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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Pacific Ocean Blue [Reissue]
Universal acclaim
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 25 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sony Legacy
Release Date: 17 June 2008
Discs: 2 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Pop
Summary
Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's solo album is rereleased with songs from his unreleased "Bambu" album and one unfinished track sung by the Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Observer Music Monthly
Adding a plaintive beauty and combining it with coke-ravaged, mid-Seventies, Spector-ish AOR and some playful studio trickery, the album is a raw, introspective and melancholic delight.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
Full of lush harmonies, grandiose orchestrations and poignant lyrics, these ambitious songs have lost none of their innocent melancholy over the last three decades.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Unavailability has also played its part in pumping up the myth – so much so that you wonder if, heard in 2008, these songs stand to disappoint. In fact, key moments of Pacific Ocean Blue square dramatically up to your loftiest expectations.
Read Full Review >Filter
This is one of the quintessential L.A. albums, for its fireworks of fame and celebrity are stripped naked and left to wander. [Spring 2008, p.94]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
The new Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition corrects that [being out of print] while confirming the rumors of the album's greatness.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Beautiful, sprawling, peaceful, wise, and as tenderly romantic as the world is round, these Dennis Wilson gems are as revelatory as they are stunning.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
It's also a meditation on a complex world, one devoid of the nostalgic innocence preached by the Mike Love-fronted Beach Boys of late, and its remastered, 2xCD Legacy Recordings release- the first CD release of the album since 1991--is astoundingly refreshing.
Read Full Review >The Wire
Pacific Ocean Blue has aged well, considered over 30 years later. [July 2008, p.46]
Hartford Courant
Pacific Ocean Blue makes a strong case for Wilson's skill as a songwriter and arranger.
Read Full Review >Spin
The raw-throated, harmonically rich ballads transcend the occasionally schmaltzy production [June 2008, p.119]
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
The album manages to co-opt elements of the Beach Boys - soaring harmonies, tack piano, orchestral arrangements - yet doesn't particularly sound as if it were recorded by the group.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
This double-disc set includes the first official release of Pacific’s follow-up Bambu, a harder-rocking but weaker set that Wilson never finished. Yet the reissue’s heart lies in tracks like “River Song” and the rollicking “What’s Wrong” — two raw, emotional highlights that are as moody as anything Brian ever composed.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Though at times difficult to listen to, the effect is a clear view of an artist's process. Herein lies the true value of Dennis Wilson's legacy: an open invitation to simply listen.
Read Full Review >Blender
Pacific Ocean Blue [is] a moody, groovy and deeply congenial solo album. The earthier Banbu. regularly rises to the Malibu heights of the first album. [July 2008, p.79]
Q Magazine
In the end, though, to fixate on these 33 songs' serial flaws and occasional bad odours is to miss the essential point. The music amounts to a compelling period piece. [July 2008, p.116]
Under The Radar
Unfortunately, the all-star collaborators mire Wilson’s primary-colored tunes in pointless excess and self-indulgence. Point being, some albums are lost for a reason and Pacific Ocean Blue is overwrought yacht rock schlock. [Summer 2008]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mark K. gave it a10:
I've had the bootleg for years - love the new deluxe package. Wonderful!
David S. gave it a6:
Very over rated. The title cut (Pacific Ocean Blues) has lyrics that are cringeworthy and simplistic. Some decent tracks - especially Farewell My Friend but not worth the universal acclaim it is getting on re-release.
Alex H gave it a10:
I had been anticipating this reissue for a long time and now it's finally here. Pacific Ocean Blue is a classic album and the Bambu songs are great. Tracks like 'River Song' and 'Moonshine' are up there with Brian Wilson's best compositions, as far as I'm concerned. The sound quality of the CDs is fantastic, and after listening to many of these songs on low quality mp3s and bootlegs for years, I have a whole new appreciation for this music.
John B gave it a10:
My second favorite album of the 1970s. Have only been able to listen lousy MP3's of it since the needle went and i disconnected the turntable. Now if only they will release my favoite 70's album: Beached by thr original Rikki Martin. It has so much Carl Wilson on it that I thught of it as a Beach Boys album, same with Pacific Ocean Blue!
