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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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