The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate L.A. (Light Album), released March 1979.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/la.jpg)

Jesus, no...

Great album. 4.

L.A. - 1. John - 3:16.

The last time the group really made an effort.

"Baby Blue" is worth the price of the Lp..
Sad that Dennis's 2nd Lp was not issued.
Maybe someday?
Pete

Good Timin.
The BB on the radio, in full harmony,  and sounding good.  For the last time.
The Bamboo material.  Some good stuff.  And the cover is great!

And I know I'm going out on a limb here, all by myself, but I just don't care much for Sumahama.

Sumahama was better on First Love. MUCH better.

I've not heard Fiirst love.  Didn't know that song was on there.  See thats why I hesitated to be critical of that song...there are so many who love it.

I don't particularly love the song, it's just there, but I can spot a better version, and First Love had the better version.

Besides Sumahama and a few others the album is not too good.



2 1/2

Good Timin'
Angel Come Home (Carl's last good song)
Love Surrounds Me
Baby Blue
and maybe Full Sail (maybe, but it has that dull ballad feel that his better dull ballads like Heaven and Like a Brother have)


The rest is a disappointment, not helped by the sheer weight of Here Comes The Night.  Imagine if you had the songs above, plus California Feelin', Looking Down the Coast, (the original and better) Santa Ana Wind.  If you did, you could forgive the inclusion of Goin' South and you'd have an album at least heading in the Holland direction, albeit with a more plastic production sound.  And if you must have Shortenin' Bread, then use the earlier, ballsier version.  And hey, I know it arrived a bit late, but if it was available, I'd stick on It's a Beautiful Day, Al's least worst pastiche BB fun song (see california calling for a crappy one).  The four tracks above elevate this to a three: the band's last decent effort.

WHA????!!!!

The album is great besides Sumahama!!!

UPDATED REVIEW 20060222
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"L.A. (Light Album)" is probably my second favorite Beach Boys album period, after "Sunflower".  This was their first album for CBS Records and I think the reason that this album is hated so much is because, by 1979, the majority of the Beach Boys remaining fan base were people who became fans in the 1960s and just stuck with them.  Those people were probably well into their "modern music is crap" phase by 1979.  That's a phase we all get into.  So when the Beach Boys did this wonderful soft rock record that sounded very contemporary for 1979, the fans heard it and, because modern music was crap, this album was automatically crap.

Take this for what it is.  No, this is not girls, cars and surfing like Little Deuce Coupe or All Summer Long, but why would the Beach Boys be singing about that kind of stuff in 1979?  The world was a far different place in 1979 than it was in the early 1960s.

I personally love when bands have the attitude of "we don't want the next record to sound like what we've done before", and that was the attitude the band had here.  They had two choices: release another "All Summer Long" and have critics say "These guys just don't get it.  They're stuck in the 60s and they're more out of touch than ever with today." or release something contemporary-sounding and have critics say "The Beach Boys are no longer musical innovators and are just following trends."  Basically they were in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" position and at least they erred on the side of doing something they'd never done before.

The Beach Boys could put out a polka album and, as long as it's a great polka album, I'd give it props if it deserved it.  That's where L.A. is.  It's a soft rock record and a damn good one at that.  I'd love for someone to name five soft rock albums that came out in 1979 that are any better than this one.  The songs are melodic, the vocals are excellent, the production is great.  What else do you need?

Now on to the songs.  As far as "Here Comes the Night", get over yourselves people.  Disco was king in 1978 when the song was done.  If Rod Stewart (a self-proclaimed disco hater), Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones could all release disco singles in the late 1970s, why couldn't the Beach Boys?  If you turn off your Brian Wilson biases for a minute and actually listen to it, what you'll notice are awesome harmonies, a great beat and something you can move to.  This song is not bad at all.

Of Brian Wilson's two contributions, Good Timin' (actually recorded in 1974) is probably one of the best songs they did post 1970.  The harmonies are killer and the music is nice.  The rock and roll arrangement of "Shortenin' Bread" is odd to say the least, but it's a lot of fun and it's one of only two songs on L.A. that you can dance to.

Al's "Lady Lynda" was a huge hit over in England.  It actually uses a classical theme from Bach, which is pretty cool.

Carl Wilson provides some awesome songs here too.  "Full Sail" and "Angel Come Home" are absolute beauties.  "Goin' South" is also nice but there isn't much to it musically.

Mike's "Sumahama" is a Japanese fantasy and the music is so well done.  The lyrics are pretty good too, even where he sings in Japanese.  This is definitely not what you'd expect from the man who, 2 years later would put out a solo album and actually rhyme "Good Vibrations" with "assassinations".

Dennis steals the show here though.  "Baby Blue" and "Love Surrounds Me" are both absolute masterpieces.

Overall, this album is a shining gem in the huge catalog of Beach Boys albums and every fan should be proud of this album as one of the last times the band did something risky.

5 Stars

I have always truly dug this breezy sweet album.  Many songs that I love all thru the track line-up.   (Four stars out of five)

I give it a 4, because I think it's really kind of an group effort. "Here comes the night" doesn't fit and the original is much better (though I like the disco-version), so they should have put on a more fitting song instead, but overall it's a real good album and the singing is good also. Only thing that isn't as good, is the sound, I think ith Stephen Desper for example they would have gotten a better sound. The released one sounds not bright enough imho

i dig this album, but what BB album dont i? it's a great album to sleep to, and i mean well with that....it's nice to wake up to in the middle of the night, usually wake up at the end of Here comes the Night (which i really like) and it goes into baby blue, which is lovely to hear in the middle of the night.
So i heard there's a promo disc from 79 that has HCTN and other BB hits in a disco fasion, has anyone heard this? should i be excited to want to hear this?

Definitely Dennis' songs bring this one up, but it's his tunes with Carl thta make this one a pretty good overall album.  The neverending disco Here Comes the Night though, ugh. 4 stars despite the epic disco song.

Well said. I've been a fan going on 11 years now, so I wasn't there from the beginning, or hell, even the beginning of the end. Nah, I was a fan *after* they ceased to be a viable recording act. So, I guess you can I say I developed a post-mortem  appreciation of the music. Really, I can find good things to say about *every* BB album.

I love LA, except..."Full Sail" and "Goin South". Other than that, I quite like it. Now, where I think they missed the boat was putting the long version of HCTN on the album, and the edited version as the single. I would've done just the opposite, personally. The only people who would even *want* to hear a 10 minute version would be at a dance, not listening to it at home.

You're right, HCTN takes up so much space and drags the album down.  Replace it with Santa Ana Winds and Looking Down the Coast; replace Sumahama (nice vocals; dumb song) with California Feeling; replace either Shortenin Bread or Goin' South with It's a Beautiful Day and you have their last decent album.

This is the worst BB album I own, and the last.
1 great song, Good Timin.  Dennis material in this period is vastly overrated in my opinion.
I give it 4 stars.

Good Timin' - Beautiful song with great harmonies!
Lady Lynda - cheesy, file under "guilty pleasure"
Full Sail - ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Angel Come Home - Nice track with great Dennis vocal
Love Surrounds Me - Great song, Christine McVie's vocal is the icing on the cake!
Sumahama - Let's talk about this shitty Mike Love song! Or not.
Here Comes The Night - I appreciate the work that might have went into this remake, that doesn't mean I want to hear a BB disco track!!!!
Baby Blue - This is real. This is sincere. This will break your heart in so many pieces.
Going South = This is a real gem amoung an uneven pile.
Shortenin' Bread - That's my Brian!!!!! Ruining the RUMORS-esque vibe with beautifully ham-fisted, doo-wopped boogie woodie piano!!!! THAT, ladies and gentlemen is not only Rock and Roll, but that is so punk rock!!!

I give the album a 3.

I really agree with you, but I would exchange your fondness for Bread to Full Sail.

Oh man, Full sail ??????

Bread rocks like a sunabitch, Man! I thought you, of all people would dig Bread! Shortening, that is.

I like the Adult Child version better. That sh*t ROCKS.

The only good version of Shortnin' Bread is by the Readymen.

C'mon guys!  Full Sail is just beautiful... y'must be a cold, cold character not to warm to that song.  Loved it the first time I heard it.

Sucks.

A cool piece of nostalgia for us L.A. fans..



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Okay I was looking at the cover for L.A. (Light Album) today and I got to the postcard for "Love Surrounds Me".  Now I always saw this as just a lone cactus in the middle of a desert.  But then I looked closer.  bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha  That's excellent!

it's all dennis! it's amazing and even baby blue, i still see denny in the picture

That's so Dennis, man. Great pictures. I love the artwork for that album.

So does that mean that Dennis is the artist on those two postcards?  That could explain why the artist for those aren't credited in the CD booklet.  I'll have to check my vinyl copy.

