Nelson "Imaginator (Japanese Edition)"

Imaginator is the third album from American rock group Nelson. It was released in Japan through Victor Entertainment in 1996, and later in the US through Fuel 2000 in 1998.

The album is notable for being the second album recorded by the band, after the success of their debut album, After the Rain. The album was planned to be released around 1993. However, the album was rejected by producer John Kalodner and the executives at Geffen Records for being too heavy and dark. They gave the band the choice to either record another album, or they would be released from their contract. The band decided to return to the studio again and recorded a third album, Because They Can, which ended up being released by Geffen in 1995. The band broke up with Geffen shortly after the release of that album and released Imaginator through a deal with Victor.

After the success of their first album, After the Rain, and years of touring, Nelson returned to the studio to record their second album. Gunnar Nelson has said on interviews that they were "a little angry too because the whole music industry seemed to change, as well as our own label", referring to how labels and audiences were moving away from the music style that had made them popular at first.

They came up with a concept album that Nelson described as "really dark and brooding and angry". Gunnar described the concept as being "about the machine that is the media. That same machine that built us up and was also ready to tear us down". The album comments on society's dependence on technology and media to make decisions, and how people should take control of their lives and their choices.

Gunnar has also said the band wanted to prove their musicianship and showcase the talent of each member. He has said that the sound of the album is a representation of their live sound at the time.

According to Gunnar Nelson, Imaginator was recorded "in isolation" and nobody from Geffen was involved in the process. He has said that producer John Kalodner was "too busy making Aerosmith records" and he never visited the studio during the recording, so they decided to continue recording the album they had envisioned, hoping he would like it in the end. He also referred to the process as a "creative catharsis" saying that they felt they were under attack and they were "exorcising our demons, and we brought it into Geffen".

Production began August–September 1992 at Granny's House Recording Studio in Reno, NV. Demos were tracked previously at Cherokee Studios in LA, CA. The album was recorded and co-produced by David Holmann who had recorded Olivia Newton-John, Little River Band, Bush and No Doubt. Several tracks originally recorded never ended up on the ultimate release of either the "Imaginator" or "Because They Can" records.

"The theme was: don't rely on technology or on the media to make up your own mind for you, make up your own mind for yourself and make your own decisions on what you like to listen to, what you like to see, what you like to do, how you are supposed to feel. That was what the Imaginator record was really all about. It was speaking against the sort of lucidity that we all seem to get hypnotized into by relying on the media to make up our tastes and our flavors of the minute for us so much.

Gunnar Nelson (guitarist/singer)

When the band presented Imaginator to John Kalodner and the executives at Geffen, they weren't pleased with it. According to Gunnar Nelson, it "scared the hell out of [them] and basically they wanted to distance themselves from it as quickly as possible". Gunnar referred to it as "a very uncomfortable meeting". The executives at Geffen gave the band the choice to either record another album, more according to what they were expecting, or they would be released from their contract.

On interviews, Gunnar Nelson has compared the album to Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, arguing that Geffen could've had a similar success with Imaginator, if they had released it. However, he says that Geffen was seemingly expecting "After the Rain, Pt. II".

Although the band was frustrated by the reaction at Geffen, they decided to return to the studio to record another album. The result was Because They Can, which was released in 1995. Shortly after, the band broke up with Geffen.

After parting ways with Geffen, Nelson established their own label called Stone Canyon Records. In 1996, they released Imaginator through a partnership with Victor Entertainment in Japan. The album was finally released in the United States in 1998.

Track listing

1. "On/Off" Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, Marc Tanner 2:44
2. "Sinners, Inc." M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:34
3. "Do You Believe in Religion?" M. Nelson, G. Nelson 3:11
4. "Kiss Me When I Cry" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Jack Ponti 5:13
5. "I Don't Mess Around, Boy" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:14
6. "Sooner or Later" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Ponti 4:09
7. "We Always Want What We Can't Get" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Ponti 4:34
8. "It's Your Body" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:10
9. "She Gets Down" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Donnie Vie, Chip Z'Nuff 3:55
10. "Tell Me" M. Nelson, G. Nelson 5:25
11. "Greed" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:12
12. "Action" (Originally recorded by Sweet) Andy Scott, Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Mick Tucker 3:36
13. "Ain't Nothin' Really Changed" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:34
14. "We're All Alright" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Vie, Z'Nuff 4:22
15. "Judas Mirror" M. Nelson, G. Nelson 5:33
16. "In a Perfect World" M. Nelson, G. Nelson, Tanner 0:35
17. "Imaginator" (Instrumental) M. Nelson, G. Nelson 4:42

Nelson "After The Rain (Japanese Edition MVCG-53)"

After the Rain is the debut album of the American rock group Nelson, released by DGC Records in 1990. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and spending 64 weeks on the charts. It contained the #1 hit, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" which was also a gold single. The follow-up single, "After the Rain", also reached the Hot 100's top 10, peaking at #6 in February 1991. The album was eventually certified double platinum by RIAA.

