Dennis Wilson and Marvin Gaye

I picked up two good reissues in the past few weeks by two sorely missed musicians.

Dennis Wilson, who I now think of as the creepy Beach Boy, finally had his debut record Pacific Ocean Blue released on CD this year. If you are expecting something like Brian Wilson's Smile, you are going to be very disappointed. This album is a dark, bluesy, and even sometimes angry take on California soul. On ballads like "Thoughts Of You", he sounds completely broken - on rockers like "Dreamer", he reminds me of Animals-era Roger Waters, which is a little surprising from a Beach Boy. If you want fun-in-the-sun happiness, this is not for you. If you want a compelling artsy 70s rock record, you might want to give this a try (although, at $28, you need to be pretty dedicated).

I also picked up Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear, which is Motown's take on Blood On The Tracks. It still has the flashy production of his best work, but the lyrics are as pissed off as they come. It's like an evil twin to What's Going On: instead of peace and love, this about how woman will ruin your life. It still is a pleasant listen, although it doesn't have standouts like his best records, and some rants ramble on a little longer than they need to, whether lyrical or instrumental. After this divorce, apparently restraint wasn't on Marvin's mind.

These albums were great diversions from the new music coming out; maybe I'll listen to them more when I stop buying two new albums every week.