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Author Topic: Rank the tracks #23: L.A. Album  (Read 36075 times)
Letsgoawayforawhile
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« on: February 11, 2013, 04:32:06 PM »

10. Here Comes The Night - What the hell?
9. Sumahama - I like the track, and I think Mike sounds good, but putting it all together just doesn't work for me.
8. Shortenin' Bread - I really love singing this over and over and over and over.
7. Full Sail - Enjoy it a lot sometimes.
6. Lady Lynda
5. Good Timin' - Nice single!
4. Goin South - Love it.
3. Angel Come Home - Love it.
2. Love surrounds me - Superb.
1. Baby Blue - Some of the prettiest singing. Wonderful.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2013, 06:16:48 AM by Letsgoawayforawhile » Logged

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« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2013, 04:45:47 PM »

10. Shortenin' Bread - sounds a muddy mess to my ears.
9. Sumahama
8. Here Comes The Night
7. Lady Linda
6. Full Sail
5. Love Surrounds Me
4. Baby Blue
3. Going South
2. Angel Come Home
1. Good Timin'

To be honest the order of preference of choices 8-1 can be interchangeable according to how many grooves there are in the day.
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« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2013, 05:14:44 PM »

1. Good Timin' - love the song, vocals, even the lyrics
2. Baby Blue - emotional; Carl shines


3. Lady Lynda - I still think it's a good song, maybe the best Al ever wrote

4. Angel Come Home - wish it would've been sped up a bit, it coulda rocked
5. Love Surrounds Me - I like parts of it, again it drags a bit
6. Here Comes The Night - a 4:00 version moves it up 3-4 notches

7. Full Sail - it's nice but not overly exciting
8. Sumahama - an OK song

9. Goin' South - I'm sorry but it's lifeless
10. Shortenin' Bread - simply the most misplaced song on any BB album EVER, and they picked the wrong version/mix

Coming off of 15 Big Ones, Love You, and MIU - three very "Brian" albums - and with Brian getting trimmer, playing bass, and losing much of his raspiness, this is the most disappointing album for me personally. I had my hopes very, very high. You need a magnifying glass to find Brian Wilson on L.A. (Light Album). It is in the Top 3 Carl Wilson albums however. His voice was rarely better.
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« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2013, 05:17:50 PM »

1.  Sumahama
2.  Baby Blue
3.  Good Timin'
4.  Lady Lynda
5.  Shortenin' Bread
6.  Here Comes the Night
7.  Full Sail
8.  Love Surrounds Me
9.  Angel Come Home
10.Goin' South
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« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2013, 05:41:04 PM »

My least favorite album up to this point. Some good songs, but for the first time I'm actively bored by a couple of tracks. The production is too sterile, and for the first time there is no audible Brian vocals. No thanks.

10. Going South- A boring piece of sh*t.
9. Full Sail- A boring piece of sh*t. I really hate Carl's vocals from 1976-1979. Technically fine for the most part, but sterile.
8. Shortenin' Bread- So, they're gonna put this on here...WITHOUT Brian on it? Really? REALLY?! At leats it's not a boring piece of sh*t...but it is still sh*t, make no mistake about it.
7. Here Comes the Night- I don't hate this. At least it goes more than 40 BPM. Still, late mid-period Carl vocals don't do it for me.
6. Sumahama- I don't hate this either, aside from the production. Competent, but not interesting. Notice a pattern?
5. Lady Lynda- Now we're starting to get somewhere. First song here I actually like. Sure took long enough.
4. Baby Blue- Finally...vocals with some damn character. Dennis sounds passionate as always, and Carl sounds like he has a pulse again.
3. Love Surrounds Me-  Love the rhythm, Dennis vocals, the production...simply splendid.
2. Angel Come Home- Fun Fact...this was a 15 BO outtake (albeit unfinished).
1. Good Timin'- Much  of it dating from 1974 (I recently 'acquired' the 1974 version...and no, it's NOT the one uploaded on YouTube), this is to me more proof that there were great tracks 'in the can' that could have been used sooner in place of some of the weaker tracks of the previous albums. Yeah, it would've made this album worse, but seriously...f*** LA Light.

2 Stars for me, and that's being generous.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2013, 08:45:36 PM by The Amazing World of Billy Castillo » Logged

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« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2013, 06:53:48 PM »

My 2nd favorite studio album, right behind Friends!  I love every track.

