The Smiley Smile Message Board

I'll go first, having heard the album through supernatural means.

Brian sounds like he's genuinely having fun.

The band is just a *tad* looser than previous studio outings, and it makes a difference.

Goin' Home kicks some tail.

I am sorry for anything I've ever said or implied about Scott Bennett. He is -- and this is a compliment -- like Joe Thomas with taste and talent. He knows how to get good performances and songs out of B-Dub. He has helped create perhaps the best *sound* for a solo BW record ever. It's out of time -- it has some burbling synths straight from Love You (really!), soaring backing vocals, skillful and sympathetic playing, and a dash of chamber orchestra. It reminds me a bit of Friends mixed with Sunflower -- but not stoned, if you know what I mean.

And Brian really brings his A game. He cares about this record -- or he sounds like he cares -- like he hasn't since "Imagination" (at least vocally) or BW88 (songwriting wise).

And the fact that Van Dyke and Scott and Darian all worked to help him out -- this album is special. It's not perfect -- and we'll be getting to those imperfections soon enough, I'm sure -- but it hangs together like nothing else since Love You, at least (BWPS not counted). If this is Brian's last, he should be proud.

As a final note -- there is one appearance of the "wall of Brians" on the record. But it's a charming one.

Agreed. I am more than happy. Going Home and Morning Beat Both kick tail. The album is solid, and much more than anyone could reasonably expect at this point. Listened to it front-to-back from 10 am this morning until 10 pm tonight. Never got tired of it.

This works. Some of his vocals are his best in years and he definitely sounds inspired. Nobody can take this away from him.

I was able to hear the vinyl last night thanks to a friend who came over.

I'll add more thoughts once I get my copy and can listen to it repeatedly, but here's some first impressions taken from notes I scribbled.

WOW... just wow.   Easily my favorite BW solo album (SMiLE not included).  Brian sounds amazing, the songs are great and in some instances downright killer.

The only moment I really missed the SSnH was on "Good Kind of Love" before the refrain.  I feel they could have added a certain... something... to that section.  I'm reminded of that Danny Hutton quote in "IJWMFTT" where he's describing Brian telling the guy's they're playing the notes, hitting them perfectly, but there's something missing.

I do miss Taylor's more soulful freestyling vocals on the tags of "California Role" and "Goin Home" though.  She is audible, but there was something about the live versions that reminded me of her tag on "Marcella" that I'm missing here.

The background vocals on "Midnight" during the "make me feel so alone" are missing the punch, urgency and intensity that the demo had.

I *LOVE* the fleshed-out version of "Southern California".     The line "Nodded off in the band room, woke up in history" really hit me for some reason.

Overall any little things I find that I *don't* like about the album are rooted in a familiarity of hearing the material in live and demo forms for almost a full year now, and this is a different interpretation of the songs, in most cases better.

I was surprised that someone (at another board) suggested the songs were lacking depth.

There is certainly a freshness and ease to this material, but that doesn't mean (to me) that it's shallow at all.

I think that --

Good Kind of Love
Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl
Midnight's Another Day
Goin' Home
Southern California

-- Are all substantial and meaty tunes, with a lot going on. Love the melodic twists and turns of FSBMSG, and "Goin' Home" has two different choruses! There's real sense of adventurousness and sense of playfulness in these tunes.

No question, though, that the arrangements and Paul Mertens' orchestrations take it all to a different level. But that's the case for Pet Sounds, too.

Can we keep this as the official album review thread? It's silly for 95% of the new posts on this board to be reviews and have them all be in different spots.

The first thing I noticed, especially in contrast to what everyone else is saying about the album, was that Brian's voice on the title track is really bad! Thankfully, the other tracks were a lot better, but geeze, that's not a way to start off an album. Like GoofyJeff, most of the things I don't like about the album are its differences with the demos and stuff. Going Home sounds a lot better, though. I agree with most of the others that the demo version of MAD was much more powerful. The narratives are useless, but I like the music underneath.

Can't Wait Too Long sounds exactly like the Beach Boys track. Conversely, what I like about this album overall is that it doesn't sound like a Beach Boys album with Brian singing lead on every track. It sounds like a Brian Wilson album. I think this is mainly because of the volume of the backing vocals. They sound like backing vocals, and not BB-esque "wall of harmony" vocals. While I prefer BB kind of vocals, they usually make me want to hear Carl or Mike singing.

I don't know what I would give this. Maybe a B.

I've listened to the stream of the whole album. My thoughts:

That Lucky Old Sun-Love the musical arrangement much better then the demo version. Not the best Brian vocal.

Morning Beat-Slower then the demo version. Doesn't sound as rushed which is good. The middle eight is fantastic and I love the added strumming guitars and wood blocks. Easily my favorite part of the song. Great tempo changes.

Narrative-Room with a view-My least favorite track. Not a great reading from Brian.

Good Kind of Love-Probably one of the five best songs on the album. I think I kinda like the demo better though I love the string arrangement near the end (I'm a sucker for string arrangements in rock songs  ;D)

Forever my Surfer Girl-Much better then the demo. Love the added strings and I'm a big fan of the guitars, especially the one you can hear through the left channel during the second verse.

Narrative: Venice Beach-Better then the first narrative with a better reading from Brian. Still not the best narrative here (though the string ending is great.)

Live let Live-I really dig the slightly longer pauses in the intro (very Brian.) The "hearbeat" part may have been better in the demo but this recording overall is improved. Also, I love these lyrics better (I really REALLY hate the whole eco lyrics.) The ending was jaw dropping. That bassoon....left me speechless.

Mexican Girl-Much improved from the demo. Love the talking and extended clapping at the beginning.

