Customer Reviews

Pacific Ocean Blue (Legacy Edition)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In his lifetime Dennis Wilson only release one solo album. And here it is.Now 'Pacific Ocean Blue' was on CD once before but didn't remain in print very long and has since sunk into legend status. So it was only a matter of time before it was reissued in a deluxe package like this. For some perspective Dennis Wilson was the first Beach Boy to record a solo album and this set also comes with great liner notes. And it truly lives up to it's legend in just about every way. The music borrows from certain sources (most notably Brian Wilson) but is nothing at all like anything he nor any of the other Beach Boys did. In general terms the musical base of the album is far more stripped down then anything else-in addition each song has a multi-part style fluxuation not disimilar to Brian or Phil Spectors music. The majestic "River Song" is a perfect example as well as being one of the best compositions here.The few uptempo songs here (the best being "Friday Night" and "Pacific Ocean Blues") have a strong funky blues groove to them that neither Brian Wilson or the Beach Boys ever went for.Other songs such as "Moonshine","Rainbows" and "Farewell My Friend" showcase most strong another major wild card for Dennis Wilson;his raw,gravely singing voice is a lot more like Bruce Springsteen then The Four Freshmen. That vocal quality matched with the music puts this music is an unusual cross between heartland rock n' roll,bluesy,funky southern rock and orchestral california pop,without making any specific commitment to any of those styles. Also you get to hear how truly wonderful musician Dennis has become-his abilities as a drummer able to aptly jump from tempo to tempo in a breeze,as well as his grossly unheralded piano playing are showcased throughout the album. This album comes with a second CD featuring material from an unreleased sophmore album of Dennis' called 'Bambu'-most of which further showcases his abilities as a musician.While most of the material on this is more in the california pop vein then his first album there are many surprises such as "School Girl",a rocker that emphasizes a strong use of synthesizers and the errie "Love Surrounds Me",same idea only on a slower tune.Taken together all of the music Dennis ever recorded as a solo artist is featured here.And summing up what ended up being one of the "greatest career's that barely happened" in pop history I am personally relieved this is one that will not be forgotton.

In my last year of college, I was working late one night at my job when an older and wiser coworker dropped a copy of Pet Sounds on my desk and told me it'd change my life, and it certainly did. But equally revelatory was my purchase of the Sunflower/Surf's Up twofer a few months later, when I first encountered Dennis Wilson as a songwriter. Realizing there was solo material by someone who could rock in ways Brian never quite did but still construct achingly beautiful ballads, I did a little digging, found out there was a long out of print solo record and spent the next decade trading up one low fidelity copy for another of both "Pacific Ocean Blue" and what we always thought of as "Bamboo".

So imagine my delight at discovering that Sony was finally giving Dennis Wilson (most of) his due, with a reissue of "Pacific Ocean Blue" with pieces of the sessions from "Bambu" (note the spelling) receiving official release (I'll add a comment with the side story of how this experience got delayed for me). And luckily, this edition is just about everything I could hope it would be.

For starters, the album itself is presented in pristine sound to show all its glory. One thing Dennis did better than his brothers was stick his heart and soul on record, and it's all bared out on "Pacific Ocean Blue". This is a record that's never quite been recognized for what it is-- a true lost masterpiece. Whether it's the avant-gospel of opener "River Song" (featuring brother Carl on top of the chorus), the swaggering, bluesy "Friday Night", the tormented "Thoughts of You", the delicate, lilting "You and I" or a sweet tribute in "Farewell My Friend", Dennis captures something magical. His voice, never exactly stunning in a technical sense, shows a real power and depth that only life experience could create. And while it's likely to not make this record for everyone, there's something really going on here that deserves a whole lot more attention then it's ever gotten.

This reissue adds to the album a pile of unreleased tracks-- most notably the material from "Bambu". A chance to see what Dennis was planning for the next record, we get really a continuation of the majesty of "Pacific Ocean Blue", from the unusual, grunting swagger of "Wild Situation" to the just staggering beauty of "It's Not too Late", a piece really without compare in Dennis or the Beach Boys' catalog. Dennis takes the verses, ragged and desperate and turns to brother Carl for the choruses, who digs in deep to his soul and r&b roots to pull out all the stops, matching Dennis in power and emotion. The first time I heard it, on a poor bootleg, I stared in awe at my speakers. Today, I have the same response.