I think it's beyond horrible, and one of the many reasons why I hardly ever play L.A.

penis and breasts...did Mike "republican guru" love approve this??

is this Love surrounds Me??

Mike Love Surrounds Me.

Hardy Har Har...yer going far...remember that nite when we'd gone two-fer?

can i ever gitcha bak.

LA Light Album has the worst BB record cover ever. Horrible. Friends and KTSA's illustrations are poor but LA is beyond hideous.

Just another one of those things that make you wonder, "what the hell were they thinking?" They probably could've doubled the album's sales with some halfway-decent packaging.

i second that emotion

I think you're all as full of crap as a christmas goose!  :P

L.A.'s cover art is great!

This is probably stupid, but what the hell is the woman in the "Lady Lynda" picture supposed to be doing??

Fixing a run in her stocking with nail polish, I believe.  I asked my Mom when I was much younger.

And the art does rule.

Really?  What the heck is that supposed to do??

Well, while we're on the topic, I asked my mom why the desert had titties  :o

I think the polish stops it from spreading.  Did you outright ask why there were titties on the cover, or was it more along the lines of "what are those delicious sand dunes, Mommy?".

No, I didn't ask.  I actually only bought "L.A." a couple months ago at a flea market.   :P

1. There's no foreground or background. Just 6 busy postcards pasted on the cover. No space. If thet had taken just one of the postcards and pasted on a blank canvas, with typography above and/or below, it would work way better.

2. I took the record to look at the postcards. All of of them are ugly and kitsch. Even if these artists were respected in their circles and they had "pop art" intentions, it backfired because in the end the illustrations just look like the Beach Boys bought them for $4 from those guys who make drawings in beaches and parks.

3. Love Surrounds Me and Baby Blue are the worst. 

For a Beach Boys' album...they're looking good.

The last important album the Beach Boys would produce, and a great way for them to wrap up the 70s.  If they had called it quits at this point, perhaps people would remember the band a lot differently today.  The various members could have gone on to make solo albums and pursue their muses, instead of the group releasing the homogenized, corporate AOR pap turned out from here on in.


Good Timin - Short, glorious, easy on the ears.  Brian and Carl worked on this song since 1974, and it was now perfected.  Shouldabeen hit single, scraped the bottom regions of the Top 40.

Lady Lynda - Plagiarizing Bach might not sound like a good plan of attack for a rock band with flagging album sales, but damned if Al didn't nearly pull it off.  A pretty good-sized hit in the UK... and I love the a cappella break in the Knebworth version.  Nice harmony arrangements and orchestration by Bruce Johnston

Full Sail - I do NOT understand why some cannot appreciate this song.  It is just flat-out lovely.  Perhaps I'm fond of "Full Sail" because it instantly reminds me of laying out on the beach in Maui during my honeymoon. A little on the slow side, perhaps, but a gorgeous melody and vocal.

Angel Come Home - Carl was really on fire this time around.  "Angel Come Home" rates with "Feel Flows" and "Heaven" in the holy trinity of Carl Wilson compositions.  Anybody who's ever lost someone they've loved can relate to the lyrics, and Carl's melody and Dennis's sincere vocal do the song complete justice.

Love Surrounds Me - This one is a complete jaw dropper.  It's incredible that Dennis could turn out stuff like this, and even more incredible that the band often turned down his songs for inclusion on albums.  The synth breakdown during the middle 8 leading into the walls of Christine McVie harmonies is the highlight of the  Light Album for me.  It's a damn shame we never got to hear  Bamboo.

Sumahama - Say what you will, I don't think this song is All That Bad.  I certainly prefer it to some of Mr. Love's future offerings in the sun & fun mode, and it's not a ham-fisted clunker (how's that for an overused rock crit cliche?) in the vein of "Student Demonstration Time".  Bonus points for the string arrangements, which are interesting and creative.  Thus ends one of the strongest Beach Boys album sides of the decade.

Here Comes the Night -  I dig it, although the radio edit might have been a better fit here-- then they could have included "California Feeling", or "Daybreak" or maybe even "Do You Like Worms". (Honestly, Bruce Johnston is quoted as saying that they were considering adding that to the  Light Album at one point!)  This disco inferno features some excellent "vocal gymnastics", in the words of Brad Elliott.  Very much in the vein of producer Curt Becher's contemporaneous California Music project.

Baby Blue - B-side of the "Here Comes the Night" single, and also originally tabbed for inclusion on  Bamboo.  Features Carl's best lead vocal from this era, as well as a sensitive bridge vocal from Dennis.  Indeed, Dennis seems to have a direct line to God as the melodies he channeled here are otherworldly and can make for an overwhelmingly spiritual experience.  Ace!


Goin' South - Another nice Carl composition in the vein of "Full Sail".  This one is even a bit more somnombulistic (is that a word?)  Great for chilling out on the beach at sunset with a cocktail in hand.


Shortenin' Bread - Side B of the Light Album suffers from some of the worst sequencing I've ever experienced.  Coming off of two supremely sensitive ballads, this raucous cut can be somewhat disconcerting.  While many appreciate the inclusion of "Shortenin' Bread, I tend to feel that if the band were desperate for something from Brian, they should have gone with "California Feeling" instead. In an ideal world,  Adult/ Child would have been released in 1977, giving "Shortenin' Bread" a more sympathetic surrounding.



3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

I'm with you.  I find all three of these songs to be soft rock hymns.

What I wouldn't have given for a Dennis-Carl project around this time... Would've been amazing.

Jason, hit the nail on the head (not a big fan of HCTN or Sumahama though)...  I think the late 70's production on this one really assisted the BB's with their "summer nights" sound...  The thing that stops me from thinking of the beach when I listen to most of their early 60's material is the production, too heavy and not delicate enough, whereas here with "Full Sail" (the most underrated BB's track ever) it breezes in and out of your speakers... just lovely.

That's a damn fine point - I agree whole-heartedly.

4 for me, i dont get why so many people dont like this album. Far better than miu, ktsa or anything that followed. Good timin, baby blue, love surrounds me, Full sail, Angel come home are all great. Lady lynda, sumahama and HCTN all suck but the good easily outweighs the bad

Is the rumor true that "Do You Like Worms" was close to appearing on this album?

The L.A. Light Album is a very melancholy album...

Dark hazy large sunglasses and big hoop earrings worn on the countless frames of wonderful women...long straight hair and sun tan...waiting for a hug. Beaded entryways and orange curtains. Rainy days and groceries...cigerette smoke anyplace, anytime. Disco shirts and Dingo boots. A saddness keeps interrupting All in the Family.

The end of the seventies is at hand...there is a general apathy, a sense of trying to live right...a search for happiness in Cosmo, Franco-American Macaroni & Beef, drugs and the right swinging partner. Going to parties and finishing frustrated. The hotel pool is freezing and nobody wants to jump in.

This album is a soundtrack to a unfilmed Altman film...it captures its time. I can't help but remember my childhood in the seventies when I put this thing on, yet the music applies today.


(http://www.ofilmie.pl/recenzje/nashville_cziczio/nashville12.jpg)
(thank you Trumpet Sounds for image)

Good Timin'  ;D ...A Glorious overture...TELL ME, O MUSE, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after trying to survive one decade in the promise of an America. What good timin' does this hero share with the Gods?!

Lady Lynda   8)...Welcome to the fireplace, wine and shag. It is hard to leave this little pad of the 70's. Maybe you are under her spell...Calypso? The women is long and tall...I can imagine her hairstyle, can you? It's easy if you try.

Full Sail    :(...Sail on Sailor, now on quiet, mellow waves of depression...hard to catch the wind sometimes. Mourning you father. The grey eyed Goddess is your guide now. Poseidon haunts your dreams. Carl is the man of twists and turns.

Angel Come Home    :angel:...You are trapped in a relationship with the nymph Calyspo. "I told you there would be heartache and shipwreck in your future," she says, "Would you rather share immortality with me?" Everyday for the last ten years you have sat in the flower-wallpapered kitchen, weeping for home and Penelope. There is no more beer in the fridge.

Love Surrounds Me   :smokin...This man of twists and turns is still alone, and it's even hard to dream. Will this decade ever end? The Sirens swarm in full of voices and tones...healing...A kind of samadhi in 1979.

Sumahama   :3d(sometimes I skip it, but not often)...Only for Lotus eaters. Do not be tempted to stay on this island or you may be eaten.

Here Comes The Night   :hat...1979: A Space Odyssey. There is no place like L.A. "I will show you fear in a handful of dust!" Beware of Circe or be turned into swine right on the dance floor. She says, "You will never see home again."

Baby Blue   ;D...A return into the arms of your beloved Penelope. You have waited for this for 10 years. You have suffered Poseiden's American joke for too long. If you could only lay here in Penelope's arms forever. Forever. Is this real?

