Reviews (page 2 of 8)
By all accounts not the best person, Dennis Wilson is still fairly important to me; having penned The Beach Boys’ best song in my opinion, that being the legendary “Forever,” famous for being butchered years after Wilson died as the closer off of the Boys’ de facto worst album. I was pretty excited to hear this one, is basically what I’m saying. After listening? I wouldn’t say I was wrong to be excited for this album; it’s pretty alright, good even, though pretty properly rated on average. The atmosphere is mostly there, the songs are sometimes there, and the instrumentation and singing is frequently competent at worst, pretty great at best. You hear moments of the greatness that was achieved in the Beach Boys in songs like opener “River Song,” “Time,” and you get some similar excellence in the very fun “What’s Wrong,” the romantic and pretty “You and I,” and the psychedelic touches in “Thoughts of You.” The vibe here is at large very easygoing and pretty, with real good vocals and pretty songs. There's some energy here and there, and there's some moments that actually, genuinely stand out as great, but overall it doesn't do much in the way of pretty decent but nothing super special. An album of quality, to be sure. 7.3/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO REASON: not relevant enough WHAT WOULD I REPLACE IT WITH: Sunflower by the Beach Boys grrrr
Heard Before? Not at all. Notes: - many exciting ingredients, mashed a bit by overly dense production. - but a solo album by a Beach Boy should be a vocal showcase and this is emphatically not. for me, all of his various attempts at vocal styles are exactly and transparently that - attempts. - so for every daring, unexpected moment, of which there are plenty, there is a flat, unconvincing lead vocal. - now that I've heard the whole thing, i would say the production is glorious. the drowsy, overstuffed feel is mostly the fault of the songs, which lack both hooks and direction. Verdict: Much is thrown at the wall, little of it sticks. Listen Again? While I didn't love it, I'm glad I heard it and I did save a couple of songs.
591/1089 - Didn't know he was a pretty good pianist. Some inventive stuff here and some meandering stuff too.
Uneven, but not bad.
This is weird, it sounds like a bunch of different bands at the time mashed together. Like beach boys with fleetwood Mac and the eagles.
Vamos hoy martes con la última escucha de la semana, ya que mañana se viaja y jueves y viernes hay paro. Disco tranqui, con sonidos bonitos. Ideal para amenizar una mañana de trabajo. Me gustó. Hasta la semana que viene, gente
It's 3.5
Genuinely a surprise in how forward thinking this album is. Good for old Dennis.
This is a weak and at times annoying album. 2 stars or D.
Expansive, clearly 1970s though tinged with beauty and genius at times. May have benefitted from a bit of a trim.
Think I actually preferred this to Pet Sounds. Some pretty nice songs, a bit more rock/bluesy than I expected. 3.5/5.
Day 380 Had never heard this before, tailed off a bit towards the end but some enjoyable stuff Highlights River Song Dreamer Time
3,1 Highlights: River Song, Time
This one’s heartbreaking. Because, to be completely clear: there is amazing potential here for Dennis Wilson. Fantastic melodies—soaring harmonies—absolutely stunning production; if he had lived long enough to release Bambu, and whatever projects could’ve followed that, he might be remembered as having one of the best solo careers in classic rock. Instead, he fell into substance abuse, died young, and is only really remembered because of Charles Manson of all people. Dennis Wilson was the only Beach Boy who knew how to surf, and his connection to the ocean is pretty clear in this. It’s a motif that appears in practically every song—especially the opening track, “River Song,” which is a near-out-of-body experience. Even when the ocean doesn’t appear in the lyrics, it’s present sonically, with drifting strings and mellow percussion. The sonic landscape is the strongest thing about this album. It was actually pretty ahead of its time in terms of production, and manages not to feel dated (with the exception of the title track.) While one of the biggest issues I have with this album is its haphazard flow, the production salvages it from feelings of incohesiveness. The biggest weakness of the album, however, is its lyrics. While not exceptionally awful, they are very cliched. For example: “Like the sunshine, love comes and goes again.” I could get that kind of lyricism from anybody. That said, every other aspect of the songs are often good enough to make up for it. The song that lyric comes from—”Thoughts of You”—is actually one of my favorites because of its perfect build and vocal performance. Also, half of this album doesn’t really stand out in any way, which is a big point against it. While the highs are exceedingly high, there’s a whole lot of “meh.” But dear lord, the highs are so high. I’d recommend checking out “River Song,” “Thoughts of You,” “Time,” “Pacific Ocean Blues” (if you can tolerate its datedness), and “Rainbows” as some exceedingly fantastic and underrated classic rock/pop, and the rest if you’re into the Beach Boys or 70s soft rock. (Also, “Rainbows” was used in Project Hail Mary, which is super cool.)
Fantastic, keep it rolling please
Surprisingly drab.
Hm. It seems to me that the magic bands can create is often because they unlock something more than the sum of their parts. Give me all the beach boys albums, sure. This is...fine, but does it need to be on the list?
The fact this was NOT a yacht rock album is disappointing on its surface. A layer deeper, I found this album to be milquetoast. It dabbled in genres without fully committing to any, and that ultimately left me somewhat underwhelmed. Wilson's lyrics and vocals are interesting, however.
2.5
3.5
4.7
Is goth-surf a thing? I think it is. Theres this, Walking in the Sand, the Jesus and Mary Chain's Kill Surf City and that Jan and Dean song about a motorcycle crash.
I had always been a massive fan of The Beach Boys and yet I had never ventured into their respective solo body of work. And now having had my first taste with Pacific Ocean Blue, I can say that this has become a favorite of mine. While Brian is well recognized as the best songwriter in the band (for good reason) Dennis really surprised me with this. It's just as good if not considerably better than many of the albums they have put out. Such a cool listen. Fav Songs Time River Song Thoughts of You Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes, a really underrated record (like many late 60's/70's Beach Boy records) in the grand scheme of things. Filled with the classic Wilson touch, Dennis is almost like the George Harrison in how his genius shines through more so on a solo record. Very very awesome good listen.
I listened to this album for the first time a year or so ago and liked it pretty well; listening again, my esteem has only increased. While his brother Brian is capable of hitting higher highs of melodic perfection, I think Dennis's melodies are overall more consistent. The complexity of the arrangements here feels like it is in service of the album's overall warm and inviting sensibility, whereas Brian's arrangements sometimes leave me a bit cold. Am I talking myself into saying that I like this more than any version of Smile that I've heard? Maybe so. Is it fair to spend so much time comparing Dennis and Brian? Not really, but it's hard to avoid when their solo work sounds so much like the sound of the Beach Boys developed in two different, complementary directions. The tight vocal harmonies that define many Beach Boys tracks are still present here, but subsumed into a more supportive and textural role. This is definitely one to revisit.
Gostosinho
At first glance, I thought this was going to be generic, bland, dated 1970s singer-songwriter stuff. I didn't realise until I looked into it that this was a founding member of the Beach Boys...but, listening to the first tracks in particular, that distinctive sound really is in there. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected; and it was a lot more interesting than I'd anticipated. The version I heard on Spotify appears to be a twice-extended version of the original. The tracks up to and including "Mexico" (the last four of which were the first "extension") were pretty good, but the stuff on "Disc 2" is very different and I decided to stop listening as it was polluting my experience of the original album. You could really tell he was losing his voice by that point, those songs were written by someone else and they didn't sound anything like the others; might as well have been a completely different album. Based on that first album alone, this was at least a three-star and I'd definitely come back to it to explore a bit further.