Mind you, with anything like this, the diehards like me are going to find omissions that drive them nuts, really there's only a couple things. From the "Bambu" sessions, "Baby Blue" is notably absent. Available on the Beach Boys M.I.U. Album/L.A. (Light Album) twofer, it's home is really with "Bambu" and it's a piece that could challenge "It's Not Too Late". Also absent is his early single, "Sound of Free", and it's b-side, "Lady" (though I consider the latter far more essential then the former), apparently tied up in copyright snarls, and lost Beach Boys classic "Carry Me Home" (no idea where this one is). Having stated this, a legitimate copy of "Pacific Ocean Blue" alone is worth the price of admission, and the first clean recording of the magnificent "He's a Bum" I've ever heard? Really, this one is fantastic.

Whenever a reissue happens, I always think of it as a time for reevaluation of an artist or his catalog. Certainly, both Dennis Wilson and "Pacific Ocean Blue" have spent too long being overlooked. Maybe now will change thngs. Highly recommended.

Now that the legendarily lost classic has arrived as a gorgeous remastered twofer, I must admit that Dennis' talent matched the 70s nearly as well as his older brothers' entwines the 60's. POB has all the lush soul of the best of the West Coast scene. (While comparisons are a lazy form of description, there is some resemblance to Gene Clark's No Other, at least in terms of production and heart.)

The real surprise for me is the second disc in this set. I was prepared for some dogged self-indulgent scraps. I wasn't expecting the leaner and more expansive collection that not only seems better suited to his uniquely raw vocal, but explores more personal and revealing trails. If as the excellent liner notes describe, Dennis was losing his studio and various collaborators simultaneous to a personal downward cycle, the songs he managed to create are all the more compelling. Beyond the final salvos of flickering talent, this also shows the potential for the lone wolf playing most of the instruments in even the most modest of recording environments. Supremely impressive.

Anyway, this is an event that in some ways tops Brian's recent success with Smile, in that the released product here is of the original source material. But the final availability of both remind us of the incredible talent these sibs had going for them.

This definitive reissue of Pacific Ocean Blue brings together all of Dennis Wilson's solo recordings, which were either out of print or previously unreleased. Pacific Ocean Blue was widely acclaimed when it came out in 1977 and has deservedly maintained its classic status in the decades since. Though Dennis achieved fame as the drummer for The Beach Boys, his own songs are based on the moving, harmonically inventive chord progressions he discovered while teaching himself to play the piano and listening in on older brother Brian. Dennis sings with tunefulness and power, his rough-edged voice bringing tension and soul to the expansive arrangements. The lyrics, especially for the unfinished Bambu sessions, are less fully realized than the underlying music. But the feeling behind them is undeniable, and they frequently go thematically beyond the letterman-sweater sensibilities of the Beach Boys.

The high point of this compilation, and a high-water mark for rock records in general, is the original album itself. The bonus material, though intriguing, is far less consistent. As reissues go, this one should serve as a model: the original photography and gatefold design are faithfully reproduced with a few additional snapshots; the sound is pristine; the liner-note essays are detailed and insightful; and Taylor Hawkins, sounding more like Dennis than Dennis himself, adds surprisingly compelling vocals to the unfinished instrumental Holy Man. Unavailable for years, this album is often cited as evidence that Brian was not the only genius in The Beach Boys. When you hear it, you'll know why.

First released on LP and cassette in 1977, it was out of print by 1979. It was issued on CD for the first time in 1991 and pulled out of print within a few months due to legal issues over who owns the rights.

Fast forward to 2008. All the legal issues have been resolved and thanks to Caribou Records owner Jim Guercio and all the folks at Legacy, this lost classic is finally available again for all to fall in love with.

