Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson

Fun fact! Dennis Wilson was the only one of the Beach Boys who could surf! He was also the only one who got involved with Charles Manson, but that’s not quite so much fun.

Anyhoo, solo albums by drummers generally a bit disappointing. Their role in the band is to provide a solid backbeat to support everyone else, and they usually don’t get recruited for anything other than their ability to keep time. However, Dennis was a Wilson brother and obviously was blessed with the same musical genes as Brian and Carl. It's telling though that the album cover has the family name in large bold letter and Dennis almost hidden unless you squint.

It was with some trepidation that I pressed play on this one, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was pretty much ok. OK, so Wilson’s vocals are a bit thin and croaky after years of drugs and booze, and the music is mostly middle of the roads mawkish late night ballads but there are a couple of funkier and rockier moments in there. Not great, not terrible.