Brian Wilson returns to Capitol Records/EMI, his original label home

New studio album, "That Lucky Old Sun," to be released on September 2 on CD, deluxe CD/DVD, limited edition vinyl and digitally

“You don’t have to climb the Capitol tower, or play the Hollywood Bowl, if there’s a roll in your heart, and a rock in your soul…” (lyrics from That Lucky Old Sun’s California Role)

Hollywood, California – May 19, 2008 - He is one of popular music’s most deeply revered figures, a legendary writer, producer, arranger and performer of some of the most cherished music in rock history. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Brian Wilson one of the most gifted and influential pop composers of the last 50 years. Today, Wilson announces his return to Capitol Records/EMI, his original label home. Wilson’s new studio recording, That Lucky Old Sun, will be released by Capitol/EMI on CD, CD/DVD, limited edition vinyl and digitally on September 2 (September 1 internationally).

Brian Wilson’s return to Capitol Records/EMI, where The Beach Boys caught their first hit wave with the 1962 classic, Surfin’ Safari/409, is a triumphant homecoming for one of the world’s most gifted and beloved musical talents.

“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.

The new release is the dawning of a new California morning for Brian Wilson, continuing the awe-inspiring concept album journey that he first began four decades ago. Wilson’s songwriting, arranging and producing talents came together in harmonious glory for The Beach Boys’ 1966 classic, Pet Sounds, and have continued to evolve during his solo career, highlighted by his 2004 critically acclaimed Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE. Lyrically and in Wilson’s incomparably lush, evocative arrangements, That Lucky Old Sun adds a new chapter to Wilson’s conceptual presentations, reaching ever higher with his vibrant and moving autobiographical storytelling and intricate harmonies.

Following numerous nominations, Wilson won a well-deserved Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (2004) for Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow and he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Last December, he was feted as a leading cultural icon by The Kennedy Center Honors alongside Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, Steve Martin and Leon Fleisher.

Brian Wilson and his band will perform a number of his classic hits and compositions at select North American and UK concerts this summer.

Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun
1. That Lucky Old Sun
2. Morning Beat
3. That Lucky Old Sun (narrative)
4. Good Kind Of Love
5. Forever My Surfer Girl
6. That Lucky Old Sun (narrative)
7. Live Let Live
8. Mexican Girl
9. That Lucky Old Sun (narrative)
10. California Role
11. That Lucky Old Sun (narrative)
12. Oxygen
13. Can’t Wait Too Long (vocal excerpt)
14. Midnight’s Another Day
15. Going Home
16. Southern California

Brian Wilson: Confirmed Concert Dates
June 28 London (UK) English Heritage Picnic Concerts
June 29 Ipswich (UK) Regent Theatre
July 1 London (UK) Royal Albert Hall
July 8 Niagara Falls, ON Niagara Fallsview Casino (Avalon Ballroom)
July 9 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Blues Fest
July 12 Highmount, NY Belleayre Mountain Ski Center
July 13 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Sept. 12/13/14 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

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Source: http://www.emigroup.com/Press/2008/press59.htm