Been listening to the 30th Anniversary release of Pacific Ocean Blue on and off since I got it. Like most folks, I never gave Dennis Wilson much credit, nor his work much attention.
Undeservedly so, as this stuff is well worth the listen and certainly goes well beyond the Beach Boy genre he was stuck in. The dreamer, looking for his place in the world.
Dreamer was written by Dennis Wilson and his close friend Gregg Jakobson, it was released as the fifth track on Dennis Wilson’s 1977 solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. The track, as with the rest of the album, was credited as being produced by Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobson. Dennis Wilson sings the lead vocals on this and every other track on the album.
Dennis provides a raspy yet soulful lead vocal on the song. According to Dennis, from an interview in 1977, he played Bass Harmonica on the track as well as "practically everything" else on the track. He also stated that the song was "about Christ".
Even though Wilson had managed to taste some success from his recordings off albums such as Friends, 20/20 and Sunflower, his music was still very much under rated and under promoted. With the release of Pacific Ocean Blue, Dennis proved that he was not just a drummer, but that he could write lyrics and music, produce as well as performing the album tracks.
Lindsey Buckingham recalls, "I knew him pretty well. . . . he was a good guy. He was kind of lost, but I thought he had a big heart. I always liked him. He was crazy just like a lot of other people, but he had a really big heart, and he was the closest thing to Brian (Wilson) there was, too. He was halfway there."
Succeeding years saw his alcohol abuse problem worsen and he possibly became disillusioned by others’ neglect of his talent (though he had always shown a blatant disregard for his own physical safety), he continued to record solo intermittently, but never released any more material. Thus, the "other" Beach Boy who has been called genius by some was unfulfilled creatively at the time of his death by alcohol-related drowning at Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles, on December 28, 1983, just after his 39th birthday. On the day of his death in 1983, Wilson was quoted as saying "I’m lonesome. I’m lonesome all the time."
Fred Vail, a close friend of Dennis, said that his premature death was most likely inevitable: "I knew that Denny wasn’t the type of guy who would live to be an old man. It just wasn’t in the general scheme of things. He was just constantly challenging the boundaries
I know a carpenter who had a dream
Killed the man but you couldn’t kill the dream
Who said it was easy
People gotta be free
And the band keeps on playin’
I know people who want to go far
Make big movies and become a star
People got to dream
Dreamer who said it was easy
And the band played
Play for me
Now I’ve seen people from near and far
They couldn’t get to heaven in their car
Who said it was easy
Driver drive on uh
Oooo let the wind carry your blues away
That’s all we’re tryin’ to say
How ‘bout a better day
Fall in love
Oooooo ooh
And the band keeps on playin’
Play for me
Do you wonder where you are
Wake up in bed with a star
That was easy
Dreamer dream on
And the band keeps on playing
Play
My Trusted MOGs
Thanks for posting these tracks. From the reviews, I wasn't sure I wanted to bite on buying this but after a listen I agree it's very un-Beach Boys. Alcohol abuse isn't pretty, just finished reading the biography of Warren Zevon...
My Trusted MOGs
Another great song on album full of them. I posted the title track here:
http://mog.com/funoka/blog/168160
Some nice comments but not as much as you nicely wrote here. I never knew he dated Christine McVie for so long until recently -- perhaps that's how he met Linsdsey Buckingham.
My Trusted MOGs
BB, I believe you will not be disappointed. Coinsidently, I also just finished reading "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" . Very good read, and I aquired a new respect for Mr. Zevon.
funoka, yes indeed, that is how he met Mr. Buckingham. Considering the disfunctional family Dennis came from, I wasn't surprised he so many issues. Translated into some great music. Kind of adual edged sword.
My Trusted MOGs
What a great but very different track. It's a amazing how lonely and lost people you think have it all can be.
It's always sad when you hear members of groundbreaking groups killing themselves by one method or the other and muting forever what greatness could have come from the group as well as the solo journeys.
Thanks for sharing these tracks, inrumford- and yours too, funoka.
My Trusted MOGs
sad story, intersting all the same ,thanks for posting