Narrative: Cinco de Mayo-Decent. I love Brian's reading of "be A list!"

California Role/TLOS reprise-Meh. Of the songs, this is my least favorite. Love the vaudeville feel of it though.

Narrative: Between Pictures-Man, maybe one of the best tracks of the album. This starts one hell of a run music wise. Love the music behind Brian's reading. Is it me or does the piano remind anyone of the "fly awayyyyyyyy!" ending of "At my Window?" Amazing way to transition into...

Oxygen to the Brain-Love the subject matter, especially Brian's advice (never destroy when you can create.) Yet another song with a great middle eight. Also love the "there's a time to live", especially the background vox.

Can't Wait Too Long-Great remake. This is a very faithful reproduction of the Wild Honey/Friends era track.

Midnight's Another Day-What can I say that hasn't been said already? Easily Brian's best song in a very long time. Maybe some parts of the demo were better but I really don't care. The strings after "make me feel so alone" are great. I also love the addition of instruments to my favorite part ("doo doo doo doo doo!")

TLOS reprise-It's a reprise...don't know what else I can say. It makes for a good transition I guess.

Going Home-A great old time rocker. One of Brian's best vocal performances on the album and the "at 25" lyric is one of the best moments of the record. The synth is weird, I would've made it a harmonica like the taped show preview had.

Southern California-Wow! I HATED the demo version of this song but the finished version easily wins most improved. Like the bridge and the solo xylophone part is well done. Amazing closer!

Overall: I really want to give this song a 5 out of 5 but I play it safe. 4.5 out of 5  ;D

WRightfan, I pretty much agree with your assesment, but I'd add that in my opinon the demo of "Oxygen" was probably a little better.  It just sounded a little more manic and I thought that was the point of the song. 

I think they "polished" up Live Let Live very well.  I don't know if that's the same backing track from the movie version, though... it could be that the other version was like that.  Everything from the walk-in drums at the beginning to Brian's enunciation to the heartbeat chorus is just WOW.

Pretty sure Live Let Live is an all-new recording. It's interesting that the soundtrack version was so very different -- I'm talking musically, too, not lyrically. I think the TLOS version wins in almost every department -- except it would be nice to hear the "Heartbeat" section again.

The soundtrack version has a cool electric guitar part under the pre-chorus.

That's strange that he would re-record even the backing track if it's essentially the same song with different lyrics!  I only listened to the soundtrack version once, I thought the eco crap was so over the top.  You'd think he'd just scrub the vocals and re-record it with different lyrics, but I'm happy he didn't!  I really like it. 

Keep in mind, not to get too political, that the song is STILL about the environment and the beauty of nature, etc. but it's lost the preachiness and is a much more positive song, which I can get down with. 

I have listened to the album over ten times.  My first impression was similar to my first two listens through The "Love You" album.  It sounded oddly good in parts but Brian's voice sounded different as well.  Then it broke through and I truly believe as similarly people were down on "Love You" then realized it's genius so will go "Lucky Old Sun".  It is a song cycle meant to be heard as one song.  If people don't appreciate how really good it is they need to listen more and critique less. 

I just listened again, with headphones.

This is Brian Wilson saying to the world I'm back, this time it's for real.  He demonstrates everything and anything is still possible and I believe "That Lucky Old Sun" is a genuine step forward into his modular recording technique.  An honest  artistic statement from a man who has lived a life with more downs then ups. A statement that reinforces every life is worth living.

This is the most cohesive and consistently good album in 20+ years. Not just the most cohesive Brian recording, I mean this is the single best album in decades. Everything from the music to the narratives is perfect. The music is beyond great. There are so many incredible sounds and melodies going on that it's almost to much to take.  Brian and his band put The Beach Boys to shame. This is BETTER than SMiLE. Yes, I DID just say that. Needless to say, this album gets 10 out of 10 stars from me. Brian can retire now, and be genuinely proud of himself. With this album, Brian has given us more than we could have ever hoped and dreamed of.

Love this thing....all of it. The criticisms I have heard so far are asinine. Brian sounds reborn.

Like he says, the best part of this trip just might be the ride. He still has fourth gear.

I consider myself lucky.

Does anyone else think that the reviews of TLOS in the media perhaps misinterpret some of the lyrics?
Having not heard the album enough I'm not sure I totally understand them either.
But the standard line seems to be "Wilson still thinks LA is a great place, blah blah" and then to focus on Midnight's Another Day.

Whereas I think many of the lyrics are saying how tough it is in LA, how harsh and unforgiving.
"GKOL" and "FSBMSG" are set as an idyllic 1960s counterpoint. Obviously very personal, but still with reference to the period.
California Role in particular hints at dark undertones, the desperation of people trying to make their mark in almost certain knowledge of failure.

Live Let Live expresses very hippyish sentiments an a charming way. It's an environmental song but more philosophical than protest. But of course the reference here is the fragility of it - and, if you like, the divinity of man within the eco-system. Whereas "Mexican Girl" has a subtext of "Love sees no colour," once again more than simply praising LA but also attempting to engage it with optimism. And we know BW does sometimes struggle to see things optimistically, and its his ability to do this which can elevate his music. California Role seems to flirt with cynicism and world-weariness - more like an old hand doling advice rather than a eulogy to the golden age of movies. But maybe I'm wrong on this.

Oxygen to the Brain has been covered but I think it refers a bit to Landy's treatment programme. I think Midnight's Another Day refers directly and indirectly to being institutionalised and out of it. Going Home I think is quite simply about love of making music and rock'n'roll. Southern California reflects on the ghosts surrounding his current life, dreams of past LA.

What I'm saying is, it's a bit more than simply "LA is great."

