It's been one of the great pleasures (and without the slighted pang of guilt) to have enjoyed the musical renaissance of Brian Wilson over the last decade. At the outset of this period I wouldn't have bet a single penny on my chances of seeing him perform far less that I would by now have seen him so often (now into double figures) and that they would be without exception the greatest concerts I have seen. Everyone else simply trails in his wake.
During that period I've seen him perform Pet Sounds in its' entirety, start to perform songs that you might have thought he would have been reluctant to revisit culminating in the performance of a completed version of SMiLE.
That would seem to be enough for any artist to allow themselves a gentle rest on their laurels, and it appeared that Brian might have been doing that when more straightforward hits-based shows followed the completion of the SMiLE tours. (And I am aware that to describe some of Brian's songs as "straightforward" is a considerable abuse of the English language).
However, Brian has certainly astonished me with the recent performances of his latest work "That Lucky Old Sun - A Narrative". I had the pleasure of seeing him perform this in London at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 15 September and again in Edinburgh the following Saturday at the Festival Theatre. Bolstered also by becoming more familiar with the piece as a result of some audience recordings I think it's fair to say that this work is the real deal and is going to be heralded alongside some of the peaks that Brian enjoyed in the 1960's.
Whilst his solo albums have been enjoyable, they have never been sufficiently consistent. For every moment of inspiration there's been too many moments of perspiration or just incomplete ideas. That Brian was able to record and release new material was a joy in itself but I held out little hope that we could ever see an album of new material that would match his best work.
However, That Lucky Old Sun will do just that if, as is to be hoped, Brian takes his excellent band and the Stockholm Strings & Horns into the studio to record it. At thirty five minutes it may be too short for an album in these modern times, but I do think it deserves to stand alone without other songs to distract attention from what is undoubtedly a major piece of work.
Surf's Up!!
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The occasional meanderings of a fifty-something on music, film and anything else that excites his attention
- Social Liberal Forum (Scotland)
- Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
- The Social Liberal Forum (Scotland) exists to foster debate within and beyond the Scottish Liberal Democrats, with the aim of developing social liberal solutions and approaches which reflect these principles and which find popular support.
Posts
1 comment:
Whoo BW, astounding musician, composer, arranger, producer and he's also had the worlds most astounding band for the last 10 years. That Lucky Old Sun is indeed the real deal. Short perhaps but perfect. We'll see how the recording pans out. The only thing you failed to mention is the atmosphere at a BW show. Unlike anything I have experienced at any other artists concert. The whole room roots for him and the only word for the feeling towards Brian is love. There's plenty of fanaticism at most major artists concerts but the strength of feeling for Brian and his music is palpable.
No other concerts come close to a good BW gig....and the Lucky Old Sun show I saw was really, realy good.
Post a Comment