Goin' South     :(Listen Listen Listen...In the end the man of twists and turns will always be alone. Thank you Carl.

Shortenin' Bread   :o...The afterlife is not what you thought it would be. The Gods are drunk.

I love this album.

Yes.  Bruce Johnston said so in an interview.

Leo K...Your post is the greatest analysis of a BB record i've yet to view!! Keep It Up! Very terse & evocotive.

Thanks Lorenschwartz...I'll try :D

Resurrection post.  Some scans of the liner sleeve to this hit and miss album:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/Compost/LA1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/Compost/LA2.jpg

The look Dennis is giving Mike in the middle picture, second side is priceless - nice hat.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/Compost/1.jpg)

Nice stuff!

By 1979, the Beach Boys had proved they could succeed without Brian, but L.A. probably had his smallest involvement ever -- just "Good Timin," "Shortenin Bread," and the "Here Comes the Night" cover.  Carl and Dennis picked up the slack brilliantly.

GOOD TIMIN -- Beautiful song, outstanding vocal work.  Stands with the early Beach Boys classics such as "Surfer Girl," which it deliberately echoes.

LADY LYNDA -- Starts off very schmaltzy, but is actually not a bad song.  Boy was Al teetering on the edge by this time, though . . .

FULL SAIL -- Excellent, mellow Carl track.  Love the slightly discordant wind chimes.  Perfect 1979 music.

ANGEL COME HOME -- I really love this song.  Fantastic melody, great sentiment, and Denny's vocal (like pretty much everything he ever sang) adds so much authenticity and feeling.

LOVE SURROUNDS ME -- Outstanding Denny track.  Original, soulful, great production in Denny's own unique style.  He truly was a genius.

SUMAHAMA -- One of Mr. Love's best solo efforts ever, probably rivalled only by "Big Sur."  Very cool production (great strings), great melody, surprisingly affecting lyrics.

I agree with Jason Penick, side one of this album is outstanding.

HERE COMES THE NIGHT -- Not bad in and of itself, but it is way, WAY too long.  As a 3 1/2 minute track, it would have been fine.  But 11 minutes?  Save that for the dance club remix.

BABY BLUE -- Heartbreaking.  Denny's last track on a Beach Boys album, and one of his best.

GOIN SOUTH -- Another strong mellow Carl effort. 

SHORTENIN BREAD -- Don't quite see why Brian was so obsessed with this song over the years.  Like Denny's bass vocal (that is Denny, isn't it?), but this song isn't very substantial.

i like this review...especially putting good timin' up with surfer girl, that's a lot to say for most people, but i agree

I always thought it was Mike doing the bass in that song. While I don't know the reason why Brian wanted to do this song, I love the groove of it, especially the backing track.

i agree..the track is great...

i didnt think mike really had a whole lot to do with this album like friends...besides his owncomp...of course, it seems like there's little contribution to each track from each of the guys...they all blend together well on good timin

The Light Album is a lot like 20/20; mostly a collection of solo tracks, with a couple of older songs featuring the entire group thrown in.

side one of the Light Album + side two of MIU = the last great Beach Boy album?

I'll bite.

Good Timin'
Lady Lynda
Full Sail
Angel Come Home
Love Surrounds Me
She's Got Rhythm
Wontcha Come Out Tonight
Sweet Sunday Kinda Love
My Diane
Baby Blue
Goin' South

That would certainly be a great album, but I would lose Lady Lynda and keep Hey Little Tomboy, plus I'd add at least Matchpoint of Our Love -- frankly, I wouldn't want to part with much of M.I.U. (I suppose I could live without Al's covers and Winds of Change if I had to).  Don't make me give up Kona Coast or Sumahama, either!




I feel certain that is not Mike.  I think it has to be a Wilson -- probably Dennis, maybe Brian.  It sounds like the bass vocals on River Song to me, that's why I thought it was Denny.

I voted 4.

IMO, one of their most relaxed and "lovely" albums... I do consider this their swan song... It didn't get much better after this. Although The Beach Boys '85 has its very particular moments.

I even like the disco cover of Here Comes the Night.


(First Post! WOO!... Anyone here have a Love You album cover avatar? I would like that tpo be my avatar but if someone else is already using it I wont use it...)

  fer shure, shortnen bread is perhaps the best way to end the album. being brian's child-infatuation playfullness...this BB rave up is as poignant as anything.Its almost like them sayin' see ya, Peace. I thank God they didn't end with Goin South. Bleeeech!!!! the live version of Shortnen is awesome!!!!!

I know i'm in the minority here but I'm not wildly keen, Goin' South is so dull and Here comes the night is kak. In my opinion they should have kept Bruce well away from the production, as he was just bandwagon jumping, and it just sounds like any old bland late 70s L.A. record, and in that way the title is perfectly appropriate.
The best track by far is the sublime 'Good Timin' which has Brians melodic sense all over it, and this album is probably the least Brian of all (apart from SIP) and bizarrely is the only BB album (apart from CATP)which has only one bit of Mike Love singing (Sumahama), but don't quote me on that.
Angel come home is good, but Love surrounds me is turgid.
I agree that the inclusion of 'California Feeling' and 'IABD' would have helped the album, hell, even 'Brians Back' would have elevated it, at least it has a good tune!

4. I don't understand all the negativity for this album. Im a believer!

IABD?

This is an adult album the last Beach Boys LP not to have a surf or car song. If you put Baby Blue on the a side to replace Mike's Japaneese antics, I think you have a GREAT half a album. Perhaps I would replace Full Sail with the early Santa Anna Winds though or perhaps California Feeling.

It's a beautiful day (I know it was done a little bit after the album)

I like this album but KTSA and MIU are better. "Good Timin'", "Lady Linda" and "Angel Come Home" are great, and I like "Sumahama" and "Here Comes The Night" too. "Shortenin' Bread" is okay. I like the cover too, maybe it's the most important back cover of any beach boys album  :thumbsup

I'll stick with replacing Here Comes the Night with Santa Ana Winds (original version), Lookin' Down the Coast and California Feeling.  No-one would listen to the album then and just come away with the sound and length of Here Comes the Night in their head.  Hell, I could even put up with Sumahama (though I'd prefer to skip the spoken Japanese - in fact, there are probably other Mike tracks from around that period that could've been included.  Wasn't a version of 10,000 Years recorded around then?).  And, yeah, stick IABD on.  Its not great, but it does have some energy.  I guess Shortenin' Bread would have to go and probably Goin' South, too.  Full Sail is just about tolerable.  Now all we need is Winter Symphony saved from the aborted Christmas album and you have not only the last decent album they did (which it more or less is anyhow) but an excellent album to call it a day with!

Yep, it is in fact Denny singing the bass part. The last time he would be heard on a new Beach Boys album.



This is from the great Dennis Wilson-Dreamer site :

10,000 YEARS -  Written by Dennis and Mike Love, this track originated around the time of the Beach Boys' 15 BIG ONES sessions and was tweaked intermittently over the next seven years (perhaps as separate works by both authors). No vocals have ever surfaced, but lyrics were written for this funky excursion-- the theme being man's inability to treat his fellow man with compassion over the course of ten thousand years. It's interesting to note that this is at least the fourth composition co-written by Dennis and Michael. For two individuals supposedly often at odds with one another, they often seemed to put aside their differences when it was in the best interest of their music. (A revealing 1976 radio interview of Dennis and Mike on WLS radio Chicago shows off the pair as positively chummy with one another, with Dennis praising Mike's "Everyone's in Love with You" as "the most beautiful song I've ever heard.") 

Of course Mike re-recorded the song for his new solo-album

Vocally, that is.

Hmm everyone seems to concur that this is the last really decent Beach Boys album. It's a Beautfull Day sounds more like KTSA to me but it was a fairly good song.

Right. He played percussion on "Endless harmony"

Album: 2 1/2
Cover: 5

Count me as a LIGHT ALBUM supporter...lotsa Carl and Denny, not so much of Al and Mike, no surfing lyrics, a modern, slightly edgy production, and great vocal textures (most of them by Carl with Dennis and Bruce).  And I've always loved HCTN although I agree that a shorter edit would have been appropriate, and adding "California Feeling" (though the recorded version was fairly lifeless) or IABD would have helped the record.

Interesting fact:  according to Alan Boyd Brian was not involved with "Shortnin' Bread" at all.  He apparently was at Brotman at the time and Carl and Dennis did it without him based on his '77 era demo arrangement.  Brian actually RECUT "Shortnin' Bread" in 1980!

I consider this the last solid BBs album. Not great, but solid.

I gave this a 4. I actually really like this album. I think people underrate this album.

