Pacific Ocean Blue

3.6 - Here's a studio veteran that had a hand in some of the greatest popular music ever recorded. So as might be expected, towards the end of his recording career, he's got a supremely deep bag of studio tricks, he's got access to the finest equipment, and a vast network of sound magicians he can tap at will. But, what might be lacking are new ideas along with the energy to explore new emotional territory. I'm hearing loads of subtle beauty in the studio craft. Each song seems like a masterclass in paring sounds, but there's a yawning melancholy that seems to pervade this record despite its considerable sheen.

Was never a big fan of Dennis. The only song of his I like was "All I Wanna Do," so I didn't have high hopes for his solo effort. But from the first song I was surprised. "River Song" gives off strong Beach Boys vibes, and in fact it was originally supposed to be so, but the choir masterfully interlays with Dennis's and the piano ballad to make an emotionally powered piece. Nice segway to the classic rock n roll "What's Wrong" which sets up a cool mood for the next few bluesy-roots songs. My favorite stretch of songs is from "Dreamer" to "Pacific Ocean Blues." I absolutely love the brass contributions of that first song and how they work together with the guitar for lead. The other songs are a lot less blues, showcasing Dennis's amazing baroque pop voice that reminds me of what I loved so much about the Beach Boys. "You and I" gives off Steely Dan vibes, probably the most beautiful song on the album. The titular track is a momentary return to the bluesy theme of the album. It's another strong entry, and the track you're most likely to sing along to, again showcasing a Dennis's talented production. The last tracks are also good ballad tracks, although I wasn't as crazy about them as the others. I thought the closing was perfect. Ignoring the lyrics, it combined everything that defined the album, from the choral vocals to the blues sound to the piano ballad, and Dennis's mature and passionate voice. I see a lot of reviews complaining about the length. They should know Pacific Ocean Blue is just the first 12, which is the perfect length for me. I will for sure return to this album, and re-listen to Dennis's tracks on Beach Boys albums.

This album is such an underrated banger, experiemental in all the right ways It contains Time, which is one of my favourite songs of all time River Song is fantastic. I think this album is at his best when the brass sections kick in and the songs are pounding like crazy. So good Moonshine has just a nice refrain at the end with lovely backing vocals to close the song out When the brass kicks in on Dreamer during the first verse... outstanding Rainbows - great backing vocals, lovely high pitched guitar, beautiful song End of the Show is a great way to end it not super into Whats Wrong and Friday Night, but the rest of it is great. I'm leaning 5. it could be 5, if its not five, its close PS - i DO NOT take extra tracks into consideration when scoring, but for common knowledge, the bonus tracks on disc one are INCREDIBLE. Tug of Love / Only with You /Holy Man, superb. lovely stuff, absolutely fantastic

You know that Wilson guy from the Beach Boys? No, not Brian, the eccentric genius. The other one. No, not Carl! Why would you even mention Carl?! Nobody ever talks about Carl! No, I mean one who was all mixed up with Charles Manson. Dennis, yeah. Well, it turns out he was a damn fine songwriter. In fact, "Pacific Ocean Blue" is a great album. It has a little bit of that Beach Boys smell to it but it veers hard into funk/rock/blues territory, at times evoking Clapton, The Stones, George Clinton, and a half-dozen other artists who were cutting absolute classic tracks at the time. It's really a great album. Too bad about that whole Manson thing.

The thing I have learned after more than 400 albums is that if an album is almost 2 hours long, chances are, half the songs can be scrapped. I don't see why we needed two hours, so in that it fails as an album. It wasn't even bad, but I kept looking at the time wishing it would be over sooner than later.

Ebb and flow rock. Tons of grand ideas, and plenty of instruments, lacks any real motive. Just kind of dull background rock. There are songs with that spacey backing voice, reminiscent of Pink Floyd, which then fades to soft piano mono-audio singing.

Funky, bluesy, groovy rock (Clapton-esque) with a spiritual bent. Nice range of styles. Feels more mature in style and substance than the Beach Boys (Wilson's other band).

Successfully walks the fine line of acknowledging the influences of the Beach Boys while claiming his own style. Expertly crafted, and a joy to listen to. Best track: River Song

Dennis Wilson really goes the extra mile on his only solo record. Though his voice took a turn to a grainy and harsher tone (no thanks to the drugs and alcohol), he fills these songs with a Joe Cocker-esque soul that still compliments well with the signature background vocals from Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston. The instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous on this record, with plenty or strings and organ to fill your ears with vibrant, grandiose harmonies. For fans of Pet Sounds - this is a must listen to album. Favorite Song: Time Least Favorite: Thoughts of You

Suggests that Dennis was the George Harrison of the Beach Boys. I actually prefer this over two of the Beach Boys albums on this list. And if you really want to go on a ride, peruse Dennis Wilson's Wikipedia page. That thing is a RIDE! Aside from the entire section on Charles Manson, you get to learn (or recall) that Dennis dated Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie (who claimed Dennis Wilson was "half little boy, half insane"), and often told friends he was raped by a black man. But hell, aren't all of the Wilsons at least half insane?