Felt like a Beach Boys album, but man his vocals are rough.
I only listened to the original 30 minutes of the album. I didn’t want to sit through another hour of this. It was fine but it was just boring. I have no recollection of anything memorable from this record. I didn’t hate it but it’s just so forgettable.
My initial reaction was that Dennis Wilson's solo album was a bit like Ringo's solo stuff. Fun to listen too and deserving of some credit, but clearly not the cause of each band's creative genius. While this album started out that way, I was actually pretty won over by the end. I listened to this while reading his Wikipedia. His only solo album played alongside while reading a Coles notes of his life story actually paints a pretty intense and grim picture. While Brian Wilson was probably still the creative genius behind the Beach Boys, I think it's entirely possible Dennis was their soul - troubled and twisted, juxtaposed onto an image of the California myth. This was a pretty worthwhile album and one I am glad to have taken the time to sit carefully and listen too.
This was an interesting listen. I really enjoyed a few songs on here like Friday Night and Dreamer. Dreamer in particular is a really cool, funky song with the incredibly deep tuba and the horn section. Thoughts of You sounds like it could have been a Daniel Johnston song had he recorded in a full studio rather than on a 4-track. Overall, not sure if I'll ever come back to this, but I did like it a lot more than at least one of the Beach Boys albums I've been generated.
Sounds very 70s, reminded me of a soft rock 70s album and not the Beach Boys. Also his vocals sound like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. Could definitely be higher on more listens
Meh
Great sounding record. Good songs and performance - I enjoyed it!
This was super well done, the instrumentation and mixing/production was perfect. Love the way the drums sounded and there were some really cool interesting moments. The end of time was really cool. In a lot of ways this feels like a perfect album. Not sure if ill go back to this, maybe 4-4.5 for me but definitely feels like a 5 for this project
I thought this was beautiful.
De instrumentella låtarna var bra.
I know Dennis Wilson from The Beach Boys, but had no idea he had a solo album. I was actually a bit surprised about how much I liked this album. There was really only one song on it that I thought had a "Beach Boys sound" to it. The rest were really different and I liked that. His voice is super raspy, which goes with the more funky, yacht rock sound of the album. A couple of the slower songs were a bit boring, but overall it was an enjoyable listen.
Wilsonin musasointi oli laulua ja soittelua. Ei mitään pahaa sanottavaa muttei mitään hyvääkään
Hauskoja miedosti progempia tai psykedeelimpiä juttuja välillä (muistaakseni..?), muuten aika peruskaura poppia/rokkia/mitä ikinä. Aivan ok.
I was familiar with Dennis Wilson as a member of the Beach Boys and I have previously heard this album once before. It has some of the harmonies that one would associate with the Beach Boys but otherwise doesn't sound much like them to my ears. This is a fine listen albeit not particularly memorable. I would listen again but won't be in any rush to do so.
This album was a pleasant surprise. I’ve clearly listened to Pet Sounds but none of the back catalogue or side projects from any of the members. This is the joy of this project. I can’t ever see a time I would have decided to give this a spin, but having listened to it, I’m so glad I did. You can hear the Beach Boys in there but there are large parts that have a real jazz/funk vibe and they really resonated. Time & Pacific Ocean Blues stand out tracks for me. 4/5
Grandiose in scope, large and swelling sonically with its acoustic/piano arrangements, but it just left no real impression on me whatsoever. Style over substance.
Bored
Damn, if the solo stuff is this good, then I REALLY need to check out more of the Beach Boys.
Nieko ypatingo. Du kartus perkliausiau, nes pirmą kartą nieko neatsiminiau.
No co mogę powiedzieć? Na tej liście są tak odległe klimaty w muzyce, a bardziej w czasie i miejscu w jakim powstawały, że nie jest mi dane docenić czegoś, co bazuje na jakiejś lokalności. Miła płyta, aczkolwiek dla mnie okazało się to zbiorem 'white noises'.
Really good album
I really enjoyed most of each disc on this album. And after doing a desk dive into Dennis, this a helluva one album to have. RIP
A very pleasant listen, unsurprisingly felt like an album by a grown up Beach Boy.
Even he looks disappointed with the album.
Pretty terrible album - would NOT listen again
Fine
Album #240 Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blues If this were a Beach Boys album, nobody would bat an eye, which is pretty damn high praise. Though I suppose that is unfair on Dennis, since this doesn’t exactly sound like anything the group made, of course comparisons can be drawn to the melodies and sombre, yet bright, atmosphere which the Beach Boys did so well, but Dennis takes a direction even further into the dark experimentation that the band flirted with on Surf’s Up. Essentially, Pacific Ocean Blue is the album that the Beach Boys should have been making in the late 70s, instead of the Mike Love-fueled beach nostalgia albums that they opted for instead. It really is such a shame that a band with so much talent never fully lived up to their potential simply due to commercial success in other lanes. But Dennis Wilson’s solo effort is proof of just how talented the band was, seeing as he was only the third most relevant Wilson brother. Of course Brian gets all the praise, and that is earned, but Dennis is no slouch, and Pacific Ocean Blue is one of the most mature and engaging songwriter albums I’ve heard. I don’t love all of it; the backing melody on ‘Dreamer’ leaves me annoyed, and there are songs which appear to be unspectacular; yet there are also some all-time great tracks, and a general aura that just keeps you drawn in. I’m almost certain that this is an album which will continue to seep into and expand within my mind; and an even further reminder that I’m not listening to enough Beach Boys material. Best Songs: Pacific Ocean Blues, Rainbows, River Song Worst Song: Dreamer Score out of 10: 8.5
OK, wow. Was not expecting that. I have lots to say about this album. Truly, some A1, exceptional songwriting, and music production to likes that I don’t think I’ve ever heard. You can clearly tell this guy is a veteran in the game and has a very very deep bag of tricks. Some harmonies and melodies sound like they’re straight from The Beach Boys while also having some blues and ballots that are fresh and extremely well-made. I think my only complaint unfortunately on the Spotify version of this album is the length. I think you have a masterpiece of an album if you cut a couple of the boring unfinished tracks and condensed this into an hour of constant highs. Overall, though this is damn near close to a five for me, some songs are truly art and mind blowing and something I was not expecting going into this reasons like this album are why I enjoy this generator because I never would’ve listened to this. I am thoroughly shocked and happy that this album exists and it will definitely be something. I will come back to multiple times. This is as close to a five as a four can get.
A real fun listen. Really creative if not a bit inconsistent, but excellent production and writing. Not entirely keen on his vocal style, but it’s a nice departure from the up-in-the-sky style of the Beach Boys. This feels very influential to lots of modern music. The production, at least on the legacy edition is literally perfect and seriously levels up the listening experience. I had to edit this up to a 4 after listening again with better equipment.
Een van de beach boiis, natuurlijk maak je dan een goed album.
