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  IN THE MIND OF THIS AUTHOR - and I appreciate that I do not speak for all here - the “L.A. (Light Album)” is a wonderful example of how positive, and at times creative the Beach Boys could still be, even after all of these years. The one sticking point that flaws the release, and it still rankles with me after 25 years since I first placed the vinyl on the turntable, is the inclusion of that song. OK, so maybe Bruce Johnston, now back in the fold after a seven-year hiatus, WAS trying to make the group relevant to the then-now … but the 10 minute and 52 second overblown monstrosity that is “Here Comes The Night” mars what could, and should have been, on the surface, a second “Sunflower” … or even a third “Pet Sounds” … well, maybe not quite that status, but a fine, fine album none the same. Just imagine what it would have sounded like if, in that ten minute space at the start of side two, we’d have kicked off with

“California Feeling” and then, possibly … “Loop De Loop”, or even the Jardine opus “Lookin’ Down The Coast/Monterey” ... Just imagine …

  After the lows of the 1977/early 1978 “M.I.U.” sessions, and the subsequent public airings of the internal animosity, when there was even the strong probability of the band disintegrating permanently, to pull this album out of the bag, a result of seemingly more harmonious sessions held at the Gibb brothers Criterion Studios in Florida, was a major coup. Having signed a multi-million dollar deal with a new record label, and with Bruce Johnston returning to the fold to assist (initially on a temporary basis) with production, the sound flowed effortlessly. Take a listen to the gorgeous “Good Timin’”, the tender melancholy feel that is “Full Sail” (overlooking the lyrical naiveté …), the drama that unfolds throughout “Love Surrounds Me”, or simply the wonderful tag on “Lady Lynda” and not be blown away …

  Unfortunately, however …underneath the glossy sheen that the album suggests, all was not quite as it seemed. It was business as usual. The division between the wild lifestyles of the Wilson brothers and the clean living Love/Jardine axis was still causing tension on the road, coming to a head a few months before these sessions commenced during the early 1978 tour to Australia, where excessive drug use was a clear chasm between the parties. In addition, Brian, only recently to be found holed up in a Los Angeles mental ward, was still unwilling / incapable / uninterested in maintaining his studio production chores of yore, hence the hasty California-bound telephone call to Bruce …once their new record company execs had heard what Brian had initially prepared for them.

  “Gentlemen, I think I’ve been fucked …” was the much-quoted response from CBS head Walter Yetnikoff.

  Dennis meanwhile, was still looking to further his solo career, a diversion that had kicked off magnificently the previous year with his “Pacific Ocean Blue” debut, although he was obviously in tune enough with his fellow bandmates to offer two tracks from his current solo ‘project’ to the new album (“Love Surrounds Me” and the exquisite “Baby Blue”). Then in addition to all of this, various marriage break-ups were also hindering the family harmonies …

  However, out of all the morass and chaos, arose this delightful album release, proof that the group could still combine effectively enough to produce material worthy of the Beach Boys brand. How much of it was actually a ‘group’ effort is open to debate, with some numbers reportedly featuring just one or two recognisable vocalists, and excluding two tracks pulled from the archives there were no new ‘joint’ songwriting collaborations between band members, but nevertheless – the album flowed. Sadly, the media only chose to focus on one particular portion of the release, and almost all attention was placed upon the ten-minute disco-remake of 1968’s “Here Comes The Night” … effectively whitewashing over many of the remaining strong contributions. “Lady Lynda” received some notable attention when it achieved Top 5 single status in the UK, but back home “Good Timin’” peaked at #40, an edited version of the disco tune reached #44, whilst the album itself, doubtless to the deep concern of all those at CBS/Caribou, topped out at #100. Then, to top it all off, at one particular show in New York's Radio City Music Hall, where the group debuted their new ‘dance’ direction, they were resoundly booed by the audience… and the song was swiftly dropped from the set.

