Pacific Ocean Blue is Dennis Wilson's only solo album, released in 1977. It was the first solo album released by a member of the Beach Boys, and when released, was both warmly received critically, and noted for outselling the Beach Boys' contemporary efforts.
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."
Released in August 1977, Pacific Ocean Blue received glowing reviews for its depth and emotion. It has allegedly been praised by his older brother Brian Wilson, but in a 2008 interview with Pitchfork Media, Brian denied knowing that Dennis had recorded an album at all. The album also performed encouragingly in the U.S. charts peaking at #96 for a 12 week chart stay, and eventually went on to sell almost 300,000 copies.
Despite Wilson's pledge to record an even superior follow-up, entitled Bambu, his continuing decline into substance abuse and personal problems ensured that the album remained unfinished at the time of Wilson's drowning death in December 1983.
Thus, this album, alongside his pioneering work with the Beach Boys, remains a focal point of Dennis Wilson's legacy, even being referred to as a "lost classic." The album has appeared on several "Best-of" lists including Robert Dimery's "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die," and Mojo's "Lost Albums You Must Own" and "70 of the Greatest Albums of the 70s" lists. In 2005, it was ranked #18 in GQ's "The 100 Coolest Albums in the World Right Now!" list.
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