1. Lady Lynda - Hard to choose a favorite, but I think this one barely beats out the others.
2. Full Sail - Quintessential latter-day Carl vocal.
3. Angel Come Home - A great moment for Dennis.
4. Love Surrounds Me - The last 30 seconds or so is some of the best stuff in the Beach Boys' recorded output.
5. Baby Blue - This one took a while to grow on me, but I love it now.
6. Good Timin - Good Timin!
7. Here Comes The Night - I enjoy the full 10:50 version much more than the edited one.  It's kind of like trying to edit the California Saga while keeping bits and pieces of all 3 parts - it doesn't work.  The full version is the best!
8. Goin' South - Great vocal from Carl. 
9. Sumahama - Charming.
10. Shortenin Bread - Perhaps the weakest track, but a good fun way to end the album.
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« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2013, 08:48:06 PM »

Good Timin'; Lady Lynda; Full Sail; Goin' South; Here Comes The Night.  Yes, I know, I know, and I don't care.
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« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2013, 09:31:22 PM »

1. Angel Come Home
2. Good Timin'
3. Love Surrounds Me
4. Baby Blue
5. Here Comes the Night
6. Full Sail
7. Lady Lynda
8. Sumahama
9. Shortenin' Bread
10. Goin' South
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 12:32:20 AM by Rocky Raccoon » Logged

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« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2013, 09:55:11 PM »

1) Baby Blue
2) Good Timin'
3) Angel Come Home
4) Full Sail
5) Love Surrounds Me
6) Shortenin' Bread
7) Goin' South
Cool Lady Lynda
9) Sumahama
10) Here Comes The Night (Another tie between 9 & 10 for me.)
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« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2013, 10:20:52 PM »

Took me a while, but I really dig this album. I'd say it's really their last "artistic" album until That's Why God Made The Radio. Definitely an album I would not be embarrassed to play around friends.

1 "Good Timin'": A great song by Brian and Carl. A compact, yet full, lovely song. Bursting with harmonies. Love it so much.
2 "Angel Come Home": One of Carl's best songs. Sung with great feeling by Dennis. I don't understand why stuff like this wasn't a hit for the boys.
3 "Baby Blue": Up there with "River Song" as my favorite Dennis Wilson song. Wonderful vibe. Lovely vocals. Just great.
4 "Love Surrounds Me": One of my favorite Dennis Wilson songs. Great vocals, great vibe.
5 "Shortenin' Bread": I personally love this. It rocks. Does it fit in the album? Ha, maybe not. I'd love to ask Bruce about it's inclusion.
6 "Lady Lynda": A nice attempt by Al. A pleasant song with good vocals. Not extremely original, but very Al.
7 "Full Sail": A bit better than "Goin' South". It's pleasant, but nothing much more than that.
8 "Here Comes The Night": If it was the short version I might rank it higher. The vocals are great though.
9 "Goin' South": I understand the vibe Carl is going for, I just don't think there is much of a song here.
10 "Sumahama": I applaud Mike's effort, but this one does nothing for me.
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« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2013, 11:03:31 PM »

Half shows what an adult Beach Boys can sound like past Holland, and half is crap. The LP could have been saved had the 45 version of HCTN been used and something with Brian dredged up from the last several years.

1.Good Timin
2. Angel Come Home
3. Baby Blue
4. Love Surrounds Me
5. Lady Lynda
6. Shortinin' Bread
7. Goin South
8. Full Sail
9. Sumahama
10. Here Comes The Night
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 09:59:23 PM by Mike Eder » Logged
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« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2013, 11:17:27 PM »

1. Love Surrounds Me
2. Baby Blue
3. Good Timin'
4. Angel Come Home

5. Lady Lynda
6. Full Sail
7. Sumahama
8. Here Comes the Night

9. Goin' South
10. Shortenin' Bread

As others have alluded to, I find this to be the group's last decent album up until TWGMTR. It's a mixed bag of nuts to be sure, but one that is definitely bolstered by Dennis's contributions in much the same way 20/20 was. However, I can see what Walter Yetnikoff's objection was, as the Light Album is a largely cobbled together affair based around rescued songs from aborted side projects ("Sumahama" and both Dennis joints) or older Beach Boys albums ("Good Timin", "Lady Lynda", "Shortenin' Bread"). So really the only "new" stuff you've got here is three monotonous numbers from Carl and the disco single which had already come out by this point. As such, I think LA compares less favorably to MIU which at least seems to be somewhat unified.
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« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2013, 12:25:59 AM »

01.   Baby Blue
02.   Angel Come Home
03.   Love Surrounds Me
04.   Good Timin'
05.   Lady Lynda
06.   Full Sail
07.   Goin' South
08.   Sumahama
09.   Shortenin' Bread
120. Here Comes The Night

Yep.  Half crap and half good. Annoying, considering that there were some good tracks not used.  Of course, some crap didn't make the cut either!
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 12:27:42 AM by Smilin Ed H » Logged
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« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2013, 12:26:12 AM »

In a way L.A Light is their 20/20 for the 1970's. But 20/20 had strong songs throughout and was thrown together as a "contract filler". LA was their debut for a new label and they should have done better.