Good Timin - a brilliant song. The backing track is also pretty good and made me appreciate it more. I love the group vocals on this one
Lady Lynda - although a rip off of a Bach composition I still like it
Full Sail - I like this song a lot too despite a lot of people not liking it.
Angel Come Home - great to hear Denny's passionate lead vocal. I do agree with someone who said a while ago that the backing vocals do sound a bit strange but a really nice song nonetheless
Love Surrounds Me - a brilliant song. Just gets better every time I hear it. Wasnt the best when I first heard it (as with a lot of this album, but it has grown on me since)
Sumahama - Mikes best composition (although of course he hasnt had many where he composed the music)
Here Comes The Night - ignore this one and the album aint as bad as people make out. The vocals on this song though are pretty impressive although the disco feel is not good for my liking
Baby Blue - another great song. I love the contrast between Carl's beautiful voice and then Denny's passionate and rough voice. Brilliant use of contrast. And then Brian add some high notes after Denny. Some brilliant singing.
Goin South - not the best. I agree with some people when they say that Carl sounds sleepy on this one. Still by no means bad
Shortenin' Bread - a bit of harmless fun.

 :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

I like it, it's nothing special but it has some great songs.

"Good Timin'" is one of the best songs ever from the Beach Boys, "Angel Come Home" is awesome and I like "Lady Lynda" too, the intro is beautiful. "Shortenin' Bread" is a good rocker and Carl is powerful on "Here Comes The Night" but why so long? The Dennis' songs are just decent and the other Carl songs are good for relaxing. "Sumahama" is a track which I like sometimes and on another day I don't. I love "It's A Beautiful Day" from that era which is a hidden gem. Good that Dennis and Bruce are back but Mike is right, this album sounds more like a bunch of different solo albums.

I think this album, if released around the early '70s, would be seen as a big disappointment. However, coming after the likes of 15 Big Ones and MIU, it's a minor miracle. 'Good Timin' is absolutely gorgeous - whenever compiling BB CDs for friends and hope-this-lands-me-a-shag girls I always have it as the opening track (well, either this or Dennis' 'River Song' - both however guaranteed to make the listeners sit up and listen!!) 'Lady Lynda' has some nice harmonies but is so lightweight sometimes you don't even notice it's there (and it was a hit single?? Whereas 'Long Promised Road', 'Sail On Sailor' etc failed to chart? The public are idiots!!) Anyway, 'Full Sail' is gorgeous! Carl's vocal more than makes up for the slight melody. 'Angel Come Home', despite the somewhat Bee Gees-like backing vocals on the chorus, is a beaut! Cracking lead from dennis, and great vocals that'll really hit home with anyone who's ever loved and lost. 'Love Surrounds Me' is a great tune, badly produced. Check out the Bamboo demo instead. Much better! 'Sumahara' - what's with people rating this track? The melody is ok i suppose, but that cheesy production? And Mike singing in Japenese never fails to have me reaching for the bucket! The man has no sense of irony or taste! What a prick! Talking of pricks, Bruce's disco production of 'Here Comes The Night' guarantees that this otherwise pretty damn good album will always have a shoddy reputation. 'Baby Blue' rescues Side 2 however, being as it is an absolute masterpiece! Carl's 'Goin' South' is another slight melody with a great vocal, but this time the melody is just a bit too slight to be rescued by his fantastic voice. Sorry Carl! 'Shortenin' Bread' is crap, obviously, but let's all pretend it's great coz Brian did it. Sorry, but by now Brian had, very sadly indeed, utterly lost his mojo. This song is just plain stupid - compare it to his brothers contributions, then think how the sane, clear-thinking Brian of 1966 would've felt if he'd known THIS was the kinda stuff he's be considering decent releasable album material just 12 years later... Damn shame! Overall then, under-rated, deeply flawed album, with shocking lows and incredible highs! Bye

I like it when the Beach Boys try to sound modern. The Beach Boys, as a whole, are a lesson in history and pop culture through the years. Though no one thought they were cool after '67, they followed every trend and did it well. Good Timin' is great. Lady Lynda is good but Al doesn't fit the mood of this album, despite Bruce's best efforts at production. Full Sail is pretty but doesn't stick in my memory too well. Angel Come Home is great. I love the vocals in the chorus. Love Surrounds Me is too ambitious.

Sumahama. I could go on and on about Sumahama. When I first heard it, I enjoyed it but figured it was one of the many Mike Love tracks that I loved but everyone else thought was crap. But then I was playing it on acoustic guitar, which is how I imagined Mike composed it, as it's the only instrument besides the sax that I'm aware of Mike knowing how to play. Anyhow, the chords under the chorus made me respect Mike Love so much. I also love the line "years have passed and tears have long since dried". The Japanese lyrics are pretty cool, I love the live version of this where they sing it completely in Japanese.

Here Comes the Night is to 1979 as Heroes and Villains is to 1967. And I love Heroes and Villains. The screeching monkey is classic.

Baby Blue's rather nice but nothing special. I like Goin' South alot. Shortenin' Bread is funny, but I would've prefered Do You Like Worms?. Especially a 1979-esque Do You Like Worms?.

I don't know what to rate this album. Maybe a four, maybe a three.

L.A. has some great moments for me, but also poor tracklisting in the second half and 2 or 3 tracks that really don't do it for me at all.  A few of the songs are deja vu of the early 70's democratic albums, and it would on that level if you took the best half of the songs IMO.  I don't have a problem at all with trying new things, but I will base it on my listening enjoyment as I always try to do.

Good Timin' - 5/5
Lady Lynda - 4/5
Full Sail - 4/5
Angel Come Home - 4/5
Love Surrounds Me - 4.5/5
Sumahama - 3/5
Here Comes The Night - 2/5
Baby Blue - 4.5/5
Goin' South - 3.5/5
Shortenin' Bread - 2/5

I'm giving L.A. a 3 as well, giving HCTN a credit of 2 songs considering its length (which ironically is also the biggest problem with it).  If you shortened that song keeping in the best bits down to about 4 minutes my enjoyment of it would grow considerably.

They did shorten Here Comes the Night. It gets rid of all the cool vocal parts, though. I like the long one much better.

True, but upon listen I think it would be possible to get down to at least 6 minutes for those desirable vocal parts.  The song takes a good two minutes to even get to when the real singing begins, and then there's another one similar around the 8 or 9 minutes mark if I recall.  The sax solo I actually quite like so I wouldn't take that away unless I had to.

It's not a bad album, it's just weak. The Light Album and Keepin' the Summer Alive proves that Bruce wasn't too good at producing the Beach Boys, he was a good team with Terry Melcher but not on these albums.

While I do despise his production, it's not like he was given Pet Sounds to produce, either. The material was pretty fucking weak.

Light, breezy and fun album. By no means a heavy piece of work. Dennis' 'Love Surrounds Me' is funky as hell, sounds like  a sleeker POB cut. His 'Baby Blue' is also pretty fantastic. 'Angel Come Home' is a perfectly fine soul-ed out rocker from Carl.

Good Timin' is great, very pretty and evocative harmonies. 'Full Sail' is a really nice breathy ballad, I love the vocals here.

The Kenny G-esque saxaphone in 'Goin' South' is just awful though...Sumahama is...stupid...And I've never listened to the Discofied Here Comes the Night in its entirety (who has?), I've gotten about 30 seconds in and just had to shut it off. And to think, Curt Boettcher, the genius behind the Millennium and Sandy Salisbury's albums produced that sh*t! Lady Lynda is just such cheeseball pop sh*t, but its hard to dislike.

I think you should just go into this album expecting the lightweight.

Oh come on, man, give Here Comes the Night a chance. There's some cool vocal parts a few minutes in.

Take out Here Comes the Night and Sumahama, replace them with California Feeling, Wild Situation, and maybe Looking Down the Coast.

Well, lets see.

Good Timin' - I find it a little bit melancholy because its so obviously a half-assed attempt to relive former glories. Make no mistake, it does so admirably. The harmonies are beautiful. Perhaps I'll rephrase that first sentence - its an obvious nod to an era that The Beach Boys built their reputation on, but also one that they know fully well has passed and ain't coming back. Nevertheless a great song, and a good opener.

Lady Lynda - I'm bemused as to why this was a hit. The word 'fluff' springs fleetingly to mind. But pleasant, listenable fluff I suppose. Maybe I've answered my own question.

Full Sail - Very pretty. Forgettable on first listen though - requires some careful listening until it's subtleties are revealed, but more than worthwhile. Beautiful, really.

Angel Come Home - I wish this had been the hit from L.A., because it's really phenomenal imo. Great to hear Dennis and Carl collaborating on this one. It's a mainstream kinda vibe, but Denny's gracefully f***ed-up vocals give it the edge it needs. The chorus is fantastic. Just a really great song.

