Imagination

[Luther]

I can't imagine loving a single thing that in any way includes Jimmy Buffett.

(Margaritas don't technically involve Jimmy Buffett, do they? If so, okay, one thing.)

[matt-zeus]

I first heard 'She says that she needs me' on the radio just before the album came out, it sounded pretty good to me so I was excited (i'd never heard Sherry at that point), then came that famous Uncut special on Brian detailing the making behind the album and I was a bit disappointed. That said I think half the album is good. Like someone else said I prefer the remake of 'Keep an eye on Summer' (I hadn't heard the original at that point), its less messy than the original.
Not keen on Lay Down burden, always thought it was a bit overrated, I prefer Where has love been and Cry.

[CosmicDancer]

then came that famous Uncut special on Brian detailing the making behind the album and I was a bit disappointed.

Is this article available online?  I would be very interested in reading it. 

[matt-zeus]

I found this cool site (though I haven't tried it out yet) which has old articles on it!

http://www.rocksbackpages.com/artist.html?ArtistID=wilson_brian

It's Uncut June 1998. At the same time there was a mojo too.

[ComicList]

I highly recommend that site.  I subscribed to them some time ago so I could read the full articles.  Worth every penny.

[wgolly]

I'd give it a 5 for brian's vocals, but god, those joe thomas tracks sucked.  They were so generic, with cheesy guitar sounds and saxes, it doesn't sound like BW at all.

[Aegir]

It's sad that even on a message board of like-minded individuals, I'm in the musical minority. I absolutely love the production on this album.

[Lonely Summer]

You're not alone. I have no complaints about the production on this or IJWMFTT, but I've been told repeatedly that both are "too Adult Contemporary sounding, they don't sound like Brian Wilson". At the same time, I'm being told that the production on the 1988 solo album is "too synthy". Honestly, I don't know what people want.

[Luther]

I've been told repeatedly that both are "too Adult Contemporary sounding, they don't sound like Brian Wilson". At the same time, I'm being told that the production on the 1988 solo album is "too synthy". Honestly, I don't know what people want.

Well, different people want different things. But your note that people call Imagination and s/t too synthy, well, those are both valid. (OK, maybe not the "too" of each, as that's a matter of taste.) Imagination DOES sound very adult contemporary. And s/t is very synthy. So obviously, some people want a different sound than either of those. What would be hard to believe about that? Robert Fripp's early King Crimson work is too proggy for me; some of his instrumental soundscapes are too formless for me. It doesn't make me overly demanding--or demanding at all. It only means I don't like some of what he's done. It's the same with brian. We don't have to fawn over everything.

[John]

Right. I don't get how the two are apparently opposites of each other. People want something that sounds neither AC or synthy. Real instruments, and non-AC arrangements.

[lance]

So easy to listen to that it is hard to listen to.

Still, it doesnt suck utterly, it just really sticks out like a sore thumb in all his stuff...It is almost crass the way it goes for that adult contemporary sound. Still there are some good songs on it. Ill give it a 2.5 which rounds grudginglz up to a three.

[lance]

Reading over the tracks, it seems that some people like the Keep an Eye On Summer remake. I will admit, it is very nice, but I wonder if it isn't just the context that makes it sound so good?

[The Heartical Don]

I gave it 3 but wanted to give 4. Yes, it is smooth. Not too complicated. But it's great listening straight through. I laughed when I saw the cover art, I mean, not the starry sky, but the 'photo' of dear old Brian. When I told friends that that was the son of Brian Wilson, they immediately believed me. Must've been early versions of Photoshop.

[BJL]

I sort of dig the sound and production of this one (and I certainly havn't always...), but here's why:
1.  I can imagine Brian really digging it, its so smooth and relaxing, and I think it must have appealed to someone who had gone through so much to make an album that was just, nice, not weird or genius, but pleasant through and through. 
2.  No matter how smooth and gentle and consistent and AC it all is, Brian is still a genius, and so from time to time (lay down burden, cry, a number of other examples) it just sort of transcends itself, and suddenly out of all this smooth ac bull emerges a sort of bonechilling beauty. 

just my two cents. 

