Brian Wilson was critically acclaimed and had a near-unanimous positive reception. Titelman touted the album as Pet Sounds '88, which Carlin states "didn't seem terribly outlandish [...] to everyone who had heard the album". In Stereo Review, the writer stated that Brian Wilson confirmed that the artist had successfully delivered "Pet Sounds II" and was "clearly at work again with talent intact". Rolling Stones David Fricke concurred and wrote, "Brian Wilson is a stunning reminder of what pop's been missing all these years [and] the best Beach Boys long player since 1970's Sunflower", with his only criticism being that the LP appeared to lack "a real statement of direction or purpose". In The Village Voices annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll for the year's best albums, the album finished at number 12, though according to the poll's editor, Robert Christgau, had the first two days worth of late ballot submissions "made our deadline, Brian Wilson would have finished not 12th but sixth."

Los Angeles Times Paul Grein wrote that Brian Wilson makes "a strong case for the argument that genius isn’t a perishable commodity". Less favorably, the Associated Press's David Bauder wrote that "Brian Wilson can't compare with any of the early '60s Beach Boys classics", while Peoples Ralph Novak described the record as "often appalling".

Retrospective assessments

Gary Pig Gold, in MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, wrote that the album would disappoint listeners expecting a Pet Sounds-quality masterpiece, however, "That is not to say Wilson isn't still capable of producing works of true beauty; his flair for both vocal and instrumental arrangement remains unparalleled, his voice is now more mature but still as achingly expressive as it was in its prime, and magnificent melodies still seem to spill from him with impossible ease."

Reflecting on Brian Wilson, in a 1997 interview, Paley called it "a pretty good record [but] there were too many cooks and Brian wasn't really calling the shots." In Wilson's 2016 memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, it states, "I liked that record even though I didn’t like the circumstances of making it. It had some really great songs on it." A follow-up album, Sweet Insanity, was co-produced with Landy but never officially released. Wilson continued recording with Paley after disassociating from Landy in 1991, but did not release another solo album that consisted of new original material until Imagination (1998).

Wilson rerecorded "Love and Mercy" and "Melt Away" for the soundtrack to the 1995 documentary Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times. After he began touring regularly at the end of the 1990s, he adopted a stripped-down version of "Love and Mercy" as his signature closing number at live concerts.

Reissues and remix

In 2000, Sire reissued the album through Rhino/Atlantic Records. This edition of the album contained several remixes of the original tracks. It also included the addition of two non-album single tracks, two non-album B-sides, four demos, two alternate mixes, one instrumental, and four interview clips. A similar track listing was adopted for their 2015 reissue, with the only difference being that the "hidden track" was given dedicated space as track 26, "Brian Fan Club X-Mas Message".

Influence

Japanese composers Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki cited Brian Wilson as a major influence on their soundtracks for the video game Mother (1989) and its sequel EarthBound (1994). Tanaka recalled repeatedly listening to the album during his commute to Suzuki's home. "If I arrived a little early, I'd wander around the area listening to it. Personally, I think of MOTHER when I listen to this album".

Track listing

Many of these writing and production credits have been disputed, and, following the album's 2000 reissue, credits to Landy and Morgan were removed. For historical purposes, all tracks are as they were originally credited, albeit with a strikethrough for credits that are no longer officially recognized.

Personnel

Adapted from the 2000 CD deluxe edition liner notes.