Here's my take on TLOS.
 I have been listening to the stream on and off for several days and I have noticed that everywhere I go when I'm on the way to work and back I have had these cool melodies popping in and out of my head. Such an end of summer treat for the ears and the heart. The arrangements and the musical colors are presented in full Technicolor. I am drawn into the keyboard textures in the narrative pieces. I love them all but especially Between Pictures and Venice Beach. While I am loving the first half, the segment starting with California Role is where it really comes together for me. The feel on the part where Brian's lead vocal comes in on is sublime. It's a 2 feel that you might have heard in songs of the 20's and 30's with a little swing but not too much. By the end fade with a little dixieland jam that has some excellent clarinet work by Paul Mertens, we have been on a musical tour of styles from Hollywood's golden era of song and dance. I also love the combined lead vocals of Scott Bennett and Brian Wilson on this. The sequence from Oxygen To The Brain through Midnights Another Day is mesmerizing.A big fan Too Much Sugar and all the other Brian health songs, this one has such a fun feel and the music like the rest of the album is so natural and organic sounding. This one is ripe with all the things I love about Brian Wilson music. reminding me a fully realized version of some of the Adult Child era material.I'm loving the horn and vocal arrangements and most of all Brian's relaxed lead vocal. This one has it all, The 2 feel makes another appearance and I'm intrigued when E major becomes E minor and then back to E major for another verse. This is a great musical device that is similar to the one used in Cry and in songs by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin. I don't know what I can add about Midnight's Another Day except that I love it and will be studying it for years.
That last Lucky Old Sun reprise is the one that really gets to me because of this brilliant chord sequence- Ab/Db Bb/Gb Ab/Db Bb/Gb Ab/Db Bb/Gb Eb-7 Bb-7 Bmaj7 Ab-7 Db/Gb Db Gb Gb/B
Now we get to hear Brian sing a blues number which is a real treat. Now most artists don't sing blues in the key of Gb but leave it to Brian and company to bring us home in the culmination of this trip to L.A. In addition to being in Gb, what set's this apart from other blues songs is the rich jazzy harmonic brilliance of the segment with the words (At 25) just try to follow the piano part that accompanies the breathtaking vocals.The track for this song is full of fun for us all. I love the references to the unreleased Proud Mary sessions ,the rockin piano, the quirky Love you-ish gliss that shows up a couple times,the measure of 7 before Brian sings Homesick,the harmonica,vocals,the kitchen sink, it's all here and it's all perfect. Southern California is a beautiful song and great way to end the record. I am particularly moved by simplicity of the production of this song and the final crescendo leading to the last chord, the vibes add such a nice touch as do the loving background vocals.

Haven't heard the album yet (The Exchange had it yesterday, but I couldn't afford it), but I have to say...

This album seems to be getting glimmering feedback.  Between this and obviously BWPS, *now* will people admit that our Brian is alive and well again? :-)

I was surprised that someone (at another board) suggested the songs were lacking depth.

I agree with that sentiment. Depth is the last thing I'd think when it comes to these songs (especially the lyrics).

Brian -- That actually sounds a bit backhanded. I doubt you meant it that way. Or (edit) ... I completely misread your post. (Shamefaced look away.)

No, I meant it completely that way. I wasn't backhanded at all. It wasn't even a compliment. Lyrically, this album adds nothing to the canon of Los Angeles. If you bought a booklet of postcards on a first visit, you could have written these lyrics. I just got done listening to the Chavez Ravine album by Ry Cooder, and the lyrics to Brian's "Mexican Girl"... downright embarassing. Why would I want to sit around listening to that?

For a man that has spent his entire life here, he's got little to say that you couldn't go to the Chamber of Commerce and get after being here for ten minutes. Bleh.

Brian -- I'm sorry. I totally misread your first response. (I updated my post to reflect that.)

It seems to me that the album's lyrics work best when they are very simple -- "Good Kind of Love" (with all of the words written by BW) or self-consciously poetic (Live Let Live and MAD). The ones that aim toward the middle don't always quite hit.

But I'm not particularly drawn to BB/BW music for lyrical content. Too much disappointment waits down that road. My bias has always been toward sound. Brian could have made a career singing about golf, and I still would like it. (Assuming the up-tempo golf songs were tempered by heart-rending ballads like "My Little Golfing Girl."

I agree with Clay. If I cared about the lyrics I wouldn't like Brian or the Beach Boys anywhere near as much. I hate the summer, I hate surfing, I hate cars, I hate female hair loss!

But there's a balance to everything. No, the lyrics aren't generally the most important thing in a Beach Boys record for me, but that doesn't mean I want them to be bad. And if they have to be bad, I prefer Brian's silliness and irreverence to banal summertime and story-of-Brian fare. This album, in my opinion, is pretty bad in that regard. But that said, it's in some ways my favorite of his solo albums. I love it.

I happen to have the opinion that the lyrics throughout the TLOS album are among the best of Brian's solo career.

From what I've heard, I didnt think the lyrics sounded so bad, for the most part. I'll wait til I get the CD to listen more intently.

Although, I must say, half the reason I like Smiley Smile, Love You, et cetera, is because of the stupid lyrics.

Speaking of stupid lyrics, though, I still haven't gotten used to the non-Arctic Tale lyrics to Live Let Live. I can't STAND them. I can't remember the lyric offhand, but that one about whale babies is so stupid. I don't care if the AT version is "preachy". The lyrics just sound so much cooler. I love "Polarization the talk of the nation" and "Are we the enemy living the memory" et cetera. The Arctic Tale version was one of my favorite songs of last summer, but the TLOS version is my least favorite song on the album. Even the music isn't as cool.

