Product Description

Few records of the twentieth century have attained such a substantial cult following as Dennis Wilson's 'Pacific Ocean Blue', finally re-released alongside material from its troubled follow-up 'Bambu' after his death in 1983. As the original drummer of The Beach Boys (and the only member who could surf), Dennis was perhaps the most misunderstood member of the group, while his celebrated brother Brian was the recipient of most attention. 'Pacific Ocean Blue', originally released in 1977, is a dense and emotional series of songs, veering from rock and gospel stomps ('River Song') to introvert and complexly orchestrated ballads ('Thoughts Of You'). The material from the abandoned 'Bambu' sessions is also includedhere, with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins given the mammoth challenge of completing one of Wilson's songs, 'Holy Man', with new lyrics.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. River Song
2. What's Wrong
3. Moonshine
4. Friday Night
5. Dreamer
6. Thoughts Of You
7. Time
8. You And I
9. Pacific Ocean Blues
10. Farewell My Friend
11. Rainbows
12. End Of The Show
13. Tug Of Love
14. Only With You
15. Holy Man
16. Mexico

Disc 2:

1. Under The Moonlight
2. It's Not Too Late
3. School Girl
4. Love Remember Me
5. Love Surrounds Me
6. Wild Situation
7. Common
8. Are You Real
9. He's A Bum
10. Cocktails
11. I Love You
12. Constant Companion
13. Time For Bed
14. Album Tag Song
15. All Alone
16. Thoughts Of You
17. Holy Man

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #930 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-16
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Enhanced, Original recording remastered

Amazon.co.uk Review

Apart from the non-release of Smile, the biggest lament of hardcore Beach Boys fans is that Bruce Johnston aside, none of the non-Brian Wilson solo albums are available on CD. But now, for fans of late drummer Dennis Wilson, there's reason to celebrate as his only-released solo album gets the reissue it deserves. Widely acknowledged as the finest Beach Boys solo effort, it's now presented with clarity, allowing the full sonic palette--the punch of opening "River Song" for example--to be heard in its intended glory. Wilson's raspy vocal may have been past its prime, but it's still affecting and ably supported by the sumptuous production values he gave the album. With high quality tracks such as the funky "Dreamer" and the poignant "Farewell My Friend", this will appeal to anyone with even a passing interest in The Beach Boys, as well as a delight for hardcore fans as the unreleased tracks (from the unfinished follow-up Bambu), easily match the original's quality.

While the disappointing absence of earlier singles ("Lady" or "Sound of Free") prevents this from being a definitive career anthology, this is as essential a Beach Boys artefact as Pet Sounds or Sunflower/Surf's Up. -–Thom Allott

Customer Reviews

Not Dennis Wilson
This isn't Dennis Wilson. It looks like the reviews and the product have gotten matched up wrongly. Listen to the preview before buying to make up your mind, as they might have fixed it by the time you read this.

Royal reissue of first Beach Boys solo release
As a drummer, harmony vocalist and occasional songwriter, Dennis Wilson wasn't the obvious member of the Beach Boys to be first to market with a solo album. But with this 1977 release he stepped outside the shadow of his brother Brian and showed off surprising. These rock productions, thick with guitars, drums, keyboards and orchestration, combine his legacy as a part of Brian Wilson's troupe, along with influences of West Coast collaborators like Gary Usher and visionaries like Curt Boettcher. Interestingly, by the time Wilson completed the album in 1976, the sounds upon which he was weaned were giving way to rootsier singer-songwriter introspection and more bombastic arena rock. Both of those flavors can also be heard here, the former in Wilson's introspective lyrics, and the latter in the grandiosity of the productions.

There's a sophistication to this solo effort that sets it apart from contemporaneous work by the Beach Boys, who in 1977 were still lyrically in thrall of Brian Wilson's childlike wonder. By this point Dennis Wilson's ragged voice was no match for his brothers', but he made canny choices: what to sing, how to sing it and how to surround himself with instrumentation. As other reviewers have noted, Dennis Wilson's rasp is an acquired taste, and can be wearying at album length, but there's no denying the feeling in his vocals or his commitment to the lyrics. Emotionally and sonically this is an album both of its time and of the times in which Wilson grew up as an artist, and the palpable air of depletion is heart-wrenching in contrast to the lyrical optimism. The album can be a wearying spin beginning to end, but the individual tracks make for very great surprises in a mix.

Legacy's deluxe reissue is one of the best they've ever put together in this series. In addition to superbly remastered versions of the album's original dozen tracks, disc one is filled out with four previously unreleased items, and disc two contains sixteen tracks from Wilson's unfinished second album, Bambu. Wilson's voice was spent and at times tuneless as he recorded the follow-on tracks, making Bambu even more of an acquired taste than POB. Much of the bonus material has circulated on bootlegs, but this is its first official release in full master tape fidelity. The quad-fold cardboard slipcase includes a 40-page booklet stuffed with photos, an essay by Ben Edmonds, a Dennis Wilson artistic chronology, song and musician credits, and lyrics. Disc one also features a PDF that includes a 16-page essay by noted Beach Boys biographer David Leaf and a slightly extended version of the booklet's chronology. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Nice!
Fantastic album Pacific Ocean Blue, just get it and listen to it, plus the bonus tracks and the additional lost album 'Bambu', all beautifully packaged, make this a worthy tribute to a flawed genius; Dennis Wilson.