Imagination

Brian Wilson

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 1998)
• Original Release Date: June 16, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Giant Records / Wea
• ASIN: B000007NCL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  DVD Audio  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,565 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Brian Wilson's second full-fledged solo release is a tour de force of his physical art as the former Beach Boy mastermind overdubs himself into a chorale of well-tempered voices. Unfortunately, Wilson's coproduction (with Joe Thomas) leaves these feathery constructions floating on a too-thin instrumental base that comes nowhere near the oomph of Pet Sounds or "California Girls" or even the beaty stepping of Wild Honey. Only a couple of songs, "She Says That She Needs Me" and a retooled "Let Him Run Wild," hint at the sort of darkness that's driven some of Wilson's best work. (A second vintage Boys tune, "Keep an Eye on Summer," is also included.) And it's a mystery why he felt the need to hire Jimmy Buffett to help him construct "South American," Wilson's own "Kokomo." --Rickey Wright

Product Description
Japanese edition of his 1998 solo album with an a cappella version of the first single from it, 'Your Imagination', added as a bonus track. 12 tracks total. A Giant/ BMG release.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (Nearly) Perfect Summer Listening, June 16, 2000

By	tod heller (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having been a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fan for nearly my entire life (I'm 36), the anticipation of a new Brian Wilson cd was something that I will always look forward to. When "Imagination" came out last year, I went out and bought it the day it was released, and I was not disappointed at all. From the opening notes of "Your Imagination" to nearly the last track, I was hooked. Brian's voice is in fine form throughout with my favorite songs including "Your Imagination", "South American", "Lay Down Burden" (a tribute to Brian's late brother Carl), the two Beach Boys tracks--"Keep An Eye On Summer" and "Let Him Run Wild". However, the song that really had an impact on me is "Dream Angel". The lyrics of this song truly got deep into my emotions as I interpreted it as an anthem of the hopes and dreams that I have for my 5 year old daughter who has special needs. Overall, the traditionally wonderful Brian Wilson arrangements and layered harmonies are a joy to listen to and I highly recommend this cd to anyone of any age.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just About Perfect, August 17, 2005

By	Michael S. Simpson "PaperbackWriter" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't get the negative reviews. I am a long time Beatles fan, and a relatively recent Beach Boys/Brian Wilson convert, so maybe I don't have the extra baggage or expectations of the longtimers. This album hooked me from the get-go. Songwriting, musicianship, production, singing are outstanding. This is a quantum leap above some of the dippy Beach Boys stuff that the die-hard fans seem to love and adore. I'll take Imagination's polished production, crafted harmonies, and fully realized songwriting any day. Only exceeded in breadth of concept, sophistication and execution by Wilson's Smile. Paul McCartney could learn a thing or two from this guy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brian Wilson's best work in 25 years, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

Overall, Brian Wilson's "Imagination" is probably his best work since the early 1970s. It's no "Pet Sounds," as several reviewers have pointed out, but who cares? Taken on its own merits, it's a very good album, with excellent production and impeccable vocals. In fact, I think the album resembles "The Beach Boys Today!" more than anything else Wilson has done in the last 35+ years.

There have been a few criticisms about Wilson's reliance on remakes--specifically, "Keep An Eye on Summer" and "Let Him Run Wild." They're not bad, but to me, they pale in comparison to the rest of the album. "Your Imagination" and "South American" are excellent--perfect songs for cruising the beach. "She Says That She Needs Me" is a beautiful production--Wilson has taken a tune he wrote in 1965 (but never released, originally entitled "Sherry, She Needs Me"), rewritten the lyrics (with other writers), and created a great song. If anything on the album CAN be compared to Pet Sounds, it's this tune--but I still see it as more of a side-two "Today!"-type song.

I find two other songs worth noting--"Lay Down Burden," which evokes 1971's "'Til I Die" in its emotion (and is one of my all-time Wilson favorites), and "Cry," which I've grown to like more and more with each listen.

I've been a Brian Wilson fan since I was 5 years old (since the summer of 1975). This is pretty much the album I've been hoping he'd make for more than 20 years.