My main criticism of the lyrics on TLOS is that perhaps there aren't enough laugh out loud moments. Put all my fruit in the sack, he speaks in such a manly tone. That kind of thing. Mexican Girl could have been an instrumental or a narrative backing. Too much to expect random Tourettes "Ding Dang" expletives I guess. But I don't think the lyrics are that bad, compared to some of his worst. I really like "Live Not Live" and I maintain that "California Role" is in fact taking the mickey.

That said the rock numbers are pretty nonsensical. "Morning Beat" for example - pretty much doob-doob-doob-doob-dooby-doo-doo.  Has anyone notice the similarity between the verses of this and "White Lightnin"?

 :lol


It's strange though. Most of us would agree that at the time of SMiLE we also find the lyrical content (with VDP) very an integral part of the whole project (and whether we don't have a clue what they mean of we all have a different opinion on it) and love most/all of it. And now we have VDP amongst the lyrical contributors (let alone Scott’s and Brian’s choice of words), and yet it doesn’t seem to grab us? Did we expect more of Brian & co. this time? Do we regard TLOS too much as a final statement, his last musical/lyrical contribution ever to mankind, proving “he can still do it”? Meaning that deep inside we fear a retirement in the near future (which –thinking of it – isn’t such a strange thought). Or did the fact that the album (or the concerts that started it) was announced and presented as a theme-based selection of songs set up higher expectations than usual?

Brian solo participated with co-writers such as Landy, Joe Thomas, Andy Paley, Steve Kalinich, etc. Nothing wrong with that I think, not great either, but did we really bother then? (not that I can remember, but I might've missed a few discussions in the past)
I think music and lyrics blend well together in TLOS, more than on any of his other records (SMiLE not withcounted). And I admit I mostly like TLOS for the melodies, moodchanges, emotion, etc., and less for the lyrical content. But I do like the fact that – as a whole – it does have some cohesiveness in both the music and the lyrics. Doesn’t have to be an A+ on language on his (school)report for this album. We didn’t do that for all the greatest hits from the early 60ies either. Music/production was near perfection at times, the lyrics described perfectly the California dream and fitted well with the music. But are we going to unravel the lyrical degree of – for example – California Girls, Fun Fun Fun, or Surfin’ USA as well? I love them, don’t even think of wanting to hear a single alternative lyric, don’t misunderstand me on that, but I don’t look for a deeper psychological / filosophical meaning of the words either, and I’m pretty sure Brian & Mike weren’t thinking that either at the time (we like girls, driving is fun, the surf is up, so we write about them/it).

Can we compare California Girls to California Role? No not really I think. Different times, different musical approach, age, etc. But what I’m trying to say is that I love Brian’s musical output, whether it’s from the early days, his creative peak, the rare but beautiful and sometimes raw material from the (early) 70ies, or his current solowork. Lyrics were and are not the most important aspect of it. And if that’s above the average I see that as a bonus. Whether the TLOS-lyrics are better or not doesn’t really matter to me, although I think they do just fine, and some even better. If Brian can keep future output up to this level, I don’t complain at all. And I do hope that this is not the final release of BW-music.

But that’s my opinion of course.

"Genius is the ability to make something very complex seem very simple." - Brian Wilson, interview about TLOS, 2008

Not sure who said this, but to paraphrase: "Beach Boys music moves you without you wanting it to." It's not the Beach Boys, but TLOS works on this level.

Glad to see we can keep alive the tradition of our opinions being almost polar opposites.  ;D Breaking in that tradition, I agree that the Arctic Tale lyrics are better. But the music, I think, is miles better on the TLOS version. I love it.

Bought my copy today.

I find the extra-verse of Southern California to be incredibly moving. It's like a great artist realizing he's but a mortal after all, yet without the biterness often associated with such subject matter.
Love the synthesizer swirl in Going Home!

Great overall production, and great vocals by everybody.

I got the album today... I deliberately did not listen to any leaked demos or preview clips or promo stuff before today... Because I didn't want to ruin the excitiment of listening to the actual album for the first time and hearing nothing but new stuff (well, except for Midnight's Another Day, that song was such a hype here that I couldn't resist)... And I really have to say that it's way beyond anything I hoped for, let alone expected. Apart from BWPS, this really is probably the best album that Brian had anything to do with since 1971...

A fine album. Scott Bennett is the best collaborator Brian had since Andy Paley (Darian is great but he didn't write with him). Brian's singing is his best in a decade, and the idea of having the band singing backings, even leads, works for the better.

Having said that, I think that the concept (narrative segues, reprises, etc.) makes this album much stronger than it actually is when it comes to the songs itself. MAD asides, he has written lots of songs (certainly good) like these on the last 25 years. The concept, performance and production make the difference.

And while Paul Mertens' arrangements are quite good and suitable for Brian's, it would have been great to have Van Dyke Parks (check the great new album of Inara George) writing them.


To Jez: Great analysis. Keep posting those jazz takes on You Tube!

My review, which will run in the paper I work for next week. It's um -- quite positive.

By CLAY MCCUISTION
Monitor staff

A lushly orchestrated tribute to life and love in Southern California, That Lucky Old Sun is a late-career triumph for Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson. The album, full of catchy tunes and choral vocals, would sound good coming from anyone. But the fact that it comes from a 66-year-old who has endured mental illness, drug abuse and family tragedy makes it a minor miracle.
Wilson’s weathered voice can still soar when the mood strikes, and his devoted backing band members and co-writers have united to create an album of profound nostalgia, pain and humor. It isn’t Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys’ 1966 teen-angst classic. But what is?

