Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

You won’t get much argument when it comes to declaring the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds a pop milestone. In everything written about this album, “genius” and “masterpiece” are two words that invariably appear from one sentence to the next. Of course, the former is applied to the album’s creator and spiritual avatar, Brian Wilson. Inspired by the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, Wilson set out to construct the greatest pop record ever made. He carefully aligned the famous Beach Boy harmony with a wall of instrumentation worming in and out of occasional smatterings of foolhardy intonations from trains and barking dogs. Everyone from Garry Trudeau to Elvis Costello has reserved the highest praises for Pet Sounds and its breathtaking production — in mono, no less. But it wasn’t easy for the reclusive Wilson. The thoughtful accolades verses the yearning for surf songs, followed by the abuse from his father, his band mates, his record label and the abandoned Smile sessions — all grounded him into a sandbox of disorientation. Defying all odds, he has lived to tell about it. Four decades later, Pet Sounds remains the quintenssial traipse of the 60s, the precursor to the rock album as an art form to behold.

Overwhelmed with the demands of touring, Wilson retired to the studio in 1965. Brimming with creative ideas, he started laying down tracks and brought in a ‘wrecking crew’ of musicians to realize his vision — all while the remaining Beach Boys were on the road. It was like Wilson was transforming into some sort of musical wizard, whipping up strange concoctions for Beach Boys records through the magic of big production. He tackled themes beyond the soda shop, the drag strip and the California coastline. He wrote fewer songs with Mike Love, and more songs with people like Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks. His palette was seething with layers, pinches, dashes and sweet melodies. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is a perfect example. A shimmering intro seamlessly slices through the melody before we get a stupendous vocal blend from Wilson, brother Dennis and Mike Love. What follows is a litany of emotion, teeming with rich instrumentation — saxophones, bicycle bells, tympanis, violins, accordions and French horns.

“God Only Knows,” featuring an eloquent vocal from Carl Wilson, “Caroline No” and the album’s only cover “Sloop John B” would become nominal hits of the day. Brian Wilson exhibited a remarkable flair for arrangement on the instrumental “Lets Go Away For Awhile.” The autobiographical “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” is a confessional ballad with a clip clop that’ll make you wince. But diverse and rich as it was, Pet Sounds was not an instant smash. Capitol Records didn’t exactly give it a ringing endorsement; in fact, they released a Beach Boys compilation at the same time. In England, it was a different story. Bruce Johnston, the sixth Beach Boy, was in London and played it for John Lennon and Paul McCartney. After repeated listenings, the two Beatles were inspired to expand their songwriting and recording skills, culminating with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Today, Pet Sounds is available in several different formats: mono, stereo, and a couple of boxsets that dig deep into every nook and cranny, packed solid with oodles of outtakes and tons of reading material.

~ Shawn Perry

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