Frankly, it's a crime against humanity that music this awesome has been out of print for 29 of the 31 years that it has existed. The music will speak to you on levels that few artists' music can and the songs continue to pay huge dividends to the listener all these years later. Another note is that you need to listen to this as an album. Just put it on and let all twelve tracks play. At the end, I guarantee you'll be blown away. Songs like "River Song", "Moonshine", "Time", "Friday Night", "Thoughts of You", "Pacific Ocean Blues" and "End of the Show" have to be heard to be believed.

As for the actual package; the original twelve album tracks are remastered from the first generation analog master tapes and all the bonus tracks on discs 1 and 2 are newly mixed and mastered and are easily better than anything available on bootlegs. The packaging is a beautiful triple-fold out cardboard cover with a good thick booklet, a reproduction of the handwritten letter that Dennis included with promo copies of the album, and disc 1 contains a 17-page PDF that contains additional liner notes from Beach Boys historian David Leaf, and a longer version of one of the essays in the actual booklet.

Overall, this is some of the best money you'll ever spend on music. This was the best solo album ever released by a Beach Boy. Period.

'Pacific Ocean Blue' is a cult classic which lives up to it's reputation. It's lush, heartfelt, emotionally stirring and unique. This superb re-release does justice to an extraordinarily good album which has been commercially unavailable for a surprisingly long time.

The packaging is lavish - a fold-out digipak style slipcase which reproduces all the original artwork including inner pictures and lyric sheet. To this is added a substantial booklet including a great deal of information and many rare photographs. If that's not enough for you, there's a pdf file on one of the discs with more.

'Pacific Ocean Blue' comprises the first 12 tracks on the first disc - for my money it's up there with 'Astral Weeks' by Van Morrison as amongst the top 10 indispensable albums. A previous reviewer criticised the sound quality of this release: I don't believe such criticism is justified. An A-B comparison with the original (long deleted) CD release, whose quality was perfectly acceptable, reveals a very similar tonality. In places the new release is somewhat clearer and certainly offers greater dynamics - but overall the original feel has been respected and reproduced. As ever, those migrating from vinyl might take a few listens to readjust.

What of the 21 'bonus' tracks? I have always had the impression that the legendary 'lost' second solo album 'Bambu' was lost somewhere within Dennis Wilson rather than in the sense of a lost tape. There's nothing here to change my mind on that score. There are at most half a dozen tracks which hold a candle to Pacific Ocean Blue, of which about three are really magnificent. The remainder either deserve their status as out-takes, or are promising tracks so unfinished as to even, in several cases, lack all vocals.

Other reviewers have mentioned the lack of the single releases "Lady" and "Sound of Free". I can see how they might have been welcomed, but they originated many years before the first solo album, so I feel there's a rationale for omitting them. Neither do I hold these rare tracks in the high regard others seem to...

If I were to have a gripe it's that the extra tracks on disc one break the mood at the end of the original album. I'd have sacrificed an instrumental or two to keep that disc to the original running order. That said, whilst I generally have very little sympathy for record companies, on this occasion I feel Sony deserve the applause to overwhelm the criticism (however constructive it may be). They have released this album into the wild again, and the team who put the release together evidently did it with care and with love.

Wow. Better than I could have hoped. Though an obvious product of its era, and certainly over-produced, it's as good as anybody else's efforts, and would sure make pleasant listening on a summer patio afternoon... Really, surprising. Poor DENNIS WILSON never knew his one album would become an artifact, like a derided painting not of its time, that still has the power to master...and to change... Now admired and remembered, PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE is a real find, partly because of the inclusion of the unfinished BAMBU as a second disk, beautiful packaging in tribute to DENNIS, but also being found is what this record is all about, being found lost in time, lost in fame as the eye-candy drummer boy who also was the surfer, lost in the endless rhythms of the ocean... This record is a wonderful surprise!!

Imagine the sound if The Band and The Beach Boys tried to record a Pink Floyd album. In the best way possible... here you go.

This album has blown me away. I am a 28 year old life long fan of the Beach Boys, and my favorite BB's is smile-holland. I have heard most of everything else, but I have to say, this album is absolutely stunning on almost every level. There are a couple of bonehead style rock songs shoehorned into this, track 2 mainly :(, but over all this is the most expansively ear pleasing set of tracks ever recorded by any of the Wilson Bro's in any form.

