DENNIS WILSON

RSG! gives you the low down on the legendary Beach Boys drummer's much under-rated song-writing achievements.

Rare footage of Dennis Wilson performing Never Learn Not To Love with the Beach Boys

It's common knowledge that the Beach Boys post-sixties output was, in the main, dodgy to say the least save for the odd stroke of genius from troubled older brother, Brian Wilson. But lurking in amongst some of the most horrendous formulaic tripe from Mike Love et al are some hidden gems by Dennis Wilson. In fact it is a crime that Dennis Wilson was never truely appreciated by his fellow band members and the powers that be. His talent was never fully recognized during his lifetime.

At the beginning, Dennis Wilson was the Beach Boys pin up. The epitome of 60s West Coast cool. He was the face that won over the ladies and made the rest of band look like little lost geeks.

Any songwriting talent that Dennis had was frequently overshadowed by the groundbreaking work of brother Brian Wilson. Dennis musical highlights and moments from the early days are hard to find. His enthusiasm and pin up status was enough to drive the band's early efforts.

But his voice was up to the job from the off. His first solo vocal credit was on the hit single, 'Do You Wanna Dance?'. Mike Love took a backseat to allow Dennis to put his heart and soul on vinyl for the very first time. Whilst it perfectly demonstrated Dennis' wild and raw enthusiasm it was a long way off from the heart warming, fragile voice he would eventually develop for his self-penned work.

Clearly Dennis learned a lot from brother Brian and as the sixties dream began to disintegrate threatening to take the squabbling Beach Boys with them, it was the songs of Dennis Wilson that help keep the flame burning. Sadly, at the same time, the troubles were only just about to begin.

Dennis Wilson didn't do things by half measures. His songs bold told the story of his life. The love and the hurt, the heart and the pain. His best songs were big, bold and hearty doomed romantic ballads sung by an emotionally wrecked, physically drained alcoholic/drug addict. His cracked voice poured out pure soul that would make a grown man cry. 'Baby Blue', 'Lady', 'Barbara', 'Forever', 'Be Still' and 'Only With You' are just a handpicked selection of golden nuggets to hunt down and treasure.

For me, the greatest Dennis Wilson track (and there are many!) has to be the epic and monumental tearjerker, 'Cuddle Up'. Hidden away on the patchy, 'Carl & The Passions' album, along with another worthy Dennis penned track, 'Make It Good', 'Cuddle Up' is pure white soul. An emotional rollercoaster with heartfelt lyrics, sung with astounding honesty and integrity (not a whiff of cheese that many would associate with the Beach Boys other efforts around this time). Add to this the moving classical intersection that lifts the song to a seemingly impossible further emotional level. It's enough to make a grown man break down and cry.

Dennis Wilson released an acclaimed solo album, 'Pacific Ocean Blue' which mixed rockier numbers with more excellent ballads and worked on a follow up, 'Bamboo'. Although it remains unreleased, many bootleg versions of the album have surfaced over the years to further fuel the Dennis myth. Dennis never got around to completing Bamboo but the bootleg recordings show Dennis was still making intense emotional records that echoed the full drama of his detoriating physical and mental condition.

Along with Bamboo, two other worthy bootlegs to track down are Denny Remembered Volumes One & Two. Both contain alternate outtakes, live versions and quality unreleased material. Another unreleased studio track was recently unearthed on the recent Beach Boys 'Hawthorne, California' compilation which featured another typically exquisite sentimental ballad, 'A Time To Live In Dreams'. There may well be many more tracks hidden away in the vaults.

The troubled life and times of the only surfing Beach Boy and friend of Charles Manson, is told in 'Dennis Wilson The Real Beach Boy' by John Stebbins.

Here we list the complete recorded works of the late, great Dennis Wilson. Surely such a strong body of work deserves wider recognition. A wealth of material is available but is scattered all over the place. Making the completist's job a real nightmare. One day, hopefully someone will show the good sense to pull all these songs together with other unreleased tracks from the vaults and give Dennis fans an offical release that truely captures the rare talent and extraordinary songwriting gift Dennis possessed. A box set would be the perfect tribute to the man whose talent was forced to take a back seat for far too long only to be wasted away so prematurely when it flowered into something so pure and beautiful..

DENNIS WILSON SONGS ON BEACH BOYS ALBUMS:

Friends:

Little Bird (D. Wilson, S. Kalanich) - One-line lead by Carl Wilson;
Be Still (D. Wilson, S. Kalanich)

20/20:

Be With Me (Dennis Wilson);
All I Want to Do (Dennis Wilson) - Mike Love lead;
Never Learn Not to Love (Dennis Wilson) - Uncredited writer or co-writer: Charles Manson

Sunflower:

Slip On Through (D. Wilson);
Got to Know the Woman (D. Wilson)
It's About Time (D. Wilson, B. Burchman, A. Jardine, C. Wilson) - Carl Wilson lead;
Forever (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson)

Carl and the Passions-So Tough:

Make it Good (D. Wilson, D. Dragon);
Cuddle Up (D. Wilson, D. Dragon)

Holland:

Steamboat (Dennis Wilson, Jack Rieley) - Carl Wilson lead;
Only With You (Dennis Wilson, Mike Love) - Carl Wilson lead (Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) does a fantastic, faithfull job of this great tear-jercking track on the Beach Boys tribute album, Caroline Now! (Marina Records)).

L.A. Light Album:

Love Surrounds Me (D. Wilson, G. Cushing-Murray) - This song was originally intended for "Bamboo".
Baby Blue (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson K. Lamm) - Carl Wilson partial lead - This song was also intended for "Bamboo."

DENNIS WILSON SOLO:

Miscellaneous Songs:
Celebrate the News (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson);
Sound of Free (D. Wilson, D. Dragon);
Lady (a.k.a. "Falling in Love") (D. Wilson) - This song was covered by Spring (Diane and Marilyn Rovell and a great version by Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines/Eugenuis is featured on the Caroline Now! Beach Boys tribute on Marina Records);
San Miguel (D. Wilson) - Carl Wilson sang lead;
4th of July (D. Wilson, J. Rieley) - Carl Wilson sang lead;
Carry Me Home - Blondie Chaplin part lead (Primal Scream released a cover of this long lost obscurity on their classic Dixie Narco EP); Barbara (D. Wilson).

Pacific Ocean Blue - released 1977

River Song (D. Wilson, C. Wilson); What's Wrong (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson, M. Horn); Moonshine (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson); Friday Night (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson); Dreamer (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson); Thoughts of You (D. Wilson, J. Dutch); Time (D. Wilson, K.L. Wilson); You and I (D. Wilson, K.L. Wilson, G. Jakobson); Pacific Ocean Blues (D. Wilson, M. Love); Farewell My Friend (D. Wilson); Rainbows (D. Wilson, C. Wilson, S. Kalanich) ; End of the Show (D. Wilson, G. Jakobson);


Bamboo (unreleased)

'Bamboo' - would have been the follow up to Pacific Ocean Blue but remains unreleased. Bootlegs though are available over the Net. 'All Alone' was featured on the 1998 'Endless Harmony' compilation of rare BB tracks. Tracks intended or possibly intended for the album include:

Schoolgirl; Moonlight; Companion; He's a Bum; It's Trying to Say (B. Wilson); 10,000 Years; Holy Evening; New Orleans; It's Not Too Late; All of My Love, All Alone (If I Could Live My Life Again); Wild Situation