Lucky Old Sun (That Lucky Old Sun - Brian Wilson)

Member Name: Scottyboy_Peanut

Product:	That Lucky Old Sun - Brian Wilson
Date:	02/06/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brian Wilson made it. Isn't that enough?

Disadvantages: None

That Lucky Old Sun upon its release in September 2008 became former Beach Boy Brian Wilson's eighth solo studio album.

The life and struggles of Brian are well documented. He grew up with an abusive father who beat him regularly. He was shy and reserved and suffered from chronic stage fright. He is deaf in one ear. He suffers mental illness that has during his life time kept him in bed for years at a time. To this day he still hears voices in his head.
That reads like the heartbreaking tale of one of life's failures not the background for one of the 20th centuries most successful composers and arguably the most talented song writer ever in popular music. However, this is the reality of Brian Wilson.

For each obstacle there was a remedy that led to beautiful music. The shyness brought us beautiful love songs of longing for what we can't have. The stage fright made him stop touring and kept him in the studio to record the incredible body of work we have from The Beach Boys and, to a lesser extent, his solo work. The deafness.....I have no idea, but somehow when Brian writes, sings, arranges and produces music with one ear he hears things the rest of us don't with two.

Given this background the expectation for any new material from him, despite what had gone before, wasn't that high even within his fan base. After all, by the age of 65 none of us will be quite what we once were.

That Lucky Old Sun came to pass when Brian was at home alone while his wife went on holiday. Bored, he phoned up long standing band member Scott Bennett to collaborate on writing some songs. At this time he also had listened to Louis Armstrong's version of That Lucky old Sun which he learnt to play and then reworked the chords on. By some stroke up luck, not long after writing those songs, the Royal Festival Hall commissioned Brian to write a new piece to debut in the newly renovated venue. The songs he wrote with Scott Bennett became the backbone of the project. Although not written specifically with the That Lucky Old Sun theme in mind, the concept works very well.

A studio release depended on how well the project was received on stage. Like most people, I was unsure whether Brian still had it within him to write a full album of new material that would do his reputation any good. Those fears were soon laid to rest however because That Lucky Old Sun received critical acclaim and anybody that saw the tour on stage went away with a smile on their face and a tear in their eye just like I did, thinking the unthinkable, Brian really was back.

So here we have it. That Lucky Old Sun track listing;

That Lucky Old Sun
Morning Beat
Narrative: Room With A View
Good Kind Of Love
Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl
Narrative: Venice Beach
Live Let Live/That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
Mexican Girl
Narrative: Cinco De Mayo
California Role/That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
Narrative: Between Pictures
Oxygen To The Brain
Can't Wait Too Long
Midnight's Another Day/That Lucky Old Sun Reprise.
Going Home
Southern California.

There are four narratives in total all written by the great Van Dyke Parks. They provide a location for the album and strengthen the feeling that everything is set in Southern California.

The album runs the course of a day. The opening line to the first song That Lucky Old Sun is
"Up in the morning,"
The first line of the last track, Southern California is
"I had this dream,"

Interwoven with the sights and sounds of California we have some very person lyrics regarding Brian's life, his mental state, the years he spent in bed and memories of his brothers Carl and Dennis.

So we begin with That Lucky Old Sun, the song. It's different to other more familiar versions. The first voice you'll hear is that of Jeff Foskett's with his wonderful age defying falsetto which is then joined by the rest of the band in harmony. Brian, predictably sings the lead. It's a nice version of the song and eases seamlessly into Morning Beat.

Morning Beat is an up tempo number that is full of optimism for the day ahead. A little like the Beach Boys track Do It Again this is a very strong opening that segues into the first narrative. This is the pattern throughout the album.

All of the songs here have their moments. Good Kind of Love is a duet with Taylor Mills which bring up a Lucky Old Sun reference in it's later stages and keeps the theme going. Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl is a ballad to the first song Brian ever wrote, and also to his wife I believe. Live Let Live is the same song heard the animated film Arctic Tale but with new lyrics. I adore the ending to Live Let Live with its sweet strings and brass section. Mexican Girl is possibly the weakest track on the album but it still has some outstanding harmonies. California Roll sees Scott Bennett give a great vocal performance as he sings the first section in a 1920's style in keeping with the old Hollywood theme of the song.

This is an album where, like The Beach Boys Surf's up album, the second half is stronger than the first. The songs from Oxygen To The Brain through to Southern California are the ones you'll still hear in your head long after the CD is over.