The power and depth of this album is almost unrivaled. I know there are a lot of people that think the "Wilson" name is some kind of stamp of glory on anything, and I am not one of those people. I have plenty of misgivings about many Brian Wilson so called "master pieces" (Big Ones and Love You for ex), but this album represents the total package of Wilson possibility that everyone has been looking for all these years.

It's that good. It's Pet Sounds Good.

This is one of those albums you want to strap on the headphones to at around midnight and listen to until you die. You know the ones you just want to keep restarting and listening to over and over again. It reminds me much of the feeling I got from Dark Side of the Moon. If you like rolling over a stone and finding bliss, here it is.

Dennis, it's a damn shame about you my man, a damn shame. Beautiful music.

Dennis Wilson "Pacific Ocean Blue", was an album that was released to rave reviews in 1977, and then was basically cast off and forgotten by the new digital music era, never receiving the light of day until now. Inside this one time Beach Boy , was a musical vision that exploded in 1978, and was a sound that was unlike anything coming from his bandmates. If I had to make an analogy, I would compare him to Beatle George Harrison who for most of his Beatle career was kept under wraps, until Abbey Road and his hugely successful solo albums. Dennis Wilson's passion for his music is quite evident, as he sings with an aching rasp that comes from the heart. The "River Song", is without question the best solo Beach Boy song ever waxed. It is full of harmonies and features Dennis and his smokey and saddened vocal performance that is so convincing, that the listener is immediately drawn to it like a vacum. What makes this collection so special, is it really is a tribute to Dennis and his musical legacy. The cd is repackaged with lots of care and thought. A bonus disc, featuring the "Bambu Sessions", which was to be the follow-up to "Pacific Ocean Blue", was scrapped after his death, and put on the shelf and forgotten. We'll, let me just say, that this is not filler, but a well done collection of tunes that is nothing short of phenominal. The song "It's Not To Late", is especially touching, as one can hear Carl Wilson singing along with his brother Dennis, on a fantastic number, that was probably the last time they ever sang together on record. The fact that they are both gone now makes it a very special moment for fans ande their families. I can't say enough about the packaging, which is full of great photo's, and very informative liner notes and recording information, all housed in a 44 page booklet. If this album was released in 1970, it would have been considered one of the great rock albums ever made, but unfortunately, it was released during the height of the disco era, and not much attention was afforded this release at the time by critics or the buying public. So it can now be said, that "Pacific ocean Blue", has been one of the best kept secrets in the music industry for years, until now. There can be no denying the status of this CD as one of the great recordings of the rock era. I only hope that a whole new younger generation of music fans discover this gem via their parents, to see what we have been missing all these years. Finally, this release is the gift that his fans have been longing for, and is a testament to his musical talent and his memory.

This is a tough review to write. It's easy to gush enlessly about music I love, and easy to lose sight of the fact that some folks don't care for this album.

So, let me be clear on two points -
1. I love this album
2. This is a reissue that raises the bar for what reissue should be.

So, to the first point. This album is an emotionally intese roller-coaster that features fantastic song writing and production. Dennis' voice had seriously deteriorated by this point, and would deteriorate much further prior to his death, to the point where he would just be croaking out "You Are So Beautiful" in a truly embarrassing spectacle. But at the point of this album, he was still able to sing, albeit in a more husky, smoky voice. That voice, in conjunction with the incredible songwriting and production, and with the knowledge of the tragedy that would end Denni's life in a few years, makes this a very powerful listen. I had not listened to this in years, and coming back to it was an experience. This album is not for everyone, but with an open mind and the knowledge to be gleaned from the liner notes, this is a wonderful treat.

As far as the reissue goes, are you kidding? TWO cds? Two essays? Tracks that we NEVER thought would be released? Incredible sound quality too? This is the way it should be done.

My only beef with this package is that some of Dennis' better songs for Bambu were taken by the Beach Boys and added to their albums, and are not represented here. ("10,000 Years" comes to mind) But that's not too big a problem, those songs ARE on the Beach Boys albums.

Really great stuff. I'm thrilled to finally own a legitimate copy of this album.