Love Surrounds Me - An unusual vibe for a Beach Boys song and an area they didn't particularly explore often as a group. Denny sounds great. Ambitious, as others have said, but very rewarding. Kind of a sleeper hit.

Sumahama - 'Listenable' is about the most generous thing I can say about this. Bollocks, would be a more honest opinion.

Here Comes The Night - I almost shat my pants when I first heard the vocoder near the start, or whatever the hell it is. Some great vocal parts, but a stinky steaming heaping helpin' o' crap compared to the almost garagey vibe of the Wild Honey version. Perhaps it wouldn't have been forgivable, The Beach Boys trying to latch on to the disco trend, if they weren't doing it at least two and a half years after it was fashionable.

Baby Blue - Back on track. So subtle, and so gorgeous. A really touching song and really sweet. Shame about the totally unneccessary synth.

Goin' South - Lovely lead from Carl. A slight song, but dreamy. I don't care for the mix - what the f*** is with the high hat? I feel like it's eating away at my brain with every strike. Talk about shattering a mood. The harmonies and sax need to be higher up. Really good stuff, all the same.

Shortenin' Bread - A nice moment of deranged Bri genius to end the album. Sounds like the opener for Wild Honey Part 2. It really does kick some ass.

So, Light Album.

A good album. Not great, but good overall, enjoyable and some moments of real classic Beach Boys. Its a crying shame that this was the last original work they did that was worth hearing, but those the brokes.

4. I really love this album, even more then Hollland!

Best to worst:
Good Timin'
Lady Lynda
Sumahama (Yup. Guilty pleasure  :-D)
Here Comes the Night 79' (Same as above)
Angel Come Home
Baby Blue
Love Surrounds Me
Shortenin' Bread
Full Sail
Goin' South

Your best-to-worst ranking is almost the exact opposite of mine, if I were to make one. Well, more sort of inside-out, as I'd probably start near your middle, then end, then top. But yeah, your favorites are my least favorite.

I'm giving this album a three. The same as MIU. I may change my vote later.

I do realize that  the album was a step forward from the rather retro MIU, and I admire that. Also that that MOR lite rock thing might have been a somewhat cool alternative to the punk rock seventies that I can respect in the context of  the time. Certainly it's what my parents were listening to back then.

 The songwriting is better than MIU, and while it's not my cup of tea, the production is a bit more developed. But it's definitely not my cup of tea.

I also think that the album almost succeeds in maintaining the late-seventies easy listening tone that it was going for, but I think the risks it takes(HCTN and Shortin' Bread) are jarring, but not in a cool, funny Friends-Transcendental Meditation way, but more of a tacked on sort of way. I like HCTN disco-style, actually, in a way, but it just doesn't fit. And Shortenin' Bread--WTF? But then the Beach Boys are given to WTF moments. I like it OK, but it just doesn't fit. Maybe that's the point.

My favorite songs are Good Timin' and Dennis' two with a nod towards Lady Lynda. Sumahama is necessary and fits the tone, and I would like it better if it weren't for Love's vocals which sound a bit off to me. Carl's songs...are...pretty but boring. Except for the one that Dennis sings on, which I like.

L.A. (Light Album) sounds like yacht rock to me.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v96/Compost/BW-LANeon.jpg)

Just for kicks - BW from the album insert.

Take out "Here Comes the Night" (what were they thinking!), "Sumahama," and "Shortenin' Bread" and it's a very good, solid album.

I really like this lp.It's a very easy listening 70's lp, unfocused sure,but still interesting.The disco song don't bother me at all(though I prefer the original)you can dance to and it's the longer song of the boys.Besides,It's the last album with a contribution made by Dennis(I really like his vocals here).If they had replaced "going south"by "it's a beautiful day"I would gave it a 5 but it'll be 4 for me.Overall it's a better effort than MIU.
I Love the 70's Beach boys era! :afro

I can't stand the original "Here Comes The Night", but I love the disco remake.

Go figure.  (That was the selling point of the album for me, actually.)

3. I love Good Timin'. Love Surrounds Me and Baby Blue are great, also. I can listen to Sumahama because of the backing track. Past that, ouch. Not good to me. Maybe some of this stuff will grow on me down the road (along with over half of MIU and half of 15BOs), but it's kind of excruciating. I won't even go into the disco monstrosity.

I don't and won't listen to anything past this album in the BB catalog. Kokomo maybe (runs for cover), but that is the it.

Everything on Wild Honey felt so underproduced (with the exception of the title track and "Darlin'"), that "Here Comes The Night" on L.A. is, to my ears, a marked improvement over the original.  I don't mind the "disco" arrangement, because it's done well, and the song itself lends itself surprisingly well to such an arrangement.  I had never heard the Wild Honey album when I first heard this on the radio, and I thought it was a new BB song (newly written, I mean), and was actually quite impressed.  When I learned that it was a late-60s song reworked, I was honestly even more impressed.

I like the L.A. album for what it is, a late 70s easy listening/adult contemporary album.  It works well for what it was.

I do like "Full Sail" and "Here Comes the Night" (yes I have the 12" single on blue vinyl but not the autographed one, LOL).

"Shortnin' Bread" could have been great.

Let me preface this post by saying that I am by no means a fan of Disco, but "Here Comes The Night" is a vocal tour de force. That is some of the best singing that they ever put to tape. Actually, the vocals on "L.A. (Light Album)" are all superb. It is probably their finest vocal performance since "Sunflower". I love to chill out with this album.

"Full Sail" is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs, actually.

Random thoughts on some individual songs:

"Good Timin'": It's hard to believe that after all those years of tragedy and heartbreak the group's original members were still capable of recapturing the tenderness and beauty of their original teenage ballads such as "The Warmth of the Sun" and "Surfer Girl". I don't think there's anything even remotely half-assed about it.

"Lady Lynda": I used to thoroughly dislike this one due to the sugary production. Nowadays, however, I think it's perfectly in tune with the Light Album's overall melancholy feel.

"Baby Blue": It took me a long time to really appreciate this song and one day it just clicked. Love the subtle synthesizer touches and the background vocals kicking in at 1.30 have to be among the most beautiful performances ever put to tape by the Beach Boys (or any major pop group for that matter).

 I'll say that this album has grown on me quite a bit. Flawed, a bit like Carl and the Passions, really, but I like it better. Carl's songs, especially Full Sail and Angel Come Home have really grown on me.

sound quite excellent. Brian apparently plays piano, but that's a joke. It's buried so far into the mix that you can't even hear it without straining your ears. And, even then, Brian was never the greatest piano player ever. The melody itself is quite nice, with a repeating drum bit, and some other flavorful instruments. 10/10

Lady Lynda: Easily the best song that Al ever wrote, at least as a unit of the Beach Boys. I've never heard his solo works, so I can't judge as a whole... The song starts off in a very stately atmosphere, with a harpsichord and a string quartet. The song itself is about Al's wife. Ironically, they would divorce not too long after this album. Al's voice is no slouch, either. And, if I may admit, he's a rather underrated singer, able to emulate Brian in concerts, even. By this point, he was probably able to channel the Brian falsetto better than Brian could! Unfortunately, I believe parts of the melody were lifted off Bach. Actually, it's probably better that way. 9/10

Full Sail: A Carl track, and the first one to grace a Beach Boys album in quite the while. It reminds me quite a bit of the soft parts of Long Promised Road, to be honest. The song itself starts on a very Steamboatish atmosphere, before turning into a ballad. Carl's voice, is as always, excellent. The lyrics are about sailing. Probably the closest thing they got to surfing on the track. If there's anything to criticize, however, is that there's not much to note about it. 8/10

Angel Come Home: Another Carl song, this time sung by Dennis Wilson, in his customary, post-1974, gruff voice. Not nearly as good as My Diane, but the soulful, and very emotional vocal saves it from being a truly unmemorable song. Short, but sweet. Not as good as the following track, though, if only because the melody is rather simple, with nothing special to note. 7/10

Love Surronds Me: The first Dennis song, and the first one in a long time. Apparently it's from the Bambu sessions. It sounds very Pacific Ocean Blueish, to be honest. Which, actually, is a very good thing. Not very many harmonies, which is actually how I like it. After all, this wasn't suppose to be sung with harmonies! The melody is quite interesting, as well, with classic Dennis Wilson chaotic instruments. 8/10

Sumahama: Hated by just about everyone and their mother, and I don't even get why. It's not even a song I should be defending, to be honest. It's not something I'm even embarrassed to defend. This is honestly the second best song on the album, and one of the most effective blends of Japanese influence on a pop record I've heard. Comparing this to what would come later, this sounds like the Ninth Symphony. Even the Japanese Mike Love vocals don't seem cheesy or embarrassing. You shouldn't even have to lower your expectations to enjoy this. 9/10

