Dennis Wilson’s tragically beautiful ‘Pacific Ocean Blue’
The devastating fact is that Dennis Wilson lived a life in the shadows and left a legacy in one, too. Despite being part of one of the most famous bands to exist, co-founding The Beach Boys, he was always underappreciated in favour of his brother, Brian. Then, after a series of terrifying run-ins with the Manson Family and worsening addictions, his solo work, too, was left underappreciated in the shadow of his tragic death. But Pacific Ocean Blue deserves its moment in the spotlight.
From the start, Dennis Wilson deserved more attention. When the Beach Boys began, it was arguably him that gave the band the vibe that made them famous. He was the only member of the band who surfed, serving as a perfect example of the California energy that fueled their sound. With his love of the water, his sun-kissed blonde Californian hair, and his all-American good looks, he was exactly the kind of man that the band made music for and about. That was what started it all. “One day, my brother Dennis came home from the beach and said, ‘Hey, surfing’s getting really big,” Brian Wilson recalled in the Surfin’ Safari liner notes. “You guys should write a song about it.” Soon after, the band recorded its first single, 1961’s ‘Surfin’’, and the rest was history.
But from that moment on, Wilson’s contributions to the group were forever overlooked as his brother became known as a genius. It’s true that Brian wrote the majority of the songs and took full creative control of the band’s magnum opus, Pet Sounds, proving his talent across songwriting, composing and production. But there was really no way for another band member to get a look in.
However, when Dennis did get a chance, especially on later albums like Friends, his own genius glimmers through. Tracks like ‘Little Bird’, ‘Forever’ and ‘Be Still’ speak to that, showing his capabilities as a two-fold thing, balancing balladic beauty and a clear countercultural streak. That’s also shown vividly on ‘You Are So Beautiful’, Joe Cocker’s anthem that friends and family claim Wilson played a role in co-writing.
But that talent was always hidden in the shadow of someone else. It’s only on Pacific Ocean Blue that Wilson stepped into the limelight on his own, showing the depth of his capabilities. On ‘River Song’, there’s a classic rock streak that feels Bruce Springsteen-esque, as if Wilson could have rivalled the great American rocker. But on ‘Dreamer’, he sounds like a countercultural cult figure, unafraid of experimentation and production risks as seductive, distorted verses are met with luscious horn details as the result of an incredibly creative, visionary mind.
However, the album’s most beautiful moment comes on ‘Mexico’, a bonus track only released decades on. The fully instrumental piece is stunning, proving that not only did Wilson clearly learn a lot from his brother’s composition works but that he had the talent, too, as he delivered an emotional odyssey of a piece.
According to the album’s co-producer, Gregg Jakobson, the record all came from a place of power, confidence and fight. For Wilson, this was finally his time to shine and he was ready to grab it. “This was when he fully accepted himself as an artist,” Jakobson said. “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.
But tragically, it didn’t take off. Upon its release in 1977, the record was a failure that barely charted and had weak sales. His label reacted by pulling funding for his tour, sending Wilson deeper into a depressive spiral of addiction and sad self-destruction.
That’s where the record once again falls into shadows. His sessions for the record came only years after Wilson’s terrifying connection to the Manson Family, during which Charles Manson sent him a bullet with his name on it and threatened him into silence, with Wilson saying, “I couldn’t. I was so scared,” about his refusal to testify in court. To those around him, it was clear the musician never truly recovered from the fear as the once joyous surfer utterly retreated into himself. When his tour was cut, and as the recording sessions for his follow-up album Bambu were marred by his addictions and depression, everything only got worse until his tragic death in 1983 when he drowned. Upon hearing the news of his death, Charles Manson said, “Dennis Wilson was killed by my shadow.”
What’s especially tragic is that Wilson never lived to see favour turn. Now, Pacific Ocean Blue is heralded as a great album, regularly included on lists of albums the world needs to hear or the best records of the 1970s. The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine said of the album, “like [Dennis’] music better than some of our stuff. When I listen to his music now it’s like, ‘God, that’s better than anything we’ve ever done’. … [Pacific Ocean Blue]’s strong, original and melodic. Great production.”
Listening back now, Jardine is right. The record is “strong, original and melodic”. It’s brave yet timeless, balancing experimentation with classic songwriting and sounds. It’s a testament to Dennis Wilson’s talent and proof that he always deserved more of the spotlight.
