For comparison, the Paley sessions were the “Adult/Child” of Brian Wilson’s solo career, while “Imagination” is the “M.I.U.” Where every aspect of the Paley sessions was successful, “Imagination” failed. It had been ten years since Brian last had an album that he put all of himself into, and the Andy Paley sessions were supposed to give him that achievement yet again. However, forces from all sides pushed Brian into a direction of mediocrity, in the form of the “adult contemporary” genre. Fans of The Beach Boys had seen time and time again that shoving a musical genius into a creative box will make the music that comes out very standard. It’s no different here. The opening track is the easy highlight. It’s an upbeat, catchy hit, showcasing the power left in Brian’s voice. After this song, though, the album nosedives into mundanity, a feat that has pretty much never occurred synonymously with the “Brian Wilson” name. There’s nothing outright bad on here, in fact, “She Says She Needs Me” and the late-Carl Wilson-dedicated “Lay Down Burden” are nice, while the covers of former Beach Boys songs, “Keep an Eye on Summer” and “Let Him Run Wild,” offer sweet moments of reflection. Other than those, the tracks presented here is just plain average music. Nothing that Brian sounds remotely passionate about. This is yet another example in The Beach Boys’ career where the interjecting of others caused mediocre music to surface, while the truly meaningful material remained hidden underground.

Manufactured Brian Wilson, a.k.a. not Brian Wilson

[5/10]

Tracklist (with ratings):

1. Your Imagination (4/5)
2. She Says That She Needs Me (3.5/5)
3. South American (2/5)
4. Where Has Love Been? (3/5)
5. Keep an Eye on Summer (3.5/5)
6. Dream Angel (2/5)
7. Cry (2.5/5)
8. Lay Down Burden (3.5/5)
9. Let Him Run Wild (3.5/5)
10. Sunshine (2/5)
11. Happy Days (3/5)