1/ Baby Blue - The "late at night" part ranks in my top 5 moments of the entire Beach Boys catalogue.
2/ Lady Lynda - A tour de force of great harmonies, the ending is esp fantastic.
3/ Angel Come Home - Wow. This song definitely came out 3 albums too late.
4/ Love Surrounds Me - Good,moody, atmospheric song.

5/ Good Timin' - Nice but not the masterpiece many seem to label it.
6/ Shortenin' Bread - Ends the album on a light note if nothing else.

7/ Goin' South - Even Carl's vocal can't save this bland effort.
8/ Here Comes The Night - A 3 and a half minute version would have sufficed, this just goes on forever.
9/ Full Sail - Coma inducing.
10/ Sumahuma - Funnily enough,I spent the first half of the album thinking "where's Mike?", then when he does pop up it's with this turd! I quite like the backing track but Mike singing Japanese in that nasal tone is horrid.
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« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2013, 01:07:30 AM »

"Where the swallows go,
when they leave Capistrano,
fly away so gracefully,
maybe that's for me…

Snow drifts blowin' up against my door,
going clear up to the roof…
I could be lyin' on some sun-washed shore,
Truth is, don't know what I'm waitin' for… "



"South of the border
Think I'm goin' south,
Get my life in order.
Think I'm goin' south,
For the winter,
It's gettin' mighty cold"


Bliss, sheer bliss. Don't sell it short folks!

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« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2013, 01:40:22 AM »

If this is what an "adult Beach Boys" sound like, I'll pass. The only good songs are "Love Surrounds Me", "Baby Blue", and "Angel Come Home". No surprise, given who wrote/sang 'em!
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« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2013, 03:34:03 AM »

LA was the 3rd BB's album proper I listened to post devouring Surfin' Safari/Surfin' USA vinyl twofer (good ole SENC.101313/4), post my initial guzzling of BB compilations generica.

Loved it then, and still have a soft spot for it - LA has it's moments and it's challenges, and to me has a night time mood, as well as a bit of an introspective tone.

10. Full Sail - most BB songs will contain at least 1 thing that resonates, and for me it's the dong-ding of the ship bell at the start.

9. Shortenin' Bread - Carl and Denny do a great job on their vox, but this version doesn't really do it for me; actually, I find the whole Shortenin' Bread thing a bit of an acquired taste.  

8. Here Comes The Night - I'm not afraid of Disco and appreciate the nifty mixing effects, great vocals and a pretty epic finish and fade.  Having said that, it's no Nightflight to Venus

7. Sumahama - at risk of being pushed from a lover's leap, I will admit to liking this track.  Bruce et al did a fine job on the stringed intro replete with a coy fade into the main verse.  Mike's singing is a rather nasally, but I think he should get kudos for a step-up from anything he did on MIU.  Are the Japanese lyrics bogus?  Shirimasen and who cares - make up your own or chime along to Bruce's staccato "Suma" - "Hama"'s in the background.

6. Lady Linda - strangely, I can do without the classical intro and the classical "solo", but I think Lady Linda works really well and this version blows away the MIU one.  Used to get heaps of airplay on my local ABC radio station (AM).

5. Love Surrounds Me - pretty cool, really love the middle eight arrangement, although I find the the backing vocals a tad overcooked

4. Going South - other than the snow drifts interlude, wasn't a major fan, until John Manning turned me on to the Swallows fly section mid last year.  A yearning vocal from Carl, I can see him looking out from the frosted window of a cabin deep in the snow.  And did he ever go south, or was he just talking the talk?  These sections forgive the  the sax solo, but if you have a mono button on your hi-fi amp, hit it to make the sax part vanish into the back of the mix.

3. Angel Come Home - this is a fuckin' great song and I'm eternally grateful that the decision makers gave Dennis the lead.  Highlight is the "I couldn't tell how I, I wanted to hold her, I just let her go".  Big fan of the drums on this one as well.

