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Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition
The Sound Of Free
The release that Beach Boys fans have been waiting for is finally here. After years of legal confusion over exactly who owned the rights to this wonderful record, Pacific Ocean Blue has been given the treatment it has long deserved. In the past decade, helped by the reissue of the band’s underrated 70s catalogue and by the undeniable appeal of the story of the misunderstood heartthrob, there has been an upsurge of interest in Dennis Wilson. With this release his sole album is remastered beautifully and packaged with a plethora of unreleased tracks, many of which have not even been bootlegged.
The album itself is still an astonishing listen, by far the best solo album released by a Beach Boy and the most consistent of any band-related release of the 70s. It’s ambitious and tender, in places swaggering with confidence and in others heartbroken and fragile. The opener River Song (originally recorded by the Beach Boys) is a thing of widescreen wonder and, to modern ears, sounds like exactly the kind of music that Dennis’ band mates should have been making at the time. Elsewhere, the record flits between strutting rock (Dreamer, Friday Night) and devastating ballads (Thoughts Of You, Time) with ease. Wilson’s arranging and production skills give the material a freer, more soulful feel than anything The Beach Boys recorded. Anyone who has worn out their vinyl or bootleg CDR will be astonished by the quality of sound; any curious, casual fan of the band will be richly rewarded.
The album proper is followed by a handful of songs recorded for POB but which didn’t make the final cut, including a beautiful version of The Beach Boys’ Only With You, the dreamy Tug Of Love and the instrumental track of the infamous Holy Man.
These bonus songs would have been reward enough for the patience of Dennis’ fans. However, a second disc adds an extra album’s worth of unreleased material. Some of these songs have appeared on various bootlegs under the title “Bamboo”, but the difference in sound quality between the versions unearthed by the team behind this edition and the ones that have been trading among collectors is incredible. Songs that have appeared as muddy, low-fi recordings, such as He’s A Bum and Constant Companion, are an absolute revelation.
The Bambu (it’s now apparent that Dennis preferred this spelling, after the rolling papers) project was doomed to incompletion. Dennis’ substance abuse was starting to interfere with his previously prolific work-rate and, on many of the tracks here, it shows. His voice is often raspy and slurred, the lyrics veering between greeting card romanticism and unwelcome glimpses into the thought processes of a dirty old man. However, there are plenty of moments that confirm that he was still capable of absolute greatness and beauty. It’s Not Too Late features beautiful vocal interplay with younger brother Carl, a real treat for any Beach Boys fan, as well as a vocal flourish at the end of the song that is unmistakeably Brian Wilson. Many other songs show a talent adept at a wide range of styles with which The Beach Boys would have struggled to be convincing.
The disc concludes with a version of Holy Man sung by Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, a brave move considering the unforgiving nature of The Beach Boys’ hardcore fan base. Luckily, he just about gets away with it with an uncanny Dennis impression that, while essentially glorified karaoke, does give fans an insight into what may have been had Dennis completed the song. It could perhaps have been issued as a standalone track, but this is only a minor quibble. This edition of Pacific Ocean Blue is the most significant Beach Boys-related release since 1993’s Good Vibrations box set. Legacy have done a superb job of sourcing and remastering these recordings, making available a real treasure trove of material that will delight any lover of great music.
Legacy Recordings | tbc
Reviewed by Jamie Atkins
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