[Dada]

Actually, there was an article written back in '98-'99 by Paul Lester (thank you rocksbackpages.com!) that claims that Brian wasn't crazy about Imagination even then. In the article, unnamed sources close to Brian's situation reveal that as the sessions for the album went on, Brian started showing up less and less, missing several days at a time, as his enthusiasm for the project waned. Thomas went on recording the album without Brian, explaining why it doesn't sound very Brian. These sources also claim that it was completely Melinda's idea for Joe Thomas to be the producer and that she had helped push Andy Paley out of picture. One source kept complaining that Melinda wanted Brian to sound like Garth Brooks. The Paley situation is odd, as in that same article, I believe (it might have been a different article, I don't know, I've read too much on that site), there is an interview with Brian where he is very enthusiastic about the Paley songs, playing several of them for a reporter. Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas, who met with Brian, seems to come to the conclusion that Brian will go along with whatever his management and wife wants as long as he gets to eat ice cream. So, when you heard him praising Imagination at the time, it was probably to make Melinda happy.  Sean has a couple of weird personal anecdotes about Brian and the Beach Boys, in fact, that are almost impossible to believe.

Whatever you do, don't PM me asking me for a copy of this interview, BECAUSE I WILL NOT DO IT EVEN IF YOU SAY PLEASE. Again, DON'T EVEN TRY TO PM ME!

[JaredLekites]

I loved Imagination when I first heard it. I still love the way the vocals on it sound. Brian must have really worked his butt off doing all those layers of harmonies and it shows.

[Luther]

Brian must have really worked his butt off doing all those layers of harmonies and it shows.

Ha. If he worked his butt off, I'll eat my hat. Well, I'm not wearing a hat. But point being, it's shiny cheese.

[JaredLekites]

Brian must have really worked his butt off doing all those layers of harmonies and it shows.

Ha. If he worked his butt off, I'll eat my hat. Well, I'm not wearing a hat. But point being, it's shiny cheese.

True. Brian can pull off harmonies in his sleep but when you consider he's singing every vocal part on all 11 of these songs, it's nothing short of astounding (especially considering that Brian triple-tracked each of them which is where my 'worked his butt off' comment would come in).

Yeah, they were rather polished with some handy dandy software but the vocal harmonies really brought it home for me.

"Your Imagination" is a great track from start to finish.

So what if the instrumental tracks sound like the greatest album Julio Iglesias never made?! I can live with that.

[Ganz Allein]

Brian must have really worked his butt off doing all those layers of harmonies and it shows.

Ha. If he worked his butt off, I'll eat my hat. Well, I'm not wearing a hat. But point being, it's shiny cheese.

True. Brian can pull off harmonies in his sleep but when you consider he's singing every vocal part on all 11 of these songs, it's nothing short of astounding (especially considering that Brian triple-tracked each of them which is where my 'worked his butt off' comment would come in).

Yeah, they were rather polished with some handy dandy software but the vocal harmonies really brought it home for me.

"Your Imagination" is a great track from start to finish.

So what if the instrumental tracks sound like the greatest album Julio Iglesias never made?! I can live with that.

The reality of it probably isn't very astounding; a lot of those vocal tracks were likely generated by copying a few Brian vocals and stacking them multiple times. I'm sure Brian sang harmonies, but I bet some of those copied vocals were also transposed (pitch shifted) to create additional harmonies. Of course, everything was then finely Auto-Tuned.  If Brian lost his initial enthusiasm and started showing up less and less for sessions as the stories say, this is probably how everything went down vocal-wise.

[Wirestone]

He said at the time that he triple or quadruple tracked the harmonies, which are usually four (ish) part. That means 16 parts a song or so. That's not an unimaginable number. One or two of tracks per part could have been ghosted in, I suppose. But I sort of doubt that a lot of "pitch-shifted" harmonies were created. It's simpler to assume that Brian would sing the basic harmony stack, then double or triple those parts if needed (and if he was interested).