Brian Wilson: Lucky Old Son

By completing his long dormant SMiLE project, Brian Wilson gave us a glimpse of where he was headed musically in 1967. His vision took the concept album and the rock opera and combined them to conjure up his own unique quasi-symphonic concoction. Three movements...recurring musical themes...the works.

Like us, you may have thought completing SMiLE probably took everything Brian Wilson had left - especially if you saw the "making of" video. Yet several years later, we're listening to "That Lucky Old Sun".

"That Lucky Old Sun" is not SMiLE but, despite being a bit uneven, it's enchanting and powerful in its own way. It is most definitely a concept piece, following a similar structure to SMiLE, with the chestnut "That Lucky Old Sun" apparently sparking Brian's nostalgia for the life he has lived in California.

While not Wilson's best work, when "That Lucky Old Sun" is good, it's amazingly good.

Two sections in particular stand out, the first includes "Can't Wait Too Long", Midnight's Another Day" and a reprise of "That Lucky Old Sun". "Midnight's Another Day" evokes the same mood and feel as "Til I Die", Wilson's only new contribution to "Surf's Up". "Til I Die" was a powerful and disturbing "state of Brian" update he issued in 1971. It was his first attempt to describe what it was like for him trying to deal with his psychological issues and despair after he lost his way in 1967. "Midnight's Another Day" is a present day look back at the ordeal of a man who was, "Swept away in a brainstorm/Chapters missing, pages torn" and has come out the other side, albeit understandably worse for the wear. It's nearly as beautiful a song as "Til I Die", with equally strong lyrics and a brighter outlook.

The other memorable segment concludes the work on an upbeat note or two. It kicks off with "Going Home", a nostalgic upbeat reassurance that Brian has "Found peace of mind/One piece at a time". "Southern California" wraps up the project both literally and figuratively. Brian waxes nostalgic for everything California, especially his brothers, and acknowledges his accomplishments, which is summarizes by singing, "Fell asleep in the band room/Woke up in history."

That lucky old son.

To see and hear Brian Wilson and his band performing several tracks from "That Lucky Old Sun" live in front of an audience on Yahoo! Music! "Live Sets", click here.

If you're interested in Brian Wilson and his band's AOL Sessions live in the studio performances of several tracks from "That Lucky Old Sun", click here.