Post by Pete70s on Nov 29, 2003 12:53:03 GMT -5
OK, I haven’t done a review for a few weeks, so I’m gonna do another Beach Boys album. This is one of my favorites (Actually, my second favorite album by them).
L.A. (Light Album) – The Beach Boys, 1979
1. Good Timin’
2. Lady Lynda
3. Full Sail
4. Angel Come Home
5. Love Surrounds Me
6. Sumahama
7. Here Comes The Night
8. Baby Blue
9. Goin’ South
10. Shortnin’ Bread
The late 70’s were not a good time for the Beach Boys. They hadn’t had a hit since “15 Big Ones” in 1976. Their infighting reached all new heights, as the band split down the middle. During their 1978 tour, Dennis and Carl Wilson traveled on one plane, Mike Love and Al Jardine traveled on another. They had restraining orders placed on each other, in order to keep from “provoking” each other on stage. The band nearly broke up, on the tarmac of Newark Airport, and in full view of a Rolling Stone reporter, as the Dennis/Carl contingent fought with the Love/Jardine contingent over which plane Brian should fly on.
Carl and Dennis often performed drunk and/or high, which infuriated Mike Love. On their 1978 Australian tour (the highest booking tour in Australian history), the band was a complete mess. Their music was suffering as a result. Their 1978 lp, “M.I.U. Album”, was a dismal flop, made to fulfill their contract with Warner Bros. Quite honestly, M.I.U. was not very good, and it seemed like the end of the Beach Boys at that point.
Through some miracle, and with the help of Chicago producer James William Guercio, they did not break up, and were signed to a new contract with Caribou/CBS records. Not only that, they actually turned out a pretty good album. Not a classic by Beach Boys standards, but their best effort in quite some time. Brian, who did not want to work, cried tears of frustration as he signed the contract. He would contribute little, as his life was rapidly spiraling downward by this time. The others, however, would rise to the occasion. Carl was in fine form, Mike and Al would contribute their best compositions, and Dennis would contribute his last. This album also marked the return of Bruce Johnston, who had left in 1972 after a mysterious falling out with then-manager Jack Rieley. The boys called him up out of the blue and asked if he’d help them out, and he rejoined them for good! The six of them got together at Critereon, the Bee Gees studio in Miami, and made this album. While it has some of the best work they had done in several years, there are also a couple of clunkers...
The album would contain one of the biggest blunders in Beach Boys history, as the album contained their first and only disco song, a remake of a song from the 1967 “Wild Honey” album, “Here Comes The Night”. This track alienated many Beach Boys fans, and confused the rest. To be honest, it really isn’t a very good track, and at over 10 minutes in length, it takes up half of side 2. When Walter Yetnikoff, then CBS President, heard the track, his first response was “I think I have been F----ed!” An edited single version would hit #45. When the group debuted the song at Radio City Music Hall, they were booed, causing them to quickly drop the song from their set.
The rest of the album, though, is wonderfully beautiful. During the winter of ’99, I was going through a deep depression. This album (side 1 in particular) was all I wanted to listen to, so it got me through a very tough time.
“Good Timin’” - NOT a remake of the Jimmy Jones song from 1960, this was a Brian/Carl composition which would make #40 on the singles chart. It SHOULD have gone higher, but at least it helped them to regain ground lost by the disco single. It could have been called "Surfer Girl, 1979". Brian did this when I saw him last summer, which was quite a treat!
“Lady Lynda” – The best song of what amounts to very few Alan Jardine compositions. Based on the Bach piece, “Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring”, it is a very beautiful song, written for his longtime wife, Lynda. Unfortunately, he would divorce her in the 80’s, and re-write the song as “Lady Liberty” in honor of the Statue Of Liberty. If you ask me, that sounds like a really tacky thing to do, but then again, this IS the Beach Boys we’re talking about.... A HUGE hit in England.
“Full Sail” – The most soothing song on the album, this song relaxes me to the bone! Carl sings lead.
“Angel Come Home” – Dennis is all over the next two songs. He sings lead on this Carl composition, his raspy voice full of emotion for a lost love, much like “My Diane” on the previous album.
