The Don Williams Music Group has issues this press release:
Don Williams Music Group takes pride in announcing that twelve original compositions co-authored by Dennis Wilson and writer client Gregg Jakobson will be included on the upcoming Caribou/Legacy release by Dennis Wilson, "Pacific Ocean Blue/Bambu."
A March 2008 release is expected for the two-disc package that will contain the late Beach Boys’ acclaimed 1977 solo work Pacific Ocean Blue and will feature Wilson’s previously unreleased Bambu LP, described by rock historians as a lost classic.Dennis Wilson co-founded the Beach Boys and personified their quintessential California surfer image. His tragic death in 1983 left behind two solo albums of astonishing beauty. Now as the result of the sustained efforts by Caribou Records label owner Jim Guercio, Sony BMG A&R director Rob Santos and writer/producer Jakobson, both recordings will soon be available to his worldwide fan base.
Follow up:
Per Jon Stebbins on the Smiley Smile Message Board:
"This will only be Caribou era Dennis Wilson solo recordings... 1975 - 1979. A lot of it has been unheard until now...maybe 10 to 12 tracks that NEVER were booted, and some that were booted, but that sound a zillion times better now in perfect quality with fresh mixes by John Hanlon."
From Jon on the Shut Down board:
"Bambu was Dennis' intended spelling... like the rolling paper. Most of Bambu was written before POB was released...and it was recorded directly on the heels of POB which wrapped in April '77... so from May '77 to early '78 Dennis did have Brother. There are only 4 Carli songs that are part of Bambu and some of those were recorded towards the end of the Bambu window...mid '78. Most of Bambu was initiated at Brother. All of the tracks on this comp are Dennis solo tracks...'75 to '79. No WIBNTLA...that a BB's track from '71. This is all Caribou era Dennis stuff."
"I don't know the exact track listing that Sony will settle on, but i do know there are more than 10 tracks available and freshly mixed and ready to go... that have NEVER been booted... that's right. 10 to 12 DW tracks that even the hardest core fans on this board have not heard...and I'm tellin' ya this is great, great stuff. Plus all of POB meticulously remastered and sounding better than ever, and all the Bambu tracks that have been booted, but with fresh mixes by John Hanlon, and in perfect quality. Let's just hope the process keeps rolling to the finish line."
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I may have emphasized "most" a bit too strongly there. I'm just referencing the paper work that was left behind for the recording sessions. POB was released August '77. I'd say the majority of the Bambu tracks had to have been written prior to that date. I think the four C. Munoz tracks were written prior to that date right? And many of the others like He's a Bum(recording initiated 8/77 prior to release of POB) School Girl(recording initiated 8/76) Love Remember Me(recording initiated 3/77)...that makes at least seven written before. I think there's a few others too. But it comes down to which tracks would have been chosen for Bambu and we can't say for sure which ones would have. I realize there are quite a few written after POB's release like Wild Situation and Love Surround Me. But my point was that Dennis started recording for the next LP months before POB was released, there was no break...the last POB session was 4/77...he recorded steadily from that point until early '79.
There is some truth on what you are saying in the realm of possibilities, and I do appreciate the correction on the emphasis on "most".
I can personally testify that when Dennis approached me, post-POB, he was clearly set on a new north for his new solo album. He was so re-focused that the name Bambu wasn't even ever mentioned and a new project name even came up during the time that we were recording which took place over a respectable time spam back home and in between tours.
After the loss of Brother Studios I needed a break from all the craziness going on and took a breather spending time at home with my wife my new toddlers. Dennis tried to continue work on my songs with Tom Murphy -there were times that Christine McVie would call me as late as 3:00am to verify words, etc. to my songs. I helped all I could over the phone, but I wouldn't have anything to do with the erratic late sessions at that point even when there were other songs that I wrote that he wanted to include on the project (two or three of them remain unfinished in the archives).
Later he resumed work with Wild Situation and Love Surround me which I was also happy to see him do; I then on occasions visited the studio and assisted him in small ways --it was the end of the line.