Australian Reviews

[TonyW]

With TLOS due to be release in Oz later this week the first of the local reviews are starting to trickle through - keep in mind that a number of the Aussie critics got to see TLOS live when it was played at the Sydney Festival earlier this year. Perhaps the way we hear and view TLOS is different from the way that critics in the USA hear the album - when I experienced TLOS live it was so different from what I had come to expect from listening to the booted recordings of the London shows - it was so much more personal, Brian's life layed out in front of everybody - probably that is why I turn off as soon as I start hearing about "love letters to California" or OCA - anyhow, the Sydney Morning Herald (perhaps the most important newspaper in OZ) have an article today. Its a precursor to a full review in Saturday's paper, it's written by local critic Bernard Zeul, and thankfully there is no mention of California or OCA - Zuel gets it, its about Brian.

Here's the review: http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/new-work-proves-sun-has-not-set-on-this-beach-boy/2008/09/02/1220121227958.html

[mikeyj]

Cheers Tony

[TonyW]

Hi Mikey, I jumped in the car yesterday afternoon and James Valentine on ABC Radio 702 was playing Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl and to my surprise he let it run into the segue into the Venice Beach Narrative, Valentine came back on and spoke for a few minutes about the album and then told the story of when he was MC'ing the Domain Show at the Sydney Festival this year and watching Brian walking around back stage in a sloppy polo shirt, track pants and slippers and wondering when he was going to get changed, when it came time to intoduce Brian he went on stage to do the big build up but daggy old Brian followed him straight out looking like a member of the roadcrew, all up a pretty postive review, he then played Southern California. Obviously I missed whatever came before FSBMSG but he must have given over 15 to 20 minutes to play and talk about the album - pretty unusal.

[mikeyj]

Wow that's pretty cool, maybe I'll have to listen to the ABC more often as I've heard Adam Spencer interview Brian and one of the other guys interview Mike and Bruce before. Glad to hear that TLOS is getting lots of exposure and positive reviews though!!

[TonyW]

Okay, so braved the atroscious weather in Sydney this bitter Saturday morning to get TLOS at the local Virgin store, walked in and lo and behold they are playing TLOS throughout the store. Pleasantly surprised to find that we also get the Making Of and Live Performaces DVD.

Also the Sydney Morning Herald's weekend reviews are out and Bri and TLOS get Review Of The Week. It is an overwhemingly positive review but Bernad Zuel doesn't gloss over the albums warts. The review opens:

"It's fair enough if you don't expect much from a new Brian Wilson song cycle. He is old, a partially recovered victim of mental illness and various pharmacological abuses. He hasn't written a great song in 30 years and hasn't attempted a work on this scale in more than 40 years.

But here's the thing: there's no need to make excuses or equivicate. It is not a heartbreaking work of staggering genious (there are flaws, there are failngs) but That Lucky Old Sun is a wonderfully enjoyable and often moving work about a city and a man - Los Angeles and Brian Wilson."

there is much more to the review and I'll look for a link but I'm not sure if it will be avaiable. The review concludes with:

"Don't worry about expectation now. Just enjoy a very fine album"

[TonyW]

Melbourne's Herald Sun

Review (very positive) ... and Brian reveals name of next album ... "Pleasure Island" ... that'll send send certain people into a frenzy!!

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24299918-2902,00.html

also ...

Review of BW career written by some guy called Pete Best  (??!!)

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24300072-5006024,00.html