That Lucky Old Sun

[Brother Ben]

I simply love Brian's latest album!  It's got a different feel than SMiLE and it's certainly more contemporary music.  It's very catchy and upbeat.  I hear hints of Pet Sounds, SMiLE, Love You, and his first solo album (1988) sprinkled throughout TLOS.  My favorite track would be Southern California, and that coda at the end of the album is very reminiscent of SMiLE. 

[noname]

Seems that Brian is going back to the basics- the Blues. Morning Beat, California Role, and Going Home. While they rock, (Morning Beat being my fav from the 3), they lack the compositional exploration I enjoy in my fav. Wilson recordings. Not that my fav Brian compositions are his most complex, but the Blues is the Blues...like Add Some Music. No matter how swell the harmonies and icing on the cake, the basic chordal structures are the same.

[sofonanm]

A nice sense of emotional closure pervades it.

[variable2]

you know my favorite part of this album just might be the hidden ditty at the end of Southern California..  "all day (rolllll around heaven) ba bow bow bow.."

[Dr. Tim]

Coming to this kinda late, but --

-- has anyone else noticed how much "Good Kind of Love" sounds like a Carole King song rather than a Brian song?
Not that there's anything wrong with that, as they say.  Also, very interesting that Carole herself sings with Brian on the bonus track version.

[Aegir]

They wrote it together. I think Carole King sounds ridiculously young on that track.

[Wirestone]

I don't think that's true. Brian wrote it himself, with Carole's songs in mind. That's why he then got her to sing on the record. From Carole's site:

AUGUST 22, 2008, Hollywood, CA - In 2006, Carole King was invited by legendary songwriter and producer Brian Wilson to his recording studio. These sessions turned out to be the early days of recording his new album, "That Old Lucky Sun," which eventually took him back into the Capitol Recording studios.

One of the songs they recorded that day is "I'm Into Something Good," the Goffin/King song originally made famous in 1965 by Herman's Hermits. "I make no bones about it, that song was influenced by Brian's music," Carole told the Weekend Australian Magazine in 2006. She described their updated version of the song as "Brianized."

The other song is a new Brian Wilson composition called "Good Kind of Love."

Although these songs do not appear on the final version of the album, they are being made available to the public for a limited time only via a CD exclusively available at Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com. For more information or to pre-order the album, please click here.

"That Old Lucky Sun" arrived stores on September 2

[Aegir]

Wow. TLOS has been officially released for exactly a year.

[The Real Beach Boy]

The world lets out a collective yawn.

[phirnis]

Still a record I find myself listening to quite often. I tend to skip both "Forever..." and "California Role" (the lyrics of which seem particularly trite to me) from time to time, yet overall it holds up as one of my very favourite records of recent years.

[Luther]

The trite lyrics strike me as better than most of the purported weighty ones. Southern California in particular makes me ill. Too much sugar.

[phirnis]

"Southern California" is kind of schmaltzy, yes. I do, however, have pretty much of a soft spot for that particular song as I just LOVE the bridge.

[Wirestone]

Love that bridge. Love it love it love it.

Have been listening to it again recently myself -- Brian sounds great, band turns on a dime. This is arguably the best that solo BW gets.

[Hickory Dichotomy®]

I tend to agree, but for some reason, I'm really expecting great things from Brian's next release(s), and TLOS may be a stepping stone rather than the pinnacle.

Who'd have ever thought we'd be talking like this 5 years ago? Yes, it has been that long since BWPS.

[Luther]

You would--if the next one doesn't top it--call TLOS the pinnacle? Do you prefer it to BWPS, or not count BWPS because it's old material?

[Hickory Dichotomy®]

The latter...just the fact that he came up with something that ranks up there Smile at his age is unbelievable. 

[Aegir]

Smile was not where Brian was in 2004, for the most part. It's where Brian was in the 60s and where Darian was in 2004.

[Hickory Dichotomy®]

...which makes TLOS that much more impressive.

[MBE]

Even if Brian is more often a figurehead rather then a catalyst, that he can take part in making such solid new(ish) music is something I never would have thought possible until this came out. Sure the 1988 album had moments as did some of the nineties Paley stuff but I never would have thought he could do a new album in its entirety and have it be the highlight of a show. Some of Brian's solo stuff doesn't have much to it beyond curiocity value, this is one that rises above that. It's a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me.

[rab2591]

5/5

'That Lucky Old Sun' is such a wonderful way to start an album....Even on the cloudiest, rainiest day you can close you eyes and imagine the sun rolling around above you while listening to it. 'Morning Beat' reminds me of the album 'Love You' - which is why I love the song - it is cheesy but one can totally relate to it...

'Good Kind of Love' is an upbeat love song - Cheesy? Yes. Vibrant and energizing? Yes. I love blasting this song through my headphones (or stereo - depending on how bad I want to upset the neighbors  ).

'Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl' is a wonderful song full of nostalgia. It is not a favorite from the album, but I never skip it. 'Live Let Live' - brilliant song on so many elements....the lyrics are wonderful, and the instrumentals are fantastic (listen to that outro! Fantastic!). 'Mexican Girl' is one of my favorites from the album....it is not the most original song, but it is catchy as hell....and the song's outro is one of the best I've ever heard.

'California Role' is one of two on the album I rate below 5 stars. Nothing really stands out on the track to me, lyrically or instrumentally. 'Oxygen to the Brain' had to grow on me for a while....It is one I absolutely love to listen to now. 'Can't Wait Too Long' is fantastic....speechless when listening to it. 'MAD' is one of my absolute favorites by Brian - I think it is unanimously loved by everyone who hears it.

'Going Home' - Eh, nothing special about it. It seems as if Brian takes the "yell into the mic" approach on this one - it just doesn't appeal to me. 'Southern California' is a splendid way to finish an album. I read a post on this site that this song was a perfect close to Brian's songwriting career - If it were his last original, It is a grand way to go out, but I really hope it isn't his last!

The narratives placed throughout the album are fantastic - listen to the imagery in 'Between Pictures' or in 'Venice Beach' - these narratives really set the California scene - a wonderful add to the album....thank you VDPs!

In all, I find TLOS to be very underrated and under-exposed. There are some great tracks on here. Sure, many don't appeal to mainstream, but this is an album that I think most people would enjoy if they took an honest listen to it. Each of these songs are full of life. It is aggravating that TLOS isn't more popular, but then again, neither was Pet Sounds when it was released........