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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sometimes We Forget, June 19, 2008
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.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lost classic finally given its due., June 18, 2008
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.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Bambu. Hooda Thunkit (It's in the jeans?), June 20, 2008
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.
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