L.A. (LIGHT ALBUM) IS THE TWENTY-THIRD STUDIO ALBUM BY THE BEACH BOYS, RELEASED ON MARCH 19, 1979. PRODUCED BY BRUCE JOHNSTON AND THE BAND ITSELF, THE ALBUM WAS THE BEACH BOYS’ FIRST ON CBS RECORDS, AND THE FIRST TO FEATURE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JOHNSTON SINCE HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE BAND IN 1972. JOHNSTON WAS BROUGHT IN WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE AILING BRIAN WILSON WAS IN NO FIT STATE TO PRODUCE THE ALBUM, AND HAS REMAINED IN THE BAND EVER SINCE.
L.A. (LIGHT ALBUM) SPAWNED A TOP-TEN HIT IN THE UK WITH AL JARDINE’S BACH-INSPIRED “LADY LYNDA”, WRITTEN FOR HIS WIFE, AND LATER RERECORDED AS “LADY LIBERTY” AFTER THEIR DIVORCE. JARDINE RECENTLY REVEALED THAT DENNIS WILSON MADE AN UNCREDITED CONTRIBUTION TO THE SONG’S LUSH STRING ARRANGEMENT. MIKE LOVE’S JAPANESE-FLAVORED “SUMAHAMA” WAS ALSO A UK SINGLE CHART ENTRY LATER IN 1979.
“SUMAHAMA” B/W “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY” (BROTHER/CARIBOU/LOVE ZS9 9031),
MUSIC DIARY
1964, THE ROLLING STONES APPEARED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW FROM NEW YORK, PERFORMING ‘AROUND AND AROUND’ AND ‘TIME IS ON MY SIDE’. A RIOT BROOK OUT IN THE STUDIO, PROMPTING SULLIVAN’S INFAMOUS QUOTE, ‘I PROMISE YOU THEY’LL NEVER BE BACK ON OUR SHOW AGAIN.’ THE ROLLING STONES WENT ON TO MAKE A FURTHER FIVE APPEARANCES ON SULLIVAN’S SHOW BETWEEN 1965 AND 1969
1968, THE DOUBLE ALBUM ‘ELECTRIC LADYLAND’ BY THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE WAS RELEASED. IT WAS ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AS TWO ALBUMS WITH CHANGED ARTWORK AFTER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NAKED WOMEN WHO WERE PICTURED ON THE SLEEVE. THE FEMALE MODELS WERE EACH PAID £5 FOR THE PHOTO SHOOT AND ANOTHER £5 IF THEY POSED COMPLETELY NAKED.
1969, ‘SUGAR SUGAR’ BY THE ARCHIES WAS AT NO.1 ON THE UK SINGLES CHART. IT STAYED AT THE TOP FOR EIGHT WEEKS, AND WAS ALSO NO.1 IN THE US, SELLING OVER SIX MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE. THE ARCHIES WERE A ROCK GROUP BASED ON COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS
1974, AL GREEN WAS TAKING A SHOWER AT HIS MEMPHIS HOME WHEN HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND MARY WOODSON BURST IN AND POURED BOILING HOT GRIT OVER HIM. SHE THEN SHOT HERSELF DEAD. GREEN SUFFERED SECOND DEGREE BURNS.
1992, ROGER MILLER DIED OF DIED OF LUNG AND THROAT CANCER IN HOSPITAL IN LOS ANGELES. SCORED THE 1965 UK NO.1 & US NO.4 SINGLE ‘KING OF THE ROAD’. MILLER WON ELEVEN GRAMMY AWARDS AS A SONGWRITER AND SEVEN TONY AWARDS FOR WRITING THE MUSIC AND LYRICS FOR BIG RIVER. THE PROCLAIMERS HAD THE 1990 UK NO.9 HIT WITH THEIR VERSION OF ‘KING OF THE ROAD
2002, RICHARD HARRIS, WHO HAD THE 1968 US NO.2 & UK NO.4 HIT ‘MACARTHUR PARK’ DIED OF CANCER. THE 72-YEAR-OLD IRISH-BORN ACTOR HAD BEEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY AT A PRIVATE CLINIC IN LONDON. THOUGH HE CHARTED THREE OTHER TIMES, HARRIS WAS BETTER KNOWN FOR HIS ACTING ROLES ON STAGE AND FILM, MOST RECENTLY PLAYING ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IN TWO HARRY POTTER FILMS.
2004, JOHN PEEL DIED IN CUZCO, PERU OF A HEART ATTACK, AGED 65. HE WAS BBC’S LONGEST-SERVING RADIO DJ AND THE FIRST DJ TO INTRODUCE THE RAMONES, ROXY MUSIC, THE SMITHS, THE FALL, ROD STEWART, BLUR, THE SEX PISTOLS, T. REX AND OTHERS TO THE MASSES. HE FOUNDED DANDELION RECORDS IN 1969, WHICH RELEASED RECORDS BY KEVIN COYNE, BRIDGET ST JOHN AND MEDICINE HEAD. HE WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR HIS ‘PEEL SESSIONS’, RELEASES OF LIVE RADIO SESSIONS. PEEL WAS APPOINTED AN OBE IN 1998.
BORN TODAY
1941 -HELEN REDDY, AUSTRALIAN SINGER, SONGWRITER,
1944 – JON ANDERSON, VOCALS, WARRIORS, YES,
1944 – TAFFY DANOFF, STARLAND VOCAL BAND, (1976 US NO.1 & UK NO.18 SINGLE ‘AFTERNOON DELIGHT’).
1984 – KATY PERRY, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER,
1950, – CHRIS NORMAN, SMOKIE,
1955,-MATTHIAS JABS, THE SCORPIONS,
1962, – CHAD SMITH, DRUMMER, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS,
1963, – JOHN LEVEN, EUROPE,