Here Comes the Night: Disco. Not much more to say other than that, other than the fact that this is the worst song on the album, obviously. It's also way too long. Way, way too long. I skip this song every time, when it comes up. I don't even know who gave the group the idea to ruin one of the gentle, mellow songs on the Wild Honey album, but I want to throttle him. Especially considering the rest of the album is quite good as it is, this pile of sh*t brings the entire thing down. Even my tolerance doesn't extend this far. I deleted it off my playlist. 3/10

Baby Blue: I'm not sure if the beginning is Carl doing falsetto, or Dennis doing falsetto. The entire "feel" this song sets reminds me of Cuddle Up, without being a direct rip-off. All the ballads on here sound kinda... bland, though. You know? Especially this one. I do love the harmonies on this, and I think Dennis' voice saves much of it, but still... I much more enjoyed the final three ballads of Carl and the Passions. 7/10

Goin' South: Another ballad! And it sounds even more bland and hookless than the previous! It does seem like most of Carl's contributions from this period really are adult contemporary, aren't they? Even Carl's voice doesn't save this one. Reminds me of his solo albums, to be honest. 6/10

Shortenin' Bread: A remake of an Adult/Child track. Like all of its type, I do prefer the old version, but this is still enjoyable. Rather jazzy, ain't it? And for once, Carl is actually singing some soulful vocals! 8/10

All in all, the songwriting is much tighter than MIU. At the very least, the two-fer is actually a reasonable buy. You could probably edit the two down to one disk by throwing away most of the disasters, a few tracks you don't like. Too bad the Beach Boys had nowhere to go but down after this... Don't even remind me of Keeping the Summer Alive, much less Still Crusin' and Summer in Hell. The only real breath of fresh air was the '85 album, and even that had horrendous 80s production. 3/5, and a high 3 at that.

This is one album beyond salvage. Scrape off the barnacles and there just isn't enough to float. Nicely packaged sleeve, though.

As I was listening to this a lot lately, I came to the conclusion that the vocals on this album are possibly the best since the Holland/In Concert album. Granted, there's a lot of songs here and there on 15 BO, Love U, MIU, Adult/Kid, New Album that have fantastic vocals, but if I mentioned some, I'd end up with a list, a really really long list....but anyways, MIU had some really good vocals as well....and now that I think of it, I think Brian sounds better on MIU than on LA (the few vocals he did.)

But the guys, especially Carl sound great on Good Timin'
Carl's songs may have been slow slow slow (such a 70's ballad vibe). On Full Sail, I love Love LOVE it when Bruce comes in on the backing vocals...
Al sounds great on Lady Lynda and It's a Beautiful Day (I know, not on the album, but worth a mention)
Of course Dennis' leads are great.
Brian on Short Bread....everywhere else, hard to tell.

So...I put the iPod on "shuffle mode" during my commute this morning, and the disco version of HCTN comes up....so I decide heck, might as well torture myself for ten minutes considering I'm going to a job I hate anyway...A couple of observations:

1) One of the many, many things that always bothered me about this rendition: it sounds very much like Carl is singing "Here comes the day"....did nobody hear that in the playback??

2) Hate to admit it, but there are some mighty fine background vocals in the track...

3) Anybody else ever notice the little burst of "Night Bloomin' Jasmine" near the end?

Here Comes The Night and later, Chasin' The Sky have IMHO some the best intricate background vocals that the Boys' ever put to tape. Will have to check out the Night Bloomin' Jasmine section later tonight.

Carl's parts in Baby Blue reminds me of something that could be on The Blizzard Of Ozz. Would be kind of cool to see Ozzy cover it but I dunno who would sing Dennis' part.

I am a little embarrassed to say the more I listen to the disco version of Here Comes The Night, the more I love it!  ::) It really is quite good! 

It's no Constant Companion though

Does there be pictures of everybody else that looks like that? They should sell prints I would love to line  my walls with those pictures similar pictures larger quite larger though

1. Good Timin' 8/10
2. Lady Lynda 8/10
3. Full Sail 7/10
4. Angel Come Home 8.5/10
5. Love Surrounds Me 9.5/10
6. Sumahama 6/10
7. Here Comes The Night 2.5/10
8. Baby Blue 10/10
9. Goin' South 7.5/10
10. Shortenin' Bread 3/10

Album Rating: 7

You gave Shortenin' Bread a 3? You must not really like the music of Brian's heart

This is the point where things in the band really went south, to me. "Good Timin'" and "Shortenin' Bread" are great, but they're holdovers from 74 or so, aren't they? The rest... :\

Don't get me wrong - MIU album is pretty bad, but is just barely saved by a number of small things. Brian sounds great on it, for one.

It's legit puzzling me how quickly things fell apart after Love You. Adult Child showed promise - not as great as Love You, but a respectable effort. Why was it shelved? Why was the clusterfuck of confusion known as MIU put out in its place? Who on earth opts to shelve "California Feelin'", "It's Over Now", "It's Trying To Say", and especially "It's Over Now" over so much of the dreck on MIU and LA? And the much superior early "Shortenin' Bread"? I know somewhere in there was the record company not being into it, but legit, this was better? Or even more commercially viable? 4realz?

I first got into the Beach Boys in the 80's and I tracked down all their stuff that i could, I was over the moon with them and wanted to hear every scrap and i listened to MIU, LA, KtSA and The Beach Boys, there was a scent of their greatness that I still vaguely smelt. But when Brian Wilson 88 came out it picked up from where Love You left off and those later BB albums just don't repay a listen. There is so much better music around than this, they make Elton John's work look like the height of artistry.

I really dislike the production on this one, I think it kinda ruins it. I DO however like the Adult Child version

A very under-appreciated album. Obviously the appalling Here Comes The Night disco remix plays a large part in this. As someone who absolutely adores the Wild Honey original, to me it is a double tragedy - it tarnishes both a great song and a great album. Good Timin' and Baby Blue are the undisputed highlights - really fantastic songs! Carl and Dennis pretty much own this album - I like all their tracks here (yes, even Goin' South - I actually like the '80's sax here, which is weird coz I bloody hate it in Kokomo, Come Go With Me, etc). However, because of HCTN it really is too flawed to be anything but a 3-star album - but I'm feeling generous so I rated it a 4.

Curt's mix has more clarity/definition.

A bit lackluster but it has its standouts. Good Timin' is definitely one. Love Carl's vocal on Full Sail and Al's on Lady Lynda. Dennis sounds great on Angel Come Home and Baby Blue.

I bought this a couple of days ago and I can't understand why this isn't thought of as one of their better later albums. There are some great BB songs on here, which I don't think can be said for 15BO or Love You, both of which I also bought recently. IMO they are poor!

You have some top songs here - Baby Blue - an absolute gem and so beautiful. I was listening to this whilst travelling in Croatia and it seemed so suited to the landscape there, it really was heavenly.
Good Timin - A great BB song, back to their best here.
Angel Come Home - a solid song from Dennis and Carl.
Full Sail - Believe it or not, I have only just heard this song and now I can't get it out of my head! It's lovely! The lyrics and music are so soothing and this is one of Carl's best songs, up there with Feel Flows and LPR.

So, personally I don't know why this flopped and why people don't like it. I do!

I agree with every word of the above (although i wouldn't describe Love You as poor, just over-rated). In fact, you've singled out for praise my own personal favourite songs from the album (Baby Blue, Good Timin', Full Sail, Angel Come Home). I'd say it's comfortably their best studio album since Holland. I just wish they'd included a few more Bambu songs and/or California Feeling in place of HCTN.

My friend just gave this to me on vinyl, I hadn't "technically" listened to the album through full, until tonight.  And I've got to say, I've never heard an album quite so bizarre.  Not really in a good way, but not necessarily in a bad way either.  Just, bizarre.  The first side is quite neutral.  Nothing offensive there; Good Timin' is absolutely gorgeous and clearly the highlight, Lady Lynda is harmless enough, Full Sail is an above average Carl composition, Angel Come Home plods along, again, inoffensive, and then Love Surrounds me caps off the normal string of songs wonderfully, I really enjoy that track.  But then, and take remove yourself from your Beach Boy fandom for a second and view this objectively, you've got some weird mellow Japanese song to close out the first side.  That, coupled with the ridiculous Japanese artwork for the song (hilarious, by the way) begins the bizarre-ness of the record.  The track is good enough, I suppose, but the Japanese parts coupled with the Oriental music just makes for an...interesting track.

