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Dennis Wilson, brother of Brian and Carl, drummer of the Beach Boys, the handsome one of the group who always made dad Murry furious, semi-professional surfer, actor of forgotten cult movies, successful playboy, friend of Charles Manson and regular attendee of his peculiar girls, was the first of the Californian group to drown during a dive on December 28, 1983, in Marina Del Rey, and was also the first to release a notable solo album.
Released in 1977, while the Beach Boys were busy with the frightening "M.I.U. Album" and recorded over about seven years, "Pacific Ocean Blue" provides an interesting social snapshot of aristocratic Los Angeles in the Seventies, when being a cocaine-addicted rockstar meant living in style. The album did not achieve great success but received very positive reviews despite not containing chart singles. The twilight sounds, the rich melodies, its nocturnal and melancholic setting, the never intrusive synthesizer touches, and its sense of desperation make it stand the test of time better than any other Beach Boys record after "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up".
The epic gospel of the opening "River Song", the Californian blues of "Moon Shine", and the meditative "Thoughts Of You" reveal Dennis Wilson at his best nostalgic reflections. "Time" is a decisive and classy rock, the title track is a beautiful song about nature personalized by the singer's hoarse voice, while "Farewell My Friend" and the concluding "End Of The Show" are sad farewells full of dark shades and ominous tidings.
The general tone of the work reflects the author's precarious physical condition, who at the time was tired, unmotivated, and often high on drugs and alcohol. Self-destructive habits, in stark contrast with many of his delicate songs ("Forever" from the "Sunflower" album), which first caused his almost obligatory separation from the Beach Boys and then his premature and foretold death, occurred under never fully clarified circumstances and prevented him from completing "Bamboo", his second solo album.
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