Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue (Caribou, 1977)

Nick: I find it very difficult to say anything sensible about this.

When it started I thought “Yeah, I’m gonna like this’ but now I’m not so sure.

For what should really be easily assimilable music it’s overly complex, so many extraneous bits, the production is a bit overboard. ”Little bit of this, little bit of that, ok.. yeah that’s good. No! More!” It’s quite nice but all over the place.

Well I think he was really trying to prove himself on this, he’d been seen as the pretty-boy, not-very-good-drummer in the early days while his brothers were the ‘talented’ ones.

Well he’s gone a long way to proving everyone right here. The further you get into it the worse it gets, it’s all over the kip!

Nah, nah Mr…..whoever you are…Wilson, not good. Basically he didn’t know what he wanted to do did he? It’s almost like he found 100% compatible samples from 60 different recording and put them all together. But I guess it’s typical, coming from where he’s coming from.

Must be hard being Brian Wilson’s brother.

Yeah, but take up knitting or something, beat him at that!

I’m going to make my comparison about painting again….

Don’t…

He takes every colour of the rainbow…

Seriously, it’s ok, everyone knows it by now.

Hi, my name is Dennis Wilson, I make Rock n’ Roll records. I’ve had a career of 15 years making records, hit records with The Beach Boys, during that 15 years I’ve had some very exciting moments but I’ve never been as excited as I am now, as a matter of fact, I am very proud to announce;
D. Wilson Knitwear, a new venture run by me and my spiritual advisor Nick T. Hinks.

Listen to Pacific Ocean Blue on Spotify.

Big Star – #1 Record (Ardent, 1972)

{Track 1: Feel}

Nick: {surprised face :-0}

what?

It sounds like another band just joined in!

With the horns?

Yeah, very weird.

So Alex Chilton died of a heart attack the other day…

Who’s he?

He was in Big Star.

And this is Big Star?

Yes.

I like it, it sounds quite like the Beatles, his voice even sounds like a mix between McCartney and Lennon’s.

It’s the Beatles with less musical imagination, but that’s not by any means a bad thing. It’s nice.

How long after the Beatles was this?

2 years, 1972.

And how many years before the New Romantics?

A few, you don’t think…

They sound somewhere between the Beatles and the New Romantics.

Ok, are you not thinking of Glam Rock?

Yeah! that’s what I meant, it’s beginning to veer in that direction.

Were they big? Obviously not if I’ve never heard of them.

Yeah they kinda flopped, completely flopped actually. Years later folks like REM and The Replacements would cite them as a huge influence and…

They deserve to be big.

There was a big box set released last year, one of the discs is a live recording, you can hear the crowd all chatting amongst themselves, almost unaware there’s a band playing in front of them.

I can’t understand that. It sounds like popular music, what were Beatles fans listening to in 1972?

{Track 10: Try Again}

They’ve gotten a bit boring now haven’t they?

No.

I think they have.

It’s very good but stuff like this just makes me realize how much better The Beatles were than everyone else.

Sheesh. The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles. I think I read this in the liner notes of the #1 Record/Radio City twofer: Big Star sounded like everybody but nobody sounded like Big Star. Anyway, go read something by someone who can actually write HERE.

Spotify users can listen to this record HERE.

Jonny Fun And The…Hesitations – Carpe PM (Self Released 2009)

Nick: What are they called again?

Jonny Fun…

Oh yes, and the hesitations.

And The….Hesitations.

The……………………….Hesitations.

got it.

It’s nice stuff, but he doesn’t sound like Jonny ‘fun’.

You think he’s Jonny….

Well he’s not fun, there’s no fun in the songs, or in their execution.

Jonny Slightly Contemplative is more suitable.

The Hesitations doesn’t really cover the band either but it’s closer.

Very likeable, tuneful, gentle music.

I’d say in the regular Dublin venues they’d have a problem with not being heard, everywhere I’ve been people stand there screaming at each other till you can’t hear the music.

Nice voice too, again, sympathetic.

One of the few things you’ve played me recently that I’d actually buy and listen to on a regular basis.

It’s the old fashioned, good melody, good lyrics, nice execution, you can’t go wrong.

In that respect it’s very traditional.

Musical.

There’s quite a bit going on too. And it all fits, everything here is meant to be here, no useless noise like other modern stuff.

Yeah, I like this a lot.

I feel like I should add a disclaimer here. I’m involved in the Popical Island collective. So is Jonny Fun. Also, he’s a friend. I’ve always been a little cautious (hesitant? weh weh) of getting Nick to review stuff by friends of mine in case it looks like he’s giving them an easy ride or whatever. But that’s definitely not always the case. So shut up.

http://www.myspace.com/loveandlime