View source for L.A. (Light Album)

{{Short description|1979 album by the Beach Boys}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = L.A. (Light Album)
| type       = Studio
| artist     = [[the Beach Boys]]
| cover      = LALightCover.jpg
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| released   = March 16, 1979
| recorded   = April 29, 1974 – January 24, 1979
| studio     = *[[Brother Studios|Brother]] (Santa Monica)
*[[United Western Recorders|Western]]
*Britannia
*Sounds Good
*[[Westlake Recording Studios|Westlake]] (Los Angeles)
*Super Sound (Monterey)
*[[Criteria Studios|Criteria]] (Miami)
*Kaye-Smith (Seattle)
*[[Caribou Ranch|Caribou]] ([[Nederland, Colorado|Nederland]])
| genre      = <!--- Do not add unsourced genres --->
| length     = 41:33
| label      = [[Brother Records|Brother]]/[[Caribou Records|Caribou]]/[[Sony Music|CBS]]
| producer   = {{hlist|[[Bruce Johnston]]|the Beach Boys|[[James William Guercio]]}}
| prev_title = [[M.I.U. Album]]
| prev_year  = 1978
| next_title = [[Keepin' the Summer Alive]]
| next_year  = 1980
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = L.A. (Light Album)
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Here Comes the Night (The Beach Boys song)#1979 disco version|Here Comes the Night]]
 | single1date = February 19, 1979
 | single2     = [[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]
 | single2date = April 1979
 | single3     = [[Lady Lynda]]
 | single3date = August 1979
}}
}}

'''''L.A. (Light Album)''''' is the 23rd studio album by the American rock band [[the Beach Boys]], released on March 16, 1979, and their first issued through [[Sony Music|CBS Records]]. Recorded during a period of acrimony between the band members, it was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at number 100 in the U.S. and number 32 in the UK.

The album largely consists of solo recordings by the individual band members, including two from [[Dennis Wilson]] ("Love Surrounds Me" and "Baby Blue") that were lifted from his unreleased second solo album, ''[[Bambu (album)|Bambu]]''. [[Brian Wilson]] was not present for much of the ''L.A.'' sessions. The production was credited to returning Beach Boy [[Bruce Johnston]], the band itself, and their manager [[James William Guercio]].

''L.A.'' produced three singles: an 11-minute [[disco]] rerecording of "[[Here Comes the Night (The Beach Boys song)#1979 disco version|Here Comes the Night]]" from their 1967 album ''[[Wild Honey (album)|Wild Honey]]'', the Brian and [[Carl Wilson]] collaboration "[[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]", and [[Al Jardine]]'s "[[Lady Lynda]]". "Here Comes the Night" and "Good Timin{{'}}" charted at numbers 44 and 40, respectively, while "Lady Lynda" was a top 10 hit in several territories abroad, including the UK.

==Background==
[[File:The Beach Boys Konzert Michigan 1978 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The Beach Boys performing a concert in Michigan, August 1978]]

In the late 1970s, the Beach Boys were in a state of professional and personal disarray, with the Wilson brothers struggling with drug abuse and, alongside [[Mike Love]], each facing an imminent or ongoing divorce from their wives.{{sfn|White|1996|p=321}}{{sfn|Love|2016|pp=420–425}} In March 1977, the group signed an $8 million deal with [[Sony Music|CBS Records]], with their first album expected for delivery before January 1, 1978.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|pp=294–295}} [[Dennis Wilson]] released his first solo album, ''[[Pacific Ocean Blue]]'', in September 1977, after which the band recorded ''[[M.I.U. Album]]'' to finish off their contract with [[Reprise Records|Reprise]].{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=371–372}}