Planting the seeds
The seeds for this comeback were planted four years ago, with the resurrection of the legendary Smile album. Originally meant for the Beach Boys, that project was abandoned by Wilson in 1967 amid group infighting. Over the next four decades, it became known as a lost pop-psychedelic masterpiece.
Wilson returned to Smile in 2004. He had been on the comeback trail since the ’80s, writing songs and releasing a handful of solo albums that veered from inspired to insipid. But no one expected this. And no one expected the finished Smile to be any good.
It was.
The ensuing tour, album and live DVD were rapturously received. Wilson was hailed, once again, as a pop music genius. That, so it seemed, was that. Long-delayed project finished, career capped.
But no one told Brian Wilson. Instead, freed from the psychic weight of a lost classic, he began composing new songs. A lot of new songs. With band member Scott Bennett assisting, he wrote about exercising, love and Los Angeles. And the songs sounded different. They took risks with content and structure that Wilson hadn’t tried for years. They breathed with new life and energy.
In an interview with London’s Independent last year, he described it this way: “Something just got into me. I wrote 18 songs last summer. When it rains it pours, and I put my buckets out and caught everything I could”

Elaborate presentation
The results of that deluge of inspiration arrived Tuesday in That Lucky Old Sun. The 10 new songs are linked by poems from Smile collaborator Van Dyke Parks and the old standard that gives the album its title. That’s right – it’s a concept album. What’s more, the concept (following the California sun from morning to night) actually works.
The concept came after the songs. In 2007, Wilson was commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall in London to create a song suite. Bennett, fellow band member Darian Sahanaja and Wilson took the new songs and stitched them together, adding more about Southern California and Wilson’s past.
This should not have worked – concept albums rarely do. Who listens to Pink Floyd albums for the storylines? But Wilson has bested that challenge before; Smile, with its evocations of frontier America, worked. And so does That Lucky Old Sun.
Perhaps it’s because the concept’s vagueness. Perhaps it’s because Brian Wilson’s songs have so often turned to California and his own life for inspiration that it doesn’t feel like a departure. Whatever the case, the songs, poems and musical fragments weave together beautifully.

Inside the album
Every song works in its new context, but standouts include the 1960s-style “Good Kind of Love,” the pro-exercise stomper “Oxygen to the Brain” and the bluesy “Goin’ Home.” An honorable mention should go to “Mexican Girl,” a tune so charmingly dorky it could only be written by a 60-something rock star who’s spent too much time ogling LA’s Hispanic population.
The album’s centerpiece, though, stands as “Midnight’s Another Day,” a gloriously despairing evocation of the dark night of Brian Wilson’s soul. A mournful melody, impassioned lead vocal and subtle string arrangement combine for four minutes of overwhelming emotion.
Does That Lucky Old Sun succeed on all fronts? Of course not. Not all of Bennett’s lyrics hit the mark (Beach Boys lyrics being notoriously problematic from the ’60s onward). Wilson’s delivery of Parks’s poems can stray off course. And at 40 minutes, the album could easily include a few more new Wilson-Bennett songs.
Yet the sheer vibrancy of creative vision overwhelms any shortcomings. This is not a Beach Boys album. This is not a revival of a Beach Boys project. This is a true Brian Wilson album, produced with the band and co-writers who musically support him today.
Brian Wilson has worked for, and earned, the triumph that is That Lucky Old Sun.

I enjoyed reading your review, Clay.

Luther: Thanks. I appreciate that, especially as I know that you (and most people) probably don't agree with all of it. It's also perhaps a tad too rapturous -- easy to do when I have all these adjectives just hanging around with nothing else to do.

Actually I agree with a lot of it. I think we've found some of the same strengths and weaknesses in the album. Mine may just be a bit more tempered on the positives. It's my nature. I hope you'll post the whole thing after it runs.

Luther: That is the whole thing, sad to say. I meant preview in the sense that it was just an advance showing. And don't get me wrong, I could write more. But I think I'm pushing my luck with this much as it is.

Yes, thanks for sharing that, Clay. Concisely presented, but emphasizing  those aspects that matter most.

I would like to point out, however, that I often do listen to Pink Floyd albums for the storylines!

I try not to listen to my Pink Floyd albums for any reason.

I was in Target today and saw a single copy of TLOS already out. It was in the wrong spot anyway, so I took the liberty of moving it to the best sellers section where random people who don't know what to buy but are looking for something that seems like it might be good might notice it.   >:D

And very, very well said!

Cheers,
Jon BLum

Excellent review, Clay!

Hi Jon, what paper do you write for, I'll look out for it.

Also I haven't checked with the local record store but seeing you have done a review I guess its actually getting a release in Australia - what info do you have, is it this week?

UPDATE: A bit of searching and I see Sanity have TLOS listed as a Sept 6 release.

Loved the review claymcc! WELL DONE!

Will post mine soon (sure to make some people sick).

WARNING- the following is a bit of a ramble  :-D

Well I got my copy today and listened for the first time in high fidelity (I gave it on Saturday and listened to the stream). I listened to the leaked demos a fair bit earlier in the year as well.

I'm quite smitten with it. I guess everyone here is familiar with the experience of listening to a  new BW record- it is extremely hard to listen to it without being conscious of his history, or without trying to place every note in the context of his previous work, both released and aborted. It is very difficult not to play the game of "who did what?" with his collaborators (something you can do with any of the great BB albums of the 70s). I did the same thing I did the day Smile came out- tried to sneak listens at work between meetings that seemed to go on forever, then came home, ate a tasty meal, lit a candle and gave it my full attention.

