Since the 1995 documentary “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” was released, ex Beach Boy Brian Wilson has deservedly undergone a resurgence in popularity. Musicians and fans have been reminded about the brilliance of Wilson’s melodies and arrangements as well as his troubled past.
However, what most people don’t recall is that brother Dennis had also inherited some of that Wilson compositional brilliance. In 1977, he released an album called Pacific Ocean Blue – the only solo album released in his lifetime (Bambu was partly recorded, discarded, then released as a bootleg). In 2008, the album was given a brilliant CD re-release with Bambu and other bonus cuts - the ever so cheerful rock critic Robert Christgau rated it a "bomb". Yeah whatever, Rob....
I'm on my own for this episode (please take pity on me - the episode is mercifully short) to talk about the musical expectations of a solo album held for a Beach Boys drummer, Pacific Ocean Blue's themes, the troubled state of mind I imagine Wilson was in to write some of these songs, and how ultimately the two sides of the record reflect the two sides of Dennis himself.
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Right click to download episode 117 here.
