Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 26, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000008MDK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,913 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contender for the greatest album ever..., March 17, 2004

By 

Jason Parkes "We're all Frankies'" (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)

This might sound like Beach Boy-sacrilege, but I'd rather see Pacific Ocean Blue back on CD than any issue of Brian's mythic Smile (which I caught on the tour from Wilson & co here). Not that Smile is bad, but it's nowhere near Pacific Ocean Blue as far as I'm concerned. This album is now going for ridiculous prices- the 1991 reissue fetching close to $200 & not living in area where broadband exists, downloading this is not an option. So I depend on an ancient tape with other bootleg material. This is the kind of album I dream about & wonder if it's all just a dream...

Dennis Wilson was the second genius songwriter in The Beach Boys- to be fair Carl and Love co-wrote/wrote many classics- but Dennis came to fill the void left by Brian from the late 60s onwards. It's unfair to compare Dennis to Brian, but Dennis was coming up with string-soaked odes to valium like Cuddle Up, country-soul like Forever & the Vietnam-outtake Carry Me Home (later covered by Primal Scream on their Dixie-Narco e.p.). Apart from Sunflower (1970), The Beach Boys albums post-Pet Sounds were hit & miss affairs- the highlights often being a Dennis track (if not a slight Brian return). Most of Pacific Ocean Blue was written with co-Forever-songwriter Gregg Jakobson- though the title track was written with Mike Love and River Song was co-written with Carl & slowly recorded over the 70s (several tracks intended for POB and the unreleased follow-up Bamboo found their way onto Beach Boys records, e.g. Love Surrounds Me, Baby Blue). Pacific Ocean Blue came out in 1977 and is one of the great records of the 1970s, scrub that, of all time...

Dennis offered the ultimate statement- hypnotic piano-driven songs, achingly sincere vocals, a different kind of musical experimentation. It makes perfect sense next to such albums of the era as Exile on Main Street, Manassas, On the Beach, Greetings from LA and No Other. Every song is utterly wonderful- this would happilly be my desert island disc: it's the kind of album that would make the ideal final purchase. Nothing much comes close to it- though perhaps it's just it's hard to find nature that makes me think that!

The songs are gorgeous, my favourite track being Time- which nods at the universal qualities apparent in Dennis' work and has sax/flugelhorn that reminds me of 1980s David Sylvian or late-period Talk Talk for some reason! It seems absurd to talk about an album you can't buy- but one like California (American Music Club), Star Sailor (Tim Buckley) & Time Fades Away (Neil Young) that should be available on CD! Can you believe that there are two books about Dennis Wilson at the moment (Dumb Angel, The Real Beach Boy)- so perhaps there might be an audience for this cd? (do you think so! DOH!)It seems odd when a lot of Beach Boys junk (e.g. Mt Vernon & Fairway) are widely available- as are some dull late Beach Boys works.

Pacific Ocean Blue is probably caught in licensing-limbo, which is a tragedy as it's not available- just that fact is depressing enough! Perhaps someone like Rhino- who did a great job with The Velvets'Loaded & Fleetwood Mac's Tusk should reissue this? I'd settle for the same quality reissues as the No Other & On the Beach reissues last year. Though with the unreleased Bamboo, the Lady (Fallin' in Love)/Sound of Free single, Carry Me Home and other songs such as You Are So Beautiful, Morning Christmas, San Miguel & other rumours, there's enough here for a box-set! Pacific Ocean Blue is the musical equivalent of a Richard Brautigan novel, & the best California-songs until 60 Watt Silver Lining by Mark Eitzel. A masterpiece, & probably worth the collectors prices you'll pay for it right now...REISSUE!!! SOMEONE!!!! PLEASE!!!!!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal !!!!, August 30, 2005

By 

M. Brust (Denton, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)

Dennis lived the life Brian could only imagine. Dennis had musical talent? Who knew?!!! This album's music somehow caught the reflection of a soul, whose feelings were as deep and wide as the "Pacific Ocean Blue". Compare this to anything Carl ever did,and one sees quickly that the "wild one" stood nearest to big brother Brian in sensitivity---they were,in some ways, two reflections of the same heart. I have this album on vinyl. I play it often. No other music,including Brian's, is quite as emotionaly sublime. In every song, you get the sense you're listening to someone swimming hard toward the watery surface of himself, so he can call for help; not caring if anyone hears or not. We call an act,such as this, Art. Don't pay an exorbitant price to the gougers who have listed their copies for upwards of $300.00. Be patient. Music this good will find a way to it's audience.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent - A True Lost Classic, August 12, 2004

By 

brainsaladsurgeon (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)

I got a remastered CD of Pacific Ocean Blue from CiscOdisc about a year ago and I have not been able to put it down. Normally I don't get obsessed like that with an album, but as the months went on, I couldn't stop listening as Pacific Ocean Blue slowly unfolded. It's a masterpiece, and it's utterly heartbreaking.

Listening to Dennis's tracks on the Beach Boys '70s albums will give you an idea of what POB is about, but it tops them. It's a total vision. Despite his hard-partying life, Dennis had a tender heart and was a master balladeer. Although there's some great, sunny rockers here, POB is mostly the sound of a thunderstorm brewing up over the ocean and then blowing down a lone driver on a dark Pacific Coast Highway. It's obvious that his love life was going through some tumultuous times during the writing of these songs. All the songs are immaculately produced with a full band, with bells, bass harmonica, strings, piano, mellotron, and lots of (uncredited) Beach Boys harmonies (I'm positive that's Carl in "River Song!"). And then there's Dennis's voice--wow. The "gravel-and-honey" sound he cultivated over the years is both sweet and powerful.

Since POB has been out of print for years, and the discs on Amazon's marketplace are outrageously expensive, my advice is to Google: "Dennis Wilson, Dreamer" and do a search for CiscOdisc's remastered Pacific Ocean Blue. They even stuck some bonus demos on there. Check out the "Dreamer" web site. This album is essential listening--not just for Beach Boys fans--for everyone.

It's definitely worth seeking out. After you hear it, you'll be listening to Dennis's Beach Boys tunes a lot closer forever after.