Dennis Wilson was the second genius songwriter in The Beach Boys- to be fair Carl and Love co-wrote/wrote many classics- but Dennis came to fill the void left by Brian from the late 60s onwards. It's unfair to compare Dennis to Brian, but Dennis was coming up with string-soaked odes to valium like Cuddle Up, country-soul like Forever & the Vietnam-outtake Carry Me Home (later covered by Primal Scream on their Dixie-Narco e.p.). Apart from Sunflower (1970), The Beach Boys albums post-Pet Sounds were hit & miss affairs- the highlights often being a Dennis track (if not a slight Brian return). Most of Pacific Ocean Blue was written with co-Forever-songwriter Gregg Jakobson- though the title track was written with Mike Love and River Song was co-written with Carl & slowly recorded over the 70s (several tracks intended for POB and the unreleased follow-up Bamboo found their way onto Beach Boys records, e.g. Love Surrounds Me, Baby Blue). Pacific Ocean Blue came out in 1977 and is one of the great records of the 1970s, scrub that, of all time...

Dennis offered the ultimate statement- hypnotic piano-driven songs, achingly sincere vocals, a different kind of musical experimentation. It makes perfect sense next to such albums of the era as Exile on Main Street, Manassas, On the Beach, Greetings from LA and No Other. Every song is utterly wonderful- this would happilly be my desert island disc: it's the kind of album that would make the ideal final purchase. Nothing much comes close to it- though perhaps it's just it's hard to find nature that makes me think that!

The songs are gorgeous, my favourite track being Time- which nods at the universal qualities apparent in Dennis' work and has sax/flugelhorn that reminds me of 1980s David Sylvian or late-period Talk Talk for some reason! It seems absurd to talk about an album you can't buy- but one like California (American Music Club), Star Sailor (Tim Buckley) & Time Fades Away (Neil Young) that should be available on CD! Can you believe that there are two books about Dennis Wilson at the moment (Dumb Angel, The Real Beach Boy)- so perhaps there might be an audience for this cd? (do you think so! DOH!)It seems odd when a lot of Beach Boys junk (e.g. Mt Vernon & Fairway) are widely available- as are some dull late Beach Boys works.

Pacific Ocean Blue is probably caught in licensing-limbo, which is a tragedy as it's not available- just that fact is depressing enough! Perhaps someone like Rhino- who did a great job with The Velvets'Loaded & Fleetwood Mac's Tusk should reissue this? I'd settle for the same quality reissues as the No Other & On the Beach reissues last year. Though with the unreleased Bamboo, the Lady (Fallin' in Love)/Sound of Free single, Carry Me Home and other songs such as You Are So Beautiful, Morning Christmas, San Miguel & other rumours, there's enough here for a box-set! Pacific Ocean Blue is the musical equivalent of a Richard Brautigan novel, & the best California-songs until 60 Watt Silver Lining by Mark Eitzel. A masterpiece, & probably worth the collectors prices you'll pay for it right now...REISSUE!!! SOMEONE!!!! PLEASE!!!!!

Why Not a Complete Dennis Wilson CD?
Most bands would feel fortunate to have a songwriter as good as Dennis Wilson in their ranks. That Dennis was the second-best songwriter in the Beach Boys was amazing, as was the band's failure to appreciate him as such. Bursting with creativity, this album is the result of years of songwriting, only a small trickle of which wound up on Beach Boys records. An absolute classic, and so much better than anything the Boys did in the 70s up 'til this point (with the exception of "Sunflower," which is another Dennis showcase).

Not only does this CD deserve to be back in print (certainly more than, say, the "MIU Album"), but also the tracks for Dennis' uncompleted second solo album, "Bamboo." I haven't done the timing, but I think they'd fit onto one disc. How 'bout it?

Excellent
The best album produced by any of the beach boys during the 1970s. Full bodied music with lyrics to match. Dennis comes out from behind Brian's shadow with this album. Pacific Ocean Blue & Rainbow are my personal favouries. The opening of Pacific Ocean Blue makes you sit up and pay attention and appreciate the listening experince. A sheer pleasure;unfortunatley due to short supply of the CD only a few are able to experience such talent.
If only his second album was completed!!! Would someone plesae rerelease this Cd!!!!!

why is it out of print?
this album rocks. i have it . the songs are well realized. sounds like brian wilson meets pink floyd with a little bit of hotel california era eagles thrown in.has all the crazy 70s analog synthesizers and it actually heavy. nothing you would expect from somebody who played with the beach boys.

A Lost Masterpiece
It's 1970. Brian Wilson has retreated to his room and the rest of The Beach Boys found themselves without a leader. It was during this time (the post-Capitol era) that Dennis found himself beginning to write...a lot. With songs like 'Forever,' and 'Got To Know The Woman,' he would emerge as a creative force within the group.

In 1977, he finally got around to recording a solo record and, oh man, what a record it is! If it were available in greater quantity, I'm sure this would be considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Now let's go over the album, track-by track.

1. River Song--One of the most incredible songs I've ever heard...it'll blow you away! It has a very 'Wall Of Sound' feel to it--with great orchestration, and a gospel choir singing backup.

2. What's Wrong--A doo-wop-style rocker. Something you will find yuorself singing along to.

3. Moonshine--The first of MANY ballads on the album (Dennis was very ballady throughout his musical career).

4. Friday Night--Dennis' homage to his youth, hanging out on Friday nights wih the "white punks."

5. Dreamer--A song about Jesus. Take the lyrics with a grain of salt, but the rhythm of the music is great. There's some dixieland jazz influence in there, as well.

6. Thoughts Of You--Dennis had recently divorced his wife Karen Lamm, and wrote this ballad for her.

7. Time--Another ballad. Great horn section and guitar solo.

8. You And I--A Stevie Wonder-influenced song co-written by Karen Lamm. The song is about Dennis and Karen. Most consider this the album's weakest song, but I disagree.

9. Pacific Ocean Blues--An eco-rock song (what do you expect...Mike Love wrote the lyrics). The music has a Joe Walsh-like influence. The gospel choir returns to sing backup, and they do it well.

10. Farewell My Friend--A beautiful ballad written in memory of one of Dennis' close friends, Otto Hinsche. This song would be played at Dennis' funeral.

11. Rainbows--A nice, light pop song. Listen for the mandolin on this track.

12. End Of The Show--An interesting commentary. Dennis said that the world (in 1977) was changing vastly and this song was, essentially, saying farewell to it.

Now that I've gone over each track, I've only one more thing to say--This record is long out of print and EXTREMELY hard to find. Get it if you can. Because you'll be missing out on a life-changing musical experience if you don't.