Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun - Review

In 2004 Brian Wilson reurrected "Smile" after 37 years from it's original conception. Now in 2008 Brian brings us a full cd of new material that brings us back about 37 years by the sound. Growing up I liked the old Beach Boys tunes and I even saw them in concert with the members that toured in the 80's. They would play Summerfest in Milwaukee all the time and it was a good venue to see them play along with Lake Michigan in the background.

I wasn't sure what I'd be getting into with "The Lucky Old Sun". Brian is 65 and without the backing of the rest of the family, I thought I might be setting myself up for a really bad cd. Turns out that after a couple of listens it really has a good beat to it and Wilson sounds pretty good.
I know he went through a tought time in the late 60's Wilson started to distance himself drom the band and stopped being the primary songwiter of the Beach Boys. He spent the better part of the next couple of years in his bedroom, taking drugs and overeating. He was depressed and no longer creative.

The family looked to get him help and it worked for a period of time until he sunk back into the drugs and weighed over 300 pounds. He once again went into counseling and worked through his recovery. He was diagnosed as being schizphranic and bi-polar.
They had thought that wilson either fried his brains on drugs or possibly had a stroke. He wasn't the same person and it was eventually figured out that it was caused by the antipsychotic drugs he was taking. Things were changed and Wilson started to get into the swing of things.

So as Brian Wilson did with his release of Smile, he is back out on the road in support of the new cd. Check his website out www.brianwilson.com to get the dates.

So a little more thought on the new cd. I don't know much of what he was thinking when he wrote and produced it, but it has the old feel to it, like an old classic Beach Boys album. You can hear the oldness in his voice but the production of songs are well put together and the narratives are an interesting addition to the cd.

I really thought after the first pass that I was going to dump this one off the iPod and not listen to it again. After giving it a shot I really liked it and it grew fast on me. I would certainly check the samples before picking it up, but if you are an old Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fan, pick it up.

Track List:

1. That Lucky Old Sun
2. Morning Beat
3. Narrative: Room With A View
4. Good Kind Of Love
5. Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl
6. Narrative: Venice Beach
7. Live Let Live/That Lucky Old Sun (Reprise) Medley
8. Mexican Girl
9. Narrative: Cinco De Mayo
10. California Role/That Lucky Old Sun (Reprise) Medley
11. Narrative: Between Pictures
12. Oxygen To The Brain
13. Can't Wait Too Long
14. Midnight's Another Day
15. That Lucky Old Sun (Reprise)
16. Going Home
17. Southern California