (with Mike in true sugar daddy form surrounding himself with the Cheerleaders and himself - iirc - bare cheasted with a west on) but that's gone for a while now. The promo video for SIP is there though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50U_07i5z0Y

Best Mike Love-bashing thread of the last 2.5 months.

Don't see it, but I have it on a dusty old VHS

Just speaking hypothetically. Mike said in Goldmine that one of the reasons he was unhappy with Still Cruisin' was it was supposed to be an album of songs from movies, but then Al and Brian got their songs on the album, songs that didn't fit the theme.

That's actually the same version that's on MIC, is it not?

The video was shot at the Concord (California) Pavilion on August 6, 1993. The audio comes from June 30, 1993 at Wembley Arena, London.  The version on MIC is indeed the Wembley London audio

Really? I understand the theme of songs from movies, but is the album really ruined by Island Girl and In My Car's inclusion or ruined by re-re-re-releasing Wouldn't it be Nice, I get Around, and California Girls? Heck, I would have been on with re-recorded 80s versions of those three songs or at least live cuts from the 80s. Anyways, I honestly believe Brian and Al's songs reinforce the basic song theme/feel of Still Cruisin''…not only does In My Car have a section that reiterates SC ("cruise, cruise, cruise with me baby now, cruisin' after all these yeeeeaaaaarssss") but Island Girl is a great upbeat tune that's nicely sandwiched between Still Cruising'/Somewhere Near Japan and In my Car/Kokomo.

When Still Cruisin' released, when was the last time an album had a theme?

I always thought it was the other way around actually.  They tried to make a legit new album to cash in on the success of "Kokomo" but due to their creative bankruptcy at the time and Brian being off in Landyland, they half-assed the movie theme as an excuse to flesh it out with the old hits which weren't even from very recent movies.  Also if the movie thing was the idea, then what the hell was Wipe Out doing there?  That song was from two years earlier and wasn't in any movies and I highly doubt Carl and Al forced it on there (though I suppose it's possible Capitol did).  It's such a bizarre album whatever way you see it.

I recall an interview with Carl that someone posted on this board a few months ago where he stated that the band wanted to do an album of entirely new recordings, but Capitol wanted the old stuff on there. Sure would've made more sense to include a few more new ones - we know Brian had plenty of songs he was working on, and it would have been nice for Carl to have a song or two on the album. Did Capitol really think the only way a new BB's album would sell in 1989 was to include some oldies on it? It was really a missed opportunity. They'd just had a worldwide #1 hit, this was the time to come back with a strong effort - if BW88 had been released with the BB's vocals on it, it would've sold millions. Can you imagine a version of "Melt Away" with Carl singing lead? Al singing "Walkin' the Line"?

Oh man, THIS.

None of the songs on BW88 were written in 'a room,' however, so it wouldn't have happened...  :lol

Hmm, never saw "The Disorderlies"?

*well, apparently it wasn't on the soundtrack.  I'm pretty sure the movie did have a cameo with Mike and Bruce performing a line from the song, though. Needless to say, another high water mark for the band.

Yeah, this shows it was in the movie... 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092897/soundtrack

Nice.  See, Wipeout fit the "concept" ::)

The concept may well have been partly due to half-assing it and Capitol wanting hits on it, but there is an interview around that time where, if I'm recalling correctly, Mike felt the album was diluted not by the movie soundtrack concept, but by the opposite; that is, group politics leading to other members getting their songs on it. Apparently, he seemed to feel the movie soundtrack concept was good, but non-soundtrack songs diluted that apparently amazing concept. That non-soundtrack songs would seem to be things like "Island Girl" and "In My Car", although his own "Somewhere Near Japan" fell under this category as well.

They had other "new" stuff in the can at that time. Apparently Al and Carl cut their vocals for "Don't Fight the Sea" during those sessions, for instance. Carl had some sort of song in the works that he was probably over-working just as Al overpolished his stuff.

I still think it was a missed opportunity. What were the odds that these guys were going to have a #1 record in 1988? I guarantee you if my other fave band, the Kinks, had the good fortune to stumble upon a #1 record in the late 80's, Ray and Dave would've made sure they followed it with a rock solid collection of NEW songs.

Hands up - who else here was unaware that The Fat Boys ever made a movie?