That Lucky Old Sun (album)

That Lucky Old Sun is the eighth studio album by Brian Wilson, released on CD and LP on September 2, 2008 by Capitol Records. Originally commissioned by the Southbank Centre for its 2007 opening season, the work was debuted in a series of concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in London, England during September 2007. In January 2008 it was also performed at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia for the Sydney Festival.

The album was written in collaboration with Van Dyke Parks (previous collaborator on Smile) and Wilson bandmate Scott Bennett. Wilson describes the album as "consisting of five 'rounds', with interspersed spoken word".^[4] Its main theme is celebration of life in Southern California, harking back to the themes of Wilson's earlier work with The Beach Boys. "California Role" and numerous spoken interludes such as "Cinco de Mayo" and "Between Pictures" celebrate the unique culture of Venice Beach, the Los Angeles film industry and numerous Californian landmarks including the Capitol Tower and Hollywood Bowl. Rolling Stone called it a "musical love letter to his native Los Angeles".^[5]

A pervasive feeling of nostalgia and romance is visible in songs such as "Good Kind of Love", "Oxygen to the Brain" and "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl", which lyrically echoes the 1963 Beach Boys hit "Surfer Girl". The album also addresses Wilson's personal struggles in "Midnight's Another Day" and "Going Home". The 1940s' song "That Lucky Old Sun" originally made famous by Frankie Laine who had a number one hit with it in 1949, serves as the overture, and the Wild Honey-era outtake "Can't Wait Too Long" also briefly features.

Early demos of the tracks "Midnight's Another Day" and "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl" were released on Wilson's official website in August 2007. Live bootlegs and studio demos of the complete work also circulated on Internet filesharing networks.

That Lucky Old Sun entered the UK Album Chart at #37 and the Billboard 200 at #21.

Track listing

1. "That Lucky Old Sun"
2. "Morning Beat"
3. "A Room With a View" (narrative)
4. "Good Kind of Love"
5. "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl"
6. "Venice Beach" (narrative)
7. "Live Let Live / That Lucky Old Sun (reprise)"
8. "Mexican Girl"
9. "Cinco de Mayo" (narrative)
10. "California Role / That Lucky Old Sun (reprise)"
11. "Between Pictures" (narrative)
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"

Bonus tracks (CD only)

1. "Oh Mi Amor" (iTunes Bonus Track)
2. "Message Man" (With Danny Hutton) (iTunes Bonus Track)
3. "Good Kind of Love" (With Carole King) (Best Buy Bonus Track)
4. "I'm Into Something Good" (With Carole King) (Best Buy Bonus Track)
5. "Just Like Me and You" (Best Buy Bonus Track)

Sources