The Beach Boys
The Boys seemed beached on M.I.U., their last outing, but surf's up again on L.A.—well, at least there are more crests than troughs. This LP includes the typically upbeat Good Timin' and Lady Lynda, plus Dennis Wilson's surprisingly evocative, gravelly voice on two tracks, Angel Come Home and Love Surrounds Me. Sumahama, a silly Oriental send-up ("There's a lover's leap in old Japan/Where the lovers walk hand in hand") reminiscent of Ricky Nelson's Travelin' Man, is a borderline tune. There's also an 11-minute disco heavy-footer called Here Comes the Night, which Mike Love explains/excuses by claiming, "I always disco in my woody." (That's a wood-paneled station wagon, for those who don't speak surfese.) It's not exactly fun, fun, fun, but the boys can't be blamed for riding with the wave.
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