Solo Career and Life in Big Sur
Jardine left the touring line-up of the Beach Boys in 1998 after Carl Wilson died, but remained a member of the Beach Boys corporation Brother Records. Resident in the South Bay area of Los Angeles during the touring heyday of the Beach Boys, Jardine moved to Big Sur in Northern California in the seventies where, for a time, he bred Arabian horses and studied local environmental protection. It is notable that his self-penned songs often center on welfare or environmental issues. "Don't Go Near the Water" (co-written with Mike Love), "Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)", "California Energy Blues" and "Looking Down the Coast" are all social commentaries and Jardine professes continued interest in environmental causes. In the late seventies he began building Red Barn Studios on his Big Sur estate, and tracks like his "Santa Ana Winds" (which would appear on the Beach Boys' Keepin' the Summer Alive) were first taped there.
From the late nineties, Al Jardine toured and recorded with his Endless Summer Band, in a line-up that comprised several musicians who toured with The Beach Boys, including Billy Hinsche of Dino, Desi and Billy, Ed Carter, Bobby Figueroa, and Jardine's sons, Matt and Adam. In 2001, Jardine's band released Live in Las Vegas, featuring Beach Boys songs like "Wild Honey", previously rarely performed live.
In the fall of 2006, Jardine joined the Brian Wilson Band for a short tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds.
In March 2008, Jardine settled a suit brought against him by Mike Love and the estate of Carl Wilson regarding use of the "Beach Boys" name. Mike Love had leased the Beach Boys' name and it was deemed that Al's newly-formatted band, called the Beach Boys Family & Friends (featuring sons Matt and Adam Jardine, Carnie and Wendy Wilson, Daryl Dragon, Billy Hinsche and others), was a breach of title use.
In 2009 Jardine's lead vocal on "Big Sur Christmas" was released on MP3 download, produced by long-time Red Barn Studios engineer Stevie Heger under his band's name, Hey Stevie. The track was also released on the Hey Stevie album, Eloquence.
In August 2010, the Red Hot Chili Peppers rehearsed their album I'm With You (released 2011) at Red Barn Studios. Other established artists, including the Fleet Foxes and Steve Miller, have also used Jardine's state-of-the-art studios in recent years, and it was here Jardine began taping his long-promised first solo album.
Jardine released A Postcard from California, his solo debut, in June 2010 (re-released with two extra tracks on April 3, 2012). The album featured contributions from Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson (a posthumous track), Bruce Johnston, David Marks and Mike Love. There were also guest appearances from Glen Campbell, Neil Young, Steve Miller, Scott Mathews, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell (members of America) and Flea. A spoken intermission written by Stephen Kalinich called "Tidepool Interlude" featured actor Alec Baldwin.
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