Uncanny

WASHINGTON POST "But there is power in romantic memories, and there is power in this collection of songs, Wilson's strongest batch of writing since 1977's 'Love You.' We can appreciate 'That Lucky Old Sun' for the flawed but genuine triumph it is."

STAR TRIBUNE "Victimized by parental abuse, drug abuse, depression and misguided therapies (he has schizoaffective disorder), the 66-year-old Californian resurfaced this year with those new songs on 'That Lucky Old Sun,' a love letter to Los Angeles."

According to THE MUSE, "Song Cycle" is slated to be re-released for its 40th anniversary and will likely appear in the spring of 2009.

Van Dyke Parks is quoted as saying: “Song Cycle is very much an article of national and personal mourning. In public terms, America was still reeling from the Kennedy assassination…In my own personal terms, I was dealing with my elder brother’s recent death. The album is a psychological trauma center. I recorded it when I was 25, and made bold errors I wouldn’t dream of repeating at my age. I wouldn’t revise [Song Cycle] at all. It is a…piece of its time; a worthy insight into the zeitgeist – the ‘vibe,’ dude – of the ‘60s. The world is not holding its breath. Still, I’ll breathe easier as an artist, once I’ve finished this custodial duty."

THE FREE LANCE-STAR

THE TENNESSEAN "[Brian Wilson's] voice turned out to be an ideal fit for the Mother Church of Country Music, ringing out into the ether as gracefully as it does on his masterwork Pet Sounds. He left the Beach Boys’ famously high vocal parts to his accompanists, but when he took the lead on the chorus of early hit 'Surfer Girl,' it was with a level of confidence and clear-headedness that absolutely thrilled the Ryman crowd. "

NASHVILLE SCENE "Off the bat he surprised us with his extreme enthusiasm as he talked to the crowd and did his best to seem like a performer—which he really is not. This was reassuring, as it wiped away our fears that he would just go through the motions or seem generally unaware that he was even onstage, as has been the case at other Wilson shows in the past."

MICHIGAN LIVE

Brian Mansfield describes Brian Wilson's performance in Nashville for USA TODAY. According to Mansfield, "Nashville's pop contingent made a strong showing. Audience members included power-popper Bill Lloyd, former Bruce Hornsby & the Range guitarist George Marinelli, and Bucky Wilkin, who recorded such Beach Boys-inspired singles as G.T.O. out of Nashville during the '60s as a member of Ronny & the Daytonas."

ENCOMIUM IN MEMORIAM VOL. 1: JAN BERRY OF JAN & DEAN now has a presence on blogspot.

NASHVILLE SCENE

UNO GATEWAY "[The psychedelic era] all really started with the Beach Boys' release of the album 'Pet Sounds,' in which they used unconventional objects as instruments, like bicycle bells. This had never really been done before with popular music and was the introduction of different recording techniques," said Tomm Roland, coordinator of percussion studies and multicultural music at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

11/10/08 EDIT: If you tried the above link and were taken to the wrong page, please try it again. The link is fixed.

OCD-MAN BLOG
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TENNESSEE-SUCKS BLOG

SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE "Sometimes, it’s best not to get too close to your heroes. During a 10-minute interview with Brian Wilson, the former Beach Boys leader gives one-sentence answers to questions and usually doesn’t elaborate when invited to. For a reporter, that can be frustrating, but for a fan, disappointment inevitably mixes with the frustration."

FOX NEWS

NASHVILLE CITY PAPER Wilson will do an in-store appearance and meet-and-greet Sunday afternoon at Grimey’s New and Preloved Records