The Beach Boys missed their CBS album deadline and, from February to March 1978, embarked on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=372}}{{sfn|Love|2016|p=435}}{{refn|group=nb|The band had successfully negotiated a deadline extension. Tony Martell commented, "They were making money because Capitol was putting out repackages out the kazoo. They were making a lot of money on tour and making money from two companies... so they didn't feel under pressure to produce an album."{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=319}}}} While the tour was a commercial success, tensions within the band were disastrous and nearly resulted in another breakup when the group discovered Dennis had purchased heroin for [[Brian Wilson]] with funds allegedly acquired from [[Carl Wilson]].{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=226}}{{sfn|Gaines|1986|pp=309–315}} During an argument regarding this incident, Brian's bodyguard [[Rocky Pamplin]] punched Carl in the face.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=313}}{{sfn|Love|2016|p=440}} Band manager and business advisor Stephen Love, who felt that Pamplin's actions were justified, was subsequently fired.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=315}}

After returning to Los Angeles, Brian ran away on a days-long drug binge and was later discovered lying under a tree at [[Balboa Park (San Diego)|Balboa Park]] in San Diego without shoes, money, or a wallet.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|pp=317–318}} Biographer [[Steven Gaines]] writes that Brian was then admitted to a local hospital, and when discharged, immediately joined his bandmates at [[Criteria Studios]] in Miami, where they were recording their long-overdue first album for CBS.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|pp=318–319}} [[Peter Ames Carlin]], another biographer, supports that sessions had already been underway in Miami,{{sfn|Carlin|2006|pp=228–229}} but Mike's 2016 memoir, ''[[Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy|Good Vibrations]]'', gives a different timeline:

{{blockquote|We had not delivered any music to CBS Records and were summoned to [[CBS Building|Black Rock]], the company's headquarters in New York. Joined by our tour manager, [[Jerry Schilling]], we waited in the office of CBS Records president [[Walter Yetnikoff]]. When he finally walked in, bearded and rumpled, he leaned against his desk and said, "Gentlemen, I think I've been fucked." We all looked at Jerry, and he looked at us. Then Brian raised his voice and said, "Mr. Yetnikoff, I've got some ideas for some songs, and I want to do them at the Criteria Studios in Miami." "Okay," Yetnikoff said. "We'll be down there in two weeks." Brian defused the crisis, and we traveled to Miami.{{sfn|Love|2016|p=442}}}}

==Production==

From January 11 to August 22, 1978, members of the band held sessions at various studios in Los Angeles.<ref name="GIGS78" /> In Dennis' case, he was focused on recording his second solo album, ''[[Bambu (album)|Bambu]]''.{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|pp=180–181}} From August 28 to September 1, the group recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami and subsequently compiled a tape of their work for CBS.<ref name="GIGS78">{{cite web |last1=Doe |first1=Andrew G. |title=GIGS78 |url=http://bellagio10452.com/gigs78.html |website=Bellagio 10452|access-date=April 2, 2022}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Doe states that the tape consisted of "California Feeling", "Brian's Back", "I'm Begging You Please", "Calendar Girl", "Baby Blue" (the ''Bambu'' version), "Looking Down The Coast/Monterey", "Shortenin' Bread", "Santa Ana Winds" (original version), and "Good Timin'".<ref name="GIGS78" />}} Yetnikoff and CBS vice president [[Tony Martell]] then visited the studio and were previewed the songs.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=319}} Carlin writes that the sessions and the meeting "did not go well".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}} Martell remembered, "We sat there and listened to the tunes. ... At one point, it was a little volatile, because of what we heard. They told us it was one of their finest efforts."{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=319}} Brian's other bodyguard, [[Stan Love (basketball)|Stan Love]], said that when Yetnikoff heard the tapes, "he turned to the group and said, 'I think I've been fucked.'"{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}}
[[File:Backstage Photo with Bruce Johnston & Carl Wilson with Roy Orbison 1979.jpg|thumb|[[Carl Wilson]] and [[Bruce Johnston]] backstage with [[Roy Orbison]], late 1979]]

