Posted on: June 17, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

This re-release of Dennis Wilson’s “Pacific Ocean Blue” marks the 30th anniversary since the album was originally released, but does not just stop with placement of the original album on CD. Rather, the Legacy Edition has a number of additions and bonus features that very few, if any Beach Boys and Dennis Wilson fans were previously familiar with. The first disc features the album as it was originally released, from the opening strains of “River Song” all the way to Wilson’s closing up of shop, “End of the Show”. However, this introductory disc features four bonus tracks – “Tug of Love”, ‘Only With You”, “Holy Man”, and “Mexico”.

If that was not enough, nearly the entirety of the second disc is previously unreleased (at least officially) material. The second disc largely focuses around “Bambu”, an album that was never completed and left sitting for a number of years. The entirety of the album save for “All Alone” had not previously been released up to that point, but Sony graciously brings the album out for all Beach Boys / Wilson fans to hear. The second disc (likely due to the fact that it is all bonus), only has one official “bonus track” in a version of “Holy Man” done by Taylor Hawkins, whom individuals might know from drumming in the Foo Fighters. At risk of sounding like a RonCo commercial, there’s more to this 2-CD set, and of particular note would have to be the 3-episode podcast that was created specifically for the re-release of “Pacific Ocean Blue”. Interviews from a number of associates of Dennis Wilson are present, and Sony even dug up a 1977 radio interview that was relevant to “Pacific Ocean Blue”.

The liner notes for this Legacy Edition are exhaustive and feature a number of different essays and pictures; the essays are written by a number of individuals incredibly well versed with Dennis Wilson and the Beach Boys, including Jon Stebbins (who authored a book about Dennis) and David Beard (who runs a Beach Boys magazine/newsletter). If individuals have the 1991 edition of Pacific Ocean Blue, this Legacy Edition surpasses even that due to the fact that it was not equalized. If you are any bit of a serious fan of the Beach Boys or their solo projects, the Pacific Ocean Blue Legacy Edition is a required purchase, especially since it will be the first time many individuals will be able to familiarize themselves with “Bambu”.

Top Tracks: I Love You, Moonshine

Rating: 8.8/10

Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue – Legacy Edition (CD) / 2008 Sony BMG / 33 Tracks / http://www.legacyrecordings.com /

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