L.A. (Light Album)
Encyclopedia
L.A. is The Beach Boys
' twenty-third studio album
, their last released in the 1970's, and their first as part of their contract with CBS Records
. Although Brother Records
was still in operation, their manager at the time, former Chicago
producer James William Guercio had his Caribou Records
label distribute the album in conjunction with Brother.
Also co-producing with Guercio and The Beach Boys was Bruce Johnston
, who had left the band in early 1972. Johnston was brought in when it became clear that the ailing Brian Wilson
was in no fit state to produce the album. Johnston has been with the Beach Boys ever since.
L.A. (Light Album) (Brother/Caribou/CBS JZ 35752) reached #100 in the US during a chart stay of thirteen weeks, and is now paired on CD with M.I.U. Album
. As of September 2011, the album appears to be out of print.
to write and produce 75% of the songs on each new album, his contributions to L.A. (Light Album) are minimal. His presence on the album as a vocalist has only been confirmed on one song, "Angel Come Home", though he probably played piano on the single "Good Timin'" which was co-written by him with brother Carl, but had been recorded four years earlier. His arrangement of the traditional song "Shortenin' Bread" was also old. The vocals for both songs were recorded without Brian. "Good Timin'" hit #40 in the US.
Both "Baby Blue" and "Love Surrounds Me" were originally recorded for Dennis Wilson
's never-released second solo album, Bambu. These would be the last Dennis Wilson songs released before his death in 1983.
L.A. (Light Album) spawned a top-ten hit in the UK with Al Jardine
's Bach
-inspired "Lady Lynda
", written for his wife, and later rerecorded as "Lady Liberty" after their divorce. Jardine recently revealed that Dennis Wilson made an uncredited contribution to the song's lush string arrangement. Mike Love
's Japanese-flavored "Sumahama" was also a UK single chart entry later in 1979.
Possibly the album's most controversial moment was an eleven-minute disco recasting of Wild Honey
s "Here Comes the Night" that caused considerable consternation among fans. The song was only played live during a few dates at New York City
's Radio City Music Hall
in March 1979 before being dropped from the live set due to adverse audience reaction. Nevertheless, an abridged 4:34 version made the charts in the US as the lead single, peaking at #44.
L.A. (Light Album) peaked at #100 in the US, and #32 in the UK.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
' twenty-third studio album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, their last released in the 1970's, and their first as part of their contract with CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
. Although Brother Records
Brother Records
Brother Records, Inc. is a record label and holding company formed in October 1966 that holds the intellectual property rights of the Beach Boys, including the "The Beach Boys" trademark....
was still in operation, their manager at the time, former Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
producer James William Guercio had his Caribou Records
Caribou Records
Caribou Records is a record label which distributed some of the Brother Records releases by The Beach Boys. It is owned by James William Guercio, who also owns Caribou Ranch recording studios, and was the longtime manager of the band Chicago....
label distribute the album in conjunction with Brother.
Also co-producing with Guercio and The Beach Boys was Bruce Johnston
Bruce Johnston
Bruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
, who had left the band in early 1972. Johnston was brought in when it became clear that the ailing Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
was in no fit state to produce the album. Johnston has been with the Beach Boys ever since.
L.A. (Light Album) (Brother/Caribou/CBS JZ 35752) reached #100 in the US during a chart stay of thirteen weeks, and is now paired on CD with M.I.U. Album
M.I.U. Album
M.I.U. Album is the 22nd studio album by The Beach Boys, released in 1978. Recorded at a fraught time for the band, only Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson appear throughout the album. Carl and Dennis Wilson are audible on only a few of the songs....
. As of September 2011, the album appears to be out of print.
Recording
Despite a new $8 million contract with CBS Records calling for Brian WilsonBrian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
to write and produce 75% of the songs on each new album, his contributions to L.A. (Light Album) are minimal. His presence on the album as a vocalist has only been confirmed on one song, "Angel Come Home", though he probably played piano on the single "Good Timin'" which was co-written by him with brother Carl, but had been recorded four years earlier. His arrangement of the traditional song "Shortenin' Bread" was also old. The vocals for both songs were recorded without Brian. "Good Timin'" hit #40 in the US.
Both "Baby Blue" and "Love Surrounds Me" were originally recorded for Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
's never-released second solo album, Bambu. These would be the last Dennis Wilson songs released before his death in 1983.
L.A. (Light Album) spawned a top-ten hit in the UK with Al Jardine
Al Jardine
Alan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
's Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
-inspired "Lady Lynda
Lady Lynda
"Lady Lynda" is a song written by vocalist and guitarist Alan Jardine and Ron Altbach for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1979 album L.A. ....
", written for his wife, and later rerecorded as "Lady Liberty" after their divorce. Jardine recently revealed that Dennis Wilson made an uncredited contribution to the song's lush string arrangement. Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
's Japanese-flavored "Sumahama" was also a UK single chart entry later in 1979.
Possibly the album's most controversial moment was an eleven-minute disco recasting of Wild Honey
Wild Honey (album)
-Singles:* "Wild Honey" b/w "Wind Chimes" , 23 October 1967 US #31; UK #29* "Darlin'" b/w "Here Today" , 18 December 1967 US #19; UK #11....
s "Here Comes the Night" that caused considerable consternation among fans. The song was only played live during a few dates at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
in March 1979 before being dropped from the live set due to adverse audience reaction. Nevertheless, an abridged 4:34 version made the charts in the US as the lead single, peaking at #44.
L.A. (Light Album) peaked at #100 in the US, and #32 in the UK.
Track listing
Singles
- "Here Comes the Night" (edit) b/w "Baby Blue" (Brother/Caribou ZS9 9026), February 19, 1979 US #44; UK #37
- "Good Timin' " b/w "Love Surrounds Me" (Brother/Caribou ZS9 9029), April 16, 1979 US #40
- "Lady Lynda" b/w "Full Sail" (Brother/Caribou ZS9 9030), June 1979 UK #6
- "Sumahama" b/w "It's a Beautiful Day" (Brother/Caribou ZS9 9031), September 1979 UK #45
Production Notes
- Producers: Bruce JohnstonBruce JohnstonBruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
/The Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
/Jim Guercio/Curt BecherCurt BoettcherCurt Boettcher was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer from Wisconsin. His career spanned 1964 to 1983... - Engineer: Bill Fletcher
- Art Director/Designer: Tony Lane
- Photographer: Ed Roach
Sources
- M.I.U. Album/L.A. (Light Album) CD booklet notes, Jeff Tamarkin, c.2000.
- "The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience", Timothy White, c. 1994.
- "Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story", Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Todd Gold, c. 1991. - "Top Pop Singles 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002.
- Allmusic.com
- Smiley Smile Message Board - "The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread," posts by Beach Boys archivist Alan Boyd and others