This was better and more interesting that I thought it would be given the Beach Boys connection. Like the Beach Boys with the annoying elements removed and replaced with something grittier

So Brian wasn't the only troubled genius in the Beach Boys.

Well this one was a complete surprise, and the kind of thing I was hoping to get out of this list. I had never heard any of this music, but it's gorgeous. Apparently this was out of print for 20 years. I'm sure glad it's available now.

Fantastic - a diamond in the boomer rough

3.5 I feel like I need a little more time to sit with this one to decide if it really deserved a 4. I listened to only the original track listing for the rating (there’s stuff from an album released posthumously on the Spotify link). What’s Wrong, Dreamer, and Pacific Ocean Blues are new to me bangers. The beginning of Friday Night sounds like the beginning of It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.

Certainly is a 70s rock album. It's fine. Inoffensive. It certainly doesn't approach anywhere near The Beach Boy's brilliance.

This one just struck me as bland. It's not bad. The musicianship is fine. I don't actively dislike it. I just found it to be relentlessly mediocre, so I gave up after 19/33 songs on Spotify's deluxe edition. To be honest I probably would have given this a "This was fine, I guess" 3 if it was only 10 songs, but the more I listened to it the less I liked it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this. 2.5.

Really nice album. I didn’t realize he had a solo album. Kind of has a Harry Nilsson vibe.

Really great— who’s the better Wilson?

Such a rich and pleasant surprise

Took a look at this and thought "HOW long??" - but actually it worked really well as a whole experience. The Dark Beach Boys continues to be one of the main new discoveries from albumfest. Really well-structured, a rewarding listen

Haunting and beautiful in conveying the depths of Dennis Wilson's talents. The drummer moves to the forefront and the results are huge!

so after all these years where we were led to believe brian was the musical genius in the beach boys and he wasn't even as good as his brother on drums. didn't know anything about him so read up a bit; was done over by charles manson and his cult, met some of them and then before you know it they've squatted in his house he's ended up moving out and they've sold all of his belongings. did the famous recordings of charles mansons music and when asked for the recordings as part of the investigation he said he'd destroyed them because in the most california surf dude way possible - "the vibrations connected with them didn't belong on this earth"

This is the perfect example why I'm doing this. This is a masterpiece, however I've never heard about it. Background story of Dennis Wilson is also interesting (and sad).

Lang album maar wel goed! Veel verschillende stijlen door elkaar. Wel een legendary vibe.

Oh, so this was super cool to be introduced to! Why did I not know about this album before now???

Spectacular album. Wilson's vocals combined with great arrangements and production make this a 5/5 for me. I cannot believe I had never heard of this record.

Wilson’s vocals are fantastic and the instrumentals only match them. It’s such a varied album that has a lot of different yet interesting sounds. He deserves to plaster his name on the album cover.

Really good 70s vibe

I'm very glad to have been shown this album. Solid melodies voice and instrumentation

Been meaning to listen to this for years. Definitely the soulful Beach Boy. Really liking this

It was a incredible album, I loved it! 5 Stars!

One of my favorites I’ve listened to yet. Hoping to grab this one on vinyl!

Классный альбом! Неожиданно. Он звучит как прог-рок, но при этом на прог-рок 80-ых не сильно похож. А где-то даже напомнил Дэвида Боуи и Криса Риа.

Loved every bit.

Desconocía las turbulebtas vida y obra de este genio detrás de los beach boys. Grata sorpresa.

River Song is truly a monstrous joy bomb. This is just a great album. And I only discovered it in my early 30s I think, despite growing up reading music papers and magazines all the time. So I can only infer this went criminally under-mentioned in the 90s. Mojo probably rescued a lot of albums from this crime. The brass in Dreamer is fabulous. Look it's just all great. Even the weaker tracks maintain the hot and hazy mood. Goes a bit Peter Gabriel on Thoughts of You but it's still great. Time is gorgeous, and sad. Before it explodes into brilliance. Farewell My Friend, sigh. Rainbows just another example. Would really stand out in another album but here it's surrounded by so much beauty. Other standouts from the extra tracks and the unfinished Bambu - Album Tag Song, Tug of Love, 2nd half of Its not too late, and Love Remember Me. School Girl is a banger and lyrically wrong as fuck.