#1026. Who would've thought that a less cheesy version of the Beach Boys would be good? Oh yeah, I guess everyone would've thought that. Well... yeah. 3/5: acceptable
Ist ganz nett, waren schöne Lieder bei
I didn’t enjoy it and then realised he could have been a live action Minecraft Steve in this album cover
good, but only in places. too long to be a pleasant listening experience
I mean, the definition of inoffensive.
This album is fine? Nothing stands out, nothing grates. Rating: 2.5
before listening - 2 hours and hes from the beach boys, not looking good. Trying to keep an open mind. update - got bored didn't finish it
You know, it's a better death rattle than Alexander 'Skip' Spence - Oar. It's a peculiar listen, I guess. Not totally sure what to make of it. I liked parts (Dreamer), I didn't like parts. Overall I felt a sense of malaise throughout, so for that reason I won't be listening again. I guess that makes it mid for me then. There's definitely creative depth but I will probably forget this one shortly.
Overall, not a bad album. It's alright leaving in the background and given that this is quite an old album, it does sound like it would've been alright back at that time.
Fun fact! Dennis Wilson was the only one of the Beach Boys who could surf! He was also the only one who got involved with Charles Manson, but that’s not quite so much fun. Anyhoo, solo albums by drummers generally a bit disappointing. Their role in the band is to provide a solid backbeat to support everyone else, and they usually don’t get recruited for anything other than their ability to keep time. However, Dennis was a Wilson brother and obviously was blessed with the same musical genes as Brian and Carl. It's telling though that the album cover has the family name in large bold letter and Dennis almost hidden unless you squint. It was with some trepidation that I pressed play on this one, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was pretty much ok. OK, so Wilson’s vocals are a bit thin and croaky after years of drugs and booze, and the music is mostly middle of the roads mawkish late night ballads but there are a couple of funkier and rockier moments in there. Not great, not terrible.
Oh yikes. Feels like The Beach Boys Bible Revival Revue
I went back and forth on this. It’s an interesting listen - not sure if it’s something I’ll go back to. But maybe!
Nice, emotional, psychedelic, a little too long
This was way too long. Not bad, but it didn't need to be this long.
Pretty boring and didn't sound great.
Lush :)
Pretty enjoyable I have nothing negative to say about it. 7/10 would listen again
Good shit Dennis
An interesting album. It's recorded tightly, but not in a jazzy way. Comes off as sterile at points, but overall an enjoyable listen.
A pleasant surprise and a heap more enjoyable than The Beach Boys. Great opening track and expectations were lifted, only to be dampened by a horrible 2nd track. Overall, nice arrangements and musicianship and it all became pleasant. Thats my word of the day. Pleasant. #pleasant P.S. My word he’s a very hairy man. #unpleasant
I liked this. He's a Beach Boy so its bound to have some of the magic rub off. Maybe a bit too muxh on the smooth rock side, but the small helping of drugs and psychedelia thrown in made it a pleasant listen. For a drummer he had a reasonable voice.
Not a major fan of The Beach Boys, so had quite low expectations going into this. Was pleasantly surprised! An album with many different elements: some more funky ones, some more ballad-like ones, more or less uptempo, and so on. Quite exciting! Dennis vocals are also powerful and definitely has a cool character to them. Strangely it feels like the song sits quite much in the background of the track. Not sure why. I especially liked the more funk-inspired 'Dreamer' and 'Pacific Ocean Blues'. Remind me a lot of Supertramp in a way. Maybe that's why I like the album, because of the quite heavy electric piano usage. There is also an overall sadness to the album, which I find interesting. Dennis life seemed to be quite tragic at the later stages of his life, with involvement with Charles Manson, heavy drinking and drug use etc. So maybe it's a reflection of that.
2 albums ago we had the Pink Floyd album “The Piper at the gate of dawn” I noted it really didn’t sound much like the Pink Floyd I knew, this sounded way more like it somehow. It felt experimental and the vocals sounded like a mix of Roger Waters and Randy Newman. I really enjoyed the arrangements, in particular the opening track “River Song” had a really nice vocal arrangement. It also had some really funky tunes like “Dreamer”. That horn-section in “Dreamer” is really great. I’ve listened to this album quite a bit and I keep finding new tracks I like: Rainbows is one that has grown on me quite a lot. I hope this album continues to grow on me, giving it a weak 4 for now.
Nice sound.
Liked some tracks
Found myself getting lost in its eerie charm. Do recommend.
Beach boy-esque. Walk with this as album, close your eyes, feel the wind on your skin. And you can almost smell the salt in the air.
Too long, but was finding myself slightly enjoying the calmness of the album 2.5/5
I like it, but my listening has been disjointed. Definitely worth a revisit. 3.5-4.
I’m not the biggest fan of the Beach Boys outside of a select number of their singles so I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this, but as a separate solo offering this was a very pleasant experience. Surprisingly funky for such a laid-back performance.
I don't hate this album so much as pity it. I want to give it a hug and tell it "everything will be okay, it's not your fault you were made by the less talented Wilson"
The singles both failed to chart and the album went out of print for almost 20 years before being reissued. Then some time down the line, it was labeled as a "classic" and became the "focal point of Wilson's legacy". I find it to be pretty forgettable, quite honestly. It's an eclectic bunch of synth-laden, almost art-rock songs, mostly meant for The Beach Boys. It's not a bad album, but it's far from essential listening.
This is alright. Cool production props up rather unremarkable songwriting.
The Good: We’re down with POB! The Bad: Guess we’re also down with dyslexia… The Ugly: Fucking album cover… though good main of hair Dennis did have… What to think of this album? For starters, the link lead me to a double album, where the content that was not on the original album was what called me more… At the end of the day, if you give a circus lion access to the wild, the lion will most likely still react to a whip being cracked… same goes for a person who was one of the founders of an infamous band, who will still know how to make good music no matter what… However, I have no clue as to why I needed to listen to this… zero clue… nada… thus, the only reasoning I can come up with is that Mr Dimery loves the album cover and used to pleasure himself whilest looking at the disheveled Mr Wilson… 3* because it isn’t bad… it just isn’t great either
Um disco bonito, especialmente nas melodias das baladas, valorizadas pelos arranjos de cordas e os vocais ásperos e dramáticos de Wilson.
Dennis Wilson? The man who discovered musical prodigy Charles Manson?
70s pop
Very low key post beach boys era
It’s a grand, almost overblown passion project that has a lot of conveyed emotion. The songs are mostly forgettable which is its downfall.
Woah buddy! Starting off strong with the river song!!!!! Damn was not expecting a 5 star album from this guy! Holy crap.
The longest 37 minute album ever? It’s good, and interesting, in parts, but I wasn’t captivated. Favourite track: Dreamer
4/5
I had never heard of Dennis Wilson, but I had a hunch he belonged to a bigger group, and a quick Wikipedia search confirmed he was part of The Beach Boys. I put this album on during a four-hour drive, and honestly, it just felt way too long—it took up almost half the trip to get through. I’m not really a big fan of the slower rock from this era, so it was a bit of a slog for me. I’m waiting for proper Beach Boys albums to pop up on this list to see if their main catalog is more my style, because as much as I want to like them and this record, it just didn't click.