Then you flip over the record and you know its coming...(I didn't know what to think, I admit I never actually listened to all ten minutes)...and you drop the needle and the funky groove starts playing and you've got perhaps the downright craziest track by the Beach Boys.  This song's listening experience is something to behold.  You're not staring at a computer or anything so you've got no idea where you are in the song besides the fact that you know there's another freaking verse to Here Comes the Night but where the heck is it! And then the monkey! What?! But when those dee dee dee dee dit dit dit vocals come in, you can't help but get excited for Carl to come roaring in with his lines!  And after ten minutes of utter confusion and mayhem Carl's back with a gorgeous vocal and another brilliant track and you can't believe what just happened.  Bizarre.  Here Comes the Night into Baby Blue.  A clueless decision that somehow is brilliant.  Goin' South is another inoffensive, if not slightly boring, track. And Shortenin' Bread is...well, Shortenin' Bread.  Another bizarre double take track.  I gave the album a 3.   Yeah, it's just about mediocre.  But I love it, if not only for the incredible listening experience it provides you with.  You better be prepared for a ride when diving into LA Light Album. 

this was a good read! agree with you on all points. what they coulda done to make it less aweful was to put the single mix of HCTN as a bonus track, then taken some Adult Child into it's place or some other Brian oddity.

In a way, this album is underrated. Not highly underrated, but still.
This album did not deserve the highly negative ratings it got (I'm especially looking at you, Dave Marsh you fucking prick: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/l-a-light-album-19790531), from it's release and even since. For other than "Love You", "L.A. Light Album" is their best album of the late 70's.
I do think a lot of the negativity comes from the 11-minute disco remake of "Here Comes The Night". While not quite as good as the original "Wild Honey" version, I actually enjoy it a lot more than most people. In fact, I think they did a great job on that. Having said that, I do agree that it should have been released only as a non-album single.
The worst song from this album is a no-contest. From Mike Love's vaults comes the dreadfully crap "Sumahama". This is the only song i truely skip whenever I listen to this album.
The masterpieces of this album are Dennis's "Love Surrounds Me", and "Baby Blue", from the unfinished "Bambu". They are to be investigated by anyone claiming to be a Beach Boys fan. Sadly, they are to be Dennis's last major contributions to the BB's, as he would be virtually absent in KTSA.
Other great songs include "Good Timin'", "Lady Lynda", and "Angel Come Home". "Full Sail is all-right, as is "Shortenin' Bread". A small clunker would be "Goin' South". While not horrible, It is unbelievably dull and boring.
I give this album a fair 3.5 out of 5.

Okay so I have never really given this album it's fair share of attention. What should I know about it before I really give it a true listen through? Any significant history, backstory, great session stories?

I say give it a good listen first, then ask questions.

Anyone in the UK know where to get L.A./Light Album & M.I.U at a reasonable price?, as its been deleted from the catalog now, thanks. 

This is pretty odd album. It doesn't have cohesion at all, just songs thrown together. A lot like 20/20. L.A. has couple great songs, many mediocre ones and one that's absolutely horrible and that's Sumahama. I don't want to say a word about than one...

Good Timin' 3/5
Lady Lynda 3/5
I like both of these as much. They are very nice pieces, but nothing special really.

Full Sail 3/5
I love Carl's vocals here. This song has lot of good in it, but it's still somehow boring.

Angel Come Home 4/5
Wow! Can't imagine anyone else than Dennis singing this. The song itself is not special, but he makes it almost a classic.

Love Surrounds Me 4.5/5
This is great, really really great. Doesn't sound like Beach Boys at all. In the good way.

Sumahama 1/5
Not a word.

Here Comes The Night 3.5/5
I love this! The only problem here is that they shouldn't have put the long 10 minute version on the album. It's way too long. But I love disco and this song is really cool. Play this to people and say it's The Beach Boys, they won't ever believe you!

Baby Blue 5/5
Perfect song. Best part is where Dennis comes in. And the ending. It has those crazy sound effects and drums on the background which sound really cool.

Going South 3/5
Good song but somehow a little bit boring.

Shortenin' Bread 3.5/5
Amazing! Truly another great WTF-moment on this album. The other ones are of course Sumahama and HCTN. Once again Dennis rocks!

3/5 for the album. This is mostly a fun album to listen to. And once again, such a shame to look back and think that they hand hands on on a really great album, but they missed it. Once again...

Glad to see some love for the Disco version of Here Comes The Night! They really did a great job on that, and if someone played it at a disco, I'd certainly dance to it! But it should have remained a non-album single.
Also, I think giving 1 out of 5 is a little too generous for Sumahama lol

I'm not gonna give 0/5 for any Beach Boys related song  ::) The disco-Here comes the night is very well done experience and I always get that dancing feeling when I play that. And those vocals are awesome. I think the best would've been to inculde that 4 min version on this album and keep this long only as a single. Then they could've dumped Sumahama and added couple songs by Dennis or anyone, everybody knows they could do better than this. After those changes this would've been a great album.

Cover 4/5 music 3/5... I like this LP but it does have its shortcomings.. HCTN should be the 3:30  or  the 4:30 version.. In those  edit"s  I REALLY like the version of the song..  The vocals + production are great.. If you use the short version of HCTN you have room for 2-3 more tracks.. Added songs of good quality make this LP a 4 instead of a 3.. Anything in the vaults from the 70's will do.. From 93 box set or MIC box would work..  I would call this progressive adult BB music which I do like..  I don't see anything wrong with BB growing up on record with more mature themes..

Solid 4 for the CD from me (I have it on the 2-fer).  Some very nice ballads and I don't mind them doing one disco song in their career -> it is rather well done and varies the tempo of the album before it gets too slow.  I really like the old first side.  I had this on LP many years ago and liked it then as well - it was pretty popular here in Australia as were a couple of the singles.

Just be patient with ebay - which is what I did and snagged it for AU$30 delivered a couple of weeks ago which is a decent price.

I'd say those who haven't heard it shouldn't vote

I like Sumahama.

We need a scale from 1-10, but I agree that you shouldn't vote if you haven't heard it.

Angel Come Home and Baby Blue are two of my absolute favorites. Bona fide classics in my view. Goin' South I actually quite like, very warm vocal from Carl. Good Timin' is lightweight but nice. Love Surround Me is good too, but usurped by the version on the POB reissue. Overall a solid effort with a couple of misfits. An album to cherry pick from rather than listen to in full.

Considering that one fourth of this album is taken up by the worst thing The Beach Boys put to tape to date, I couldn't give this the four I was considering.  A high three. 

Not a bad album.  Other than the excellent nephew of Surfer Girl, Good Timin, and Al's Lady Lynda, nothing really jumps out to me though. 

The only track I skip is the awful disco bandwagon Here Comes the Night.  To be honest, I'm really not a huge fan of the Wild Honey original.  Disco was pretty much a disease that infected all music in the late 70s.  But, when Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, The Stones, and KISS did disco influenced songs, the songs at least still sounded like the bands.  I can tell Miss You is the Stones, same with Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 with Floyd.  But, not here.  Absolutely terrible. 

Some of the other good tracks here include Sumahama, Full Sail, and Angel Come Home. 

The Shortenin Bread closer is interesting, but pure filler. 

I do like 70s disco but Here Comes the Night is a very weak attempt at the genre. Sounds like the whitest disco record ever.

For me, it's the only thing about L.A. I don't really like.

It's just too long (Here Comes The Night).  I don't have a problem with the concept -- I love the idea actually -- but it just doesn't merit the length.  It doesn't go nowheres.  And usually extended disco mixes don't.  Typically the club or dance mix is relegated to a single.  I'm not sure how it made the actual LP release.

1. Good Timin' 4/5
2. Lady Lynda 5/5
3. Full Sail 2/5
4. Angel Come Home 4/5
5. Love Surrounds Me 4/5
6. Sumahama 2/5
7. Here Comes The Night 3/5
8. Baby Blue 5/5
9. Goin' South 2/5
10. Shortenin' Bread 2/5

Bambu's loss was LA Light's gain, the Dennis tracks here are great. Carl's new tunes are a snooze. Sumahama lost a point for the Japanese vocal part. I LOVE the single edit of Here Comes The Night but the 10+ min version on here is a very bad fit.
Overall 3/5.

Man, it's such a weird album though.  It took me a long time to really enjoy straight thru.  For the longest time, if I was in a *this* mood I could do *these* tracks... if I was in a *that* mood, then I could do just *those*.

Ok, spent a little more time with this one... formulated some deep thoughts...

Thanks to a solid production and a big thanks to Dennis Wilson -- L.A. narrowly avoids being a total disaster.  They at least no longer sound like a band someone found passed out on their couch.  With time, this album can grow on you... and it should, because this is pretty much the last Beach Boys album -- at least with Denny and the band giving, if not their "all" -- certainly giving a lot.  And that's the album's secret.  What I love most about it, is what it suggests to me.  All the missed opportunities.  It's sad in a way... as a result.  But there's actually a lot here when you break it down....

