Petition to Get Still Cruisin and Summer In Paradise Reissued!

[Awesoman]

For the record have either of these albums ever received any kind of remastering since their original release?  Other than the song "Kokomo" of course?

"Summer in Paradise" was revamped for UK release in 1993, with several tracks being remixed/re-edited.

Otherwise, I don't think they've been remastered. But remastering won't help much. All of SIP and much of "Still Cruisin'" have that very thin, drum-sample heavy Terry Melcher production sound.

As I mentioned in another post, Howie Edelson mentioned in a recent interview talking to Alan Boyd about trying to remix something like "Rock and Roll to the Rescue" to try to liberate it from so much of that heavy, processed 80s sound (my words), but he mentioned that Boyd said in some cases there's not a lot that even a remix would solve.

I sense this is the case for most of "Still Cruisin'" and especially SIP. They'd really need to kind of have a partial re-recording treatment done, sort of like Al did with "Loop de Loop" or Jeff Lynne did with some ELO bonus tracks over the last couple decades. And really, considering they can't be bothered to even keep the two albums in print, I can't fathom putting the time, effort, and funds into remixing, let alone partially re-recording this stuff, all to make it sound like 10% better if they're lucky.

As to the previous stuff regarding advocating for these albums, yes, I think few are against putting these things up quietly on streaming services. I think my points were more that advocating for these albums seems to imply a wider net needs to be cast to get people to listen to this stuff, and that's just kind of weird to me, or perhaps just connotes a weird priority from a fan perspective. I'm not for censoring anything. But I think there is kind of a procedural aspect to getting "new" stuff to "new" fans, and SIP is like the *absolute* bottom of that barrel. Especially considering it is *very easy* to procure and listen to "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer in Paradise."

I don't lose sleep over a true fan having to put in a little extra effort if they really want to listen to "Summer in Paradise." Both of the albums are easy to download, and if that's not one's proclivity, actual used CD copies are not that difficult to track down. I also don't lose sleep over someone that is *that* desperate to hear SIP having to pay $30 or $40 for a used copy (though the eBay prices seem to be all over the place, as low as $15 to $20).

Yeah any type of intensive remixing or revisionism of these tracks seems grossly unrealistic.  A straight up remastering seems to be the most likely path they'd take if they ever choose to acknowledge these albums again to the public.  Still Cruisin' seems to be a likelier candidate to be revisited what with the success of "Kokomo".  And most of the new songs on there, while being soundly unremarkable, are at least not half bad.  The title track is still performed pretty regularly by Mike's band, Al's "Island Girl" is a catchy guilty pleasure, and "Somewhere Near Japan" was for years regarded as the band's "last good song" up until the reunion album came out.  And they could replace the oldies on there with "Happy Endings", "Problem Child" and "Chasin' The Sky" if they could land the rights.  I'm assuming it wouldn't be *that* inconceivable using a song from a completely forgotten movie like Up The Creek now would it?

[The Old Ranger]

Looking Back With Love is still not available on CD. Also, Problem Child. I'd buy those.

[Awesoman]

Looking Back With Love is still not available on CD. Also, Problem Child. I'd buy those.

Mike's solo album is at least officially available to stream:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n5j1nOapBbk_JLacSMnff_k8xjehq9KQ4&feature=share

Why it's even available in the first place I'll never know...🤣

[HeyJude]

Looking Back With Love is still not available on CD. Also, Problem Child. I'd buy those.

"Problem Child" does exist on CD as a promo CD single.

[The Old Ranger]

If you're not looking for Smile II, have an open mind and just want to have a fun listen, Looking Back With Love can be just that. I'd buy it just for Paradise Found, the duet with Joanie Sommers. I wasn't a George Michael fan, but I thought Listen Without Prejudice was a great title. BTW, I thought Brian's My Solution was great. You gotta love stuff for what it is and not worry that someone will think you're not cool. I got over that mentality years ago.

[HeyJude]

"Looking Back With Love" is not the worst thing any of them ever did.

It's kind of an "MIU Album" without the other BBs on it, and with mostly outside songwriters.

It's a more homogenized, more generic-sounding version of "MIU", which, yeah, means it's not very good. But a few of the songs are okay. Mike's leads are as good as anything else he was doing in that era.

BB backing vocals would have helped; those anonymous-sounding Curt Becher style backing vocals are competent but extra bland.

Ironically, Mike seems to dislike the album more than most fans.

[Zenobi]

Just an opinion: I think Mike misses the golden years, when Brian and he were penning hits upon hits, which also proved to be great evergreen songs, more than anybody else in the world, and that's the rmain reason he seems to be less than enthusiastic about his own "solo" output.

[Lonely Summer]

"Looking Back With Love" is not the worst thing any of them ever did.

It's kind of an "MIU Album" without the other BBs on it, and with mostly outside songwriters.

It's a more homogenized, more generic-sounding version of "MIU", which, yeah, means it's not very good. But a few of the songs are okay. Mike's leads are as good as anything else he was doing in that era.

BB backing vocals would have helped; those anonymous-sounding Curt Becher style backing vocals are competent but extra bland.

Ironically, Mike seems to dislike the album more than most fans.

Brian asks him in the fireside segment on Endless Summer to sing "Be My Baby, you did it on your album". Mike responds "what album?" It's like he wanted to forget it. Hey, at least he was trying. Carl and Mike stayed active recording while the rest of the group just wanted to coast on the past.

[All Summer Long]

Sorry to dredge up a thread from a little bit ago, but I haven’t been able to check the forum as much as I’ve liked for the past month or so.

Just an opinion: I think Mike misses the golden years, when Brian and he were penning hits upon hits, which also proved to be great evergreen songs, more than anybody else in the world, and that's the rmain reason he seems to be less than enthusiastic about his own "solo" output.

I agree to some extent, but wouldn’t that mean it would be more likely he would actually push for a reunion with him writing Brian (instead of just using for it to shut up interviewers).

"Looking Back With Love" is not the worst thing any of them ever did.

It's kind of an "MIU Album" without the other BBs on it, and with mostly outside songwriters.

It's a more homogenized, more generic-sounding version of "MIU", which, yeah, means it's not very good. But a few of the songs are okay. Mike's leads are as good as anything else he was doing in that era.

BB backing vocals would have helped; those anonymous-sounding Curt Becher style backing vocals are competent but extra bland.

Ironically, Mike seems to dislike the album more than most fans.

Brian asks him in the fireside segment on Endless Summer to sing "Be My Baby, you did it on your album". Mike responds "what album?" It's like he wanted to forget it. Hey, at least he was trying. Carl and Mike stayed active recording while the rest of the group just wanted to coast on the past.

IIRC, I thought said Mike said something along the lines of ’don’t talk about that album,’ unless that was something I read here in our discussions on the forum.