I guess it's not the Beach Boys I love; it's Brian Wilson. I'll use a quote from the artist himself: "Musically, I'm far apart from Brian. He's a hundred times more than what I am musically." I agree. When I listen to Pet Sounds or Smile, I am so enthusiastic about them, I lament having to assign a number to them, because five stars seems too low. They're more than perfect, and I don't know how you express that. I am not getting even close to those same feelings here. Perhaps it's unfair to the artist to even make comparisons and take him on his own merits. If that's the case, this album is different from others at the time; he was definitely doing his own thing, which is commendable. Although different, I don't find it particularly special. Not offensive by any stretch, but there's nothing here that makes me want to come back to it again. I had more fun reading his Wikipedia article than I did listening to the album. That, I might read again Unenthusiastically ⭐⭐⭐, I guess
Doesn’t sound like the Beach Boys! The first song is great and it is a good album but not essential listening.
Da pra dizer que isso aqui bebeu muito da água dos Beatles, e obviamente dos Garotos Praieiros do qual o artista fez parte. Um ótimo disco de folk, que em algumas músicas específicas foi muito bem tematizado o nome do próprio. Gosto muito dessa estética de folk que fala sobre praia e natureza, é um álbum bem longo por ser duplo mas longe de ser algo enjoativo, pelo menos pra mim.
Love this album. Read it was a cult classic and bought it and really like it. Some great songs and deserves its status.
Really solid solo outing from the George of the Beach Boys. Out of kindness, I only listened to the first 12 songs which were the entire original release. Double albums are almost always a terrible, terrible idea.
3+
the first and only studio album by dennis wilson, co-founder and drummer of the beach boys. it's said to be one of the best solo albums to ever come out by a member of the band. these songs were recorded in the beach boys' studio, and while some critics were divided when this came out, many people like this album a lot. dennis had plans to record and release another album, but the idea was unfortunately cut short when he passed away in the mid 80s. it really shouldn't be surprising that this album sounds great. compared to a lot of other work by the beach boys and members of the group, this album feels a lot more moody and surreal. highest points of the album are definitely some of the songs that feel... sludgy in the best way. it's like a thick blanket all over you, soothing you as you listen. it has a fair bit of rock, country, folk, and even gospel influence. i feel like a lot of emotional albums get grandiose or abstract with its lyrics, while wilson plays it straight all the way through. it's a really nice change of pace compared to other stuff by the beach boys, both as a group and the guys doing it solo... it's an album for a cloudy day instead of a sunny one. and it's real pretty.
This was alright. I'm a pretty big Beach Boys fan, but mostly because of Brian Wilson. The sounds of this album were very big, and the musical diversity was pretty wide, but some of the tracks just felt very repetitive and kinda simple or boring. Some were very good and I really liked them. I was listening to the extended album with like 30+ songs, so it seemed like the album went on for days. Overall I came away with a kind of middling opinion. Three stars.
Another one that if I didn't get assigned it, I wouldn't have ventured to find it. The things I liked about this one were the same things I didn't like about it. I liked the chill vibe, very soft rock and yacht rock feeling. I enjoy the sound and feel of this sort of music as a stark contrast to my modern hard rock mix that I listen to. From one of the Beach Boys, this record didn't really surprise me as something super standout-ish. When I say I liked the same things I disliked about this, that was the case. I could tell you a couple of the standout songs, but otherwise, while I was working, this really seemed to go in one ear and out the other. It was a decent listen overall. I'd probably listen to it again. Probably not a third time anytime soon.
OG Alt Rock
Meh
For some reason I had over-looked this album - probably because I'm not too much of a Beach Boys fan beyond their hits - but I found "Pacific Ocean Blue" to be a well written, arranged, produced and performed album. The tracks are sequenced nicely. It's quality discreetly crept up on me - more for how I felt after listening to the whole album rather than possessing a clutch of stand-out 5 star songs that wowed me. I suspect that this album would grow on me even more with repeated plays. Four stars. Side one 1 "River Song" (4/5) 2 "What's Wrong" (3/5) 3 "Moonshine" (3/5) 4 "Friday Night" (4/5) 5 "Dreamer" (4/5) 6 "Thoughts of You" (4/5) Side two 1 "Time" (4/5) 2 "You and I" (3/5) 3 "Pacific Ocean Blues" (4/5) 4 "Farewell My Friend" (4/5) 5 "Rainbows" (3/5) 6 "End of the Show" (4/5) Total - 44 Average - 3.7 372/1001 198/372 albums reviewed were new to me.
Very interesting hitting this album today. Over the years, have encountered many vinyl collections but have never had one myself. My dad had one. My brother now has one so large he has had to build walls of special shelving and his wife has forced him to move it out of the living room and into… it’s own room. Some men have a man cave. My brother has an album cavern. My nephews both have begun their own collections. Some choice selections pilfered from their father (he’ll never miss them… or) and prized additions added as gifts and from their own allowances. People who are into vinyl have a special reverence for the object itself AND a collector’s sensibility. When my brother meets someone else’s collection he can’t help but start to look through it, both to gauge its owner’s taste and to see if they have something “special.” I am struck that over the years I have seen this album wherever there was an album collection to be seen. Its ubiquity is impressive. It’s almost like all collectors of vinyl, of a certain era (my nephews probably could care less about Dennis Wilson) agreed that one was not a REAL collector unless they possessed Pacific Ocean Blue. I am also struck by the fact that I did not, until today (!) know it was named Pacific Ocean Blue. I mean look at it. It’s just that close up photo and Wilson. Everything else is dwarfed. Needless to say, I have never listened to it, though I am plenty familiar with Time and a few other selections from it. I did NOT try to listen to Bambu as well. One album was enough. And that’s the thing. The album is, imo, very uneven. What it is, is a historical document. It’s a collector’s item. But those vinyl collectors who possess this treasure rarely put it on. It’s a document of Dennis the freaky beach boy, the “real” surfer, the one time friend of Charles Manson. His experimentation and pounding delivery can be quite affective. But it also veers into maudlin orchestrations that detract massively from its good. So… 3 Boolean: true - glad to actually listen to it, and know that it’s called Pacific Ocean Blue
his hairy chest comforted me as I listened to this banger
You really thought we wouldn’t notice school girl if you hid it in the middle of a 2 hour long album?
Wow, I had no idea what to expect but this album was really good.
This album is a treasure! It has some Beach Boys elements, a wide variety of other influences, a healthy dose of melancholy, and a gritty weariness. I really liked it.
couldn't get into it, so I dunno!
This is FAR too long, but there's a good album buried somewhere in here, and it's easily the most 'beachy' of any of the Beach Boys' output. Missed out on a 4 because of the length.
Was this necessary for the list? I'm inclined to think no.
I'm not familiar with this album, and I don't think I recognize any of these tracks by title. This is my first time listening to this album. I was anticipating something more like the Beach Boys, and this was unexpected and pleasant.
госппдє
This was interesting. Dennis Wilson was one of the Beach Boys and apparently he was the most talented one (IMHO). This does not sound like Beach Boys at all. Mostly melancholic. There are some great songs here, although mostly I would just say good and worth spending some time with. My favorite is Holy Man.
started promising but its pretty lame
Nothing that stood out as bad to me, but also incredibly uneventful.
