Brian Wilson

It seemed like Brian Wilson was preparing to walk off a plank when he announced plans to revisit the legendarily lost Beach Boys album Smile a few years ago, but the stunt worked—and then some. The reconstituted Smile managed to actually sound good, and the success of it rescued Wilson from the history section of rock lore and placed him, more or less, in the present day. In 2008 he tried to capitalize with That Lucky Old Sun, an album that nobody will mistake for the sort of masterpiece that Wilson is famous for—it’s kind of rock ’n’ roll-y, with a weird studio gloss. But Wilson tends to stick to his multitude of hits in concert; even better, he’s developed into a surprisingly engaging live performer.

Updated 06/01/2011