The Wilson brothers' cousin Steve Korthof recalled, "Brian was real weird then, real quiet, not saying much. Real depressed. I think he just realized he wasn't going to be able to pick up the slack. Brian eventually suggested that [[Bruce Johnston]] be brought back in to help produce the album."{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=320}} His bandmates agreed to the suggestion based on the strength of Johnston's success writing the 1975 hit "[[I Write the Songs]]".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}} According to Gaines, "When everyone else returned to Los Angeles to continue recording at [[United Western Recorders|Western Studios]], Brian wanted to stay in Florida by himself. The group agreed that this was out of the question and forced him to return to L.A."{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=320}}

Sessions resumed at various other studios from September 18, 1978, to January 24, 1979.<ref name="GIGS78"/><ref name="GIGS79">{{cite web |last1=Doe |first1=Andrew G. |title=GIGS79 |url=http://bellagio10452.com/gigs79.html |website=Bellagio 10452|access-date=April 2, 2022}}</ref> In between these sessions, Mike also recorded two unreleased solo albums, ''First Love'' and ''Country Love''.<ref name="GIGS78" /> Brian, who is barely present on ''L.A.'',{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=230}} was institutionalized at Brotzman Memorial Hospital from November 1978 to early 1979{{sfn|Love|2016|p=443}} following an incident in which he attacked his doctor during a visit.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=322}}{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=228}} In Carlin's description, "if Brian sang a note anywhere on the album, his voice is so far down in the mix as to be completely unidentifiable."{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=230}}

==Songs and outtakes==

Love described ''L.A.'' as "mainly a collection of solo efforts".{{sfn|Love|2016|p=442}} These included songs from Mike Love’s unreleased album “First Love” and Dennis Wilson’s in progress album “Bambu”. The album's centerpiece was "[[Here Comes the Night (The Beach Boys song)|Here Comes the Night]]", an 11-minute [[disco]] reworking of an original [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] song that the band had released on their 1967 album ''[[Wild Honey (album)|Wild Honey]]''.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=230}}{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|pp=181–182}} Dennis was opposed to the recording, and Brian did not participate.{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|p=182}} Another older song, "[[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]", had dated from the band's [[15 Big Ones#Caribou and Brother sessions (1974)|aborted 1974 sessions]] at [[Caribou Ranch]].{{sfn|Dillon|2012|pp=218–220}} Brian's rendition of "[[Shortenin' Bread]]" featured Dennis on lead, and was a different recording from the version on the unreleased Adult/Child album.{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|p=185}}

Among the newer songs, Carl contributed three – "Angel Come Home", "Full Sail", and "Goin' South" – that he wrote with songwriter [[Geoffrey Cushing-Murray]], whom he had met through touring member [[Billy Hinsche]].<ref name="Tamarkin"/> Dennis' two songs – "Baby Blue" and "Love Surrounds Me" – were lifted from his in-progress ''Bambu'' album. Biographer [[Jon Stebbins]] states that the songs were included at the insistence of Dennis' bandmates, and quotes music journalist [[Domenic Priore]], who surmised, "They obviously didn't have enough good material for their debut album on their new label, so they nicked some of the better [songs from ''Bambu'']".{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|p=182}}

Love's "[[Sumahama]]" is lyrically inspired by his fiancé at the time, a woman named Sumako, and is "about a young girl who wants to go with her mother to a place called 'Sumahama' in search of her father." Sumahama was re-recorded from the version recorded on his unreleased album First Love. {{sfn|Love|2016|p=446}} Although some of the lyrics are in Japanese, Sumako was of Korean descent.{{sfn|Love|2016|p=446}} [[Al Jardine]]'s "[[Lady Lynda]]" is a tribute to his then-wife that is based musically on [[Bach]]'s "[[Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring]]".<ref name="Tamarkin" />