Who would say that one of the beach boys would sing so softly. Amazing listen and very haunting especially knowing his tragic death…
Really good slower rock album. Hit my brain in all the right ways.
Pacific Ocean Blue is quiet a mixed bag isn't it? To me, the album has two sides. One side are the beautiful, spiritual and cathartic songs. Wilson created soundscapes that add and flow like the ocean. He used a wide variety of instrumental flourishes on them that embrace the listener and lays them down on beach to simply listen. Combined with great background singers and a stunning choir arrangement. That side of the album is a masterpiece to me. The other side, that’s much less exciting to me, is a slew of songs that are more rock-esque and… they just don’t grab me. Some of the instruments on them are fine and fun, but some of the songs are just going nowhere. Wilson’s crooning sounds so strained in some parts and makes it hard to listen to the songs. So yeah, some amazingly beautiful songs with some rather average rock-tunes. My favourite tracks on here are River Sing, Thought of You and Time - those really made me ascend.
No- and I don't care enough to elaborate more
Yeah pretty nice. Didn't evoke many strong feelings but I enjoyed it
Can hear some of the Beach Boys DNA in here, but with the gravelly sound of age and hard living. A great many 4 and 5 star reviews by the critics, but I just don't hear it. Maybe it is more a piece of that era and the connection to the Beach Boys that are at play.
Loved what I heard, but couldn't get through the whole 2 hours. As another commenter said, it was experimental in all the right ways. The melodies were unique, or took clear inspiration from mainstream songs and made it their own, and the blending and weaving of genres was done seamlessly. Loved his work on the Beach Boys, and this -- though different in sound -- was also loved.
Interesting album, and certainly a very interesting person. I liked a couple of the songs, but over all it was all just kind of “ok”.
Meh it’s alright
Wasn't feeling it at first and then it really grew on me and some songs were really good. Very interesting vibe, kind of psychedelic but also has a solid classic American rock sound
Mal de nuevo
The beach boys were never really my jam, but I really enjoyed this album. Artistically interesting, loved the vocals, and strong range. It’s always interesting seeing what off ramps people take in solo projects from larger bands, and this was much more reflective than I was anticipating.
It’s like they found a way to weaponize boredom and make it airborne.
I was more interested in the story of the artist than this album, but I saved two songs so two stars it is!
Middling and not worth the two hours but not evil
Boring
Found it kind of boring ,and nothing stood out .
Can we all agree that the Beach Boys were massively overrated? Pacific Ocean Blue is better than most Beach Boys albums and, thankfully, doesn't Share their irritating tweeness, but it still didn't really do much or go anywhere. Fine but no more than that.
Feels like some high school kid can make this type of music after a summer camp in song writing / production..
Pretty solid album. No doubt that Dennis Wilson can write some really beautiful stuff. It just didn’t seem super cohesive to me.
Not something I would have expected to come from a former member of The Beach Boys, it’s nowhere near a surf rock album. Otherwise, it was decent, the moodier sound kept me listening. Not really a whole lot that stood out besides the title track.
Really good sounding album. Just way too long. I definitely like Dennis Wilson's solo work more than Brian Wilson's. Not something I thought I would say prior to this list.
Wow, it wasn't what I was expecting at all given the cover, but this is fantastic! It's so eclectic and the songwriting is quite good, even the soft piano ballads were songs I fell for. I'm not mad that this is Dennis Wilson's only album. It's short, sweet, and it has everything that a fan of the Beach Boys would want. I'm behind on my reviews. I gotta keep this short.
Yeah I don’t think this guy was the key to the Beach Boy’s success As always with records like this, I can say it’s pretty inoffensive, where at the bare minimum it is better than just pure silence. Not a particularly high bar but yes this is music that for the most part attempts to sound good and isn’t just rage baiting the listener Unfortunately, this album is more dull than watching paint dry. Reading about Dennis is an interesting and really heartbreaking story, but I don’t think that enhances my enjoyment of this music at all. It just kinda feels like it spits in the face of what made the Beach Boys so special; I know there’s some personal/emotional lyrics in there but I just can’t be asked to care when that’s how they’re delivered. I stopped after the first disc for this one, since I couldn’t be bothered to listen to a whole nother album of that slop They definitely seem like one of those groups where they’re way better than the sum of their parts. The good run of albums was eventually coming to an end; feels somewhat refreshing to give this one a 2 after giving a week straight of 4s and 5s.
Clearly the musical talent was not genetic,,,,,
Another solid 3. There’s some good highs here, not many lows, but overall, I feel just… whelmed. A lot of these tracks feel like they’re missing one extra thing in them that would really fill out each song and make them feel more complete. It’s not a disappointing album per se, it’s just dripping with some unmet potential, I think. It’s not a bad album, but it’s not one where I’d go back to too many tracks. I think it’s certainly worth a listen, there’s good stuff in here, namely the stretch of tracks 5 through 9, and I’m sure there’s some of the other tracks that would hit better to my ears if I listen even more, but... I think I’m just gonna stick to a 3.
I may need to come back to this week of albums. I’m stuck at home with a torn calf, in pain/taking painkillers and falling alseep during albums. From what I can recall I didn’t particularly enjoy this.
Didn’t realise Tom Hanks made an album while he was stuck on that island. Lovely touch to dedicate it to Wilson too.
No. 413/1001 River Song 3/5 What’s Wrong 3/5 Moonshine 3/5 Friday Night 3/5 Dreamer 3/5 Thoughts of You 3/5 Time 3/5 You and I 3/5 Pacific Ocean Blues 3/5 Farewell My Friend 3/5 Rainbow 3/5 End of the Show 2/5 Average: 2,92
first time hearing this, very decent! found it enjoyable and quite fresh
This is a fine record with multiple solid songs and nothing cringy or terribly dated. One of those revisionists rediscoveries like Skip Spence and David Crosby’s solo albums that people have heavily praised due to the person as much as the actual record. Dennis Wilson benefits from his reputation as the best looking, only surfer of The Beach Boys, since it was assumed he offered little musically to the group. The kid brother who turns out to be pretty good in the driveway basketball games. Wilson avoided most of the dreadful qualities of yacht rock while showing flashes of brother Brian’s instrumental arrangements on “River Song” and the opening sounds of “Rainbows.” Wilson adds a touch of Paul McCartney earliest solo records. The title track has some of the low-fi funk heard on Macca’s debut album. The artist he most reminded me of is Jeff Tweedy. On the slower songs, his singing nearly matches Tweedy’s limited, but effective, voice. The arrangements also had the stripped down Americana vibe of Wilco, especially on “Farewell My Friend” and “Time.” It’s a sound record, but there must be three dozen guys who sold 298 copies of their record who were just as worthy of rediscovery.
The album sounds good and he has an interesting voice, but the songs are meandering and nothing really did it for me. If he hadn't been a member of the Beach Boys, I doubt anyone would care about this at all.
