“Sumahama,” written and sung by Mike Love, is just infuriating. It is a nominee for one of the worst Beach Boys songs of all time and I’m not sure it is the worst song on the album.
Side two of the original L.A. (Light Album) makes the first side seem like a classic.
“Here Comes The Night” marks the Beach Boys entrance into the disco era. The song, which was originally released on the Wild Honey album, is re-structured with a heavy bass and up-tempo disco beat. The worst thing that happens is that the song is lengthened to just under 11 minutes. Listening to this song today just makes it all the worse. It goes to show that the only thing worse than a bad song is a miss-conceived and long bad song.
The album just limps home after the disco fiasco. “Baby Blue” is another song from Dennis Wilson’s Bamboo.” Dennis’ vocal sounds slightly better but the song has an odd structure which makes it a difficult listen. “Goin’ South” is basically a Carl Wilson solo piece and might have been more appropriate for one of his solo releases.
The final song on the album is also its worst. The traditional song “Shortnin’ Bread” is just unlistenable. The saying always leave your audience wanting more does not apply in this case.
L.A. (Light Album) is an album with a lot of low points. Given today’s technology I would advise downloading the first three songs and avoiding the rest. Enough said.
Article comments
1 - Rick
" "Good Timin" leads off with some of the best Beach Boys harmonies of the decade. It is one of only a few Beach Boys songs where the
harmonies are on a par with some of their classic 60s material."
Well, this is a recycled song from the so called "Guercio Sessions" (recorded at Jeff Guercio's Caribou Ranch) back in 1974. Many of these recordings became a victim of the flames, since the Ranch (including the studio) burned down in late 1975(?). Anyway a version of "Good Timin'" without lead vocal survived on a backup tape that were stored at the Beach Boys own Brother Studios. Carl Wilson re-recorded his lead vocal for the Light Album. Anyway I agree that this song is the main reason to buy this album.
BTW on the original version (from the unreleased 1977 Adult/Child album) of "Shortenin' Bread" it was Dennis Wilson singing the bass harmony part and he did his job much better. I never understood why they used these worse alternate version on the Light Album.
2 - Rick
One correction regarding my last comment. The original version of "Shortenin' Bread"...it was Brian singing the bass part (it's Dennis on the Light Album version). And Carl's lead vocal is much wilder on the original version.
3 - Will
I wouldn't want anyone to follow the advice of this review and just download the first three tracks.
As far as I'm concerned the best tracks by a LONG way on this record are the three Dennis ones- Love Surrounds Me, Baby Blue, and Angel Come Home, which Carl wrote and Dennis sang.
The rest I can sorta take or leave- and the disco remake...should have been three minutes instead of 11!
4 - katie albrecht
i hear one of your song beachboys.