First things first- it sounds incredible. The production is the purest and most sympathetic that he has had I think. His vocals are also the top of any of his solo albums for me. He sounds like he's having the time of his life on Going Home. I want him to write lots more songs with Scott Bennett! I think the arguments about whether he writes stuff or not are kind of redundant. Would this music exist unless Brian Wilson had sat in that room? Nope. If he didn't scratch the violin parts on papyrus a year before going in, I don't give a shite  :)

It struck me as I listened to it that this is pretty much the album he could have made at this stage in his career had he not been absent for many years. Compare this to recent work by his contempories and it has a similar feel to me. Memory Almost Full ends in autobiography, and the end of this is amazingly similar in tone. Hearing him sing "I'm glad it happened to me" is heart warming. Then you get to thinking about what he would have followed Smile with in 1969. Probably something a lot like this- it feels like a step back towards a big pop album from Smile. Not that Smile isn't poppy- but this is more conventional. In fact, it is much more similar to Smile than I thought. There are the same shifts of mood, the same sense of nostalgia, the same desire to weave a mythical tapestry from threads of pop culture and the same flashes of humour. All quite deliberate of course, but also extremely nicely done.

There are faults. The narratives occasionally sound forced and clunky, and I'm never a fan of the bonkers exercise numbers. I can feel Oxygen to the Brain growing on me though, and at least it's not H.E.L.P is on the way. Some of the lyrics cloy (I give you "I hardly ever washed my face"), and I get a sense that it would be cool to have songs based not on the wide sweep of his life experience but on the everyday of where he is now (something like Busy Doin' Nothin) But I'm really loving this record more than I thought. I think its a really essential addition to his work, and I think it's impressive without qualification.

I'll now stop rambling and shuffle off to bed to listen again. Enjoy it!

...I think you've confused me with Clay!  He's the newspaperman who's doing the review; I'm a writer too, but as a science fiction novelist there's not all that much call for album reviews.  :-)  (Though in a book we did in 2001, my wife and I did slip in a mention of a reconstructed Smile being performed on a distant planet in a few hundred years' time...)

I probably will be doing a review in my blog, though!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

The completion in 2003 and subsequent premiere in 2004 of the legendary Smile album by Brian Wilson was greeted worldwide with open arms, something much of Wilson’s work either with or without the Beach Boys since 1967 had not been. The shows were an artistic, if not commercial, success, and the release of a studio recording and subsequent Christmas LP aside, fans wondered what the originator of the “California sound” would come up with next.

That Lucky Old Sun was the response.

This album, conceived and written by Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, and Scott Bennett mainly in 2006 and 2007, was delivered to audiences at Royal Festival Hall as the response to the Hall’s request for a new work to be premiered there. The shows, like in 2004 with Smile, were also artistically successful.

Now, a year later, we have a studio recording of this work. The interim period between the London shows and the completion of the LP were trying for the Brian Wilson camp, with rumours of departing band members, leaked demo recordings, and more message board prattling that Brian was even more outside of the driver’s seat of his career.

That Lucky Old Sun is a quirky listen to say the very least, sounding like the bastard offspring of Pet Sounds, Smile, and The Beach Boys Love You, with more elaborate orchestrations coupled with sillier, more outlandish synthesized textures. The lyrics are equally ambitious, alternating between warm nostalgia, cheeky “clever” words, and naked introspection.

However, the fan reaction has been somewhat mixed. Some see the LP as a fresh sound for Brian in the wake of Smile, some see it as a has-been going on way past his expiration date. These are both true to an extent, but what Brian did on this LP is so monumental that my next statement will be a head-scratcher.

Brian created another Love You with this album.

Think about it. Predominantly goofy lyrics (“hey bonita muchacha, dontcha know that I wantcha?”), relatively simple music (don’t let the orchestra fool you), and plenty of that “Brian Wilson-ness” that has defined pretty much everything he did after 1967. And there’s a love it or hate it feeling about the LP. You get it or you don’t.

Brian’s reclaimed some of his earlier mystique with this LP, and that’s admirable for an artist of his age. I don’t see That Lucky Old Sun becoming a classic, but for a 66 year old Wilson, it’s perfectly acceptable if not spectacular.

...The bit I'm not clear on is how "Que bonita muchchacha / Dontcha know that I wantcha" is supposedly different from "I'm pickin' up good vibrations / She's givin' me the excitations", or "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya".  These don't hit me as '70s brian-damage lyrics -- a song about Johnny Carson this is not.  It's the good-old-fashioned boy-girl thing, in all its beautiful dumbness.

In fact, the thing that's striking me so far about the lyrics is how there's more going on than first appears on the surface -- even "Mexican Girl" manages to tie in with the overall motif of the healing power of music.  And if you compare "Oxygen To The Brain"'s sophistication -- both its point about not wasting your life, and its use of those running images of dawn, music, and reawakening -- to previous health-songs like "Too Much Sugar", it's like night and day.  As it were...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

I don't find anything incredibly profound in any of the lyrics on TLOS beyond Midnight's Another Day. In fact, I implied that the silliness of the lyrics was to the album's benefit.

Sure, there's more going on, yeah, but silly is silly and opinions are opinions. :)

I rarely ever listen to the same album more than once a day... But I got TLOS last Friday and I've heard it 20-25 times by now... I just don't get tired of it...

Of course. But haven't almost all of us grown to love:
- If Mars Had Life On It / I Might Find A Wife On It;
- Mona / How's About An Eight O'Clock Dinner / How's About A Nine O'Clock Movie / Won't It Won't It Won't It Be Groovy?
- He Sits Behind His Micro-phone / He Speaks In Such A Manly Tone
- Hooon-kin', Honkin' On A Gosh Darn High-way

As you said, silly is silly.... :-D

Me too. In my opinion the album really benefits from being just 38 minutes long and I mean that in the best possible sense. It doesn't feel like a "concept album" to me and when it's over you just like to listen to it all over again.