Among the outtakes, a re-recorded version of "Santa Ana Winds" appeared on their next album, ''[[Keepin' the Summer Alive]]'' (1980),<ref name="GIGS78" /> "[[Brian's Back (song)|Brian's Back]]" (another First Love outtake) was released on the 1998 compilation ''[[Endless Harmony Soundtrack|Endless Harmony]]'',<ref name="GIGS78" /> and "[[California Feelin']]" was released on the 2013 compilation ''[[Made in California]]''.<ref name="RCM">{{cite web|last=Sharp|first=Ken|title=Beach Boys Producers Alan Boyd, Dennis Wolfe, Mark Linett Discuss 'Made in California' (Q&A)|url=http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/09/04/made-in-california-producers-alan-boyd-dennis-wolfe-mark-linett-beach-boys-interview/2/|work=Rock Cellar Magazine|access-date=9 September 2013|date=September 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930143358/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/09/04/made-in-california-producers-alan-boyd-dennis-wolfe-mark-linett-beach-boys-interview/2/|archive-date=30 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> "[[Do You Like Worms?|Rock Plymouth Rock/Roll]]" {{sic}}, a song from the band's unfinished ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]'' album, was also considered for inclusion as the opening track of ''L.A.''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leaf |first1=David |author-link1=David Leaf |title=Pet Sounds |journal=Pet Sounds |date=November 1978}}</ref> Still-unreleased tracks from the ''L.A.'' sessions include "Looking Down the Coast/Monterey", "I'm Begging You Please", "Basketball Rock", "Bowling", "There’s a Feeling Through the Air", and renditions of "[[Calendar Girl (song)|Calendar Girl]]" and "[[Drip Drop (Leiber and Stoller song)|Drip Drop]]".<ref name="DoeVaults">{{cite web|last1=Doe|first1=Andrew G.|title=From The Vaults...|url=http://esquarterly.com/bellagio/vaults.html|website=Endless Summer Quarterly|series=Bellagio 10452|access-date=March 24, 2022}}</ref><ref name="GIGS78" />

==Packaging==
In the liner notes, it is explained that the ''L.A. (Light Album)'' title refers to the "awareness of, and the presence of, God here in this world as an ongoing loving reality".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}}<ref name="Tamarkin" /> The initials also allude to [[Los Angeles]], the band's native home.<ref name="Tamarkin" /> Carlin writes that the title "evoked both Los Angeles and the city's long-standing position as a capital of vaguely [[New Age]] religions".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}}

The sleeve design features an assortment of illustrations drawn individually by [[Gary Meyer]] ("The Beach Boys"), Jim Heimann ("Light Album"), [[Drew Struzan]] ("Sumahama"), Dave McMacken ("Lady Lynda"), [[Steve Carver]] ("Full Sail"), Nick Taggart ("Here Comes the Night"), Howard Carriker ("Angel Come Home"), Peter Green ("Good Timin{{'}}"), [[Neon Park]] ("Baby Blue"), Blue Beach ("Shortenin' Bread"), [[Mick Haggerty]] ("Here Comes the Night"), and [[William Stout]] ("Goin' South"). Troy Lane is credited as "cover artist", while Gary Meyer is credited with art direction and design.<ref name="Tamarkin" />

==Release==
[[File:The Beach Boys 1979.jpg|thumb|The group at a 1979 photoshoot.]]

Lead single "Here Comes the Night" (backed with "Baby Blue") was issued on February 19, 1979, and peaked at number 44.{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|p=182}} ''L.A. (Light Album)'' followed on March 16{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=215}} and reached number 100 in the U.S.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=372}} The next month, "Good Timin'" (backed with "Love Surrounds Me") was issued as a second single and reached number 40, becoming the band's first top 40 hit since "[[It's OK (The Beach Boys song)|It's OK]]" in 1976.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=367, 372}} Stebbins summarized this juncture in the band's career,
{{blockquote|Dennis's fans hated disco and thought Mike's songs were silly. Mike's fans thought Dennis's voice was awful and found his songs too depressing. Brian's fans wanted more Brian. ... Despite being heralded with the fanfare of a major-label debut, the LP was no more than a reflection of a band in disarray. No one agreed on anything, and nothing complemented anything else. Now the Beach Boys would have to go on the road and try to sell a product that nobody wanted.{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|p=186}}}}
In April, the group appeared on ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]'', where they performed their past hits alongside "Baby Blue", "Here Comes the Night", and "Angel Come Home".{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|pp=187–188}} In August, "Lady Lynda" (backed with "Full Sail") was issued as the album's third and final single. It failed to chart in the U.S., but was a top 10 hit in several territories abroad, including the UK.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=372}}

