[4] They later reunited for the Beach Boys reunion album That's Why God Made the Radio (2012) and its followup No Pier Pressure (2015).
According to Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas, he was involved at one point, but backed away once it became clear to him that the project was unlikely to happen, also expressing disapproval with the "middle of the road" style that producer and collaborator Joe Thomas was persuading Wilson toward.
[7][8] In addition, "She Says That She Needs Me" was the result of a lyric re-write by Carole Bayer Sager of an original Wilson composition from the mid-1960s,[9] while the closing song, "Happy Days", featured recycled elements of an unreleased Beach Boys track, "My Solution", from 1970.
"[12] In 2006, biographer Peter Ames Carlin wrote: "Joe took it upon himself to make sure that the new songs sounded as adult contemporary radio as possible.
"[3] When it came time to arrange Wilson's songs for live performances, backing band member Darian Sahanaja remembers Thomas wanting to turn "Caroline, No" into a "sexy, Sade kind of thing".
[16] The concert, which was later incorporated with additional interviews from Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton, Sean Lennon, Stevie Wonder, and Jimmy Buffett, was released on VHS in 1998 and DVD in 1999 but is currently out-of-print.
[citation needed] On the subject of fans' reactions, Carlin wrote: "Imagination bore many distressing signs.
"[26] In an article for Rolling Stone, Jason Fine said the album showed "little evidence of Brian's creative spark.
Though he contributes some of his finest vocals — especially on two ballads, 'Cry' and 'Lay Down Burden' — the album's saccharine soft rock doesn't hint at the subtle magic of a classic Brian Wilson production.
"[27] Barney Hoskyns reviewed the album for Spin and wrote: "the man's penchant for writing these days in cheery major keys, coupled with the record's horribly sterile sound, turns songs such as 'Sunshine' and 'Your Imagination' into nothing more than goofy retreads of early Beach Boys hits.
"[25] John Mulvey of NME opined of the record: "if there is one character flaw that has blighted [Wilson']s music over the past 25-odd years, it has been his capacity to be easily led, his need to work with others resulting in a touching but misplaced faith in a host of lesser musical talents who frequently aren't fit to wipe his arse, let alone collaborate with him.
"[22] Music critic Robert Christgau declared: "Submitting to adult-contempo tycoon Joe Thomas ... [Wilson is] just what you'd fear: a middle-aged pop pro who's proud he's no longer nuts and knows even less about the world than when he was.