California dreaming

Press, 9 November 1978, Page 15

California dreaming

by

RECORD REVIEWS

Nevin Topp

THE BEACH BOYS “M.I.U. Album” (Reprise MSK 2268): This album should have been subtitled “Pacific Ocean Blues,” the name of Dennis Wilson’s solo album, and with every reason. Rumour has it that the ■‘M.I.U. Album” was originally offered to Epic as the first release of the group’s new contract by Jardine and Love, but was turned down because of poor quality.

So to fulfill the contract with Warner Bros-Reprise it was released under that label. The battle for Brian Wilson’s creative genius is really under way.

The weather has been a bit stormy as far as relationships within the Beach Boys go recently. The fight has been over Brian’s head, so to speak, between the Jardine-Love camp on the one hand as represented by or Maharishi Institute Uni-> versity, and his brothers, Carl and Dennis, on the other. It is interesting to note that not one composition on the album is by Carl or Dennis, and Brian only goes solo on ‘‘My Diane,”

a song that illustrates his genius. For the rest, Brian is compromised by others around him not in the Carl-Dennis camp, and it is up to the cover versions of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” and the DelVikings’ “Come Go With Me” to catch some of that old Beach Boys magic. Those that put the album together have missed the fact that the Beach Boys are a group, and in the past have contributed as such.

Let us hope Epic can make the boys see reason.

LINDA RONSTADT “Living In The U.S.A.” (Asylum 6E-I55): This album was made with the help of an Aphex Aural Exciter, which sounds like something you can buy in the sex shops in the redlight district of Amsterdam.

Quite frankly, it did not titillate my senses. It is really bad to see one of the best talents of recent years being corrupted into a vehicle for vocal purity at the expense of the songs.

For instance, whoever got Ronstadt to record

“Alison” by the misogynist Elvis Costello made a bad mistake. It does nothing for Ronstadt at all, and neither does the Little Feat song, “All That You Dream.”

“Love Me Tender,” by Elvis Presley, is also chosen, yet in his come-back television special The King sent the song and himself up when he sang, “You have made my life u wreck . . . complete.” Yet Ronstadt sings it. like she means it hoping to emulate “Old Paint” at the end of the successful "Simple Dreams” album. Only on the older songs does she come close to her old self — Berry’s “Back Tn The U.5.A.,”

“Just One Look,” and “Ooh Baby Baby” by Smokey Robinson. At times her vocal emphasis comes close to being at loggerheads with the song, Warren Zev o n ’ s “Mohammed’s Radio” being a good example.

Only on “White Rhythm and Blues” by J.D. South-

er does she manage to overcome that obstacle.

The danger of failure by Linda was already inheren t in “Simple Dreams” and I think it: would have been wiser if a live album had been released to give everyone the opportunity of trying to feel what it is like being at a Ronstadt concert.

It also would have given Peter Asher and company some more time to search for better songs and a better method of handling Ronstadt’s vocals. Definitely time for a change.