==Critical reception==
{{Album reviews
|title = Retrospective professional ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name=allmusicreview>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/la-light-album-r1457/review |title=''L.A. (Light Album)'' – The Beach Boys |first=John |last=Bush |publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=19 February 2012}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
|rev2score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="Wolk">{{cite web |authorlink=Douglas Wolk|first=Douglas |last=Wolk |url=http://blender.com:80/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2257 |title=The Beach Boys ''M.I.U. Album/L.A. (Light Album) '' |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |date=October 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630150449/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2257 |archive-date=June 30, 2006 |access-date=June 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev3Score = C+<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: B|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70|access-date=February 21, 2019}}</ref> 
| rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin |year=2006|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |edition=4th|location=London |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-531373-4|page=479}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev5Score = '''woof!'''<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/83 83]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/83}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7Score = {{Rating|1|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=with Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |year=2004|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac |url-access=registration |edition=4th |location=New York, NY |publisher=Fireside/Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/46 46]}}</ref>
}}

The album received mostly unfavorable reviews from music critics. In his review for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Dave Marsh]] wrote, "The Beach Boys have not made great rock music since ''Wild Honey'' [and have not] made competent pop music since ''[[Holland (album)|Holland]]''", concluding that the album "is worse than awful. It is irrelevant."<ref name=rollingstonereview>{{cite magazine|date=May 31, 1979|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/l-a-light-album-19790531 |title=''L.A. Light Album''|first=Dave |last=Marsh |authorlink=Dave Marsh|magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 19, 2012|via=rollingstone.com}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' concluded that "the songs here are better than some recent albums by the group; they're gentle, tuneful and innocently charming... But they're pretty trivial, too."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rockwell |first1=John |title=A Musical Grab Bag from California |work=The New York Times |date=15 Apr 1979 |page=D21}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]] reviewer John Bush felt, "The Beach Boys ended the decade by releasing the worst album of their career", describing it as "yet another oddball attempt to push the Beach Boys into the contemporary mainstream despite their many songwriting and production flaws."<ref name=allmusicreview/> ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''{{'}}s [[Douglas Wolk]] decreed that ''L.A.'' was "practically a self-parody" with "Here Comes the Night" being the only enjoyable track.<ref name="Wolk"/> [[Jeff Tamarkin]], who penned liner notes for the 2000 CD reissue, said of the album: "There is undeniable brilliance here if one dares to look."<ref name="Tamarkin">{{cite AV media notes |title=M.I.U./L.A. Light Album|others=[[The Beach Boys]] |year=2000 |first=Jeff |last=Tamarkin|author-link1= Jeff Tamarkin |type=booklet |url=http://albumlinernotes.com/M.I.U._L.A.html|publisher=[[Capitol Records]] |location=California}}</ref> Stebbins praised the Wilson brothers' contributions and derided the songs by Love and Jardine, calling the album "an uneven and disappointing affair. If you liked one part of it, then you were sure to hate others."{{sfn|Stebbins|2000|pp=184, 186}} Carlin opined that ''L.A.'' was "a big improvement over ''M.I.U..'' ... the album's strength came largely from its diversity of voices".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=229}} Critic [[Richard Williams (journalist)|Richard Williams]] referred to "Angel Come Home" as "the most beautifully textured and exquisitely pain-racked white soul music ever made".<ref>{{cite web|authorlink=Richard Williams (journalist)|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/the-beach-boys-made-in-california|title=The Beach Boys – Made In California – Uncut|website=Uncut|access-date=January 10, 2018|url-status=dead|last=Williams|first=Richard|date=2013|archive-date=January 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110054913/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/the-beach-boys-made-in-california}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| extra_column = Lead vocal(s)
| title1 = [[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]
| writer1 = [[Brian Wilson]], [[Carl Wilson]]
| extra1 = Carl Wilson
| length1 = 2:12
| title2 = [[Lady Lynda]]
| writer2 = [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], [[Al Jardine]], [[Ron Altbach]]
| extra2 = Al Jardine
| length2 = 3:58
| title3 = Full Sail
| writer3 = C. Wilson, [[Geoffrey Cushing-Murray]]
| extra3 = C. Wilson
| length3 = 2:56
| title4 = Angel Come Home
| writer4 = C. Wilson, Cushing-Murray
| extra4 = Dennis Wilson
| length4 = 3:39
| title5 = Love Surrounds Me
| writer5 = [[Dennis Wilson]], Cushing-Murray
| extra5 = D. Wilson
| length5 = 3:41
| title6 = [[Sumahama]]
| writer6 = [[Mike Love]]
| extra6 = Mike Love
| length6 = 4:07
}}

