Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. 100
    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.
  2. Full of lush harmonies, grandiose orchestrations and poignant lyrics, these ambitious songs have lost none of their innocent melancholy over the last three decades.
  3. 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.
  4. 92
    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]
  5. The new Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition corrects that [being out of print] while confirming the rumors of the album's greatness.
  6. Beautiful, sprawling, peaceful, wise, and as tenderly romantic as the world is round, these Dennis Wilson gems are as revelatory as they are stunning.
  7. 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.
  8. 80
    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]
  9. 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.
  10. 80
    The raw-throated, harmonically rich ballads transcend the occasionally schmaltzy production [June 2008, p.119]
  11. Pacific Ocean Blue has aged well, considered over 30 years later. [July 2008, p.46]
  12. 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.
  13. Pacific Ocean Blue makes a strong case for Wilson's skill as a songwriter and arranger.
  14. 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.
  15. 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]
  16. 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]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. MarkK.
    10
    I've had the bootleg for years - love the new deluxe package. Wonderful!
  2. DavidS.
    6
    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. Full Review »
  3. AlexH
    10
    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. Full Review »