They've lost Radiohead and maybe The Rolling Stones, but they found a Beach Boy.
Brian Wilson will return to Capitol Records/EMI, his original label home, for the release of a new studio recording "That Lucky Old Sun" on CD, CD/DVD, limited edition vinyl and digitally on September 2 (September 1 internationally).
It may not be revolutionary, but its a smart move for EMI and a time when it needs to make smart moves. Wilson is a revered figure in rock and new releases could rejuvenate Beach Boys catalog sales which date back to the band's first hit in 1962 “Surfin’ Safari/409”.
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“I’m thrilled to be back home with Capitol, and I’m looking forward to sharing That Lucky Old Sun with everyone,” says Brian Wilson. “This music is really special to me.”
"We are delighted to be working with Brian Wilson for his new album, That Lucky Old Sun,” says Guy Hands, Executive Chairman of EMI Music. “We all remember the feeling we got when we first heard The Beach Boys’ music. My particular favorite classic is 'Surfer Girl.' It always reminds me of driving an open top car down the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Barbara to Malibu. Brian Wilson is an iconic talent with enormous musical influence all over the world and we are very proud to be representing him.”
A musical love letter from Southern California, That Lucky Old Sun shimmers with sun-dappled choruses and arrangements that swell and swirl as if carried by the Pacific tides. One of the songs, “Midnight’s Another Day,” has been described by MOJO magazine as “glorious.” The album is narrated in transitional interludes spoken by Wilson as ‘That Lucky Old Sun,’ the storyteller. The narratives, cameos on life and the heartbeat of Los Angeles, propel the album’s musical story.
Last summer, Wilson found himself singing the 1949 classic song, “That Lucky Old Sun,” which became the inspiration for a unique approach to what would become his next studio release. He bought Louis Armstrong’s version of the track and was inspired to collaborate lyrically with his band mate Scott Bennett, and with Van Dyke Parks, his old ‘sidekick,’ to create vibrant spoken narratives. Wilson debuted That Lucky Old Sun at London’s Royal Festival Hall in September 2007 in a series of six sold-out and critically-acclaimed concert performances celebrating the theatre’s restoration.
Wilson describes That Lucky Old Sun as an “interwoven series of ‘rounds’ with interspersed spoken word,” and as an autobiographical travelogue of sorts. The new studio album is produced by Wilson and was created with his acclaimed band at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, where he first recorded in 1962.
