The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Imagination, released June 1998.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/imagination.gif)

Best Brian Wilson solo (imo) before SMiLE. I love mostly all the songs on here. "South American" is my favorite, alogn with the title track. I love the clarinet opener to "She Says That She Needs Me" and the song itself. The two Beach Boys covers don't hold a candle to the originals, but I actually like this arrangement of "Keep an Eye on Summer" better. "Let Him Run Wild" is sort of "eh..." the original by far is better. "Dream Angel" is one of the most catchy tunes on this I think. I don't really care much for "Cry" but it's average and fits in the album well enough. "Lay Down Burden" reminds us of how good Brian makes great ballads. "Sunshine" and "Happy Days" are the most obscure numbers on this one. I do like "Sunshine" with it's "All Summer Long"-ish style sort of. "Happy Days" is an odd way to end the album just by the feel of the song but it ties up the whole "Imagination" very well. I enjoy the sax in the song, which sounds like it's in a minor key with Brian and the news going on in.

I rated this a 5, but if I could change it I'd give it a 4. Definately a must have for Brian fans, imo.

I don't like it much. There are some nice songs on there, but the awful production (so slippery and sparkly) almost ruins them. The title track, She Says That She Loves Me, Lay Down Burden and Cry are all nice, otherwise, and deserved better treatment. Generally speaking, though, I can only bring myself to bring this out a couple of times a year, and generally put it back in its case remembering why I don't listen to it more. Why, oh why, did the'80s have to make an appearance in the late '90s?

Bravo, Luther.

The production sucks, but some of the songs are actually really great. "Your Imagination" is catchy as hell, "Sunshine" never fails to make me feel good and relaxed. "Lay Down Burden" is one of the best songs Brian has written in his solo-career. Very beautiful and moving, and Brian´s voice sounds very soft, without the barking he sometimes does.

Oh, and one other thing: Jimmy Buffet? Really? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

A notch below the 1988 album, but it's fun, albeit overproduced. Brian is NOT adult contemporary!

It's better than GIOMH. Which is why I gave it one star.

A beautiful album - not a blockbuster by any means, but it really grew on me in that summer of '98 and I look back on it fondly. "Your Imagination" is a very good track. The Beach Boys covers are unnecessary. "Lay Down Burden" is so emotional, it is interesting how it is buried deep into the track listing. This is what happens when Brian works with mediocre partners (most notably the former Survivor keyboardist Jim Peterik).

Sweet and syrupy, and the production is a bit bland. The total opposite of BW '88. It would have been nice to find a sound somewhere in the middle of the two.

This is a 4 for me.

Good tunes. Production blows. Don't listen much because of the production. Wonder how it'd sound if his current band had recorded it instead of all the crummy programming. Sigh.

I don't understand the complaints about the smooth production quality. 88 has a dated 80s synth sound, but this one won't be remembered as having some 90's sound. It is well produced and polished because that is the style of the songs... and there are so many good songs on here - South American, Keep an eye on Summer, the title song, She says that she needs me. 

He's a boomer singing lite pop songs.. yep is IS AC. That's doesn't make him Celine or Michael Bolton.  AC is not a bad thing.  In fact, what littel air plaay I have heard of Brian was on AC stations and they should play him more often.

I got this when it came out.  It was released a few months after I first got into the Beach Boys and I can't believe the negative reviews it gets.  Look at all these great songs:

Your Imagination, She Says She Needs Me, South American,
Dream Angel, Cry, Lay Down Burden.   6 great songs!

All the negative complaints that people have about on the 1988 album should be aimed at this one.
It is pleasant and acomplished but way too generic.

The Songs are great, the production is crap. What was Joe Thomas thinking? I mean the sound quality is great, but it seems there's definitely something missing, it sounds kind of hollow. An 80's sounding production in 1998? He should've stuck with Andy Paley or gone to Sean O'Hagan. Screw Melinda. 

And the comedy hour begins.

I've never even listened to this.

I get about 4 seconds in and vomit.

I say it's a 4.  My favorite Brian solo record other than BWPS.  The production on this one is fucking terrible but I feel that some awesome songs overcome Joe Thomas' awful production.  The title track is a classic!!  South American and She Says That She Needs Me are standout tracks.  I love Dream Angel and Lay Down Burden as well.  The re-makes of Keep An Eye On Summer and Let Him Run Wild are very nice but cant touch the originals.  I think this album had real potential until Joe Thomas got his hands on it.

