Customer Reviews

Pet Sounds (DVD-Audio DTS Surround Sound)

5 star:		(272)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I'm a Beatles connoisseur. A die-hard. I've walked across Abbey Road (with a cigarette in hand, though it was too brisk to go barefoot), quaffed pints in the Reeperbahn, and could point out fifty "Paul is Dead" clues. I've burned through a bookshelf of biographies about the band and I noticed that the Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds is continually mentioned whenever the end of the Beatles' touring days and the start of their `studio years' is discussed. With its 40th anniversary looming I started to wonder about Pet Sounds.
I always dismissed the Beach Boys as a half-baked band who parlayed a bunch of sunny tunes into a bubblegum legacy. While Brian Wilson could be considered the group's only gifted musician, but the boys could definitely sing. Gorgeous harmonies filled their 45s, but their words were always about things which were alien to me like surfin' and California sunshine. So, why the hubbub surrounding Pet Sounds? "No one is educated musically until they've heard Pet Sounds...It is a total classic record that is unbeatable in many ways", Paul McCartney proclaimed. Wow. Powerful, yet not as bold as what Beatles Producer George Martin said: `Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds." What the hell made Beatle Paul, Sir George Martin, and countless other music luminaries bow to 1966's Pet Sounds? I was about to find out.
The other night I dug out my copy of Pet Sounds, which I half-heartedly listened to a few years ago before tossing it to the back of my collection, and I listened to it...and listened again. My original lukewarm judgment of the album mirrored the American record buyers of 1966 when LP peaked at #10 and failed to go gold. I spent the evening playing and replaying the album. A hearty auditory diet of Pet Sounds followed for the next few days. It became the soundtrack of my driving, my meals, and even my showering and shaving. The songs grew on me like a suntan-and I became more and more engulfed in its richness and splendor with each listen. As Pet Sounds connected with me through my earphones, I thought about how striking the sounds were and how naive I was to have dismissed them years ago....

After suffering two nervous breakdowns, twenty-three year old Brian Wilson stayed home in L.A. while the Beach Boys (with Glen Campbell filling in for Wilson) continued to tour in autumn of 1965. He suddenly had time to work on his new project- a project that was to show his newfangled musical vision- but was unsure of his direction until the Beatles' Rubber Soul became the catalyst for his new mission. "Rubber Soul was a collection of songs ... that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed. I said, 'That's it. I really am challenged to do a great album." Fueled by barbiturates and good vibrations, Brian Wilson diligently worked through January and early February 1966 with lyricist Tony Asher penning songs with lyrical themes which evoke both the passion of newly born love affairs and the disillusionment of futile romances. Brian looked beyond the conventional guitars and keyboards when he hired and recorded some of the industry's best session musicians to play the backing tracks for the new material. Breathy saxophones, rolling accordions, piping flutes, Baroque harpsichords, pounding tympanis, regal English and French horns, and even some melodious oddities like Coca-Cola bottles, bicycle bells, and a ghostly sounding theremin are all interwoven into the album's rich fabric. When his band mates returned from their three-week tour of Japan and Hawaii, they laid down the immaculate vocals that blanket the record.
The result is an astonishing and harmonious orgy of sound. Wilson painted a dense and melodic landscape whose hills far out number its valleys. Pet Sounds is a gem from the opening blissful guitar plucks of the youthful anthem Wouldn't it be Nice to the crestfallen sounds of the barking dogs and passing train of the dirge Caroline, No. Brian's buttery voice on You Still Believe in Me and Don't Talk (Put your Head on my Shoulder) sends shivers down my spine. The heavenly God Only Knows, with its wintry sleigh bells and clip-clop percussion, melting vocals and marriage of horns and strings, make this an album highlight. Brian hands younger brother Carl the lead and the band recorded one of the loveliest and most divine songs ever heard on a pop album. " It's a favorite of mine...very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me," McCartney said of the song. The song's unorthodox opening line of "If I should ever leave you," is the cherry on top of the sundae for me. Perfection.
Pet Sounds is the crest of Brian Wilson's wave. He was able to use inspiration from across the pond and thread it into a richly textured and intricate piece of stunning pop. It was his vision, his baby, his masterstroke. His soul breathes through the vinyl.