Lovely album and unmistakably a Wilson brother. Reminiscent of the softer moments of the BB but with a twist. Really enjoyed it
no es para mi
Dreamer is a good song but otherwise this album is pretty underwhelming - some of the songs sound a bit ethereal but not really in a way I’d expect for an album like this
If you read the short biography of Dennis Wilson, drummer and one of the founding brothers of The Beach Boys, who eventually abandoned him for a drum machine, a jokester who drank and snorted absolutely everything, and a friend of Charles Manson, it's hard to believe he recorded such an album. It's a calm, melancholy record that seems to drift along (Dennis, surprisingly, was the only one in the band who actually surfed). There are some Pink Floyd-esque experiments, Phil Collins-like drums, and vocal harmonies, all of which culminate in emotionally relieving music from a tired man. An extended version of 33 tracks is available for streaming, most of which are demos from the unreleased second album. Listening to them isn't essential, but it's worth checking out the last song, featuring vocals by Taylor Hawkins, a man with a very similar fate.
Who's the funny guy who posted this double album? There is no way I needed to hear 33 of this guy's song. I didn't even need to hear 1.
Some great songwriting and production value running through this family, although this only kinda got me out of my seat. I felt he shined brightest in the experimental parts, which were spaced out throughout this.
7/10
This album needs editing.
Excellent
i don't know what i was expecting from this album but it definitely wasn't this. from the very first track i was pretty pleasantly surprised; river song sounds like when the gospel choir starts singing in church, and you're not even religious but the good vibes still punch you in the face. in general i really enjoyed the gospel influence in a lot of these songs. i can't say i'll come back much to re-listen to this record because most of the songs weren't a huge hit for me, but for a first-time listen it was pretty great. favorite tracks: river song, love remember me, common
Opens up extremely strong with River Song, which I thought was fantastic. After that, it's pretty solid. Thoughts Of You, Farewell My Friend, and End Of The Show are probably the ones I enjoyed most, but River Song is easily the standout here. Worth listening for sure.
quite dated, slow rock. not sure what category to put this in.
Æ vet ikke om det e juks eller ikke å bare høre på den opprinnelige sporlengden, så sjøl om æ likte det æ hørte e æ også ganske glad for at æ ikke treng å lytte på to timer med det, men bare en drøy halvtime. Fin lengde, fint album, veldig av sin tid, men no shade no shame på akkurat det.
I guess it's unexpected coming from a Beach Boy? There's a period of the 70s where critics and fans were into stuff that just does not grab me.
As I am utterly indifferent about the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in general, I was surprised to find a couple songs here I liked. Not many. but a couple.
A very enjoyable listen, 70's rock with lots of blues and a bit of funk elements. I think the instrumentation is always interesting and Dennis' gritty vocals work perfectly. "Time" was my favourite track. Admittedly didn't relisten to disc 2 but this album is longggg. Lots to revisit in the future.
This was pretty good, although it definitely gets pretty bland at times. I liked some of the synth sounds that embellish some of these tracks, and there are definitely a few highlights here. Favorites: River Song, You and I, Farewell My Friend
River Song is so good that I was shocked I somehow had missed out on this record my entire life, but then it kinda sinks into agreeable 70s soft rock for a bit. Nice sounding, but a little bland. Picks back up near the end, with "You and I" and "Rainbows" as highlights. Don't quite think it is a hidden masterpiece, but still tragic that he wasn't able to do much more as a solo artist.
I saw the cover and the genres and winced. But, this was actually pretty good. Then I realised where I knew him from. Hah.
Rating: ★★★★ Some nice songs here, surprised I'd never heard of this album. Really liked Pacific Ocean Blues, Dreamer, and Thoughts of You. Thoughts of You kind of reminded me of an early Coldplay song, which I am a big fan of. Overall solid. There were a couple points on the album where I found myself waiting to get to the next one, one example being Time. The wikipedia article on Dennis Wilson is interesting, but I don't really take any of that into my rating of the album.
Favorite track(s): River Song, Dreamer, Thoughts of You, You and I, Rainbows Pleasantly surprised by how good this ended up being. Shouldn't have doubted a Beach Boy that isn't Mike Love.
really nice harmonies. But it is way too frickin long. Did not need to be two discs long. Its a real mixed bag here, some of these tracks are real toe-tappers and some are just long and drawn out experiments. I appreciate just saying fuck it and throwing it on the album. I get strong Peter Gabriel vibes from this at different points.
A mixed bag. Very Beach Boysesque which is to be expected. The highs are super high though
mais um num fede nem cheira realmente este mano é o irmão esquecido e musicalmente nada fascinante deve ser mei ruim ser irmão dos outros caras pprt
dennis, conhecido como o beach boy que era brother do charles manson eh decente, até. nada demais, bem normalzim, não fede nem cheira
Does show that Brian Wilson wasn’t the only person with some talent. The opening track is pretty good. There are a couple other good songs. But this isn’t exactly George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Way too long with too many filler songs
All the feteing of Brian and this boy was forgotten and slept upon. Pretty good stuff - and I think he contributed a lot to the happy trails one, also good, mostly sans brian. Tragic life, and maybe he deserved it re: manson shits? Still a soulful ass album and sad.
Despite how famous Dennis Wilson is this is a new one for me. An album which wouldn’t have interested me when released but was prepared now to perhaps find a hidden gem. Bit disappointed that I didn’t. An inoffensive album with one or two nice melodic songs but not much else to shout about. 3/5 30/5/26
Forgettable...
Some quite 70s sounds and production at times but I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting to. A lot better than the Beach Boys, some great sounds and feelings on some tracks, big sounds which are moderately thrilling, although later tracks were less interesting to me, and overall the album was too Jesus-y.
Not bad
Gin-soaked ode the the Pacific Ocean and west-coast underbelly of feelings. The darker opus of the brighter Wilson brother. I had a friend from LA way back and this was one he always loved. It’s a good spin despite it getting a little heavy with vamped production.
Great album, lovely feel to it and great instrumentation. Really enjoyed it
Love River Song! … wow Manson Family spiral. Devastating. “when I met [Charlie] I found he had great musical ideas. We're writing together now. He's dumb, in some ways, but I accept his approach and have [learned] from him“ Update: the day after getting this album, I rewatched project Hail Mary, which features Rainbows. Timing!
There exists, on this album, one absolutely astonishingly beautiful song - Farewell My Friend. It's surrounded by a sea of quite nice songs that don't really shift the emotional dial in much of a way. But still, it was good to find a gem like that! Also, nice to get caught up on some Beach Boys lore, you can see the through line really clearly.
A decent effort and certainly up there with some of the beach boys output
Thought this was gonna be better than it is, sad you died tho babe but stick a banger on there. Not even Melody Pond could help x
Eh, not all that interesting. This former Beach Boy did not provide Fun Fun Fun.
wow this was so lovely and great. some of the intros sound a lot like some Beatles melodies. What a time for music! It is always sad re-reading of the ultimate demises of the Wilson brothers.
This is expansive and passionate yet somehow virtually soulless.