By the way, I wish Al could have had a guest spot on the record, maybe as lead singer on Good Kind Of Love.

repost from my blog-
 
More on TLOS

Listening to the physical CD was a real treat. I highly recommend this disc for anyone who has ever been moved by the music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. It's almost like the record I was always hoping The Beach Boys would make after Love You, in fact I hear it as the missing link between The Fairy Tale from Holland, Love You and Brian's solo material. The stand out songs for me are Oxygen To The Brain, Midnight's Another Day, Going Home, and Southern California. Chord-wise these progressions bring to mind elements also found in Till I Die, Don't Worry Baby, Ding Dang, and other Beach Boys classics. I love how the Roll around Heaven theme from That Luck Old Sun is interwoven into the fabric of the piece, particularly the Reprise. Oxygen To The Brain is destined to become a Brian Wilson classic. It's a subject he has written about through the years but this is like he took all those songs like Too Much Sugar and made them into a symphony. The arrangements on the album really add to the flow especially the string writing by Paul Von Mertens and the keyboard playing throughout of Scott Bennett, Darian Sahanaja, and Brian himself. I particularly like the Organ parts and the synth sounds that bring in elements of Holland and Love You. The contributions of each band member are remarkable, the array of sound colors and beautiful singing that brings this music to life has the collaborative spirit which shows. Produced by Brian Wilson, engineered by Mark Linett with songs by Brian Wilson/Scott Bennett, The title song is an old standard by Gillespie/Smith and the narratives are written by Van Dyke Parks. The songs are sung in a relaxed style by Brian who sounds great and now it's time for me to get to the piano and try and figure out Midnight's Another Day, See ya

I think it does have a nice flow and feels as a 'whole', just like Smile... I think it was a great idea to link the songs together with those narratives and TLOS reprises.

Alright, I'll weigh in as well.  I don't post here often, I'm more of a lurker, but I wanted to pitch in.  I bought the Best Buy release with the bonus tracks.  I can't even begin to explain how pleased I am with this release!!!  It isn't perfect of course, but I do believe that it is easily the best, most focused, Brian solo release outside of BWPS.  It's been said many times on this thread, but it must be said again, Brian really sounds like he cares about this record and his enthusiasm is very apparent and the record is all the better for it.  I don't even mind the narratives, which based on the demos, I thought I wouldn't like them.  The band is great as always.  The standouts for me are Morning Beat, Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl, Live Let Live (I don't know which version I prefer overall), Midnight's Another Day (still easily my overall favorite from the album), and Going Home.  I didn't like Mexican Girl or Oxygen to the Brain much in their demo forms, but I have even grown to like them as they are on the album.  I can't think of anything to complain about!  Well, the album cover still sucks, but I can handle that.

As for the bonus tracks, Good Kind of Love with Carole King is nice, but nothing special at all.  I really enjoyed I'm Into Something Good.  It's a very nice track and the vocal arrangement is top notch.  Just Like Me and You is awesome!!  It could have easily been a part of the album.  Definitely the cream of the three bonus cuts. 

One question, why is Brian credited in the writing of the narratives?  I was under the impressin that those were totally written by Van Dyke?

I assume it's for providing the instrumentation/backing track (which i love, by the way).
It'd be great to get hold of those without the narratives - not that  I want to be giving more ideas for bonus versions.

I'm an idiot!!  Of course that's what it's for.  Brain fart I suppose. 

I avoided listening to any of TLOS prior to today. I don't know how I did it:) Well i just listened to the album for the second time and i must say that i highly (HIGHLY) enjoy it. How beautiful is Midnight's Another Day? I can already claim that, besides BWPS, this is my favourite solo Brian album.

I just wanna say thanks so much to Brian for his wonderful album;
and it doesn't matter if his voice is less 'angelic', we can't back to the past, just have to enjoy his beautiful gift.
The production is amazing, horns and strings arrangements are splendid, sounds like heaven!
it's just a moment of true pleasure to listen to his new album;
So thanks again Brian, and keep bringing magic in our life

That pic of Brian sitting on the top of Capitol in the lawn chair looking at the Hollywood Tower may be my new favorite picture of him.

Also, the live version of MAD from the Itunes pre-order is great. May be even better then the studio recording.

Well, it may be -- but that's doubtful, given that it is the studio recording.

Good review posted at Pitchfork: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/145112-brian-wilson-that-lucky-old-sun (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/145112-brian-wilson-that-lucky-old-sun)

The pitchfork review is excellent, covers all the bases, honest and accurate assessment of Brian's work and TLOS' place in his canon.

How does a Pitchfork rating come about? It's surely not one man's verdict (being 7.8 in this case)?

Why not? I write reviews for a Dutch magazine and I have to give every CD I review a rating between 10 and 100...

Just picked up my copy today.  I had heard the streams, even a recording of the live premier performances .

But I opened the case as soon as I got in my car in the Best Buy lot this morning, and BOY! was I PLEASED.

Rollin down the interstate listening to this cranked up on a good sound system, I was just knocked out.  Moved to tears actually.  Just the whole thing.   Excellent songs, performances, production, and Brian sounding like a strong and healthy Brian, celebrating and reflecting in song, the times of his life.

Really, now, who could ask for more?

