After several attempts, starting in 1970, to realize his own project, some of which made it to the finished album, Wilson recorded the bulk of
Pacific Ocean Blue in the months spanning the fall of 1976 to the following spring, at the Beach Boys' own
Brother Studios. At the time of recording, Dennis' hard living had begun affecting his looks and more importantly his singing voice, which now delivered grainy and rough, yet still deeply soulful, vocals. Some of the album's songs were originally recorded with the Beach Boys in mind. "
River Song" was derived from an earlier recording in collaboration with
Daryl Dragon, titled "Ecology". The song was reworked in 1974 in collaboration with
Carl Wilson and was performed live at Beach Boys concerts during this period. Final arrangement would not be completed until 1977, including added vocals by The Double Rock Baptist Church Voices of Inspiration Choir. The title track, "
Pacific Ocean Blues", was written in collaboration with bandmate
Mike Love and was originally intended for the Beach Boys with Love on lead vocal. Wilson also recorded "Rainbows" (co-written with Carl and
Stephen Kalinich) and "Holy Man", though the latter was left incomplete. Recalling the time Wilson spent working on the album, co-
producer Gregg Jakobson said, "This was when he fully accepted himself as an artist.
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." ==Reception==