{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Lead vocal(s)
| title1 = [[Here Comes the Night (The Beach Boys song)#1979 disco version|Here Comes the Night]]
| writer1 = B. Wilson, Love
| extra1 = C. Wilson
| length1 = 10:51
| title2 = Baby Blue
| writer2 = D. Wilson, [[Gregg Jakobson]], [[Karen Lamm]]
| extra2 = C. Wilson and D. Wilson
| length2 = 3:25
| title3 = Goin' South
| writer3 = C. Wilson, Cushing-Murray
| extra3 = C. Wilson
| length3 = 3:16
| title4 = [[Shortnin' Bread#The Beach Boys|Shortenin' Bread]]
| writer4 = Traditional; arranged by B. Wilson
| extra4 = C. Wilson and D. Wilson
| length4 = 2:49
| total_length = 41:33
}}

==Personnel==
Credits from Craig Slowinski<ref name="Slowinski2015">{{cite magazine |last=Slowinski|first=Craig |date=Spring 2015 |title=THE BEACH BOYS' – L.A. (Light Album)|issue=109|volume=|magazine=Endless Summer Quarterly Magazine |location=Charlotte, North Carolina|editor-first=David|editor-last=Beard}}</ref>

'''The Beach Boys'''
*[[Al Jardine]] – lead (2) and backing vocals (1, 2, 7, 10); [[12-string guitar]] (2)
*[[Bruce Johnston]] – backing vocals (all tracks); [[Rhodes piano|Fender Rhodes]] (1, 2?, 10)
*[[Mike Love]] – lead (6) and backing vocals (1–4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
*[[Brian Wilson]] – backing vocals (2?, 4); piano (1, 10); [[harpsichord]] and organ (1); [[Moog synthesizer]] (10)
*[[Carl Wilson]] – lead (1, 3, 7–10) and backing vocals (all tracks); guitars (1, 4, 10?); Fender Rhodes (3, 9); [[Wurlitzer electronic piano|Wurlitzer electric piano]] (4)
*[[Dennis Wilson]] – lead (4, 5, 8, 10) and backing vocals (5, 8); [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim]] synthesizers (5, 8); Fender Rhodes and Moog synthesizer (5); piano (8); drums (1, 10); additional drums and timpani (5)