This album is nuts. Each song is 10x better than the last, and there's a LOT of great songs here. The intro to "Friday Nights" alone would have made me give 5 stars, but then "Thoughts of You" blew the previous song out of the sky, and so on and so on with this album. "Farewell My Friend" stuck with me, I wonder if it's about a pet because it sounds like a dog was barking through a walkie talkie at the bottom of the ocean

Classic

Love this album, one of my favorites.

It's just very good music. I don't even know how to name it. Everything is at its place. Every part sounds great. One of the hidden pearls from the list.

A surprising treat. The songs on this album feel transcendental, all at once joyful and melancholy which depicts the time and space in which they were written.

A thousand albums and what seems like a thousand years ago, we heard The Beach Boys' Surf's Up. Pacific Ocean Blue is similar in tone and style and also likewise makes me angry that I've lived so much of my life without it. It's gorgeous.

5/5. A healthy mix of blues rock and upbeat pop. Every song stood out as unique and what a change of vocals from the Beach Boys. The instrumentation was beautiful, soulful with horns and choruses. Feels like I am drifting out on the ocean, heading to shore, but comfortable if I did end up passing away. There is not really a faulty song on here, beautiful and calming despite the dark undertone, just like life. Best Song: River Song, Dreamer, Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson: An utterly unique album that's touching in a way only a Beach Boy is capable of. From the jump, we are WAY more in rock land than any beach boys album has been. Echoes of the Stones, more bluesy, more obviously big rock storyteller energy. But the first track certainly makes you feel like that's going to be the abiding energy of the album... it is not! There's so much more beneath the surface... waves of obvious angst, grief, loneliness. The kind you quickly pick up on after a few spins of a Brian Wilson record. My radar's going off, in a big way, Some of these songs have an unbelievable sense of emotion and hurt. I feel like Dennis is more in touch with that side of him than on any Beach Boys record I've heard... it's more raw, more honest in some ways. Amidst this texture of Haleakalā blues, the real pet sounds, in a way that only a Beach Boy could do. It's an intimate and deeply personal version. It's got less of the childlike, and wide-eyed naïveté of Brian Wilson, it's more mature, but no less... hurt. He's spilling his heart out in a way only he can do. I love it, but I also want to cry. 5/5

This blew me away, then I read the back story and wiki

that was a lot better than I was expecting the diversity here was honestly crazy, several times listening to this, I thought this was a compilation of different artists songs but apparently these all came from one guy super beautiful album, crazy to think he’s one of the beach boys, this is a 10/10

Didn't even know that Brian Wilson had brothers that were in the beach boys. This album was an absolutely dreamy surprise. I wouldn't say that any of the writing struck me as particularly top-notch (through 3 listens). But the orchestration/arrangement/feel for each song is all so different and perfectly walks the line between complexity and instant grokkability. At any given moment in each track it feels like there are 5 or 6 different things you can focus on. I love the layering in Time that happens after the trumpet solo when the keyboard (or perhaps prepared piano??) comes in. Great album!!

What a lush, tightly produced album. Just imagine what Dennis might have accomplished had he lived.

The least known of the Wilson brothers (and first to leave us sadly) gives us a solo record for the ages. It's clear that there was an insane amount of talent there. Glad we got at least this one testament to Dennis' artistry as a standalone songwriter.

Beautiful melodies and incredible production that the Beach Boys were known for from Pet Sounds.

Rough vocals from rough living, a Beach Boy with real substance (abuse issues). Wow, what a story Dennis had. The middle child and focus of his father's wrath, living in the shadows of his brothers as the 'untalented' Wilson he was reduced to play basic beats on the drums, but then he makes this incredible album. Pacific Ocean Blue embodies everything that the Beach Boys weren't raw, open, experimental and real. It would be nice to believe that the creation and release of Pacific Ocean Blue gave Dennis redemption and freedom, but then maybe it wouldn't play the same or be as poignant.

Omg I love this. Not what I expected and I got quite emotional times. A lovely 5 star surprise

i am a huge beach boys fan, so of course, i was pleased to give this one a listen again, as it had been a while. pacific ocean blue is, in my opinion, one of the pinnacles of the beach boys, and is the climax of dennis wilson's rise to, undoubtedly, the best songwriter in the group. and what's more, it doesn't sound like a beach boys record, it sounds like its own thing, which is something I don't think any of the other beach boys really accomplished on their own. overall, i really love this album.

Hidden gem. Like if the Beach Boys put out a cooler album.