Worse than the production is the horrible engineering job. The drums sound tinny and weak, the bass more like an electric rubberband, everything is way too "bright"...I heard better mixes in my Audio IV class in college...and we were mixing in Pro Tools also! Very amateurish.

Also HATE the instrumental bridge in SSTSNM.

I've given it a few listens. I like the reworked "Sandy" as "She Said That She Needs Me", the clarinets and Brian's somber voice work great.

You got guts,man...right on, brother...
joe thomas will get anally screwed by Lucifer minions in a devils Hell when he get there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would actually hate hearing Brian produced by Sean O' Hagan. Sean is OKAY as a songwriter/musician/producer/arranger but he's nowhere near the level that Brian Wilson STILL is right now. Brian could fart out better sounds in his sleep. Brian should just be left alone to make all the decisions for his music, since his decisions with the Beach Boys were always the most artistically rewarding ones.

Amen to that

AMAZING! Was the first BW solo record I ever heard. I remember hearing it when it was out because my dad actually brought it. I thought it was Dean Torrence forever but my dad said "no it was Brian Wilson" and when I saw the A & E bio it clicked. I liked the Imagination song forever but when I became a fan, I started to like it even more. Minus Happy Days I dig. I am still on the fence about the covers but they are okay after a while of hearing them.




5

My wife & I been listening to all of the BB related releases *in order* for the past month or so. She recently confessed to me that she has always hated the album, esp. the mix. Her worst songs? "SSTSNM", "South American", the horrible instrumental break in "Your Imagination" and esp. "Keep an Eye on Summer", which she said "sounds like graduation music for a school for the severely mentally/emotionally handicapped".

Our consensus is that it is the worst BB solo album. Period. Although, we have yet to hear Bruce's "Going Pubic" and considering how much she dislikes Bruce, that's for the best...

You've not heard GIOMH yet, then ? Prepare to revise your judgement.  8)

Fixed your quote brackets for ya  :)

Anyway, we happen to like GIOMH. Of course, though, there's kind of another reason behind that other than the music. See, 2 years ago, when she was pregnant, we were on our way to the doctor to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. We listened to BWPS on the way there. On our way back home after finding out  that we were having a girl, we put in GIOMH. We already liked the album (rough vocals and all, although I cannot listen to Fairy Tale IMHO), but it was special. Sadly, we lost Drew 4 days later. So the album kinda holds a special place in my heart.

BTW...check your pm box. I wanted to ask you something.

Obviously, I meant "Going Public".

Freudian slip, or too much Heiniken? You decide.

Looking past the cheesy production, I actually really like this album.  Your Imagination and Dream Angel are very simple, light and hummable, even if they both kinda sound the same.  She Says That She Needs Me is quite good, although I admit I prefer "Sherry" just a little more.  South American is really cheesy but somehow still catchy.  The remakes of Keep An Eye On Summer and Let Him Run Wild are decent enough (not as good as the originals but not bad by any means).  Cry and Lay Down Burden are fantastic, those two are among my favorites.  I don't really care for Sunshine, and did care for Happy Days for a long time until I finally heard My Solution.  Now I listen to it mostly because I really like My Solution.  Overall I give this one somewhere between 3.5-4 out of 5.

It's yucky.

Very poppy, and South American has some silly lyrics that I half-expected to be written by Landy, but overall I really like this album. An easy 4/5.

It would be a 5 for me except for "Sunshine" (the fake reggae vibe doesn't move me) and "Happy Days" (sounds like an attempt at some Smile-era wierdness, just doesn't work in this context). "Let Him Run Wild" would have fit in on IJWMFTT. Nice enough, although no comparison to the original, but it's nice to have a version I can sing along to without hurting myself! "Keep an Eye on Summer", in my opinion, improves on the original. I know, call me tone deaf. I can take it. I like Buffett, not a major fan, but I've got a cd comp of his I put on quite often, so I enjoy hearing him back up Brian on "South American". "She Says That She Needs Me" comes closest of the songs here to Brian's "Beach Boys Today"/"Pet Sounds" style (the clarinet is a nice touch). "Where Has Love Been" is very tender, the lyrics are simple (as they usually are in Brian Wilson songs), but resonate with me. "Lay Down Burden" is my fav, though. Don't know if he really wrote it about Carl, it doesn't matter. It makes the emotional connection. Who would have ever guessed Brian would outlive both of his brothers? This song reminds me of loved ones who are gone. I guess I don't approach the music as analytically as some, either it moves me or it doesn't, and with Brian, it almost always touches me on some little. His co-producers/collaborators sometimes want to push him in their own direction, but in most cases it seems like his own musical heart manages to come through, I'm thankful he is still around to give us musical valentines like this. Music today could use a lot more of the kind of love that Brian puts into his music.

