Product Details

• Actors: Brian Wilson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Bros / Wea
• VHS Release Date: January 19, 1999
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000I1J6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,047 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This DVD features a special concert performance by Brian Wilson, including such guest stars as Christopher Cross, Jimmy Buffett, and Timothy B. Schmit. Though the concert segment of the DVD ranges through Wilson's career from his earliest Beach Boy days, its focus is his album Imagination, his first output in a decade. Each song is bracketed by interview segments: with Wilson, with his various collaborators, and with such admirers as Stevie Wonder and Barenaked Ladies. Still, while the concert performances are strong, they feature the same trick as his recent live concerts: sweeping washes of sound that mask just how thin and tentative Wilson's voice has become. As for insight into Wilson's tragically quirky life and pained genius, check out I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, Don Was's film about Wilson. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lighten up a bit!, February 16, 2008

By	Jeff Funderburk "gadget freak" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brian Wilson - Imagination (DVD)

Tough crowd here at Amazon.com! Given the fact that this is basically Brian's return to a live DVD performance after a two decade absence from the stage the performances are pretty decent. Brian has the good sense to surround himself with a very talented band including Christopher Cross, Bruce Johnston and Timothy B. Schmidt on vocals. As far as the "[...]" comments by the artists interviewed for this DVD they seem to be pretty heartfelt about Brian's song writing abilities and influence. I mean, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello and Stevie Wonder don't really need to suck up to anybody. To say that Bruce Johnston would be unemployed without Brian (Bruce won the 1976 "Song Of The Year" Grammy for "I Write The Songs") is a bit over the top. Certainly the Beach Boys were a major part of Bruce's career but it was actually Brian's staying home to work in the studio that gave Bruce his break. To be sure, in light of the SMiLE and Pet Sounds Live DVD's that are out now, "Imagination" is not quite in their league but it is not without merit. The harmonies are gorgeous, as usual, and who says Brian is lip syncing? According to Brian and other members of the band the whole concert was live. I do wish there was more performances and less talk but hearing Peter Buck, Jimmy Buffett, Barenaked Ladies, Sean Lennon and Glen Campbell, among others, talk about Brian's affect on them and their music is kind of refreshing. They all come across as quite genuine. What the heck is wrong with acknowledging another artist's influence, especially an artist of Brian's stature? Lighten up a bit and let the guy have his day in the sun and just enjoy the songs and performances for what they are.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Performance with lackluster interviews, October 19, 2004

By	Victor Zeiser (St. Charles, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brian Wilson - Imagination (DVD)

If you want an indepth understadning of Brian Wilson look elsewhere, the reason to buy this DVD is the concert, his first concert after a very long break was shot in front of a live audiance at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, IL. The only issue I had with the DVD was that many of the songs her performed were not easy to access from the menu and you have to spend time fastforwarding to get to see the song you want. More songs perfomred would have been nice, uping the meager playtime of under an hour, but that said this is still a great addition to the DVD collection for any Brain Wilson fan.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Brian Wilson - Imagination (DVD)

First off, I want to say that I love Brian and his music. I think it's great that he's back doing what he does best, making music, doing it well, and seemingly having a great time. But this DVD really was a letdown. First, the whole thing just seems like a commercial for brian's ability. Everyone in the video is like "WOW HE'S A GENIOUS", "Brian is incredible" and the like. It goes on and on through the whole video, and its aggrevating. (Bruce Johnston in particular is the biggest butt-kisser on this video, but of course he would have been an unemployed nobody for the past 30 years without Brian's music.) Its like they're trying to brainwash you into believing Brian is some sort of deity or something. He could drop a tissue on the ground in this video and Sean Lennon would be there googling and going "wow, look how you dropped that tissue...man, you're incredible." He is indeed a genious, anyone buying this DVD knows that already. He certainly deserves praise, but we dont need it crammed down our throats for the entire hour. The live performaces were a mixed blessing. It's cool to see Brian perform live, provided he's actually singing. Almost all of the live performances are lip-synched to pre-recorded tape. Ive seen him live and the guy still can sing pretty darn good, why they felt the need to have him fake singing on this video I have no clue. If they would have included more video from the studio sessions (eg- seeing Brian lay down all the harmonies himself would have been awesome), more actual live performances, and stop saying "genious" and "amazing" every 3 seconds it would have been an awesome DVD. And for the last time, PLEASE keep Sean Lennon and Bruce Johnston away from Beach Boy/Brian Wilson documentaries!!!! They are on all of Brian's videos and have no right to be there, they contributed NOTHING to Brian's music (ESPECIALLY Sean Lennon...who does this kid think he is anyway?!?!)