I didn't know much about Dennis Wilson before today. Especially if you compare it next to how much I knew about, say, Brian Wilson or even stupid Mike Love, it's pretty much nothing. Hell, the only thing I really DID know about Dennis is that he was the only true surfer in The Beach Boys and that, ironically, he'd drown in 1983. That's always been the framework I've viewed this album through, then: that it was the only solo project he released while he was alive. And going in, I felt that was kind of unfair to Dennis. Like, come on, this album should mean more to me than what its relation to the fact that he passed tragically young. I mean, hell, in my mind it always feels to me like they happened closer together than six years apart like they really did. I should be trying to see what this album provides on its own, seperated from all that. However, that turned out to be a lot more difficult than I'd thought. There's just so many moments in there that remind me of it. "Moonlight", in how it sounds to me, evokes that kind of "lost someone you love" melancholy, even if the lyrics probably have nothing to do with that. Though, speaking of lyrics, "Thoughts Of You" hit me especially hard with the part that goes "All things that live one day must die, you know." On my first liste that was the only lyric I picked up, and, gawd, I felt like it could have destroyed me if I were in a worse place. That's not even to mention "Farewell My Friend", which I found out was played at Dennis's funeral. And I tell you, learning more about Dennis and his life surrounding this album's recording certainly didn't make anything better. Knowing all that context just makes this a very sad album to me. It was never meant to be that, but looking back on it nearly 50 years later and considering all of that context... Hell, even Brian Wilson has said at point that he hasn't listened to it because there's too many sad memories for him relating to it. But then, that's still one reason why this album touched me so much. As much as I hate to admit it, it's because the album ends up being so sad that pushes it over for me from just being really good late 70's rock n' soul. It can even make me look past that one farty instrument on "Dreamer", though that break it has in there probably could've done it, too. Don't get me wrong here. If you're a big, BIG fan of The Beach Boys, and post-SMiLE Beach Boys especially, this might not do it for you. Luckily for me, I dig that stuff a lot, even if I don't necessairly think this album comes as close to SMiLE as that comparison implies. I just wish he'd had the chance to do more; see BAMBU through to completion, at least. But for what he's done here, as "End Of Show" fades surrounded by applause, for the people who know, he's really made something that'll last forever. And besides, it's better to view this album like I just did than through his relation to Charles Mansion. Wouldn't even make sense; Charley there didn't even have anything to do with this album!

I don't know what instrument is playing at the beginning of DREAMER, but it is amazing. Between that instrument and the song THOUGHTS OF YOU this record is earning a permanent place on my shelf. It is albums like this that make spending 4 years listening through a book well worth it.

Brilliant Album.

Great.

This album was really great and the horn production creates a super out-there soundscape that's unique and especially so for the time this came out but more importantly this album gets a bunch of bonus points for making me find out about Dennis Wilson's connection to charles manson and his murders that shit is crazy

This was a great surprise. Incredible arrangements and production value. 1hr 50 is too long for me though.

A wonderful mix of genres and styles, tied together by a silky smooth voice and a consistent sort of vague 'feel' - which is hard to quantify! Much more interesting and textured than most of his band's early saccharine pop efforts, while (obviously) not to the height of their best stuff. A tragic tale too, which doesn't hurt the mythos of the album. I had only heard a couple of songs before, but now struggle to pick a favourite track.

Brilliant, peaceful and polished.

Not only is it an amazing record song-wise, but I'm absolutely astounded by the clarity of the recording and mix here. It just SOUNDS excellent, before you even get to the equally excellent songs themselves.

This was a such a good album with a very chill, and sometimes somber and introspective, atmosphere. Dennis Wilson paints an intimate picture of love, loss, and gratitude with an expertly crafted and performed set of songs. I feel like this album influenced a lot of different musicians. If you don’t know anything about Dennis, please read up on him. He was an interesting character who led an interesting life.

LP

NICE

I discovered this album about five years ago and I fell in love with it instantly. Dennis Wilson was a man in the midst of self-destruction in the wake of his abusive upbringing and the excesses of fame as a member of the Beach Boys. He was not known as a sensitive man, but for his drunken escapades which eventually culminated in his death by drowning. His voice was rapidly deteriorating which can be heard here and in subsequent live performances of this material. Here, Wilson is concerned with environmental devastation and love. In 'River Song' the opening track, he confronts the claustrophobia and smog of LA, opting instead to champion a cleaner, more natural environment. In the title track, 'Pacific Ocean Blue,' penned alongside cousin and bandmate Mike Love, Wilson laments the destruction of ocean wildlife. This is an album very close to my heart both for its lyrical and musical value, but also because it gives us an insight into the enigmatic and broken person that was Dennis Wilson.

so i just went down such a good little rabbit role from his wikipedia and it is all so interesting, but i think even more than that, the most interesting thing is that i love the beach boys and without realising who he was, thought ‘oh this reminds me a bit of the beach boys’ on the first couple songs, but overall, it’s just a really good album in my opinion. so is the unreleased one. i really really like his vibe, i would give it a 4 but there’s actually two albums in one technically, and i really like both of them, so, it’s gonna have to be a 5.