I, like others, listen to this album maybe 3 times a year. I love Lay Down Burden, but it is not a song I can listen to often. Other than that I like the album cover and the colors. They are cool colors.  :3d  2.5-3 out of 5.

I thought "Looking Back With Love" was supposed to be the worst BB solo album.

I believe Andrew actually likes that album, for some reason.

I don't like this one. Brian's voice is nice (maybe digitally corrected??) but other then the title track and Lay Down Burdon it does nothing for me. The remakes are terrible, I hate the new lyrics of Sherry She Needs Me, and gosh it sounds like a close cousin to SIP. Not impressed but again the title track is really cool. I bought the 45 of it and expected the album to match it. Was I let down!

I'm only really familiar with  She Says She Needs Me, but I love the way it is arranged, excellent cellos and clarinets. Does the whole album use these kind of arrangements, or are they unique to this track?

Unique to that track.

Finally gave this album a few listens.  I have to agree with what most have said about the bad production.  I'm surprised more people aren't completely put off by the lyrics.  The album would have to be a production masterpiece to make up for those lyrics.  I try to tell myself that it's no big deal, but I just can't accept that anybody would approve these words on a collection of songs.  It must have been sneaked past somebody.

Exaggerations aside, I think it's a mediocre solo attempt with some promising moments that are ultimately shot to hell by Joe Thomas' involvement.  And that's WITHOUT factoring in the lyrics.  Some of them are harmless, but some make me kind of do a mix of this:  :o  :lol ...Your Imagination, Lay Down Burden, and Sunshine come to mind as particularly bad.  Your Imagination and Lay Down Burden are good songs and their production would be forgiveable if the lyrics weren't so boring and unsophisticated.  Lay Down Burden is still great thanks to its hook, but you see my point.  South American is just not good all around.

I like his vocals on this album.  I dig Let Him Run Wild and She Says That She Needs Me and I think Happy Days is cool.   ;D

Maybe most Beach Boys and Brian Wilson fans are used to shitty lyrics.

I, for one, love the Cameron Diaz reference in "South America"!!

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.)

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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).

Thanks for the correction. I knew the vocals had been Auto-Tuned (Brian never sounded that good singing these songs live), so when I read that he lost enthusiasm and started showing up less and less for sessions, I just assumed they did the old copy & paste in Pro Tools with the vocals he had recorded.

A listen to the a capela mix of "Your Imagination" gives us an idea of what kind of production work was done. There's pitch correction in various spots and maybe a plug in added to give even more "layered" effect (layers of layers, that is). However, there definitely seems to be a lot of actual Brian vocals present in the mix. Even some clever bits that are buried in the final mix.

I wouldn't mind having access to the multi tracks for this one. It'd be a lot of fun to mess around with.

I have a fantasy about Brian, Darian, Scott and Mark (or any combination) taking the multis and remixing this album from the ground up. More bass, less processing on the vocals, some of the worst acoustic guitar bits mixed out -- it could sound great.

Jimmy Buffett is clearly audible in the bvs for "South American".

For some reason, I keep having an inexplicable urge to put this album on. It's really crap. I know it's really crap. Your Imagination is the only good song, and even then it's derivative as hell. And yet here I am, listening to the damn thing. It's so shockingly awful, trite, cliched, and just plain SHITE. WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? Lay Down Burden might be the worst song he's ever written. It's BORING.

[/painkiller induced rant]

 :angry

Not bad, prolly something I'd be half impressed with, then would drop that after a couple of weeks.
Song selection seems a bit odd and some older choices seem questionable, especially Let Him Run Wild; ugh, that track is sooooooo bad. Sounds like a karaoke version of the original. Sunshine has always been a favorite, most of it. Parts of Happy Days is good, some bland. Your Imagination is great. She Says that She Needs Me should be a known "BW Classic."
But I could see most of this material being forgotten.

There is stuff I do like that some really dislike. Why is the only Paley tune not even picked out from the stuff we already knew? The Keep an Eye on Summer remake is really good...The Beach Boys shoulda done this back for the S&S album...it's about the one productive track I'd take home. Cry is good for a couple listens.

