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Track Listings
| 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 |
Product Description
Review
Long unavailable, many have never heard this record. Never being much of a Beach Boys fan growing up (simply too overrated); the more people eulogised about this and offered me a listen to a black-market copy of Dennis Wilson's lone solo outing, the more I shied away. Well, my smart-arsed loss. Pacific Ocean Blue is nearly as good as everyone has always said it was. And the poignancy of Wilson's life and death further enforces its status as a critical holy grail. It even may be worthy of the quantity of chin that has been stroked to it over the years.
What a pleasure to discover it now. Pacific Ocean Blue is the amusement arcade with the paint peeling, the carnie clown's cracked make-up fading as they pack away their act after another late September weekend of half-full applause and bitter tears. The other side of summer. Released in 1977, it was the first ever Beach Boy solo album, and much to the chagrin of Mike Love in particular, it became the sort of artistic success that the group themselves hadn't enjoyed for a long while.
Written and recorded in fits and starts since the mid-70s, Wilson took his brother Brian's painstaking approach, but came to the studio as a non-musician, with boundless possibilities that had to offer. The bass harmonicas and Dixie jazz of Dreamer; the layered vocals of River, Time with its flugelhorn, all dazzle in their understated way. Wilson's voice is the real revelation. It's barely there, sounds like its on the brink of collapse, and has a charm all of its own.
The accompanying Bambu sessions weren't designed to be a full album, and they lack the cohesive nature of the first disc. But for his duet with brother Carl, It's Not Too Late alone, and Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins' spirited vocal version of Holy Man, it completes a genuinely exciting package which will finally bring the recording to a new and much-deserved audience.
Only 200,000 people bought Pacific Ocean Blue. To paraphrase Brian Eno's quotation about the Velvet Underground, half went on to make records that sounded like it; half went on to be music critics. One listen makes you realise that the Flaming Lips, Midlake and Eric Matthews weren't that innovative after all. --Daryl Easlea
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow apparently someone listened to the wrong album...?,
By
This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)
I can only assume that the reviewer before me was sent the wrong version, or that Amazon are indeed false advertising here? The Legacy edition of this album contains the 3 bonus tracks including the brilliant Taylor Hawkins version of 'Holy Man' - almost impossible to tell the difference in his voice but not contrived in it's attempt in the slightest.In simple terms, this album is brilliant. I think with regards to the reviewer below, and indeed perhaps many of you, if you purchase this album expecting another Beach Boys record, you will be solely disappointed. It's much more developed and mature in it's sound in many ways - think Nick Drake, if he'd discovered gospel choirs and written mainly on piano. Simply heartbreaking in some places, and beautiful at the same time. Dennis was in a particularly bad place for much of his life, much in the same way that Brian was. Or any teenage kid who finds fame too young inevitably goes through. What sets Dennis apart from Brian, or indeed any of the other Beach Boys efforts, is that he perfectly documented his heartbreak and mental-state on this record. I too watched the BBC documentary on him and found it very moving. Did you know that the Beach Boys record company owned the boat in which Dennis wrote many of his songs and spent a great deal of his time? When their company went bust later on, they were forced to sell what was, in many ways, Dennis's real home. He loved that boat. He threw many of his possessions out into the waters of the harbor where it was docked and years later when he was at a particularly rough patch of alcoholism dived under water to retrieve his lost items. Apparently he hit his head on a boat on coming back up to the surface, knocked himself unconscious and drowned. When they found him he was curled up in a fetal position on the bottom of the ocean. Words can't express what a tragedy this is. Rest in peace Dennis and a superb album to leave behind in your legacy.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A COOL CAT,
By mister joe "mister joe" (Herts) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)
I recently watched cult movie Two Lane Blacktop starring Dennis Wilson,an oddly cool film thats sort of stayed in my brain so i started to check out Dennis Wilson,his career,his troubles,his passing.I am not a Beach Boys fan really,way too american but obviously appreciate their cultural placing and legacy.Pacific Ocean Blue is commonly refered to as the great "lost album" bar none,however it was more of a matter of being deleted.I have heard of this album and its plaudits for years and years,it sold 300,000 copies on its initial release so do not really know about this recurgitated "lost album" thing.It is a really cool album,very cool.Honest,musically accomplished and i can understand why Beach Boys and the industry were taken by surprise at Wilsons evident talent,i think he was kinda seen as a pretty boy drunk who did not give much to the band.A strong sense of spirit envelops this album and Wilson is very natural,i mean HE IS the beach boy.This is classic 70s stuff but still conveys much today.Recommended and definetly worth the praise and status.Wilson had real star quality,heart and spirit.Not like the vapid,ego bloated siliconed brained singers of nowadays.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Soulful and about Life,
By
This review is from: Pacific Ocean Blue (Audio CD)
Just watched the BBC Documentary on Dennis and as I grew up with the Beach Boys felt I had to write a review of this music. Dennis was a grown man when he conceived and wrote these songs. The original album was released in 1977 and Dennis was 33. by which time he was in his third marriage. He had seen good times and bad, like the rest of us, and this reflects in the music. His involvement with Charles Manson is well documented and there is no doubt that this most likely left Dennis with emotional scars. This isn't the music of teenagers and certainly much of it is in bold contrast to the fresh and optimistic sound of the Beach Boys. This is the sound of a travel worn and weary guy who always wore his heart on his sleeve. Yes, Brian is the genius of the family, but Dennis was more than 'just a drummer" in the band. His tireless contribution in terms of energy and providing a solid (and unique sounding) backbeat was as quintessential to the Beach Boys sound as the impeccable vocal harmonies. It would be wrong for this album to sound slickly produced and sugary sweet. The songs are about life and it's disappointments and joys, written by a guy who put his heart and soul on a piece of vinyl with sincerity and feeling. Dennis's voice suits the songs and subject matter perfectly and without doubt this is a gem of a record. Think of it as the Beach Boys "grown up".
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