Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. That Lucky Old Sun
2. Morning Beat
3. Room With A View (narrative)
4. Good Kind Of Love
5. Forever My Surfer Girl
6. Venice Beach (narrative)
7. Live Let Live
8. Mexican Girl
9. Cinco de Mayo (narrative)
10. California Role
11. Between Pictures (narrative)
12. Oxygen To The Brain
13. Been Too Long
14. Midnight s Another Day
15. Lucky Old Sun Reprise
16. Goin' Home
17. Southern California

Disc 2:

1. Chapter 1: Morning Beat - Making Of The Album
2. Chapter 1: Our Prayer - Making Of The Album
3. Chapter 1: That Lucky Old Sun - Making Of The Album
4. Chapter 1: California Role - Making Of The Album
5. Chapter 1: Midnight's Another Day - Making Of The Album
6. Chapter 1: Southern California - Making Of The Album
7. Chapter 1: Surfin' - Making Of The Album
8. Chapter 1: Oxygen To The Brain - Making Of The Album
9. Chapter 1: Mexican Girl - Making Of The Album
10. Chapter 1: Can't Wait Too Long - Making Of The Album
11. Chapter 1: Going Home - Making Of The Album
12. Chapter 1: Live Let Live - Making Of The Album
13. Chapter 1: Going Home - Making Of The Album
14. Chapter 2: Good Kind Of Love - Live Performance From Capitol Studio A
15. Chapter 2: Forever My Surfer Girl - Live Performance From Capitol Studio A

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59437 in Music
• Released on: 2008-09-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition

Album Description
A musical love letter from Southern California, That Lucky Old Sun continues the awe-inspiring concept album journey that Brian Wilson first began with The Beach Boys' 1966 classic, Pet Sounds & has continued to evolve during his solo career, highlighted by his 2004 critically-acclaimed Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE. The four transitional narratives, co-written with Van Dyke Parks and spoken by Wilson, offer cameos on life and the heartbeat of Los Angeles which propels the album's musical story. Limited Edition CD/DVD features exclusive "making of" with bonus video content. (DVD total run time: 26:00)

Bonus DVD includes:

Chapter 1: Making Of The Album 19:14

Includes interviews and behind the scenes footage

Chapter 2: Live Performances From Capitol Studio A

Good Kind Of Love 3:22

Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl 2:54

Customer Reviews

A modern classic.
After listening to the album That Lucky Old Sun by Brian Wilson I am reminded of a brighter time and an optimism that filled my world of the 60's and 70's. I am also more of the opinion that Brian Wilson was the heart and soul behind the Beach Boys as we came to know them; a point many believe but some argue with. The naysayer's need to hear this music! Listening to the songs on That Lucky Old Sun is like listening to the Beach Boys of years ago and yet there is something new here; something richer than before. Perhaps the music on this CD reflects a life full of creativity and full of pain. This music just makes you feel good.

One aspect of this CD that I truly like is the short narratives that run less than a minute each. They add an interlude in the flow of the music, though they are musical also.

The additional DVD provides information on the making of the album along with two live performances. A great one-two punch!

I'm hoping that some of these songs get picked up for "air play" on the radio though stylistically this CD is from another era. "Venice Beach", "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl," and "Mexican Girl" are my favorites. The short narrative "Cinco de Mayo" is wonderful with the Latin beat. Ah, forget it. The whole CD is a treat.

Recommended without reservation.

Peace forever.

4 1/2 stars-- the modern Brian Wilson album we've been waitiing for.
Brian Wilson is a man with a large reputation to live up to-- to be fair, taking the next step for the guy who wrote, arranged and produced arguably the greatest album of his generation (the incomparable Pet Sounds) must have been exceedingly difficult, and with resistance from the band, it took 37 years for its followup, the magnificent SMiLE, to surface. But Wilson's career during that 37 year window was largely hit or miss-- while Beach Boys fans, myself included, will speak lovingly of many of the later Beach Boys records, many of them were true group efforts, and Brian's "comebacks", 15 Big Ones/Love You and his debut solo album Brian Wilson, while endearing and engaging, were uneven and at times felt propped up. In recent years, as his solo career took off, barring the completion of SMiLE, Brian's records have sounded like forced attempts at adult contemporary-- much as I enjoy Imagination and Gettin' in Over My Head, they've felt like someone else's idea of how Brian should grow old.

Enter "That Lucky Old Sun".

My expectations were a bit low, I figured on either a continuation of the adult contemporary sound or a thoroughly retro record. What I got instead is what I'd hope it'd be-- Brian Wilson getting older gracefully. Conceived as a thematic suite, "That Lucky Old Sun" is a meditation of sorts on the life of Brian Wilson in Los Angeles. Like his best records from the old days, it's full of swagger (the superb "Going Home") and melody ("Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl"), with subtle arrangements and fantastic vocal harmonies. Ably executed by an ensemble largely drawn from Brian's touring band, the album is quite engaging and entertaining and while it feels more mature than, say, "Surfin USA" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice", it doesn't feel forced.

So is this another Pet Sounds)? Not really. There's some many tracks that just didn't engage me at all ("Mexican Girl"). But is it really, really good? Definitely. And certainly, it's got some of the best songwriting that Wilson's done in a long time.

This edition comes with a bonus DVD featuring a brief (20 minute) documentary about the making of the album, filmed during the recording sessions, is enlightening and feels quite personal. In addition, we get treated to a couple in the studio performances from the record.

Bottom line is-- "That Lucky Old Sun" is a fun record. It's not the best of the best of Wilson's catalog, but it's a fine followup to SMiLE, about as high praise as I can offer.

Brian still has IT
I have now listened to this cd 3 times after having just seen Brian and his Ever Talented Band perfom it in concert last night. It knocked me out the first listen and only gets better each time plus-seeing/hearing the whole cd live adds an extra dimension to it. That Lucky Old Sun is a 'story' of California through Brian's eyes and life experiences.

Brian can be fun/nostalgic/wistful, sad, and very honest. The man has been to Hell & Back and seems to found Peace. There is lots of joy in this cd to me.
While I like every cut I have to single out Midnight's Another Day's haunting feel which goes right into the upbeat Going Home which shows this Band at their best. Southern California ends up the 'tale' with that wistful yet postive feeling.

Yet while Brian is in his element here Extra Kudos has to go to Scott Bennett for his co piloting of this project. How he got into Brian's head lyric wise is amazing.

The short dvd not only shows the "how it was made' but clearly shows the Respect his band members have of Brian and his Work.
"The Magic" one calls it and he is right.