“Love Surrounds Me” – Originally recorded for Dennis’ (unreleased) second solo album “Bamboo”, this track features his then-girlfriend Christine McVie on background vocals. This song sounds so much like a Wings tune that it would have fit perfectly on “Wings At The Speed Of Sound” (and would have been a LOT better than some of the songs on that album!). One of my favorite cuts here.
“Sumahama” – Even Mike Love wrote a song on this album I like. A lot of people unfairly trash this song (come to think of it, a lot of people unfairly trash this entire album). Written for his girlfriend at the time, who was Japanese, it has a very pretty melody and wistful arrangement. He sings a verse in Japanese (he’d attempted French on the M.I.U. Album, but this is a lot more tolerable), wrapping up one of my favorite BB album sides.
“Here Comes The Night” – The offensive disco tune kicks off the second side and plods on for nearly 11 minutes. It wouldn’t be so bad except for three things: 1) It is WAAAY too long. 2) It doesn’t fit in with the mellow mood of the rest of the album. And 3) It’s the Beach Boys.... I almost always skip over it..
“Baby Blue” – ...But I don’t EVER skip over this one! Dennis had written this song years before for his third wife, actress Karen Lamm. Like “Love Surrounds Me”, it was slated for “Bamboo”, but when he abandoned the project, he gave those songs to the Beach Boys. This is probably regarded as his second best composition, after “Forever”. It is SO sad that Dennis never lived up to his full potential, because his addictions took away his focus. He WAS a genius in his own right, and even Brian admits it! When I hear the haunting fade out at the end of this song, it saddens me and gives me chills to realize that this was the last new song Dennis released during his life. The world lost a great talent on December 29th, 1983.
“Goin’ South” – Another Carl song. Not bad, but unspectacular..
“Shortnin’ Bread” – The most rockin’ track on the album. Brian had been fixated with this song for years, and finally recorded a version of it. It’s nothing special...
L.A. (Light Album) would be another flop. A slight improvement over M.I.U. Album, it peaked at #100. Their next album, 1980’s “Keepin’ The Summer Alive”, would be one of their worst albums yet, containing only two decent songs, “Goin’ On” and “Santa Ana Winds”. Dennis was totally out of the picture by this time, and Brian was on his way out as well. Carl turned his focus to a solo album, and it was mostly Mike, Al, and Bruce by then. But for one brief period the band was able to pull together to release a sleeping giant. The only problem was, nobody cared...
L.A. (Light Album) – The Beach Boys, 1979
1. Good Timin’
2. Lady Lynda
3. Full Sail
4. Angel Come Home
5. Love Surrounds Me
6. Sumahama
7. Here Comes The Night
8. Baby Blue
9. Goin’ South
10. Shortnin’ Bread
The late 70’s were not a good time for the Beach Boys. They hadn’t had a hit since “15 Big Ones” in 1976. Their infighting reached all new heights, as the band split down the middle. During their 1978 tour, Dennis and Carl Wilson traveled on one plane, Mike Love and Al Jardine traveled on another. They had restraining orders placed on each other, in order to keep from “provoking” each other on stage. The band nearly broke up, on the tarmac of Newark Airport, and in full view of a Rolling Stone reporter, as the Dennis/Carl contingent fought with the Love/Jardine contingent over which plane Brian should fly on.
Carl and Dennis often performed drunk and/or high, which infuriated Mike Love. On their 1978 Australian tour (the highest booking tour in Australian history), the band was a complete mess. Their music was suffering as a result. Their 1978 lp, “M.I.U. Album”, was a dismal flop, made to fulfill their contract with Warner Bros. Quite honestly, M.I.U. was not very good, and it seemed like the end of the Beach Boys at that point.
Through some miracle, and with the help of Chicago producer James William Guercio, they did not break up, and were signed to a new contract with Caribou/CBS records. Not only that, they actually turned out a pretty good album. Not a classic by Beach Boys standards, but their best effort in quite some time. Brian, who did not want to work, cried tears of frustration as he signed the contract. He would contribute little, as his life was rapidly spiraling downward by this time. The others, however, would rise to the occasion. Carl was in fine form, Mike and Al would contribute their best compositions, and Dennis would contribute his last. This album also marked the return of Bruce Johnston, who had left in 1972 after a mysterious falling out with then-manager Jack Rieley. The boys called him up out of the blue and asked if he’d help them out, and he rejoined them for good! The six of them got together at Critereon, the Bee Gees studio in Miami, and made this album. While it has some of the best work they had done in several years, there are also a couple of clunkers...