Pitchfork gives TLOS a 7.8 today: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/145112-brian-wilson-that-lucky-old-sun

Okay, I got the album today and have given it two full listens in the last three hours. I eagerly awaited this and am proud to say that it met my expectations and I really like this album, even though there are some flaws that make it considerably less than another SMiLE, here's my track by track analysis with some other criticsms:

Title track: Very soulful and heartfelt vocal from Brian. Like this one a lot as an intro.
Morning Beat: Excellent arrangement and top-knotch vocal from Brian, who didn't sound that good on the demo or live performances on this one (IMHO). I love it!
Good Kind of Love: Good arrangement, this is a pretty little Carole King-ish number (I also have heard the version with King) and a catchy melody.
Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl: Heads and shoulders above the demo arrangement that was on BW.com, much, much better with excellent harmonies and a particularly striking arrangement.
Live Let Die: Brian sounds ten times better than the Arctic Tale version, and a strong arrangement, especially the strings at the end. Fantastic.
Mexican Girl: Pure fun and completely Brian. If you like "Roller Skating Child" or any other light hearted BB song, you'll like this one. Fun arrangement, although I'm not fond of the beginning.
California Role: Always liked this nostalgic song, terrific lyrics from Scott and a clean lead vocal from him. I like that Brian lets Scott have a lead and let's Taylor sing co-lead on "Good Kind of Love"
Oxygen to the Brain: The one number I just don't like. Just doesn't get me, I thought the demo was OK, but I just don't care for this song at all.
Can't Wait too Long: Beautiful and works as a nice intro to "Midnight," but I would've liked more of it.
Midnight's Another Day: Okay, so people may like the demo better, but I put this song on today and literally felt a lump in my throat. Words cannot express how beautiful this song is. Another fine arrangement.
Going Home: My favorite up-tempo number of this song, a real rocker with a superb arrangement, especially the harmonica and Brian's gritty vocal. Accapella section couldn't be better. Fun, fun, fun, could've been on Love You
Southern California: My favorite song on the album, just an achingly beautiful song with my favorite arrangement of the album, especially the new bridge. Brilliant, and not too sugary as it easily could've been.

So I'm pretty positive on the album as the songwriting is strikingly consistant. Brian hasn't been this consistant since Adult/Child, and it shocks me that he could put together such an even and well-rounded album. BW88 had some great songs and vocals, but also had some detterents and so-so production. Imagination was a letdown with some nice things on it, but a letdown. GIOMH a mess with horrible vocals on most of the cuts. Finally, Brian has a consistant and, dare I say, it great album in all three main categories: vocals, backing tracks and songwriting.

But there's still a few negatives to me:
1. The mix is good on some songs ("Morning Beat," "Goin' Home," and "Southern California") but on the whole is too hot and compressed for my tastes, which is par for the course for today's productions. I still love the sound of the album, but it just gets too LOUD and FLASHY every now and then.
2. I would've liked a few more songs, and I know Brian had it in him. This feels a bit short, even if it was the live arrangement, I know I'll get shot down for this complaint but it'd still like another number or two.

So I'll give TLOS a 9 out of 10 due to a few flaws, but most of these songs have either melted my heart or got me off my feet. And it's been a long time since a new Brian album has done that.

7.8 is a very generous review for Pitchfork by the way.

Sorry I hadn't read the past page or so; I didn't notice you'd posted this before I posted it again.

Here's the link to my piece:

http://concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/ENTERTAINMENT/809040413/1014/ENTERTAINMENT

And that's that. Think I'll take a bit of a break now.

I've listened to TLOS constantly driving across the country and back over the last week and here's my two cents on it.

It's an easy 4 stars out of 5.  The 2nd most consistant Brian Wilson solo production (Smile being #1).  The songs I thought were kind of weak live (Mexican Girl, Oxygen) sound much better.  My only quibble with the recorded songs is that I preferred the chugging guitar in Going Home live vs. the finished production. 

The only other quibble I have with TLOS is that Brian's voice at times seems to be way out front.  Otherwise, the band's background vox are spot on.  I still contend that Midnight's Another Day is Brian's best song dating back to the mid-60's.  His vocals are strained at times yes but consistant with someone pushing his late 60's.  Not a distraction in the least.

All in all, nothing dishonest or omnious about TLOS.  It's a nice CD from an artist in the twilight of his career- a fitting coda to a long, long run and everything you could ask for in a Brian Wilson CD.

Of course all of you fans realize (as I am duty-bound to realize too) that we are all wrong and that the whole thing stinks and sounds terrible.  See the "Compression and Clipping on TLOS" thread whereby we may all be enlightened.

Hey, come on! That's a ridiculous statement to make. The music is one thing, the recording is entirely another issue. Some people can listen to anything in terms of recording quality. I (and MANY others apparently) can't. There are a lot of very level-headed long time fans/posters who find the sonics deplorable. Are we all wrong?

Why would you make a post like that after what you posted on the "Compression and Clipping on TLOS" thread?

Let me say this once again, so it doesn't get twisted around - I love the music. TLOS is 4.5 stars for me, there's nothing I don't like about it. Some parts are spectacular!

But the CD recording that was packaged with the DVD from Best Buy is the worst I've ever heard.

Let's not go overboard.  Tongue is planted firmly in cheek.

It's just that I am struck by what seems like a lot of negativity on that other thread going beyond the mastering issue (which, judging by yours and Andrew's comments, appears to be where things went wrong).   Then I come here and on this thread everyting's rapturous.  Just a bit of a disconnect.

If you've read Michael Fremer's rants in Stereophile or www.musicangle.com, you know he's been on this issue for years.  And it is indeed an effort to "listen past" a super-heavy compressed master to enjoy what otherwise would be great music.  See Fountains of Wayne's "Traffic and Weather" for an even more egregious recent example.

PS: Now go look back at the original thread after our exchange there!  Another guy loves the sound of it, another guy hates it.  See what I mean?

If that's the case I apologize.  :-[


Yes, I've read Stereophile for almost 20 years, I know what you are talking about.


Yes I do. It almost makes me think there are multiple masters being used. But as well, some people are just like my wife - she wouldn't know the difference if I played it on my killer system or on a needle and acoustic horn 1920s Victrola.  :lol