After several attempts since 1970 to realize his own project, some of which made it to the finished album, Dennis Wilson recorded most of Pacific Ocean Blue from the fall of 1976 to the following spring at the Beach Boys' Brother Studios. At the time, his hard living began to affect both his appearance and singing voice, which became grainy and rough, yet still deeply soulful. Co-producer Gregg Jakobson recalled that this period marked Wilson's full acceptance as an artist, noting that while Brian had shown him chords on the piano, Wilson's increased proficiency led to music that was not derivative. Having his own studio significantly contributed to his creative process, allowing him to flourish with the right encouragement and tools.