2. Baby Blue is epic, that's it

1. Good Timin' - classic BB, doo-wop stylings, really good.

Get this album on vinyl, so you don't have to waste your time skipping past the MIU tracks.
« Last Edit: February 19, 2013, 09:41:50 PM by Alan Smith » Logged

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« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2013, 04:31:32 AM »

The last really good, though not quite great, Beach Boys album. Actually quite hard for me to rank the tracks, because they're all very close together in  quality.

Great:
1) Baby Blue -- The last truly great Beach Boys track
2) Lady Lynda -- Al's finest moment
3) Shortenin' Bread -- I've always had a soft spot for Brian-goofiness, and Carl and Dennis' vocals are wonderful
4) Angel Come Home -- one of the best things Carl ever wrote.

Good:
5) Good Timin' -- never rated this one the way many other people do, it just strikes me as a bit Beach-Boys-by-numbers. Makes for a nice live track, though, and it's enjoyable enough.
6) Goin' South -- cut out the sax solo and this would be one or two places higher.
7) Love Surrounds Me -- there were better things on Bambu, but the tag is great.
Cool Full Sail -- Competent.

Poor:
9) Sumahama -- not that terrible, but I've never liked Hollywood Orientalism in my music -- if I find it hard to get past on Tokyo Rose by Van Dyke Parks or Grass by XTC, then I'm going to find it unforgivable on a Mike Love solo track.
10) Here Comes The Night -- at least it's not the fifteen-minute 'medley' mix...
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« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2013, 06:14:22 AM »

1. Good Timin'
2. Baby Blue
3. Lady Lynda
4. Angel Come Home
5. Shortenin' Bread (1977 version is so much better!)
6. Sumahama
7. Love Surrounds Me
8. Full Sail
9. Going South
10. Here Comes The Night (almost 11 minutes of utter shite! What the **** were they thinking?!)
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« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2013, 08:14:54 AM »

1.   "Good Timin'"
2.    "Baby Blue"  
3.   "Lady Lynda"  
4.   "Angel Come Home"  
5.   "Love Surrounds Me"  
6.   "Sumahama"  
7.    "Full Sail"   
8.   "Shortenin' Bread"  
9.    "Here Comes the Night" 
10.   "Goin' South"    
« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 07:26:13 AM by Bubba Ho-Tep » Logged
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« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2013, 09:49:43 AM »

5. Here Comes The Night (again, the intro is long & I'm not a fan of some of the orchestra arrangements, but I don't care. The harmonies - i.e. what The BBs are known for first & foremost - are strong & energetic. Those numerous dit-dits are really catchy! That being said, I much prefer the cut with Brian leads, of course)

Am I right in thinking, though, that the harmonies on this were largely by California Music rather than the Beach Boys? Certainly there are large stretches of the track where the only identifiable Beach Boy voice in the harmony stack is Bruce, though there are bits where Mike's definitely there...
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« Reply #21 on: February 12, 2013, 09:57:16 AM »

Good:
Good Timin'
Full Sail (some said it's boring but I find it to be the 'Steamboat' of LA)
Angel Come Home
Love Surrounds Me
Baby Blue

Decent:
Sumahama (slightly too long and slightly different in theme to the rest fo the album but still not a bad song by any means Myke!)
Shortening Bread
Lady Lynda (little too sweet for my taste)

Nadir:
HCTN



On whole a very nice album which coulda benefited from including another Cal Saga thingy like a suite of Cal Feeling/Looking Down The Coast/Santa Ana Winds instead of HCTN but their loss I guess...

This album on a whole is pretty decent, but coulda been pretty good...
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« Reply #22 on: February 12, 2013, 10:53:07 AM »

I really love this album.

1. Baby Blue - just so, so beautiful! One of Dennis' finest ever ballads, which is saying something. Seriously, if - when it comes to representing L.A. Light Album - this is excluded from 'Made In California' in favour of Lady Lynda or Sumahara then i for one will cry actual genuine tears... A masterpiece.

2. Good Timin' - two minutes of pop perfection. My favourite Brian/Carl collaboration. Harmonies to die for.

3. Angel Come Home - a very nice song by Carl is elevated to classic status thanks to Dennis' brilliant heartfelt lead vocal.

4. Full Sail - i know a lot of people find it boring, but i really like the gentle melody and Carl's singing is incredible.

5. Love Surrounds Me - a great song, poorly produced. The more subtle version on Bambu is better. Still, as i say: great song.