Oxygen To The Brain starts off gently enough as it encourages you to open your eyes and rise out of bed. Brian sings of his wasted years and cried tears. The chorus is a different sound altogether with a stomping brass section that feels a little like an aerobic work out. This is a song not unlike many others Brian wrote on the same subject when he was getting back into shape after a decade of drug misuse and obesity. Songs such as Too Much Sugar and He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move resemble this with the healthy lifestyle message but Oxygen To The Brain is superior to both of those. This is the beginning of a sequence of songs with a very personal Brian-centric message.

Can't Wait To Long is not a new composition for That Lucky Old Sun. It was an unreleased Beach Boy song for a long time that had its only official release as a bonus track on the Wild Honey/Smiley Smile Twofer. It was band member Darian Sahanaja who suggested Can't Wait To Long be included in that Lucky Old Sun.
This is a much shorter version of the song than the on the twofer but is extremely well made. Brian gives us all another lesson in how harmonies are meant to sound. Even though it isn't a new composition and it is a song with a Beach Boy vocal to compete against this is a wonderful moment on the album and Brian's new band do an extremely good job of recreating the Beach Boy harmonies. At the live show, this song was accompanied by pictures of a young Brian with his late brothers Carl and Dennis. A very touching moment made even more special as the audience applauded loudly as if Carl and Dennis had just walked onto the stage to join big brother Brian.

For me the best moment of this album is Midnight's Another Day. This is a truly special song. I don't know if it is the lyrics, the harmonies or the subject matter but this is a very emotionally charged track. The lyrics are very personal and reach a pinnacle when Brian sings

"All these voices,
All these memories,
Made me feel like stone,
All these people,
Made me feel so alone,"

As a wave of harmonies wash over the listener. Beautiful.
I have a feeling that one day this song with be used in a film sound track, rerecorded by a contemporary artist and be a huge hit. It's perfect as it is here, but 65 year olds don't have hits.
The reprise of That Lucky Old Sun also work perfectly here too as it carries the vibe of Midnights Another Day for just a little longer. Yet more amazing harmonies.

After so long in a downbeat mood Going Home comes crashing in. This is similar to Morning Beat but rocks a lot more, especially towards the end. Before we reach the finale though we have verses and two different choruses to enjoy. The defining moment of Going Home is the second chorus, almost vocals only the band sing
"At 25 I turned out the light,
Cos I couldn't stand the Glare in my tired eyes,
But now I'm back,
Drawing shades of kind blue skies,"

A very personal reference to the time a 25 year old Brian withdrew from society, stayed home and eventually stayed in bed for a couple of years.
As the song draws to a close Brian repeatedly shouts "I'm Going Home!" and Taylor Mills joins in with some powerful vocals. If I could change this song in anyway I would wish for Taylor to have been a little more prominent in the mix and let loose a more with her vocals the way she did on stage. She's got a great voice that deserves to be heard

We close with soft and sweet Southern California. Once again the lyrics are very personal,
"I had this dream,
Singing with my brothers,
In harmony,
Supporting each other,"

This was originally just a short song that closed the Lucky Old Sun segment of the live show in a very reflective mood and quieten us all down before we could applaud the work as a whole. On this album a bridge was added. I'm not usually open to change on a song I already like but the addition of the bridge is now the making of this track for me.

"Oh, It's magical,
Living your dreams,
Don't want to sleep,
You might miss something,
Oh it's magical,
I'm glad it happened to me,
Nodded off in the band room,
Woke up in history."

That leaves me with a feeling that though Brian has suffered more than most during his lifetime, his music has brought him pleasure and he has enjoyed living what for the rest of us is the fantasy rock star life.

There is a bonus track if you leave the CD running. All Day was played on the stage as a taste of That Lucky Old Sun halfway through the greatest hits section of the show. On this CD we have a studio version that lifts any sadness dwelling from Southern California as we are presented with a jaunty little number vocalised by lots of Brian's. It's the perfect ending.

As with any Brian Wilson release post 1975 there is the issue of his vocals to contend with. Of course he doesn't sound like he did on Don't Worry Baby or Wouldn't It Be Nice but Brian more than ever before sings in his mature voice with a lot of style and no shortage of passion. All these new songs were written to suit his new vocal range and the execution is heavenly.

This goes over and above anything expected of him at this stage of his career and for most people, Brian Wilson Presents Smile aside, this is his most consistent solo offering. As an entirety it really works and is an absolute joy to listen to.

Maybe it's not quite up there with Pet Sounds and Smile, but what is?

If That Lucky Old Sun is the last Brian Wilson studio album we're to be blessed with, I can't think of a single better way to go out than this.

Summary: After completing Smile, Brian delivers another exceptional album.