My criteria was to use only material from the last two albums. Look for songs that are observations about life in general, not necessarily Brian’s personal life. Make it all fit into a “classic” single album length with musical and lyrical variety and themes that flow together. Find a positive closing for the album. This is what works for me. 14 songs in just under 41 minutes.
1. This Beautiful Day 2. One Kind of Love 3. On the Island 4. Strange World 5. Tell Me Why 6. Think about the days 7. What Ever Happened 8. Guess You Had To Be There 9. I’m Feeling Sad 10. Half Moon Bay 11. Summer’s Gone 12. Pacific Coast Highway 13. From There To Back Again 14. Sail Away
We open with a short statement about life and what makes it enjoyable. The positive things in life are often built around unconditional love (2) so much so that we want to just live in a bubble of happiness (3). We soak up and enjoy all the beautiful idiosyncrasies of the different people around us (4). But it never lasts forever. People in our lives move on and even die and we are forced to reflect on our lives, move on, and live in more mundane circumstances than our ideal(5-9). We eventually recognize that a chapter has closed, another season ended (10-12). Brian has survived against all odds and his “life suite” should reflect that with each season’s passing we find a way to search again for that ideal existence. We close with a self referencing homage. We may be too old to surf but we are invited to Sail Away and begin the cycle again (13-14). Works for me.
After playing around with a few sequences I've found this one to be the most satisfying.
Isn't It Time Daybreak Over the Ocean Shelter From There to Back Again That's Why God Made the Radio Beaches In Mind Spring Vacation Strange World The Private Life of Bill and Sue Think About the Days Pacific Coast Highway Summer's Gone
Although starting with IIT seems a little too obvious, I think it works well. It also suggests the overall tone of the album better than "Think about the days." The first 4 songs have a lyrical connection of getting together and the benefits of doing so with a nice variety of musical styles. The upbeat fade out of "From There and Back Again" leads nicely into TWGMTR, which suggests that the couple/band is getting together again. Beaches and Spring Vacation celebrate being together. Strange World and TPLOBAS just seem to fit lyrically and again provide nice musical variety. They also suggest that all is not perfect without being too dark. Think About the Days seems like the perfect lead-in to Pacific Coast Highway. I like it much better here than as the opener to a generally upbeat album. It also just doesn't fit well before TWGMTR for me. Summer's Gone is the perfect closer.
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