Oh I know Brian was MAD

Brilliant album

A masterpiece. You never regret going back to this one!

Damn, this is good stuff

Honestly, this fucks.

Decent album, with some really nice elements. I did enjoy this one.

It's a long one, but has a lot of heart. Raw and meandering, it's a bit of a journey, but one I'm glad I've taken.

This album is something really special. Dennis Wilson's incredible voice and rough-hewn surfer soul conveys so much pathos. I don't know who would have realized the depths of feeling he would be able to convey with this record. There are a few songs where he veers a little too close to easy listening, but never over the brink. And the incredible highs more than make up for these moments. I feel like this record highlights how he was only starting to come into his own as an artist before his tragic death. Favourite tracks: River Song, Thoughts of You, Pacific Ocean Blues, End of the Show, Farewell My Friend

This album reminds me of an old sweater that’s falling apart. Barely held together by a couple loose strings. None of the musicians sound like they’re really into it which is a shame considering the lyrics, chord progressions, and structuring all sound like they’d be great if they were played tighter. Poor execution, but great theory. Makes me sad to think that they were so close to such an incredible album. 4/5

An extremely poignant record, as Dennis Wilson, the blueprints used by the Beach Boys to bring their California sound to the 60s. The strain and melancholy in his voice combined with its richness is really something to behold. The highs of this record are undeniable, and seem like a mix of Beach Boys harmonies, with a little of Big Star's Third and a lot of heart. I can forgive the overly blues-y parts. Fav Tracks: Thoughts of You, End of The Show, Pacific Ocean Blues, River Song and Moonshine

This was a great surprise…. The beach boys drummer pulls out the best beach boys solo effort I’ve heard!

Love the lush arrangements on some of these songs

heck yes!

Loved it, will give another listen and probably add to rotation. Crazy sound for the year it came out, good psych whatever

Starting this album, I really didn't get it, as it just seemed like Pacific Rock from the era, and not much more, but the second half of the album, starting with Thoughts of You, really changed the album into something that felt a lot more impactful. His voice seemed like it genuinely meant what it was singing, and the musicality really showed through from that forward. It felt like the first part was like "Yeah, I was the Beach Boys, but these are my true musical abilities. It's a shame that he died so young and couldn't have a flourishing career, I truly think it would've only gotten better.

oh wow yeah, very nice. no prior experience with dennis wilson or the beach boys etc but this is great

Pretty great

A really interesting and varied album. Definitely glad I got to hear this & I think I'll play it again.

Some pretty cool melancholy jams, some beach-boy-esque vibes at times. Would listen again

A hidden gem in Beach Boys canon

This starts off sounding fairly Beach Boys-like, but then it gradually morphs into something more interesting. Some of it reminds me of Wilco, some of Randy Newman, but overall it's really nice. 4 stars.

Peculiarly refreshing. 7-7.5/18 FT: Thoughts of you

Listened to the deluxe edition which was very good

Great to listen to but as a huge Brian Wilson fan comes off as derivative

This is quite a departure from the Beach Boys sound. Dennis Wilson was a great songwriter; after Brian Wilson, his songs have the best reputation amongst fans. But by 1977 his voice was reduced to a rasp, which is a real shame as he previously had a decent singing voice. Compare the vocals on this album to tracks like Little Bird or Be Still from a decade earlier, the difference is astonishing. But taken on its own terms, this is a good album with a mature sound, and it's certainly got a lot of soul and emotion.

Some decent singer songwriting here, a nice vibe.

Interesting, soft or energic songs

Sorprendentemente maravilloso. Una delicia para escuchar mientras te tomas una buena copa

I enjoyed this album a lot. I'd revisit most of these tracks again.

Este disco me sorprendió, me gustó más de lo que esperaba, para ser un artista y un género con el que normalmente no estoy en contacto ni escucho muy seguido. Escuché la "versión ultra-extendida", lo cual fue un poco tedioso, pero encontré un par de canciones agradables que no venían en el disco original, como "It's not too late". Mi calificación sería 3.5, pero redondearé hacia arriba.

Amazing album.