Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1

The Beach Boys

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 1996)
• Original Release Date: August 20, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Platinum Ent.
• ASIN: B0000059LU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,152 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys, Lorrie Morgan

2. Little Deuce Coupe - The Beach Boys, James House

3. 409 - The Beach Boys, Junior Brown

4. Long Tall Texan - The Beach Boys, Doug Supernaw

5. I Get Around - The Beach Boys, Sawyer Brown

6. Be True to Your School - The Beach Boys, Toby Keith

7. Fun, Fun, Fun - The Beach Boys, Ricky Van Shelton

8. Help Me, Rhonda - The Beach Boys, T. Graham Brown

9. Warmth of the Sun - The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson

10. Sloop John B. - The Beach Boys, Collin Raye

11. I Can Hear Music - The Beach Boys, Kathy Troccoli

12. Caroline, No - The Beach Boys, Timothy B. Schmit

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - but volume 2 will never appear, July 14, 2002

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

First, in answer to earlier reviews, I must point out that the track with Tammy Wynette (In my room) was eventually released on her memorial album, Tammy Wynette Remembered, and it is at least as good as any of the tracks that are on this album. It was included on that album because it was already clear that volume 2 would never be completed. As far as I know, this was the only track recorded for volume 2.

As a lover of Beach Boys, country music and tribute albums, I love this album. It is obvious to me that some people take their music far too seriously. There are some really classy performances here, particularly Don't worry baby with Lorrie Morgan, Warmth of the sun with Willie Nelson and I can hear music with Kathy Troccoli, but some of the other tracks are just for fun. And wasn't that what much of their sixties music was about anyway? - Fun Fun Fun !!!!!

Anybody who knows anything about Sawyer Brown's music knows that their music is just for fun, not to be taken too seriously, therefore their contribution here (I get around) is just as I expected. No doubt that the Beach Boys invited them on this album knowing what to expect. As to Long tall Texan with Doug Supernaw, this is obviously just a piece of musical fun and was never intended to be anything else.

Difficult though it may be for some to accept, this album may have introduced the music of the Beach Boys to young country music fans who may not have quite appreciated just how good their sixties music was - and it may have caused some Beach Boys fans to discover that country music has changed out of all recognition since the sixties. In those days, people often complained that it was too sad and miserable. Now people complain that it's too lightweight and fluffy, and maybe (for them) this album will reinforce their belief.

Tribute albums offer the chance to look at old songs in a new perspective, and none more so than this one. I have a lot of tribute albums, and this is one of my favorites. I wish that there had been a volume 2 (perhaps including Glen Campbell, who was once a Beach Boy himself) but it will never be.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what it could have been, March 28, 2005

By	Greg Brady "columbusboy" (Capital City) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This had the capacity to be something good. I have a great affection for country music and would have been fascinated by hearing how country musicians would interpret the classic Beach Boys songs in their milieu. The problem is that for the most part this does NOT happen. Instead, you have fairly rock/pop arrangements with country singers doing the lead and the Beach Boys as backup.

There are exceptions: Willie Nelson uses authentic country instrumentation (his acoustic, harmonica, fiddle, pedal steel) to make "Warmth of the Sun" sound Western and gives it a tender interpretation. He emphasizes the words with his halting style and gave me new appreciation for the lyric. T. Graham Brown's voice is a good "mesh" with the group making "Help Me Rhonda" work but the arrangement doesn't really do much interesting with it. "409" is re-invented as rockabilly by Junior Brown and it works very well with a great guitar solo. My only quibble here is that Junior's baritone tends to clash with the Beach Boy falsetto. Colin Raye's "Sloop John B." takes the tune into two step territory. Raye gives an impassioned performance though at times it's oversung.

Lowest points are "Long Tall Texan" which was never more than a novelty song when first done by the Beach Boys and not worth the time of a re-interpretation. "I Get Around"'s handclaps and quite a bit of the Boys harmonies are mixed into oblivion on the Sawyer Brown rendition. James House sounds like a low-rent Elvis on what is quite simply a horrible vocal for "Little Deuce Coupe".

And the question begs to be asked: If the CD is supposed to be country singers joining the band, why on earth is adult contemporary belter Kathy Troccoli here?!?!

BOTTOM LINE: The concept was great, but the arrangements aren't great and as a result it ends up being uninspired. It fails as a tribute album and as a country all-star album. Only get it if you're a completist of either the Beach Boys or Willie Nelson.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, April 18, 2000

By	David Aziz (New York) - See all my reviews

The fact that they got Brian out to sing is worth the price alone. This CD is a DDD production (all digital). The best songs belong to the women Lorrie Morgan and Kathy Troccoli in fact there should have been more women lead vocalists. Which brings me to the question what happened to Volume 2. The liner notes indicate that Tammy Wynette had a version of "In My Room". Either it never got released due to poor sales of Vol. 1 or it never got completed. Too bad.