I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
Studio album by Brian Wilson
Released August 15, 1995
Recorded Fall 1994
(except "Still I Dream of It":
circa 1976)
Genre Rock
Length 29:27
Label MCA
Producer Don Was and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson chronology
Brian Wilson
(1988)		 I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
(1995)		 Orange Crate Art
(with Van Dyke Parks)
(1995)

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times is the second released album by former Beach Boys member Brian Wilson. It followed his eponymous debut seven years after its release, a period that saw much upheaval in Wilson's personal life.

After his solo debut, Wilson's controversial psychotherapist, Dr Eugene Landy, also had significant influence on Brian's projected follow-up, Sweet Insanity, which was shelved in 1990 and never released. Finally, after several years of overmedication and manipulation at the hand of Landy, Wilson was released from his care in late 1991, by court order, and was forced to restart a new phase in his life. After Landy's enforced departure, Wilson began a relationship with Melinda Ledbetter, who would help Brian reunite with his family and begin his re-entry into public life.

Feeling ready to become active again, Wilson felt the best thing to do was to remind his fanbase – and himself – how far he had come by revisiting a sampling of songs from his vast catalogue. Teaming up with Don Was, and setting himself in an understated and modest musical environment, he created some refreshingly restrained versions of his songs with a band that featured guitarist Waddy Wachtel, Benmont Tench on keys, drummer Jim Keltner and bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson.

Simultaneously with the recording, a black and white documentary, also directed by Was, captured Brian's public re-awakening, bolstered by interviews with family members and friends.

Contents

Track listing

All tracks composed by Brian Wilson; except where indicated

  1. "Meant for You" (Wilson, Mike Love) – 0:50
  2. "This Whole World" – 1:55
  3. "Caroline, No" (Wilson, Tony Asher) – 2:39
  4. "Let the Wind Blow" (Wilson, Mike Love) – 2:44
  5. "Love And Mercy" – 3:13
  6. "Do It Again" (Wilson, Mike Love) – 2:44
  7. "The Warmth of the Sun" (Wilson, Mike Love) – 3:48
  8. "Wonderful" (Wilson, Van Dyke Parks) – 2:14
  9. "Still I Dream of It" – 3:35
    • 1976 home demo – a studio version was later recorded by the Beach Boys, intended for the unreleased Adult/Child album
  10. "Melt Away" – 2:58
  11. "'Til I Die" – 2:47

"Love and Mercy" and "Melt Away" were originally credited as Brian Wilson/Eugene Landy, but those credits have since been revised to show Wilson as the only composer

Personnel

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau [2]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Chart performance

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (MCA MCASD 11270) reached #59 on the UK album charts. It did not chart in the U.S.

References

  1. ^ Rabid, Jack. "Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times > Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r221807. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=193. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
Brian Wilson
Studio albums
Live albums
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The Beach Boys