  Upon release, “L.A. (Light Album)”, titled in recognition to their homeland, and to the word ‘light’; as in “the awareness of, and the presence of God, here in this world as an ongoing, loving reality”, was packaged in the type of presentation that, like the music within, demanded higher scrutiny than it probably received. Under the guidance of CBS art directors, Tony Lane (previously responsible for such recognisable work as Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”) and Nancy Donald, the sleeve featured twelve individual pieces of art, each designated to represent one of the featured tracks, or the band/album title, and all commissioned from some of the finest and promising young artists from the Los Angeles area. Names that are extremely well-known in today’s art circles had some of their earliest exhibits featured on the sleeve to the new Beach Boys album, even if they were not all unaware at the time of the project’s origins …

  Drew Struzan (“Sumahama” artist; acknowledged today as one of the finest illustrators for the Hollywood movie industry);

  “For years I didn't even remember that I had done the piece. It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … I was called on the telephone and asked to meet with an art director for a job. I didn't know who it was nor was I familiar with the agency. I was so poor I don't think I had the nutrition to remember much of anything …I think they were located somewhere on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood. All I can recall from there was some foggy remembrance of doing the painting and that is all. I don't remember the direction, the input, the inspiration and I don't recall knowing it was for the Beach Boys. I don't believe I even saw the finished product until years and years later, and I was a bit shocked to see it and to have some small recollection of it being my work. Crazy huh? It was so small and almost 40 years ago, and how many thousands of pieces of art later …?!”

CLICK ON AN IMAGE

DREW STRUZAN

  In addition to Struzan’s work, Martin Muller (aka Neon Park; “Baby Blue”) had already broken into the album cover art-world, courtesy of his paintings for Frank Zappa (“Weasels Ripped My Flesh”) and Little Feat (“Sailin’ Shoes”), whilst William Stout (“Goin’ South”) had worked for the Grateful Dead and designed various movie posters (including the then-current “More American Graffiti”).

  Interestingly, no credit has been officially afforded to any artist for the visual erotic interpretation of Dennis’s “Love Surrounds Me” on the sleeve … although, in error, there are TWO artists credited on the sleeve for “Here Comes The Night”. It would now appear than Nick Taggert was the artist for that particular piece of work … with Mick Haggerty being the man responsible for the rather risqué image on Dennis’ song (a fact confirmed to this author by Haggerty himself during research).

  As for the stunning design for the album title itself, Jim Heimann was the man responsible for that. Heimann (left), a native of Los Angeles who, in addition to his career as a graphic designer and illustrator, is also an educator and author, and is a recipient of numerous awards. He has been active in the arts for the past twenty-five years, and was a faculty member at Loyola Marymount University, The Art

Center School of Design, and Otis School of Design, where he taught for 14 years. In addition, he also served as a consultant for Disney Imagineering and has authored ten books, on different aspects of American popular culture, design and architecture, and lectures around the world on these subjects. The design he created for the Beach Boys album sleeve is a perfect example of the retrospective American-influenced work he so favours; the old-time surfers with large, twelve foot boards, the cartoon imagery of the girl and the beach ball, the vinyl record, and then, as a central focus, the beacon shining from atop of the skyscraper.

  Sitting alongside this frame on the sleeve is Gary

Meyer’s sunset-beachside image, with the ‘Beach Boys’ displayed so prominently on the parking lot billboard. Meyer, himself no stranger to public viewing of his work (his acclaimed “Jaws” poster work, and his impressive design for Chicago’s 1979 “XIII / Street Player” album), was another graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, alongside Drew Struzan. And whilst maybe Nick Taggert’s “Here Comes The Night”, or Peter Green’s “Good Timin’” are not the strongest of creations, all in all the combination of the differing twelve interpratations makes for an impressive array of talent ...

  For the inner sleeve, housing the record itself, Tony Lane presented a series of strong colour photographs, all taken during the preceding months by Beach Boys photographer friend and associate Ed Roach. The ten featured frames, five of the individual group members, are some of the strongest images to grace a Beach Boys album insert, each capturing the band in natural music-making status, including bass-wielding Brian, resplendent in over-sized shades, pictured at the Omni in Atlanta on September 2nd 1978. It is also noticeable how, although not officially a band member once again, Bruce Johnston also appears in two of the shots.

THE WORD "LIGHT" REFERS TO THE AWARENESS OF, AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD, HERE IN THIS WORLD AS AN ONGOING, LOVING REALITY.

All rights reserved : No part of this text may be copied, stored or reproduced without written consent of the author. Pipeline Publications (UK) 2006