Stars and Stripes Vol. 1

Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
Studio album by
The Beach Boys and various artists
ReleasedAugust 19, 1996
RecordedOctober 5, 1995 – June 12, 1996
Genre
Length37:47
LabelRiver North
Producer
The Beach Boys chronology
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
(1993)
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
(1996)
The Pet Sounds Sessions
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment WeeklyD

Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 is the twenty-eighth studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on August 19, 1996, by River North Records. Produced by Joe Thomas and Brian Wilson, Stars and Stripes is a collaborative album between the Beach Boys and various country acts.

The idea for the album was conceived by Thomas, who was then the owner of River North Records. According to Wilson's wife Melinda, during the album's recording, "They [the Beach Boys] treated [Brian] like an invalid, all the time saying, 'Do this, don't do that, are you okay?'"

In music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine's description, the release was "an unmitigated disaster and an outright embarrassment for all involved". The album's failure prevented Brian from securing a record contract, leaving his highly anticipated recording collaborations with Andy Paley in limbo. A planned second volume never materialized, and Stars and Stripes became the last studio album to feature Carl Wilson, who died in 1998.