The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (33 1/3) [Paperback]

Jim Fusilli (Author)

Book Description

Series: 33 1/3 | Publication Date: February 11, 2005

The album that Brian Wilson created in an attempt to outdo the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. Worshipped by music lovers for its harmonies it is also regarded as an early demonstration of how to use the recording studio as an instrument. Brian Wilson has recently been touring the album again, playing it to thousands of devoted fans. It includes classic tracks such as Wouldn't it Be Nice, Don't Talk and God Only Knows.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Fusilli is a keen observer and eloquent writer, bringing a fresh perspective to this seminal album with wit and pathos...a fine addition to your Beach Boys library.'

'The idea was simple: to ask a group of authors to each write a book about a classic album. What emerged became Continuum's 33 1/3 series. Without guidelines or rules, each author embraced their own favourite album and chose exactly how they wanted to write about it.As a result, each book is by turn anecdotal, obsessive, technical and personal, but always passionate.' (Swell Music, December 2006 )

About the Author

Jim Fusilli is chief rock music critic for the Wall Street Journal and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered. In addition, he is the author of the award-winning mystery series featuring private investigator Terry Orr and his daughter Bella. The series includes Closing Time, A Well-Known Secret, and Tribeca Blues. The fourth novel in the series, Hard, Hard City, was published by G. P. Putnam in the fall of 2004.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (February 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826416705
• ISBN-13: 978-0826416704
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Fusilli is an American writer. He serves as the rock and pop music critic of The Wall Street Journal and is the author of six novels. A native of Hoboken, NJ, he lives in New York City.

Fusilli's debut novel, the mystery "Closing Time," is the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, Fusilli's mystery "A Well-Known Secret" addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of New York City. Two novels for adults followed: "Tribeca Blues" and "Hard, Hard City," which Mystery Ink magazine named its 2004 Novel of the Year.

In 2005, Fusilli wrote "Pet Sounds," his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys' classic album. Described as "an experiment in music journalism," the book combines the rhythm and emotional weight of his fiction with the often-unorthodox observations of his music criticism for the Journal, for whom he has written since 1983.

Fusilli served as the editor of, and contributed chapters to, the award-winning serial thrillers "The Chopin Manuscript" and "The Copper Bracelet." His novel for young adults "Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin" was published in 2008.

Fusilli has written and published many short stories; in several, he developed Narrows Gate as the setting, depicting the city in different eras. "Chellini's Solution," which appeared in the 2007 edition of the Best American Mystery Stories, features Narrows Gate in the years following World War II. "Digby, Attorney at Law" portrays the fictional city in the early 1960s. "Digby" was nominated for the Edgar and Macavity awards in 2010.

Fusilli is married to the former Diane Holuk, a senior public relations executive. They have a daughter, Cara, a graduate of the New School.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Insights to Pet Sounds, August 5, 2005

By 

Phil Miglioratti "PrayForSurf-dot-net" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (33 1/3) (Paperback)

I've listened to Pet Sounds since the day it was originally released in 1966. Fusilli has the ability to tell the story in a way that makes me thinkn I have never really "heard" Pet Sounds. His insights are a fresh way to hear Brian Wilson's heart and soul int he music of the best rock album of the 20th century.

Phil @ prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com

22 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pet Sounds is great, April 12, 2005

By 

E. Williams (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (33 1/3) (Paperback)

I'm a huge fan of Fusilli's crime novels(Hard,Hard City;Closing Time; etc.)so I tried this book, even though I'm not much of a Beach Boys fan. It is AMAZING! Fusilli describes Brian Wilson, the album, Pet Sounds, that changed his life, and tells us why it's a great album. By the time you are finished with this book, you want to listen to the album to see if it is as great and unusual as Fusilli says it is. You'll also want to read Fusilli's crime novels because Wilson is referenced in them. A great book by a great writer about a sad, misunderstood album from the Sixties.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Shame, Really, March 24, 2011

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Names Jim - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (33 1/3) (Paperback)

Webley's review nails it. I have been thinking about this since starting the book and his review sums up my thoughts very well. I had just finished Dan Leroy's take on The Beastie Boys "Paul's Boutique." Granted this era might not be too comparable to Brian Wilson's, but the book accomplished everything I had hoped. Leroy took a journalistic approach and compiled a plethora of detailed information about the making and content of the album in a cohesive and organized manner. It greatly increased my appreciation of the album and I could listen to songs as I read more about them.

I consider Leroy's work to be outstanding, but I had similar expectations for The Pet Sounds installment of the series. What a colossal disappointment. I had heard complaints that some books in the 33 1/3 series are tainted by author's including themselves too often in their writing. This is a prime example, but sadly, not the only problem with the book. I wouldn't mind a few personal anecdotes to contextualize the information if it was organized well, but Fusilli is all over the place. He bounces back and forth between prior albums and frequently includes detailed chord breakdowns of songs. Although this is probably interesting to professional musicians, it doesn't really lend itself well to this book series. It is by no means an easy task to dedicate an entire book to the creation of an album of such importance, but someone with Fusilli's experience and knowledge should have at least been able to understand what readers were looking for, like Wilson knew what his listeners wanted to hear.

I definitely learned some interesting new things, and it did allow me to listen to the album with some new ideas in mind, but overall there was just so much more that could have been done with this book. Very disappointing.