It sounds silly to say this, but the Beach Boys really did change my life...I'm not sure when exactly I discovered that they were more than the fun songs I heard on the oldies station when I drove somewhere with my parents.
But, reading an editorial in my local newspaper one day, I noticed they mentioned that Brian Wilson was a musical genius. This greatly intrigued me, and I just had to discover who this Brian Wilson guy was...then I continued reading and found that he was the leader of the very familiar band, The Beach Boys. I immediately found the one Beach Boys c.d. that my dad had and put it on, this time listening deeper than I had ever before listened to The Beach Boys. I found that whoever wrote the newspaper editorial was correct...Brian Wilson was a musical genius...amazing vocal harmonies...outstanding instrumental use...a different and creative sound...and simply great songwriting!
This epiphany occurred about two years ago, and has left me obsessed with Brian Wilson ever since...which is no easy thing to say when you're eighteen years old and everyone else around you is listening to Fall Out Boy and The All American Rejects...and I actually really like both of those bands...they're fun to listen to and I like them, but I can admit that it's not great music. And sometimes, when I'm listening to bands like them, I wish that bands did it the way they used to...more about the music and less about the image. Nowadays, it seems like vocals is not a big part of music...because, in most current bands, the drummers and guitarists are pretty good and the singers sound like crap...I miss hearing good voices...such as the sweet soaring sound of Brian Wilson's falsetto, and the sounds of other harmonic groups, such as The Mamas and the Papas...The Association...The Grass Roots...Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young...the Beatles.
Anyway, I'm well aware that I am very off-track here...I'm supposed to be talking about how awesome Pet Sounds is, not how I feel about every musical group ever! So, Pet Sounds...what can I say that hasn't already been said? It's an amazing album...I don't feel that any words can do it justice.
I've read a few reviews on this album that state that people just like Pet Sounds and say it's the best album of all time because that's what they've heard the "intellectuals" say. Ummm...no. I could really care less what these alleged "intellectuals" have to say...I feel that Pet Sounds is the greatest album of all time because listening to it makes me feel indescribably happy...that's all...it soothes me...takes my problems away...reassures me that everything's going to be okay...that's how I know that it's the greates album of all time. It may not be some people's kind of music, but that's fine...everyone has their own opinions...but if you're eighteen and you love The Beach Boys just as much as I do, even though none of your friends and peers can understand why, don't worry...you're not alone...you're in a very elite club full of the most awesome people on earth...just kidding...but honestly...be reassured because there are a few others out there.

Surely one of the great albums of all time, Brian Wilson used his troubled genius to unsurpassed effect, pouring heart and soul into this collection of 13 masterpieces. In the Beach Boys he had at his disposal an incredibly skilled vocal group whose voices could blend and mix in the empathetic way that only comes from a family group who have grown up singing, and who were also perfectly capable of recreating the core of the album's sound in live performance.

Brian Wilson had worked hard for the group for several years, composing many of the songs, singing lead, arranging the harmony vocals, playing bass guitar and piano and honing his production skills, which were greatly inspired by the work of Phil Spector. He used the same pool of musicians and occasionally the same studio in Hollywood, and like Spector he was an innovator and pioneer who could brilliantly combine unusual pairs or multiples of instruments to create a unique single sound.
 
It all came together on this album, by which time he had retired from the touring group to concentrate on his composing and record-making. The beautiful melodies and the "pet sounds" he created were matched by some exquisite lyrics that were written in collaboration with Tony Asher and other writers. Brian Wilson had been inspired by hearing Rubber Soul and was fuelled by an ambition to match it in which he was wholly successful. In turn, Pet Sounds inspired the Beatles to go on to create Sgt Pepper. It was this spirit of competitive creativity that led to his unfortunate burn out during the creation of Smile, his response to Sgt Pepper.

Although not exactly a concept album, everything was recorded specifically for the album apart from the traditional song Sloop John B, which had already been released as a single and was included on the insistence of the record company. It does not sound too out of place. The first single from the album was the heartfelt God Only Knows (What I'd Do Without You). This got to number 2 in the UK, but suffered in America from lack of radio exposure by nervous radio stations, who began playing the flipside instead. This resulted in Wouldn't It Be Nice, surely an A-side in its own right anyway, reaching the US Top Ten.

The title song Pet Sounds is an instrumental that was originally called Run James Run, inspired by James Bond, and when heard with this in mind takes on a whole new meaning for the listener. The closing track, Caroline No, ends with more pet sounds: Brian's puppies Banana and Louie barking as the song fades. This had also come out on a single before the release of Pet Sounds, but under the name Brian Wilson, and without the beagle and weimaraner or other sound effects.

Of course, the original album already resides on everyone's CD shelf in mono. Brian Wilson was deaf in one ear and so preferred to work monaurally, again like Phil Spector. He also felt that he could present the sound to the listener in exactly the way he wished, without interference from any stereophonically knob-twiddling listener. 

