The roots to this new album were laid down in late '95/early '96 when the Stars and Stripes project was being recorded in Nashville. Although widely criticised at its release the cover price was totally justified by the version of Caroline, No and the fact that the whole thing was produced by Brian and the new guy, Joe Thomas.
Cut to last year's album by daughters Carnie and Wendy (The Wilsons) and the standout track Everything I Need written by Brian with the long-lost Tony Asher. Sitting in the control room with the Boss?....you guessed it.
So with all the promise that those little nuggets gave us could we reasonably expect this new Brian Wilson album to live up to expectations? The answer is a resounding yes!
From the very first track, the current US single, Your Imagination, he warmly grabs your attention and never lets go.If the first pad of harmonies doesn't bring a tear of utter joy to your eye, I can only suggest you have your ears syringed pretty damn quick. This is the sound of a man who has rediscovered happiness and he wants you to share in it.It's over all too soon, but before you can take it all in a lush intro of clarinets heralds track 2, She Says That She Needs Me
It's a real gem of songwriting, going from soft ballad into an almost Northern soul rocker so seamlessly you can only be in awe at the creativity going on here . But the real surprise has to be the quality of Brian's vocals; listen carefully and this could have been recorded in the sixties, almost as if the last twenty years hadn't existed. Gone completely are the coarse raspings that marked most of his output even up to his first solo album some ten years ago. It's the sound of a man who has shed most of the considerable weights off his back and dared to smile inwardly again.
Then it's straight into what will surely be a future single, South American. Although melodically simple in verse/chorus, Brian delivers a middle eight to kill for which makes this probably the most commercial track he's written for years and the world's a better place for it.
Where Has Love Been washes over you like a warm tropical wave, containing superb pads of backing vocals whivh beg you to press repeat immediately to get the best out of what is probably the weakest track here.
Then it's on to the first oddity, Keep An Eye On Summer, one of two remakes of old Beach Boys songs. Quite what the point of their inclusion is is open to debate, but whatever, they are both superb renditions and sound totally at home here.
Dream Angel then picks up the beat again. Notable for the delicious french horns so reminiscent of God Only Knows, this one has been getting a lot of airplay in the UK but, to my mind, loses direction towards the end and ends up slightly disappointing.
All this is of no significance at all when you hear the next track, Cry, the first solo composition we've had for years (officially of course!). Apparently written about a row he had with new wife Melinda, thi sbegs the question of why he doesn't write more lyrics himself as they're as good as anything else on the album.A gorgeous ballad and with amazing backing vocals too, this one cries out for a vocal only version to be released as a bonus single track, ASAP.
Turn up the stereo for the little percussion fills at the end and keep it up for what is the highlight here, Lay Down Burden. Totally exquisite, just shut your eyes and float away on its majesty. The best song he's written for decades.
Let Him Run Wild, the second remake, is interesting for the drum arrangement and is probably superior to the original although I'd far rather have another new song in its place as there were rumoured to be nearly thirty tracks recorded for this project, including collaborations with Beck and k.d. lang [AH's note - this rumour was due to a journalist's misreading of a press release, which actually said one of the guitarists on the album had previously worked with Beck and lang.]
The strangely addictive Sunshine follows. A soft reggae singalong with enough twists and turns to excuse its simplistic foundation, it sounds like something Brian wrote while he was having breakfast.Somehow it all works fine though.
Wrapping up the album is Happy Days which takes the bulk of its melody from the often bootlegged My Solution from the late sixties. It's quite the most bizarre sounding track you'll ever hear in your life, shifting effortlessly from discordant gloom to brilliant sunshine before you realise what's going on, and it is really the only track that you need to take time over. Persist with it and the rewards are huge.
As releases on CDs go these days 39 minutes seems awful short but what we have witnessed here is the rebirth of one of the world's best artists. We always hoped he would do it but never dared to imagine it happening. It has! With Joe Thomas, Wilson has at last found a compatible partner. The production throughout, whilst being a bit too glossy for some, works well and there's enough of that trademark sound lurking around to satisfy all the old fans (if you listen carefully enough) and enough 90s polish to welcome the new breed with open arms. It may not be Pet Sounds but then nothing is ever going to be.As it is it's another essential piece of genius and we can only hope the next slice doesn't take as long to come around.
Paul S. Baker
July 1998
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