Does anyone know what, if any, tracks were recorded but left off the album when the tracklist was finalized? I've been getting into BW's solo albums lately and I've been making custom tracklists so I was curious.

I wanna say Dancin' the Night Away was produced around this time...I could be wrong...I could look up on AGD's site, but then again, anybody could.  ;D

I don't know if you'd consider these songs being left off, but the Asher stuff & Paley material could be taken in consideration....I wouldn't hold my breath. I feel like there's some stuff that Brian and Joe Thomas did but they're not coming to my head at the moment...been on springbreak from work too long.  ;)

Brian and Joe wrote "How Could We Still Be Dancin'" for the followup to Imagination. That song seems to have roots in "Dancin' the Night Away," which is a Paley-era track.

Brian and Joe also re-recorded the Paley sessions track "Gettin' In Over My Head" -- for Imagination or its followup. Their basic track was then used for the GIOMH album some five years later, with some newly recorded parts. Why that album didn't use the earlier, tighter track from the Paley sessions is a mystery.

Ah, mysteries of the Beach Boys; I think two volumes could be written about this

I just found a cheap "Press Release Copy" and I Love "Lay Down Burden" so....

Just got it "SSTSNM" is Freaking incredible and the re-created "Let Him..." is also great!

This album is great!! What the hell are you guys listening too?!?!

i was hungry for new Brian Wilson material when this came out & enjoyed the album.

But as time has gone on I listen to it less and less, it has some pretty good songs but as others have commented the production is too shiny. It just doesn't sound very Brian Wilson to me and i suspect that Brian had little say in the final arrangements. BW88 has an odd production but I find fascinating to listen to, i much prefer GIOMH to this album. There are usually fascinating embellishments to listen to on Brian's albums but not with this one, it lacks character.

Could ask you the same question....  ;D

Just saw my rant upthread and by gum, did I hate this album. Still do. It's so dull.

I've never had a problem with this album.

"Your Imagination" a cappella is pretty cool. I've listened to most of the rest of the album with the music included -- big mistake on my part!

I can't believe BW reused my solution for happy days. :lol

Lay Down Burden is the best track on there. Simply beautiful and a nice tribute to Carl. Brian's remake of Keep an Eye on Summer is beautiful as well. The "Keep an eye on summer..." part sounds a bit similar to That's Why God Made the Radio.

This album is a recent discovery for me. She Says That She Needs Me is astounding. ASTOUNDING!!!!

I think Imagination is half of a GREAT album (production aside).

Your Imagination, She Says She Needs Me, South American, Dream Angel, Lay Down Burden are the really fantastic tracks.

Yep - totally agree, but I'd also include Where Has Love Been and... wait for it... Happy Days.

As for SSTSNM - I'm pretty much obsessed with this track - it should have been recorded by the BBs. It's definitely in my top 20 BB/Brian Wilson tracks.

One more thing, a previous poster on this thread (I think from several years ago) said something like "Brian Wilson is definitely NOT adult contemporary".  That is hilarious (no offense). First of all, this album SCREAMS adult contemporary. Second of all, who the flippin fudge cares what it's labeled anyway? So what if it's AC? It's a great album (mostly at least). What a totally unnecessarily defensive and ridiculous thing to say (again, no offense).

Really? how?

The beginning of it. It's brief but noticeable. Mainly on the part: "Keep an...."  sounds somwhat similar to "That's why..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB1l5naX8yI&list=PL452F3C6EF1FC116C&index=5&feature=plpp_video (Audio starts at 0:19)

I agree!

I hear it now

I find it fascinating that so many people like 'South American' while I think it's crap. Also find it interesting that so many hate this album. I don't, but the production is just bland.

'Your Imagination', 'She Says That She Needs Me', 'Where Has Love Been' (underrated), 'Cry' and 'Lay Down Burden' are the only real worthwhile songs here. The pointless remakes of two classic BBs tunes are fluffy and alright, but obviously vastly inferior to the originals.

3.5/5.

This should have been a Beach Boys album.

Which song from the album plays when Brian has his baby daughter with him in the studio, in the Endless Harmony docu? I don't have the album and the samples in the Itunes store didn't help. The song reminded me of All This Is That (same chord progression)

I'm quite sure it's from the Imagination album as they showed the album cover.

Thanks man! :)

I was just so pleased to get this album when it was released so pleased to get anything from Brian and I'm going to give it a five based on that. I loved a lot of the songs and my favorite was one you don't see mentioned often an that was "Where Has Love Been?" I played that track alone for weeks.