This album is filled with powerful moments, probably a fair chunk of it comes from Dennis' voice; who knew that the guy behind the drum kit was hiding something away great for so long. The songs here are like songs to end all songs, kind of like Echo & The Bunnymen and 80s and 90s U2, except this was before all that. There's a nice mix of styles, from power ballads to bluesy-rock to art pop reminiscent of the Beach Boys. This was a lot better than I was expecting; I'm a bit apprehensive of solo albums by musicians apart (or formerly) of famous bands. It's a high 3 from me. Highlight Song/s: "Dreamer"
not my jam
I very much enjoyed this. There's quite a lot of different shades and tones running through it. You can hear a little bit of the Beach Boys in here, but mostly it's quite expansive in terms of the sound. I like the variety of instruments, the explosions in brass, and the kind of dreamy, ethereal sections with great use of synths. 3.5 rounded up.
Trois chansons se démarquent: la triade Friday Night, Thoughts Of You et Dreamer (par ordre de préférence). J'y retrouve un air de Pink Floyd, donc pas étonnant que ces trois là m'ont le plus plu. Friday Night, à la première écoute s'annonce plutôt psychédélique et finalement devient blues. L'instrumental (les fins de phrases surtout) sont superbes! Dreamer a juste la bonne dose de funk qui m'est supportable. Le chant y est impeccable, un peu tendu, rocailleux. Thoughts of you, évidemment très douce, alors quand arrive ce pont intense, mon goût pour la tension est servi et la chanson toute entière devient alors tellement géniale.
Can't quite place my finger on why, but I liked this album. I've always felt a bit sympathetic toward Dennis Wilson for spending the a lot of his career Brian's shadow. Even his brother Carl Wilson was widely seen as more musically gifted than Dennis. And of course, who could forget Mike Love (that egomaniac doesn't want you to forget him, either). All of this on top of his tragic ending, there's a lot to feel sorry about with Dennis. But given all of his imperfections, this album is a really solid piece of work. There's hints of the 70's Beach Boys in here and some fun tunes.
The coolest Beach Boy for my money. He was the only one who could actually surf and he lowkey sucked at drums but damn, he had some soul and that was something I think most of the Beach Boys lacked, especially when they were just getting started. If only he wouldn't have picked up those Manson girls.... I'm glad Pacific Ocean Blue made the list. The title track and Dreamer are both heaters
From listening to Dennis Wilson, I can kind of understand the weirder Beach Boys releases like Surf's Up (if he had any input). Dennis isn't afraid to experiment with harder, meaner, or more aggressive sounds and textures, compared to the Beach Boys' rich pop. No, Pacific Ocean Blue, at times, reminds me of The Walker Brothers' Nite Flights. It's a record that begs for relistens, not due to the memorability of Wilson's songwriting , but the depth and richness of it; each new listen reveals something new. This is not my style, but I'm warming up to it.
Good - nothing crazy. Long
First half I wasn't really a fan, but the back half really picked up and won me over.
Melodic and a range of sounds and tempos. There was a lot to listen to. A man of great talent
love this so much. 5
Too long. 2.
Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
Some of the songs seem ahead of their time, toying with modulation, pressing the boundaries of rock. Sad, crooning, different than the Beach Boys signature sound.
This is a great album. Heaps of good experimental stuff that's a lot of fun to listen to. I chose to only listen to the original album, not the 2 hour deluxe bonus whatever version Spotify has, and I don't regret that choice - it's insane that there's more deluxe/bonus content than the album itself. Solid offering from an underrated Wilson.
That was nice! My favourites were River Song, You and I and Rainbows. Sometimes I feel the soundscape is a bit harsh though; maybe too many layers.
Favorite Track: Pacific Ocean Blues
Liked it, but didn’t make an imprint on me.
A really pleasant surprise
This is Too Much "Beach Boys" music without the Beach Boys"
Never heard of this man before today, at least I don't think I have. Good background music, gives me folk/praise/hippie vibes. Again, not my normal genre, but still good. It's just a bit hard to understand the lyrics further into the album. Almost makes you think he was high when he recorded some of the songs (but then again, it was probably the norm for his time period).
I just dread albums with this many songs, most of the time the album is hard to get through and sometimes it pays off but this isn't one of those albums for me. Maybe I'll listen to it again another day and change my mind but not today.
lo escuché muy por arriba pero banqué
RIP I know you were a pretty cool cat but this is just more Beach Boy schlop
Solid album but with the double cd it was way too long.
I don't know what would move this to a 5, but I'm teetering on a full 5. He swung for the fences with every song and by golly did he nail it.
rarely bad but not often good.
What an interesting album. The first few songs really threw me off - it moved across genres quickly.
Review - this should be getting a lot more popular these days - it's a certified yacht rock classic, but with a gruffer voice which makes it stand out. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES
This is sad. But sad in a good way. It's a melancholic album by the late Beach Boys drummer. In some bits it sounds like Nilsson, and other bits sounds like a mature and depressing Beach Boys album. This is beautiful.
Better than most of the Beach Boys output
Pleasant enough stuff
I’m fairly sure I’ve never heard this before. I don’t really know its history but it sounds like it would fit right alongside the other classic rock artists. It sounds a little southern fried, like Little Feat. Not my favourite thing but I appreciate the talent. This will land right in the middle for me. 2.5 rounds up to 3.
This is one of those albums where I understand and support its inclusion on the list, but I’m personally indifferent to it. “Friday Night” and the instrumental “Mexico” were my favorite tracks. There are definitely some interesting and innovative moments here. I’d rate this 3.5 if I could, but it didn’t quite do enough for me to round up.
When to listen: Driving down the PCH. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of this album a lot but it kind of faltered at the end. Cool influenced and cool sound. I love the Beach Boys too so this all tracks.
How do I rate this? This man has seen some things. The conventional songs like What's Wrong are blah. But some of the other music (Time in particular) is kind of frightening, even though I'm not sure what's frightening me. An Elton John piano. Eaglesish melodies. Stiff production. Dennis' vocal timbre sounds almost Peter Gabriel-ish at times (surely a coincidence, but buoyed by the background swell in Moonshine and the opening of Thoughts of You). The bonus Bambu tracks are a mess but a lot spookier, and I liked them more than the actual album. I wish he'd lived long enough to develop all of these great ideas.
Prefer to beach boys. Max came over for dinner last night. Francisco
Got to know this one through Tor's Cabinet of Curiosities a while back. I'm still in love with this record. There's a layer of pain and melancholy that's present in every song, and a feeling of resignation best exemplified in 'Thoughts of You". So many touching moments, be it in his singing or in the gorgeous instrumentals. I see you, Dennis.
A damned good album, and unfairly forgotten
The album cover smacks of arrogance, the music does nothing to back up that delusion. This album is a very poor effort.
3/5
more strong evidence you should be listening to your drummer, cos honestly this blows the Beach Boys out the water 7 / 10 Best track/s: The Dreamer, River Song, Time
War mir völlig unbekannt, schöne Entdeckung
Good but doesn’t really stand out - most songs sounded the same to me
An eclectic mix of rock music.
This was good but not very interesting. 3.0/5.0: Good
well written and well performed if pretty boring at times
This album was pretty boring ngl
Nice collection of rejected beach boys songs
I thought it was just fine, but I might need to give this another listen.
There's some absolutely fantastic songs on this album but a few were extremely repetitive and ruined what would otherwise have been a fantastic experience.
Incredibly wide range for one album- I liked some songs more than others but as a whole really enjoyed it! In a word: moving.
