Music / Stars and Stripes Vol. 1

Stars And Stripes Vol. 1 is the twenty-eigth album in The Beach Boys' discography. It was released in 1996 and was the last album to feature band member Carl Wilson before his passing two years later.

This is another album in the band's discography which easily stands out from the rest. Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is a collaborative effort between The Beach Boys and various country artists, ranging from icons such as Willie Nelson to then newcomers like Toby Keith. These country acts provide the lead vocals while the Boys only sing backing vocals.

In the mid-90s, Brian Wilson was released from the control his psychiatrist Eugene Landy and was looking forward to work with Andy Paley. However, one of his collaborator, the wrestler-turned-producer Joe Thomas envisioned an album celebrating Beach Boys hit songs with a country twist (this idea coincides with the fact that Joe was the owner of River North Records which had a country subdivision). Outside of Long, Tall Texan, the tracklist comprises of many of the band's most popular songs which were released during the sixties. This album also marks Brian's return to the band, after his absence on Summer in Paradise, where he's on producing duties along with Thomas.

Reception to the album was poor, much like any Beach Boys album released after The Beach Boys Love You up to this point. Some critics would recall it as "an embarrassement to anybody involved" and hardly any member of the band would talk about it since. Stars And Stripes Volume 1 also has the reputation of being completly ignored as a Beach Boys album due to the fact that the band has a minor involvement on it and no new original song is featured on it. The failure of Summer In Paradise also led people to believe that it killed any atttempt for the band to record an album and that their next LP would be 2012's That's Why God Made the Radio.

Due to its critical and commercial fiasco, Stars And Stripes Vol. 1 didn't get a sequel, and also cancelled any oppportunity for the band to record an album in the 90s, including the now coveted Paley Sessions. A documentary about the album's making called Nashville Sounds was made and can be viewed here.

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Tracklist:

1. "Don't Worry Baby" (from Shut Down Volume 2) (3:16)
2. "Little Deuce Coupe" (from Surfer Girl) (2:50)
3. "409" (from Surfin' Safari) (2:20)
4. "Long, Tall Texan" (4:02)
5. "I Get Around" (From All Summer Long (2:29)
6. "Be True To Your School" (from Little Deuce Coupe) (3:18)
7. "Fun, Fun, Fun" (from Shut Down Volume 2 (2:20)
8. "Help Me, Rhonda" (from The Beach Boys Today!) (3:10)
9. "The Warmth Of The Sun" (Shut Down Volume 2) (3:18)
10. "Sloop John B" (from Pet Sounds (3:45)
11. "I Can Hear Music" (from 20/20) (3:14)
12. "Caroline, No" (from Pet Sounds) (3:19)

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Principal Members:

• Al Jardine - Backing vocals
• Bruce Johnston - Backing vocals
• Mike Love - Backing vocals, executive producer
• Brian Wilson - Backing vocals, producer
• Carl Wilson - Backing vocals

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Stars And Tropes:

• Aborted Arc: A Volume 2 of Stars And Stripes never saw the light of the day since the first one was a commercial failure.
• Alliterative Title: Stars and Stripes and Fun, Fun, Fun.
• Badass Boast: I Get Around
  My buddies and me are getting real well known
  Yeah, the bad guys know us and they leave us alone
  • Be True To Your School:
  I got a letterman's sweater
  With a letter in front
  I got for footbal and track
  I'm proud to where it now
  When I cruise around
  The other parts of the town
  I got a decal in back
• Break Up Song: Help Me, Rhonda and Caroline, No.
• Car Song: Little Deuce Coupe and 409.
• Continuity Nod: The album ends with "Caroline, No" the same way Pet Sounds ended with that song.
• Country Music: The album's main theme, although the cover of "Caroline, No" strays itself from the rest by being closer to the song's original arrangement.
• Cover Version: Even though I Can Hear Music is known for its version appearing on The Beach Boys' 20/20 album, it was originally recorded by The Ronettes.
  • Long Tall Texan was played live by The Beach Boys early in their career, but it was written by Henry Strzelecki.
• Downer Ending: Just like Pet Sounds, the album ends with the break-up song Caroline, No.
• The Drunken Sailor: Sloop John B.
  The first mate he got drunk
  And broke in the captain's trunk
  The constable had to come and take him away
• Football Fight Song: Be True To Your School:
  Come Friday we'll be jacked up on the football game
  And I'll be ready to fight
  We're gonna smash 'em now
• Homesickness Hymn: Sloop John B is about the narrator's sailing misadventures, punctuated by his pleas to the Captain to let him go home.
  Well I feel so broke-up
  I wanna go home
• Important Haircut: "Caroline, No"
  Where did your long hair go?
  Where is the girl I used to know?
  How could you lose that happy glow?
• New Sound Album: While country music has rarely been present in The Beach Boys' discography (particularily Cottonfields from the 20/20 album), this is the first (and last) country album from the band.
• One-Woman Song: Help Me, Rhonda and Caroline No.
• One-Word Title: 409.
• The Power of Rock: I Can Hear Music.
• Rearrange the Song: All of the songs are previous Beach Boys songs from the sixties with a country rearrangement (with the exception of Caroline, No having a similar arrangement to its Pet Sounds counterpart).
• Shaped Like Itself: In "Be True to Your School", the narrator boasts that he's "got a letterman's sweater with a letter in front".
• Special Guest: Each song features a country artist from various sub-genres.
• There's No Place Like Home: Sloop John B is about a sailor who wants to go home after a long voyage at sea which he considers to be the worst trip he's ever been on.
• Title 1: The first and only volume of Stars And Stripes.
• Worst. Whatever. Ever!: Sloop John B.
  Why don't they let me go home?
  This is the worst trip I've ever been on