'''[[The Beach Boys (touring band)|Touring members]]'''
*Michael Andreas – saxophone (10)
*Ed Carter – guitars (2, 5); bass guitar (2)
*Bobby Figueroa – drums (2, 4, 5, 8); percussion (2); backing vocals (3)
*[[Billy Hinsche]] – guitars (10)
*[[Mike Meros]] – [[Clavinet]] and Wurlitzer electric piano (7)
*[[Carli Muñoz]] – piano (5)
*Rod Novak – saxophone (8, 10)
*Sterling Smith – harpsichord and possible Fender Rhodes (2); [[Hammond organ]] (10)

'''Guests'''
*[[Curt Boettcher]] – guitars (7)
*[[Geoffrey Cushing-Murray]] – backing vocals (3)
*[[James William Guercio]] – bass guitar (1, 3, 10)
*[[Christine McVie]] – backing vocals (5)

'''Additional session musicians'''
{{div col}}
*Robert Adcock – cello (8)
*Murray Adler – violin (2, 3, 6, 7, 9)
*[[Mike Baird (musician)|Mike Baird]] – drums and percussion (7)
*Roberleigh Barnhart – cello (6, 9)
*Myer Bello – viola (6, 7, 9)
*Arnold Belnick – violin (2, 3)
*Samuel Boghossian – viola (2, 3)
*[[Jimmy Bond (musician)|Jimmy Bond]] – double bass (2, 3)
*Alfred Breuning – violin (6, 9)
*Verlye Mills Brilhart – harp (2, 3)
*[[Joe Chemay]] – bass guitar (5, 7); additional bass guitar (8, 10)
*Ronald Cooper – cello (4)
*Isabelle Daskoff – violin (2, 3, 6, 8, 9)
*Jim Decker – French horn (2, 3, 6)
*Harold Dicterow – violins (2, 3)
*Earle Dumler – oboe (6)
*Marcia Van Dyke – violin (7)
*Arni Egilsson – double bass (8)
*Jesse Ehrlich – cello (2, 3, 6, 7, 9)
*[[Gene Estes]] – Clavinet and vibraphone (7); percussion (4)
*Bob Esty – synthesizer and percussion (7)
*[[Victor Feldman]] – percussion (7)
*Henry Ferber – violin (2, 3, 7)
*Bernard Fleischer – saxophone (10)
*Richard Folsom – violin (2, 3, 7, 8)
*Steve Forman – percussion (3–5)
*Bryan Garofalo – bass guitar (6)
*James Getzoff – violin (2, 3, 7, 8)
*Harris Goldman – violin (2, 3, 8)
*Anne Goodman – cello (4)
*Allan Harshman – viola (7)
*Igor Horoshevsky – cello (6, 9)
*Bill House – guitar (6)
*Harry Hyams – viola (8)
*[[Dick Hyde (musician)|Dick Hyde]] – trombones and bass trombone (2)
*William Hymanson – viola (8)
*Raymond Kelley – cello (2, 3, 7, 8)
*Jerome Kessler – cello (2, 3)
*Chuck Kirkpatrick – guitar (10)
*William Kurasch – violin (2, 3, 6–9)
*Bernard Kundell – violin (6, 9)
*[[Neil Levang|Neil LeVang]] – [[dobro]] (5)
*Jeff Legg – guitar (8)
*Gayle Levant – harp (6, 8, 9)
*Joel Levin – cello (8)
*Marvin Limonick – violin (2, 3, 7)
*Charles Loper – French horn (2, 3)
*Edgar Lustgarten – cello (4)
*Kathleen Lustgarten – cello (4)
*Joy Lyle – violin (6, 7, 9)
*[[Jimmy Lyon]] – lead guitar (10)
*[[Arthur Maebe]] – French horn (2, 3)
*[[Gary Mallaber]] – drums (3, 9); timpani (3); shaker (9); percussion (4)
*Peter Mercurio – double bass (8)
*[[Jay Migliori]] – flutes (2)
*David Montagu – violin (7)
*[[Ira Newborn]] – guitars (7)
*Michael Nowak – viola (7)
*Brian O’Connor – French horn (6)
*[[Earl Palmer]] – drums (6)
*[[Dennis F. Parker]] – bass guitar (4)
*Judy Perett – cello (7)
*Joel Peskin – alto saxophone (7, 9); flute (6)
*[[Ray Pizzi]] – bassoons (2)
*Jack Redmond – French horn (2, 3)
*[[Bill Reichenbach Jr.|William Reichenbach]] – French horn (2, 3)
*[[Lyle Ritz]] – double bass (2, 3, 9)
*Jay Rosen – violin (2, 3, 6, 9)
*Nathan Ross – violin (7)
*David Schwartz – viola (2, 3, 7)
*Fred Selden – saxophone (10)
*Sid Sharp – violin (6, 7, 9)
*[[John Philip Shenale]] – Oberheim synthesizers (4, 5)
*Harry Shlutz – cello (2, 3, 7)
*Linn Subotnick – viola (2, 3, 7, 8)
*Barbara Thomason – viola (6, 9)
*Wayne Tweed – bass guitar (8)
*[[Tommy Vig]] – vibraphone (6)
*[[Wah Wah Watson]] – lead guitar (7)
*Jai Winding – Fender Rhodes (6)
*Herschel Wise – viola (2, 3, 6–8)
*[[Dan Wyman]] – [[programming (music)|synthesizer programming]] (7)
*Tibor Zelig – violin (2, 3, 6–9)
*[[Richie Zito]] – lead guitar (7)