However, a stereo edition was produced and engineered by Mark Linett in 1997 for the Pet Sounds box set, created under the close supervision of Brian Wilson himself, and this edition follows the original album with this scrupulously remixed true stereo version. Not only are these versions often slightly longer, the additional clarity afforded by the sound separation adds a whole new dimension to hearing them, and takes away absolutely nothing. Technological improvements since 1997 have meant that the new stereo mix of Wouldn't It Be Nice on this edition is less different from the original mono mix than on the box set

People tend to take the beach boys for granted, feeling that they are now a pathetic, tired, touring, surfing band, who had a few hits back in the sixties. I find this really sad. Im not the biggest beach boy fan (by no means), but this album right here changed rock music....You think the Beatles Sgt Pepper's changed music? Yea, it did; but if it wasn't for the classic PET SOUNDS album, the great Revolver and Sgt Pepper albums wouldn't have ever existed. Meticulously and beautifully crafted by lead singer, bassist, pianist, producer, and genius, Brian Wilson, this album combines extremely deep lyrical themes for that time period, combined with a great backing musical soundtrack. Every song on here rates from excellent to classic. The emotional depth in the music of this album, is so ahead of its time. But this is a surfing band!! Making a great album isnt possible for them!!...Well, the Beach Boys proved me (and if you listen to this album), you wrong. Every song on here is a beauty. The true standouts on the original 13 track album are "Wouldn't it be nice", "Don't talk(Put your head on my shoulder)" ,"I'm waiting for the day", "Lets Go Away For Awhile", "Sloop John B.", "God Only Knows".....crap, im going to name every song from the whole album!! The only negative about the album is a dated sound, because of the mono recording method Brian Wilson used; but after a few listens to the great musical intricacies of this album, you will see why i am praising it so much....believe me, if you like great music, this is a must buy; you wont be disappointed!!

This album took me a few listens to really appreciate. Being a bit of a purist, I listened to the mono tracks in an effort to experience the music in its original form. Although I felt it was a fine album I was initially underwhelmed. Within a few minutes of my first listening however, I was drawn back for a second listen. Setting my CD player for the remastered stereo tracks and strapping on a set of good quality headphones I settled in for the 33+ minutes that the record covers and was simply blown away...

The remastered tracks are bright and textured and and the lyrics are heartwarming and at times even heartbreaking. This album will get under your skin and stay there even after repeated listenings. Give this record a listen with an open mind and you may have the same reaction that I did...

Namely why didn't I hear about this fantastic piece sooner?

PET SOUNDS is my all-time favorite album: the soundtrack to my teenage years, and the one piece of pop music, more than any other, which has rescued, comforted, amazed, and inspired me above all others. I can safely say that at times it seems as if the group's early work existed merely to get me ready to hear this. All of the production and arranging tricks that Brian Wilson used so well on the group's best-known hits are employed to full effect here. The result is an astoundingly deep emotional song cycle.
It's wistful, sad, tender, nostalgic, hopeful, joyful, spiritual all at once. An amazing album, beautifully written, arranged and sung.
This new CD pairs the original mono release with a new stereo mix. After wearing out three vinyl copies of the mono album, it was hard for me to believe that I could actually hear anything new in a "new" PET SOUNDS, but the stereo mix reveals musical nuances which will surprise even the most diehard Beach Boys-Brian Wilson fan.

Pet Sounds is an absolute masterwork, complete with its baroque flourishes and Bachian melodies. To compare the album stylistically to the Beatles is just silly, as both artists stand fine on their own and equally inspired each other. A better compairison would be the Beatles versus Brian Wilson's SMiLE, but that is not what this review is about.

If art reveals the spirit of the maker, then no truer words could be spoken about Pet Sounds. Brian Wilson has poured his heart and soul into the record and every sound on the album seems to resonate with some deep feeling inside himself he was trying to convey. Wilson has said that this album was "made for the recording industry" and "artistic reasons rather than commercial ones", hence why he wasn't surprized by the album's failure to sell like previous Beach Boys efforts. To say that Pet Sounds is ahead of its time would be wrong, because it is an album for all times and of classic, enduring themes. The simplistic beauty of the melodies combined with Wilson's own Wall of Sound creates a triumphant expression of the emotions felt during one's coming-of-age.

Pet Sounds is an album that finds you. When you get the right feeling, it comes to you like a refreshing wave of cool sadness to cure the ills of heartbreak, growing pains and modern-day confusion. It seems to take the words right out of your mouth and translate them into an epic of harmonic glory, leaving you lost in the music, drifting along to the harpischords, flutes, falsetto voices and bells taking you to a place you always wanted to go but never knew how to get there.

To say that this album is a staple is an understatement. It is essential for anyone who has ears, as well as anyone willing to explore sounds that reach the same level of depth and complexity that the emotional lyrics convey. So, next time you find yourself pining for a lost love or just down in the dumps with no one to identify with, forget that gin and tonic, Pet Sounds is the best self-medication.

