Dennis Wilson : Pacific Ocean Blue

I'LL NEVER MAKE THE 

HEADLINES OF THE EVENING NEWS

THERE WON'T BE RAGS TO RICHES 

STORY FOR ME

 Pacific Ocean Blue

 is the only

 solo 

studio album

 by American

 musician

 Dennis Wilson, 

co-founder of

 The Beach Boys. 

When released in 

August 1977, 

it was warmly 

received critically, 

and noted for outselling

 the Beach Boys'

 contemporary efforts.

 Two singles 

were issued from

 the album, 

"River Song" 

and

 "You and I", 

which did not chart.

The album remains

 a focal point of 

Wilson's legacy, 

being referred to as a

 "classic".

 It was voted number 838

 in Colin Larkin's

 All Time 

Top 1000 Albums. 

Wilson intended to

 record a follow-up,

 entitled Bambu, 

but the album was

 left unfinished

 at the time 

of his death

Background and Recording

After several attempts, 

starting in 1970,

 to realize his own project, 

some of which made it 

to the finished album, 

Wilson recorded the bulk of

 Pacific Ocean Blue

 in the months spanning

 the fall of 1976 

to the following spring, 

at the Beach Boys' 

own Brother Studios. 

At the time of recording, 

Dennis' hard living had begun

 affecting his looks 

and more importantly

 his singing voice, 

which now delivered 

grainy and rough, 

yet still 

deeply soulful, vocals.

Recalling the time 

Wilson spent working 

on the album, 

co-producer 

Gregg Jakobson said, 

"This was when he 

fully accepted himself 

as an artist. 

Brian had shown him

 chords on the piano,

 but as he'd become 

more proficient

 the music that came forth 

was not

 derivative of that. 

Having his

 own studio

 helped tremendously. 

With a

 little encouragement,

 and the right tools, 

Dennis took off."

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