{{div col end}}

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Chart performance for ''L.A. (Light Album)''
!scope="col"|Chart (1979)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"| Dutch Album Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beach+Boys&titel=L%2EA%2E+%28Light+Album%29&cat=a|title=Dutch Charts – THE BEACH BOYS – L.A. (LIGHT ALBUM)|website=Dutchcharts.nl|access-date=10 January 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|43
|-
!scope="row"| UK Top 40 Album Chart<ref>{{cite web |title=Beach Boys &#124; full Official Charts History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27515/beach-boys/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=31 May 2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|32
|-
!scope="row"| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape]]{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=372}}
| style="text-align:center;"|100
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Badman|first=Keith|title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio|url=https://archive.org/details/beachboysdefinit0000badm|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-0-87930-818-6}}
* {{cite book|first=Peter Ames|last=Carlin|author-link=Peter Ames Carlin|title=Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson|url=https://archive.org/details/catchwaverisefal0000carl/|year=2006|publisher=Rodale|isbn=978-1-59486-320-2|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Dillon|first=Mark|title=Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story|url=https://archive.org/details/fiftysidesofbeac0000dill/|year=2012|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-77090-198-8|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Gaines|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Gaines|title=Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys|url=https://archive.org/details/heroesvillainsth00gain|year=1986|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=New York|isbn=0306806479|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Love|first=Mike|author-link=Mike Love|title=Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy|url=https://archive.org/details/goodvibrationsmy0000love_u3b0/|year=2016|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-698-40886-9|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Stebbins|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Stebbins|title=Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy|url=https://archive.org/details/denniswilsonreal0000steb/|year=2000|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55022-404-7|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=White |first=Timothy |author-link=Timothy White (writer) |title=The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern Californian Experience |date=1996 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0333649370 |url=https://archive.org/details/nearestfarawaypl0000whit/ |url-access=registration}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|78299|name=L.A. (Light Album)}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mzBF9T15GYzY6Q365wxWECc4a9-o3lLMk ''L.A. (Light Album)''] on [[YouTube]]
* {{YouTube|FsyN9cQupGY|Love Surrounds Me (alternate mix)}}
* {{YouTube|URXUXbHoNt4|California Feelin'}}

{{The Beach Boys main}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''L.A. (Light Album)''|noerror}}
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[[Category:The Beach Boys albums]]
[[Category:Caribou Records albums]]
[[Category:1979 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by James William Guercio]]
[[Category:Brother Records albums]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Bruce Johnston]]
[[Category:Albums produced by the Beach Boys]]