6. Sumahara - despite Mike's painful attempt at singing in Japanese, this is a really lovely song with a terrfic melody. One of Mike's best solo songs.

7. Goin' South - ok, now this one is a bit boring. The melody is slight to the point of being almost non-exsistant - however Carl's typically beautiful vocal, and a great, surprisingly tasteful sax solo, save the day!

8. Lady Lynda - the merits of this one escape me a little. I love the group harmonies towards the end of the song, otherwise it's not a favourite.

9. Shortenin' Bread - give me the Adult/Child-era version any day of the week!! This is crap. Sorry Brian.

10. Here Comes The Night - utter garbage! WHAT were they thinking?? Good on Dennis for refusing to be involved with it! The original on Wild Honey is absolute gem and doesn't deserve to be tarnished by association with this complete bilge. Tragic!
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« Reply #23 on: February 12, 2013, 11:49:56 AM »

10. Here Comes The Night (Booooooooooooo)
9. Lady Linda (jeez, write a song Al and stop recycling ya lazy ####)
8. Sumahama  (almost as sappy as everyones in love with you, almost)
7. Going South (nice)
6. Shortenin' Bread (dig)
5. Angel Come Home (like the verses a lot, chorus not so much)
4. Love Surrounds Me  (nice dark mood, production grates a little)
3. Full Sail (beautiful song)
2. Baby Blue  (no one talks about the solo Dennis version anymore since it wasnt on the Bambu release, I really loved that whistling thing. This version is a little too clean production wise for my liking)
1. Good Timin' (classic BB)
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 12:05:03 PM by My Brother Woody » Logged

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« Reply #24 on: February 12, 2013, 12:49:10 PM »

1.) Love Surrounds Me--I think there are better songs on The Bambu Sessions than this, but this bleak song from Dennis has an emotional resonance that I find lacking from so many of the songs on this ballad-heavy album.  I find both Dennis' lead and the falsetto backing vocals haunting.  In my view, this is the only really essential song on the album.
2.) Shortenin' Bread--My high placement of this song is perhaps as much an indication of my lukewarm feelings about this album as anything else, but the rocking out at the end of the album frankly has always come as a relief to me.  This also has Carl's only lead vocal on the album in which he doesn't sound bored.
3.) Lady Linda--I don't like the piano intro or coda, but Al gives a nice lead vocal and the harmonies are good, too.
4.) Angel Come Home--A very strange sounding song that works much better than I would have thought.  The backing vocals on the chorus probably wouldn't sound very pleasant on their own, but they come together pretty well.
5.) Full Sail--A pretty ballad from Carl that I prefer to his early 70's songs ("Long Promised Road," "Feel Flows," and "The Trader," all of which I think are a bit overrated).  It is a little dull, though.
6.) Baby Blue--I typically love a good Dennis ballad; I think his contributions to Carl and the Passions-So Tough are the highlights of that album and would take Pacific Ocean Blue over any of the band's '70s albums save Love You.  And while this song is certainly pretty, the writing and performances seem to be on auto-pilot if we compare them to some of his other ballads.
7.) Good Timin'--I've had a bit of difficulty understanding why people seem to like this song so much, which to me sounds vaguely pretty but only half complete.  It's been compared to "Surfer Girl," and though it is similarly a mid-tempo ballad, it lacks the earlier songs finest qualities--sublime vocal harmonies on both the verses and chorus and a divine middle-eight that transforms the song into a religious experience.  "Good Timin'" does admittedly have good harmonies on the chorus, but the verses are half-sung banal lyrical profundities that could never compare with the direct and simple innocence of the lyrics of "Surfer Girl."
8.) Goin' South--The dull version of "Full Sail," which was itself too dull to begin with.
9.) Sumahama--I find the melody and Mike's lead cloying, and the Japanese portion to be difficult to listen to, not so much because the lyrics don't make much sense (though they don't), but more because it's quite apparent that Mike doesn't understand anything he's singing and learned the lyrics phonetically.  That's not to say that anyone who doesn't understand Japanese should find it objectionable, but it makes the experience somewhat more painful for me.
10.) Here Comes the Night--I don't think it's as bad as some do, or as bad as I assumed when I first heard that there was an 11-minute disco version of this song. Rather than embarrassing, I mostly find this song boring.

Looking back at what I've written, I think I may have been a bit overly harsh, as I think that Light Album is a generally pleasant listening experience.  But this band can, and has, done better.
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