The Pet Sounds Sessions [Box set, Original recording remastered]

The Beach Boys | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 4, 1997
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002U4U
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,199 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Baroque Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Released in 1966 to tepid sales (and hence causing no small amount of grumbling among the notoriously fractious band members), Brian Wilson's Rubber Soul-inspired album of "spiritual love" eventually became one of pop music's most celebrated artistic accomplishments. Paul McCartney would later claim that Pet Sounds in turn inspired the Beatles' magnum opus, Sgt. Pepper. This four-disc box set offers an unprecedented deconstruction of Wilson's masterpiece, taking fans, armchair scholars, and musicians on a compelling creative journey. Leading off with what once was heresy--a complete true-stereo mix of the album cleverly conjured from the existing session tapes by engineer and project coproducer Mark Linett--the set proceeds through edited audio collages that document the evolution of each song's backing track. Along the way, listeners are treated to a playful, unreleased gem ("Trombone Dixie") and the very genesis of Wilson's other great period masterpiece, "Good Vibrations." Conversely, disc 2 presents all the songs' glorious harmonies, sans instrumental backing tracks, then 19 more tracks that highlight alternate working versions (including the original take on "I Know There's an Answer," the pointedly titled "Hang On to Your Ego"), session snippets, and radio promotional spots. Disc 3 contains a newly remastered version of the album's original mono mix. The album's two comprehensive booklets were written and edited by coproducer and veteran Beach Boy biographer David Leaf and include commentary by Wilson and quotes from McCartney and producer George Martin. The 126-page "Making of Pet Sounds" pieces together the recollections of the band, session men, and engineers behind the epochal album into a warm, human-scaled history. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Go Away For A While, April 6, 2002

By 

Ben C-F (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pet Sounds Sessions (Audio CD)

This is a beautiful box set. The length and depth it goes towards examining and presenting the Beach Boys' PET SOUNDS album (arguably the most influential album of the 20th century, if not directly then at least artistically) is just beautiful. The all-stereo mix isn't quite as lucrative as it was when this box set first came out in 1996 (a single-CD stereo edition has been released since), but still-- this set is worth the price. You get the impression you're a fly on the wall in the studio, just sitting back and listening as the album takes shape. The backing tracks show just how intricate the songs were-- these are complete pieces of music even without vocals or lyrics. The a capella tracks are evidence to Brian Wilson's incredible knack for harmony, and just how teriffic singers these guys were. And the alternate versions / bonus tracks are just fun, you get a great sense of time and mood. Again, beautiful.

A couple slight problems-- this set is probably not for the casual Beach Boy fan, or even those who dig the group as "America's Band." It plays out as an eloquent tribute to Brian Wilson (though, of course, Mike Love does end up taking credit for much of the album's creation in his pompous preface), and at times can be a bit syrupy. Plus, those unfamiliar with the album might accuse it of overkill. But then again, what fascinating music!! The "Making of Pet Sounds" booklet is wonderful too, with dozens of interviews with the people involved in making the album (including all surviving Beach Boys and Tony Asher, who wrote most of the lyrics), and a plethora of photos and other tasty tidbits. Brian Wilson/Beach Boy conniseurs can not be without this release. If you're not quite as diehard a fan (or don't really care to hear anything beyond the released album), you should probably go for the single-disc stereo edition released in 1999.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for any Brian Wilson fan., March 3, 2005

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pet Sounds Sessions (Audio CD)

When I was 21 or 22, one of my coworkers dropped a copy of Pet Sounds on my desk and said, "listen to it, it'll change your life". Well, like anyone that age, I assumed he'd be wrong, but one late night years later, I did listen to it.

So anyway, he was right, it changed the way I thought about music, at a minimum. Since then, you might say my obsession with the Beach Boys is complete.

What this set is, and admittedly, its probably extraneous for most listeners, is a study in Pet Sounds. It contains two mixes of the album, one in stereo, one in mono (I go back in forth as to which I prefer), a set of sessions, and a pile of alternates.

The album you guys probably know about, if you don't, I'll touch on it here. 13 tracks of just incredible, lush, essential music. Much of it is Brian singing lead, and he does so magnificantly, in either a tenor range or falsetto, depending on the piece. Where there's harmonies, they're sometimes drier than the previous stuff, sometimes as lush and well arranged, and sometimes there's none.

As far as the songs go, there's not a bad one-- highlights change for me over time, right now "You Still Believe in Me", "Don't Talk", and "God Only Knows" are my favorites, but this changes over time. They're all quite brilliant though.

The session material is intriguing but only for big BB fans. It can get tedious at times I suspect, although I wish they'd released the full sessions. Having each with a complete instrumental track is nice too. There's also an isolated vocal track for each song, though I wish we'd gotten vocal sessions as well (then again, if I had my way, it'd be a 20-CD box...).

The alternate versions are interesting, some of them I really enjoy. "God Only Knows" with the vocal tag and sax solo and "Hang On To Your Ego" (with a better vocal delivery than its rewrite) are the big highlights.

Amazing material, highly recommended.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skip the regular CD...you're gonna end up getting this!, March 9, 2000

By 

Christopher G. Huttman (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pet Sounds Sessions (Audio CD)

As a brash 19 year old about a year ago, I bought the regular Pet Sounds Mono/Stereo CD that had been recently issued, after all I liked the songs I'd heard on the radio all those years and it came highly reccomended by my favorite mag, the NME (their #1 album of all time). To get to the point, it blew me away, quickly becomming my favorite album ever as well. I'd seen the box set at the store I worked at, but never really payed too much attention to it, and when I discovered that it had vocal tracks, alternative takes, and most importantly instrumental and "in the studio" tracks, I nearly fainted! It is worth the price of admission to hear Brian sing/belch the opening melody of Wouldn't It Be Nice, or to hear them "tighten up" the E-F#-G progression in God Only Knows to what it is now. It is also a blast to sing along to the instrumentals, and hear just how incredibly complex the vocal harmonies are on their own. Wow, the only stinker is the jazzy saxophone version of God Only Knows, probably thrown in to show you that, on the final mix of Pet Sounds, they didn't make ANY mistakes. Oh yeah, my original version of Pet Sounds? I sold it to my friend for cost at my store (about 10 bucks). And its current status? For sale. My friend has decided to move on to the box as well.