I liked this more than I thought I would! my man needs a better album cover. hilariously was listening to Farewell My Friend and thinking “wow this would be great for a project hail mary amv” SURPRISE THE NEXT SONG ON THE ALBUM WAS IN THE MOVIE LMAO also this was hella long so I admittedly only got through disc 1, but will probably come back for disc 2 at some point
Very pleasant surprise considering I'm not a beach boys fan. Looking him up, kinda skeezed out that he married his cousin's daughter. Then a bit better that it was unknowing that it was his cousin. Then back down when it turns out the cousin was fellow beach boy, Mike Love. Then worse when I saw he's a Trump supporter. But, the album is good though! Loved "Time"
Could barely get through - super long album.
Thought it was gonna be like the Beach Boys. It wasn't like the Beach Boys. Kinda liked this!
might be a 4 with more listens
Some interesting parts rear their head occasionally like when it sounds like a New Orleans funeral band enters during Time accompanied by a ripping guitar solo. Otherwise, not really for me.
Some songs sound like they have an Elton John influence. Mostly it sounds like a late 70s record, early synths and Rhodes, horns, strings, funky drums, maybe some Nilsson flavor. There are a lot of ambitious ideas here, but they have only a fleeting grip - it's clearly heartfelt and has some soul, but it's hard to pick something that stands out. "You and I" has a hint of the Beach Boys harmonizing accompanied by typical 70s soft rock Rhodes piano and bongos.
A rich California guy on the downside of his career trying to convince us that the party songs here aren’t sad while the sad songs sound like hitting rock bottom. It’s really beautiful in its way and a must for anyone whose appreciation for the BB goes beyond the songs.
Très mauvais début. Pour autant, des Dreamers / Thoughts of You ça part dans une direction complètement différente. Intéressant. Fin du 1er CD. Franchement cool, ça innove ça sonne pas tout le temps si vieux. Non c’est cool
Unbelievably beautiful compositions
Okay Minecraft Steve
Hmm. This was very much a mixed bag. Enjoyed some of the instrumentals and more upbeat songs. Did I detect a hint of ELO?
Friday Night was a treat! Fantastic song. The entire album is great but that’s to be expected from Brian Wilson. The album is way too long, otherwise it’s solid.
"She said you're just like Mike Love but you wanna be Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson Said you're just like Mike Love but you'll never be Brian Wilson"
Great album. Surprise.
groovy and blues-y in a very underwhelming and inoffensive way. most of the songs are very short, riddled with banal lyrics. and when every track just ends with a fade out it's kinda ridiculous and it makes the album feel unfinished and the artist behind it unimaginative. even though some of the songs (or parts of them at least) were alright, the album as a whole was dull and disappointing.
I found this tedious. Overlong too.
no notes :)
First listen seemed like a solid but not brilliant 70s album, but got into it more the second time round. Never reaches the heights the Beach Boys did, but there a few tracks that stand the test of time. Revised 3 stars up to 4.
meh
Very cool album which I wouldn't have come across before. Cool mix of classic rock and blues, with brilliant production throughout as you'd expect from a Beach Boy. My favourite song by a distance is Time - the moment the horns hit and the song pivots hits different. But also really loved Dreamer and Rainbows. 8/10
Lush, melancholic pop and soft rock built on layered pianos, warm synths, steady rhythms, and husky, weathered vocals drifts with heavy emotional weight. Listening feels like floating on a vast, gray ocean where waves rise and fall slowly, pulling you into a slow weighty pace.
Great mix of wall of sound loveliness and sleazy funk. Definitely saving this one to listen to more
Pretty good :D
Pretty good.
Bland and overlong. If I asked an AI to generate a 70s rock album I would be unsurprised if it ended up sounding like this .
It was alright. Good background music while pricing transfers.
I actually quite liked this, but it just went on a bit too long
A bit too middle of the road for me, but it's well constructed and has some cool ideas throughout.
Catchy pop rock that really only picks up steam toward the end.
that is one hairy dude! The album itself was OK, Tug of War is great as is River Song, however reading his Wiki is a lot more interesing, drugs are bad people.
This is very well produced, but I wasn't into it.
Melodramatic as hell, but damn it this is cool! Probably best listened to while standing over the Grand Canyon or something. Not every song works, but the ones that do, sure hit. Fave tracks: - River Song - What's Wrong - Moonshine - Dreamer - Time - Pacific Ocean Blues - Rainbows
Good but too long
Have never heard this Dennis Wilson record before. It started off and it seemed like so-so Beach Boys stuff but after the fourth track Friday Night I really began to get into it. It's best when it's a bit more pounding but the piano led tracks sounded better once I had tuned into the rather laid-back vibe. It's probably a 7 out of 10 for me but I want to go back and listen to this again to see if some of the less immediate songs work on repeated listens so I'll round up to a 4.
My Mum has always loved the Beach Boys, but I could never tell you much about them. I can name a handful of songs, give a general timeline, maybe link the Wilson surname with the band, and name one or two albums, but no more than that. I couldn't have said with confidence that Dennis Wilson was one of their members. I have one song from this album (Friday Night) in my huge playlist, so I encountered it quite frequently, but I never knew it was from the solo work of a Beach Boy. I always appreciated Friday Night in my playlist as a good balancer in a playlist of mostly very energetic songs as something more chill, and this album is like that to the last song. Nothing here will rock your world, but everything here is very tightly constructed, very relaxing music that straddles the line between letting that Beach Boys history shine through and carving a path of its own. A relatively short album (if you actually research what the album's runtime should be and don't bundle it in with Bambu), which is a help when this album doesn't excel in any area. A pleasant listen that might not stick with me for long as music, but as a mood I can't fault the tranquillity it provides.
Rv
Sounds an awful lot like The Beach Boys to me. Which is fine in small doses. I do not want almost 2 hours of it. 3.00
A completely forgettable album. I had this running in the background, and not a single song grabbed my attention. The songs are all well-crafted and produced, but lack any quality that would make them catchy or interesting.
Very boring
Didn't really do anything for me. There were two songs that caught my attention but not enough to "like" and go back and listen to. Don't think I'd have any interest in revisiting.
Production is good throughout and downright lush in places, and I loved when a song would randomly drop a brass section or a gospel choir on you. That said large stretches of this really dragged for me, and I'm left wondering would this album be on anyone's radar if it weren't made by a Beach Boy who died before his time? It has its moments but never quite becomes more than the sum of its parts. Honestly, his Wikipedia page gives the album a run for its money. Favorite Tracks: River Song, Dreamer, Thoughts Of You, Time, Farewell My Friend
Never heard of this before, but it just comes off as generic 70s rock to me.
Meh.
A very pleasant listen. Just nice and pleasant. Unfortunately ‘nice and pleasant’ can never ever get 5 stars. Too pleasant.
This could be condensed into a ten song masterpiece of a record. Ten is the scientifically proven optimum listening experience after all. However, if bloated it be, one must give it a three.
“river song” and “pacific ocean blues” are perfect
Ihan ok soololevy The Beach Boysin rumpalilta.
not bad if i heard it out and about I wouldn't mind it , off topic but the guy in the album looks like Steve from Minecraft.
Not for me
33 flipping songs and not one good one
i enjoyed this album. its very good. but i did not like the banjo.