Wilson's "Ocean" set for expanded reissue

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson's cult-classic 1977 solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue," will be released May 13 in an expanded edition by Caribou/Epic/Legacy. The project has been out of print for more than 15 years due to copyright disputes.

"Pacific Ocean Blue" was the first solo album from a Beach Boys member, and featured Wilson in songwriting collaborations with his brother Carl as well as Beach Boys frontman Mike Love. Wilson drowned December 28, 1983, in Marina Del Rey, Calif., after struggling with drug addiction for several years.

The expanded version of "Pacific Ocean Blue" will be available in a two-CD edition as well as a vinyl version via Sundazed. Disc 1 of the reissue will include the original 12-track album plus previously unreleased bonus songs, which are still being sorted through by label archivists.

The second disc will make available for the first time songs intended for "Bambu," Wilson's never-released follow-up to "Pacific Ocean Blue."

Liner notes for the album are being penned by Beach Boys scholars such as David Leaf, Jon Stebbins, Ben Edmonds and David Beard, and the package will feature photographs by Wilson's close friend Dean Torrence, of Jan & Dean.

Reuters/Billboard