M.I.U. Album | ||||
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Studio album by The Beach Boys | ||||
Released | October 2, 1978 | |||
Recorded | Autumn
1977 and Spring 1978 except "Hey Little Tomboy" (1974) and "My Diane" (1976) |
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Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 32:19 | |||
Label | Brother/Reprise | |||
Producer | Al
Jardine Ron Altbach |
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Professional reviews | ||||
The Beach Boys chronology | ||||
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M.I.U. Album is the twenty-second studio album by The Beach Boys, released in 1978. Recorded at a fraught time for the band, only Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson appear throughout the album. Carl and Dennis Wilson are audible on only a few of the songs.
After the release of Love You, The Beach Boys fell into dispute over the direction of the band, and were close to breaking up. Brian Wilson began regressing back into drug use and mental illness. Dennis was readying his debut solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue, and was largely unavailable for the new project, of which he and brother Carl were not in favor. The idea, by staunch Transcendental Meditation follower Mike Love, was to record the new album – initially intended as a Christmas release – at the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, (hence the 'M.I.U.' title). Consequently, when it was time to record the album in September 1977, only Love, Jardine and the eldest Wilson showed up.
The original intention was for Brian Wilson to produce the album, but it soon became clear he was either unable or unwilling to function in that role. The production credit on the album was given to Al Jardine and songwriting partner Ron Altbach, with Brian billed as "executive producer" - though the exact nature of this role was never clarified. The provisionally titled Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys was rejected by the record company, which demanded the band submit a regular studio album instead. New lyrics were overdubbed on to some of the original Christmas tracks the following spring, which, together with quickly-penned new material, formed the basis of the M.I.U. Album, the band's last for Reprise Records before embarking on their CBS Records (now Sony Music) contract.
When asked about M.I.U. Album in the British press, Dennis Wilson said that he "[doesn't] believe in that album" and that it was "an embarrassment to [his] life. It should self destruct.. I hope that the karma will fuck up Mike Love’s meditation forever."[1]
Although the album peaked at only #151 in the US and became their first since 1964 to miss the UK chart completely, "Come Go With Me" would become a top 20 hit in late 1981 when it was released as a single from the Ten Years of Harmony compilation.
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M.I.U. Album is now paired on CD with L.A. (Light Album).
M.I.U. Album (Brother/Reprise MSK 2268) reached # 151 in the U.S. during a chart stay of 4 weeks.
After signing with CBS Records in 1977, the Beach Boys wanted to satisfy the terms of their Warner/Reprise contract by releasing a Christmas Album. Rejected by Warners, many of the tracks appeared on various bootlegs and on the 1998 release Ultimate Christmas. If released, the album would have had the following track listing:
Side 1:
Side 2:
outtakes include:
The non-seasonal album recorded in Iowa was delivered to Warner Bros. in the spring of 1978. It was originally titled "California Feeling", after a song which Brian demanded not be included on the album. The album was to be released with the following lineup:
Also considered for the album were the 1969 Dennis Wilson song, "San Miguel," and an early version of Al Jardine's "Lady Lynda." This album was rejected by Warners.
The "California Feeling" album was overdubbed and "sweetened" for release. Two songs, "How's About A Little Bit Of Your Sweet Lovin'" and "Our Team", were replaced with "Peggy Sue" and a new version of "Come Go With Me." The album was retitled "Winds Of Change" and scheduled for release in the summer of 1978. "Winds Of Change" was to be released with the following lineup:
Also considered for the album was the 1977 outtake, "Ruby Baby." This album was also rejected by Warners.
The album was finally released in October 1978 as "M.I.U. Album" with an alternate mix of "Hey Little Tomboy" used.
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