The last person who reviewed Pet Sounds entitled his review "Masterpiece?" and gave it 1 star. He's entitled to his opinion, though I'm not one to agree with it. Even Mike Love had his skepticism when he 1st heard the instrumental tracks to Pet Sounds.

Brian Wilson had retired from touring in 1965, due to emotional problems and pressure to write and compose more for the Beach Boys. Though many missed his presence onstage, this allowed him to really get out the sounds inside his brain. He was especially impressed with the craftmanship of the Beatles' Rubber Soul, which came out around Christmas of that year. Long story short, while Brian's brothers Carl and Dennis, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston were busy touring the world from 1965-66, Brian composed and performed on the instrumental tracks, reducing the band to backup singers.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" opens the album with promise and optimism, and a jaunty koto solo, sounding much like a young man bent on making his romantic dreams come true (Dennis can be heard singing backup with "cupped hands" over his mouth). "You Still Believe In Me" came from an earlier song "In My Childhood" and featured the sounds of a bicycle bell and a car horn from the song "Childhood." Mike sings lead on "That's Not Me." "Don't Talk" is both haunting and romantic with its strings and the bass which sounds like a beating heart. "I'm Waiting For the Day" has lyrics about a man hopeful to help a woman forget about the last jerk who broke her heart. This piece is heavy on the drums (particularly in the intro and at the false ending) and woodwinds (oboe accompanying the verses and flutes soloing at the last verse). "Let's Go Away For a Little While" sounds like it could be during a romance scene in any 1960's movie, with vibes, strings, a sax and a slide guitar. "Sloop John B" is a traditional folk song (it was Al's idea that they record this in 1965). Carl sings lead on the ethereal "God Only Knows," which Brian got the idea from praying. Cynical Mike retorted "Well, I pray to God it sells!" Orchestration includes strings, french horns, accordian and harpsichord (one take includes a sax solo). "I Know There's An Answer" was originally "Hold Onto Your Ego" (Mike's condition for singing on it was that the lyrics were more optimistic sounding). Mike sings lead on "Here Today" (one of the more commercial pieces). "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" is Brian being brutally honest about the struggle inside himself (if you've ever thought to yourself "Nobody understands me," you're sure to relate). This features an eerie theramin solo amidst the heartbreaking melody. The instrumental title track "Pet Sounds" cheers things up a bit. Finally, there's one of the saddest breakup songs ever "Caroline, No." Brian laments the warmth and sweetness in Caroline have disappeared forever. At the end, you hear the sound of a train and Brian's dogs barking.

Pet Sounds may not have sold well when 1st released but has earned crtical acclaim and the right to be known as a masterpiece.

Most young today people associate The Beach Boys music with surfing,cars,chicks and fun,fun,fun.Thus when the songs,Wouldn't It Be Nice,Sloop John B,and God Only Knows are recycled for the umpteenth time on a compilation album,it's easy to overlook the wonderful production,as well as the depth of its parent album Pet Sounds.Since it set the standard for albums for over forty years,most seemed lost on its impact.But when you truly listen and get inside these songs that you really experience the beauty of this album.The aforementioned themes are replaced with songs of introspection and more adult themes.Brian Wilson's need to compete with The Beatles turned into burning creativity as he recorded Pet Sounds with meticulous attention to detail.Using some of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew as well as the famed Wall Of Sound technique,the albums complexity was nothing short of amazing.Songs like That's Not Me,Here Today and Caroline No display both beauty and sadness in their own unique way.Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows,and Waiting for the Day are rays of light that seems on the brink of turning into dashed dreams.The Beach Boys harmonies are flawless though since Brian sings most of the leads,you'd almost think they're guest stars on their own album.Even for all its accolades,Pet Sounds was deemed a failure back in '66(due to the general publics as well as Capitol Records inability to understand and embrace the record)But over the years it has left the other Beach Boys albums in the dust,as well as accorded its own boxed set.In '66 no one seemed to think how way ahead of its time it was,nowadays it exist outside of it.

Yes, it's a classic. Yes, it does belong in any serious library of pop music. No, it might not be what you are expecting. It does not have the hooks or gee-whiz production wizardry of the oft-compared Sgt. Pepper's. It is not like anything the Beach Boys did before or since.

What it is, is a very fine listening experience. Make no mistake, these are VERY strong songs from start to finish. I bought it looking forward mainly to Wouldn't It Be Nice, and God Only Knows, but keep coming back for That's Not me and Here Today. These songs really have a way of getting hold of you.

This release also features some excellent liner notes that help you to get a feel for the time, and for the production of the album.

P.S. I had the distinct privelege of attending a Brian Wilson concert last summer featuring the performance of this album in its entirety. Marvelous.