Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 29
 Curate's egg June 18, 2008
Mr. J. Andrew (Glasgow United Kingdom)
7 out of 16 found this review helpful
As a long time BB and Brian Wilson fan, I was looking forward to hearing this album, especially based on all the positive reviews. Dennis was very much the one to watch based on his contributions to the early 70's albums. This is an album with some great songs that have interesting arrangements, but it also has some pretty awful songs (track 2 - come on, its music by numbers). It has a MOR California 70's feel to it, so thos expecting the clear vocals and clean production of the BB's in their prime will have to give it some time to bed in. Is it worth 5 stars - no. However there is enough here to suggest that Dennis had moments of brilliance, but it is padded out here somewhat. Indeed the album sounds slightly sleazy, hazy, dreamlike - a bit like Dennis from what I have heard. One to dip into now and again. Finally, a special well done for the excellent packaging of this CD. it's nice to get hold of something that you can look at and read (a bit like in the old days of vinyl).
 SHOULD BE ABLE TO AWARD 6 STARS June 17, 2008
DAG (DERBYSHIRE UK)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
Heard the hype, read the reviews. Never listened to one single track until now as didn't know how to get the bootleg and didn't want to pay 100 quid for the vinyl. Now got the re-issue on cd with Bambu included and it's simply staggering in its beauty - I can't get it off the hi-fi. The only comparisons I can draw are with 'Pet Sounds', perhaps Dion's 'Born to be with you', and maybe Gene Clark's 'No other', but in truth it's better than all three put together. Astonishing piece of work.
One Of The All Time Greats June 16, 2008
Mr. Robert J. Fawcett (London, UK)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
'Pacific Ocean Blue' is a cult classic which lives up to it's reputation. It's lush, heartfelt, emotionally stirring and unique. This superb re-release does justice to an extraordinarily good album which has been commercially unavailable for a surprisingly long time.
The packaging is lavish - a fold-out digipak style slipcase which reproduces all the original artwork including inner pictures and lyric sheet. To this is added a substantial booklet including a great deal of information and many rare photographs. If that's not enough for you, there's a pdf file on one of the discs with more.
'Pacific Ocean Blue' comprises the first 12 tracks on the first disc - for my money it's up there with 'Astral Weeks' by Van Morrison as amongst the top 10 indispensable albums. A previous reviewer criticised the sound quality of this release: I don't believe such criticism is justified. An A-B comparison with the original (long deleted) CD release, whose quality was perfectly acceptable, reveals a very similar tonality. In places the new release is somewhat clearer and certainly offers greater dynamics - but overall the original feel has been respected and reproduced. As ever, those migrating from vinyl might take a few listens to readjust.
What of the 21 'bonus' tracks? I have always had the impression that the legendary 'lost' second solo album 'Bambu' was lost somewhere within Dennis Wilson rather than in the sense of a lost tape. There's nothing here to change my mind on that score. There are at most half a dozen tracks which hold a candle to Pacific Ocean Blue, of which about three are really magnificent. The remainder either deserve their status as out-takes, or are promising tracks so unfinished as to even, in several cases, lack all vocals.
Other reviewers have mentioned the lack of the single releases "Lady" and "Sound of Free". I can see how they might have been welcomed, but they originated many years before the first solo album, so I feel there's a rationale for omitting them. Neither do I hold these rare tracks in the high regard others seem to...
If I were to have a gripe it's that the extra tracks on disc one break the mood at the end of the original album. I'd have sacrificed an instrumental or two to keep that disc to the original running order. That said, whilst I generally have very little sympathy for record companies, on this occasion I feel Sony deserve the applause to overwhelm the criticism (however constructive it may be). They have released this album into the wild again, and the team who put the release together evidently did it with care and with love.
 Dennis Wilson's masterpiece re-issued June 16, 2008
oldstuff (Cheshire United Kingdom)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dennis Wilson was always in the shadow of Carl and Brian despite being the true "Beach Boy". He started off in a fairly background role in the band but came more to the forefront as Brian faded from public view. Dennis' "Pacific Ocean Blues" solo album from 1977 was the first solo album by a Beach Boy and, possibly, the best. It isn't remotely a Beach Boys-sounding album as that kind of music was all Brian. Dennis' songs come from his soul and have raw emotion and power of their own. I'm really glad they've re-released this album and I hope it helps to show people that Brian, a true genius, wasn't the only Wilson capable of heartfelt music.
Fantastic - BUY IT!! June 16, 2008
David Wright (United Kingdom)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
As I sit listening to the closing track "Holy Man" on CD 2 of this hugely enjoyable and impressively packaged 2 disc set I can't help but wonder what Dennis would've made of it all - He'd have been well pleased I'm certain.
As a Beach Boy fan from the beginning, I've looked forward with great anticipation to this release and, a few technical quibbles aside, I'm not disappointed. Why "The Sound of Free" and "Lady" were omitted will probably be the major gripe for most hard core fans and I for one would be interested to know the reason.
It's a long time since I've heard Pacific Ocean Blue (disc 1), but I was not impressed with the opening few minutes of River Song, which sounded thin and tinny on my system. Whatever processing was done, it wasn't done well enough - sorry! Fortunately though, thereafter things sounded pretty okay although on occasion Dennis's vocals seemed a little further back in the mix than I recall. The additional four bonus tracks, two of them instrumentals on disc 1, were interesting if not spectacular.
But it was disc 2 "Bambu' that rolled back the years and reminded me of what a huge talent was lost all those years ago. Bambu is definitely more rock'n'roll than POB and one can only dream at what Dennis could have gone to write and produce. I'm not going to go into the specifics of the 17 tracks that make up disc 2, but I will say that it hangs together remarkably well and there are some absolute gems and warm, enveloping ballads with stunning Dennis vocals - and no turkeys!
This has clearly been put together as a labour of love. Some great photos combined with interesting and candid sleeve notes remind us of this talented and hugely popular Beach Boy whose rasping and emotive voice touched so many.
I can't imagine anyone remotely interested in the Beach Boys not loving this two disc set, and loving it for the music, not just the memories it brings.
Halfway through disc 2, my wife, never a BB fan remarked; "I really quite like this"!
Dennis's music lives on!
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