That's My Jam: A look into Brian Wilson's "Imagination" (1998)

It makes sense for a newspaper to tell you about new album releases and here at the Fiat Lux, I like to believe we do that very well.
But, from time to time, we music fans stumble upon a gem that happens to have been released years ago.
That’s what this column is dedicated to: long forgotten secret successes.
My Jam of the Week comes from Brian Wilson’s second solo endeavor, “Imagination.”
The album contains the traditional Brian Wilson touch from his Beach Boys days including complex chord progressions, catchy melodies, an array of instrumentation and unique arrangements and, of course, the signature symphony of voices. “Imagination” also features Wilson’s flavor of the era, reverbed drums and an odd obsession with Latin America (most obvious in the percussion and horn arrangements.)
“Imagination” starts out with a bang with the single, “Your Imagination,” a somewhat schmaltzy, but catchy, tribute to young love and lost youth. From there, Wilson and producer Joe Thomas crank up the Spanish guitars in the triumphant, jazzy-pop “She Says That She Needs Me,” a prime example of the bizarre fusion of 90’s power-ballad and 60’s pop song and continue the trend on the show-stopping pop-extravaganza, “South America,” co-written by Jimmy Buffett.
The rest of the album plays out like a disturbingly amusing mixture of classic 60’s doo-wop and sappy 90’s serenades so dripping in reverb, you feel like you’ve fallen asleep on a Caribbean cruise ship and sailed back to 1991. (Ironically, Wilson released the album in 1998. I’m still amazed by that.)
Despite his best efforts, Wilson’s attempt to sing tender love songs often comes off as comical. He sings the ballads with the same force he sings a pop song like “Dream Angel”. As goofy as it is, these moments of failed passion are part of the charm of “Imagination.”
The jazz-inspired, “Cry,” showcases Wilson’s range as a writer, taking to listeners to a darker, more mysterious avenue. Still managing to keep the recurring elements of reverbed snares and Latin percussion it introduces classy guitar licks and piano.
“Sunshine” is another playful tribute to the Caribbean that leans heavily on reggae and that classic surfing sound. While lyrically bland, Wilson manages to infuse life into the song with a complex mixture of overly produced 80’s synth-sounds and genuine musical attributes. Half the fun is listening closely enough to find those beautiful moments.
Wilson closes with the positively creepy “Happy Days,” a song that seems like it would have fit in perfectly on “Pet Sounds,” you know, if “Pet Sounds” was released in the late 80s. Wilson takes the listener on a weird journey, beginning with a series of dissident noises, muttering and minor chords and ending in the middle of a pleasant sing-songy romp they don’t feel like they belong in, nor do they quite remember how they got there.
It’s the carefree, California rock Wilson developed in his prime, produced in a fascinating new way. Critics saw the potential in the songwriting (though lyrically laughable) yet remain suspicious that the production could have been better. However, if you take the album for what it is, and not what it could be, it’s just a fun, enjoyable listen.
Wilson is, by no means, reinventing the wheel with “Imagination,” but I dare you to listen and not have a good time while doing so.