Probably one of the least recognized of the Beach Boys, or as Allmusic so cruely puts it – “The most obviously untalented Wilson brother at the beginning of the Beach Boys” – Dennis Wilson left us a staple gem of the 70’s. Although this record was released in 77′, it was the vision of an artist through the earlier part of the decade trying to find his own creative voice. On Pacific Ocean Blue, Wilson not only achieved finding a voice, but he exceeded most people’s expectations. This was after his tenure in the Beach Boys, and its obviously an expression of the creative stretch that he had to make during his time with the band. Dennis wanted his own identity outside of the shadow of Brian (although Brian always gave condolences to this record), and he did it with a melancholy, tightly arranged production over the course of 12 songs. This album pushed the boundaries of studio capablities and was layered with horns, synths, and at times hints of downright psychedelia (think the walloping keyboard riffs, and the funky in-the-pocket drumming in “Dreamer”). Each one of these records creates a different tone, and is a different expression from Wilson. Whether it be a ballad, an expression of 70’s pop music, or an exploration of the limitations of the studio, Dennis made his landmark before his drowning in 83′ . Although this album is incredibly hard to get ahold of now, I highly recommend tracking it down. It’s worth the search.
The tracks I’ve included are the aforementioned “Dreamer”, and one of my favorite cuts off the record “Farewell My Friend”