Worth getting this album mainly for "Lay Down Burden".
Downside is, there's the painfully embarrassing remakes of "Keep an Eye on Summer" and "Let Him Run Wild".
3.5 out of 5

Great album! The third best Brian Wilson solo album, right there after Brian Wilson 88 and That Lucky Old Sun.

Your Imagination 4/5
She Says That She Needs Me 3.5/5
South American 3/5 Worst of the original songs.
Where Has Love Been? 3/5
Keep an Eye on Summer 2/5 Filler
Dream Angel 5/5
Cry 4/5
Lay Down Burden 5/5
Let Him Run Wild 2/5 Filler
Sunshine 5/5 I love this!
Happy Days 4.5/5

Production is as cold as the cover pic... 4/5.

It was so exciting to get this album back in 1998, after many years without new songs from Brian (I'm not counting Orange Crate Art, because he didn't write those). I still like the album, but I don't rate it nearly as high as I did then. I prefer TLOS, BW88 and OCA to this one.

Hi all,

I have listened to a lot of songs from Imagination on you tube.  The next time I go to FYE in my local mall I will have the manager call the FYE in NYC to order it for me.   

I rated this album as a low 4. 

I think its much more consistent than BW88.  The title track, South American, Law Down Burden, Happy Days, and Sunshine are really good entries to Brian's catalog. 

The rerecorded versions of Let Him Run Wild and Keep An Eye on Summer are inferior to the Beach Boys originals, and seem to be filler material on this album. 

Overall, I think its Brian's third best solo album (behind TLOS and NPP). 

I feel like my opinion of this album diminishes with each new release Brian puts out. At the time, it seemed like the best we could expect from him, which was reinforced when GIOMH was even more lackluster. But once TLOS came out, it was clear he had more gas in the tank, so Imagination receded in significance. And now in recent years, in light of the unbelievable second half of Made the Radio and now NPP, it's hard to think of Imagination as anything more than a blip. Still, the title track is pleasant enough (in a MIU kind of way), and "Lay Down Burden" was nice until I replaced it in my mind with "The Right Time".

Your Imagination 4/5
She Says That She Needs Me 5/5
South American 2/5
Where Has Love Been? 1/5
Keep an Eye on Summer 2/5
Dream Angel 2/5
Cry 4/5
Lay Down Burden 5/5
Let Him Run Wild 2/5
Sunshine 1/5
Happy Days 4/5

Yeah there are a few stinkers and the two Beach Boys remakes were unnecessary, but there's also some of Brian's best ever solo work on here. Hands up whoever thought Brian would reuse My Solution?
Overall 3/5.

...and sneak it in under the name "Happy Days"  :o.  Not me.

I put this one on last night for the first time in over a year; I gave it kind of a lukewarm review last time, but I have to change that. Actually, I like the sound of this album just fine; and I like all the songs up to the last 2, Sunshine and Happy Days. Let Him Run Wild is a great version, could've been a bonus cut on IJWMFTT. And yes, I hear Keep an Eye on Summer in That's Why God Made the Radio. Drove me crazy the first dozen times I heard it, cause in my head I would go to Keep an Eye on Summer. Brian survived some difficult stuff to make this album - the loss of his mother and brother - yet he sounds happy here. 

I think about this often .The AOR sounding guitar opening Lay Down Burden is unlistenable. However that dong live is one of my favorites….
1-get masters or copies of such
3-strip down fx
4-remove some of Brian’s multitrack vocals snd replace with touring band vocals.
5-a little “wall of sound” mixing of drums, base, guitar,
6-and any studio pre or post song banter that is in keeping with the record.

-whaddaya all think?

I think this is definitely counting as Brian's followup to the self-titled album. What I've heard from Sweet Insanity never really sounded up to scratch, especially not in the version from the bootlegs, and after the torturous work that went into S/T because of Landy's meddling, you can tell that Brian felt truly liberated doing this album. After all, "music should come from a place of joy."

Hmm...okay. I thought IJWMFTT was the followup. Or maybe I've got my timeline mixed up. IJWMFTT and OCA were 1995? Imagination was 1998?

Technically, yes, those two albums in 1995 came first before Imagination, but they were relatively tentative steps back for Brian. They're good albums, but you can sense Brian is effectively dipping his toe into the water. Imagination is the full-throated return.