The disco number is still a giant, ill-advised buzz-kill though.  Like a toothache, you can't ignore it.  It's such a mood-killer for an album that has kind of a nice mellow and mature yacht-rock thing going on.  I don't have a problem with the band going in this direction at all.  But it's out of place here and not all that well done.  I wouldn't be surprised if some studio intern assembled it while the group was out going... um ... sailing?  However, it's not that easy to dismiss.  The track has a somewhat optimistic vibe to me.  It's lively and "suggests" that the group is trying.  That there would be more to come.  Anyway, knowing that things would soon end... I welcome the optimism.  

(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/355/MI0001355995.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)

Denny's songs continue to surprise with repeated listens -- proving that Dennis Wilson (if anyone was interested) was the one capable of continuing the group's high-standards of contributing brilliant, ground-breaking and unique musical landscapes to a pop music world desperately in need of such ideas.  They're kind of like little self-contained universes.  They're almost impenetrable.  But they do, or can, reveal themselves over time.

At first glance, they don't sound like much.  They're not "catchy" like Brian's work.  They're darker, more compact.  Like dark-matter.  I'm convinced that Dennis had a lot to offer and would have only grown better over time.  Had he continued his work and his ideas, he would have made some marvelous, amazing music.  He of course did do all of those things -- but I feel like it sizzled under the radar of most people.


(http://p1.pichost.me/i/30/1535285.jpg)

Carl's songs (Full Sail, Goin' South) work just fine.  I like Full Sail especially.  It might even be my favorite song on the album.  They never did anything like this before or since -- and this well.  I feel like I'm in a old dark seafood restaurant.  Or floating, dreamily on a sunlit bay -- with not a care in the world.  I like everything about what's going on here.  It makes me want an entire, wistful, Beach Boys sailing album.  Songs of the Sea.  Imagine the deep-wounded cover of Surf's Up, but instead... a ship out at sea.  Toss in an updated version of Sail On, Sailor while we're at it (with Brian singing lead).  Anyway... the syrupy strings are divine.  Carl's voice is heavenly.  "Adventure on the high seas!"  Oh yeah.  I want more of this one... mellow, beautiful.


Goin' South is decent, but suffers from cliché -- mainly the noodling 70s sax solo, brooding off in the distance.  And the lyrics, while they capture the mood, just don't sound all that inspired.  But, again, it's a nice sound for the band.  Lose the sax though.  Add vibes or marimba instead.  Or a steel drum -- or all three.  But just not the sax.  No one should be wearing shades, standing on a corner blowing a city-sax.  It makes a nice "getaway song" sound like a dated Michelob commercial.  Buzz killington.  

(https://img0.etsystatic.com/030/1/6191330/il_340x270.645636410_jss8.jpg)

Good Timin' is a minor gem, appearing only to tease us with a glimpse of what we could be getting if Brian Wilson were focused.  Sadly, there's nothing anywhere else on the album that continues in this vein.  So it feels almost like a disappointment as a result.  And Shortenin' Bread is like a "... meanwhile, back at Brian's shack" wake up call, reminding us of exactly why we're not getting anything else like "Good Timin'" from Brian Wilson.  In a strange way, the these two tracks serve as the proper bookends to this strangely complex album.


(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b1/38/80/b138803121b27cf64a793c26e1c79032.jpg)

An honorable mention goes to Lady Lynda.  It's a really nice track -- and it feels like it could have been more.  Even longer perhaps.  I know Al had a lot of outside help, but it feels like an Al song regardless.  It also fits, musically, with the mellow beauty of the album.  I somehow imagine it could be remixed and arranged to be even better.  Maybe slowed down?  If it's gonna fit on my "Sea Album" than I might change some of the lyrics to make it fit better -- a majestic Sea Shanty about me' Lynda.  Left her back on land.  Old salty dog, I am.  I do love the harpsichord ending.  


Sumahama, should follow Lady Lynda.  And like Lady Lynda, could also be re-worked.  Another ode to a sailor's gal from far away.  So we're doing a California Girls thing -- except with girls from all over the world.  I'd make the chorus richer -- give it more impact.  Bring in more strings and voices -- make the melody float, and kill the background rhythm instruments at that moment.  The end, should actually be a longer middle section, with more Japanese instruments at play:  "Suma.  Hama.  Suma.  Hama."  Kind of a "if you're gonna do the whole Japanese thing, then lets do it... and get lost in it."  Then we can reintroduce the melody courtesy of some sad strings to fade it out.

Pretty nice analysis. I'm pissed Santa Ana Winds, Lookin' Down the Coast and California Feelin' weren't included, but knowing the Boys, we'd have been given Calendar Girl instead (and Santa Ana Winds lived to fight another day and almost single-handedly rescue KTSA from the stinkpot).

Gave Light Album a listen today (my Beach Boy Burnout seems finally to have burnt itself out) and I must say, not a bad track in sight.

I try not to be negative around here but I did experience the very, very slightest of dips during "Sumahama", hahaha----otherwise, pretty good stuff, all of it. The disco version of "HCTN" kicks serious disco ass. And the Dennis songs are peerless.

I'd say that even the best album of most bands would suffer in comparison. I wasn't planning to, but since l'm in a good mood I'll give it 5/5 instead of the 4/5 I had in mind...  :hat     

I love this album more every time I listen to it - even "Sumahama". Amazing how they came up with such a strong album after a trio of turkeys. Some of the brilliance of "Holland" has returned. Yes, it's mostly very MOR, but I really wouldn't expect the Beach Boys to be rocking hard in the late 70's.

I agree.  If not for the overly long disco track, I might consider this to be the last great BB album instead of Holland. 

I made my own version. Trimmed the disco track down to 4 minutes, and added it's a Beautiful Day.

I'm sure its an improvement, but four minutes would still be tough to take. 

Kiss, the Stones, and Pink Floyd infused disco into their music in the late 70s, but at least it still sounded like those bands. 

The Kinks had Superman, which had a straight disco beat, but the guitars were pure Kinks. Wings had Goodnight Tonight with a disco beat, but it was still lovably, quircky McCartney. The Beach Boys just put their vocals on a straight disco track. Not very creative.

It's an album full of pretty good songs, and a few bad ones. Nothing spectacular and the bad songs drag the album down, especially since one of them is 11 friggin' minutes long. Should've replaced it with California Feelin', It's A Beautiful Day, and Da Doo Ron Ron.

I finally got the MIU/LA (Light Album) twofer CD and have been delving into it the last few months. I definitely prefer LA Light Album of the two... lots of great material, particularly the Dennis stuff. I'm glad I gave it a chance because I'm really enjoying it.

And with that said, I'm fascinated that 'Goin' South' is almost universally panned in the reviews on this thread. I must be far and away this song's biggest fan, LOL! I really respond to the ache in Carl's voice... one of his most beautiful vocals, where he shows off an astonishing range. He sounds quite a bit like mid-70s Rick Danko when he hits those high notes (and I'm a huge fan of The Band, so that's high praise indeed from me). And the song's narrative, about a guy who dreams about living a better life but is seemingly unable to push himself to achieve those dreams in reality, 'feels' so poignantly like where Carl and the Beach Boys were at that point in time. It's an achingly lovely song.

I gave it a 4 and am willing to die on the hill that this is actually a good album minus the ten minute disco slogfest.

"Baby Blue" is my favorite on the album and it highlights how well I think that Dennis and Carl worked together. In fact, they do this twice on the album where one brother writes the song while the other is the primary singer. In this case, Dennis is the writer and Carl the singer and it fits so well. This song is beautiful and it is emotional. It's definitely the one song on the album that makes me FEEL. Carl's vocals are perfect for stuff like that. Compare it to "Angel Come Home" which is written by Carl but Dennis is the singer. It isn't as pretty and feels more raw and that's the sort of thing that Dennis' voice is necessary for. "Lady Lynda" is also a really wonderful song. One of Al's better contributions to the group, especially vocally. It evokes everything that the lyrics talk about. It's gentle and sort of feels like something you could listen to go to sleep to. "Good Timin'" isn't a song that really makes me feel much, but the vocal harmonies are fantastic.

Let's get to this album's real problem children, though. "Here Comes The Night" (DISCO!): I hate this song. I hate disco. My girlfriend loves this song, though, because growing up, her favorite stuff was techno and she loves Jeff Wayne's musical version of War of the Worlds which has a lot of similarities in sound to this song. She says this is her favorite Beach Boys song to torture me.

"Sumahama"... I don't know how to feel about this song. On the one hand, I really like the music and I like the story being told... But then Mike just has to screw everything up by speaking broken Japanese which is jarring and it sounds ridiculous because while I don't speak Japanese, I'm almost certain he's screwing it up, so it comes off kinda racist.

"Shortnin' Bread": It would've been more fun if they'd used the Adult/Child mix. I'm sorry, that electric guitar just screws it all up. The pounding on the piano is so much better. Whoever mixed that wanted to rock, but it just doesn't work.