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson decided to approach Geffen Records for a record deal. They began talks with A&R executive John Kalodner. According to Gunnar, they met with Kalodner "every month for a year", during which he filtered the songs they brought him until they had enough for an album. Most of the songs of the album were co-written with Marc Tanner, who was introduced to the band by Tom Vickers. Gunnar Nelson described the collaborating process in an interview as "magical" and praised Tanner for being "very supportive of our own instincts and our melodic sense". Tanner also produced the album.

After a year of meeting with Kalodner without being signed, Matthew and Gunnar met with him alone, against the wishes of their managers, and played an acoustic version of "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection". Kalodner was so impressed that the band was signed the next day. As they prepared to record, Matthew and Gunnar started assembling a band. They settled on drummer Bobby Rock, Joey Cathcart, Brett Garsed, and Paul Mirkovich. Mirkovich also contributed an "Interlude" to the album.

In the making of the album, there were several issues in creating the album. One was that Gunnar could not play guitar. Gunnar stated "But what if I took a year off and all I did for that year was play guitar for 10 hours a day, every day?" Gunnar ended up studying and learning how to play. Another issue was their songwriting. Then another issue was the producers for the album: they had to fight the label to get Tanner behind production, and they were initially supposed to work with Duane Baron and John Purdell, which both never worked out. Eventually, they worked with Tanner and co-producer David Thoener, who helped shape Nelson's influences into a modern, radio-friendly sound.

After the Rain was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, and Studio B in Hollywood. According to Gunnar Nelson, they weren't "intimidated" by the process, despite being relatively new to the industry. He also credits co-writer and producer Marc Tanner for keeping them focused.

According to the Nelsons, Geffen producer John Kalodner "basically let us do our own thing". Gunnar has said that Kalodner's process of filtering songs before signing them helped them sort out their material and made it easy for them to come up with the songs for the album.

After the Rain was released on June 26, 1990, and became an instant success, peaking at #17 on the Billboard 200. It also featured some staying power, remaining in the charts for 64 weeks. The album was eventually certified double platinum by RIAA after selling more than 2,000,000 copies.

As a result of the success of the album, the band began a World Tour with over 300 concerts.

After finishing the touring cycle for After the Rain, the band found themselves in massive debt despite the album's success. Nelson returned to the studio and recorded their second album, Imaginator, but it was rejected by their producer and the label for being too dark and heavy. Shelving that album, the band recorded a new collection of songs which became their second release Because They Can 5 years after their debut in 1995. By this time fans had moved on, and the record failed to chart, bringing to Nelson's relationship with the label to an end.

Track listing

1. "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Marc Tanner 3:55
2. "I Can Hardly Wait" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner 4:20
3. "After the Rain" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner, Rick Wilson 4:05
4. "Tracy's Song" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Eric Hilliard Nelson 1:01
5. "Only Time Will Tell" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner, Greg Sutton 4:14
6. "More Than Ever" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner 3:23
7. "(It's Just) Desire" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner, Craig Stull 4:24
8. "Fill You Up" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner 4:38
9. "Interlude" Paul Mirkovich 1:30
10. "Everywhere I Go" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner 5:02
11. "Bits and Pieces" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner, Wilson 4:02
12. "Will You Love Me?" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Brad Bailey 4:20

Japanese special edition bonus MVCG-53

1. "Too Many Dreams" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Tanner, Wilson 4:15
2. "Keep One Heart" Matthew & Gunnar Nelson 4:54

John Kalodner – producer

Marc Tanner – producer

David Thoener – producer, mixer, engineer

David Holman – additional mixing

Jack Benson – recording assistant at Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California

Leon Granados – recording assistant at Studio B, Hollywood, California

Nick Els – recording assistant at Studio B, Hollywood, California

Rick Norman – assistant mixer

Scotty Ralston – assistant mixer

Greg Fulginiti – mastering

David Donnelly – mastering supervisor

Marc Greene – pre-production

Robert O. Ragland – synclavier arrangement on "Only Time Will Tell" and "I Can Hardly Wait"

Stephen Klong – drums and programming

Scott Douglas MacLachlan – background vocals

Larry Mazer – management

Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction and design

Lyn Bradley – design

Dennis Keeley and Michael Lavine – photography

Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, and Diane Estelle – clothing image concept

Diane Estelle – clothes design

Gail Ananighian and Marie Blom – assistants

Kohlene Hendrickson – symbology