Album: “M.I.U./L.A. Album”

Description

2 LPs on 1 CD: M.I.U. (1978)/L.A. Album (1979). The Beach Boys: Alan Jardine (vocals, guitar, bass); Carl Wilson (vocals, guitar); Brian Wilson (vocals, piano, electric piano); Dennis Wilson (vocals, drums); Mike Love (vocals). Reissue producers: Cheryl Pawelski, Paul Atkinson. Includes liner notes by Jeff Tamarkin. Digitally remastered by Andrew Sandoval and Dan Hersch (DigiPrep). M.I.U.: Additional personnel: Ed Carter, Billy Hinsche (guitar); Chris Midaugh (pedal steel guitar): Ron Altbach (horns, piano, electric piano, percussion); Michael Andreas, Charles Lloyd, Lance Buller, John Foos, Rod Novak, Charlie McCarthy Bob Williams (horns); Gary Griffin (piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer); Producers: Al Jardine, Ron Altbach. Engineers include: Steve Moffitt, Jeff Peters, Earl Mankey. Recorded at The Institute, M.I.U., Fairfield, Iowa and Brother Studio, Santa Monica, California. L.A. ALBUM: Additional personnel: Ed Carter (guitar, bass); Jimmy Lyons, Ritchie Zito, Wah Wah Watson (guitar); Joel Peskin (alto saxophone); Phil Carlos Munoz, Bruce Johnston (piano); Sterling Smith (harpsichord); Mike Maros (Clavinet); Bob Esty (synthesizer); Jim Guercio, Joe Chemay (bass); Bobby Figueroa, Gary Mallaber, Mike Baird (drums); Steve Foreman, Victor Feldman (percussion). Producers: Bruce Johnston, The Beach Boys, Jim Guercio, Curt Becher. Engineers include: Bill Fletcher, Greg Venable, John Hanlon. This disc contains gorgeous-sounding remastered versions of the Beach Boys last albums of the '70s. Neither of these was particularly well received at the time, partly because they were generally out of step with prevailing musical fashions, and partly because founding genius Brian Wilson was only minimally involved with either of them. Nevertheless, there are some excellent songs to be found here. On M.I.U. there are some sprightly oldies covers--the Dell-Vikings "Come Go With Me," Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue"--and Dennis Wilson turns in a gut-wrenchingly emotional vocal on the breakup ballad "My Diane" (actually written about Brian's estranged wife Marilyn). On L.A., Dennis's thematically similar "Angel Come Home" is another highlight (and a clear sign that he'd been listening to some of the California New Wave pop that was percolating at the time), and the much-maligned disco remake of the group's 1968 album cut "Here Comes the Night" actually sounds pretty good in retrospect. Not their best by a long shot, but still worth hearing.