The album would contain one of the biggest blunders in Beach Boys history, as the album contained their first and only disco song, a remake of a song from the 1967 “Wild Honey” album, “Here Comes The Night”. This track alienated many Beach Boys fans, and confused the rest. To be honest, it really isn’t a very good track, and at over 10 minutes in length, it takes up half of side 2. When Walter Yetnikoff, then CBS President, heard the track, his first response was “I think I have been F----ed!” An edited single version would hit #45. When the group debuted the song at Radio City Music Hall, they were booed, causing them to quickly drop the song from their set.
The rest of the album, though, is wonderfully beautiful. During the winter of ’99, I was going through a deep depression. This album (side 1 in particular) was all I wanted to listen to, so it got me through a very tough time.
“Good Timin’” - NOT a remake of the Jimmy Jones song from 1960, this was a Brian/Carl composition which would make #40 on the singles chart. It SHOULD have gone higher, but at least it helped them to regain ground lost by the disco single. It could have been called "Surfer Girl, 1979". Brian did this when I saw him last summer, which was quite a treat!
“Lady Lynda” – The best song of what amounts to very few Alan Jardine compositions. Based on the Bach piece, “Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring”, it is a very beautiful song, written for his longtime wife, Lynda. Unfortunately, he would divorce her in the 80’s, and re-write the song as “Lady Liberty” in honor of the Statue Of Liberty. If you ask me, that sounds like a really tacky thing to do, but then again, this IS the Beach Boys we’re talking about.... A HUGE hit in England.
“Full Sail” – The most soothing song on the album, this song relaxes me to the bone! Carl sings lead.
“Angel Come Home” – Dennis is all over the next two songs. He sings lead on this Carl composition, his raspy voice full of emotion for a lost love, much like “My Diane” on the previous album.
“Love Surrounds Me” – Originally recorded for Dennis’ (unreleased) second solo album “Bamboo”, this track features his then-girlfriend Christine McVie on background vocals. This song sounds so much like a Wings tune that it would have fit perfectly on “Wings At The Speed Of Sound” (and would have been a LOT better than some of the songs on that album!). One of my favorite cuts here.
“Sumahama” – Even Mike Love wrote a song on this album I like. A lot of people unfairly trash this song (come to think of it, a lot of people unfairly trash this entire album). Written for his girlfriend at the time, who was Japanese, it has a very pretty melody and wistful arrangement. He sings a verse in Japanese (he’d attempted French on the M.I.U. Album, but this is a lot more tolerable), wrapping up one of my favorite BB album sides.
“Here Comes The Night” – The offensive disco tune kicks off the second side and plods on for nearly 11 minutes. It wouldn’t be so bad except for three things: 1) It is WAAAY too long. 2) It doesn’t fit in with the mellow mood of the rest of the album. And 3) It’s the Beach Boys.... I almost always skip over it..
“Baby Blue” – ...But I don’t EVER skip over this one! Dennis had written this song years before for his third wife, actress Karen Lamm. Like “Love Surrounds Me”, it was slated for “Bamboo”, but when he abandoned the project, he gave those songs to the Beach Boys. This is probably regarded as his second best composition, after “Forever”. It is SO sad that Dennis never lived up to his full potential, because his addictions took away his focus. He WAS a genius in his own right, and even Brian admits it! When I hear the haunting fade out at the end of this song, it saddens me and gives me chills to realize that this was the last new song Dennis released during his life. The world lost a great talent on December 29th, 1983.
“Goin’ South” – Another Carl song. Not bad, but unspectacular..
“Shortnin’ Bread” – The most rockin’ track on the album. Brian had been fixated with this song for years, and finally recorded a version of it. It’s nothing special...
L.A. (Light Album) would be another flop. A slight improvement over M.I.U. Album, it peaked at #100. Their next album, 1980’s “Keepin’ The Summer Alive”, would be one of their worst albums yet, containing only two decent songs, “Goin’ On” and “Santa Ana Winds”. Dennis was totally out of the picture by this time, and Brian was on his way out as well. Carl turned his focus to a solo album, and it was mostly Mike, Al, and Bruce by then. But for one brief period the band was able to pull together to release a sleeping giant. The only problem was, nobody cared...
